Dear Chief Moonbat

The ethnicity issue, however, is far from concrete.

Churchill insisted again last week that he is Indian, saying, "That's my family's understanding of itself."

But a report by acting Chancellor Phil DiStefano said "there is serious doubt about his Indian identity." It said Churchill claimed in writing to be an enrolled member of the Keetowah Band of the Cherokees, but the tribe's principal chief told the university that Churchill is an honorary associate member, not an enrolled member.

Ok ward boobyit works like this

by the standards of old you would count as one of the tribe

but by the legal standards of today... you wouldn't. and you know thats what counted when you filed for your job

Karl Rove Baby: WTF

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush broke his public silence on Saturday about the deadliest U.S. school shooting in six years, touting the government's response "at this tragic time" after some American Indian leaders complained he paid little attention to the rampage

Ok i gotta ask who in the white house thought that the president laying low while the whole tragedy happened but changing his plans around for the schiavo thing would be a good idea?

I mean president bush has talked about making mental health care more accesible in the past? hey isn't this a good place to do it?

also if the schiavo thing went bad he could have used this as a hedge action

If i want my president to do something in a local situation.. expressing the national sense of grief is certainly one of those things

George: I seem to be smarter then the people working for you.. give me a call

Wisdom from TJ

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms ... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants, they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." -- Thomas Jefferson

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and
bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny
in Government." -- Thomas Jefferson, Author of The Declaration of
Independence, and Third President of the United States

Our rulers can have no authority over [our] natural rights,
only as we have submitted to them. The rights of conscience
we never submitted, we could not submit. We are answerable
for them to our God. The legitimate powers of government
extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But
it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are
twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor
breaks my leg.
-- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia Query XVII

Reality tv is evil: more stuff in the mailbox

ABC is Looking for Wiccan Families

The reality TV show, Wife Swap, is looking for a Wiccan family to take part
in the show. This thread has gotten a little off-topic with complaints about
reality TV but if you are interested in this project, check it out.

Lord give us strength

More things from the email box

A little something from Larry Elder

Plotting the war curve
By Larry Elder
http://insider.washingtontimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=200503
25-083716-9631r

At a recent White House press conference, New York Times
reporter Elisabeth Bumiller called Deputy Defense Secretary Paul
Wolfowitz, President Bush's nominee for president of the World
Bank, "a chief architect of one of the most unpopular wars in our
history."
"One of the most unpopular wars in our history"? Hmmm, sounds
like another editorial masquerading as a question. To the history
books.
¢ Revolutionary War: Founding Father John Adams estimated
one-third of Americans opposed independence, one-third were
indifferent or vacillated, and only one-third supported the War of
Indepen-dence. In other words, two-thirds of Americans were not
in favor of the Revolutionary War. Pro-British Loyalists, called
Tories by the American patriots, opposed the war. The Loyalists
came from all social classes and occupations. While they tended
to be foreign-born and Anglican, Loyalists included large
landowners, small farmers and royal officeholders, with a many
engaged in commerce and other professions. The Loyalists were
strongest in the far Southern Colonies and the Middle Atlantic
Colonies, especially New York and Pennsylvania, where fighting
became a bitter civil war of raids and reprisals.
¢ War of 1812: While supported by frontiersmen's desire for free
land, Southerners who wanted West Florida, and Western
militants who wanted the British out of Canada, the war was
voted against by every Federalist member of Congress. The
humiliating defeats suffered by American troops made the fight so
unpopular that the New England states ” which never favored the
war ” considered seceding.
¢ Mexican-American War: Northern abolitionists and Whig
members of Congress widely opposed this 1846 war. The
opposition included then-Rep. Abraham Lincoln, and they called
the war an "unnecessary and unconstitutional" war of "conquest."
In fact, when the war ended, Congress censured President James
Polk for starting the hostilities.
¢ Civil War: Both sides expected the war to last no more than a
few months. The Civil War necessitated conscription of able-
bodied males by the Union, and prompted nationwide, violent
mob protest. In New York City, large-scale, bloody riots raged for
four days, causing 1,000 casualties. The so-called "copperheads"
opposed the Civil War, and staged some of the largest riots in
American history. Widespread Northern antiwar sentiment made
President Lincoln pessimistic about his prospects for re-election in
1864. Indeed, a leading copperhead (or "peace Democrat") wrote
that year's Democratic Party platform. Ultimately, Lincoln won re-
election when public sentiment turned around after the Union
Army took Atlanta.
¢ Spanish-American War: The press heatedly debated this 1898
war, and the war declaration passed with a margin of only seven
votes in the Senate. Popular support for the relatively easy fight
evaporated over the controversial annexing of Spain's colonies,
such as the Philippines. In 1900, Democratic presidential
candidate William Jennings Bryan made his opposition to the war
the centerpiece of his campaign.
¢ World War I: In 1916, two years after the war began in Europe,
President Woodrow Wilson ran for re-election as a peace
candidate who "kept us out of war." Critics pounded Wilson after
the U.S. entered the conflict. Opponents of America's involvement
in World War I filled Madison Square Garden with protest
meetings. War opponents included many Irish- and German-
Americans, trade unions, socialists, pacifists and progressive
members of vocal radical groups. During this period those groups
saw a substantial rise in membership, giving them an even more
powerful voice against the war. Wilson considered existing laws
insufficient to handle antiwar sentiment, and his administration
used various legal tools to deal with the "problem" of disloyalty
” including censorship and imprisonment. More than 250 people
were convicted under the Espionage Act in less than a year.
¢ Korean War: U.S. military involvement began in the spring of
1950 with popular support. By January 1951, however, 49 percent
of Americans believed sending troops to Korea was a mistake, and
66 percent wanted us to pull out. The war's unpopularity played an
important role in the election of President Dwight D. Eisenhower,
who pledged to end the war.
¢ Vietnam War: In a 1971 public opinion poll, 71 percent called
the Vietnam War a mistake, and 58 percent called it immoral.
¢ World War II: This is the sole major U.S. military conflict with
no organized block of dissenters after America entered the war.
This, of course, happened only after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor
and Germany declared war on the United States.
This brings us to the "unpopular" Iraqi War. Mr. Bush obtained a
resolution from Congress (which passed the House 296 to 133,
and the Senate 77 to 23) authorizing use of force. At the time of
America's entry into Iraq in 2003, a CBS/New York Times poll
found 76 percent of Americans approved of the U.S. military
action against Iraq. Even now, the majority of Americans want us
to stay the course.
Aside from that, the New York Times reporter pretty much nailed
it.

