Political Pagan - "If we don't hang together, we will surely hang separately." Benjamin Franklin

Firstly, he tries to show the second plane with a missile launching just before impact. To prove his point he doctors the footage to show what it's supposed to look like. If it wasn't a missile the initial explosion would have been in one place instead of the other.more...

A Christian Nation?
John McCain stuck his foot in his mouth, claiming that the United States is a Christian nation. Shortly thereafter, he fumbled and stammered his way into saying his words had been misinterpreted and that that wasn't what he meant. Yeah. Right.

Methinks McCain needs a copy of the Treaty of Tripoli sent his way, with Article 11 highlighted for ease of reading.

Chimpy McFlightsuit's 9-13-07 Speech

So Chimpy thinks that allowing a few thousand soldiers to come home before the holidays is going to quell the anger and disgust of the American people?

Right now, his approval rating is at around 33%. The Conservative (read: FoxNews) pundits like to point at a "whopping" 18% approval rating for Congress, however, keep in mind that people may very well be angry not that Congress is questioning what is going on, but that they may be angry about the INactivity Congress has in regard to this Administration.

Hands down, it appears that the American people don't trust what they are being told by Shrubya and his Borg drones.

So...who do you think will be next nominated to fall on his or her sword for the Home Team? So far, Tony Snow, Karl Rove and Alberto Gonzalez have dutifully sacrificed themselves...

Who is next?

Iran's President Ahmadinejad Visits the U.N. And Speechifies At Columbia University - Chimpy Goes Bananas

It will be interesting to see what the political and public fallout of this visit will be.

Iran's President is visiting the U.N. and has been invited to speak at Columbia University.

A request to visit Ground Zero was turned down by the Feds, however.

Ahmadinejad has said that he feels the American people aren't getting the full story of what is going on.

One is curious as to what will be said by the public when spin control isn't so closely monitored by this Administration as it normally is while Ahmadinejad is in his own country.

Chimpy McFlightsuit and Little Sure Shot

Less than two years left with these poster children for Zero Population Growth. It can't be over with fast enough.

It floors me that people not only elected these two twits to the highest offices in the land, but also did it TWICE.

Fine, Kerry may look like Herbert West's (a la "Re-Animator") nemesis, Dr Hill, but that shouldn't have precluded his ability to be President.

Right now, the candidate field is relatively large on both sides, with all candidates having their particular upsides and downsides. From really really conservative to downright bleeding heart Liberal, to women to people of color, we've got it all this time around.

Then we have Fred "Law & Order" Thompson, who is pretending to run a pre-campaign for President, but his platform sounds downright draconian, and I don't believe I want to live in an America where he would be President. As it is, he is currently battling cancer, so I think that's where his focus should be, not on being elected to the Presidency. Plus, his child-bride might need another negligee from Victoria's Secret. He's already had some pre-campaign groupies quit on him, and I don't believe he's raised anywhere near the money to even get out the gate. This isn't like a write-in campaign for City Councilperson. I doubt the Electoral College (I'm not sure I've ever met a graduate of that institution) would even give him a second thought.

It would be rather nice if people actually got off their fucking asses and voted, for a change. Allowing a small group of people to choose your representation is not the way it's supposed to work, and our Founding Citizens would be horrified at Voter apathy as it is today.

Quelling Disagreement The Chimpy McFlightsuit Way!

I see that Chimpy McFlightsuit's goons arrested somewhere in the neighborhood of 190 protesters in DC the other day.

Apparently, the gathering of protesters (which included veterans in their number) were a bit much for the powers that be.

It's really a shame that Chimpy was out of town at the time.

Being that I am old enough to remember Vietnam, the protests remind me of them...and the disdain of the Administration is just as irritating now as it was then. This time, however, instead of Nixon's FBI taking names and creating files, we have Bush's Borg drones taking notes and spying on American citizens in the name of "Homeland Security".

