What To Say? How About More Meme Questions?

It's 5:30 am and I'm in a time crunch. Yeah ... I know that's a bit ridiculous. How can I be in a time crunch when it isn't even 6:00 am yet, and when I usually don't leave for work until at least 7:00 am? Well, after what seemed like a billion emails in my in-box this morning, I'm brain dead already. The morning has just started and I'm brain dead. This doesn't bode well for my day. But it does open the door to another bout with the 366-Day-Meme. So, I'm going to grab another 10 from January - walking slowly through the multitude = LOL. 

I grew up in the days of rotary phones similar to this one. When
digital phones and cell phones became available, and when
our cell phones became computers in their own rights, I was
hooked. I love my cellphone - can't imagine life without it. 

11 Have you ever been asked for your telephone number and you didn't want to give it? What did you do?

My usual on this one is to give a really old number, or just invent something - after all, how hard can spinning seven (or ten) numbers really be? I've had a lot of phone numbers in my life before finally settling on a great cell phone number which I've kept for more than a decade. 


12 Have you ever had a “crush” on a fictional character?

Of course. Although not a "romantic" crush as much as an "I need this person in my life" crush. Gandalf - of course - because he was the father I always wanted, the friend I never realized I had missed, and the companion with a quirky sense of humor that I realized I needed. 




13 What are your favorite pizza toppings?

Cheese - lots of cheese, and I love the standards - pepperoni, Italian sausage and lots of peppers of all kinds. I also love olives. In some cases, I'll also go with the pineapple and ham version of pizza, but just if I'm ordering a personal pizza for myself since that flavor combo isn't shared by my significant other. 


14 Who was your very first best friend? Are you still in contact or communication with them?

My very first very best friend was actually my cousin - Missy. We grew up across the street from each other. Our mothers were "Sisters From Different Mothers" the way good friends can be, and we were practically joined at the hip from the time we were babies. She moved back to Colorado a few years ago. If I ever get back to the state for a visit, I'll absolutely be visiting her and her horses while I'm there. And yes, we're absolutely still in touch with each other. 

How could anyone not want a Gandalf in
their lives. Sage, if obscure advice, a sharp
sword when needed, and a wicked sense of
humor. Drop the pipe smoking, and you've
got a perfect companion. 

15 If you could pick a new first name, what would you choose?

I always wanted the slightly fancier version of my name - Alexandra instead of Sandra. Still, I'm grateful for my mother's common sense in my name - Dad's choice of name was abandoned when I entered Middle School, never to appear again. No - I won't tell you what it was. 

16 What is your favorite board game?

I despise board games, but if I had to play one, it would probably be "Monopoly". I really don't do games, unless they're on-line ones. 

This ancient photo is my cousin Missy, her older brother
David, and me. I'm quite sure I wasn't much older than
six years old at this point, which would make David
seven or so, and Missy five. 

17 What self-care things do you find helpful to ground yourself or “talk yourself down from the ledge” when you’re overwhelmed by your feelings or by stress?

I'm always semi-overwhelmed by stress, but music and my computer (and e-books - always e-books) are lifelines for me. My on-line friends have lived through depressive episodes with me before, but I usually bounce back relatively quickly - sometimes with new cracks in my armor, but also new plates and rivets to re-enter the battlefield. 


18 What is the most extreme weather you have ever experienced?

I remember a torrential rainstorm that hit Denver when I was a child. Dad and I were at the local library and when we left, we were driving through streets that were roaring rivers. I was terrified. 

I am a trained Pipe Carrier for the Lakota Oyate and I do take
that responsibility seriously. I worked underneath the tutelage
of my brother for more than a decade. Once the responsibility
is accepted, it cannot be set aside. 

19 Do you operate out of any particular faith system that informs your actions? Do you intentionally NOT have a faith system, and if so, what beliefs or ideas inform your actions?

My faith system is very much an individual thing, honed through years of fine-tuning and teachings from Spiritual Leaders of various faiths. I suppose, if I entitle it, it would be more Native American Red Road than anything else, but it's tempered with so much else that it doesn't walk that straight Red Road at all. I can still do what's needed in Circle, though, and I'm still a Pipe Carrier - I won't abrogate that responsibility. 