more fun with tests

Meaphysical Entropy You are destined to be 41 Arrogant and 58 Chaotic

You are a Chaotic Soul. Although you probably have a lot of faith in the heights and senses of the universe, you're too busy, frantically searching for the explosion. You pour your wisdom to the world, because you cannot stand being tied to a single piece of the true nature, and wish to find it all. However, you move too fast to ever learn from what you find. This will probably be the hardest thing you do, but you must try to expand your vast mental powers without risking your body to the next big bang it (your mind) creates. The Angel of all Chaos smiles in a toothy grin, wide eyed, awaiting your next big move to blow him, and everything else, away... You are the thorns left in his wake, you are the fire dancing at his fingertips...

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 1% on Arrogance You scored higher than 75% on Chaos

Link: The Angelic Destiny Test written by Slasherzero on Ok Cupid

ummmm...ok

Your Passion is Pink

Innocent and naive, you approach sex with a virginal mindset. You tend to enjoy teasing and flaunting much more than actual sex. You're a notorious flirt, and you can pick up anyone you desire. As a result, your reputation is a lot steamier than your real sex life.

What Color Is Your Passion?

From Al-Reuters: Eu asks Castro to be nicer

HAVANA (Reuters) - European Union Development Commissioner Louis Michel held talks on Friday with Cuba's communist authorities that included sensitive human rights issues such as political prisoners and access to jails....

And now i bet those euro's were tough with him

"The mood is good and the conversations are very frank," he told reporters after his meetings.

"There is an acceptance on the Cuban side (of the need) to discuss all these very sensitive issues, human rights, the prisoners, renewed cooperation between the European Union and Cuba," he said.

errr wait

Michel reported no progress on the issue of political prisoners, but he said he was impressed by the Cuban authorities desire to deepen talks with Brussels and put its relations with the EU back on track.

EuroSpeak: They WANT to be nicer

Europe, which opposes U.S. sanctions on Cuba, has been Cuba's main trade and investment partner. But Havana is increasingly turning to other allies, such as China and Venezuela, and buys most of its food imports from the United States under an exception to the 1963 trade embargo.

wait wait i am confused..... don't the lefties always say we are starving the poor people there?

Perez Roque said Cuba wanted to widen relations with Europe. Earlier this week, he said Havana was open to talks on human rights. But he reiterated Cuba's view that all dissidents are U.S.-paid "mercenaries" and called on EU nations to drop their annual support for a U.S.-sponsored resolution against Cuba at the U.N. Human Rights Commission, currently meeting in Geneva.

and of course what do the euro's do?

At the request of Spain's new Socialist government, the EU lifted its diplomatic sanctions in January and reverted to a policy of engagement that will be reviewed in June or July.

Europe: defending the human rights of.... no wait, that's wrong

It came from the email box II

THOUGHTS THAT COUNT

He shall lift up the ashes remaining from the burnt offering. (Lev. 6:3)

The Kohein (priest) was commanded to remove the ashes left over from the previous day's sacrifices.

This act was symbolic of the fact that after the sinner had brought his offering and truly repented of his sin, one was not allowed to remind him of his transgressions. They are forgotten and erased forever.

(Otzreinu Hayashan)

It came from the email box

i dislike using the Strib

Ironic Strib moments put in bold

When Cordell Draeger read that the shooter at Red Lake High School was into Goth subculture, Draeger's world turned dark because he feared that Goth subculture was being misrepresented.

"He may have listened to Marilyn Manson, but he idolized Hitler, and Hitler has nothing to do with the Goth subculture," Draeger, who usually dresses in black, said Wednesday. Black is typical color of Goth subculture. The senior at St. Paul Harding High school said Jeff Weise, the 16-year-old who went on a shooting rampage before taking his own life Monday, was not typical of Goths.

"Please don't talk about this incident and stereotype Goths," said Draeger, 17. "This was a troubled kid. That has nothing to do with what Goths are about."

