The Goddess

Saturday Kitten Blogging

What do you think your lookin at!

Patti Smith - Land

I became a Patti Smith fan when I heard her album Horses in 1975. Saw her a few times at CBGBS in NYC when I would go home on a vacation. The Queen of Punk makes it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. Congratulations Patti! Enjoy The Video

We Will Not Walk in Fear

I was 11 years old in 1954 and I remember Edward R. Murrow taking on Senator McCarthy like it was yesterday. This short documentary captures a lot of what was happening at the time. The movie Good Night and Good Luck captures the true essence of the battle between the two men. Murrow's statement at the end his TV show gave us a warning that still holds true today -

"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men."

Today there are people (like Ann Coulter in her book Treason) that would have us believe that McCarthy was a great man. That would have us believe that losing the right of habeas corpus and the patriot act are good for this country. These are the same people who wrap themselves in the flag and claim to be good Americans, just like their hero McCarthy. These are the same people who would try and limit our right to dissent and trash the First Amendment. Our Government has some how gotten lost along the way, forgetting they work for us. We must stop the machine in Washington that lies to us every day. Lets Take Back Our Government NOW!

Saturday Cat Blogging

Leave that Computer Alone and Pet Me Now!!!!

I hate the Pirates

I arrived in Pittsburgh in 1968 thanks to my Ex-wife. Prior to living here I had been a fan of the Cleveland Browns. Steeler fans please don't kill me cause I've been a member of Steeler Nation ever since I got here. The Pittsburgh Penguins came into being in 1968 and I've been a fan ever since. But don't ask me to become a Pirate fan. There might have been a chance if the Pirates lost to my Yankees in 1960 but they won. I'll always remember going to my first Pirate - Mets game at the brand new Three Rivers. My Ex-mother in law had box seats behind home plate, the game was close. I started cheering for the Mets (being an ex-New Yorker) and you'd would have thought I committed the ultimate sin, I was drenched with Iron City Beer from the Pirate fans that were sitting behind us. Yes, I have been to Pirate - Mets games since - I sit in the right field seats and watch my back.

Joan Baez - Where have All The Flowers Gone

When Will They Ever Learn?

Kermit The Frog - Lime In The Coconut

I just had to post this after I watched it, lol
You might not want to see it if your on some heavy drugs, lol

Saturday Kitten Blogging

Hi, My name was Bat, I was good at answering the phone and leaving messages on the answering machine. I also fetched and climbed ladders. Wolf took this picture of me and turned it into a painting. Neat Huh!!!

Mollys Last Words

Growing up Jewish

Sh'ma Yisrael Adonai Elohaynu Adonai Echad.
Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One
The words of a Jewish Prayer I learned as a child.

The reason I am writing this rant is because I’ve noticed a lot of hatred toward Jews these days. Although I consider myself Pagan there are times my Jewish heritage screams out, “Why all the hate against the non Zionist Jews.” My family background consists of Ashkenazim, Sephardi Jews and a Mohawk. My grandmother converted to Judaism when she married my grandfather. I did not know this for many years as my family has kept many secrets. It was years before I found out about my Grandmothers conversion, I remember this like it was yesterday, I was sitting on a trolley with my Grandma, an old woman spoke to her and asked “Are you Johanna A. whose husband blew his brains out?” Grandma looked at the lady, looked at me and said tearfully “You must have the wrong person.” Tears don’t lie.

Most children have no say so when it comes to religion when they are growing up. You follow the faith of your father or as in my case my mothers’ belief. My mom followed the reformed sect of Judaism. My dad on the other hand came from an orthodox family and the two just didn’t mix well, it was at times very confusing to me. Celebrating Passover with my mom meant that I’d have to ask the Three Questions in English. When I spent a rare Passover with my dad and his parents, I’d have to ask them in Hebrew. My Mothers Fathers' family history was Sephardi, traveling from Spain to Prussia during the Spanish Inquisition. My Dads Father was an Ashkenazim Rabbi who fled Russia with his Wife and congregation to the US because of a pogrom.

