As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group gives Kossacks a safe place to check in, a daily diary where we can let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, earthquakes, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It also allows us to find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, earthquakes etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a Kosmail and ask to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
We do have a diary schedule. But, when you are ready to write that diary, either post in thread or send FloridaSNMOM a Kosmail with the date. If you need someone to fill in, ditto. FloridaSNMOM is here on and off through the day usually from around 9:30 or 10 am eastern to around 11 pm eastern.
Monday: Crimson Quillfeather alternating with ZenTrainer
Wonder Woman is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. In her homeland, her official title is Diana, Princess of Themyscira, Daughter of Hippolyta. When traveling in "Man's World" incognito, she adopts her civilian identity Diana Prince. The character is also referred to by such epithets as the Amazing Amazon, the Spirit of Truth, and The Goddess of Love and War...
Wonder Woman was created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston, and artist Harry G. Peter... The character first appeared in ALL Star Comics #8 in October 1941 and first cover-dated on Sensation Comics #1, January 1942. The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986.
There are 2,305 names. They are only "representative."
There are 2,305 names. They are only "representative."
.
Today I fulfilled a long-term pledge to myself, by attending the annual rededication of a memorial to slain journalists that is housed in the Newseum building -- the museum of journalism in downtown Washington, D.C.
This year, 14 more names are etched on the frosted-glass panels of the monument, for a total of 2,305 names dating back as far as 1837: reporters, photographers, broadcasters, bloggers, news executives. Speakers at the event emphasized, however, that the names on the monument are merely “representative.” Actual numbers must be far higher.
The personal pledge to be there dated back more than a decade, to a time when the Newseum inhabited Rosslyn, Va., near where I worked for the federal government.
At that time the glass panels of the journalists’ memorial composed a three-dimensional, open tower that spiraled up from an elevated plaza, looking out across the Potomac to the nation’s great monuments. The view stretched all the way to the Capitol dome. I would walk there at lunchtime and contemplate the memorial.
Nearby was more to think about: reproduced life-size in bronze, cobblestones from the Warsaw ghetto, Nelson Mandela’s cell door, and more of the same kind. Plaques mounted on granite bearing great quotations, such as the immortal words of Frederick Douglass: “Power concedes nothing without a demand; it never did, and it never will.”
Potent place.
Around a corner another wall, for a time, featured children’s paintings of Franklin Roosevelt’s historic “Four Freedoms”: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. The picture representing freedom from fear disappeared sometime in the early 2000s as I recall; perhaps it had been damaged; the blank space seemed eloquent in itself.
****
So today, I finally made it to a rededication ceremony. Getting there meant the Washington-area obstacle race of blocked lanes, stopped school buses, closed-off parking spaces, Metro outages, and construction, construction, construction. The air was sodden, the sky fish-belly white.
The frosted glass panes now form a wall in front of a tall window, curving overhead.
It was a simple ceremony in a limited space. In the front rows were quiet embraces among relatives and colleagues of the honorees. TV cameras leaned over the last row. The chatter of school children echoed off the ceiling from the main hall of the Newseum.
Michael Oreskes, NPR senior vice president of news and editorial director, who lost a photographer and translator to an attack by the Taliban, gave the primary address. “We’re here this morning to remember those we’ve lost...and to rededicate ouselves to the principles they believed in, and they died for.
“They were there on that road doing the most basic thing any journalists can do,” Oreskes continued. “They were there to find out for themselves the facts of America’s longest war as the Afghan army took over the fighting...”
Reading the names and stories of the murdered journalists.
The murdered journalists “lived the way they lived and died as they died because they believed in something very precious, very simple…," said Oreskes. “They believed that independent information in the hands of individuals helps make them free, that it empowers them to make decisions, and it liberates them from governments that can control them by keeping them ignorant. They believed that corruption and oppression thrive in darkness.”
NPR photographer David Gilke, he said was “sometimes described as one of his generation’s finest war photographers. That’s not quite right. He really didn’t photograph war. He photographed the men and the women, soldiers and civilians, caught in these wars…. streaked with sweat, edged with exhaustion, or fear, or relief.” Gilke's “own humanity was reflected back in those images....” said Oreskes. “He never, ever forgot the people he came to cover...It was a mission.”
His co-worker and translator, “Zabi was trained as a lawyer,” said Oresekes, and knew a vast array of local languages. He had chosen journalism because “in Afghanistan, journalism was a more effective, more powerful, more immediate way to serve his country.”
In contrast Joao Miranda de Carmo “wasn’t a globe-trotting war correspondent.” He lived 30 miles from Brasilia and covered local issues on a website. “Most of the jouinalists honored at the ceremony “were killed while reporting on their own countries....That is the brutal of reality of the world we live in.
“Whether it’s drug gangs or the corrupt police in Mexico, or the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Syria, murdering journalists has become a technique of control, a way of trying to prevent reality from reaching the outside world,” Oreskes said.