Weise was "a very disturbed individual who happened to be into this form of music," said Nathan Hall, who hosts a Goth-centered Saturday night music show called "Locust Lecture" and is news director at the University of Minnesota's Radio K.

In 1979, when Goth music evolved from the punk scene, the Goth subculture was first and foremost about music, said Ryan (Frost) Simula, 30, a stage technician from Savage who said he was very much part of the Goth scene. Kids wore black clothing, black lipstick and period costumes.

According to the 2004 book, "What Is Goth?" by an author named Voltaire, Goths tend to be intrigued by "the dark aspects of human existence -- such as death, romance, and feelings of loneliness or isolation."

Sonja Hayden, owner of Pandora's coffee shop, known to be a Goth gathering place in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood, said she still sees kids wearing black and chains, but most of the Goths seemed to have migrated to the suburbs. Or to towns outside the metro area, including Red Lake.

"Kids are always looking for the new and the exciting, and for some of them, Goth seems pretty ancient," she said.

"Yes, I'm Goth, and it means going against the crowd," said Grace Stromquist, 19, of Minnetonka, who says she works at a gas station. "It's more than a look," she said glancing at her black nails. "It's a lifestyle."

"We're normal people," said her companion, David McNally, 17, of Lebanon, Pa. Metal chains aside, he was dressed entirely in black -- black arm warmers, black T-shirt, black jeans. "We look different, but inside we're all the same."

Hall estimates that there are only 300 "real Goths" living in Minnesota -- although he says he has no statistical information to back up this claim. He is certain of one thing, though: The incident at Red Lake had nothing to do with Goth subculture.

"This is a terribly sad story about a very troubled young man. It would be foolish to read any more into it," he said.

Read www.startribune.com online

Photo media bias in action

Q and A on the National Psychotic Episode

Q: why do national psychotic episodes have to happen in florida?
A: it is the alternate for California
Q: ah that explains everything
A: doesn't it, though?

Quiz-fu

Which Incredibles Character Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Dear Batty Hooser

19.3.05
Hello America, How Are You?
Hey America. I know there’s been some friction between you and the rest of the world lately and I think that’s too bad. Given that this is the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, I’d like to ask you a few questions if you don’t mind.

Dear Hooser....

I think the fact your government will play nicey with folks like the Tamil tigers who are horrific terrorists is a problem. Or the fact more Nazi war criminals hid out in Canada then you let in Jews during WWII. I could run off a list of downright unpleasant things Canada has done that I and other nations in the world disagree with. I wouldn't say this causes friction because people could care less if Canada is pissed off at them.

1) How come so many of your citizens thought that Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11?

To run with Bill Clinton "It depends on what your definition of DO is" I could make several logical cases for such a belief... And I could also have lines of argument that reflect flat world society people. So if you want an answer to your question you need to be more specific and don't trust polls... As polls ( which this issue came from) are entirely based on perception of the people without context

2) How come so many of your citizens know so little about other places? I’ve met a lot of Americans and only three of them knew that Ottawa was the capital of Canada, and most of them had college degrees.

I've met an equal number of Canadians who think NYC is the US capital

stupid people are everywhere... Especially in Ontario ( because god bless it to many of them come down here)

3) How come so many of your citizens know nothing about the history of US foreign and covert policy? Why aren’t they taught about American involvement in places like El Salvador, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Iraq, Iran, and a very long list of other places around the world?

and this is based on ........

bonus for if you know about things the government in Germany did to covertly support the PLO back when they were terrorists

its called CLANDESTINE for a reason. And clandestine matters usually have a lack of a serious papertrail... And we avoid teaching things as much as we can without clear unadulterated facts


4) How come most of your citizens supported the invasion of Iraq? Is it because they didn’t have all the facts or because they just wanted to see someone pay for 9/11 and were open to suggestions?

Or hey because Saddam was a really bad guy and he killed tons of people and he needed to go down. Or how about how he paid all manner of terrorist groups in the region

ya know plenty of good reasons to get rid of him.

oh and why do the Canadians support UN peacekeeping operations when so many of your soldiers rape and torture non combatants there?

5) After the world found out that there weren’t any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and President Bush announced that he was calling off the search for them, why didn’t your citizens demand that President Bush be impeached? After all, they tried to impeach Bill Clinton for lying about getting a blow job – and no one was even killed because of that.

because his statement wasn't made under oath -Bill Clinton's was- to be impeached you have to commit a high crime ... Lying is what we pay politicians to do when they lie in a non criminal matter

I know you have politicians who lie in the great white north

6) How come some Americans think these sorts of questions are bad?

and your basing this off of.... Oh that's right your firm knowledge of the US hey good to know you aren't ignorant of how these questions are hotly debated every day

you wouldn't be in violation of your own question no not you

7) How come your citizens don’t care that the CIA and the Department of Defense don’t have to disclose information to them, even though the Constitution says that they do?

No it doesn't say that... Thank you come again

8) You make more weapons than anyone else in the world. How come America?

because people other then Canada like to buy them

9) How come it’s legal to own an assault rifle but two men or two women can’t get married?

because assault rifle is a made up and meaningless word. Marriage is something that isn't made up and is well defined in law

10) Why do you spend more money on defense than education and healthcare?

because we have treaty obligations our military has to fufill and only so much money we can take from our citizens ( something the folks in Ottawa have no problem doing the opposite of)

Thanks for your time America.

