"The Truth About Sarah Palin"
Current mood: complacent
Category: News and Politics
Boy, I am just on a role here. I have wonderful friends who keep giving me links and what not to help keep me informed for the upcoming election. ^_^ I appreciate it immensely. This one is from the lovely Beast I call Steph. *mwah!* Check it out!
It certainly doesn't improve my mood about the representatives of the G.O.P that's for sure, but definitely good to know. I'm still bummed that Hillary didn't make it, what can I say?
Other than that, things have been crazy busy with me. My birthday is coming up and I'll be out this Friday at the Dark Dreams dance. ^_^ If anyone wants to wish me well you can show up and buy me a drink! I'll hopefully be sporting new ink as well.
From Eve Ensler to Sarah Palin
Current mood: blustery
Category: News and Politics
I'm sure all of you have heard by now that McCain has elected a certain female politician in order to attempt to win back some of us female voters for the G.O.P. I'm also sure that most of you already know how I feel about this particular issue. Instead of writing a rant of my own I'm posting this instead. My lovely friend Brenn forwarded this to me and I was so moved that I had to share.
Eve Ensler, the American playwright, performer,feminist and activist, best known for "The Vagina Monologues", wrote the following about Sarah Palin:
DRILL, DRILL, DRILL
I am having Sarah Palin nightmares.
I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks.
I have a particular thing for Polar Bears.
Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or ever touched one.
Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice.
Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.
I don't like raging at women.
I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them.
It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical.
The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.
But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, d eepeni ng tolerance, and ending violence and war.
I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country choose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that Americamay never recover.
But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke.
In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.
Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution.
I take thi s as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves.
She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan.
She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraqis here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, "It was a task from God."
Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion.
She does not believ e women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not. She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many ba bies that makes.
Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference.
This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States .
She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.
Sarah belie ves in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.
Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right.
But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything Americahas ever tried to be.
I write to my sisters.
I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands.
This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U .S. , but of the planet.
It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans.
It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack.
It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction.
It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build mo re and more methods of killing.
It will determine whether Americais a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.
If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected, then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, "Drill Drill Drill."
I think of teeth when I think of drills.
I think of rape.
I think of destruction.
I think of domination.
I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent.
I think of pain.
Do we want a future of drilling?
More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?
Returned! Convergence14 & Updates!
Current mood: exhausted
Category: Art and Photography
I've finally found some time to update both my online gallery and my journal here! For those of you who were interested in Convergence14, I'll give a quick summary for you.
I'm trying to put things in a positive light, but the truth is that really not much good came out of the entire trip. The event co-ordinators "scaled down" the entire event from last year, and neglected to tell any of us vendors that they were going to do this. In Portland there were around 2500 people (I'm estimating roughly) in Tampa this year there were fewer than 300 of us total. As you can imagine this didn't go too well for us. Needless to say we were fairly upset at the amount of money lost. I doubt that we will travel quite so far from home to vend again anytime soon. I also doubt that I'll be attending another Convergence.
On the brighter side of things, I did get to meet some wonderful people! We were vending next to the wonderful Carlee Wolcott of Noxenlux Chapeau whose work and hats I have admired for a couple of years, (I bought some hats from her last year, and two more again this year. Hopefully soon I'll have some photo's up of me and my girl in them.) and the wonderful couple who own The Obscuria Shop in Orlando. They had some really wicked cyber-goth/punk masks and gear, and were also wonderfully nice people who I enjoyed getting to know a little bit. I also met Mark of Seraphemera Books, who is also the writer for the comic Polyglot & Spleen. He was definitely a wonderful networking connection to make while in FL.
On the art side of things, I didn't sell too terribly much, but I did make a little bit of extra spending cash (which I promptly spent on hats >.>.) I do however, have extras of everything. Please check out my gallery, I have prints of all of my pin-up girls (in 8x11, 5x7 and as postcards) as well as some bookmarks that I made up for the occasion. If you would be interested in buying directly from me please let me know, hey, I'll even pay the shipping to get it to you. My prices are: $7 for 8x11, $5 for 5x7, $2.50 for postcards and $1.50 for the bookmarks. If you buy a full set of the postcards I'll give you a couple book markers for free as well. Send me a note if you're interested!
For your viewing pleasure I've put up three of my Bookmark designs.
On the Twigs & Brews side of things, we also didn't do too well there either, but if anyone local to the Missoula area is interested in us, please feel free to stop by HEMP FEST next Saturday! It's always a blast and we'll have a booth there this year! ^_^
Other than that I don't have much to say tonight, other than it's nice to be home, and I'm working on getting a whole lot more done!