Is it just me, but does "Homeland" spin like "Fatherland" (a la the Nazis...)

Zbig's Observation of the Monkey House

It's interesting to note that Zbigniew Brzezinski has said that this Administration is eager to start something nasty with Iran.

Does Chimpy want to inflame the entire Middle East against the Western World, because at this time, it certainly seems as though that's his intention. Of course, once he puts us all in such dire straits, he'll attempt to put a hold on the Presidential election under the guise of things being too dicey for a change in the existing power structure.

Keep in mind that this is a man who makes use of signing statements that enable him to circumvent existing Law. Don't be foolish enough to think that he'll willingly cede power to another...

Election 2008: Lies My Candidate Told Me

The candidates are out and about, spewing what they think you want to hear. The NeoCons are trying to shinny in close to the Religious Reich, and the Liberals are trying to be a shinier Green than Mr Hohoho, himself! The average Voter just doesn't know who to believe anymore.

We want to know what YOU think about this. Contact us with your opinions.

Spying

by Harmony

Are you listening?

My grandmother always told me "If you eavesdrop, don’t get mad when you hear what people really think of you." In my opinion if he wants to listen in on the whole country’s conversations he should pay attention. Listen to conversations between bedridden little old ladies and their country doctors.

But ….

Listen when that same doctor’s office calls to collect her back medical bills too.
Listen to the father discussing custody of his children against his addict wife.

Listen to the 9 year old who has to call their mother at work when they get home from school.

Listen to the call between the student and his mother as he complains about tuition and the cost of living.

Listen to the woman ask her mother to borrow a few hundred to pay her daycare this week.

Listen to the teen confide in her best friend that she may be pregnant.

He will you know. He’ll listen.

But if he’ll listen won’t be the question.

Will he do something about it?

Am I Wrong?
by Harmony

I have a problem:

My kids’ school routinely sends home announcements from local churches. Does this mean that the school is supporting the local churches? Or is it because some of the administrators of the schools attend these churches and are using the student body to increase attendance to their particular church. I’m all for both freedom of religion and separation of church and state. But these two things seem to conflict with each other more and more. more...

Can We Get Our Act Together
by Dody

What I'm about to address is going to seem irrelevant. We Pagans, gripe, moan, piss, and generally raise hell, except when it requires putting down the remote or mouse and actually going somewhere to do something.

There are many Pagans and more everyday; however, I see little to no infrastructure to support these young "fledgling" Pagans or any Pagan in need.

So what?

Who said you had to be there?
more...

Child Support IS An Issue

by Harmony

I know that there are a lot of things that are concerning our leaders right now. I'm not knocking those issues, they are very important to me and everyone else. But, there are a lot of smaller issues for which solutions can be found and easily implemented.

My current little cause, besides the really big issues, is Child Support Enforcement. Did you know that most single parents on state funded support are also in the CSE system? This support is usually food stamps, subsidized child care, and medical care. In some cases it includes TANF or AFDC (welfare checks) as well. Did you know that almost 90 BILLION is out in unpaid child support? Didn't think you did.

more...

Family Ties: Guerilla Warfare With CPS

by Dody

I don't know if this fits [Editor's note: It does], but I want to tell you about my experience with this system. As a child I was placed in foster care, I was a cute, black haired little girl with a big smile. While my mother and I loved each other very much, my step father and I had problems. I was in foster care for 3 years off and on and even put up for adoption at one point. I can't say my parents were perfect, but I can tell you how to help your children stay with you cause it worked for me.
more...

Obituary: Rosemary Kooiman

by Harmony

Recently I found out about a wonderful woman. Her name, in this incarnation, was Rosemary Kooiman. She was an activist for Pagan rights. The last thing she participated in was to have Pagan symbols allowed on grave markers in Veterans Cemeteries, which are governmentally funded. Witchvox.com had recently posted an article that went over her efforts in this. As the President placed an wreath on an unknown soldier’s tomb, she placed a vinyl pentacle on her husband’s headstone. This was only one of her many endeavors. more...