Thanks for continuing the long Canadian cultural history of America hatred

Ok the Schiavo thing

I was hoping it would go away, but alas it didn't

let me lay something out on the abortion issue. I think the worst kind of politics are the kind that move into a woman's vagina. I think the use of religous arguments gets you nowhere in a political context. I think abortions are wrong, and i think that they do more harm then good. However i think using government to fix that is allot like using a 12 gage to kill flys. Forget the constitutional side for a moment.. i think the use of government on issues like this is like using a chainsaw to do neurosurgery. the government should be reserved for really big problems... and as the abortion procedure shows us this isn't something really complex.

So i was already biased against the National Political tribes that have lined up with war paint over Terri Schiavo. I thought they all needed a serious dose of some psych medication. However their insanity has forced my government in the dead of night to pass a law which says "We need another judge to say that the law in Florida doesn't say what it actually says". This is banana republic stuff... except they usually just do the honest thing of throwing the judge in jail for crimes against the state.

I like the old tradition started by the jewish priests that one does not make a binding and legal descion under the cloud of night. (yes.. i know rabbis now meet under the cloud of night.. but that is a relatively new thing) In Costa Rica all judicial actions must happen in the light of day. In daylight we are likely to see less government sneakiness then at the dead of night.

take allllll the many "what about this" medical theories about Terri and put them aside. as i pointed out over with Bill at the INDC Journal's crowd... here is the legal skinny

Florida Law says ( and the US supreme court and the State Supreme court in florida agree judge greer is right with the law) that a judge can at a legal hearing make a ruling based on the preponderance of evidence about what a persons wishes are.

that happened

Terri's Law #1) didn't change any of that -it couldn't legally-
and Terri's law #2 hasn't either

until you address this legally binding position of the court of florida you are not addressing the reality


It's over legally...Michael Schiavo can't stop it now. the court has ruled based on evidence ( and both sides put their best show on) this is what she would want

game over people

lets not flop around and try to take part in this horrendous family tragedy

great thoughts from a masonic thinker

A man can never have too much red wine,
too many books, or too much ammunition.
- R. Kipling

Larry’s rant on freemasonry

Larry’s rant on freemasonry

We’ll I’ve been emailing with some folks on the Philalethes list and I’ve seen something come up again and again and I want to kinda do a rant about it.

You non masons stick with me here for a moment you’ll get something out of this

I’ve been seeing people demand the “price” of Freemasonry keep pace with the times. I’ve seen arguments about inflation and what not. Well, other things that had price increases with Inflation had an increase in value. Also the amount of salaries paid to people (yep) increased also. So when you factor an increase in income, this negates the point about the inflated price. People paid more, but they had a lot less the further back in time you go. We have a considerable amount of more money –and more things to spend it on to- so the inflation argument fails. Not so much that because we have more money we should spend more, but because unlike other things which had an increase in price masonry has not increased in its quality. When the quality of something stays the same and the price goes up… people don’t buy it no more and if the quality of masonry as an organization remained the same, but grand lodges jacked up the prices you’d see an exodus from the craft in the US the likes of which you haven’t seen.

And the elitism inherent in that premise goes against one of my favorite Masonic stories. About Teddy Roosevelt a man of huge privilege and his telling the story of how his gardner was also his worshipful master that year… if Masonry fails to be a place where people of every strata can come together in harmony, then I feel the noble message of the craft fails.

My favorite pair of shoes only cost me five bucks on sale. I’d have never bought the shoes if I saw them new, they would cost more then I ever wanted to spend on a pair of shoes… but since they were on sale ( and in my price range) I bought the most comfortable pair of shoes I’ve had in my life. If our lessons are for all men of good character and will, they should be accessible like a comfortable pair of shoes.

The price being to low isn’t the problem… the quality of the product that can certainly be told as a problem.

I hear allot of folks downing on the ritual (and to you non masons reading this part is something you’ll enjoy)

The words of the ritual aren’t what’s important its how you get to them that is Important.

After my E.A Degree Tom and I were instructed by Col. Bob Shaw. Col. Shaw had through force of will and personality become some what of an institution in the lodge. The only instructor at the time who wasn’t going up the line in Lodge (or York Rite or….). The Bald Eagle was also fighting off cancer and the great ills of his aging body. Col. Shaw didn’t teach us the work word perfectly, as he was having trouble from his treatments and the like. But seeing in my mother lodge many other classes, I think I learned allot more from the Bald Eagle.

We learned about Col. Shaw and his military career and how Masonry played a role in the life of many men he served with in the war. He showed us one day his medals, and told us about how he earned them. Bob talked to us about his experiences seeing Masonry in England, and seeing Masonry done in Virginia, and seeing Masonry done in his father’s home territory of West Virginia. We learned about how he came to be an Instructor in our lodge to.

We learned what some of the words meant that we didn’t know, and we discussed somewhat their meanings in our own lives.

We learned our errors, and some of the more comical errors made by other brothers doing the same ritual memorization by rote.

For our later degrees we learned to do more and more of the examination process ourselves, and we learned some of the interesting variations other instructors did.