20 When you go to a fancy coffee shop, what’s your go-to order?

I'm afraid I'm rather boring - my favorite is a Cafe Americano with one or two packs of artificial sweetener. I like the fancier drinks, but I think the prices are ridiculous, and I'd rather spend the money on more books. So, I drink tea at home, brewed coffee at restaurants, and spend the fancy coffee money on reading materials. 


So - there we have it - the next 20 prompts for January. There are LOTS of prompts left in the 366, so another day, another set. In the meantime, have a wonderful and happy Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Halloween is Coming - Thoughts About Worship

We're past Labor Day in the United States, and that means that our media is full of commercials for things occurring in the fall. Primary among these are the new television season beginning next week (new shows - yawn, continuations of older shows - some are OK) and the next holiday - Halloween.

It's almost time for kids to go "Trick or Treat" at your doorway. Sure, there's
still more than a month before Halloween, but if you're making their
costumes, it's time to pull out the fabric and sewing machine. 

For those who are Pagan, Halloween is a seminal holiday - a holiday that is not an equinox or a solstice such as we will celebrate next week when we celebrate the Autumnal Equinox. Most of the mid-seasonal celebrations go on with a wave, a smile, an extra offering on the altar if one is kept, and sometimes a small gathering. But for Halloween the world seems to celebrate.

Carved pumpkins are indicative of Halloween throughout the USA. Why
carve a pumpkin? Well, I suppose it's better than the turnip or
rutabaga of historical records. 

As I was seeing yet another commercial for costumes this morning as I was catching up on my emails and watching the 4:00 am repeat of "Law and Order", it occurred to me that without children embracing Halloween as a nation-wide costume ball, we might be more aware of the longer-held beliefs in the thinning curtain between good and evil that take place at the turning of October into November. After all, All Hallow's Eve is followed by All Souls's Day - the ghosts are driven out by the choral voices at the closest cathedral.

Castles had their gibbets, crossroads had their hanging
trees or frameworks. 

In ancient times, Halloween was a time to avoid places of danger - crossroads, confluences of water, and intersections of ley lines. Criminals were executed at crossroads and, sometimes, their bodies were placed in gibbets or left hanging by the noose to warn others that retribution was swift and harsh in the area. It was a simple "No Trespassing" sign that communicated a message graphically.

The great cathedrals, this one in Lincolnshire, England, were built to
inspire the people to cast their eyes upward towards God. The architecture
draws the eyes upward as well as toward the central altar. 

There were also signs for the other side - the godly side. These were the stained glass windows and arched vaults of the cathedral - raising the eyes of the congregation towards heaven. The liturgy was performed in Latin, a language foreign to most of the peasants in the pews or standing in the wings. It almost placed an aura of magic over the familiar ceremony and also led to a social gap between the priest performing the Mass and those listening to the strange words and not allowed to stand at the altar.

The Pharaoh would walk through the temple columns to
offer his gifts to the god - hoping it would be well received.
When the god turned away from him, the floods wouldn't
come or would be too strong, either way causing famine
in the realm.  

Ceremonies separating those performing religious rites and those attending them seems to have always been present, even back in Egyptian times when Pharaoh brought his offerings to the priests of Amun and the sun entered the Chamber of the God.  I believe worship and the trappings thereof are your personal choice. I choose to keep my celebrations private and personal. If there is a deity, they understand, if there isn't, what do I lose?

Many pagans or individual worshipers following personal pathways will set
up altars. This one is quite nice with the female to the left and the
horned male on the right. Don't look for any altars in my house - I don't have one
of my own. 

So start shopping for that Halloween candy, start dressing the kiddies up as ladybugs, princesses, pirates or their latest superhero fixation, and don't forget to stay away from crossroads in a little more than a month. Such a rambling post, today is. That's what happens when I have a bit of time. Now to find some quick pictures and get going to the gym. Happy weekend to all and don't forget to clean your house to prepare for the Equinox and the Jewish holiday next week.

Je Suis Charlie Abounds

Yesterday's postings by friends, fellow writers and others I'm in touch with throughout the world abounded with signage and discussion of the terrorist actions taken at Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France. Make no mistake about it - this was the action of fanatic terrorists who refused to allow viewpoints other than their own to be accessible and who penalized a magazine for printing items they considered heretical. And so, once again, religion has been tarnished by those who kill under its banner.