Post-truth era? “That claim is false. There is no greater proof of how wrong that idea is than the lives and deaths of these journalists...We live in an era when powerful organizations and governments know how much the truth still matters, and they are wiling to kill journalists, or jail them, or bully them or threaten them” to suppress the truth.
“I say these journalists died for a cause because at this moment in history there are clearly those in the world who would prefer a very different system. Ideologues and autocrats, and would-be autocrats, know it’s easier to get their way” if they “control the information the public receives…
“In the world we have inherited, libery is much more likely to be lost to ignorance than it is to jackbooted armies...We must resist efforts to limit the freedom to report, here or anywhere else in the world....America has stood as a light of liberty to the whole world.
“Attacks on journalists in this country...send a message everywhere that journalists are legitimate targets,” Oreskes said.
The fallen
Jeffrey Herbst, president and CEO of the Newseum also stated that, “Journalists face an ever more complicated world where...governments, terrorist organizations, narco traffickers and others seek to control the terrain of information. Where control of information has become a critical battlefield…. [the murdered journalists] chose to continue with this profession because they thought it was so important to report on what was happening, to inform their own communities and their world at large.”
There is a lot more to be said about current threats to journalists both here and abroad, but I’ll leave it at this, for now.
Names Added to the Journalists’ Memorial for the Year 2016
Afghanistan:David Gilkey, 50, photographer, and Zabihullah Tamanna, 38, translator, both with National Public Radio. Covering the Afghan conflict. Killed in a Taliban ambush one year ago today.
Brazil: Joao Miranda do Carmo, 54, blogger, SAD Sem Censura. Covered local corruption. Shot outside his house; head of city hall security and his son arrested.
India:Karun Misra, 32, bureau chief, Jansandesh Times. Investigated illegal mining operations. Gunned down by three men on motorcycles; two local mining contractors were named by police as instigators.
Iraq: Saif Talal, reporter, and Hassan al-Anbaki, cameraman. Al-Sharqiya television. Covering ISIS bombing of a café. Forced out of car by masked gunmen and shot. “At least four other reporters were killed in Iraq in 2016,” the Newseum program stated.
Jeffrey Herbst, president and CEO, Newseum and Newseum Institute; Michael Oreskes of NPR; and Gene Policinski, COO, Newseum Institute, stand together before the ceremony.
Libya: Jeroen Oerlemans, 46, photographer, freelance. Covering battle between ISIS and Libyan troops; struck by bullet that found gap in body armor.
Mexico: Marcos Hernandez Bautista, 38, reporter, Noticias Vos e Imagen de Oaxaca. Covered local corruption. Shot in the head after leaving a bar. Local police chief convicted.
Somalia. Sagal Salad Osman, 24, producer and presenter, Radio Mogadishu. “One of the few female voices on the radio in Somalia.” Shot one year ago today, while leaving the university where she was studying for a degree in computer science; an Islamist militant group is suspected of the murder.
Syria: Mustafa Abdul Hassa, 28, correspondent, Shaam News Network; Samer Mohammed Aboud, 33, reporter, Free Deir al-Zour Radio/Development Interaction Network; Mohammed Marwan al-Issa, 41, cameraman, Al-Nateq News Network; Sami Jawdat Rabah, 28, reporter, Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. Captured by ISIS in 2014, refused to pledge allegiance to that group, disappeared; gruesome videotape of their murders posted by ISIS last June. “More than 100 journalists have been killed since Syria’s war began in 2011,” the Newseum noted.
Ukraine.Pavel Sheremet, 44, radio reporter for website Ukrainska Pravda. Covered organized crime and corruption. Killed by a car bomb that may have been intended for his editor, whose car he was driving.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross made a complete jackass of himself when, last month in Saudi Arabia—an authoritarian monarchy that strictly prohibits almost all dissent—he remarked that there were no protests there when Donald Trump visited, just "a genuinely good mood."
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross made a complete jackass of himself when, last month in Saudi Arabia—an authoritarian monarchy that strictly prohibits almost all dissent—he remarked that there were no protests there when Donald Trump visited, just "a genuinely good mood."
Following President Donald's Trump recent visit toSaudi Arabia, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross came under fire for his tone-deafremarksin which he lauded the lack of public protest he witnessed while in the country.
Areportpublished byHuman Rights Watchand Amnesty International on Tuesday offers a worrying explanation for why public dissent is so hard to find in the oil-rich kingdom.
In what Sarah Leah Whitson ofHuman Rights Watchcalleda ploy to "settle scores and crush dissent under the guise of combating ‘terrorism,'"Saudi Arabiais reportedly set to execute 14 protestors following trials rife with inequities and abuse.