One of the moments I was most upset at an officer of my lodge, an officer who knew I was in one of the Col’s last classes was forgetting to tell me about his memorial service, or the fact he even died.

All these things, these things other then learning the actual words taught us a great deal about masonry, and about the brotherhood masonry is supposed to impart to its members.

I’ve learned before degrees talking to a brother about some interesting views on the role of the “religion” line on Masonic petitions. And how he put something different on each one for each new organization he joined. And we sat and talked about the role the great architect should play in a Mason’s life. An instructive time with the Tyler happened when I as an entered apprentice was sitting waiting to come back in and hear how my proficiency went.

I learn allot of other Masonic lessons to. Like being at a ritual practice and watching some one slip up and hearing the whole room bursting into good hearted laughter.

Or sitting in the secretary’s office three masons chewing the fat over some fat that needed to be chewed off some brother’s heads at grand lodge.

It’s the sense of community that is built starting with the catechism work, and building into learning about the role of a mason in his lodge. It’s about fraternally bonding with brothers outside the purely Masonic areas.

Each mason is a brick, and that brick is built into an edifice that is the lodge. The ritual matters because it helps bridge the gaps between educated and uneducated. It brings everyone to an equal footing. I already talked about Tom’s problem with English comprehension and I just had the problem of trying to correct grand lodge’s grammar

It helps to bring together rich and poor, young and old

It is a tool that we are given to help build the community that our lodges are supposed to be.

Seeing some of these comments by men who have risen to heights in the fraternity, I am still amused at the fact when I was an EA on Alt. Freemasonry and other Masonic forum I was attacked for saying I had a fun time in my degree.

I look at how a Brother in my lodge ( and a Brother DeMolay) with a generous nature twisted my arm into joining Scottish rite because I’d enjoy myself and he also needed people for the class.

I think some people miss out that an attitude is needed for people to get interested in the craft. And if that attitude isn’t there no form of special lodge, higher prices, or other gimmicks will work.

It starts in your heart. If it isn’t right there then the rest simply is an empty meaningless form.

for my mormon friends

Apostate Congratulations! You scored 30!

You're an apostate! You're out of the church, and damn proud of it. You'll never go back to Utah, at least not until the next one of your 20 siblings gets married.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 33% on morgpoints

Link: The Mormon-Type Test written by plagueofthings on Ok Cupid

Komrade Stalin would be proud

of the Eu Kommisars Here

more fun with tests

The Potential Mystic Congratulations! You scored 70!

You are quite used to relying on your hunches and instincts. You probably don't realize it fully, but you use your psychic abilities on an almost daily basis to make decisions. You're quite used to strange things happening and don't usually try to rationalize them away, although you don't tend to give them that much weight either. More than likely you have very good psychic abilities, it's just that you're mainly unconscious of them. Try giving your impressions a second look when you have them. Don't try to rationalize, just give it your attention, and try and become more conscious of the process involved.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 63% on eps

Link: The Psychic Abilities Test written by ouroboros77 on Ok Cupid

If i was a senator He'd have my vote

From Al-Press about the Designee to the Un Ambassadorship

He once lambasted the chief U.N. human rights monitor as a rogue bureaucrat whose conduct "is a threat that we ignore at our own risk."

"There is no such thing as the United Nations," he said in a 1994 speech. "There is an international community that occasionally can be led by the only real power left in the world, and that is the United States."

"Admittedly, not all American governmental institutions are democratic," Bolton wrote in a 1999 opinion piece in the journal Legal Times. "But even if key government bodies are far removed from popular accountability and unelected bureaucrats have been delegated vast power, they nonetheless are part of a coherent constitutional structure. By contrast, we find no coherence in the United Nations, just a mass of institutions that has grown over the years like a coral reef. "

Two years ago, Bolton denounced North Korean leader Kim Jong Il as a "tyrannical dictator" at a time when the official State Department line was much more accommodating.

"We should also make clear that diplomatic normalization with the U.S. is only going to come when North Korea becomes a normal country," he said then.

Writing in The Dallas Morning News in 2000, Bolton accused the Clinton administration of "an unambiguous act of appeasement" for agreeing to shield Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi if he handed over two suspects in the Pan Am 103 bombing for trial.

In a 2000 op-ed in an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, Bolton questioned whether U.N. peacekeeping missions were becoming too plentiful and ambitious. He also said Kofi Annan, then as now the U.N. Secretary-General, was too eager to transform U.N. peacekeepers into warriors.

"This is not simply a budgeteer's bean-counting quarrel over personnel levels, but a fundamental disagreement about the most appropriate and feasible role for the U.N. in international conflicts," Bolton wrote.

"Peacekeeping historically has relied on the consent of and cooperation by parties to a conflict. Where that is absent, not only does peacekeeping fail, but so too will 'peace' itself."

He sounds like Just the man the UN needs right now

haha

stuff that makes you ummm "proud" of your home town

Mooo

Hey It's almost new years for Yr Humble Crspondent

NOWRUZ,
THE ZARATHUSHTRIAN NEW YEAR



Ali A. Jafarey



CALENDAR



Almost all of us know that the year is approximately 365.25 days long. All of us in the Northern Hemisphere know that the seasons are regular and March means the coming of spring, June the beginning of summer, September the beginning of fall, and December means the coming of winter. The reverse is the case in the Southern Hemisphere.



