Who's Calling Quarters?

I had a lovely chat with the convention secretary a few days ago, an effort to find out who was actually planning the interfaith service on Sunday before the Democratic National Convention.

For those interested in semantics, interfaith doesn't mean the same thing as ecumenical. The former usually means the more inclusive of the two, with participation from all spiritual paths invited. The latter usually means that any variety of Christian is welcome. Note the positive spin here.

So, it's an interfaith service and we're invited, right? If you're planning an inclusive service, it's not always easy to find someone to invoke the Gods, especially if you don't have much contact with our community during the course of your ministry. I'll make it easy to be inclusive.

In my e-mail to the organizer I pointed out that I've had lots of experience with large circles which included both those who followed an earth-based path, and those who did not. I have truly found that if you use the right words and avoid hubcap-sized pentacle pendants, people can walk out of the circle understanding what we do and feeling good about it. Wow, see Marty, I told you they'd keep their clothes on!

My e-mail was very, well, non-controversial, with nary a P-word or W-word in sight.

I haven't gotten a response back...wish me luck! If things go as I hope they will, either I'll find out that they've already got someone wonderful to call the quarters (whew--I get to sit back and enjoy), or it will end up being my job and I'll be getting back to you all asking for suggestions.

My journey to Denver

This is going to be such a crazy adventure. A new city, new faces, and no idea what's going on. All I know is that my computer and I are headed to Denver for the convention... what happens from there, I have no clue.

Friday, August 22nd, we take a journey down to Wells, Maine in Rita's car. Trip's about two hours, and we'll stay at a friend's place- she's a Pagan journalist and generally an awesome person from all I've heard.

The next day, our journalist friend drives us to Logan Airport in Boston, where we catch a nonstop flight to Denver on United Airlines. Somehow this flight was cheaper than Jet Blue OR Southwest, and those guys had layovers (which are bad on Rita, who has issues walking). So we're getting into Denver wicked early, which gives us time to get settled in and check out the sights.

Rita's version of settling in is easy. She gets to check into some cushy hotel (a Hilton, I think- correct me if I'm wrong, Rita) by the Pepsi Center that has wi-fi access and is generally awesome. She's raised the money she needs to go, and luckily gets to split the cost with another delegate who rooms with her. They told me I couldn't stay in a delegate room, and if I did, the occupants would be thrown out. So on to Plan B I went.

I raised much less money. Rita got the Pagan community to back her up a bit, which rocks, because she couldn't afford this either. I had some good friends pitch in what they could, and I got most of what I need covered. I got my ticket, and started hunting CraigsList in Denver. Most of what I found was jerks who were taking advantage of the situation, and renting their nearby apartments for thousands of dollars for a week while they used the money to take vacations. I obviously wasn't affording that.

So I did what I do best: I posted a rant in their housing section, and got tons of replies! People offering me cheap room and board (like $50 a day) to patches of floor (free). I ended up getting in touch with a guy who lives in the area, and he offered me a couch. My payment for this is a french press coffeemaker (I have no idea why he chose this of all things).

In the meanwhile, this great thing called The Big Tent got started up by a major progressive blog, and a couple local organizations. They got tons of sponsors, too. It's a place for bloggers to get together and practice their trade. For $100 you get access to wi-fi, beer, food, chair massages, fruit smoothies, concerts, you name it. What they in essence did was make the event accessible for even those of us who can barely afford anything.

Basically I just wanted to give a public shoutout to all who made this possible. I at least got enough of the money to not max out on my credit card, and the generosity of others is how I'm making it to Denver. Thanks to all my donors, and to Zack in Denver, who's giving me that couch, and to Bobby Clark and the Big Tent people for coming up with such a great idea. You're all awesome.

And I can't wait for Denver!

Truth and Consequences

One of the things that happens to national delegates (at least those who are well known in their various communities) is that folks ask lots of questions about their candidate. Some are easy ("Hey, what about that Berlin speech?"); some are not ("How can you support a candidate who won't salute the flag?").

The smear campaign against Barack Obama started a long time ago; "if you cannot dispute his platform rationally, just stir up enough mud to cloud the issue" seems to be an accepted method of debate. The Washington Post had a great piece tracing it back to its origins during Obama's campaign for US Senate. Check it out. It's a solid piece of research.