Within hours signs of Je Suis Charlie were popping up in pictures
and on posts throughout the world. 

The internet and social media responded to the news of the shootings at Charlie Hebdo. Je Suis Charlie signs cropped up everywhere. Speeches were made, blogs were written, sorrow was felt, and I'm absolutely sure there will be repercussions of this massacre in future laws. But let's not lose sight of the fact that this was an individual act of fanaticism and terrorism.  Let's also not lose sight of the fact that similar acts are being taken every day in other places throughout the world, often under the banner of Islam. It's a very sad thing when a religion gets tainted by political fanaticism. Suddenly what was argued in schools of religious education is brought into the world stage through misplaced actions designed to produce fear.

There are lots of ways to die. Most of them aren't very pleasant and when
they are tied up with religious persecution, they can be downright awful. 

Do these actions produce fear? Certainly. I wouldn't want a semi-automatic facing me. I also wouldn't want to be put in front of a firing squad, beheaded, pushed into a shower to be gassed, or be strapped to a stake with faggots of wood at my feet and torches nearby. Yet these things have happened in the past to those who practiced various religions/ The perpetrators have been governments and some individuals who practice established platforms of religious intolerance. It's easy to make a scapegoat of those who are different. The murderers at Charlie Hebdo just cut another facet onto a multi-faceted stone.

What are your fears? Terrorism is just one of many. 

So yes, acts of terrorism can produce fear, but the individual fanatic usually won't change history. Most people will continue trying to live their lives to the best of their ability. They will attend their churches, synagogues and temples. They will try to raise good children who care for and about others, and they will attempt to conduct their daily business with honesty. They will pray to their own variety of god for those who lost their lives, and maybe for those who took them. But when the individual fanatic controls politics - then it's time to be very afraid. That's what seems to be happening now.

Does Death greet us? Or is he just one more construct? 

It all comes down to death. That great unknown. There is no Trip Advisor for death. It is the one place everyone goes and the one place no-one truly knows anything about. What happens? Do we see and embrace our deceased loved ones? Do we join motes of energy or matter streaming through the universe? Are we confined in a large hall? Are there multitudes of virgins awaiting the modern day warriors, rather like Valhalla awaited those judged worthy in Norse societies? Maybe. Maybe not. But this single unknown requires a guide - God or Spirit or whatever - to meet, greet and teach us. This guide and the concept of the hereafter is one of the foundations of most world religions.

We all want to be welcomed by our deity of choice after death, but
those pearly gates? ... well ... I have my doubts about that. 

The desire to propitiate a deity and live the way that we've been told they desire can dictate life choices. These choices often have a basis in a fear of the afterlife, even if that fear isn't recognized or expressed. Me? I wonder what will happen if those who slaughtered the staff of Charlie Hebdo meet up with their victims after their own deaths. What will they say to one another? What will their deity(s) say?

Motivation? What is That?

I have two stories pending and I just can't get excited about either one. Of course, there's no requirement to be excited about a story to write it. Often the excitement won't come in the initial words, but afterward during the editing process or even later still, after re-reading an older piece and realizing that it was much better than I had remembered. But it doesn't change the fact that I have two pieces to work on and I'm forcing myself to pull up the files.

I need to get my excitement back or these two stories
won't end up getting written on time. 

Maybe part of that lack of desire to deal with writing is because I'm generally tired and worn down. I have no real reason to feel that way, I'm just generally lackluster and borderline depressed. I know myself - I'll push through this miasma and get back into the sunlight again - but it doesn't change my current reality. I'll have to check a calendar and see when these writings are due. I can often push myself into more productive work when deadlines are breathing down my neck.

Melting snow at this time of the year often will allow fog and mist
to rise from the roadways. It's almost magical. 

At least the snow has come and gone. Yesterday's roads were a real mess in the morning - slippery and snow-filled. The parking lots weren't much better, forcing me to be very careful as I walked from my car into the shop. But by the time I left work last night, most of the snow and ice had melted, the streets were clear and DH had shoveled my driveway. With a northern exposure, we're stuck. It's either shovel or live with ice and ruts. We shovel.

I love the logo of the Minnesota Wild. Is it a bear? Or a cougar? Or is
it even a real animal? The Wild have never said, but it's colorful and
really nicely designed. 