Many know that spring begins with the vernal equinox on about 21 March, summer with the summer solstice on about 22 June, fall with the autumnal equinox on about 23 September, and winter with the winter solstice on about 23 December.



Some know that the "tropical," solar, or seasonal year is of 365 days, 5 hours, 48 and 45.5 seconds. In other words, it is 365.242+ days. They also know that one day is added every four years to compensate for the loss of four 5 hours 48+ minutes, that each of the equinoxes and solstices have their precise time of beginning pre-calculated and published by many world observatories and other astronomical establishments, and that the astronomical and astrological worlds follow the tropical year. A few know that the minutes and seconds in the length of the year vary, from year to year, mainly because of the movements of the moon and the planets and that the present shift from 21 to 20 March is due to the fact that instead of calculating exactly 5 hours and 48+ minutes, the Common Era (Gregorian Calendar) has full 6 hours, which advances it by 12+ minutes every year. This is corrected to an extant by having a leap year every four years. But it still has its flaw. Therefore, a year is a leap year if either (i) it is divisible by 4 but not by 100 or (ii) it is divisible by 400. In other words, a year which is divisible by 4 is a leap year unless it is divisible by 100 but not by 400 (in which case it is not a leap year). Thus the years 1600 and 2000 are leap years, but 1700, 1800, 1900 and 2100 are not. Even this does not make it precise like the Iranian calendar and further measures are anticipated to precisely correct it.



Very few know that the official Iranian and Afghani calendars, both of Zarathushtrian origin, are tropical. Only a very small number know that if the beginning of the year is considered from the precise start of vernal equinox, there shall never be any need to have a leap year at all -- the reason why the ancient Zarathushtrians did not have it!



The Iranians of old had a tropical calendar for many centuries. The downfall of the Sassanian Empire in the 7th century disrupted the astronomical structure of the religion and the state. The 365-day year, followed by the majority of Zarathushtrians in India and Pakistan with little astronomical knowledge, for the last eleven hundred years, has advanced the calendar to where Nowruz now occurs in the late summer. However, almost all Zarathushtrians in Iran and a minority of Parsis of India and Pakistan follow the "Fasli" or seasonal calendar. It is an almost tropical calendar. It is corrected by observing the leap year.



Meanwhile, although the Iranians, who were converted to Islam, observed and are observing the Muslim lunar calendar for religious purposes, the Iranian calendar was soon restored within a century for administrative and economical reasons and that it continues to be their daily time reckoning.


LEGEND AND HISTORY



Nowruz [pronounced NO-ROOZ] in Persian means "New-[year]-day". It is the beginning of the year for the people of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Tajikistan. Other Asian republics of the former Soviet Union are joining the group, and the latest report says that Turkey too has decided to declare Nowruz a holiday. It is also celebrated as the new year by the people of the Iranian stock, particularly the Kurds, in the neighboring countries of Georgia, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. It begins precisely with the beginning of spring on vernal equinox, on about March 21.



Tradition takes Nowruz as far back as 15,000 years and that goes beyond the last ice age. King Jamshid (Yima or Yama of the Indo-Iranian lore) symbolizes the transition of the Indo-Iranians from animal hunting to animal husbandry and a more settled life in human history. Seasons played a vital part then. Everything depended on the four seasons. After a sever winter, the beginning of spring was a great occasion with mother nature rising up in a green robe of colorful flowers and the cattle delivering their young. It was the dawn of abundance. Jamshid symbolizes the person/people who introduced Nowruz celebrations.



Avestan and later scriptures show that Zarathushtra improved, as early as 1725 BCE, the old Indo-Iranian calendar. The prevailing calendar was lunisolar. The lunar year is of 354 days. An intercalation of one month after every thirty months kept the calendar almost in line with the seasons. Zarathushtra, the Founder of the Good Religion, himself an astronomer, founded an observatory and he reformed the calendar by introducing an eleven-day intercalary period to make it into a lunisolar year of 365 days, 5 hours and a fraction.



Later in the post-Gathic period, the year was made solely a solar year with each month of thirty days. An intercalation of five days, and a further addition of one day every four years, was introduced to make the year 365 days, 5 hours, and a fraction. Still later, the calendar was further corrected to be a purely solar year of 365 days 5 hr 48+ min. The year began precisely with the vernal equinox every time and therefore, there was no particular need of adding one day every four years and there was no need of a leap year. This was [and still is] the best and most correct calendar produced that/this far in history.



Some 12 centuries later, in 487 BCE, Darius the Great of the Achaemenian dynasty (700 to 330 BCE) celebrated the Nowruz at his newly built Persepolis in Iran. A recent research shows that it was a very special occasion. On that day, the first rays of the rising sun fell on the observatory in the great hall of audience at 06-30 a.m., an event that repeats itself once every 1400-1 years. It also happened to coincide with the Babylonian and Jewish new years. It was, therefore, a highly auspicious occasion for the ancient peoples. The Persepolis was the place the Achaemenian king received, on Nowruz, his peoples from all over the vast empire. The walls of the great royal palace depict the scenes of the celebrations.