My Pagan instinct is to ignore the lies, and so not give them any energy (somewhat like my frequently forgetting the names of Republican contenders for Maine's state legislature....if they're below the radar I'm giving them nothing at all).

I certainly don't have the expertise to know how well that would work as a national political strategy, though, and the Obama campaign has put up a great site designed to fight falsehood with truth.

I can only hope those spreading lies (or at least those hearing them) will take the time to investigate. Whether their ethical standards are Karmic or based on Mosaic Law, respect for truth is a significant part of most people's ethics and beliefs, and breaking those laws brings consequences.

Many Pagans consider themselves "truth seekers and truth speakers", but I refuse to believe that we have cornered that particular market.

It's All Hit Home

OK, the letter on official DNCC stationery has arrived, and it's all hit home: I'm really a national delegate for Barack Obama!

Despite months of campaigning, despite months of fundraising to deal with the cost of going to Denver, despite meetings and e-mails, it was getting a letter today that made it all real.

I took some time going over details on the official convention website, http://www.demconvention.com. The organizers are beginning to update information on events, including an interfaith event with the Rev. Leah Daughtry at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Of course my first thought was, "OK, how do I contact Rev. Daughtry and tell her I'd be happy to do an invocation?"

Well, maybe I ought to take things a bit slower. After all, what would my reaction be to someone who wore a cross everywhere and constantly reminded everyone she was a Christian? Probably "get over it, girl!" I'll go to the interfaith gathering, add a quiet "s" at the end of the G-word every time God is called into that circle, and expect an event that respects all traditions. Democrats pride themselves on being the "big tent party"...here's hoping they recognize exactly how big that tent actually is.

Of course the convention activities are not all specifically religious in nature. There are council and caucus meetings for groups ranging from military families, the GLBT community, Latinos and African-Americans, and much more. There are enough hospitality suites so delegates have been told there's no need to budget for meals during the convention. Our delegation will be staying right near the convention center where all the daytime activities take place, so no need for cab fare either, and transportation to and from the Pepsi Center is provided for us.

Absolutely amazing....intricate logistics for an election that will make history. Am I excited? You bet!

Now to measure my carry-on bag to be sure it will work! How will I ever fit a week's worth of clothes in that little thing? And will I get an exact convention schedule in time to try to pull a Pagan meet-up together?

Weapons of Mass Destruction

(Note: After a discussion with my friend Debbie, who will no doubt end up commenting here... I have been reminded once again that I am terrible when it comes to my sense of time. So if you ever see something wonky with dates, I'm probably wrong- let me know!)

The speech by Barack Obama yesterday in Berlin got me thinking about sometime in 2004, when I was taking a drive down from Maine to New Jersey to visit my aunt. I was trapped in the beast known as the Cross Bronx Expressway for hours. One benefit to that is that New York City has great radio stations! And I found a wonderful song: Mass Destruction, by a UK group by the name of Faithless (sadly, the music video's embedding is disabled, but you can check it out if you like):



This song struck a chord with me because of how I view the world. And following up Rita's post with it makes some good sense to me. It speaks to the true weapons of mass destruction, which are not the nukes, or chemical weapons, or any of that- but instead, the people who unleash them.

Some quotes:


Whether long-range weapon, or suicide bomber, wicked mind is a weapon of mass destruction.

Whether inflation, or globalization, fear is a weapon of mass destruction.

Whether Halliburton, Enron, or anyone, greed is a weapon of mass destruction.


And the reason Rita's post got me writing this, instead of just thinking about it:


We need to find the courage, overcome- inaction is a weapon of mass destruction.


We are just as much to blame for destroying the world if we sit quietly in our homes, and in our groves, as if we shot the nuke off ourselves. Because we're who has to stand in the way, and say that no one shall ever be elected who finds such behavior tolerable. As a Wiccan, my worldview is entirely encompassed in two words: "Harm none". Most Pagans adhere to this, if only to the point of "except in self-defense".

So I ask you: if we know that if John McCain is elected, he will prosecute an unjust (and potentially illegal) war in Iraq, and may expand that war to Iran, then does it not become our responsibility (or rather, that of our American readers, I'll leave the international crowd alone) to stop him? If we do not act, we will have helped drop the bombs. We will have to share the blame. We will have helped do harm to others, simply by doing nothing at all.

