The View From Kalamazoo

CHIMAERA – A Journal of Eclectic Paganism is launching its first issue at the Winter Equinox of 2004 and is seeking contributions from writers and artists.

CHIMAERA, the dragon of disparate parts, is an apt name for a journal which welcomes well-written submissions from adherents of all pagan paths as long as they adhere to two simple guidelines: the author must write from a personal perspective of study and practice in a magical or magico-religious tradition, and must provide historical citations whenever used.

CHIMAERA will be published in .pdf format only, and will be distributed free to subscribers. Since this is an advertising-free journal staffed and produced entirely by volunteers, we are unable to pay for submissions. The journal will be delivered in Adobe .pdf format via email to subscribers only on a quarterly basis.

SUBMITTING YOUR WORK
Interested authors should send a one page query letter outlining their proposed article and accompanied by a short bio to [email protected].

Interested artists can send a .jpg and description of their work, along with a short bio, to the same address.

Submissions must be received by November 30, 2004 in order to be considered for inclusion in the Winter Equinox issue.

SUBSCRIBING
If you wish to become a subscriber, you may do so by clicking on this link: [email protected]

I have made a point of avoiding the TV, internet news sites, and blogs of a political nature this morning. Call it a sanity-saving measure, if you will.

I have been trying to refrain from shooting my mouth off about all of this, too, but it appears I am going to be unsuccessful on that count. It’s time to stop reading if you don’t want to hear it – and no, this doesn’t mean I’m making a habit of it, either.

Personally, I think Bush is the least of our worries.

Let me clarify that before you snarf your java.

Prop 2 passed in Michigan, to my disappointment but not to my surprise. (for all those playing along at home: constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between a man and a woman, and not only marriage but any other sort of union or legal designation “for any purpose,” which opens doors wide for all sorts of things beyond ‘marriage’ to be screwed with, including existing same-sex benefits in the private sector, het. common-law relationships, etc.) Similar props passed in something like 10 other states, and a handful had passed previous to this election.

The deep undertow undercurrent in the U.S. that worked to pass these props is what elected Bush. Polling indicated that the issues most often cited by voters were moral values, defense, and the economy. Moral values??!!?? What year is it, again? We’ve watched the country turn more and more into a nation of Evangelical Christians/EC values. What we have is more closely resembling the pseudo-theocracies seen during the war years of the 20th century through the early 60s than the years after that we should be building on as our modern foundation – but it’s a helluva lot more than Bush. He’s a symptom, not a cause in and of himself.

In 4 years Bush won’t be a possibility (and neither will Cheney) but unless this undercurrent and what’s feeding it is addressed he’ll just be replaced by another just like him – so again, I think Bush is the least of our worries – he’s merely a tributary of a much larger river feeding him…we need to spend less energy and resources trying to dam the tributary and more focusing on that river that can easily turn into a flood. You know how water flows – dam one and another will spring in its place. What we need is a sort of Hoover dam that will help to control, even redirect, that river.

And that Prop 2 stuff? The freedom to marry (and “marriage” aside, we’re talking here about any legal status at all) has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men, yet anti-gay rhetoric has been popular with both Repubs. and Dems. this season: in Oregon, for example, another state that passed a similar prop, Kerry won with 53% over Bush’s 46%, yet it passed 57% to 43%. Numbers here in Michigan, another Kerry win (51% to 47%), are similar: 58% to 41%.

The argument against? Religion

Forty years ago it was illegal to marry someone of another race.

The argument against? Religion

The Lovings were convicted of violating 20-58 of the Virginia Code: “Leaving State to evade law: If any white person and colored person shall go out of this State, for the purpose of being married, and with the intention of returning, and be married out of it, and afterwards return to and reside in it, cohabiting as man and wife, they shall be punished as provided in 20-59, and the marriage shall be governed by the same law as if it had been solemnized in this State. The fact of their cohabitation here as man and wife shall be evidence of their marriage.” “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.”

(And that’s all I have to say about that.)

[crossposted, in part, in my lj, FWIW]

Physics and medieval history for a bunch of 12-year-olds – I love this stuff!

I must admit, it’s oddly gratifying when things medieval can hit the press and not be a slur or negative comparison…

O! My sinuses! Make it stop!

As seen at Playing School, Irreverently and a wolf angel is not a good angel (among other locales)

LAYER ONE:

Name: juniperus intrepidus, praedicator veridicus!

Birth date: July 3

Birthplace: Jackson, MI

Current Location: Kalamazoo, MI (sad, huh?)

