Life Is A Comedy For Those Who Think...

March Madness....

2006-04-01T09:06:00.000-05:00

Hey, where'd March go? It passed in a blur. Raina had surgery (tonsilectomy, adnoidectomy) and school has been all consuming. Any free time I've had to be on the pooter has been spent ARGing. It's a newly found hobby I really enjoy. I was recently asked to write a review for "Find Araya," one of the ARGs I was involved with. It was posted yesterday here. That was quite an honor. I was a little amazed they posted the whole thing. (By the way I know anonymous is spelled wrong, and it bugs the bejeebeez out of me.)

2006-02-11T23:19:00.000-05:00

Frank Zappa's first television appearance:

Accountability...

2006-01-30T22:55:00.000-05:00

Bush Protest
Opryland Hotel, Nashville
Feb. 1, 10am - 12noon

The Bush-in-Nashville Protest will be held at the entrance to Opryland at the Intersection of McGavock and Music Valley Drive. You can read more here or here. I'm not sure I completely agree with all the ideas expressed on these sites, but answers are needed. The People's voice needs to be heard.

The contact numbers:
Matt Leber - Nashville Peace and Justice Center 615-321-9066
Nini Thomas - Nashville Peace Coalition 615-579-9956

It would be inspiring to see everyone grab a sign and write a question for the president. Hundreds of questions concerning this administration's decisions and/or practices would concretely confront him. I say write them, paint them, make buttons, make t-shirts... just make him answer.

Eh, I only wish I had a minute to make a sign. I've been so busy lately. School is kicking my astronaut four nights a week on top of my already full life. Blogger's not been very dependable lately, either. It seems when I get a minute to write something unrelated to school, the service is down. C'est la Vie. I'm happy. I'm diggin' on some new tea, feeling energetic, and still having some quality time every afternoon or evening with Jed and "The rainBow". It's a great day to be alive (and practice the right of peaceful assemblage).

Blessings Abound!

Bad-Ass Appalachian Woman..

2006-01-16T11:31:00.000-05:00

I have been invited to contribute to the fascinating array of opinions at Appalachian Greens. I think the phrase used to entice me was "it would mean a lot to us to hear some more opinions from some bad-ass appalachian women." Far be it from me to deprive the world of more bad-ass appalachian women's observations.

Peruse the blog, you'll see an eccletic mix of conviction and experience. Not all the writers share the same philosophies, but they do agree on a common theme: Appalachian pride is not limited to zealots, bigots, and right-wingers. This is a beautiful thing. More unity is needed in this crazy mixed-up planet. Let us celebrate our differences while working for a common goal...A better world.

Another mini-miracle brought to you through the Great Oracle .

Freaks Find Each Other...(Another Jedism Comes to Fruition)...

2006-01-14T19:16:00.000-05:00

I received a great email recently from "Naked Guy." He found a naked picture of himself on my blog. I'm not sure how he found this picture, all I can guess is in this small universe we both inhabit it was important we cross paths. "Naked Guy" sells organic fruit while in attendance at Bonnaroo. If he attends this year, look for him flying a kite whilst yelling, "Organic Mangoes!"

And "Naked Guy," what exactly is that smell you are referring to?

Frank Zappa Friday.....

2006-01-13T17:17:00.000-05:00

Florentine Pogen

Frank Zappa Friday....

2006-01-06T06:22:00.000-05:00

Double Feature!

City of Tiny Lights (as promised) and Zappa interview on Letterman.

Bulls-hit????

2006-01-03T01:15:00.000-05:00

Real sign, or Bulls-hit?

Frank Zappa Friday....

2005-12-30T11:04:00.001-05:00

I love Frank's old SNL performances. This is a great version of "I Am The Slime." I've got more in the weeks to come, including the original claymation "City of Tiny Lights" video.

Here's hoping everyone's New Year is filled with good cheer and good health.

Salute!

Old Friends Forever Young......

2005-12-28T23:38:00.000-05:00

There's nothing more beautiful than old friends...

Frank Zappa Friday...

2005-12-23T01:50:00.000-05:00

Time for Frank again already? I'm not getting as much time to blog as I thought I would.

Faith, Love, and Tolerance....

2005-12-22T10:13:00.000-05:00

The Intelligent Design issue has been making it's way throughout the media and the blogging world. I suppose since I have a little time today I'll add my two cents.. I commented to The Editor at The Tennessee Waltz about the issue from an educator's standpoint: Mountain Girl said...

As a public school flunky, I find it odd I haven't seen many articles dealing with the feelings of those who have to teach ID. The resounding sentiment I'm hearing among my colleagues is they don't feel comfortable teaching religious ideology to a group of students. Teachers tend to like their science, well...scientific.

I don't want a teacher teaching his/her brand of ID to my daughter, either. My faith is mine to teach my child my way.

If science is the recipe for life, then I'm not qualified to discern who's stirring the pot for any family other than my own.

Aside from the moral dilemma, I find it ludicrous to argue, "Students should be exposed to this theory" as if they are not already. Public school curriculum's across the country (including Tennessee) teach the religious practices of every culture studied in HISTORY class. How are students not being exposed to the idea of Intelligent Design? I think atheists would have a more logical argument to take religious studies out of history class so as not to expose their children to any "ideas."

I am a Christian. This is suprising to many of my non-christian friends. This doesn't mean I am naive to the intellectual arguments or the flaws many battle with in my faith. I don't go to church, because I have yet to find a church that accepts and teaches my "brand" of Christianity. For example, I believe Mary Magdalene was a disciple and Darwin has it right. (That's just two of many of my 40 inch Christian belief's that do not fit into the 30 inch waist of the Bible Belt.)

As I said to The Editor, I don't want someone impressing their religious ideology on my child, nor do I feel it is my responsibility to teach a child from another family my faith. I realize individual Christian faith is not the crux of ID, but when discussing God in the classroom children have NUMEROUS questions. These questions are asked to teachers who, in this area, are predominantly Christian. When I am asked these questions during History class, I respond with, "I can't answer that for you, but you can write it down and ask your family when you get home." I feel comfortable with that phrase. It's a phrase I hope my daughter's teachers use when she has a question about specific Christian faith issues...in HISTORY class.

I am hurt by the ID issue making all Christians look like intolerant fanatics. I am angry how the Fundamentalist Christians and Evangelicals think it is their right to speak for all Christians and try to impose their beliefs on all who must attend public school. The Christians with whom I am closest to do NOT think ID should be taught in Science class. But most of all, I am very disappointed to see how this issue has shown so many to be intolerant of Christians and Christianity while they preach tolerance, love, and acceptance of every other faith. I ask them to please remember, not all Christians subscribe to the same fanatical ways of the ones who are pressing this issue. If one purports to be open-minded and accepting to people of all religions, shouldn't this include Christians?

Frank Zappa Friday....

2005-12-16T21:44:00.000-05:00

I have been so busy lately, I have not been able to give the proper attention to my blog. This week I had 3 finals,a paper due,d Raina's choral performance, a wedding rehearsal dinner and tomorrow the wedding. I am also on the student incentive committe where I teach. We put on a big dance at the end of the semester for the kids who have not gotten a write up the whole semester. I emceed this event and performed four songs today. I am tired....Tomorrow is the wedding and after that I have two blissful weeks of no work or school to recuperate and hopefully attend more to my blog. Yay!!!!

Happy Holidays!

We Three Kings Wednesday.....

2005-12-07T11:59:00.000-05:00

Frank Zappa Friday....

2005-12-01T23:19:00.000-05:00

New Link...

2005-11-25T12:42:00.000-05:00

Check this out Advice Girlys

Triska Rebirth Via The Wickerwoman's Womb...

2005-11-15T16:11:00.000-05:00

My annual Wickerman festival was wonderful. The fellowship was a beautiful experience. The ladies built the "Wickerman" this year, so it turned out to be a "WickerWoman" with a womb. This is a picture of me in the womb itself pre-burning.

I did however have a strange encounter. I was standing near the fire and heard someone call, "Mountain Girl, Former Scribe of the Triskabiblios." I turned to see a tall figure of a man sitting on an odd looking bicycle and holding a piece of parchment. He seemed etheral: there and not there at the same time. "Triscal?" I questioned. "I haven't much time," he announced " but I am still in need of your help. This parchment is for you. Do with it what you must. Make sure others have the ability to read it. Myth's are only myth's if you stop believing" he cryptically announced. I heard a log crack loudly in the fire. I turned to look at it and make sure no one was burned. When I turned back, Ix was gone.

Here is the strangest part: I'm not sure, how I ended up there last night, though. It wasn't supposed to happen until tonight. It is the 15th, right? Did I blink? I called the hosts of the get together and they swear tonight is the night. Here's the thing, how do I have pictures of an event happening this evening before the event has occured? Needless to say there are more intrigued people checking out Triska now who thought I was just yanking their chain. I have been feeling strange today as well as last night. My spelling has been poor as has my lack of comprehension of the written word. It's quite strange, almost like my mind doesn't know how to communicate properly. I am starting to feel more like my old self, but I still feel quite sleepy.

Lunar Library....

2005-10-20T17:27:00.000-04:00

At Unforum, Withe said:

Something to think about:

Today, I was going through my bookshelf and remembered I had two copies of "Practical Intuition" by Laura Day. It's about opening up your mind, trusting yourself, and releasing yourself of your fears.
Inspired, I went to the library today, where there is a bench outside on the sidewalk below. I left the book on the bench with the following note on the title page inside that said:

Quote:
This is a gift for you. The world belongs to all of us. Share the
kindness and pass this book on. ~Withe - Scribe of the Triskabiblios. www.triskabiblios.com

That made me think:

I dutifully submit all scribes named and unnamed commit to change the futyre one day a month by mirroring the example set by WitheBartbi.

Here's my proposal:

On the next full moon we will all leave a book, with a similar note, in a public place to be found. Besides adding to individual enlightenment, sharing the joys of the written word, or just making someone smile, this could garnish more help in our search by leading others to Triskabiblios.

You don't have to be involved in Triskabiblios to join in this beautiful act. If you wish to read more about it or Triskabiblios in general, check here.
Or you can just go straight to the game itself here.

It's beautiful to know that we can communicate with total strangers through books, in effect, becoming friends in mystery. Take my lead, continue this chain of love and kindness. If we all dropped off a book in a public place like that with a little note inside, imagine how many people we could reach, and maybe brighten their day and possibly inspire them to share the goodwill.

Triskabiblios Scribeship...