The Stanley Cup Playoffs have started and DH was glued to the TV yesterday. It's a long playoff season, but the first games have now been played and my Minnesota Wild fell in the first game to my Colorado Avalanche. Wait just a minute ... MY Wild and MY Avalanche? Yes - my two beloved states are meeting in this round. But in this match-up, I'm actually weighing in a bit heavier for the Minnesota team instead of the Colorado team (unlike my allegiances during football season). The Wild lost in an overtime game. Game 2 is scheduled for tonight.

Good Friday is actually rather somber because Christians world-wide
are actually celebrating a tortuous death.

Today is Good Friday and many people will celebrate at a variety of churches and cathedrals throughout the world. Earlier this week, Passover was honored. Often the two celebrations don't coincide, but this year the stars aligned and the celebration of the Last Supper actually happened close to Pesach. A bit amazing in a way. For those of my friends who celebrate either of these religious festivities, I hope your Passover was joy-filled and that your Easter will be shared with loved ones and some great food.

Passover is one celebration that I remember with great enjoyment. 

My pagan friends sometimes wonder about how I can be comfortable with the celebrations of Christianity and Judaism, but that's pretty easy. I know those two belief systems intimately.  I was raised as a 'comfortable' Jew. My parents celebrated the aspects of Judaism that were comfortable for them - Passover mostly. We didn't attend services, nor did we celebrate the High Holy Days or other celebrations, but Passover was actually celebrated fairly often with friends and extended family.

Easter is not just bunnies and egg hunts. It has its roots in a religious
celebration of life over death. Given that death is usually feared by each one
of us at some point in our lives, having someone/something saying "Don't
worry, there is life continuing after death," is reassuring. 

As for Easter - I explored a variety of religions while growing up and throughout my adult life. In US society, one cannot explore religion without examining the large variety of Christian beliefs. I attended Christian services in Baptist, Lutheran, and Catholic denominations and I have celebrated and toured some of the most marvelous buildings and cathedrals erected to celebrate Jesus Christ. Yet, after all of that, I found that I couldn't walk this path and I returned to what sings for me.

I'll continue to listen to the voice of Spirit in those who share the world
with us - the trees and animals, the breeze and running waters, and
the Song that underlies all life. 

For me, the Breath of Life is in the larger world. I admire the driven talent that soars in the spires of cathedrals throughout the world, but I'll continue to celebrate the trees and the breeze that allow them to sing in the voice of Creation. Have a Blessed holiday season, whatever and wherever you choose to be.

Happy Christmas

Although I don't celebrate Christmas, my DH does and many of my friends do. I am well aware of the beauty of the story of the Holy Birth, as well as the teachings that this child taught as he was growing up. There's a LOT of very good stuff there. So as you settle down with friends and family, or just watch the lights or the snow during these next two days, try to remember the good teachings of Christ and put them into your own life. Things like respect, love, caring for others, and forgiveness. Those are teachings worth putting into all of our lives, no matter what religious faith you may follow.  Happy Christmas to all.

Here is a tree under which you can place your gifts.

Here is a Christmas Church for your gathered worship. 

And here is a lovely Christmas Nativity as painted by Gerard van Honthorst
for your viewing pleasure. 

May you have a blessed Christmas. I'll be back on the 26th.

"Holiday" Weekend Thoughts

Today is Good Friday and the stock market is closed. Huh? America was founded by Christians who were trying to begin new lives and worship in new ways. OK, I get that. But one of the standards of this nation is what's called "separation of Church and State". When it comes down to it though, the nation as a whole only shuts down on two days each year - Christmas and Easter Sunday. Religious holidays of the Christian faith.

Crucifixion is a nasty, painful, tortuous death which nobody deserved.
I like the paintings of the old masters so thought I would share
this one with you on this Good Friday.

There isn't a corresponding shut-down of services and businesses on Yom Kippur or Rosh Hashanah, the holiest days for the Jewish faith. You don't get federal shut downs on the first or last days of Ramadan, the birthday of the Buddha or the four solar indices - Solstice and Equinox - for those walking the pagan pathways. No, the only time the US totally shuts down is on the Christian holidays of Easter and Christmas.