All this family history has had a strange effect on my life. As I wrote in an earlier post on the blog: I was born into a Jewish family this life. Although I studied hard and did all that Jewish stuff, I could not for the life of me believe in a vengeful God. Being a child of abuse I had enough to deal with and at times I'd think that God was punishing me. Having been a member of that religion while growing I’ve heard all the lies about Jews; Jews are lazy, Jews worship money, Jews don’t do manual labor, Jews own all the media and banks in the world, and I’ve heard this more than once, you must have failed in business three times because you’re doing manual labor. My mother tried to prepare me for this hatred by telling me that I should change my last name. I never got around to it. Many of my friends believe that every Jew carries a Talmud in their back pocket, the fact is that many Jews have never read it. A good site on Jewish Law can be found at Torah.org.

The Jewish Holocaust is being talked about in a Paltalk chat room as I write this. It makes me sad to hear some of my so called friends either deny it or put it down. I’ve always questioned the number of Jews that died in “The Holocaust”, but to deny it never happened is just insane. Yes, there were other people who died under the Nazis hand. Hitler stared with the mentally ill and the retarded, then the gays and gypsies, we know this. However these other groups were never singled out as “Lebensunwertes Leben”, Life Unworthy of life as much as the Jews. At first it started with The Nuremberg Laws on Citizenship and Race:The Reich Citizenship Law that took away German Citizenship away from all Jews. Next it was “Kristallnach”, or Night of Broken Glass, that was a pogrom against Jews throughout Germany and parts of Austria on Nov 9-10 1938. Jewish homes and stores were ransacked in a thousand German cities, towns and villages. I’ve heard the stories from some of my relatives who survived.
By the way, The Cartoonist Art Spiegelman tells the story of how his father that survived in a two part cartoon history “Maus.”

My good friends know where I stand of the Israel – Palestine issue. I’ve taken a lot of flack from many of my Jewish friends because I have and will always support Palestine. I once got in to a small argument at work for asking a co-worker “Why do the Israelis treat the Palestinians like the Nazis treated them?” Most of the Jewish folks I know are good people and wouldn’t know a Zionist if they fell over one. The Problem is that if you are Jewish, you’ve been brainwashed since birth, believing that everything Israel does is right, no questions asked. There are many sites on the net written by Non-Zionist Jews. Jews not Zionism is one of the best and speaks to some of the questions I’ve raised here. For those that doubt my question, “Why do the Israelis treat the Palestinians like the Nazis treated them?”, there is, If Americans knew. There is also SHIT LIST...7000+ Self-Hating Israel-Threatening Jews.

And so this Pagan ends his rant about growing up Jewish with the hope I've answered some questions and made you think. Please lets stop all this hate against Non-Zionist Jews and work together in solving the problems in the Middle East.

In Light and Love
Wolfdancer Dragon Starson

Sad And Lonely

I wish I could write you
A love song
That you could carry
Deep in your heart
so you would never be far from me
You could listen to it
when your sad and lonely

I wish I could sing you
a melody so pure
The notes would
make you want to dance
and you'd never be far from me
You could sing it with me
When your sad and lonely

I wish I could write
a book about you and me
with never ending chapters
So you could read it
When your far far from me
and never be
Sad and Lonely

Temp -5 Windchill -20

View of Da Burgh from WTAE's Weather Cam
The Hawk is back, you Know its cold when the three rivers freeze!

It's Da Bears

Saturday Cat Blogging

My Name is Pook, I am Master of this house and don't you forget it!
Now Feed Me! and don't give me that Friskies stuff, I want my Wiskas! NOW!!

More On Molly

I've had many people ask me during the week, "Wolf, why are you making a big deal about Molly Ivans Dying?, she was just a writer." I shake my head, "Just a writer I exclaim!!!!" Molly was more than just a writer. Molly was an inspiration to many of us that made us feel that we weren't alone fighting the political forces that be. The way she broke it down, made us smile while she attacked the right wingnuts. Most of the time with humor and at times in all seriousness. I'll say it again, Molly was more than just a writer.

If you don't believe me check out these two links.

Her home newspaper The Texas Observer
and
The Rude Pundit Blog