2005-10-16T19:28:00.000-04:00

Islington requested my aide, as a scribe, through the following email:

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 15:37:11 +0100
From: "Islington" Add to Address BookAdd to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
Yahoo! DomainKeys has confirmed that this message was sent by gmail.com. Learn more
To: rukind88@yahoo.com
Subject: Thank you for your efforts
Dearest Girl of the Mountains
Your consitent striving to solve this cryptic bundle has been a joy to behold. May I take this oppurtunity to thank you profoundly. I would also like to apologise for the recent explosion of mis-tensed crryptographicly confused literature, but when I am passing through I have to act as quickly as possible, and sometimes it is not possible to double check the meaning. I am grateful to you and your friends for being so diligent, and am impressed that the literary references are not lost on you all. This gives me Hope.
Now that the moon is waning, my blinking will slow. I am now simply drifting... exhausted from the strain. I found myself in all places, all times. Very hard to digest, for a human brain. So... I'm just cooling down, but I will be making a public statement in the next few days. In the meantime, I notice the hostilities within the group of helpers sometimes clouds the events, and I ask that you be not so quick to anger when someone says what at first seems critical. You are a worthy person, and have no reason to feel slighted, but we are also all different, and some people cannot see what is to the other obvious. I am grateful that this group has massed to come to my aid, but it important to me that we all conduct ourselves in as mindful, honourable and non-argumentative way as possible.
This said, would you do me the honour of accepting a Scribeship? Your efforts have been noted. I feel that to ask before the fact, in this occasion, would be most decent, though it is not always possible for me to be so considerate. Now that my state of flux is less rapid I am able to remember the differences between what has been promised to me in your Future and what you have already agreed to. So the offer stands.

Regards,
Islington

--
Triskabiblios | the13books

It was followed with this binary code puzzle (Titled: A Puzzle For The Girl of the Mountains) leading to the book The Pied Piper of Hamelin.

Triskabiblios Guide....

2005-09-30T18:02:00.000-04:00

Here's a list of what I've compiled so far for Triskabiblios/13 books. There's more I could post but this is a start.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/orkid_quantum/
Link to xOrkid's LJ

http://www.vibration13.com/teriyaki/Sophie.MP3
Song Orkid posted in LJ

http://www.network54.com/Forum/thread-185348-1126657739-1126999647-Triskabiblios+%7C+the13books
Islington post on Chronos Time Travel Forum

THE 13 SCRIBES HAVE BEEN NAMED

13 SCRIBE PAGES:

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/dixon/
Dixon Scribe Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/duckie
Duckie Scribe Page (map found, right click on map and press play and loop)

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/graeme/
Graeme Scribe Page (2 updates)

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/mcgyver/
Mcgyver Scribe Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/onionring/
Onionring Scribe Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/mountaingirl/
Mountain Girl Scribe Page (3 updates)

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/withe/
Withe Scribe Page (1 update)

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/rowan/
Rowan Scribe Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/samantha/
Samantha Scribe Page

http://www.triskabiblios.com/scribes/yann
Yann Scribe Page

http://triskabiblios.com/scribes/orkid/
Orkid's Scribe Page

http://triskabiblios.com/scribes/jackalope/
Jackalope's Scribe Page

http://triskabiblios.com/scribes/sixsidedsquare/
SixSidedSquare's Scribe Page

Triskabiblios Main Pages:

http://www.triskabiblios.com/
Home Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/indexB.html
Islington's Message About 13 Book Quest

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/rules.html
Rules

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes.html
Scribe Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/addUserForm.php
Sign-Up Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/privacy.html
Privacy Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/bookzero/index.html
Book Zero Page

Clues:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/TNJed/recursiveDeeL44t.jpg
Clue on "Meltdown" Directory

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/TNJed/xandtozip.jpg
XORANDER Clue

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/TNJed/p13.jpg
Pied Piper Page Clue

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/TNJed/blessingsaboundscribepage.jpg
First Scribe Page Image. It wouldn't let me copy the original text at the bottom.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/TNJed/cover.gif
Life of Pi Clue (you seriously have to change the brightness to see the image)

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/books/alice.jpg
Alice In Wonderland Clue

You can see the whole book here:
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/TNJed/da290530.swf
Intersting TriskaGoogle Flash File Found During Meltdown. (I can't get it to stop playing to read the other word that flashes)

http://lazylaces.com/article.asp?p=1413#comments
Lazy Laces Current Comment Thread

http://www.wonderweasels.org/13books/guide.html
Suspended Reference Guide

Here's a chat I just had with xOrkid 9/30/05 7:00pm

You Could Help Save Our Home....

2005-09-30T15:31:00.000-04:00

I know this is, in my opinion, shameful, but I am at my wits end. I have created this
webpage to plea for voluntary assistance in helping us keep our home. We no longer have other options, that we can find, but are open to suggestions as well. Thanks for not thinking less of us for asking strangers for donations to our "Keep The Family Home" fund.

Scribeship Abound....

2005-09-24T09:43:00.000-04:00

I was recently named a scribe in a search for 13 enigmatic books (triskabiblios) . This is a shot of a web-page created for my newly deemed scribeship
(at this point I believe there will be 13 scribes). One extremely interesting aspect of my new found obsessions is the constant creation of web pages made to progress in this hunt. I will post more on this tomorrow. Until then, check out the concept of this search. You can learn more about it from a site called Lazy Laces. You can also check out the progression of the search at this forum.

I had not been aware "adventures" such as these existed. Now I'm hooked! You must see it to believe it.

Transcending Google......

2005-09-16T23:20:00.000-04:00

I decided to research the Google phenomenon and found an e-mail Google sent in reference to this "anomaly".

Thank you for your email. We understand your concern about the search results for this query. Please be assured that the order and contents of Google search results are completely automated. No one hand picks a particular result for a given search query, nor does Google ever insert jokes or send messages by changing the order of results. Occasionally,when a particular website is the subject of public attention, other sites begin linking to it. This may elevate its importance as gauged by our ranking software, which assigns a PageRank value based in part on who links to a given page. Higher ranking in Google results may lead to more awareness, which may lead to more links and so on. One side effect of not using an editorial viewpoint to determine the ranking of results is that anomalies occasionally occur. We view such occasions as opportunities for us to learn more about how the web works and how to improve our algorithms for all searches in the future. Regards, The Google Team

Google says it's just an anomaly of the process through which Google refers to the most information gathered about a specific subject, and the relationships said subject has with other subjects in the world.

Now, Isn't it true the information on the internet is a collective of the world's knowledge? Face it, we've crossed the Joseph Campbell bridge of transcendence and created *dun dun dun dun a "Great Oracle of Collective Consciousness". Try it out. Type in "stocks to buy" and see if the Great Oracle leads you to a website that will make you millions. Type in "What should I make for dinner" and let the Great Oracle lead you to a recipe you'll love. Or you could just type in "failure" and see what the world collectively thinks about the leader of the free world.

According to Google, He's a Failure...

2005-09-15T16:06:00.000-04:00

This is HILARIOUS. I don't know how long it will work, but I'll post it in the meantime. Go to Google . Now type in the word failure and instead of hitting search, hit the "I'm feeling lucky" button

This is what pops up.

Wow, I don't know what to think about this.

For God's Sake, There's Still Buses.....

2005-09-14T17:32:00.000-04:00

I have obviously been causing quite a stir over at Bill Hobb's site. Who knew conservative adults could be so childish. I've been called a lot of names because I choose to freely express my ideas. That's o.k., usually enlightened individuals see through veiled threats as a way to try and rally the troops of that side. I will answer to those names such as ignoramous, bitch, lefty, and such now. Bill Hobb's seems to think it is a travesty these buses sat waiting when NO citizens could have been evacuated on them....Not really , he just wants to divert attention from a president who has already admitted culpability and give the right wing something to hang on to. I do not choose sides in political parties. I call a goat a goat, and I shall until I die. I do not listen to nor gather my opinions from the media. I linked previously to the Think Progress site. Not because I'm a supporter of it, but because it was the best thing I had found available linking to original memorandums from the governor and the president in a timeline-style fashion. Here's an even better one I found later.

Here is what I have gathered:

A big hurricane was coming.....The governor needed help to create a mass exodus and keep the people of Louisiana safe and to clean up afterwards. She asked for federal assistance. The president answered her call with a resounding, "Yes." I watched for five days as people dropped dead from the lack of that promised assistance. I realize it's easier to believe the local government failed. It makes it less threatening to us. Surely our local government wouldn't make the same mistakes. If they depended on the Feds stepping in and aiding as per previous agreement, then yes they would. That is why we must demand accountability. Many have challenged how the governor laid out this plan. That somehow, she did not want to relinquish control to the federal government. Feel free to view the letter to the president on August 27, and the president's response (here).

Now, I'd like to address the buses.

How in the world do you coordinate a bus-driver for every bus, fix broken ones, and commandeer those that have not been made part of the federal evacuation plan in the middle of a disaster you've been left to take care of by yourself? You were promised help, you followed the Federal Action Plan For A Large-Scale Natural Disaster while you waited, and you were left to hang out to dry (pun intended). What many don't seem to realize, is once the president initialized federal relief, the entire plan changed. It's amazing how grown adults act when they are asked to question leadership. Remember, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." -Thomas Jefferson

At least the pres. is finally saying, "The buck stops here." That's somewhat reassuring as an american (even if it is for PR's sake). It's just a little too late, but I guess better than nothing at all.

Brown Goat DARES Me To Be Desensitized...

2005-09-13T22:52:00.000-04:00

I wanted to keep passing around my husband's hilarious artwork.

WARNING:

DO NOT scroll down to photos below if you are squemish or children are in the room.

How about another program that severely takes away from classroom instruction time? Would you want your 11, 12, or 13 year old to see this? That's exactly what happened at Holston Middle School in Knox County on Friday. The most horrific part is this picture is of a little girl's father. The little girl was in that DARE session.

While students do need to be shocked into reality occasionally, photos of dead locals is a bit much. Junior high students are desensitized from video games and movies, but do we really want to desensitize them further by showing them the real thing? It's one thing to see a dead animated character or an actor on screen (which they see in another movie soon thereafter), but to show a child a figure of once living human in it's state of demise is too shocking.

I have been around the world, lived in foreign countries, and seen some grusome things in my 31 solar orbits. I am not a squemish type person, nor do I turn my head away easily at things I do not like. I looked at the photos and they made me feel quite uncomfortable. I had to fight with myself to truly look at all of them. I can only imagine how I would have felt had I known that particular individual (especially if it was a loved one).

Data Rich Analysis Poor...

2005-09-11T11:46:00.000-04:00

I received a letter from my child's school today stating they would begin Curriculum Based Measurement in the classrooms. For those who may not know what that is, it is a weekly testing procedure. I use this in my special education classroom because it allows us to see if a student has made great gains or losses within a week (so we can alter their Individual Education Plan if needed).

It is fine in a small Special Ed classroom (10:1 student to teacher ratio), but to test a large class of kids it is an EXTREME waste of valuable instruction time.

In the reading portion, each child is tested on three separate probes initially for one minute each. Then it is done once a week thereafter for EACH student. The only thing it does in the case of regular ed. students is make a handy dandy growth chart. That is ALL!