Poli-Sci 101

Have you read the USA Patriot Act? No? Maybe you should. Read it here

Orwell 2008 - Count On Orwell Watching You

Bird Flu Frenzy

by Dody

The avian flu or the pandemic flu is everywhere you look. The experts assess possible damage in millions of deaths and billions in lost revenue. The President makes a speech saying essentially that we're getting ready for this pandemic flu. more

Vote Orwell for United States President in 2008

It'll Be Like having your Big Brother watching over you

An Open Letter To Sony

Hi. We're Gen X.

We boosted your sales all through the 90's, and we discovered what the internet could do and how cool computers could be. We fell in love with Kurt and Marilyn, and a million other artists. We were activists against the mainstream and are still a little different. We are your customer base.

You've lost us.

Your music sucks and you think too highly of yourself. You have forgotten that WE put you on top. And now we aren't buying anymore, because you're not a nice leader of the playground. You don't let us play with our cool techno toys and don't let us play with our music the way we like. So we don't need your stinkin' music...and no, we're not downloading...we're retro-ing.

We still have all the old good CD's and we still have free radio. We don't need you anymore, because you forgot you needed us.

Have a nice life...

Sincerely,

Your lost customer base,

Gen X

We Respect ID-Proponents, but Cannot Endorse ID

by Advocate

I want to know why the religious right is afraid.

Hundreds of years ago, when monotheism was a glimmer in the eyes of revolutionaries, they were afraid. They vandalized temples and murdered clergy, terrorizing a Pagan majority that, to be fair, had marginalized the upstarts. more

NSA Spying On US Citizens With No Warrant & With Administration's Blessing

As of this writing (November 2005), the Patriot Act extension has been denied by the United States Senate, and I would hope that Americans will finally realize the man currently in office is not working in the best interests of the citizens of this country...and now we find that the NSA, with the Administration's encouragement and blessing, has been allowed to spy on Americans without a warrant in the days since 9-11.

My stomach is twisted in sickness and disgust at this latest revelation.

With secret prisons and allegations of torture in the news, Senator McCain's anti-torture bill only says that US personnel won't use torture. It doesn't say anything about prohibiting US personnel from engaging outside sources to torture prisoners. That would be why the Administration isn't saying it's out of the question. Bush's handlers are paying VERY close attention to the wording. I can only hope that Senator McCain uses someone skilled in Contract Law to read his contracts before he signs anything. I may just start calling the man "Billy Budd".

It is sad to see that the hopes and dreams upon which this country was founded are being tossed away...

Hurricane Katrina Aftermath

There are many strong opinions out there about what went right and what went wrong in response to Hurricane Katrina. Send us your articles and letters! Tell us about your experiences, and the charities to whom we should and should not donate. We want to hear from you.

A Loss For Words

by SpringRiver

Last night, I read a book to my children. Yesterday, I read letters from my hometown's founders of over a hundred years ago. Today, I'm heading to the same resource to make copies and pick up a new read while my kids do research for school. more

Miers Steps Down

by Dody

After all the hype and all the anguish Miers steps down “gracefully”.

How gracefully can one fall in the public domain?

The Democrats liked her only because they didn’t know how conservative she is and the Republicans hated her because they didn’t know how conservative she is. more

Intelligent Design?

There's a lot of hoo-ha going on right now over the idea of teaching the origins of Life in a publicly funded environment.

There are those who support the Darwinian point of view, and declare that only Evolution should be taught. Evolution teaches that only those creatures strong enough to survive to reproductive age would be able to pass their genes onto the next generation. more

Announcing Political Pagan, the website for all parts of the Pagan political spectrum!

We are now accepting submissions from Pagans and nonPagans of a political bent. We do not have a particular political slant, and so welcome submission from all parts of the political spectrum.

