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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Daniel June : Musings on Afterlife

Offering to the thunder God Thor - Old Sami re...Image by saamiblog via Flickr

One birth is sufficient for all men, one life, sufficient for man, woman, child, and even the unfortunate stillborn. Outside of time we chose our stage, and in this stage we set ourselves up to carve our divinity. One life, and in the next we are the beauty we committed in this life. Upon death, each man faces the promise of what his religious taught him, for he enters a dream. The Buddhist imagines countless samsaras, the Christian imagines judgment, and heaven or hell, the pagan imagines valhalla or elusian fields of apotheosis, the atheist imagines dissolving into pure universal matter, and yet in each of these dreams, consciousness remains, changed, but ever present, for the mind is made of matter, and matter is eternal. What you by faith and fury imagine the afterlife to be your mind will make for you, and those who feel the same way, and believe the same way, share your fate with you.

Us allists do not stop in any one heaven or hell for long, but walk across all of them, cause a little mischief, we break all borders, we will be masters of all heavens and all hells. But in the very end, we each long to be a Motherverse and a God in ourselves. We seek to draw near the ones we have loved, or the parts of the ones we have loved that they permit to part with, they give us parts of their soul, or if we have earned such an honor, we may fuse souls in utter intimacy with a lover. We are able to turn inwards and become Everything. A rare honor. For those who believe otherwise, they will never achieve it, and the will of freedom will become forever cut from the center of necessity. This is their place and purchase. This is their way and place. We do not argue with them nor tempt them, but we let each man choose his ultimate fate, as he set himself up to choose such things before he was born, where he stood outside of time in his own private universe, as an ulimtate undifferentiated freedomnecessity individual. Pity no man, envy no man, under any circumstances, but if you wish intimacy, then you must love him in compassion and be willing to share his joys, suffer his sorrows, and give kindness, which is the art of improving each other, not merely the art of giving.

All religions and beliefs are true in the imagination, and after we leave the senses, we are immersed in the imagination, an imaginary we may share with those we love. None can come to us but through shared affinity. In this life, enemies approach, but in the next life, only lovers may draw close. Therefore, we will be our own reward. That which we choose to become in this life will be able to draw close to us in the next life.

Ultimately, no man can be disappointed with eternity, yet some must work out their salvation through the hells they have created. This life and this life alone defines how much of a god we may be. This life and this life alone determines how much soul we will have. There is no other time to become divine, but every little choice, every joy, and every pain, you experience in this life, build for you “treasures in heaven” which is your very heart you are building, and the kingdom of heaven is none other than the loving community you are able to earn through creative power and intimate love. A god is powerful and loving, yet most people in the next life will be worshippers of gods, and forever so, though scarcely gods themselves, for they cannot shine like the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, they compromised too much in this life. They will be happy yes, but they will be less happy and less great in their happiness than those who made themselves great in this life. Mortality is the ultimate playing field, for here we make our choices. There is less risk in the afterlife, but without the risk there is no chance of gaining such great rewards. Because we are less vulnerable in heaven, we have less to gain.

Seek with me to be utterly divine, and do not make excuses for any imperfection. Ultimately, you are your own reward, and if you would be loved, you must be lovely, if you would be honored, you must be honorable, if you would be friends of God you must be a God. There is no short cut nor any free gift that can save you from this. You must be utterly true to your own infinite potential if you are to become infinite. And this you can do, starting now, whoever you are.

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Saturday, February 6, 2010

Friday, February 5, 2010

'The Play is the thing. . . ' : Deratany, lawyer and playwright




Life must be lived as a play, said Plato, and Deratany makes plays, in law and in theater.

Rhonda Mangus has been dealing with the stress which accompanies conflict - especially when that conflict becomes a matter of law - since 2005. Her then 13 year old son, Michael, was identified as gay. And that is where the trouble began: Bullying and an eventual death threat led Mangus to take the son out North Tonawanda High School.

Little did she know that she herself would be accused of "educational neglect" and placed in the state's offenders data base, due to intervention on behalf of the Niagara County Department of Social Services and the New York State Office of Family and Child Services. This winter, she went up against the State of New York's Supreme Court, but failed to have the charge amended. Now, new determination to proceed once again has come in the form of a Chicago attorney, who is offering to advise her in the process, on a pro bono basis. Jay Paul Deratany - together with his associate, Natan Polum - are advising Mangus by phone as she gets a postponement for an appeal. This act of kindness and generosity - so unexpected - was enough to bring Mangus to tears. Deratany has a strong record of philanthropy and human rights advocacy, and was playwright of the work, "Haram Iran", debuting on the Chicago stage in 2008, and exploring the theme of homosexual oppression in Iran. He has been a contributor to the AIDS cause, and to education. In 2008 he ran for Cook County commissioner but lost the seat to the GOP incumbent in a narrow margin. But perhaps this singular act of kindness regarding Mangus' case - in giving hope and the will to fight to someone who had nearly lost both - is the more stunning, for being spontaneous and without any premeditation on his part. Deratany is clearly an eclectic , and this makes him both a Renaissance man, and a counselor of law in the classical and Aristotlean sense. And that, in these times, makes him as rare as he is precious.