Eye Color: green

Hair Color: dark blonde

Height: 5’5

Righty or Lefty: righty
Zodiac Sign: Cancer

LAYER TWO:

Your heritage: UK&Western/Eastern European mutt

The shoes you wore today: black leather..loafers, I guess they’d be…

Your weakness: chocolate/toffee, coffee

Your fears: failure, esp. failure that impacts people I love

Your perfect pizza: tomato sauce, lots o cheese, mushrooms, black olives, ground beef

Goal youÂ’d like to achieve: some sort of success. try me.

LAYER THREE:

Your most overused phrase on IM: riiiiight…

Your first waking thoughts: now which kid is in my bed?

Your best physical feature: erp. uh…smile?
(Brian will comment on this – he complains I never smile…)

Your most missed memory: If I remember it I can’t be missing it, wot?

LAYER FOUR:

Pepsi or Coke: neither

McDonaldÂ’s or Burger King: McD – my life is made easier by the presence of Playland

Group/Single Dates: single

Adidas or Nike: neither

Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: neither

Chocolate or Vanilla: chocolate, depending

Cappuccino or coffee: cappuccino, if I can get it

LAYER FIVE:

Smoke: no

Cuss: yes, g*dd@mn!t

Sing: when necessary

Take a shower everyday: usually.

Do you think youÂ’ve been in love: yes

Want to go to college: yes, but so many don’t want meee. I’m not bitterrrr…

Liked high school: erg. no. better than a stick in the eye – but not much.

Want to get married: again? I’d have to ditch Bri first!

Believe in yourself: occasionally

Get motion sickness: yes. sucks.

Think youÂ’re attractive: not particularly

Think youÂ’re a health freak: no

Get along with your parent(s): yes, depending on your definition of ‘get along’

Like thunderstorms: yes

Play an instrument: no, and there would be those who argue I didn’t when I did, either.

LAYER SIX: In the past month

Drank alcohol: yes

Smoked: no

Done a drug: no.

Made Out: no, not precisely.

Gone on a date: no, unless you count our child-free work-week lunches out. I guess that should be a yes, then…

Gone to the mall?: yes, but it was the portrait studio, so it wasn’t so very painful.

Eaten an entire box of Oreos?: no, not entire – I have children. and a Brian. No hope of that even if I wanted to!

Eaten sushi: no

Been on stage: no

Been dumped: no
Gone skating: no

Made homemade cookies: no. apple spice cupcakes, yes – cookies, no.

Dyed your hair: no.

Stolen Anything: I swiped a Mounds snack size bar from my son’s Halloween bag last night – does that count? (he wouldn’t have liked the coconut, anyway!)

LAYER SEVEN: Ever

Played a game that required removal of clothing: no, I don’t think so.

If so, was it mixed company:

Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: only once or twice – I really dislike being that drunk.

Been caught “doing something”: no.

Been called a tease: no.
(not to my face)

Gotten beaten up: no.

Shoplifted: When I was 4 or 5 I pilfered a peach from the produce section of the grocery and sat under the stand eating it. I put the pit in my pocket – so my Mom found out later that evening.

Changed who you were to fit in: Tried so, sort of, ever so briefly in high school. Gave up in pretty short order.

Successfully? no.

LAYER EIGHT:

Age you hope to be married: Already married.

Numbers and Names of Children: 2. Emma and Colin.

Describe your Dream Wedding: no.

How do you want to die: in any way that does not hurt. no awareness of the end would also be a bonus.

Where you want to go to college: U. Kentucky, but they have no monee for meee. Notre Dame and St. Louis U. were nice, but I am ->this<- close to being SO done with all of this wracking and garbage...
What do you want to be when you grow up: Grow up. Riiiight.

What country would you most like to visit: Anywhere in the UK, I guess…but there are a lot of really, really close seconds on the continent.

LAYER NINE:

Number of drugs taken illegally: 1

Number of people I could trust with my life: 5 or 6? Max? I don’t know that I ever have that sort of grand expectation of those close to me…or ponder it, at least.

Number of CDs that I own: no idea. Bri keeps everything jumbled together, mostly.

Number of piercings: 2

Number of tattoos: 0. That would involve main and require money, therefore…

Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper?: No idea – a fair number, since I wrote the University paper for a spell. (actually, for pocket change – a spell would have been worth a lot more than they paid. heh.)

Number of scars on my body: hm. Dunno – more than 5, less than 10? 5 form the surgeries I’ve had, and there’s probably more here and there.

Number of things in my past that I regret: too many.