In lieu of monetary compensation, successfully submitted authors will receive free advertising of their wares on this website.

Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, Anarchist, Expatriate or whatever, we want to hear from you! Tell us about the platform of your political party. Why do you believe the way you do? Why should we embrace the political path you follow? Contact us now for submission guidelines! Writing under a nom de plume is not only perfectly acceptable, but is encouraged.

Offsite links will open in a new window, so if you have a pop-up blocker enabled, you might want to at least temporarily disable it. Political Pagan does not use or endorse the use of pop-up or pop-under ads, as we find them just as annoying as you do.

For your convenience, this site includes such resources as the USA Patriot Act, Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the US Constitution, and the Treaty of Tripoli, signed in 1796, which clearly declares that the United States was in no way founded upon the Christian religion. We have also included online books, such as Machiavelli's "The Prince".

Lewis "Scooter" Libby Indicted

by Dody

Lewis Libby, the Vice President's Chief of Staff, is in some serious hot water it seems. He is being charged with lying in a court of law. While this is serious trouble, why didn’t the prosecutor go full boar on him? I mean this is the man that was revealed as "the source" for outing the CIA agent Plame. All this hubbub to get who revealed what about whom and nobody’s going down for treason?!!

Ok, let me get this straight. An innocent and law abiding citizen goes to jail for doing her job as a reporter, keeping her sources anonymous when they ask for it, because what she knew was who put an operatives life in danger. They made a BIG stink over this and now that they have their man they aren’t going to prosecute to the full extent of the law. more

Political Pagan Seeks Columnists!

Have strong opinions? Want to write about them and actually have them published here on the Political Pagan site? Contact us with your submissions!

Asbestos - A History

Asbestos, asbestosis and mesothelioma have been subjects near to my heart for many years now.

My father was an attorney who represented literally hundreds of people harmed by this material and the industry that manufactured it into myriad products. His firm was one of the first to come forward to represent people damaged by asbestos exposure. I remember them having proprietary software developed that was a very great help in their works. more

Same Sex Marriages

The Citizens of the Great State of California, in their questionable wisdom, voted on March 7th, 2000 to ban Gay and Lesbian marriages. Remember, this is the State that prides itself on equality and politically correct thinking. This is the state that has Palimony laws and was the benchmark State that enacted Community Property Laws, ending decades of inequity in Divorce Settlements. more

Editor's Note:

While we publish material from a large sample of the political and ideological spectrum, Political Pagan and its staff do not necessarily agree with the viewpoints presented. This site was created to offer the widest cross section of opinion possible. We do not intentionally slant one direction or the other, but seek a balance of viewpoints. If you don't see your opinions posted here, contact us and we will do our best to include them on this site. We may not agree with your opinions, but we support and celebrate your right to have and voice them!

Faith Based Bullshit

by Fluffdoodle Bunnybutt

Well, strike up the band and pull out the beer!

The Federal Government, courtesy of FEMA, have given the Methodists 66 MILLION bucks for "counseling" services in the wake of Katrina.

I don't know. That seems an awful lot of money for something like that. more

Media Bias

by Eris' Apple

It's pervasive in the media. Whenever there is an arrest of a Pagan person, their religion is brought up. Usually, the phrase "occult" is included like some kind of bad word. By doing this, they imply that being Pagan was part and parcel of whatever bad deed the person is accused. more

Resources

Officers of Avalon

Pagan Law Enforcement Officers & Emergency Services Workers

LawHelp

Legal help for low to middle income individuals.

Women's Law

A Nationwide Online Resource for Women and Girls Living With Or Escaping Domestic Violence

National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or
(TTY) 1-800-787-3224

Editorial: So the Government stole your tax dollars and gave them to the Christians

by Dody

I know. It's wrong. The government just filled the coffers of yet another blatantly Christian organization with your tax money. You're outraged and rightfully so, but what the hell do you do about it? more

First They Came for the Jews

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.
Pastor Martin Niemöller