Who Will Protest For Me?

Hey Gang,
  The "Occupy Wall Street" protesters are a curious bunch. None of them appear to be employed, yet as they sit in the plaza, they are speaking on cell phones, surfing the Internet on laptop computers and Ipads.  There has recently been a "charging station" set up for these devices that come from evil corporations like Apple, Sony, etc....huh??  As their occupation goes on...and on, as far as I can tell, they have a problem with the very free market that make all of their techno-toys available.
  The list of their demands in it's rambling entirety is...free stuff, and lots of it! Free health care, free education, free housing, a minimum wage of twenty dollars an hour.  Wait a minute, if you want it all to be free, why do you need a minimum wage?  Silly Capitalist asking silly questions!
  Well, I have a few more silly questions, and I am pretty sure I am not alone.  I think I am fairly normal, give or take a few spells and Full Moon rituals here and there.  I am up around 5am during the week. I work 40 hours a week.  Sure, getting up when it is still dark sucks, as does the work part.  I would much rather be writing blogs.  My question is, why can't these people do what I and millions of other Americans do every day? Why do you think you are entitled to live on my dime? Why can't I just live off your dime?  And as long as you are protesting "Wall Street" and "corporate" corruption,  why not protest the fact that you are having food and clothing donated to you by the likes of unions and the American Workers Party, an offshoot of the American Communist Party? All the while, attempting to bill this as entirely spontaneous?
  You know, I get it.  I want to protest too.  I want to protest these people who think I should work to support them, think that I have no problem with them trashing public areas which will inevitably cost my tax dollars to clean up, and basically disrupting the lives of hard-working Americans who have worked to earn their success.
  But I have to go to work.

  What a concept. 
  

Religious Freedom Not Just For Americans

Hey Everybody,
   Well, this might be a little off the beaten path, but variety is the spice of life right?  As Americans, we treat the Bill of Rights with the utmost reverence and seriousness.  We believe that the rights enumerated in this most precious document came not from any man-made government, but our Creator. Therefore, no form of government can take them away.  So when someone else's rights are threatened, we take it to heart.
  Pastor Youcef Naderkhani is a 32-year old Iranian.  Born a Muslim, he converted to Christianity at the age of 19.  He is married with two young boys.  He is also fighting for his life.  In Iran, like most Muslim countries, conversion from Islam to any other faith, especially Christianity or Judaism is called the sin of apostasy, and the punishment for this is death.  Pastor Youcef has been given three chances to renounce his faith and has refused.  Because the Iranian "justice" system is not like ours, his execution by hanging can take place at any time, even as his appeal is being heard.
  This is wrong on a basic human level.  But why, you ask, is a Wiccan compelled enough by this story to write about it?  There was a time in world history, and in particular, American history, when people, mainly women, were put to death for being Witches.  They were executed for what people thought they were practicing, not observances of moon phases, working healing and positive magick, and reverence for the Goddess and her planet.  Even today, people are killed for being "witches" all over the world.  In many areas still, if the crops fail, or the livestock is diseased and die, the locals will point and say, "witch!"
  Human Beings have held differing beliefs and faiths since time began.  It will always be.  Religious persecution is wrong no matter who it is directed at. And it must not be tolerated anywhere.  All freedom-loving people of the world must keep pressure on the Iranian government to make sure that this blatant violation of human rights does not happen.

  I can only hope that the courage and steadfastness of heart, mind, and spirit exhibited by Pastor Youcef can be an inspiration to us all.       