Peace out! ~ Datura
Currently
listening
:
Eternal Summer Release date: 2008-02-05
The above listed is my Gemini in my series of Lolita styled zodiac characters. ^_^ As usual the links above goto my online gallery, feel free to head on over and browse, I've uploaded two other pieces there (including a self portrait not appropriate for myspace! you know you're curious) Please stop by!
As usual this is also a call for business. If any of you lovelies are interested in commissioning me please send me a message here, a note in my DA account or an e-mail. I work starting from $15 and accept a variety of payment types. I do band designs, tattoo flash, chibi/ comic book style portraits, and whatever else you may want! ^_^
In other news things in my life have taken a turn for the better. I've just gotten a new job working at Mr. Tux downtown with a good friend of mine. (Working at Budget was a good job, I learned a lot and have many fond memories, but there comes a point where you have to move on, especially when you realize that there is no chance for change or progression.) This job supplies me with more ritual/sabbat and study friendly hours and is one that leaves me with a chance for raises and the lot. Not to mention that it has a heavy focus on sewing, which is something I haven't had a great deal of time to do lately. I feel as if I have rediscovered this skill in myself. XD
I also feel as if I've come to a financially stable point for the first time in my life. I would like to be able to say that I don't really care about money, but I'd be lying. Money is one of the number one causes of stress in my life, and I've let it rule me for a long time. Don't get me wrong, I'm still completely broke, but things are easing up a bit.
Also in the recent past I have: Watched the musical 1776 with my mom, dad and little sister, gone on a date with my girlfriend (yes a real date dinner, a movie and the whole lot!), gotten a lovely package of baked goods in the mail, and reconnected with old friends. On the menu for tonight: Lolo hotsprings with my second family.
I'd say that things are going quite well. It's times like these that make it easier to remember how truly blessed I am, and appreciate it every day. Nice not to get a rant for once huh?
Love, light, and blessings galore! Peace Out! ~Datura
Currently
listening
:
Superhero Brother
By
G. Love & Special Sauce
Release date: 2008-06-24
I kissed a girl, but can’t believe that UR so gay...?!?
Current mood: aggravated
Category: Music
Alright, so the song "one of the guys" is kind of cute, but anyone who can put the songs "I kissed a girl" and "Ur so gay" on the same album must be a complete idiot. To claim sexual liberation and open-mindedness and then use 5th grade schoolyard insults against a "feminine" man in the next breath is completely ridiculous. Katy Perry I call bullshit on you, that's for sure. I've gotta admit as a Bi-sexual woman I'd like to let you know that it's women like you, allowing yourself to be objectified and doing anything for attention and publicity, that cause the world to think that all of us who are actually bi-sexual must be sluts. On top of that, you're also helping along the "gay women are hot so that's o.k., but gay/feminine men are gross/bad" state of mind. >.<
And some people wonder why the gay community is offended.
Quick Update, Astrology and Craziness!
Current mood: busy
Category: Life
Things are going well, I'm very busy this week and really looking forward to having my Anju back in town. This coming week is going to be hectic, so I thought I'd post something quick while coming up for some air so to speak. There are just a couple quick things you guys should know.
1: If any of you are interested in having your birthchart done or are looking for some Astrological advice I highly recommend the wonderful and talented MoonCat! She did my birthchart for me last Tuesday and is absolutely amazing, her prices are very reasonable, and she's just generally a cool person on top of it all. Please check out her myspace, even if only to subscribe to her wonderful blog, in which she gives Astrological updates regularly. (This can be a huge help!) ^_^
2: As always I'm an artist open for commissions! My gallery can be found HERE for those of you who may be interested. I'm actually doing work at sale prices this month since I'm a little hard up for cash. Black and white work starting at only $15.
3: I'll be out of town for the weekend doing ritual work, so don't expect any updates or replies from me until late Sunday or Monday. ^_^
Had this e-mailed to me yesterday and had to share. ^_^ Please note that this wasn't written by me and if you'd like to share it check out the contact paragraph at the bottom.