I don't actually have a problem with this - I get the days off too and sometimes, rarely, I join my extended family for a nice meal. It just irks me a little bit because I supposedly live in a land that is not driven by any specific religious belief. Hooey! The US is largely Christian-driven no matter what fine words and philosophies are spoken. All I ask is equal respect. I respect your religious beliefs, in fact I know and understand them quite well having studied them for many years. I ask that you give equal respect to the fact that I follow a different spiritual pathway.

Respect should be easy, right?

Metallic Seed Bead Splendor is due to be published next month.

One more quick note before I sign off and return to reading the transcript from the US Supreme Court hearing on the DOMA law. For many years I had a friend named Nancy Zellers. She was an artist - a creative person whose flame would light up the room. She had an infectious smile and a rapier wit. She had fought off cancer once several years ago. But a little more than two years ago her cancer returned and this week, on Tuesday, she left us and the world is suddenly poorer. Her husband let a group of us know about this late yesterday and I've been reading through tears all morning. So here's to you, Nancy. I loved sharing my life with you and I know you're forging ahead, brightening souls with your vision in new dimensions and places. I'll miss you - heck...I already do.

We Have a Pope...Oh Goodie!

So, we have a Pope again. The smoke pouring from the Sistine Chapel was white and a dark horse, a cardinal from Argentina had been chosen. Not only is he a non-European pope, he chose a name that has never been picked before - Francis.

Pope Francis. I wish I felt better about his policies.

Now, I love St Francis of Assisi. What's not to like? The statues and pictures show a humble man in a cassock surrounded by happy birds and baby animals. St Francis was cool with the fur and feather bunch. Hopefully the new Pope, who is no youngling at age 76, can become popular with the human contingent while discussions about the two seagulls perched on the smokestack top have me laughing this morning.

Saint Francis was a friend to the feathered and furred. Now...will Pope
Francis be a friend to the people?

He inherits a church deeply scarred by pedophilia and other abuses, as well as divided by issues like the ordination of women and homosexual marriage. He has a long platform behind him of denial of homosexual marriage rights and I doubt he will change that. So once more, while trying to discuss the issue with my DH (something that I really should know better than to ever talk about with him) we argued. He is dogmatic and firm in his denial of marriage rights for non-heterosexual couples, I am adamant that Gay Rights are Civil Rights and that religious marriage is up to the individual church/denomination but that the legal rights should not be withheld.

So after ranting about how the government is taking away his choices he barricaded himself in the upstairs bedroom watching on-demand stuff for the night while I watched my ghost shows downstairs in the computer room. He's like a stone - firm and hard, but the world is like a river and eventually the water will turn the stone into mud.

Eventually opposition will be worn away, but it's uncomfortable
while the battles are being fought.

Yesterday was my day off and I toured one of the local health clubs - actually very nice but I don't think I can do anything about joining and getting my money's worth until after I have retired, so that's back burner. After groceries and errands I pulled out my pastels and while doing laundry, continued colorizing the inks I had already prepared for CB's Big Bang. I had so much fun! Three more panels have now been colored with one more to go, then a photo montage and finally a pencil/charcoal piece that I will start later this week. Oh...and chapter headings, but I already have an idea for that. It's all coming together and it's so much fun!

LA Fitness is a nationwide company with a large location
very near my home. I'm so tempted...I really miss belonging
to a health club.

Have fun today. Choose something that you love doing and allow yourself at least 30 minutes to do it. We all need something positive in our lives....

Snow, Food and Cardinals

There are absolute benefits living in the snow belt, one of which is that we know how to deal with and drive in snow, and another of which is that we know that snowstorms are temporary and move on. In this case we are sending the massive storm we've had for the past two days east, because we are generous and giving people.

It was a medium weight snow and settled nicely onto the branches and trees.

Actually, I really feel for those of you who will still be getting snow from this system. It was a total PITA storm. Yesterday it took my DH and I combined more than 45 minutes to shovel the 6" of overnight snow from our driveway. It took DH all day to do the rest of the shoveling that he does and get the snow pulled down from three different roofs. He was a hurting boy by the end of the day, but still cooked up some Sloppy Joes for a surprise dinner. So good, and such a sweetie.

I love Sloppy Joes. Not sure what these are? I put a recipe in a click link above.