Chicago Attorney's play makes its West Coast premier at the Celebration Theater in Los Angeles : Jay Paul Deratany



Deratany's 'Haram Iran' moves to Los Angeles stage | The News is NowPublic.com

Playwright, Chicago attorney, human rights advocate Jay Paul Deratany has written a play about the human rights abuses which still prevail in 21st century Iran, and in the human heart. The play debuted on the Chicago stage in 2008, and now makes its West Coast premier at the Celebration Theater in Los Angeles, in March of this year.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Prop 8 Trial rests

The trial intended to overturn California's Proposition 8, which voided a state Supreme Court ruling for homosexual "marriage," is in a holding pattern. Thus says NewsOne Now. :

The historic federal trial has been in session for 2 weeks now. Defenders and opponents of Proposition 8 - the ballot measure which deemed gay marriage illegal in the state of California in the 2008 Presidential election - have made their claims. Says an attorney for the Prop 8 side:

Austin Nimocks"In the end, it sounded like the campaign again, where they were making their pleas on why marriage should be redefined," he reports. "And it's not compelling reason to say that Proposition 8 and the voice of over seven-million Californians is somehow unconstitutional."Judge Vaughn Walker will take about a month to review testimony and evidence before calling in attorneys for closing arguments. A decision might come within a two-month time frame and will likely end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

McCain: Keep DADT




BREAKING: Senator John McCain Opposes Obama’s Call For Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
“In his State of the Union address, President Obama asked Congress to repeal the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. I am immensely proud of, and thankful for, every American who wears the uniform of our country, especially at a time of war, and I believe it would be a mistake to repeal the policy.
“This successful policy has been in effect for over fifteen years, and it is well understood and predominantly supported by our military at all levels. We have the best trained, best equipped, and most professional force in the history of our country, and the men and women in uniform are performing heroically in two wars. At a time when our Armed Forces are fighting and sacrificing on the battlefield, now is not the time to abandon the policy.”
This, just days after McCain felt the need to counter his wife’s and daughter’s photo session and stance for marriage equality.
Keep banging the bigot drum, Senator McCain. How’s that reelection campaign going?

Obama's State of the Union : Game Changer or not?
















Friday, January 15, 2010

Excerpts from Prop 8 Trial Proceedings











In which Masters Chauncey and Thompson spar over semantics

In my search for live-blogging and reporting from the San Francisco high court Proposition 8 Trial proceedings, I have waded through a myriad of gay and legal blogs searching for excerpts which would put a focus to the direction of the arguments.

The blog which had the most precise excerpts also had the worst commentary and was entirely too San Francisco in its language and its satire. So I had to pull out those which kept to the thread of the argument. Not an easy task, it took me the better part of two hours, and was mainly disappointing in the extreme.

But I did manage to glean that thus far, what has been stressed, are these main points:

1. That an "animus" without reason or the ethics of reason may have been at work with Tam, other Prop 8 backers, and many Mormons

2. That gay males are suspect regarding AIDs and promiscuity

3. That the focus on children is not being cross examined in any indepth way

4. That Chauncey is serious, and that Thompson has a sense of humor :

Chauncey: “I would hardly call Yale a bellwether of public opinion in the United States.” Thompson: “Thank heavens.”

[. . . ]

h8er: Shouldn’t parents who disapprove of gay marriage request that their kids not have to learn it? Chauncey: Well — what about if parents disapprove of blacks and whites being together? Should parents be able to prevent their kids from reading about that in public schools? Gay marriage is a fact of life in Massachusetts. If parents have a problem with that, they can send their kids to private school.

[Thompson]: "It is true that Americans believe that homosexuals are more likely to get AIDS than heterosexuals, correct?”

. . . As quoted directly from Hogarth’s liveblog: “Now Thompson is getting absurd. He is asking Chauncey a whole line of questioning about how many religious groups and churches support marriage equality, that they are evolving. “ Also, Thompson tries to prove this by showing a video clip of Rick Warren. Um, what. Thompson is trying to collapse the whole really fantastic line of reasoning and relevant history that Chauncey put together yesterday . . .