Knox County is already data rich and analysis poor. We do not need MORE testing. Especially this kind that does nothing but make a school a nifty graph they can show the higher ups to say "See, look how thorough we are."

Irrefutable Evidence.....

2005-09-09T16:16:00.000-04:00

Here is the link to the thoroughly researched timeline of Hurricane Katrina events .

I agree with the thought, "Now is the time to help, not lay blame." However, I have been angrier than hell the citizens of Louisiana had to sit waiting for help that seemed to never come. I have been as guilty as the next person of pointing out how that happened. That being said, I wanted to share something I came across yesterday.

This is a superb log of the events as they occured, complete with irrefutable evidence of the federal govt. dropping the ball. (the links listed on the site are to The White House, DOD and Office of the Governor websites that show the original memorandums)

You can see where the Governor requested Federal assistance on August 27, two days before the hurricane made landfall.

Here is an excerpt from the letter to President Bush from Kathleen Blanco.

"I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments, and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property, public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a disaster."

Here is an excerpt of the President's response:
You can read the complete memorandum here.

"Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding."

Now here's my question: If the president knew the gravity of the situation and ordered federal assistance, why, when it was known by Tuesday FEMA was not responding the way they had been ordered, did he not mobilize another course of action by the military or Homeland Security? Our military is trained to be extremely efficient in the event of disaster. The U.S.S. Bataan was even waiting off the coast with doctors, a full shelter, food, and water, yet they waited for the president to give the order to assist. Did Fema drop the ball? Yes. Did Homeland Security drop the ball? Yes. Did the president drop the ball? Yes.
Should all of these people be held accountable for the lack of assistance Louisiana received that was requested?
Definitely.

If nothing else the president is guilty of resting on his laurels and inattentiveness. Whatever happened to "The buck stops here?"

My Evolving Monkey Face....

2005-09-06T00:53:00.000-04:00

I was getting frustrated..We were in a church sanctuary with 2,200 people, sitting in the choir section directly behind the main speaker.Television cameras from every local news crew were pointing in our general direction, and we were getting a much needed but super condensed version of Red Cross training. A solemn energy was hanging around every aura and my daughter is rummaging in my purse, chewing buble-gum (loudly), and tugging at my shirt incessantly. "Mommy, look at what I drew." I took the papers and looked the creative monkey characters my daughter often draws." "They're great, Rainbow." "No really look. Look at each one." In an effort to cease the tugging and rummaging, I took the papers and began to scan them again. She had made 17 different personalities with names like "Working Will" "Goofy Gisela" "Preppy Peggy" and "Bully Bill". They were great, but I was still put off she wasn't listening. I said they were really creative and I'd love to talk about them later. Then I turned them over in my lap to show my insistence she listen. I noticed, written on the back, were notes from the lessons we'd be receiving...My heart smiled wide. She is an ever-evolving beautiful creature I am pleased to know.

There are many lessons to draw from Raina's attitude tonight. All of them are positive and they are not lost on me. I am, at the moment, happy to revel only in my daughter's growing conscience.

No Victim Left Behind....

2005-09-04T19:46:00.000-04:00

Department of Homeland Security:
Emergencies & Disasters
Preparing America

In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort. The new Department will also prioritize the important issue of citizen preparedness. Educating America's families on how best to prepare their homes for a disaster and tips for citizens on how to respond in a crisis will be given special attention at DHS.

If you are in Knoxville or surrounding area, the American Red Cross needs your help. Knoxville is receiving at least 1,600 people displaced from Hurricane Katrina. Some of them arrived today. They are providing beds, food, and clothing. They need your time!!!! If you can serve meals, play with the kids, or help clean up the facilities it would be appreciated. Sign up here.

Oxymoronic Defense...

2005-09-03T12:05:00.000-04:00

The right's response in defense of the president is "the local governmrnt failed in their duties to provide proper aide." It's oxymoronic to use that line of defense. A devasted state asking for help, can't help itself. That's the whole issue! Even if the mayor failed, the responsibility for the lack of aid immediately following the disaster lies squarely on our so-called president. Think about it, Rudy Giuliani didn't clean up 9/11 on his own.

Why, if we can have a C-130 airborne in 2 hours full of food and airdrop the same day in Iraq and Afghanistan, does it take 5 days to drop food into New Orleans?

So what if there are stray renegades shooting? Do you think they don't in other devastated countries where we provide aid?
I'm asking myself, What has this president done to make me safer?
Nothing, for all the hubris over the Patriot Act, Homeland Security, and other programs, we are no safer than we were before 9/11. If terrorists had bombed the levees instead of a hurricane, we would be in the same situation.

I Have No Words...

2005-09-02T16:22:00.000-04:00

Red Molly over at the Blue Page Special posted these poignant questions to Mr. Bush:

1. Why didn’t you visit the City of New Orleans on foot instead of the little fly over on Wednesday?

2. Why didn’t you send in the National Guard the day the levee broke?

3. If you couldn’t get the people out why didn’t you send food in? And within the first twenty-four hours of need.

4. The hurricane hit the Gulf coast on Monday, the levees failed on Tuesday, this is Friday why are there still thousands of people in need of basic care?

Maybe the answer to my questions is because you started a war that has sucked up all our resources or maybe the answer is that you just don’t give a DAMN.

Here’s one more question for you.

5. Why don’t you resign so we can have our country back?

I'm not blaming the President for the hurricane. I'm blaming the President for not responding in a timely manner. People are dying, suffering and living like refugees in this country and that is DEPLORABLE.

Here is another tragic reflection of ignorance by the media:

This Is A Test Of Your Emergency Relief System...

2005-09-01T22:53:00.000-04:00

I'm amazed at how unprepared we, as a country, were for this hurricane. How have the "efforts" to make our country safer, helped? They haven't. This was a test. We now see what would happen had this been a terrorist attack. I have too many things going on in my head on this topic to relate them clearly. I'm also doing some research. I'll have more on this subject later.

Here is a link to a live journal from New Orleans. It is a first hand look at the devastation and daily happenings. Here is also a link here to offer help in the form of shelter and such to those in need. Please help if you can.

Another example of property before people:
Looters denounced, but also called 'heroes' NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Officials have been denouncing the looting rampant in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina struck. But some say looters are also heroes. A woman at the city's convention center says she's barely seen the police. She says the thugs and the criminals are the ones who saved her from her flooded neighborhood, using a stolen speedboat and moving truck. At the Superdome, another Katrina evacuee says the looters have been distributing food to the evacuees there. Otherwise, he says, they'd starve. Some looters have been anxious to show they need what they're taking. A gray-haired man at a Rite-Aid pulled up his T-shirt to show a surgery scar and explained that he needs pads for incontinence. Another man showed a reporter toothpaste, tooth brushes and deodorant. Photo Copyright Getty Images

This is our country, and these are our fellow Americans....Why aren't we helping them? It takes us 2 hours to load C-130's full of food and send them to Iraq and Afghanistan, but we can't get to New Orleans in four days? iPhoto's courtesty www.sun-sentinel.com

South Knox No More.....

2005-08-30T00:47:00.000-04:00

South Knox Bubba has reappeared guest-blogging on Facing South. He also has up a very beautiful photo blog. He is now posting under his real name R. Neal.

Another Brick......

2005-08-29T22:45:00.000-04:00

How fun! Try it out and graffiti me, baby.

Click here to sign my Graffiti Wall! (Powered
by
PicLibs.com)

Think Good Thoughts For The Big UnEasy....

2005-08-28T17:13:00.000-04:00

I think our good thoughts at least weakened and shifted the storm from doing more massive damage. Good work all!

New Orleans braces for Hurricane Katrina. She's possibly the worst hurricane to ever hit the U.S. Let's all think the bests of thoughts toward those who are stranded.

E tu Lance?....

2005-08-22T19:39:00.000-04:00

Bush bikes while Bagdhad burns. Thanks BD, for the alliteration.

"Ouzo, my head!".....

2005-08-20T15:59:00.000-04:00

We went to Greekfest today at the World's Fair Park. It was great. The girls played in the fountains, and I had an Ouzo. It made me quite heady. I had forgotten the taste difference bettween Jagermeister and Ouzo. Ouzo definitely has a stronger flavor of annise. I had the chills while sitting in the 91 degree sun. I don't anticipate doing that again for a long while. Jager on the other hand....I'm thinking it's about nap-thirty. If you get the chance to attend Greekfest or the Italian Rossini festival, definitely do it. The art is beautiful and the music is fantastic. The drinks aren't bad, either. I will say, however, the Greekfest is quite a bit more authentic than the Rossini festival.

New Zealand Is For Lovers...

2005-08-10T01:06:00.000-04:00

New billboards spark controversy in Wellington, New Zealand. I knew he'd need his soul one day. How does the leader of the free world find himself in the predicament of a 20 foot public billboard depicting his face with the words Hell and Evil Bastard next to it? It sure isn't by being popular among the world's citizens. Time to take stock, Mr. Bush. Time to regroup. Think Mr. Bush....Think....

Here is a link to Hell's Pizza, the restaurant that put up the billboards. It's a really neat flash style website. I would love to try the "Damned" pizza.

Speaking of thinking, Red Molly sent me a great e-mail. I have posted below it for your enjoyment as well. Thanks RM!

Mountain Girl,
When I got this from my daughter I thought of your blog hence your blog name Life Is A Comedy For Those Who Think...
I don't usually forward jokes but I thought If you haven't read it before you would get a kick out of it.

Have a nice day.

Red Molly

Thinker's Anonymous

It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then
-- to loosen up. Inevitably, though, one thought led to another, and soon
I was more than just a social thinker.

I began to think alone -- "to relax," I told myself -- but I knew it
wasn't true. Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I
was thinking all the time.

That was when things began to sour at home. One evening I had turned off
the TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life. She spent that night
at her mother's. I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and
employment don't mix, but I couldn't stop myself. I began to avoid friends
at lunchtime so I could read Thoreau and Kafka. I would return to the
office dizzied and confused, asking, "What is it exactly we are doing
here?"

One day the boss called me in. He said, "Listen, I like you, and it hurts
me to say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If you don't
stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job." This gave me
a lot to think about.

I came home early after my conversation with the boss. "Honey," I
confessed, "I've been thinking..." "I know you've been thinking," she
said, "and I want a divorce!"

"But Honey, surely it's not that serious."

"It is serious," she said, lower lip aquiver. "You think as much as
college professors, and college professors don't make any money, so if you
keep on thinking, we won't have any money!"

"That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently. She exploded in tears of
rage and frustration, but I was in no mood to deal with the emotional
drama.

"I'm going to the library," I snarled as I stomped out the door. I headed
for the library, in the mood for some Nietzsche. I roared into the parking
lot with NPR on the radio and ran up to the big glass doors...