Pausing To Remember

Hey Everyone,
  Wow.  Ten years ago today, the World Trade Center Towers were brought down in an evil, cowardly act of, not only terrorism but an act of war.  As we stop to remember all of the friends, neighbors, and loved ones who were murdered on that day (let's call it what it is), we all think about where we were and what we were doing, what was  happening in our lives that in an instant was dwarfed by what we were witnessing when we turned on the television set that bright sunny September morning.
  I was 24 days away from my wedding.  My biggest worries were cakes, flowers, and my first dress fitting scheduled for the following Saturday.  It seems selfish now, compared to the sacrifice made by so many others that day, but my first thought was, "The world can't be coming to an end, I'm getting married in three weeks!"
  So much has happened in the ensuing ten years.  How many terror plots have been thwarted that the American people know nothing about?  Are we safer as a nation since Sept. 11, 2001?  Anyone who flies on a regular basis has some pretty straightforward opinions on that I'm sure.  We do know that Osama Bin Laden is gone. I'm guessing that there are no virgins where he is at, imagine his surprise.  Al Quaida has been shattered into a million pieces thanks to the awesome men and women of the U.S. Military. The Freedom Tower in New York City is rising ever higher, scheduled to open sometime next year.  A massive tribute to the strength, resilience, and refusal of  Americans not to let a bunch of thugs have the last word.
  As I watched the 9/11 programming this morning I was struck by one thing.  These terrorists lived and worked among Americans for years as they were plotting this horrific event, but apparently, they never learned anything about us.  As people wept and mourned the loss of their loved ones, and those they did not know, the Police, Firefighters, EMS, and scores of other first responders, as soon as an American flag was unfurled, or the Star Spangled Banner began to play, they yelled, cheered, and pumped fists in the air, they chanted, "USA USA!" They did not learn that even in our grief, we are fiercely proud of America and being Americans, and that maybe we were down for a moment in time, but we were coming right back, and when we did, not God, nor Allah, nor anyone else was going to be of help to them now. In fact, if we had anything to say about it, they were going to meet one or all of them very soon.
  The best way I can think of to sign off today, is to say Thank You to the Men and Women of the U.S. Military, Police, Firefighters, and EMS crews who risk their lives everyday to keep us and our country safe.

  God(dess) bless the U.S.A!            

End Of Summer Already?

Hey Gang,
  Yes, I know, here we are, Labor Day.  The traditional end of Summer for many.  As is the case with Memorial Day it is an extra day off to get in that last bit of vacation, swimming and barbecue.
  But, as is also the case with Memorial Day, there is a deeper meaning to this day that seems to get lost.
  The first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5, 1882 by the Central Labor Union of New York. It became a Federal holiday in 1894 after a Pullman strike where several workers were killed by the U.S. Military and U.S. Marshals.  After the incident, President Grover Cleveland made fostering better relations with the Labor Movement a top priority for his administration.  Fearing that there would be more conflict, Congress passed legislation making Labor Day a National holiday just 6 days after the end of the strike.
  Because Americans are a unique breed, we also have a unique work ethic. America was founded on the idea of hard work and it's rewards.  Most of us learn early on that if we want it bad enough, we will have to work for it.  We all look back at those first jobs a little more fondly with the passing of time.  We may have hated every minute of it, but the lessons it taught us we use to this very day.  It is because of this work ethic that Americans have the highest standard of living in the world. Americans not only work hard to support ourselves, but we also feed and clothe a good portion of the world.
  On this paricular Labor Day, it is hard not to think about so many Americans who are unemployed right now, who have been unemployed for quite some time. With so many American jobs going overseas many people wonder just where the Company loyalty went for employees who stayed with one job for all of their working lives and retired from that company.  It does not happen anymore.
 We can only hope that the environment for small businesses to grow and prosper and massive regulation on larger corporations will end soon and make it possible for them to hire more people and expand.
  Looking back, sometimes those burger-flipping, dishing out of movie popcorn jobs maybe don't seem so bad now.

   

The Tea Party And God(dess)?