We know the Parthians (250 BCE to 224 CE) celebrated the occasion but we do not know the details. It should have, more or less, followed the Achaemenian pattern. During the Sassanian time (224 to 652 CE), preparations began at least 25 days before Nowruz. Twelve pillars of mud bricks, each dedicated to one month of the year, were erected in the royal court. Various vegetable seeds--wheat, barley, lentils, beans, and others--were sown on top of the pillars. They grew into luxurious greens by the New Year Day.



The great king held his public audience and the High Priest of the empire was the first to greet him. Other priests and government officials followed next. Each person offered a gift and received a present. The audience lasted for five days, each day for the people of a certain profession. Then on the sixth day, called the Greater Nowruz, the king held his special audience. He received members of the Royal family and courtiers. Also a general amnesty was declared for convicts of minor crimes. The pillars were removed on the 16th day and the festival came to a close. The occasion was celebrated, on a lower level, by all peoples throughout the empire.



Since then, the peoples of the Iranian culture, whether Zarathushtrians, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Baha'is, or others, have, under Arab, Turk, Mongol, and Iranian rulers, celebrated Nowruz precisely at the time of vernal equinox, the first day of the first month, on about March 21.


ERAS



Zarathushtrians have six seasonal thanksgiving festivals, called "Gâhânbârs," to celebrate in a year. Vernal Equinox, called Hamaspathmaidhaya in Avesta, meaning "Middle of Equal Paths," or in simpler rendering "vernal equinox" is the top celebration. It was called in later days as "Nava Saredha" and still later Now Sal, both meaning "New Year". Today it is known as Nowruz, New Day. It is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.



The early Zarathushtrians counted their era, the Zarathushtrian Religious Era (ZRE), from Nowruz (vernal equinox) of 1737 BCE. It may be noted that the credit of precisely calculating ZRE goes to an Iranian scholar, the late Zabih Behruz. Right now, we are going through the last days of the last month of 3742 ZRE. It was practically revived by the Zarathushtrian Assembly 15 years ago and has been happily adopted by the Zarathushtrians in Iran and abroad, including in North America.



The Zarathushtrian era was abandoned when the Achaemenian monarchy was influenced by the prevailing custom in the Mesopotamia. The year started with the accession to the throne of every monarch. That is the reason why Zarathushtrians -- followers of the Fasli (solar), the Shahenshahi (majority of Parsis), the Qadimi (a minority of Parsis and Iranis of India and Pakistan) calendars -- have the Yazgerdi era, the year King Yazdgerd ascended the throne in 632 CE. Both Shahenshahi and Qadimi reckoning have a year of 365 days only. They have advanced almost seven months by gaining one day every four years. It means that they gave up the leap year (avardâd sâlgâh -- literally "perfection of year-time) about 852 years ago -- in about 1150 CE. All Iranian Zarathushtrians follow the Fasli, the seasonal or the solar calendar.



When Iranian Muslims returned to the solar year, they reckoned with the Hejra year in solar terms. It will be 1384 Khorshidi (solar) this Nowruz. The months are Zarathushtrian -- Farvardin, Ordibehesht, Khordad, Tir etc. -- in Iran and Zodiac – Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer -- in Afghanistan.



NOWRUZ TABLE



Every house gets a thorough cleaning almost a month before. Wheat, barley, lentils, and other vegetable seeds are soaked to grow on china plates and round earthenware vessels some ten days in advance, so that the sprouts are three to four inches in height by Nowruz.



Today, the ceremony has been simplified. A table is laid. It has a copy of the sacred book (the Gathas for Zarathushtrians), picture of Zarathushtra (or a Saint's picture by other creeds), a mirror, candles, incense burner, bowl of water with live gold fish, the plates and vessels with green sprouts, flowers, fruits, coins, bread, sugar cone, various grains, colorfully painted boiled eggs like "Easter eggs," and above all, seven articles with their names beginning in Persian with the letter "S" (seen) or "SH" (sheen). The usual things with "S" are vinegar (serkeh), sumac (somâgh), garlic (sîr), samanu (consistency of germinating wheat), apple (sîb), sorb (senjed), and sabzi (herbs). Those with an initial letter "SH" include wine (sharâb), sugar (shakar), syrup (shîreh), honey (shahd), candy (shîrîni), milk (shîr), and rice pudding (shîr-berenj). The seven articles are prominently exhibited in small bowls or plates on the table.



The table is laid with a white cloth. White represents spotless purity.



Let me repeat the brief play put up by young members of the Zarathushtrian Assembly to define the significance of the seven plates of "S" and seven plates of "SH." The youngsters, dressed in tune with what they represent, tell us by themselves their own significance. Those with "S" inform us:



First Plate: I am SERKEH, the vinegar. I am sour but I am a good preservative. I add taste to the things you want to preserve and relish. I symbolize tasty preservation.



Second Plate: I am SUMAC, exotic in my own way, I make your favorite kabobs have a tangy taste, a taste you relish. I symbolize taste.



Third Plate: I am SIR, garlic. Some may not like my aroma and others love it. I lower blood pressure. I pacify. I symbolize peace.



Fourth Plate: I am SAMANU, a sweetish paste, a kind of halwa, made from germinating wheat. I symbolize the sprouting spring, the time for happy growth.