~Datura
1. We're in ur perfek luv and trust, bidin ur rede like we must. 2. Dat fud urs, dis fud mine; keep in mind, an all be fine. 3. 3 times round that sirkl pass so evul spiruts CAN NOT HAS. 4. Kittehs wind up spell in ball by speekin it in wurds of LOL. 5. Sofft of paw and grate big ears; do not yowl and u shall heers! 6. Rightpaw round teh biggening moon, kittehs sing teh Witchc@t Roon. 7. Leftpaw round teh smalling moon, kittehs sing teh baneful tune. 8. Lady can has moon of new; kittehs hed-bash her times two. 9. When can has moon full enuf, then can has all sorts of stuff! 10. When North wind come, kitteh, take care! Srsly, iz cold out ther. 11. When South wind to kitteh sing, lov will come an smooches bring. 12. When teh West wind blow the mosts, iz no rest for kitteh ghosts. 13. When teh East wind stir teh air, fill teh bowlz wit fud to share. 14. In metal bukkit, put nine woodz; burn fast or slo, jus burnz em goodz! 15. Teh Elder is teh Lady's tree. Be respektin it. Srsly. 16. When teh Year-Wheel starts to spin, lite Beltane fire FTW! 17. When Wheel iz turned and Yule is bornz, bow to Teh Ceiling Cat With Hornz. 18. Be respektin leafs and trees, and by teh Lady blessed beez! 19. Ur stone. U fling it. Strong and deft. (In streem, to find out WTF.) 20. When u has need of something moar, avoid kitteh who yowlz "NOT YOURS!" 21. Foolish cat iz foolish. U avoid him, or look foolish too. 22. Oh hai! I'ze purrin. Kthxbai! Warm kitteh heart, bright kitteh eye. 23. Teh Three-Fold Law: respekt it, pliz, cuz good or bad comez back in threez. 24. Misforchun? You has it, just a bit? Mai bloo star. Let me show you it. 25. Dis kitteh r mine, and I'z theyrs too. Keep this srsly 4 troo. 26. Teh Wiccan Rede can has wurds eight: kitteh harm none, do thy will. Thx! Grate!
The LOLcat Rede is copyright Elise Matthesen 2008; please do not reprint or repost without written permission. Permission can be gotten pretty easily by sending e-mail to elise@lioness.net. (I almost always say yes, but I love to find out how far it's spreading, and the permissions thing is good as a device to satisfy my curiosity on that.) Thank you. (And if you do reprint or repost without asking me, please please please include this paragraph so that my name and contact info go along with it so that the next person can ask, and I can find out how far it goes. If you see it out there anywhere uncredited, please tack this paragraph on. My catly curiosity thanks you.)
Taurus was the theme for an EGL contest online, above is my entry. ^_^ I think she's pretty cute, and it was fun, what can I say other than that? I've also put up one other piece so if you're interested in that or the rest of my artwork please follow the links above to my DeviantArt account. ^_^ There is plenty on display and also some prints for sale there.
Also: As always this starving artist is always open for commissions or trades. So if you're in need of some artwork (band logos/ cover design, tattoo flash etc.) I'm your gal! Commissions start at $20.
Peace out! ~Datura
Currently
listening
:
Detours
By
Sheryl Crow
Release date: 2008-02-05
Above is my May King, he was drawn and completed on Beltane this year. ^_^ If anyone is interested in getting a print of him, or viewing anymore of my Artwork please follow the links above to my online Gallery.
Other than that I just wanted to post a quick update on Beltane. This past week I was out of town with my coven, we were all blessed enough to get to spend time in Colin's families' cabin out in the woods. It was amazingly beautiful, and I've come back completely stress free and have been reminded why Montana is such a wonderful place to live. Our retreat was simply amazing and each of us came out of it with messages and signs.
Beltane itself was fairly small, there were only six of us total, but it went really well. We started with the May Pole, and ended with a feast that was in itself a masterpiece. (and a showing of the original Wicker Man that I only made it half way through.)
Friday was the day which concerned me the most, since I finished the final part of my end of year exam then. I have passed my first mark! I talk to you now as a Priestess of the Goddess, ordained through study, and I can't tell you how exited I am! It feels wonderful to leave behind my old life and start a new in service of the Gods and working for the betterment of the Human community!
I of course, still have a long way to go, and will always be a student, but earning my title has certainly been empowering for me. I must thank all of you, my friends for having been such a network of support for me throughout the year, as well as my Family both spiritual and by blood. Most importantly of all I'd like to express how deeply blessed I am to have Estha and Colin as my Priestess and Priest. Their knowledge and compassion overwhelm me and I could not ask for better teachers.
^_^ And thus I begin another year! Just wait, soon I'll have photos with hair again!
complacent
blustery
exhausted
bouncy
aggravated
busy
creative
cheerful
bored
blessed