Happy Birthday to Me
No one can keep us from carrying God
Wherever we go.
No one can rob His Name
From our hearts as we try to relinquish our fears
And at last stand - Victorious.
We do not have to leave Him in the mosque
Or church alone at night;
We do not have to be jealous of tales of saints
Or glorious masts, those intoxicated souls
Who can make outrageous love with the Friend.
We do not have to be envious of our spirits' ability
Which can sometimes touch God in a dream.
Our yearning eyes, our warm-needing bodies,
Can all be drenched in contentment
And Light.
No one anywhere can keep us
From carrying the Beloved wherever we go.
No one can rob His precious Name
From the rhythm of my heart -
Steps and breath.
(The Subject Tonight Is Love, versions of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky)
From Quotes of the Day:
I loathe people who keep dogs. They are cowards who haven't got the guts to bite people themselves. -- August Strindbergand:
The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers. -- Thomas Jefferson
Today is my forty-sixth birthday. Al-hamdu lillah!
I got my 25-meter targets w/Fred's Guide to Becoming a Rifleman from Fred's M14 Stocks. Haven't read much of the guide yet. Waiting to shoot my first set of 4 targets to see how well I do without any of Fred's advice. Looks like a good program so far. These are military 100, 200, 300, & 400 meter targets reduced to use at 25 meters. Not the same as really shooting at distance, but less walking and possible to do at common 100 yard rifle ranges. 10 shots offhand at 100 yards in 60 seconds. 10 shots sitting at 200 yards in 50 seconds with 2 magazines, 2 shots & 8 shots. 10 shots prone at 300 yards in 50 seconds with 2 magazines. 20 shots prone at 400 yards in 20 minutes. Metal sights. The targets are silhouettes with scoring rings of 5, 4, & 3 points. If you score 200 or better with a witness, Fred will certify you as a "rifleman".
Left Winged Grasshoppers - animated telling of the Ant and the Grasshopper, original and socialist versions. Hehe. [smith2004]
Jerusalem IndyMedia - A Letter from an IDF Soldier to his Mom - assuming this isn't made up, one Israeli soldier who will go to jail before terrorizing any more Palestinian civilians.
Charley Reese - Another Shot In The Foot - it's time for GW's administration to put an end to special status for Israel, before we get more badly hurt.
We are in the beginning of payback time for our hypocritical policy of exempting Israel from every one of the ideals that we laboriously preach. Self- determination is a must for Albanians in Kosovo - not for Palestinians. Refugees have a right to return or receive compensation - but not Palestinian refugees. Countries must obey U.N. Security Council resolutions - but not Israel, which sits in defiance of more than 60. Countries that routinely violate human rights deserve sanctions - except Israel. Countries that assassinate political enemies are state sponsors of terrorism - but not Israel.
Countries must not use American-donated weapons for offensive purposes - except for Israel. People who commit war crimes must be put on trial - unless they are Israelis.
We The People - WTP Press Conference: 1 P.M. Eastern, Monday, April 8 - there will be a webcast of a conference at the National Press Club. Aim your browser at ConnectLive.com/events/wethepeople. [trt-ny]
Conspiracy And Racketeering Widespread at IRS
DOJ And IRS Operating Outside the Law
Congress Looks the Other Way
Peaceful Resistance Planned
Jennifer Van Bergen at Truth Out - Repeal the USA Patriot Act Part V: Who's a Terrorist? - "indefinite detention of innocent immigrants, violation of immigrant's rights of association, and the invasion of financial and student records."
You think you know who the terrorists are? They are extreme fanatical Muslims from other lands, right? Think again. A terrorist could be anyone who tries to influence the policy of the government by intimidation or coercion, if their actions break any laws and are dangerous to human life, presumably including their own. A 1960's anti-Vietnam War protester would fit this definition.
Transmeta - News Headlines - I hadn't read anything about Transmeta in a long time. The last news on their site was at the end of February, but they appear to be moving along. Their Crusoe Everywhere page has lots of Ultra-light notebooks, some servers, internet appliances, & embedded devices, and lots of OEM customers. Their fourth quarter 2001 financial outlook predicted $1 million in revenue, not as well as they wanted due to the need to "make metal mask revisions in order to achieve our volume manufacturing goals using the new 0.13 micron manufacturing process, which in turn had a significant effect on our ramp schedule."