They didn't open. The library was closed. To this day, I believe that a
Higher Power was looking out for me that night.

As I sank to the ground, clawing at the unfeeling glass, whimpering for
Zarathustra, a poster caught my eye. "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining
your life?" it asked. You probably recognize that line. It comes from the
standard Thinker's Anonymous poster. Which is why I am what I am today: a
recovering thinker.

I never miss a TA meeting. At each meeting we watch a non-educational
video; last week it was "Porky's." Then we share experiences about how we
avoided thinking since the last meeting. I still have my job, and things
are a lot better at home.

I think the road to recovery is nearly complete for me.

Today, I joined the Republican Party.

I love it RM!

Happy Birthday Beloved!

2005-08-08T17:12:00.000-04:00

Let's all wish Tennessee Jed a Happy Birthday today! We can also welcome him into the blogging world! I love you, Beloved!

Masters and Mavericks......

2005-08-06T09:52:00.000-04:00

I'd like to welcome a dear friend to the blogging world. Joe Powell is an extremely intelligent creature. Many have despaired, of late, due to the demise of his radio show "Cup of Joe". His hilarious and insightful political commentary wooed even the most hard of hearts. He interviewed the upper eschalon of Tennessee Politics with no fear of retribution ( to bad though because now there's no show). He never let a politician off easy and often knew more about their issues than they did. Joe is also a movie trivia guru. I challenge anyone to try and stump this man with anything movie related. It appears as if he will keep the tradition of the trivia game going via the blog. Beware: You may think you know movies, but unless you know the grip's first wife's mother's maiden name of every movie ever made, then you are mistaken. The self-proclaimed "Master of Motion Pictures in East Tennessee" will make mince-meat of ya, but you'll laugh your ass off as he does it. Welcome Joe! We're glad to hear your "voice" again.

Joe, Tennessee Jed made the logo at top sans permission to use your image. (Look closely at the coffee cup) Let me know if you mind and I'll take it down.

Also, I'd like to welcome another friend back to Tennessee. If you are one of my faithful readers, you might have seen her blog via my links: "The Cold Hard Stare of the Hollywood Sign". She is a talented writer, editor, singer, guitarist...Let's suffice it to say, she's the definition of a maverick. Her new blog is titled The Tennessee Waltz. I'm glad to see her back in our fair state and hope she makes her way here. (I love ya girly girl!)

You can find their links here and on my sidebar. Let's welcome them happily into the fold.

Explication: A Recipe For Creation....

2005-08-02T11:20:00.000-04:00

Luckily, I've finished my poetry explication due today. These papers are killing me. I love to write. I don't like to be edited by a seventeen year old "peer". The last paper edited by this person came back to me with comma splices to beat the band. I know I'm not a grammar guru, but I do know how to write a sentence. I've been out of school for seven years. I've forgotten more than I learned my two years in college during that time. It's hard for me to write these Comp II papers. I like writing satire, commentary, and opinion. These papers have to be so dry to get the grade. Oh well, only 4 more classes and I'll have knocked it out.

I was reading today the Bush thinks we should teach intelligent design alongside evolution. My uncle, a professor of Biology and Botony at Carson Newman College, said it best,"Evolution is divine. Just because science found a recipe for man's creation doesn't mean God wasn't the one stirring the pot." If we sanction teachers to teach divine creation, we open a can of worms for their ideaologys to confuse our children. I believe in prayer in school...as long as it's silent. I believe in telling the children, "I believe God's hand stirs the pot." That should be enough. Here's my answer to the Darwin emblems and the Jesus emblems. I'm working now to have it available as a sticker here on my site. I've never seen one like it. I tried to Google it but I didn't get a hit. Let's hope it's an original idea.

Hung to my knees, Chapter 7...

2005-08-01T21:58:00.000-04:00

Hey Now, it is Tennessee Jed here keeping this weblog alive for Mt. Girl. I have some good news and some bad news.

Let me share the good news first. I have landed a job working for the government as a skilled trades craftsworker in all aspects of maintenance for our fair city. I am excited to get in with these folks, because I have worked with them on special events for the past five years as a sign guy. The one thing I admire about the city crew is they don't have a down trodden attitude. I have always guessed they did not have the same stress as a private business where their boss knew every little lost screw was a little less in his pocket for his new boat fund.

I sure am a thankful to God for giving me a chance to use my dynamic skills where I can attain a retirement fund. Some of my friends know I was plotting a "prison pension plan" if I could not establish a real job with benefits. My plan was to wait until I was retirement age and try a big money crime. It had three possible outcomes, all of which fixed me for the rest of my life. The first outcome was to pull it off and have all the money I could need. The second was to be killed in the act. The third and most likely, was spending my retirement life in jail. When I looked at the structure of life in a nursing home it was similar enough to call it the same (with the added bonus of not directly costing my family any cash). The jail "rape factor" was also greatly reduced by being old and not having health insurance. At that age, my hemroids would surely hang to my knees (I just can't picture anything less attractive than that for anykind of lover).

Now for the bad news. I have had a horrible time of making ends meet for the past five years post-divorce with kids, screwed up house deals, medical setbacks, bad credit choices, bad lawyers (both working for me and the ex), and the fact that my income has been the same and everything else has drasticly increased. I kept thinking things would get better. I would just borrow a little more now and catch up when things were more fruitful. Well, the fact is that even my new job with the civil service pays about the same as I have been making, and fruitful times are not coming soon. I have tried to work a deal with the credit council. They say my debt to income is too upside down to help me. I guess all I can do is fold my hand in chapter 7 court. I keep telling the hospital and the credit card folks if they would not force me immediately, I would pay them in full. I would just have to owe them until I could, but they are agressive and want a resolution.

So I ask for any advice, good thoughts, and prayers I can get from you kind readers.

I just do not understand exactly how I screwed up. I always paid things on time until two years ago and like a train wreck all that went over a cliff. My beacon credit score was at least 780, now it is in the 400's. I guess it is like health it takes years to grow nice solid arm bones and one second to snap them.

Drive Satan, DRIVE...

2005-07-28T21:31:00.000-04:00

Jed here, once more filling some lines to cover for Mt. Girl. She has been doing English Comp. II in summer semester and her hands are pulling out her hair when they are not holding that folder her Professor gave her.

She asked me to give it a read, and I think I hurt her feelings when I said it seemed long. Now what the heck would I know about technical writing? I am used to reading the news, or an occasional short novel. When it comes to reading thesis papers "The Comma Splice Kid" (a.k.a. Jed) just goes cross-eyed with fear. Fear that comes from my college daze. I worked on Comp I, with all my might only to get a "C". I suspect that my teacher had mercy on me because I did not miss a class. Needless to say after working near four years on a two year degree Jed just faded away from the College...not dropped out, just faded away.

I have been delivery driving the past week for a company for 20 cents per mile...it is going to take many miles to pay the mortgage. At day four I have covered 3000 miles, and I am tired. I remembered a verse from Job the other day as I drove...

And the Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the Lord, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."
Job 2:2 (NIV)

I wonder if I would sound like Satan if God asked me the same question today?

A Sinegal Of Hope...

2005-07-23T09:20:00.000-04:00

Tennessee Jed, here filling in for Mountian Girl as she has been busy in her pursuit of sheepskin.

I have been feeling the pinch the past five years of extreme economic struggle. Understanding the big picture normally eases my grief and helps me see past the trees to the forest. Sometimes it causes more grief. Either way I will wiggle until I become comfortable or dead.

One factor I have been observing is greed from the highest levels of leadership. I would like to point out I don't enjoy placing blame on others (so I won't directly). I feel that I am well equipped as a human to be responsible for my own decisions and actions. To study this issue from a layman's point of view, I started comparing my working life to my father's working life. Major factors in cost verses income compared over his life and mine were the focus. Then I saw this blog article "Maximum Wage" by my on-line mentor. My eyes started to open to the fact that opression is growing (as it does every few years when unmonitored and fed). If I carry on with this line of thought I am under the flag of Socialism, which I prefer not to represent. I want to creatively whine by sighting a positive example.

I saw an article by way of Angry Wolf Dog in the New York Times on Costco's CEO Mr. Sinegal who appears to have the right idea. I hope his example can be viewed as a starting point for public and priviate leadership reform in this great country.

Despite Costco's impressive record, Mr. Sinegal's salary is just $350,000, although he also received a $200,000 bonus last year. That puts him at less than 10 percent of many other chief executives, though Costco ranks 29th in revenue among all American companies.

"I've been very well rewarded," said Mr. Sinegal, who is worth more than $150 million thanks to his Costco stock holdings. "I just think that if you're going to try to run an organization that's very cost-conscious, then you can't have those disparities. Having an individual who is making 100 or 200 or 300 times more than the average person working on the floor is wrong."

His business ideas could thrive in the public and priviate sector of high management. If I knew where this man lived I would go there and wash his feet today.

This web log entry has worked my mind to remain on the positive side and not site the many problems we face. I would rather point to a simple example of a man willing to act on his best intentions and value humans. Humans, after all, are the reason he has anything to work with.

My thirteen year old daughter sent me this link on demotivation (sample below) to help me laugh at the world a little bit. I am suprised she has the wisdom to understand the satire in it. Oh God, forgive me as I have passed my darkness down into the next generation.

"It is easy enough to tell what is wrong, but that's not what I want to hear all night long." - Lou Reed -

So Long And Thanks For The Big F*** You...

2005-07-20T10:29:00.000-04:00

SKB posted this message today beneath the big GAME OVER sign:

So long, and thanks for all the fish!
For those of you who are wondering, yes, this
blog and this website are no more.

It was fun,but lately it has become too much
like work and not so much fun. Contrary to wild
speculation around the internets, that's pretty
much all there is to it. It's a personal decision,
and that's all.

Thanks to everyone for reading and for your
participation over the years. With that, I bid
you adieu.

I have been asked via e-mail and on my comments, what is going to happen to The Rocky Top Brigade? My answer: I'm not sure. It would have been nice to have a little heads up.What do we now all do with our links? How will this affect the traffic to our blogs? If we had warning, we could have planned for the change-over and started a new home. I don't mean to sound ungrateful. Bubba did a wonderful job for the grassroots movement and he provided a "home" to us Rocky Toppers. I do, however, think it was quite rude to throw us away without a word of warning. We have supported SKB in situations where his credibility was attacked. We have promoted him on our blogs and in the community. I realize it is his to do with what he chooses. I enjoy the same freedom. I know that I would not so abruptly quit without warning and leave a flippant message such as "So long and thanks for all the fish". Thanks for the years of service skb. You are appreciated, admired, and respected, but don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out. How's that for closure.

Okay, then.

Game Over????

2005-07-19T14:37:00.000-04:00

What the hell happened to South Knox Bubba?