That is why I am in politics. Because "harm none" means saving Iraqi children from white phosphorous and cluster munitions. And the only way to do that is to be a Democrat, vote for Democrats, work for Democrats, and end the war.

Change Who Can Believe In?

I'm an active Democrat because I believe my party is our community's best hope for a nation that will be safe for minority faiths. We lost the fight to maintain ideological balance in the Supreme Court when we sent George Bush to the White House, twice. We cannot allow McBush to continue that legacy, and to be in a position to fill the federal judiciary with conservative judges.

Barack Obama is offering change we can believe in. If we Pagans take an active, open part in the political process, if we are willing to make phone calls, stuff envelopes, and knock on doors, we will send a message to political leaders that "I'm Pagan and I Vote" is more than a bumper sticker.

We've got a great opportunity here, a chance to make our mark on a campaign for change, a chance to be a constant reminder that we expect "Change We Can Believe In" means an America that treats Pagans fairly and equally....from an ensured right to worship for military Pagans (including Pagan chaplains), to true enforcement of the separation of Church (Grove?) and State.

Sure, I and other Pagans will be going to the Democratic National Convention, but we got there through thousands of hours of hard work. I hope that others in the Pagan community will pick up that wand, walk into their local campaign offices, and sign up to help elect their candidates of choice.

If we want to be taken seriously by those in a position to shore up our civil liberties, we must show that we're willing to work to get progressives elected in the first place.

There's Rita. And who's Ed?

Ye gods, how does one follow up Rita? My own adventure to get to this point is quite something, and will come out in pieces as I write. Have you ever noticed that when you watch an adventure movie, or read a novel, they're epic and amazing... but when you're living one, they can really suck sometimes/most of the time/the whole time? I think they cut the bad parts out of the novels. Those where the medieval character hasn't bathed in weeks. You know, icky stuff.

Anyway. I have a reputation for being a bit of a rambler. A bit wordy. Extremely opinionated. Usually I'm hearing that I'm being expected to shut up by the state party. That I have "anger issues". My response to that is that you only have an anger issue if you lash out at random against people who mean you no harm. When you go up against scheming political insiders, though, of course you're angry.

Rita and I are such good friends because we're such completely opposite people, but with the same goals. We both want an open and inclusive Democratic Party, as its platform states, and as it proclaims to be. And it certainly is more open than the Republican Party (I should know, I was one). How we got there is so different, though.

Rita is a long-term planner. She thinks of where we'll be twenty years down the road. I'm thinking of twenty minutes from now. She's ever the diplomat, always polite and respectful. I'll inform people as to which orifice they can insert a foreign object into. I've never seen her curse in an e-mail in my life, and I can drop the F-bomb once a blog post at minimum, and if I'm writing about something really heated (like that screwup of a state convention we had) try every sentence. (And Jason wants me to write here. Has he read TMB?)

As you begin to read Rita's and my work, you will also begin to notice some threads about our lives, and how we managed to get to the same place, but be two completely opposing forces. She will write about her deep experiences within the Pagan community and how they have brought her into politics. I will write about how I am a political activist who also happens to be Pagan. She is a priestess of the first grove in Maine to be recognized as a nonprofit. I am a solitary practitioner at best, and mostly just try to live as a Pagan should, with respect toward our world and her creatures.

The Pagan worldview is often unwelcome in politics, because of the nature of the two things. I intend to write in (sometimes angry) depth about how my (and our) views collide with those of the Democratic Party insiders. I intend to write about why Pagans can be Republicans and feel welcome there because of the same worldview, despite how odd that seems. I will cross-post some of my Turn Maine Blue work that I feel would interest this readership. And beyond that, I want to write about what you want. I am a political blogger, I am not a Pagan blogger (although technically, I'm both!). So what do you want to know?

Finally, I will make one fundraising ask. I'm going into debt to go to this convention, as it is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I cannot and must not pass up. I will make the ask the last day of the convention. It is customary for a blogger on a large site to have what is called a "tip jar", in which positive ratings are placed. If you read this work, and find you were glad that this blog existed- leave a tip. I hope to write things that are tip-worthy.

(Update: Rita's introductory post has relocated now that Rita has taken over her account... so this used to make a little more sense. Oh well, you get the idea.)