9/11 Plus Six Months

Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Mon, 11 Mar 2002 13:00:00 GMT
Out of the Mouths of a Thousand Birds

Listen -
Listen more carefully to what is around you
Right now.

In my world
There are the bells from the clanks
Of the morning milk drums,

And a wagon wheel outside my window
Just hit a bump

Which turned into an ecstatic chorus
Of the Beloved's Name.

There is the Prayer Call
Rising up like the sun
Out of the mouths of a thousand birds.

There is an astonishing vastness
Of movement and Life

Emanating sound and light
From my folded hands

And my even quieter simple being and heart.

My dear,
Is it true that your mind
Is sometimes like a battering
Ram

Running all through the city,
Shouting so madly inside and out

About the ten thousand things
That do not matter?

Hafiz, too,
For many years beat his head in youth

And thought himself at a great distance,
Far from an armistice
With God.

But that is why this scarred old pilgrim
Has now become such a sweet rare vintage
Who weeps and sings for you.

O listen -
Listen more carefully
To what is inside of you right now.

In my world
All that remains is the wondrous call to
Dance and prayer

Rising up like a thousand suns
Out of the mouth of a
Single bird.

(The Subject Tonight Is Love, versions of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky)

Submitted to smith2004 by Travis Pahl:

The old Cherokee chief sat in his reservation hut, smoking the ceremonial pipe, eyeing the two US government officials from the BIA sent to interview him.

"Chief Two Eagles", one official began, "you have observed the white man for many generations, you have seen his wars and his products, you have seen all his progress, and all his problems." The chief nodded. The official continued, "Considering recent events, in your opinion, where has the white man gone wrong?"

The chief stared at the government officials for over a minute, and then calmly replied: "When white man found this land, Indians were running it. No taxes. No debt. Plenty buffalo. Plenty beaver. Women did most of the work. Medicine man free. Indian men hunted and fished all the time." The chief smiled, and added quietly, "White man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that.

From the April 2002 issue of Liberty magazine, pp. 20-22, the beginning of an article entitled "At Least Enron Had Real Assets" by Tom Isenberg:

What an infuriating spectacle. Current and future retirees cheated by fraudulent accounting designed to fake huge assets while hiding enormous liabilities. Top dogs exempted from the same rules that trap employees. A cynical public skeptical that Congress will do anything to reform the syetem

But enough about Social Security. How about that whole Enron thing?

There's a new Libertarian Enterprise issue: "March Madness". Articles I liked:

  • Letter from [unknown] - a forward of a letter from Richard E. Pearl, "Former Good Republican, and now Chair: Libertarian Party of Tennessee". His response to a request for funds from the GOP. No. Never. And Why.
    I supported the GOP until they started calling people disloyal if they did not agree with their policies. It would not surprise me at all if I am investigated as a result of writing this letter, as is the practice now days when someone speaks out against the powers that be in politics. It is fully believed by many citizens that today is the first part of the Fascist takeover of the US and that you are leading it. There is nothing that better proves that than the statements of Attorney General Ashcroft, who appears to want everyone in jail or kowtowing to authority with their secret searches, stops for no reason other than identity checks, and a national ID card which all will be required to carry. "Show me your papers" used to be a line in a bad movie. It will soon be the order of the day if the Republicans have their way. I can no longer trust the Republicans to protect my rights to peaceful dissent.

    To paraphrase a man I knew personally in my youth and respected highly, I did not leave the Republican Party. It left me. You were supposed to be the party of the Constitution, fiscal responsibility, and individual rights. You have become so Socialist / Fascist in your orientation, all I can say is that Adolph Hitler and Karl Marx would be proud of your handling of the press and the people. Thank God for the internet and the foreign press where we can see what you are REALLY doing to us. No wonder China blocks it. I imagine that will come from you soon, as well. Lord knows you have been trying hard enough.
  • Letter from Keith Campbell - pretty good definitions of "initiate" and "force" that pretty well whither Patrick Martin's arguments about exceptions to L. Neil's statement of the non-initiation of force principle.
  • Letter from Steve with Response by L. Neil Smith - "Steve" bemoans the vitriol at TLE, and L. Neil puts him right. Keep giving 'em L., Neil!
    Steve, your creamy aerosol cheese method has been tried and tried and tried for three decades, mostly by the weenies in the Libertarian Party. It doesn't work. It's an utter, abject, humiliating failure. We couldn't have been worse off if Charles Schumer and Bob Dole had laid out our strategy for us.

    Sometimes I think they did.
  • Parenting Free Individuals by William Stone, III - a good story from Mr. Stone's experience in parenting two free girls. Glorious!

oida media - The Cube - Rubik's cube in ShockWave. Click and drag a square to make a move. Click and drag starting outside the cube to rotate the whole thing. [smith2004]

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