Stewart: Does Prop 8 say anything about when sex ed takes place? What parents can teach their kids? What parents can object to in what’s in the schools? Chauncey: Yes. Stewart: Are there fairy tales (childrens books) of men and women falling in love? Chauncey: Yes, of course. Stewart: Are heterosexual weddings considered an “adult issue” that children are not exposed to? Chauncey: No, children are present and even play a role in heterosexual marriages.

"Would you agree that the practice of monogamy in gay male relationships is different than in heterosexual relationships?" : Cross-examining attorney quotes a 25-year-old study that says “sexual exclusivity” may be “more the exception than the rule” in gay male relationships. That sexual affairs can be a “complement” to a steady relationships.” This was probably conducted by someone who got burned by Brian Kinney and anyhow listen, lady, I bet 25 years ago sexual exclusivity was more the exception than the rule for you too, who knows what you were like in college.

Into Day Four: Mercury News; Live Reporting: Gay Marriage would bring $35 million per year to the city of San Francisco, economic expert testifies : In which civil rights and economic expedience meet in the trial of Proposition 8.

9 a.m.: Day 4 testimony begins with S.F. economist

The fourth day of the Proposition 8 trial is in session with Edmund Egan, the chief economist for San Francisco. Egan has been called to testify on the financial impacts on San Francisco of denying gay and lesbian couples the right to marry, and he testified immediately that there are "negative" impacts on the city's economy. His testimony is central to San Francisco's direct involvement in the case, as city lawyers argued they could show that Proposition 8 harms local governments around the state.

9:27 a.m.: Economist: S.F. would save money if gay marriage were legal

San Francisco economist Edmund Egan continues to testify under questioning from plaintiffs attorneys. He has identified several areas where he believes the city and county of San Francisco would save money if gay and lesbian couples were permitted to marry, including in public health costs for mental health services to gays who experience discrimination, reduction in bias-related violence against gay students in public schools, and in reducing public costs for health insurance if more gay couples were married and secured their own health insurance. Asked whether those economic benefits would apply to other cities, he testified: "I think that principle would work more broadly than San Francisco."

Egan was unable to provide hard numbers on the savings if same-sex marriage were allowed, which is likely to be brought up when he is cross-examined by Proposition 8 lawyers.

The plaintiffs plan to call two other witnesses today: Ilan Meyer, a Columbia University expert on mental health impacts on gay couples from discrimination, and Helen Zia, a lesbian who was able to marry before Proposition 8 was approved by the voters in 2008.. . . .

9:51 a.m.: Economist: Gay marriage would bring $35M a year to S.F.

San Francisco economist Edmund Egan has finished up questioning from the plaintiffs side, estimating at one point that the city and county could realize more than $35 million per year if same-sex couples could marry because of revenue from weddings, hotels, sales tax and so forth as a result of those ceremonies. The estimate was based largely on about 5,000 marriages that took place in San Francisco in 2008, before Proposition 8 went into effect. Egan is now under cross-examination from Proposition 8 lawyer Peter Patterson, who is questioning Egan's assumptions, including the fact the economist hasn't weighed the financial benefits of domestic partnerships.

Friday, December 4, 2009

UPDATE: Verdict has been reached in Amanda Knox case | The News is NowPublic.com



Guilty on all counts.  


UPDATE: Verdict has been reached in Amanda Knox case | The News is NowPublic.com

Knox summoned to midnight court in Perugia ( 6 pm EST) for verdict.



WASHINGTON, DC –Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) issued the following statement on Amanda Knox's guilty verdict decided today by an Italian court in Perugia, Italy. Knox, a 22-year-old Seattle native, was accused of murdering her British school roommate Meredith Kercher in November 2007. Knox stood trial with co-defendant and former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito.
Senator Cantwell's statement:
"I am saddened by the verdict and I have serious questions about the Italian justice system and whether anti-Americanism tainted this trial. The prosecution did not present enough evidence for an impartial jury to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Ms. Knox was guilty. Italian jurors were not sequestered and were allowed to view highly negative news coverage about Ms. Knox. Other flaws in the Italian justice system on display in this case included the harsh treatment of Ms. Knox following her arrest; negligent handling of evidence by investigators; and pending charges of misconduct against one of the prosecutors stemming from another murder trial.
I am in contact with the U.S. Ambassador to Italy and have been since the time of Ms. Knox's arrest. I will be conveying my concerns to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. I have also been in touch with the Embassy of Italy in Washington, DC.

New Jersey : Full Senate to vote on gay marriage Dec. 10 | The News is NowPublic.com


New Jersey : Full Senate to vote on gay marriage Dec. 10 | The News is NowPublic.com

Under New Influence