Update: This was added to the SKB site today.
So long, and thanks for all the fish!
For those of you who are wondering, yes, this
blog and this website are no more.

It was fun,but lately it has become too much
like work and not so much fun. Contrary to wild
speculation around the internets, that's pretty
much all there is to it. It's a personal decision,
and that's all.

Thanks to everyone for reading and for your
participation over the years. With that, I bid
you adieu.

Update: Email from Bubba to David A. Garrett Jr.

I’m quitting. Getting to be too much like work and I’m
just tired of all the hassles. Thanks for reading and
thanks for your support.

Cheers!

This Aint Your Daddy's Cockfight...

2005-07-16T13:13:00.000-04:00

Another cockfighting ring has been uncovered. (Inspired by SKB's Cockfighting news)

Here is my interpretation of how it went down.

Gambler 1: Look at the size of that COCK!
Gambler 2: That cock is huge!
Gambler 1: (points to a cock)Why is it the black cocks are always so much bigger?
Gambler 2: I don't know, but that little red cock looks like it could give a good pounding.
Gambler 1: I wonder if they ever put more than two cocks in a ring at a time?
Gambler 2: Shh. Shh. They're about to start. (background crowd voices fall to a hush a cacophony of sound erupts)
Gambler 1: Wooo-Hoooo! My cock's really going at it!
Gambler 2: Uh-Oh. My cock's already bleeding. (background fighting stops and crowd goes quiet again)(screams at cock) Get UP! Get UP! Well, that sucked! My cock got licked!

(There is a commotion and two plain clothes cops run in with weapons drawn)

Cop 1: EVERYBODY DROP YOUR COCKS AND PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!

(gratuitous big cock)

Counterpoint...

2005-07-13T11:14:00.000-04:00

I would like to clarify my opinion (for the sake of individuals with hardened hearts and closed minds) on the letter I posted yesterday.

Practical Penumbra has taken a stab at my logic by insinuating I support troops who commit torture and murder .

"Mountain Girl does not dispute any of these allegations that US and British troops in Iraq are behaving surprisingly like Saddam Hussein's forces."

She does this by merely quoting this response to a reader:

"I too support our troops. It is not a question of loyalty to the troops. The troops are pawns in this game. They must do what they are told or face life-long consequences. I hope that we can break this cycle of attack and be attacked. We are perpetuating terrorism, in my opinion, by occupying Iraq."

She goes on to say, "Any American military personnel who gouge out prisoners' eyes or pull off their limbs should be summarily court marshaled, not "supported" by Mountain Girl and her ilk. I do not and never will support those kinds of troops."

Never did I say our troops are "behaving suprisingly like Saddam Hussein's forces". I merely posted a letter I found disturbing. I don't believe our troops are killing innocent bystanders for shits and giggles. When a war is raging, innocent civilians are killed. My president lied to me, made me feel justified for this war, and the terror has not abated. If anything this letter makes me feel as if civilian Iraqi's who were not part of any terror group are now seeing terrorist tactics as their only way of survival against the Forces invading their country. When civilians feel this way we must be doing something wrong.

Buddy Don has an interesting post today that helps validate this point. Robert Pape has written a book following a study of suicide bombers from 1994-2005. The book is titled Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism.

Here are some of the studies conclusions:

* The data show that there is far less of a connection between suicide terrorism and religious fundamentalism than most people think
* What nearly all suicide terrorist attacks actually have in common is a specific secular and strategic goal: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland
* Three general patterns in the data support these conclusions
1. First, nearly all suicide terrorist attacks - 301 of the 315 in the period I studied - took place as part of organized political or military campaigns
2. Second, democracies are uniquely vulnerable to suicide terrorists; America, France, India, Israel, Russia, Sri Lanka and Turkey have been the targets of almost every suicide attack of the past two decades
3. Third, suicide terrorist campaigns are directed toward a strategic objective: from Lebanon to Israel to Sri Lanka to Kashmir to Chechnya, the sponsors of every campaign - 18 organizations in all - are seeking to establish or maintain political self-determination
* Before Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982, there was no Hezbollah suicide terrorist campaign against Israel; indeed, Hezbollah came into existence only after this event.
* Before the Sri Lankan military began moving into the Tamil homelands of the island in 1987, the Tamil Tigers did not use suicide attacks
* Before the huge increase in Jewish settlers on the West Bank in the 1980's, Palestinian groups did not use suicide terrorism
* There had never been a documented suicide attack in Iraq until after the American invasion in 2003.

If these points are in fact a true reflection of why suicide terrorists do what they do then our administration's logic is flawed. The war is simply feeding the fire and perpetuating terrorism.

Don't Blame Me I'm Fighting For MY Country....

2005-07-12T11:18:00.000-04:00

Sgt. Zachary Scott-Singley is a soldier in Iraq. I read his blog daily to get a perspective on the war through the eyes of our armed forces. He is on leave right now but I still check in to see if he has returned. Someone posted this letter on his blog yesterday:

A Letter to the British People.

From Iman as-Saadun.

I’m sending this letter to the British people and in particular to the residents of London. For a period of hours, you have lived through moments of desperate anxiety and horror. In those hours you lost a member of your family or a friend, and we wish to tell you in total honesty that we too grieve when human lives pass away. I cannot tell you how much we hurt when we see desperation and pain on the face of another person. For we have lived through this situation – and continue to live through it every day – since your country and the United States formed an alliance and laid plans to attack Iraq.

The Prime Minister of your country, Tony Blair, said that those who carried out the explosions did so in the name of Islam. The Secretary of State of the United States, Condaleezza Rice, described the bombings as an act of barbarism. The United Nations Security Council met and unanimously condemned the event.

I would like to ask you, the free British people, to allow me to inquire: in whose name was our country blockaded for 12 years? In whose name were our cities bombed using internationally prohibited weapons? In whose name did the British army kill Iraqis and torture them? Was that in your name? Or in the name of religion? Or humanity? Or freedom? Or democracy?

What do you call the killing of more than two million children? What do you call the pollution of the soil and the water with depleted uranium and other lethal substances?

What do you call what happened in the prisons in Iraq – in Abu Ghraib, Camp Bucca and the many other prison camps? What do you call the torture of men, women, and children? What do you call tying bombs to the bodies of prisoners and blowing them apart? What do you call the refinement of methods of torture for use on Iraqi prisoners – such as pulling off limbs, gouging out eyes, putting out cigarettes on their skin, and using cigarette lighters to set fire to the hair on their heads? Does the word “barbaric” adequately describe the behavior of your troops in Iraq?

May we ask why the Security Council did not condemn the massacre in al-Amiriyah and what happened in al-Fallujah, Tal‘afar, Sadr City, and an-Najaf? Why does the world watch as our people are killed and tortured and not condemn the crimes being committed against us? Are you human beings and we something less? Do you think that only you can feel pain and we can’t? In fact it is we who are most aware of how intense is the pain of the mother who has lost her child, or the father who has lost his family. We know very well how painful it is to lose those you love.

You don’t know our martyrs, but we know them. You don’t remember them, but we remember them. You don’t cry over them, but we cry over them.

Have you heard the name of the little girl Hannan Salih Matrud? Or of the boy Ahmad Jabir Karim? Or Sa‘id Shabram?

Yes, our dead have names too. They have faces and stories and memories. There was a time when they were among us, laughing and playing. They had dreams, just as you have. They had a tomorrow awaiting them. But today they sleep among us with no tomorrow on which to wake.

We don’t hate the British people or the peoples of the world. This war was imposed upon us, but we are now fighting it in defense of our selves. Because we want to live in our homeland – the free land of Iraq – and to live as we want to live, not as your government or the American government wish.

Let the families of those killed know that responsibility for the Thursday morning London bombings lies with Tony Blair and his policies.

Stop your war against our people! Stop the daily killing that your troops commit! End your occupation of our homeland!

July 11, 2005 11:50 PM

Scary? I wonder if this person speaks for a majority of Iraqi's.

Friendship At It's Finest....

2005-07-11T11:26:00.000-04:00

Last week I was able to bring the breaking news of two Knoxville girls injured in the London blasts thanks to a cousin of mine who has been Emily's best friend since they were small children. She found out within a couple hours of the blasts and shared the information with my family. She was distraught and needed consoling. Not only was her best friend in surgery but her soon-to-be father-in-law had not been heard from either. He had arrived in London the previous night. (He has still not been contacted) The day following the blast my cousin was inundated with calls from Entertainment Tonight, CNN, MSNBC, Fox, and of course the local news outlets. They wanted pictures of the girls, an interview with my cousin about the girls, and anything else she could give them. My cousin refused. She told them, "If you want pictures ask their father. If you want information ask them. I am not going to give you anything they have not given me permission to give." One man was particularly nasty with her, but she held her ground. I am quite proud of her for being so aware at such a young age and in the face of grief. I am proud of her for being an exemplary friend. I am proud of her for not trying to capitalize on someone elses tragedy. How wonderful it would be if more people had these same virtues. It takes some of us our entire lives to learn the traits this girl possesses at the age of 20.

Friday Tire Swing Blogging...

2005-07-08T10:55:00.000-04:00

With all that is going on in the world just enjoy the simple pleasures of life and think of things you can do to entertain the kids.

Tennessee Jed here, standing in for Mtn. Girl as she seeks paperwork in another city to brighten her future.

A couple-three years ago I drew up a plan to use a 36 inch tractor tire that was discarded on my (and mostly the banks) property. I did not want to haul it off and then have to pay ten dollars to have someone dispose of it in a proper manner. I kept looking at it for the useful object it was, a nice round shape, very solid and very heavy. I drew this image with a no.2 pencil and went to work.

I remember a quote that went something like: All people want is love, if they can't get love, they want hope, if hope is slght, then give them something to work on.

This project worried me some for the safety of the children since the tire itself was over a hundred pounds and in full swing I guessed it would triple that without any humans on it. I studied the project for flaws and failure possibilities. The first thing to go was the yoke idea, if that fell on the skulls of my little people...my GOD!
I used 4 lengths of #12 1/2"tripple braided nylon rope each having a working load of 525 lbs. and a 5760 pound breaking point. I attached it to a very alive 120 ft. sugar maple tree about 40 feet high to a 18" branch at a fork about 12 feet away from the trunk with a nylon sleeve used for wire.
The kids love it! The only real danger now is for the person pushing it. When it has four kids on it in full swing and it hits you closer than expected, it is similar to stopping a car with your hands...ouch.

Some days it is nice to to look at it empty and still while pondering peace.

Knoxville Girls Injured In London Blasts...

2005-07-07T11:54:00.000-04:00

Two Knoxville girls were aboard a subway in London when it was bombed early this morning . Katie and Emily Benton were aboard a London Subway. One girl is presently in surgery the other girl's condition is not known. Knoxville Fellowship Church is asking for prayers for these two young victims and all involved. This comes after it was reported no Americans were injured.

