StumbleUpon | Anitra's blog posts

http://Anitra.stumbleupon.com/review/25659663/

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:44 -0700

In Seattle

A group of homeless people and supporters have been working for five months on setting up a shantytown for the many homeless people outdoors without shelter.� Nickelsville.

The day has arrived.

The call just went out.� Nickelodeons will be assembling, starting at 4 AM.� We will start raising Nickelsville by sunrise.� And I don't know when I will be back on this blog.�

Look for us in the news!

http://Anitra.stumbleupon.com/review/15769025/

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 21:23:09 -0800

New Year Resolution #11: Rant More

My First Rant of 2008 is an open letter in response to http://conservativerumb.stumbleupon.com/review/15766276 -- Conservativerumb about Privacy International's report on "surveillance societies":

"Smells like liberal loony propaganda to me."

like

On further note, has every one of you forgotten about the terrorist nutballs wishing us dead?

citizens

against

will

Write On!

http://Anitra.stumbleupon.com/review/5639526/

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 17:18:33 -0800

Everything You Wanted to Know About Anitra, and Probably Much More Than That

I am a freethinking Christian theist (yes, there are Christian atheists), a religious naturalist, and an unabashed liberal with some conservative opinions. (I am a heretic in any crowd.) I am 58, retired on disability due to bipolar disorder, active in volunteer work, activism, gardening, writing and reading, and a member of:

SHARE/WHEEL, homeless and formerly homeless people organizing together for both immediate survival shelter and the long-range solutions to homelessness
Real Change, Seattle's weekly street newspaper, sold by homeless and low-income vendors for an immediate income with dignity
The Seattle Raging Grannies, who dress up outrageously and sing satirical political songs to get people moving and make the world better for everyone's grandchildren.
and more, but those are the groups I spend the most time with.

I am a veteran of six years in the US Air Force and 20 years in data-processing (computer programmer-analyst.)

I am married to Dr. Wes Browning (Doctor of Mathematics) who is also retired on disability, in his case Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from extreme abuse as a child. Wes is an artist, writes a satire column for Real Change, and does speaking gigs on homelessness for the Real Change Homeless Speakers Bureau; as I do, also. We are both formerly homeless; we met at the now-alas-defunct StreetLife Homeless Art Gallery.

Other family: I have two grown sons; Wes had one daughter, Beth, who died very recently, at 26. My father, Will Howard, is a veteran of both WWII and Korea, and lives with my sister Adrienne (pictured), in Humboldt County. I also have two brothers, and two sisters-of-my-father's-former-marriage; Wes is an only child. I also have an uncle and four cousins and other relatives that I've lost touch with. Wes put up his whole family album on the web.

This is one of my favorite avatar photos; me kissing up to the owner of Real Change: Sid, Cat Executive Officer.

My name really is Anitra: it is a Norwegian playwright's idea of what an Arabic princess's name ought to sound like and my mother convinced my Danish father that it was Danish, so that he wouldn't name me Brunhilde Siglinde. My ancestry is half Dane and half Scot, with a few English that neither side of the family talks about.

Write On! Anitra

http://Anitra.stumbleupon.com/review/5638121/

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 17:07:37 -0800

|| Choose an Archive Page ||
|| My home site: AnitraWeb (2100 pages and counting) || My newest blog || My MySpace || My other blogs at Technorati ||
Currently Reading: Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights by Kenji Yoshino

Short Intro: I am an activist, writer, teacher, and Raging Granny (hence the hat); I am married, retired, a USAF veteran, and live on Social Security in Seattle WA USA. I use the web in teaching, research, and activism.

My name really is Anitra: it is a Norwegian playwright's idea of what an Arabic princess's name ought to sound like and my mother convinced my Danish father that it was Danish, so that he wouldn't name me Brunhilde Siglinde. My ancestry is half Dane and half Scot, with a few English that neither side of the family talks about.

StumbleUpon has made it very easy to browse entries by tag.

All "Anitra" entries in this blog.
My politics: liberalism | liberal politics | activism | all 2008 elections entries
My religion: Liberal Christianity | Religious Naturalism
Major passions: homelessness | poverty | veterans | justice in the Middle East | critical thinking
More popular major passions: arts | books | satire | music | science | science fiction | cats
Learn more about StumbleUpon | Other Stumblers I like

I haven't found you all yet! If you think I'd like your pages, leave me a review, or even just a thumbs-up, and I'll come review you.