Hey Gang,
  There was a very interesting article this week posted on Glenn Beck's news website "The Blaze" by Billy Hallowell titled , "Is The Tea Party A 'Spiritual Movement'"?
  That in itself is a good question. There is always, it seems, the never-ending question of whether or not the Tea Party has been taken over by the "Christian Right."  I would like to take that question one step further. Is the Tea Party a CHRISTIAN spiritual movement?  There certainly are elements of Christianity to the Tea Party. Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Principles I would argue are universal in large part.
  But, as a Wicca, is there room in the "spiritual" part of the movement for me?  When most people hear the word "Wicca", they associate it with the Judeo-Christian definition of "Witchcraft", which goes directly to magick, spells, and all things evil.
  What most people don't know is that Wicca has four basic tenets that, I believe are quite Conservative in nature.
1. Harm None (not even yourself)
2.Be responsible for yourself and your actions.
3.Respect Nature
4.Put out into the Universe what you would like to get back.
  We take these laws very seriously and try to live our lives by them.  Most of us pray and/or meditate daily.

  Tea Party people come from every walk of life. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents of every size, shape, color, and yes, religion.  That is part of, dare I say it, the magic of the Tea Party.  I don't mind being your friendly neighborhood Witch in a sea of good Christians.  We all love our country and don't like what we see happening to it. 
  So, if the Tea Party faithful find a natural correlation between smaller government and the strengthening of their faith, so be it.  I consider myself a member of the Tea Party , and my faith is definitely strong, so count me in. 
       
 

GOP's Big Day In Iowa

Hey Everyone,
  Well yesterday, as a Wiccan, I observed the Full Moon.  A full moon can effect everything from ocean tides to the Iowa GOP Straw Poll.  At the end of the day, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann came in first with 28% of the over four thousand votes cast.  Texas Congressman Ron Paul came in a close second with 27% of the vote.  I think a few people, including myself were a little surprised that  former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich did not participate.  Kind of a dumb move I thought.  Granted, we are still fifteen months out, but this is a great way for everyone to kind of get a snapshot of just where the candidates stand at this point.
  The heavy turnout of Ron Paul supporters was expected.  It is usually heavy for such gatherings as these. But I also think that Michele Bachmann's victory is surprising for the Chris Matthews-es of the world because before yesterday, I don't think they took her candidacy seriously at all. Last week's "Newsweek" cover is enough proof of that. 
  See, I think the Democrats have kind of a entitlement mentality when it comes to the first African-American candidate/President, the first female candidate, etc.  If Michele Bachmann continues to do well, perhaps even win the nomination, it makes Liberals sweat.  That is not how it is supposed to be! 

  I was happy as a woman to see Michele Bachmann take the Straw Poll. But I would be ecstatic to not only see her win the nomination, but also the Presidency. Not only because I think she is eminently qualified, and with Obama's approval numbers across the board the way they are now, I believe she just might win. But also, wouldn't it be great fun to get a first for the GOP that Democrats have always believed is theirs just by virtue of their existence?  Oh yeah, BIG fun!            

Smart Girls Everywhere

Hey Everyone,
  I know everyone's attention is on debt ceilings and defaulting.  But I just want to take  a side trip to tell you all how amazing the Smart Girl Summit was this weekend!
  Crowne Plaza Hotel was filled with smart, conservative women from all over the country! I could not make it to Friday's session, but Saturday was great!  The day featured wonderful speakers from American Majority and the Leadership Institute.  Then came lunch with an awesome question and answer session with none other than Andrew Breitbart.  Everyone had some great questions for him.  By the way, yes, I am THAT Wiccan conservative that stood up and lamented the fact that I just might not be welcomed with open arms should I decide to make a trip to Washington D.C for the annual CPAC convention next year.  Since they decided that the gay conservative group GOProud does not meet up with their standards I figured wow, maybe a simple mid-western Witch like myself should not waste my time packing up my broom and heading east.
  The afternoon started with a screening of "The Undefeated".  A fantastic documentary/movie about Sarah Palin.  next came some very smart girls like Ann Wagner, running for Congress from Missouri's second district.  Sarah Steelman, running for Senator from Missouri.  Jackie Walorski, running for Indiana's second Congressional District, and Gabriela Saucedo Mercer, running for Arizona's  Seventh Congressional District.  Last, but certainly not least, Presidential Candidate Herman Cain, who brought everyone to their feet with a rousing and inspirational speech.

  What a day to bask in the presence of beautiful strong conservative women!  Look out America!  We are just getting started!