This just came in via agee at SKB:
"Emily's feet were both badly injured and she is currently in surgery. Her sister, Katie, who was with her on the train, is presently unaccounted for. They volunteer in London for the Middle School Ministry through Fellowship Church."

Second Update:
A friend of the girls reports Katie is accounted for but her hands are badly burned. She also has shrapnel in her side.

Third Update: A Knoxville man is presently unaccounted for. I cannot reveal his name as of yet at the request of the family.

Fourth Update: Emily is now out of surgery. She suffered injuries to her feet and to her one of her arms. She did suffer some broken bones and will need to have more surgery in the future.
Katie is in the same hospital as Emily and suffered shrapnel wounds to her back, neck, and one of her legs. Doctors in London expect a full recovery for Katie.

At least 37 people were killed and 700 injured today when 4 bombs exploded on London's transit systems.

Damn, I'm In Charge...

2005-07-06T12:48:00.000-04:00

Tennessee Jed told me he saw a photo of The Queen Mary II over at Buddy Don's Wandering Hillbilly. It prompted him to write this enlightening story about a dream he had a few years ago.

Here is his reponse to bd's post:

Hey Now, what a ship! I understand having a boatload on your mind my friend. I have a most vivid dream story I would like to tell you about. I hope this doesn’t bore you too much or is too long to be a comment, but I wanted to share it, if I may. In the winter of 1999 I was facing the worst conditions of my life and was sleeping shallow and short when this vision of my life appeared in my media drenched, overburdened and semi-conscious mind.

I was walking along a wide boardwalk with consistent lampposts against a starry sky that did not seem familiar. While I was on this walk, there were strangely uniformed people snapping off salutes to me, as if I were the most important person in the world. The salutes were not military salutes. They were more just a smile, a nod and a foot movement that caused a pause in their step. It was the uniformity of the movements and dress that had me in the mind of some form of discipline. These people were familiar faces. They were not close friends just people of vague acquaintance whom I had never had a chance to get to know, but were always around, like a local store you see all the same folks shopping when you live in community. While acclimating to all this human attention, I started to notice the surrounding machines, hoists and railings on what was a huge deck speckled with lighted areas and people doing chores around these machines.

I only realized it was a deck at this time because beyond a certain defined and distant point there was no light except for the star patterns I did not recognize. The constellations were as if they were something my mind would guess the southern hemisphere’s sky to be with an “X” shape being a main feature and no big or little dipper. On my walk, I approached a raised tower that seemed to be my goal. It was the only thing that really broke the horizon of the deck. The tower was not at all a ships control tower, but more an open top scaffold made of uniform machined cross bars with a few evenly spaced marker lights. I wanted to be on that lookout more than anything, and the folks moving past me seemed to open the way with kind and respectful gestures that eventually led me to the stairs of this modest structure.

As I moved up the stairs I became aware of the size of this ship. It was intimidating me if I were in command like the people on deck had alluded. The outline rail lights of this place were a dashed white in a pitch black field. It was as dark as a Halloween cut out on black paper and would have been at least as wide as a football field is long, and five times that from front to back. I realized at that point I could not determine my direction of travel nor could I discern the rear from the front of this vessel.

At the top there was a man more familiar to me. He was not a close acquaintance just a man I could place at work. I had known his first name at one time, but it was lost. I felt better seeing him there, as he looked in charge with some markings on his chest that was different from the other uniforms. His face was the kind of face I had noticed because I saw him working and he held his brow in such a way that seemed wise and confident, even though he was obviously younger than me. His gaze and features were strong and more certain than I ever felt. He was a studious sort of fellow. He always kept large bound books on his rolling tool cabinet that were not machine manuals, like my cohorts and I. He adorned glasses that seemed a part of his face since childhood and dark facial features not definable to a certain race. He was working a sextant type device. Beside him was a huge book of numbers in rows and columns on a very technical looking table. The table held an adjustable lamp. The lamp was the kind used to aid in the navigation of stars but not interfere with the viewing of them. It was dim but sufficient. I had never visited his workstation properly, to find out what these books were because meeting people at this huge machine shop was risky business as the management kept a constant threat on us to mind our own duties and not visit neighboring processes unless you saw someone in peril.

When he heard me arrive, he took his eye from the eyepiece and gave me a similar, but more relaxed salute than the others. I awkwardly returned the favor and spoke, “Where are we?” not wanting to follow it up with an unsure name, I was thinking it was Doug, but did not want to risk it. He replied, “Well Captain, I am not sure”. My heart jumped, “damn I am in charge”. My mind whirled because my question should have been, “where am I”. “Well what do you know so far?” I asked. His reply sent chills up my forearms, which I noticed at that point had bright metallic stripes on the cuff unlike any uniform onboard and worried me further. “Well” he said, “It seems as if the charts are out of season with the stars like some shift of season, and the known coordinates and dates are messed up. The stars are not where they are expected to be, from where I last charted”. I though it would be best if we called someone to help us chart our course, but something told me that was not an option. I asked “Can we just proceed back along our path, to where we last charted correctly and go from there?” “You mean dead recon back?” he asked. “That’s risky since things have changed so much”. “Well then just proceed along out current course and perhaps things will look different tomorrow night” I told him, and woke in a clammy but familiar skin.

I looked for the familiar face at work. I spoke to people in the shop asking where he was. No one seemed to know of whom I spoke. Since this dream I have wondered if I steered those folks from their lost course or if we all are still adrift without knowing where we are. -Tennessee Jed

I think this story is relevant to all our lives. Even when things seem out of our control it truly is us who are in charge of our own helm.

Let The Bot Do It.....

2005-07-05T13:40:00.000-04:00

Cruise Control for all of those "I'm too busy today, bloggers."

And in the news...
Three-term U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, D-Wis., the founder of Earth Day, died at his Maryland home Sunday of cardiovascular disease. He was 89.

Nelson was a co-sponsor of the 1964 Wilderness Act and laws that banned the pesticide DDT, Agent Orange and phosphorus detergents.

Nelson came up with the idea for Earth Day in 1969, after visiting an oil spill off Santa Barbara, Calif., The Washington Post said. He was reportedly astounded by the first turnout when 20 million Americans joined the April 22, 1970, event -- cleaning up creeks, recycling cans and learning about ecology.
Full article here.

God Bless America....

2005-07-04T00:13:00.000-04:00

Updated July 5, 2005.

Bri ng Them Home
Alive.

We Are Starting A Religion.....

2005-07-02T16:21:00.000-04:00

"Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion" -L.Ron Hubbard Reader's Digest, May 1980

And he did.

We are building a religion
We are building it bigger
We are widening the corridors
And adding more lanes

We are building a religion
A limited edition
We are now accepting callers
For the pendant key chains

To resist it is useless
It is useless to resist it
His cigarette is burning
But he never seems to ash

He is grooming his poodle
He is living comfort eagle
You can meet at his location
But you better come with cash

Now his hat is on backwards
He can show you his tatoos
He is in the music business
He is calling you dude!

COMFORT EAGLE LYRICS by Cake
Watch Tom Cruise kill Oprah....HILARIOUS!

Thursday Armadillo Blogging....

2005-06-30T11:47:00.000-04:00

Our pet armadillo is now safe thanks to the ever-so-smart lawmakers:

HB0821 Traffic Safety - Requires that every driver of a motor vehicle exercise due care to avoid collisions with any object in the road or legally placed beside a road; violation is Class C misdemeanor.

This fate won't befall my new armadillo. Although Luce was a good animal he liked to walk the streets. He makes a great lamp though.

Here is the rest of the list of pretty much useless new laws going into effect July 1, 2005.

Truth, Justice, And Mao Tse Tung....

2005-06-28T16:44:00.000-04:00

I am now a proud member of The Rocky Top Brigade, a collection of Tennessee's finest bloggers battling for Truth, Justice, and a good single-malt Scotch Whiskey for around $20. Membership has its priviledges, but I'm a beer drinker. Here's a sample of some of these fine bloggers.

I'm intersted to see if South Knox Bubba does the running commentary on Bush's speech tonight. If he does you can bet I'll be watching.

I know I'll be looking for such comments as: "See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." —George W. Bush, Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005

Yeah, we all know about the propoganda. I'm tired of bending over for it, or looking up at it as the case may be. All this catapulting is making my neck hurt. At least now Tennessee is starting to get the picture and turn itself over to blue state status. (Linked from Michael Silence's site)

You were right Buddy Don, it is like doing the dishes sometimes. The hardest part is just getting up off of the couch to do it. Thanks for the inspiration. I am thoroughly enjoying myself.

Hey Now , Your Fire Retardant Flag Is Putting Off A Smoke Screen....

2005-06-27T10:57:00.000-04:00

In just a few days time the U.S. Supreme Court and The House of Representative have ruled local governments cannot post the ten commandments, local goverment can take your home for commercial growth, and the american flag will now be fire retardant via the constitution.

That sound you hear is Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers spinning in their graves.

Thanks for clarifying that I may now burn the deed to my home but not the flag that hangs from it's eaves. I guess my friends and I must scrap our plans to have our yearly Fourth of July "Old Glory" bonfire. Are we now to pray at the altar of Our Lady Betsy Ross?

My husband Tennessee Jed said it wonderfully over at The Wandering Hillbilly:

This song "Iko Iko" just hit me when I was reading the flag amendment. It goes like this:
My grandma and your grandma, were sittin by the fire,
My grandma told your grandma, I'm going to set your flag on fire,
chorus -
Takin bout hey now, hey now
Iko! Iko! an de'
Jackomo fe no nan e' , Jackomo fe nan e'
Look at my King all dressed in red
Iko! Iko! an de'
I bet you 5 dollars, he kill you dead!
Jackomo fe nan e'
Takin bout ..... hey now, hey now
Iko! Iko! an de'
Jackomo fe no an e' , Jackomo fe nan e'
My flagboy and your flagboy, sittin by the fire,
My flagboy told your flagboy, I'm going to set your flag on fire,
Takin bout ..... hey now, hey now
Iko! Iko! an de'
Jackomo fe no an e' , Jackomo fe nan e'
See that guy all dressed in green, Iko! Iko! an de'
He's not a man, he's a lovin machine!
Jackomo fe nan e'
Takin bout hey now, hey now
Iko! Iko! an de'
Jackomo fe no nane' , Jackomo fe nan e'
Takin bout hey now, hey now
Iko! Iko! an de'
Jackomo fe no ane' , Jackomo fe nan e'

I worked for a company about five years and our main product was flags and commercial flag poles "Vexus Intl.", which is derived from the study of flags and banners vexillology we were careful in retiring old glory when it was time. We would cut the star field from the stripes and contain them in separate containers and send them to the landfill. Most flags now are made of treated polyester, rayon and nylon, so burning them is a toxic hazard. Some of these flags were as large as 30' x 50' that cost as much as $4,000.00, so they were cleaned and repaired as many times as possible (which is improper, to the letter of flag care too). The amendment is just silly busy work for congress/house! If officials wanted to press the issue of flag burning they would have enough to charge anyone with incenerating a toxic substance, without an amendment.