"Court documents show that all defendants, including the 14 sentenced to death, were held in pretrial detention for more than two years before their trial began,"notedHuman Rights Watch. "In nearly all the trial judgments analyzed, defendants retracted their 'confessions,' saying they were coerced in circumstances that in some cases amounted to torture, including beatings and prolonged solitary confinement. The court rejected all torture allegations without investigating the claims." [...]
Of those set to be executed, four were deemed guilty of crimes committed when they were teenagers. All 14 are Shiites, apersecutedreligious minority in the kingdom. The report notes that there are 38 Saudi Shiites "currently sentenced to death." [...]
“I love America more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” ~James Baldwin, Collected Essays, published 1998
No one likes the idea of General Motors' collapse. GM executives don't like it. Workers don't like it. Dealers don't like it. Stockholders don't like it. Bondholders don't like it. Taxpayers don't like it. No one likes seeing so many who have worked for decades lose so much of their pensions and health care. No one wants to see a century old mainstay of the economy tottering on the brink.
But for the far right, there's a far bigger principle at work: government intervention is stinky. Once the government has invested in something, it's tainted by the unholy whiff of impure capitalism -- a smell that the farthest of the far right place just below catfish cheese bait. Worse, the government's largest partner in ownership of the new GM will be the United Autoworkers Union. In Wingnutia, that's like pairing cheese bait with roadkill possum (which every conservative knows is only proper in months containing the letter 'R').
So now that we are all investors in the comeback of GM, with billions riding on the company's resurrection, conservatives have developed a brilliant plan: We will boycott ourselves!
Ontoday’sKagro in the Morningshow: Kushner’s Saud-ish arms deal is fake. (KITMcalled BS on that right away.) Hell, Trump’s dating life was fake, too. Really, what isn’t fake at this point? Armando joins to discuss the emerging Qatar crisis, congressional probes and the latest Russian hacking story.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is tasked with overseeing the Russiagate case from investigation to litigation. It’s a job of daunting magnitude due to its diversity, pace and burgeoning proportions.
Initially limited to possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, the inquiry is now casting a much wider net.
This week portends to be a more trying one for Kushner, as he returns to Washington to be greeted by the news that he is now a focus of the FBI’s Russia investigation.
A week later Reuters reports that Mueller is expanding its scope to include a criminal investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Federal prosecutors in Virginia are investigating a deal between Flynn and Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin as part of a grand jury criminal probe, according to a subpoena seen by Reuters.
Less than 12 hours later, AOL posted a print+video update that reported the addition of another person of interest with the possibility of three more future additions.
According to the Associated Press, Mueller has now assumed control of a separate criminal investigation into Paul Manafort. The former Trump campaign manager was forced to resign over questions about his business dealings in the Ukraine.
In an interview with the AP, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said Mueller’s assignment gives him the authority to also include Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the firing of former FBI Director James Comey and even himself into the expanding investigation.
While these actions involve major steps in the investigation phase, at the same time Robert Mueller is also developing the litigation phase. He is putting together a team of prodigious legal talent and experience: a real life Justice League. This story features six of those members: James Quarles III, Allan Lichtman, Andrew Weissmann, Aaron Zebley, Jeannie Rhee and Peter Carr.
Zen Buddhism in America came from Japan. In this essay, I attempt to provide the important aspects of Zen Buddhism as the individuals at local zendo and their sensei explained them to me.
Zen Buddhism
Meditation
The aspect of Zen, a derivative of Chinese Mahayana, Buddhism that appears to be most important is meditation. Chan Buddhism is the original form of Mahayana Buddhism from which Zen Buddhism derives. Mahayana means Great Vehicle and is one of the few main branches of Buddhism. It is the largest branch of Buddhism. Over half of the people who are Buddhist ascribe to the Mahayana branch of thought. Chan Buddhism began in Tang Dynasty. This form of Buddhism migrated to Korea and Vietnam. As, the tolerant way of life, Buddhism spread, it had to adapt to its surroundings. When Buddhism made its way into China from India, it incorporated aspects of Taoism. Chan Buddhism made its way into Japan where it incorporated aspects of Shinto and later became Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism teaches that one should meditate. When one meditates, one should clear one’s mind and focus on one’s breathing. One Breathes with one’s belly or hara. One should count one’s breath until one become the breather. A Breath in on the inhalation is one, and a breath out on the exhalation is two. One should count to ten then start over at one. Eventually, one will be able to meditate without counting one’s breaths. The practitioners call this practice susokukan. It helps one's concentration or joriki. When thoughts and distractions arise in opens mind, one should acknowledge them and let them fall away like just settling after one kicks it up. Sensei uses two metaphors. The first is sediment in the water. When one stirs up the water, the sediment makes the water cloudy. The other metaphor is of dust. When one kicks up dust, the air becomes dusty. When one allows either to settle one will see clearly. If one allows one's mind to run wild and succumb to distraction, one cannot think clearly. One meditates in a seating position. One can sit in the Burmese, half lotus or Hankafuza, full lotus or Kekkafuza, kneeling or Seiza, or in a chair. One can explore further accommodations if one cannot sit. Posture is important. One’s back should be straight and relaxed as opposed to slouched or flexed. One’s non-dominant hand should rest in one’s dominant hand, and one’s thumbs should lightly touch and rest at