Write On!
Anitra

http://Anitra.stumbleupon.com/review/14989383/

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 04:46:35 -0800

I have met a very intelligent and analytical Ron Paul supporter, Ccannizz11, who disagreed with my summary critique of Ron Paul here. I asked him for specifics about his disagreement, and he not only answered very thoroughly, he also posted his answer in his blog:

I'll take some space here, then, to address his comments in detail.

I say that Ron Paul may be against the federal government telling people what to do, but he is all for state government telling people what to do. Chris says "He doesn't think that state governments have the right to do anything that isn't expressly granted to it by the people."

My response:

Ron Paul criticized the Supreme Court for striking down Texas's anti-sodomy law. That indicates that if the majority of voters in a state expressly grant the state authority to enforce their own sexual morality on a minority in the state, Ron Paul says that the state has that right. It was granted to them by the people. It is unconstitutional of the federal government to over-ride the state.

On the abortion question, I recognize that there are arguments on both sides; but however the argument is decided, it affects everyone equally. If the fetus is an individual with individual rights, then the federal government is constitutionally bound to enforce the rights of ALL fetuses in America, not just those in states that agree with the argument. If fetuses are not individuals and the rights of women to our own bodies take priority, then the federal government is constitutionally bound to enforce the rights of ALL women in America, not just those in states that agree with the argument.

Chris points out that we have had a President who opposed equal rights for gays, or a right to abortion, for almost eight years now; for the first six of those years, he had the majority of Congress on his side; he claimed more Presidential powers than any other President in American history; and he still couldn't make his own opinions the law of the land. Ron Paul, who has a much more limited opinion of Presidential powers, is even less likely to make his opinions the law of the land.

The effects of Bush's administration have still had a chilling effect on a wide range of issues he did not issue Executive Orders on. Bush cannot decree that Intelligent Design be taught in science classes, but would Intelligent Design have made the inroads in schools that it has, if Bush didn't approve of it? Bush cannot decree that an atheist is ineligible for public office, but is an atheist more or less likely to be elected today, than eight years ago? I do not discount the influence of a President over matters not directly under his authority.

And whoever makes a claim, the claim is up for challenge; whether than person can enforce the claim or not. I can neither repeal "Don't ask, don't tell," nor enforce it, but I can darn well argue about it. And if I ever do vote for Ron Paul, I'll just argue with him more. :D

I will address other points in Chris's post tomorrow. Right now I think we both need sleep. :)

http://Anitra.stumbleupon.com/review/14005791/

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 16:27:21 -0700

In human society, all violence can be traced back to these seven recurrent blunders: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, and politics without principles.

Mohandas K. Ghandi

http://Anitra.stumbleupon.com/review/8222168/

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 18:01:46 -0700

Anitra performs her poem "Mother Escapes" (with feathers)

http://Anitra.stumbleupon.com/review/6925904/

Thu, 24 May 2007 13:45:25 -0700

Please take my poll:

How can we effectively reduce infant mortality?

You can select more than one of the existing suggestions, and you can add your own.

http://Anitra.stumbleupon.com/review/9325572/

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 15:23:53 -0700

I wrote this poem in 1999. Eight years later, it is again sadly appropriate.

Children's Hour
Colorado 1999
Virginia 2007
Trench coats do not create terror
Pierced lips do not create terror
Even Marilyn Manson
Does not create terror

Loneliness
locked inside your heart
where no one can hear you scream
is terror

Not even the internet
Not even the guns
Not even the swastikas
Create terror

Pain that doesn't have an end
that eats silently away inside
becomes a black hole
unrecognized by all averted eyes
a non-event horizon
you slip across
to spend forever
sliding down

Terror is not born in talk of guns.
Terror is born in silence.

http://Anitra.stumbleupon.com/review/9024157/

Sat, 07 Apr 2007 15:42:50 -0700

A blonde joke I like

A blind guy on a bar stool shouts to the bartender, "Wanna hear a blonde joke?"

In a hushed voice, the guy next to him says, "Before you tell that joke, you should know something."

"Our bartender IS blonde, the bouncer is blonde. I'm a 6' tall, 200 lb black belt. The guy sitting next to me is 6'2", weighs 225, and he's a rugby player. The fella to your right is 6'5" pushing 300 and he's a wrestler. Each one of US is blonde. Think about it, Mister. Do you still wanna tell that joke?"

The blind guy says, "Nah, not if I'm gonna have to explain it five times."

Exercise for the student:
What is this blind guy's life expectancy?