Another smoke-screen from our own elected officals is not needed, but I am too weak and ignorant to have an opinion. You can see this issue has been with me a long time by My Truck tag.

Mountain Girl Asks : What Is Your Reason To Etra?....

2005-06-26T21:59:00.000-04:00

Raison D’être:

(ray-zohnn DET-ruh) A basic, essential purpose; a reason to exist: “Tennesse Jed argues that in the Bush age, money is the majorities raison d’être.” From French, meaning “reason for being.”

Southernly speaking, what is your Reason To Etra ?

Your Mamas Just Made Up Those Names....

2005-06-24T15:07:00.000-04:00

This is hitting too close to home because:

I teach a close relative of the Soles kid and know the family pretty well. I wish all my student's families took the kind of interest in education this family does. That being said, I have always held them in a very high regard. My student participates in the Youth Council program (ran by the SRO). This SRO has earned the name "Little Hitler" from many of the teachers. He has gone so far as to tell the black students, "What kind of names are those? Your mamas just made up those names. You'll never get a good job with names like those." He has also criticized quite vocally to my class that the church most of my students attend is "racist" (AME Zion). I myself have heard this SRO talking to other police officers who visit the school and point out the kids who are "against the man". Many teachers have complained to the administration about him. One of the cops "assaulted" was a SRO at Green. They removed him as a result of the altercation and transfered "Little Hitler" there. It all sounds quite fishy to me.

Take this for what it's worth, but my student told me he was there and when the guys said "Get a warrant" the cops sprayed him with pepper spray.

The Conley Family's Pink Hotel in Kelo ....

2005-06-23T17:16:00.000-04:00

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parkinglot.

And locally...WATE, WVLT, 10New, KNS sue the city to release tapes in the Soles investigation.

Brian Conley just keeps getting in deeper as the week wears on.

"Hey Kettle I'm Pot, Guess What You're Black!"...

2005-06-22T10:52:00.000-04:00

The Knoxville News Sentinel ran this article today.

Here's a copy of the e-mail I sent to the paper:

Your paper recently ran and article on the "Outting of SKB". This article in no way reflected Conley's responsibility in SKB's identity being revealed. Conley resorted to extortionist tactics and was quite crude in his criticisms. Brian Conley's the pot calling the kettle black and you should report the true facts of the story. If I were a reporter I would think the true story lay not in the identity of SKB but that a local newspaper owner condemned anonymity and free speech, and resorted to illegal tactics to do so.

I mean really, how stupid do these media outlets think the citizens of Knoxville and outlying counties are? Give us some credit.

Donald Sensing at One Hand Clapping said this.

You're Not Funny Brian.......

2005-06-21T14:05:00.000-04:00

Check these people out! Man are they funny! I sure hope they have a website soon.
*Note: Some performers are not pictured.
Anyone left that hasn't heard about the drama over and South Knox Bubba? I thought I would let it all play out before I posted. You'll need to look at Saturday and Sunday's posts. It appears that Brian Conley (owner of the Metro Pulse) is quite the little extortionist. I believe he wisened up and apologized after realizing it wasn't a really good idea to condemn anonymity and free speech when you own a newspaper. Bad move Brian. Lose any sources or did your lawyer tell you extortion is still illegal?

Everyone please think good thoughts Buddy Don's way. His headaches are back with a vengeance this week.

By the way, there are some strong willed individuals over at the capitol today excercising their right to protest the shutting down Tenncare. They have been denied their "right to assemble peacefully", food and water, and yet they persist! I'm proud to be called their fellow american today. You can check out the minute by minute coverage at Sharon Cobb and Tennessee Guerilla Women.

And Now The Rest Of The Story.....

2005-06-17T10:32:00.000-04:00

With the Allman Brothers finished and us on musical highs, we decided it was time to replenish our danced out, sung out, and element exposed souls. We returned to the campsite to eat dinner and put up our feet. Oh our tired feet and it was only Friday evening! We still had much to do on this first full day of festivities. The Dave Matthews Band was next and the parade would immediately follow. Upon settling at the campsite we were approached by many "walking vendors". Anything we wanted was at our disposal without leaving home. We could hear Dave playing from the campsite and it was a great show. We just aren't the biggest Dave Matthews fans so we opted to save our energy and wait for the midnight Galactic's Krewe De Carnivale. The parade started from the middle section of campsites and continued up to "This Tent" bringing the attendees to Galactic's show. Bo Bice grand-marshalled the parade.Brightly festooned ladies on bicycles, intergalactic creatures, creative floats (complete with bead throwing), a Mardi Grasesque band, fire-eaters, and jugglers completed the parade. Along the parade route I heard an interesting conversation between two festival goers.
Goer 1:Where does the parade end?
Goer 2: At This Tent.
Goer 1: Which tent?
Goer 2: No that's a stage.
Goer 1: What's a stage?
Goer 2: What's a stage, too.
Goer 1: Then where does this damn parade end?
Goer 2: At This Tent.
Goer 1: You mean here?
Goer 2: Now I'm confused, thanks a lot bro. You see there is no Here, there is only Which, What, This, That, and The Other.....I think. Oh hell let's just go see a show.

With sufficiently confused and altered fans, it became clear the intentions of the festival planners names for the event sites...WHAT fun, no THIS fun...oh hell, lets just have fun!

The show that followed was a mind-blowing, psychadelic, 3 hour jam Crescent City style. New Orlean's funk filled the air. Our eyelids became heavy around 2 a.m. but we weren't quite sure what time it was. We had changed time zones moving from eastern to central. Don't we gain an hour in central time? I thought so. However everyone we asked had a different time. Perhaps we shouldn't have concerned ourselves with what time it was hence the responses we received were maybe meant to just mess with us for being so "oppressed".

We started to notice little stickers on our neighbors that said "One Show At A Time" and then we understood our acclimation to bonnaroo time. Given our lack of clock knowledge we arrived "home" at dark-thirty.

Saturday started beautifully. Blue skies seemed to be the theme until around noon. Then the rains came making a muddy mess of every footpath traveled. Luckily, inside Centeroo, fresh straw was constantly being spread in an attempt to keep the patrons dry. The rain did not deter anyone from having a good time. Many found amusement in the mud and many had planned ahead for a situation such as this. Galloshes of every color adorned the feet of these pre-planners. Mud adorned the bodies and feet of those less fortunate.

The line up for Saturday included Gov't Mule, The Black Crowes, Yonder Mountain String Band, Jack Johnson, Mouse on Mars, Keller Williams, Widespread Panic, Trey Anastasio, De La Soul, and many many more. We had found a way to beat the fates of "one show at a time". I had planned to see my friend Oceana Gayden's band Zenphonic play at Jack's Cafe. It just so happened the tent was situated in such a way we could look to our left and view the show on the What Stage. Gov't Mule played during Oceana's set.

If you've never heard Zenphonic they are well worth a listen. Oceana is a talented singer/songwriter and is accompanied by her brother(guitar) and by her father Mac Gayden, inventor of the slide-wah guitar technique. He is famous for writing such songs as "Everlasting Love" and playing with Barefoot Jerry and Skyboat. They have one of the most talented percussionists in the south, John Whitlock, as well as a second drummer (sorry I don't remember his name). Oceana did a rendition of "The Letter" that had everyone on their feet. The chick is way kind, too!

We stepped out of the cafe in time to see Warren Haynes' band Gov't Mule finish their set. We hung around people watching again and saw the beginnings of The Black Crowes show. We had to save up the energy for Widespread Panic and Trey Anastasio. We had a long night to go. We needed to refuel. We walked around the tent city vendors again and found some delicious Chinese food. Sufficiently fed we wandered back to our campsite through the mud and bodies. People were already beginning to pass out along the roadways.

Widespread Panic began at 8:30. We made our way up and found a spot. Glowing hula-hoops and dancing phospherescent giant marionettes littered the crowd. Glow sticks and beach balls flew through the air. Dancers danced and stoners stoned. Everywhere we turned there were smiling faces. We met a group from Florida whom had never attended a Bonnaroo. With their preppy clothing and slack-jawed faces we could tell they were out of their element. There weren't many like them, but the ones that were seemed lost but learning. The ways of the jam band tend to soften even the most hardened of hearts. Trey Anastasio was up next. The former Phish guitarist had the show of shows. Joining him onstage was the Hassidic Jewish reggae/rap phenomena, Matisyahu. I was as jazzed about seeing Matisyahu's show on Sunday as much as I was anyone else, so the Saturday night appearance made my day. We retired late,but excited about what Sunday had in store.

We awoke Sunday morning to the left over winds of a tropical storm. Tents, tarps, and canopys were flying. The roads were so muddy tractors were already beginning to pull people out one at a time. Some brave souls were attempting to take running passes at the swamps only to dig in deep and jam the roads for others. We decided to pack up and do our best to get to day parking. If the winds were any indication of the weather to come it was only going to get muddier. We found a less travelled path and made our way. Without the help of a tractor we were able to snake our way out of the campsite and onto the main road. "Dollar beers, t-shirts, pancakes for a dollar!" was the sounds we heard. Barkers trying to make one more dollar lined the street. We found the day parking but we also found a mother coyote wandering the street. Even the true scavengers were friendly this day. She looked our way and retreated back into the woods.

We arrived at This Tent about thirty minutes early. The crew was taking down large hanging photos of the bands that had played there at past Bonnaroos. The tent was roped off so no one could enter. When they were finished the ropes were cast aside and the people piled in. We obtained great seats in front of the sound board. Matisyahu took the stage. This man was filled with so much energy he drew a crowd larger than any I had seen at the other tents (not the stages but the tents). Even though I'm not Jewish, I felt as if I were being taken to church, or synagogue as the case may be. God was definately there though. "Chop 'em Down" had the crowd on it's feet. "King Without a Crown" had not a still body amongst us. His beat box left us stunned and his sincerity left us humbled. Light filled the tent even though the day was overcast. We must see him again. The link above is straight to his video on his website. Just pick the bandwidth and watch in amazement.

Ratdog was calling. We again poured into the What stage with the sea of people to see Bob Weir and his band of jam. We moved to the nostalgic sounds of The Grateful Dead and sang along with every song. The sun broke through the clouds during "Sugar Magnolia" as if God were smiling upon us saying "You are blessed today." All good things must come to an end and this would be our finale. We wanted to get on the road before the other 100,000 people decided to do the same. We had responsibilities we had been given the opportunity to shed for a few days that we had to return to. We readorned our watches and headed for home.