the tips. One’s body should be relaxed and forgotten. One should slightly tuck one’s chin, and one should look at the floor in front of them about three feet out. After a while, the superficial pain will fade, and one will begin to stop seeing what is in front of one's face unless something moves. If one has a thought that one needs acknowledge multiple times, then whatever that thought is one must address it after meditation. If the pain is persistent, then one must acknowledge said pain and taken care of via a doctor's visit if one has not already started this process. Those who can sit do so on cushions or zafu, which is place on a mat or zabuton. Many people prefer to sit in meditation in a group at a Zen monastery, temple, or in a meditation hall sometimes called a zendo. Before and after meditation one performs ritualistic bows. Meditation begins with the ringing of a bell. Three rings in the beginning or shijosho and one to two rings are the ends or hozensho. Mediation is not only done in a seated position there are also walking meditations or kinhin. In conjunction with the knowledge I acquired at the zendo, one could also look at the information provided by Stanford University, which asserts to the following information. There are two main techniques used in meditation in the practice of Zen Buddhism to help practitioners to achieve their goals. A breathing exercise called “observation of breath count.” One method is the kōan method. The practitioners know the second method as “just sitting,” a form of “single act samādhi.” The Rinzai School in Zen Buddhism mainly executes the first. The Sōtō school mainly uses the second. These two schools are the main schools of this Zen Buddhism still in Japan. The practitioners use the Rinzai School’s kōan technique to help the practitioner to become a “Zen,” or one who has fully embodied wisdom and compassion. A kōan is a riddle or puzzle. One designed Kōan so that mere intellectual reasoning cannot solve it. One must also break through ego-consciousness. One can do this by pushing one’s limits. Zen believes that it is “fortified by the shield of a dualistic conceptual paradigm with all its attendant presuppositions and conditions which the ego-consciousness in a given cultural and historical milieu accepts to be true to live a life anchored in the everyday standpoint” (Stanford University [Stanford]). Hakuin (1685–1768), declares that there are seventeen hundred cases of kōans. If one adds sub-questions to kōans than the total number of cases are about three thousand. Zen practitioners of the Rinzai school are required to pass all kōans in a “private consultation with a Zen master who checks the practitioner’s state of mind before he or she is granted a seal of transmission” (Stanford).
This transmission is said to occur “only from a Buddha to a[nother] Buddha” (yuibutsu yobutsu). Kōans are accordingly grouped into five categories in a most fully developed system: the first group is designed for 1) reaching li (suchness) (richi) or the body of truth (hosshin), 2) the second group for a linguistic articulation (gensen) of meditational experiences, 3) the third group for those kōans truly difficult to pass (nantō), 4) the fourth group for the practitioner to make an insight of kōan experiences pertinent in daily life (kikan), and 5) the fifth group for going beyond the state of buddhahood by erasing traces of enlightenment (kōjō). The Rinzai school summarizes this process of self-cultivation in four mottoes: “a special transmission outside of the scriptures,” “no dependence on words and letters,” “point directly into [one’s] human mind,” and “see into [one’s] nature to become a Buddha.” (See, for examples, The Gateless Gate, and The Blue Cliff Record.) While the first two phrases point to the fact of discovering an extra-linguistic reality that naturally opens up in meditational experience and of articulating it linguistically in the “best” way according to the capacity of an individual practitioner, the last two phrases indicate a concretization of the original enlightenment (hongaku) in the Zen practitioner, where the original enlightenment means that the human being is innately endowed with a possibility of becoming a Buddha… On the other hand, the Sōtō school, of which Dōgen (1200–54) is the founder, does not rely on an elaborate kōan system to learn to become a Zen person but instead follows a method called “just sitting” (shikan taza). It refers to a single-minded, diligent practice where the qualifying term “just” means the practice of meditation without any intervention of ego-logical interest, concern, or desire so that the practice remains undefiled. This is a method of meditation predicated on the belief that the Zen practitioner engages in the practice in the midst of the original enlightenment. Or to characterize it by using Dōgen’s phrase, it is a method of “practice-realization.” By hyphenating practice and realization, the following implications are suggested: meditation is not a means to an end, i.e., a means to realization, and thereby Dōgen closes a dualistic gap, for example, between potentiality and actuality, between before and after. Accordingly, he collapses the distinction between “acquired enlightenment” (shikaku) and “original enlightenment,” where the “acquired” enlightenment means an enlightenment that is realized through the practice of meditation as a means. With this collapsing, the Sōtō School holds that practice and realization are non-dual to each other, i.e., “not two…” According to the Sōtō school, the meditational practice, when it is seen as a process of discovery, is a deepening process of becoming aware of the original enlightenment with an expansion of its corresponding experiential correlates and horizons, and it is for this reason called the school of “gradual enlightenment” or “silent illumination.” On the other hand, the Rinzai school is called the school of “sudden enlightenment,” because it does not recognize a process leading to enlightenment (satori) as something worthy of a special attention; what counts is an experience of satori only. Even though there is the above difference in approach between Rinzai and Sōtō schools, the outcome is the same for both insofar as the embodiment of wisdom and compassion is concerned. This is because they both follow the same practice of sitting meditation. Whatever differences there are between the practitioners of the two schools regarding the linguistic articulation of their meditational experience, they arise from an individual practitioner’s personality, disposition, intellectual capacity, and or linguistic ability.
