Arctic Drilling and Athena
Mar. 15th, 2005 06:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smokingboothttp://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&ncid=2026&e=5&u=/latimests/20050315/ts_latimes/showdownvoteapproachesonarcticdrilling
I can't believe what I am reading. This makes me feel hopeless (and this, my darlinglarians is why I say that Greed, not Religion, is what's really driving us towards destruction.) The horrible thing is, the dark side of my soul tells me that if we allow such things to happen, we deserve the results.
If anyone can suggest a course of action available to non-statesiders, I would love to hear it. Any US chums who pass by my journal and have done nothing as yet, consider the above. If you can take action in protection of this wilderness, you are doing a great favour to those of us beyond your borders who can't.
Later addendum: Just phoned the Houses of Parliament (switchboard 0207 7219 3000) who recommended either contacting the US consulate at http://www.usembassy.org.uk/ukaddres.html (0207 499 9000)
(But why would they listen or care? HOP had no answers to that...)
or contacting one's MP at http://www.faxyourmp.com
Yes, I know this latter's gone up on my lj before but it's such a good site, it's worth repeating. Problem is, what on earth can one's MP actually do? Mine seems OK (and I have sent him a fax anyway) TB keeps assuring us that there are ways of influencing matters, and we all know how reliable he is.
Time for an orphic hymn; Here's to Athena.
Only Begotten Daughter of Mnemosyne,
Blessed and fierce, explorer of the caverns,
Oh warlike Pallas, Spirit and Form,
Magnanimous and Famed, the rocky height and cool grove and shady mountains are Thy joy,
In strength of arms and with the wild Furies, the souls of mortals Thou inspires,
Agile Virgin, All-Wise, Unmarried,
Blessed and Kind, Mother of Arts, Impetuous,
Let Thy wrath descend upon the wicked, and grant Thy wisdom to the good,
The arts of strategy are Thine, Zealous Dragon, Mistress of Forms,
Destroyer of the Phlegrean Giants,
Purger of Evils, All-Victorious Queen,
Hear us, Oh Goddess, whenever we call to Thee,
Oh Much-Implored Mother of the Arts, Gray-Eyed Athena,
Give us peace and health,
Grant aid to thy votaries,
And send us necessary wealth and prosperity always.
Or, for those who like poetry to rhyme (or prefer gymnastic virgins to zealous dragons) a slightly different translation:
Only-begotten, noble race of Jove,
Blessed and fierce, who joyest in caves to rove:
O, warlike Pallas, whose illustrious kind,
Ineffable and effable we find:
Magnanimous and famed, the rocky height,
And groves, and shady mountains thee delight:
In arms rejoicing, who with Furies dire
And wild, the souls of mortals dost inspire.
Gymnastic virgin of terrific mind,
Dire Gorgon's bane, unmarried, blessed, kind:
Mother of arts, impetuous; understood,
Rage to the wicked, wisdom to the good:
Female and male, the arts of war are thine,
Fanatic, much-formed dragoness, divine:
Over the Phlegrean giants, roused to ire,
Thy coursers driving, with destruction dire.
Sprung from the head of Jove, of splendid mien,
Purger of evils, all-victorious queen.
Hear me, O Goddess, when to thee I pray,
With supplicating voice both night and day,
And in my latest hour, give peace and health,
Propitious times, and necessary wealth,
And, ever present, be thy votaries aid,
O, much implored, art's parent, blue-eyed maid.
Necessary wealth i.e, wealth we all need, surely equates to a thriving, beautiful and healthy planet, not the tumescent bulge of Bush family fortunes.
I can't believe what I am reading. This makes me feel hopeless (and this, my darling
larians is why I say that Greed, not Religion, is what's really driving us towards destruction.) The horrible thing is, the dark side of my soul tells me that if we allow such things to happen, we deserve the results.If anyone can suggest a course of action available to non-statesiders, I would love to hear it. Any US chums who pass by my journal and have done nothing as yet, consider the above. If you can take action in protection of this wilderness, you are doing a great favour to those of us beyond your borders who can't.
Later addendum: Just phoned the Houses of Parliament (switchboard 0207 7219 3000) who recommended either contacting the US consulate at http://www.usembassy.org.uk/ukaddres.html (0207 499 9000)
(But why would they listen or care? HOP had no answers to that...)
or contacting one's MP at http://www.faxyourmp.com
Yes, I know this latter's gone up on my lj before but it's such a good site, it's worth repeating. Problem is, what on earth can one's MP actually do? Mine seems OK (and I have sent him a fax anyway) TB keeps assuring us that there are ways of influencing matters, and we all know how reliable he is.
Time for an orphic hymn; Here's to Athena.
Only Begotten Daughter of Mnemosyne,
Blessed and fierce, explorer of the caverns,
Oh warlike Pallas, Spirit and Form,
Magnanimous and Famed, the rocky height and cool grove and shady mountains are Thy joy,
In strength of arms and with the wild Furies, the souls of mortals Thou inspires,
Agile Virgin, All-Wise, Unmarried,
Blessed and Kind, Mother of Arts, Impetuous,
Let Thy wrath descend upon the wicked, and grant Thy wisdom to the good,
The arts of strategy are Thine, Zealous Dragon, Mistress of Forms,
Destroyer of the Phlegrean Giants,
Purger of Evils, All-Victorious Queen,
Hear us, Oh Goddess, whenever we call to Thee,
Oh Much-Implored Mother of the Arts, Gray-Eyed Athena,
Give us peace and health,
Grant aid to thy votaries,
And send us necessary wealth and prosperity always.
Or, for those who like poetry to rhyme (or prefer gymnastic virgins to zealous dragons) a slightly different translation:
Only-begotten, noble race of Jove,
Blessed and fierce, who joyest in caves to rove:
O, warlike Pallas, whose illustrious kind,
Ineffable and effable we find:
Magnanimous and famed, the rocky height,
And groves, and shady mountains thee delight:
In arms rejoicing, who with Furies dire
And wild, the souls of mortals dost inspire.
Gymnastic virgin of terrific mind,
Dire Gorgon's bane, unmarried, blessed, kind:
Mother of arts, impetuous; understood,
Rage to the wicked, wisdom to the good:
Female and male, the arts of war are thine,
Fanatic, much-formed dragoness, divine:
Over the Phlegrean giants, roused to ire,
Thy coursers driving, with destruction dire.
Sprung from the head of Jove, of splendid mien,
Purger of evils, all-victorious queen.
Hear me, O Goddess, when to thee I pray,
With supplicating voice both night and day,
And in my latest hour, give peace and health,
Propitious times, and necessary wealth,
And, ever present, be thy votaries aid,
O, much implored, art's parent, blue-eyed maid.
Necessary wealth i.e, wealth we all need, surely equates to a thriving, beautiful and healthy planet, not the tumescent bulge of Bush family fortunes.
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Feel free to freak:-)
Date: 2005-03-16 08:16 am (UTC)I don't think it's American citizens who are the morons, just that the most powerful man in the world is a crook or an idiot or both, and I don't know how he got so much freedom to do so much damage.
I think you are absolutely right about the oil situation. Oil is finite. One day it will run out, and either we have a replacement or we don't. The answer isn't to destroy the environment in the hunt for a few more barrels, because then we face the same situation a few years down the line with the added 'bonus' of a ruined ecosystem. We need something else.
Today I'll be thinking of you and your protest. Best of luck!