Bonnaroo is truly a blessing. So many people, so many shows, so much to do, and yet there never seemed to be an argument, a hassle, or a fight. Beautiful people beget beautiful times. This was the most beautiful of all.

There was so much to do we couldn't see and do it all. Many things I feel I have left out but this is going to have to do. I will post tomorrow on the "Do's and Don'ts" of this glorious event and I may post another comical anecdote or two. Until then remember: If anyone asks you where you are going, just say "Further."

Naked Guy With A Kite Before My Morning Coffee And The Laws Of Physics.....

2005-06-16T10:18:00.000-04:00

After days of walking, mud, good music, and strange happenings, we are back from Bonnaroo and sufficiently recuperated enough to update everyone on the event. Never before have I seen so many people in one place at one time. Words cannot describe the scene. My husband brought to mind and old saying "If I have to explain it you wouldn't understand." That being said, I will do my best to outline the magical atmosphere that is Bonnaroo.

We arrived Thursday afternoon at 5:30 to the massive traffic jam outside of the venue. We took our own route down, traveling highway 70 to highway 55. It took us until 8:00 to get to our camping spot. There we set up our canopy, unpacked our coolers and set off for a walk. Already things were abuzz. Vendors lined the streets of each camping section (93 sections in all each at least as large as a football field). The vendors were selling everything from grilled cheese to shoes. There were vendors with clothing, vendors selling mixed drinks, vendors selling pipes, vendors selling stickers, bootleg shirts, hats and bandanas. It was sheer decadence. Anything you wanted was at your disposal...immediately. The cost of items outside of centeroo was reasonable ($1 beer, $2 shots, $3 sandwiches). The moment you stepped inside Centeroo, the prices soared ($5 beer, no shots, $6 sandwiches). We found it more cost effective to step out into the churning world of tent city to buy what we needed and take our chances getting it through Centeroo security. We ended Thursday full of excitement over the next days shows. We chatted with our neighbors and enjoyed a long nap.

Friday morning we awoke to "naked guy" flying a kite outside of our canopy. "Get it up, naked guy!" my husband exclaimed as the man ran past searching for the wind. After consuming our morning sustenance of eggs and coffee, visiting with more neighbors, and people watching, we took off for Alison Krauss.

Alison sings so sweetly you can fall in love at first note. Jerry Douglas,Barry Bales Ron Block, and Dan Tyminiski make up the equally impressing rest of Union Station. They carried the crowd on an early afternoon journey of hertfelt bluegrass and mood setting melody. The groggy morning ensemble awakened and began to move. As quickly as the music started, the sun peaked out to reveal a beautiful and cumulus blue sky. All was right with the world. The show peaked with the rendetion of "Man of Constant Sorrow". A crowd of 40 or so thousand moved like the sea. No one could be still.

The Allman Brothers were next. We walked the village seeing what we could not afford but really didn't want considering what was available outside Centeroo. After a short walk and sightseeing we returned to the What Stage. The crowd was massive. We went in search of the chair we left to mark our spot and could not push our way close enough. The laws of physics still seemed to apply in this human sea. Too many bodies too little space. We had to stop about six rows from where we sat for Alison Krauss. We spread our poncho and had a seat...but not for long. A roar as loud as Niagra Falls erupted and the crowd was on it's feet. The music began and again the sea undulated. This time we moved to the soulful, Whirlitzer sounds of Greg Allman, and the dueling six-strings of Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes, "bassed" on Oteil Burbridge, and three drummers. The pinnacle of the show was a stunning rendition of "Jessica" summoning the crowd to frenzy with at least 6 diffent peaks and valleys. The show hit a second climax when Jerry Douglas, world renowned pedal-steel player and current member of Union Station, joined the band for a short time. Age has not tarnished this band. They played with the zealousness of youth and the wisdom of aged sages. Two hours later it appeared they were finished. The crowd cheered and began to chant, "Whipping Post!" "Whipping Post!". Again a roar erupted as the band filed again onto the stage. "Whipping Post" it was. We were thrown yet again into frenzy and awe. It was a beautiful thing.

As I write this I'm almost weeping. Life is good. I'm going to find a way to post some pictures today and I will finish writing about the rest of the weekend in tomorrow's post. I must go put up some pictures!!
The What Stage
Artist At Work
Centeroo Entrance
Triclops Walking

Flip-Flop Phenomenon.....

2005-06-11T16:46:00.000-04:00

Bonnaroo is a success. It has it's ups and downs, but overall it is a world full of happiness, sharing, and extrordinary kindness. There are a few problems, but I will update you on all of those later in my complete bonnaroo post. We have encountered such a diverse society. There are however those who wish to make the almighty dollar. That's o.k., because the day is filled with music, food, and many people to meet. I will inform you all when I get back of the necessities to make Bonnaroo comfortable, and the joys that make Bonnaroo great!

Here's a picture of what we coined "The Flip Flop Phenomenon". It is the unavoidable result of wearing flip-flops in the mud. I'm glad I brought non-flipping/flopping shoes!
I will see you all soon!

Bonnaroo Bound.....

2005-06-08T10:29:00.000-04:00

The next few blissful days my husband and I will be attending the festival of all festivals. Yes I do mean Bonnaroo. Bonnawho you ask? Check out this link to find out more.

This should be an interesting venture. People watching is great, but never is it greater than at a gathering 100,000 people strong. When a mass of people are thrown together to set up a "tent city" the most unusual things happen. I hope to gather many stories and some great photo's to share from this experience. I think I can update the blog daily at the Internet Village availble. I'll post some of the pictures if possible.

Asphalt and Ann Coulter.....

2005-06-07T21:37:00.000-04:00

If you're feeling down and out today or just feeling like life's not going your way. Remember it could always be worse. Just ask this guy. "Remember",as my husband always says, "it's a great day to be alive."

I was asked my opinion on Ann Coulter today and thought I might respond by dedicating today's installment strictly to her. However, upon further evaluation, I have decided I can't write enough to constitute an entire entry on her behalf.

Many people would have liked it if the first story found Ann Coulter as the victim buried alive in hot asphalt. As for me, I only hope she finds happiness. I think Ann Coulter is a celebrity and a very unhappy one at that. She will say anything she thinks will sell a book or get her on camera. Even she can't believe half of what she says. If she does, she should be pitied.She is very hate-filled and quite sad. What I have read about her in the past leads me to think she says things that have no basis in fact. When there aren't facts, one must use logic. Ann Coulter has not proven, in my opinion, to be able to run a clean ribbon of logical thinking around the absence of facts. She is like many other fascists. She would like to censor, kill, and dismember anyone who doesn't agree with her.Therefore I have come to the conclusion she is a salesman. She sells herself. Oh, wait.... That would be a prostitute. Well, that's a nicer sentiment than most have for her.

Deep Throat says "Don't read your Bible at school!"

2005-06-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

A teacher telling a student NOT to read.

I would say it went something like this:

"Johnny put that down this instant. This is school young man you will not read here. We don't want you to think for yourself or have a conscience. You will get up and misbehave like everyone else or face the consequences."

This is merely a litigious family trying to set a precedent for prayer in school. Heck, why not drag the tax payers down with a trial so you can preach to my child at school when I'm not there to keep you from warping her mind?

Was anyone else surprised to find out "Deep Throat" was a man? What possessed him to take the name? The mystery wrapped in enigma surrounded by theory and supposition revealed this man. Who would have guessed? It was much more intriguing when I believed Deep Throat was a sultry vixen who saved the world by day and walked the streets of a seedy underworld at night. My imagination has been hijacked by this guy. Sad, Sad. Just an old man in need of Cialis and money to pay college tuition.

So I Was Thinking.....

2005-06-05T18:26:00.000-04:00

So, I was thinking (hence the title). Looking at the last two entries, one might think this is a faith-based blog. I don't intend it to be that way. The last two day's ramblings have merely been the product of a visit with a conservative christian. I actually intend this to be a forum for me to vent, as well as a place to discuss the similarities or differences between my self and others in an open-minded way.

With that in mind, here's what's going on today........

The media does not impress me. I was flipping through the channels today and happened upon Fox News. With all it's flashing lights, rolling crawls, and glitter, I thought I had happened upon NBC's newest reality show. Sadly I was mistaken. A reporter began to discuss a "bloody mattress" found on some vacation friendly island where a girl had disappeared. I realize the executives at Fox need those new Mercedes and they need the million dollar house, but at what expense? Do we really need the drama they exude? Is it really an issue that I need to be informed about? I think not. I think the family of the poor missing girl might be saying, " Shut up already!" Unless she swam to the nearest mainland no one off of the island really needed to know.

This kind of sensational media is part of the problem of today's society. We get up in arms about things that don't matter to the way we function daily, yet we turn our heads to the attrocities our "elected" officials commit. The media is no longer an unbiased entity.

Have you watched any of those channels lately? I have to be cautious. Within 10 minutes I am under the spell of Hollywood. I'm just waiting to see Brad Pitt or Cameron Diaz perform the reenactments above the newscasters shoulder.

Oh, and by the way..Deep Throat anyone?

Sound Familiar?

2005-06-04T10:53:00.000-04:00

"Naturally, the common people don't want war, but they can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. Tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and endangering the country. It works the same in every country" - Herman Goering, Hitler's Reichmarschall at the Nuremberg trials.

When deciding on political views I always try to remember there is a larger battle always being waged. The great liar causes many to believe in those whom look just in their tactics. That is the strength of the liar. It can confuse and muddle the thinking of those whom are most devout in their beliefs by praying on the very essence of those beliefs.

On a similar but unrelated note, how come when one is striving to be Christ-like or displays qualities of Christ they are called a "liberal" or a "hippie"? I think we would do well to remember Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God".

One day Mr. Bush will need his soul and maybe it won't be there. Before anyone calls me unpatriotic, remember "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism"-Benjamin Franklin. If it weren't for dissent there would be no America.

Bumper Sticker Logic At It's Finest.....

2005-06-03T20:27:00.000-04:00

Here's my newest viewpoint thanks to streaming together a bunch of bumper stickers: Conservative Christians are neither. Face it you can't be pro-life and pro-war. (Grain of salt people, grain of salt.)

A Mountain Girl Speaks.....

2005-05-28T14:18:00.000-04:00

And so it starts.....Who knows how much this Tennessee girl can write or will write. I can assure you this: Whatever is posted here should be taken with a grain of salt. Comedy allows us to view reality a bit skewed. Skewed only so much that we may take what we need and make a joke of the rest. Otherwise, life is a tragedy. I choose not to live a tragedy. Hence the comedic approach to the world around us. This may not end up being Ha Ha funny but hopefully it will at least entertain. I'll return with my first installment on the world around us . Thanks for reading.