Meditation is supposed to help one become more compassionate as opposed to cruel, attentive as opposed to distracted, and calm as opposed to aggressive. A practitioner of meditation should be aware of the fact that nature connects everyone. At the temple, one can see flowers, water, incents, and a candle. These represent earth, water, air, and fire. There is one more thing that is present, space. Space is all around and does not have to be provided by someone at the temple (to see an image of nature see Appendix a hanging scroll, ink on paper, Orchids and Rock by Gyokuen Bonpō late 14th–early 15th century; Appendix D pair of six-panel folding screens, ink on paper, Landscape of the Four Seasons by Sōami early 16th century; & Appendix E pair of six-panel screens, ink on paper, Gibbons in a Landscape by Shūkei ca. 1570). Thoughts of both the past and the future usually cause distraction, but when one focuses, one can live in the present more attentively. Buddhism is also supposed to help one figure out who one is in life. Although, this is not an intended teaching into individualism. After one figures out who he or she is, it may be possible to help others figure out who they are as well. Sensei does not answer existential questions like does God exist. Even if one could prove that God does indeed, exist this answer to said question would help anyone in any way. The answer to the question, who am I, on the other hand, helps tremendously. Meditation, arguably, will help one simplify one’s life. Zazen, a teaching in Zen Buddhism, translates to the word simplified. Siddhartha Gautama, or the Buddha, lived a spoiled lavished life before practicing Buddhism. His lavished lifestyle didn’t bring him happiness, so he tried living a minimalistic lifestyle (to see an image of a Zen Master see Appendix B Lacquer on wood with inlaid crystal eyes, Portrait of a Zen Master by Gyokuen Bonpō 15th century). He began denying himself all but what he needed to stay survive thinking that if riches and luxury did not bring him happiness, the opposite would. He almost died during this process, and still did not find happiness. A balance between the two extremes was where he found happiness. Living a simple life was what brought him peace. A Sensei in Zen Buddhism said that people are happy when they get what they want, and are not happy with they do not. Both of these feelings are, caused by having or not having, are temporary. The Buddha came to a realization. Happiness and suffering are simply a part of life, and that one might be able to learn from one’s sufferings. Also, if one wants less one to suffer less. Through meditation, simplifying one’s life and thoughts, and letting go of one’s suffering as opposed to holding on, one may eventually become enlightened or awaken one’s already enlightened state and strive for perfection of personhood (to see an image of the moment of enlightenment see Appendix C Hanging scroll, ink on paper, The Sixth Patriarch of Zen at the Moment of Enlightenment by Kano Tan'yū 1635–45). Practitioners call the state of enlightenment satori or Bodhi. Bodhisattvas ascribe to such ideologies. There are many benefits to Zen meditation. One will become better at compartmentalizing and focusing. Although to think of Buddhism as a means to some benefits is to look at Buddhism in an incomplete manner. Buddhism sometimes requires faith. The Sensei told a story about a man who went to prison for shooting and killing a many people who were camping at a camping site or campground. Sensei said that the man state that he meditated on having no emotion so he could complete his task. The man also stated that he still meditates on this today. Sensei said that if the man ever decided to stop meditating on having no emotions, the man would be crush under the weight of what he did. Some people meditate so they can become better businesspersons while other meditate to become better marks-persons. The outcome of meditation should be compassion or have a sense of compassion. To use meditation for selfish uncompassionate gain is selfish. If the world could come together to become a more compassionate place with compassion for both humanity and nature alike, the world would be better off. The selfishness of humanity is killing the planet and will eventually lead to humankind’s extinction (The Metropolitan Museum of Art [The Met]; Stanford; ibiblio).
Summary
Zen Buddhism in America seems to focus on compassion, compartmentalization, attentiveness, calmness, and self-realization faith, as Buddhism is not just a compilation of potential benefits.
