Notes on the World Cup: A Good Sport...?

I enjoy a good soccer match.  The athleticism and teamwork are, at times, awe inspiring.

Yet, the patriotic jingoism emerging during the World Cup is deeply disturbing. As I sense it, the emotional excesses of nationalism that continue to erupt in this spectacle, like those that increasingly pervade the Olympics these days, are just tragic manifestation of what Spiritual Teacher Eckhardt Tolle terms the  "collective ego". As J Krishnamurti notes in the meme to the right,  the "us-them" mentality of nationality and religion are a  fundamental source of violence. The mind state that is fanned and inflamed and exploited (and commercialized) during these sporting events is the psychic structure that supports ongoing warfare and senseless bloodshed.

It seems to me that it has gotten a lot worse over the years in the culture of sports.  I used to roll my eyes when my dad talked about "the good old days", but...
(READ MORE)

Iraq Then and Now

In the commentary below, Bill Moyers reflects on a headline as the US invaded Iraq in 2003. 

Like so many of us back then, Moyers cast his gaze on the Big Picture as US troops poured into the desert of Iraq:  the cruel cost of senseless hubris and thirst for empire strewn along the sands of time in the MIddle East.

A decade before, though, during the 1st Persian Gulf war, George Bush the First had chosen not to invade Iraq. His advisors knew that toppling the Iraqi Ba'ath regime would create region-wide havoc, the empowerment of radical Islamist forces, civil war, and uncontrollable sectarian bloodshot.

In their zeal for the "New American Century" of US world domination, however, George W and the Neo-cons disregarded that advice.
 
And there's been hell to pay -- mostly on the part of innocent civilians.

Don't let Fox News and the Right Wing blame the current situation on today's administration. What is happening is the direct result of the invasion of Iraq. It was predicted by a wide array of middle eastern scholars and diplomats -- not just us old hippies and peaceniks and the millions of others worldwide who demonstrated against the imminent invasion.

Don't let Fox News and the Right Wing craft our response today as they did back in 2003. 

Addressing the situation today through another round of military action will only add more fuel to the fires of a continuing nightmare. Our resources should be turned to fostering region-wide diplomatic solutions instead. 

Casting our gaze at the Big Picture, have a look and a listen to broadcast journalism at it's best as Moyers contemplates US Marines Crossing the Euphrates:

"It should be a matter of conscience for us all"
-- Nolumbeka Project's Diane Dix in Greenfield Recorder

Dear Friends,

Within the next week the Annual Commemoration of the Infamous Great Falls Massacre of 1676 and a historic vote by the Greenfield (MA) Town Council will take place. The efforts to protect the Ancestors at White Ash Swamp hang in the balance.

This is a unique opportunity to make an important choice. We can either turn our backs on the tragic history and current reality of the encounter between our region's Native Americans and the Europeans who colonized the area -- or take action.

Please support the Nolumbeka Project in its efforts to heal the wounds of our shared past and move into a future that respects the rich cultural and spiritual legacy of New England's First Peoples.

It's time.

Join Nolumbeka Project on Saturday, May 18 at the Great Falls Discovery Center, Turners Falls, 11-3 PM for the Annual Commemoration and/or please support their efforts to pass the Native American Burial Ordinance at the Greenfield Town Council Vote on Wednesday, May 21, 7 PM, GCTV Studios, 393 Main Street, Greenfield.

I encourage you to call or write the members of the Greenfield Town Council and to attend the May 21 meeting to show your support if you can. 

For more information on each of these events and a contact list for the members of the Greenfield Town Council please visit the Nolumbeka Project website:

www.nolumbekaproject.org

Still Rambling On,
Brother Lefty

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

"An injury to one is an injury to all." -- Industrial Workers of the World

 "Love your neighbor as yourself.”-- Jesus

 "True charity occurs only when there are no notions of giving, giver, or gift." -- Buddha

We all know that there are some folks out there who picked up the phone today and called a few of their friends and were able to send tens of thousands of dollars or more into the coffers of some right wing candidate or PAC.   A few others walked into a congressional office and had conversations today that protected or increased their corporate welfare subsidies to the tune of millions.  

Meanwhile, countless other Americans are going hungry or homeless.

The refusal of the House Republican leadership to even allow another vote to extend unemployment benefits to 2 million Americans whose benefits expired in December has caught the attention of many of us. Being caring people and good progressives, many of us have dutifully let our voices be heard through petitions and calls to Congress.  Although this is certainly a good thing, there is more we can do.

Recently, that got clearer to me.   I found out that one of my friends Maure, a passionate activist and 
 (READ MORE PLEASE)