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</head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>given the interest in pagan issues recently this may be of interest. Starhawk is one of the more prominent advocates of Reclaiming wicca, which has permaculture as one of their fundamentals in addition to non-violence and using liturgy as a visioning and organizing tool,,</div><div><br></div><div>Tadit</div><div><br></div><span style="font-family:Arial">Why I’m Going to Freedom
Plaza</span><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-tab-count:
1"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> </span>After
nearly two months on the road, I managed to touch down briefly at home, long
enough to hug my sweetie, connect with my dear friends, do the laundry and dry
it on the line just before the first rains of the winter blessed us with their
showers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Then I packed the bags
again and headed out, this morning, to Washington DC to join the protests
planned at Freedom Plaza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Asking
myself, “Why?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And “Do I really
need to do this?”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-tab-count:
1"> </span>As
much as I’ve spent years of my life involved in demonstrations and various
forms of political actions, I don’t really like them.<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>I like being home, playing with the big white fluffy dog and
the baby, sleeping in my own bed and making myself a cup of tea any time I want
to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m older now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My knees are stiff and I get more like
an Ent every year—that is, more treelike and less bendable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I have a hearing problem that amplifies
all kinds of ambient, irritating sounds so they reverberate around in my head
like a very bad sound system while meaningful noises and conversation get
harder and harder to hear—which makes loud, noisy demonstrations a form of
purgatory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I have a very full
life, full of meaningful work aimed at changing the world for the better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There are many constructive things I
could be doing, should be doing, am doing—besides getting out in the streets.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-tab-count:
1"> </span>Yet,
here I am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Do I really need to do
this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Well, yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Because in the end, it always comes down to the streets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When the greed, the hypocrisy, the
assaults on our freedoms, our pockets, our future and our common sense go so
far beyond the level of toleration, there’s no substitute for the outrage of
the streets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Internet petitions
are fine, and constructive programs of creative community-building keep us sane
and help point the way to a future, but those noisy bodies in the streets put
the politicians, the greedy bastards and the high-level criminals to take their
frakkin’ boots off our necks, thank you! </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-tab-count:
1"> </span>The
protests mark the 10<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, linking
the continuation of that war with the erosion of our civil rights, the assaults
on workers and the middle class and the Obama administration’s reluctance to
take a strong stand on climate change and environmental protection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But more than that, they’re part of
this global phenomenon, this surge of people swarming into public space in
Egypt and Wisconsin, in Greece and Spain and Israel, in London and in Wall
Street, New York City, to say “Enough!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Globally, the rich are stealing from the poor at a level that has
reached almost surreal proportions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>They back the theft with all the instruments of war, repression, and
massive propaganda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Meanwhile the
earth’s life support system are racing toward melt-down and the people in power
are unable to do the clear and simple things we need to do to assure our
children a viable future because they are bound to the service of greed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And so I find it hopeful that around
the world people are rising up and demanding something different: a world where
we remember that we are mutually interdependent, and develop systems that let
us get good at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-tab-count:
1"> </span>So,
here I am, in a big Pagan cluster slumber party in the house of a supportive
and brave friend in the DC area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>We’ve had our morning meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>We’ve made our plans for the day and for tomorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We’re going to create a water station
on the Plaza, with filtered water, and some sort of permacultural toilet
facilities, hopefully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ll be
helping out with a nonviolence training tonight.<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>We’ll be offering trainings on the Plaza, and some sort of
public ritual, sometime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Besides
the actions in Freedom Plaza, we’re interested in connecting with the Occupy DC
group in McPherson Square, who are linked to the Occupy Wall Street protests in
New York and around the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>On the 7<sup>th</sup>, there will also be actions targeting the hearings
around the tar sands pipeline, the plan to pump the world’s dirtiest, least
energy-efficient oil from the New Mordor the tar sands have created in Alberta
across the country’s key aquifer to refineries in Texas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Obama could stop this travesty with an
executive order, and we intend to make sure that he feels pressure to do so,
and that indigenous elders are heard at the hearings.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-tab-count:
1"> </span>Riyanna
and I will be sharing blogging duties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>I love her blogs from actions—and that way we will each be able to sleep
occasionally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Mine will be up
here, at <a href="http://starhawksblog.org/">http://starhawksblog.org/</a> and
hers will be at <a href="http://wildandserene.blogspot.com/">http://wildandserene.blogspot.com/</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We encourage you to read them both, to
join us here if you can (email <a href="mailto:pagancluster2011@gmail.com">pagancluster2011@gmail.com</a>)
or to look for the many sister actions in your own areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Magical support, energy and protection
are always welcome—think of us being in the right place at the right time in
the right way, with the protection, energy, support, health and luck to do the
work.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-tab-count:
1"> </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia">And
when this is all over, I promise to catch up with reports from the awesome
International Permaculture Convergence in Jordan--meanwhile, a lot of it is
archived at <a href="http://www.ipcon.org/"><span style="color:#0022E4">http://www.ipcon.org/</span></a>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-tab-count:
1"> </span>Love
to you all, Starhawk</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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