References
ibinlio. (n.d.). Frequently asked questions from alt.zen. Retrieved May 10, 2016 from https://www.ibiblio.org/zen/faq.html
Stanford University. (2006, Jun 28). Japanese Zen Buddhist philosophy. Retrieved May 10, 2016 from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/japanese-zen/
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (ca. 1570). Gibbons in a landscape [Screens]. Retrieved May 10, 2016 from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1992.8.1,2/
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (late 14th–early 15th century). Orchids and rock [Painting]. Retrieved May 10, 2016 from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1975.268.38/
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (15th century). Portrait of a Zen master [Sculpture]. Retrieved May 10, 2016 from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/63.65/
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (1635–45).The sixth patriarch of Zen at the moment of enlightenment [Painting]. Retrieved May 10, 2016 from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2006.174/
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (2002, October). Zen Buddhism. Retrieved May 10, 2016 from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/zen/hd_zen.htm
Welcome to the Street Prophets Coffee Hour. This is an open thread where we can share our thoughts and comments about the day. To start us off today, I’d thought I’d show you some photographs of Ritzville.
From time to time I take my lunches at a Chick-fil-a. While seated and eating, I couldn’t help but overhear a manager starting the process of training a slate of baby-faced new hires. The workers appeared to be in high school, likely starting summer jobs now that the school year has concluded. And as I listened, I wasn’t sure whether I was hearing instructions for the next drive-through attendant or a bible study. The company maintains a Christian conservative core, as evidenced by its controversial stance against same-sex marriage and observance of the Sabbath, the only eatery in the country which resolutely shutters its doors on Sunday.
Despite my reservations with its position statements, I continue to frequent the place because its positive qualities outweigh whatever misgivings I might have. Chick-fil-a’s restaurants are uniformly clean and efficient. The food is good and reasonably priced. Customer service is superlative and morale among the work staff is high. The same cannot be said for all fast food restaurants, which tend to be low wage revolving doors with few incentives for efficiency and hard work. And, if I am to be totally honest, there are ample reasons one could cite to boycott those businesses as well.
Private faith-based companies have their virtues as well as their vices. The link between religion and business has historical antecedents. For example, the face of a Quaker is still prominently featured on a box of oatmeal because merchants of the Religious Society of Friends set fair, fixed prices on the goods they offered for sale. They did not cheat or aim to deceive their customers. We may live in increasingly secular times, but religious values often enrich the daily interactions between people upon which any society depends. Let this then be an expression of sympathy for the link between faith and commerce.
No business could make money if it refused service to the rank and file. Chick-fil-a, despite its biblically-based leanings, has never, to my knowledge, refused service to those not in general sympathy with its stated political views. In contrast, let’s recall the bakery who refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding. The Bible states that Christians should respect law and governing bodies, but the verses cited have been variously interpreted many ways over the years. The owners of the bakery might claim that the rules of man were subordinate to the rules of God, and feel wholly justified in their homophobia. But, depending on how one views it, one can take St. Paul literally.
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. — Romans 13:1-2
Taken this way, the homophobic baking business described above might be seen as violating Paul’s decrees. Biblical interpretation takes many forms and not even every Christian is in agreement with what the above passage commands. Some take the passage to refuse to associate completely with society. Others believe that God has given the state authority on some things and the church on others. They should work within both spheres, but take care not to confuse the two. And the third states that Christians need to make the state better by being faithful to their religious beliefs and convictions. But it needs to be said that there has been no consensus opinion as to how to interpret this Scriptural passage.
Jesus ran into some massive criticism in his time for associating with social undesirables and sinners. It is this approach that informs my own religious beliefs. If I were to own a business myself or to be a Quaker merchant, I’d think the best approach was to let my life’s example shine. Sin is a matter of degree and each of us falls short. Rather than passing judgment on other people or isolating myself inside a bubble of people who meet exacting standards, the best approach might be to be the best person I can be. My own beliefs are subservient to a life devoted to serving others. And, this focus on servitude for the sake of glorifying God was the same message impressed upon Chick-fil-a’s new bumper crop of staff. I’m afraid I find little to argue on that point.
For dear friends of mine — and of yours — what has passed for “home” has been a metal box filled with toxic vapors, and dangerous wiring that has already caught fire twice. A metal box that is blistering hot in summer, hopelessly arctic in winter. They suffer with propane fumes and mold, and pipes that freeze in winter. It has played havoc with their health: they both had pneumonia this year, in addition to Aji’s autoimmune issues and Wings’s battle with diabetes.
I know that for me, at the end of a harrowing day, there is no greater comfort than coming home. Home, where my animals wait for me. Home, where my bed is safe and warm and comfortable. Home, where my joys are all around me. There are many times when it’s truly the only thing that keeps me going. In fact, my very screen name reflects my home: “Yasuragi” means a place (or person) that is comfortable, relaxed, safe.
