For Immediate Release:
Thursday, August 30, 2007
President Bush Apologizes to Wiccan War Widow Roberta Stewart
At midday today, President George W. Bush met by phone with Roberta
Stewart, a Wiccan from Nevada and member of Circle Sanctuary. The
president apologized to Roberta for her not being invited to the meeting
he held in Reno, Nevada on Tuesday with families of Nevada soldiers killed
in action.
Reports about Roberta not being invited to this meeting began appearing
in the media yesterday and have continued today:
http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20070830/News/108300034
In the press articles, both Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and Rev. Selena
Fox, senior minister of Circle Sanctuary, called for the president to
apologize to Roberta Stewart, and to give equal respect to soldiers and their
families regardless of their religious orientation.
During the phone call, the president said that he admired Roberta for
her spirit and thanked her for accepting his apology. He also offered his
condolences for the loss of her husband, Sgt. Patrick Stewart, who was
killed in action in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan on
September 25, 2005.
Following her phone meeting with the president, Roberta told Selena: "I
am thankful that President Bush offered his condolences and his apology.
This has helped bring some much needed closure for me regarding this recent
issue as well as the struggles I have endured in the Veteran Pentacle
Quest seeking to have my husband properly honored."
Both Rev. Fox and Rev. Lynn have expressed their appreciation for the
president's phone meeting with Roberta:
Rev. Fox: "I am glad that President Bush provided this support to
Roberta -- it has helped remedy this recent problem as well as helped heal the
stress that Roberta has endured since her husband was killed in action.
It also is a positive development for Wiccans and other Pagans who are
serving and who have served in the US military and their families in the
quest for equal respect and equal rights in society."
Rev. Lynn: "The president has done the right thing, and his apology to
Stewart should be commended. All veterans of war, regardless of their
faith, should be honored and treated with the utmost respect, especially
from their commander-in-chief. We are pleased the president recognized
his slight of Stewart was wrong."
Americans United for Separation of Church and State has issued a press
release commending President Bush for apologizing to Roberta:
http://www.au.org
Rev. Lynn interviewed Roberta for his Culture Shocks show shortly after
the President apologized to her. The show, which was broadcast today, will
be archived on-line beginning tomorrow: http://www.cultureshocks.com
News of the apology also has begun appearing in the press:
http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/
More information about Roberta Stewart, Sgt. Stewart, and the Veteran
Pentacle Quest Success:
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty/veteranpentacle
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact:
Rev. Selena Fox: 608-924-2216
Executive Director, Lady Liberty League
selena@circlesanctuary.org
Angie Buchanan: 847-456-4833
Public Relations Director, Lady Liberty League
angie@circlesanctuary.org
Paula Johnson: 954-471-1435
Media Relations Coordinator, Lady Liberty League
paula@circlesanctuary.org
Lady Liberty League News Release
Circle Sanctuary
PO Box 9, Barneveld, WI 53507 USA
telephone: (608) 924-2216
fax: (608) 924-5961
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
900 Saturdays
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:
I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whom-ever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped tolisten to what he had to say
"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's "dance recital" he continued. "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."
"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.
"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.
It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays." "I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear."
"Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.
Thereis nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."
"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."
"It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 Year old Man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"
You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.
Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles.
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:
I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whom-ever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped tolisten to what he had to say
"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's "dance recital" he continued. "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."
"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.
"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.
It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays." "I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear."
"Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.
Thereis nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."
"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."
"It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 Year old Man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"
You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.
Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Breathing Earth: World-Wide CO2 Levels, Births, and Deaths - In Real-Time
Breathing Earth is a great presentation that shows you the world-wide carbon dioxide emission levels, their birth and death rates - all in real-time.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
You know, the way I see it, I'm going to buy electricity from somewhere anyway, I might as well buy it from a source that is clean and renewable. That's why we use Green Mountain Energy
Mother Earth
(P. Chatman/L. Simpkins)
You may play the horses
You may even own the race track
You may have enough money
To buy anything you lack
I don't care where you go
And I don't care what you're worth
When it all ends up
You got to go back to Mother Earth
You may high-hat me all the time
You may never go my way
But Mother Earth if layin' for you
And that's a debt you've got to pay
I don't care where you go
And I don't care what you're worth
When it all ends up
You got to go back to Mother Earth
You may be a big shot in the city
You may own your own home town
You may fly your own jet plane
Think you never will come down
I don't care where you go
And I don't care what you're worth
When it all ends up
You got to go back to Mother Earth
(P. Chatman/L. Simpkins)
You may play the horses
You may even own the race track
You may have enough money
To buy anything you lack
I don't care where you go
And I don't care what you're worth
When it all ends up
You got to go back to Mother Earth
You may high-hat me all the time
You may never go my way
But Mother Earth if layin' for you
And that's a debt you've got to pay
I don't care where you go
And I don't care what you're worth
When it all ends up
You got to go back to Mother Earth
You may be a big shot in the city
You may own your own home town
You may fly your own jet plane
Think you never will come down
I don't care where you go
And I don't care what you're worth
When it all ends up
You got to go back to Mother Earth
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