Fifth Plate: I am SIB, apple. I symbolize the fruits of our world, both literally and allegorically.



Sixth Plate: I am SENJED, the tasteless berry of the sorb tree. I am the fruit of a tree which provides shade in summer. I symbolize the shelter and security you need when you want a rest.



Seventh Plate: I am SABZI, fresh green herbs. I come from green fields. I symbolize prosperity.



The seven plates with "SH" tell us:



First Plate: I am SHARAB, the wine. I am the nectar. I symbolize health and happiness, of course, if taken in moderation! To your health!



Second Plate: I am SHAKAR, sugar. I give your favorite foods their sweetness. I symbolize sweetness.



Third Plate: I am SHIR, milk, the first food one tastes in this world. I symbolize nourishing food.



Fourth Plate: I am SHIREH, syrup. I am the sap, the fluid essential for life, health and vigor. I symbolize vigorous health.



Fifth Plate: I SHAHD, honey. I am the sweet produce of the cooperative bees. I symbolize the sweet result of teamwork.



Sixth Plate: I am SHIRINI, candy, loved by those who have a sweet tooth. I simply symbolize sweetness with no sign of bitterness.



Seventh Plate: I am SHIR-BERENJ, rice pudding, and a tasty food. I symbolize food for taste and health.



The copy of the Gathas symbolizes guidance for a good life. The picture of Asho Zarathushtra reminds us of the author of the Gathas, the founder of the Good Religion and the Conveyer of the Divine Message. The mirror reflects our past and shows us our present so that we thoughtfully plan our future. The candles are light, warmth, and energy to lead a righteous life that would, in turn, radiate light, give warmth, and provide energy for others. The incense burner gives the fragrance we need to meditate, pray to God, and ask for help and guidance. The gold fish symbolizes a happy life, full of activity and movement. The plates of green sprouts represent creativity and productivity, and so do the colorfully painted eggs.



As you see, the whole table is beautifully laid. It symbolizes the Message and the Messenger, light, reflection, warmth, life, love, joy, production, prosperity, and nature. It is, in fact, a very elaborate thanksgiving table for all the good and beautiful things bestowed by God.



Family members, all dressed in their best, sit around the table and eagerly await the announcement of the exact time of vernal equinox over radio or television. The head of the family recites the Nowruz prayers, and after the time is announced, each member kisses the other and wishes a Happy Nowruz. Elders give gifts to younger members. Next, the rounds of visits to neighbors, relatives, and friends begin. Each visit is reciprocated.



Zarathushtra's Birthday and Nowruz festival are celebrated by Zarathushtrians at social centers on about 6 Farvardin (26 March).



Singing and dancing is, more or less for the first two weeks, a daily routine. The festivity continues for 12 days, and on the 13th morning, the mass picnic to countryside begins. It is called SIZDEH-BE-DAR, meaning "thirteen-in-the-outdoors." Cities and villages turn into ghost towns with almost all the inhabitants gone to enjoy the day in woods and mountains along streams and riversides. People sing, dance, and make merry. Girls of marriageable age tie wild grass tops into knots and make a wish that the following Nowruz may find them married and carrying their bonny babies!



* * * * * *


THE PRECISE TIME OF NOWRUZ



Date & Time in Iran's time: 04 hr 03 min 00 sec PM Tehran time on Sunday, 30 Esfand 3742 ZRE = 1383 official Iranian solar year [Khorshidi] = March 20, 2005



Conversions:



Greenwich Meantime: 12:33:00 PM, Sunday March 20, 2005

North American Eastern Time: 07:33:00 AM, Sunday March 20, 2005

North American Central Time: 06:33:00 AM, Sunday March 20, 2005

North American Mountain Time: 05:33:00 AM, Sunday March 20, 2005

North American Pacific Time: 04:33:00 AM, Sunday March 20, 2005



Afghanistan: 05:03 PM

Australia/New Zealand: 11:33 PM

Brazil: 09:33 AM

Central Asia: 05:33 PM

China: 08:33 PM

Europe: 01:33 PM

India: 06:03 PM

Near East: 02:33 PM

Pakistan: 05:33 PM

Persian Gulf (upper): 03:33 PM

Persian Gulf (lower): 04:33 PM

Turkey: 02:33 PM




The New Year begins: Monday, 1st Farvardin 3743 ZRE = 1384 Khorshidi = 21 March 2005 CE

* * * * * *

Ali A. Jafarey
Buena Park, Orange County California

A cool birthday present

off of Al-Press something else cool is going down on my Birthday

Monday's violence came a day after politicians set March 16 for the opening of the country's first democratically elected parliament in modern history as a deal hardened Sunday to name Jalal Talabani, a leader of the minority Kurds, to the presidency. The day marks the anniversary of the 1988 Saddam-ordered chemical attack on the northern Kurdish town of Halabja, which killed 5,000 people.

Ummm Derrrrrrrrrrrr

From Al-Press a little bit of History

DALLAS (AP) -- The only flag known to have survived the Battle of the Alamo has been found on display at a museum in Mexico, more than a decade after Mexican officials said they had lost it, a newspaper reported Sunday.

I am sure we have something of historic signifigance to mexico we can trade