Aji and Wings haven’t known those calm comforts, that security, that safety. Over a year ago, Aji knew that she and Wings wouldn’t survive another year in the RV they’ve been forced to call home. “We’re not getting any younger,” she said. “This is about six years too long for two aging people with chronic health conditions.”
Aji knew that she and Wings would have to make a herculean effort to build a new home. They knew they would have to work tirelessly, and that she would have to reach out for help. Numerous communities have come together to support their efforts, including this one. We know what home means.
With yourkindhelp, so far — since the project started just under a year ago, their new home — home — looks like this:
Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.
Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.
They have a crew of brilliant local craftsmen who have done fantastic work raising this structure from the bare earth, which your help has made possible. You’ve been there every step of the way, making contributions, sharing links, and urging friends to check out Wings’s astonishingly beautiful jewelry and photos. Wings’s work has funded most of the construction, and you’ve bolstered that effort beautifully.
Here are some examples of Wings’s superb craftsmanship:
We need to keep up our support. We need our beloved friends to come home to a safe and happy place to lay their heads. Onomastic said this to me:
In the midst of all the horror that’s happening around us, we’ve been helping create something beautiful. Aji and Wings’s new home symbolizes hope in the midst of all this insanity. It shows what is possible when a community comes together, and that together there is nothing we can’t do. That, in itself, is a miracle. We need to be reminded of that in every way possible, and this house — this home — is hope. Not just for them, but for all of us. It’s proof — in wood, plaster, stucco, and paint — that together we make miracles happen.
We started this journey toward a safe home for Aji and Wings a year ago:
Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.
And just look where we are. Ono’s right: that’s a miracle if ever I saw one, rising right out of Wings’s tribal land. We can’t stop now: we’ve come so far, but there’s so much yet to do.
We’re looking for another $6000 to help them through the next few weeks of finishing up the interior and exterior plaster-work, wiring, and more. As always, labor costs for their wonderful crew are the largest expense. Aji wrote a few days ago:
The guys keep telling us that everyone runs into the wall of constant expense at this point, but "everyone" else builds with a home construction loan to cover this stuff, and the stress of trying to do it as we go is really grinding us both down.
Then there are all the materials. You can help with direct contributions through PayPal, or by filling up their Amazon Wishlist and Loew’s cards (see below).
Home really is where the heart is (I can’t believe I actually used such a tired old cliche, but… y’know), and you won’t find two bigger, better hearts than those of Aji and Wings. They have always stepped up when someone needs help: they frequently put their own needs on hold so that help may go to others. They rescue animals, they support their community (and this one), they watch over their neighbors who need help.
Let’s keep the miracle going, okay? Ono is fond of quoting Samwise Gamgee: “There are some things worth fighting for.” A home for people we love is at the top of my list. By putting our hearts into helping these two remarkably caring and generous souls, we bolster our own. Hope lives.
Matching funds:
We’ve got $500 in matching funds available. When we raise $500, the contributions jump to $1000. Cool kinda double vision, huh?
Here’s how to help:
Wings’ Paypal Account— and by the way, since that’s a PayPal.me link, you can copy/paste it into twitter for easy sharing there (or if it’s easier for you to type, it’s www.paypal.me/DiegoWings). If for some reason the link doesn't work, it's tied to his e-mail address: wingsoftaos [at] newmex [dot] com.
Their Amazon Wishlist— the Lowe’s gift cards in particular are extremely useful, as that is where they have to buy many of the materials for the house — they will really be needing these in the days to come, for flooring, fixtures, interior doors.
Wings’ Website— Shares thereof or purchases from help fund their day to day living expenses and the major portion of their home construction.
Even if you can’t contribute, shares are a huge help. Share Wings’s website. Share Aji’s. Share this post. Call your grandma and tell her you want a piece of Wing’s work. (You know you want to.) Father’s Day is coming. So is your kid’s/nephew’s/mother’s graduation. That anniversary you forgot last year? Comin’ up!
Works made by Wings will be cherished for generations. Please share.
This is an Open Thread / Coffee Hour and all topics of conversation are welcome. Today's suggested topic is open to whatever is on your mind.
What is for dinner? How are you doing? What is on your mind. If you are new to Street Prophets please introduce yourself beyond the fold in a comment. This is an Open Thread / Coffee Hour and all topics of conversation are welcome.
Yes, this is a difficult situation, undoubtedly (only a complete fool, would think otherwise). But I don’t believe it’s an impossible one… It could be that we’re making this somewhat harder than it really is. Consider what a tough time we have even talking about this, but I feel that’s unfortunate, because perhaps a solution can be found by just talking through this, in a reasonable way.
So, first- what exactly is “a solution”? I feel a good working definition, is that it’s a compromise point that both sides are able to get to, and enough people on both sides are willing to get to.
It turns out that there are compromises that both sides are able to get to (I’ll describe some, shortly). It’s the “willing” part, that’s the real challenge…
Suppose I were to give you a choice: you could either, A- have everything exactly the way you want, or, B- have some things the way you want, but other things would be not quite how you’d prefer them to be. Well, naturally people are inclined to choose A…
And that, right there, is what the discord in the conversations on this topic, mainly stems from.
Indeed- for if the terms of the deal are to be tilted in one side’s favor, then this must be justified, somehow. And so one way to demonstrate that your side is more deserving than the other, is to excessively dwell on the wrongdoings of the other side (often, with wild exaggerations), and downplay the wrongdoings of your own side. So in this hyper-polarized, infinite dialog-loop, you have one side laying all the blame on the Israelis (with the settlements, and all the other bad stuff that they do), and the other side laying all the blame on the Palestinians (with the terrorism, and all the other bad stuff that they do…)
But, maybe, both sides, might be partly to blame…?
If we bring things back to reality, and stop exaggerating (it really isn’t necessary, when the truth is plenty bad enough), and take in all the facts objectively, it becomes pretty clear that neither side has earned the privilege of having everything exactly the way they want (but, each side does deserve to have some things as they want…)
In reality, option A doesn’t exist, because it is impossible for either side to have everything their way (on account of there being the opposing desires of the other side). So actually, the 2 options are, B- have some things the way you want, but other things would be not quite how you’d prefer them to be, or C- have this miserable stalemate drag on unto eternity (so given those choices, B seems a lot more appealing now, right?)
And now to get more specific, as to possible compromises: when there is an honest, genuine interest in having there be the best possible outcome for both sides, then reasonable solutions follow naturally. If this problem seems too dauntingly complex to deal with, then why not simplify it, by perhaps imposing certain restrictions (such as, disallowing anything involving gross human rights violations), which then narrows down the range of possibilities. Such a prohibition would thus preclude particularly unsavory measures like forced mass expulsions, but, what options would not be ruled out by this? Well, how about this one: Palestine gets East Jerusalem, Israel gets West Jerusalem, and each side is granted full access to all of the religious sites in the city that are sacred to them. (Fun Fact: The name “Jerusalem”- Yerushalayim, in Hebrew- translates to “City of Peace”… auspicious, maybe?)
Another issue that’s rather thorny, but resolvable- the “right of return” for “diaspora” Palestinians: on the one hand, Palestinians who had been forcibly removed from their homes should be allowed, in principle, to come back to Israel with their families. However on the other hand, there are upwards of a million Palestinians vying for return, and as Israel is a tiny and already very densely populated country, it would be nigh unto impossible for it to accommodate such a massive influx. Thus, what if the requirements were to be made more stringent- like needing for there to be some tangible proof (i.e. old deeds) to confirm that the applicants for return had been forced from their property (rather than having left voluntarily, as was actually also the case for many of the present diaspora Palestinians). In this case, the numbers of returning Palestinians may only be in the thousands, which would be feasible for Israel to accept.
An argument commonly made against granting the right of return for any Palestinians, is that to do this without also compensating for the billions that were stolen from Jews who had fled to Israel from Arab countries, would constitute an asymmetric application of justice in this regard. But another way to look at this, is that if Israel were to allow in diaspora Palestinians without the expectation of reciprocity in this matter, then this may be seen as a purely gracious act on the part of Israel. From what I gather, Israelis don’t actually harbor any serious hopes of ever getting back that stolen wealth, whereas the right of return is a fervently held desire of the Palestinians. What is a primary concern for Israelis, is security. And so, corresponding magnanimous gestures that the Palestinians could make, could perhaps be… that the Palestinian Authority stop incentivizing terrorism through financial rewards, Hamas officially recognizes Israel’s right to exist, teachers such as these who indoctrinate their students to hate and be violent, are fired… things along these lines. These sorts of displays from both sides are sorely needed, because of the scale of the history that must somehow be offset, and so deeds such as these could help to counter the mistrust, and increase the willingness to compromise.
One final example: it is widely understood that the settlements have complicated the matter of drawing the boundaries of the states, for a two state solution. Israel may prefer to annex “Area C” of the West Bank where the settlements are mostly located, however the Palestinians maybe would also rather hang onto this region, and in addition, have all of its Jewish residents be evicted from it. But, whoops- can’t do that, as we’ve declared any & all mass relocations to be “off the table”… So- what if Area C was not withheld from the Palestinians, and all the Jews living within it were essentially granted an “amnesty”, with the option to remain living where they are as citizens of the new state of Palestine (possessing full rights, protections, and privileges equal to that accorded to all Muslim and Christian Palestinians…?)
I’ve heard it said that proposals like these have already been put forth, but were rejected. But if those rejected proposals were actually the best possible ones, then the fact that they were rejected, doesn’t make them wrong- all that was wrong was the decision to reject them (which can be remedied by just coming to a different decision now).
Not buying any of this? OK- so, what alternatives make more sense, in your estimation? (I’m all ears…)
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