The Cardinals have started gathering in Vatican City. No...not the birds. They are gathering here in my trees, laughing at us as we shovel the snow. No, I'm talking about the people who will shortly declare Conclave and begin the process of choosing a new Pope. This picture has been floating around and I asked a friend to send it to me so that I could share with all of you.

I hope this comes through large enough for you to read each
candidate's name and national alignment.

In this season of March Madness (which is a term used in the US for the College Basketball Finals - great games!), I thought it was rather hilarious to put the Papal candidates into a bracket breakdown by geographical zone as the picture shows. Go ahead and indulge yourself with speculation...who will win the privilege to wear the white and the crazy hat?

Pope, Pups and Parties

Pope Benedict, the "German Shepherd", threw the world a curve ball yesterday by announcing his retirement from the papacy effective February 28, 2013. No pope has retired from their job since the 1500's - a very long time ago, so the tongues are wagging.

Come on, people. Pope Benny is old! And he's sick! And he's probably really tired. Now I fully understand that this is a job where you die wearing the white miter, but apparently he feels that poor health won't serve the world's Roman Catholics, and I have to admire his choice. I don't like Pope Benny, he is no John Paul II. He's too intransigent and old-school for my taste, but he's done a good job and who's to say that the person the College of Cardinals choose to take over will do any better? One thing this will allow is an orderly transfer of power. So, here's to you, Pope Benny. I hope you have an opportunity to enjoy your retirement for a while.

These seven dogs were the group winners of 2012. The

Pekingese was the 2012 winner.

The 137th annual Westminster Dog Show is going on now. I was too exhausted last night to watch the final group judging, and all four of the finalists in the Herding Group were among my favorite dogs, so I was sad that I was too tired to watch. But the final three groups will be judged tonight and then there will be the Best in Show judging to end the show. So if you don't want to watch the State of the Union address or a boring sit-com, you might consider watching the doggies on CNBC instead.  Here are photos of the four group winners so far...

The winner for the Hound group - the American Foxhound

The winner in the Toy group was the Affenpinscher

The Non-sporting group winner was the Bichons Frises

And finally, the winner of the Herding group was

the Old English Sheepdog

Finally, party on New Orleans. Today is Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday. Today it is time to party as if it was 1999 or as if you won't awaken tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.

I know that some of you may wonder, given the discussion about the Pope above followed by Lent here why I, a pagan, really give a darn about any of this. I have always been a student of comparative religions throughout my life - one of the major reasons why I walk a pagan pathway. I also am married to a nominal Roman Catholic man who picks and chooses the path he walks on in very odd and unusual ways. But they work for him. I find organized religion fascinating, and I also know the immense impact that Catholicism has left on history for the past 2000 years. As a student of history, I have to also acknowledge this and pay attention to the Church. So...Party On :-)

Isn't Life Crazy?

Yesterday the East Coast of the US got slammed with a storm that they were calling Nemo. So, a small fish that has delighted children for years will now be associated with traffic accidents, loss of power and long hours of shoveling and snow blowing. Well done, whoever thought of this name for the storm. You have warped children's thoughts of "Finding Nemo" forever more. I hope those of you affected by this storm are safe and warm today.

But this wasn't the only news of merit for the day. Friday was also the day that sentencing came down in the Amish beard-cutting trial. Now, for those who might not be aware of this particular crime and those affected, let me give you a bit of background.

There are Amish communities throughout the US, so

I'm not guaranteeing that every pic below is from this

particular Ohio community, but the lifestyle of each

group is quite similar.

The Amish people are a pocket religious group who live several places in the US including this community in the state of Ohio where this crime took place. They are a Christian-based group who eschew modern inventions and try to live in rhythm with and close to the land. They use horses for transportation and in their farming, and they don't use the telephone or other modern electronic technologies. This particular group believes that women should leave their hair uncut (and covered) and men should grow their beards when they marry. Beards are one of many outward signs of the Amish (their clothing is also quite distinctive).

Samuel Mullet, Sr.

Samuel Mullet, Sr. was accused of running a cult because of the extreme control he held over hisfamily and extended family. He was the patriarch of the family and his word was law, at least for the fifteen people named in the court case with him. Those in the family who have already been tried received sentences ranging from one year (the women) to up to seven years (the men). Not all trials in this case have been completed yet. But Samuel Mullet, Sr, a 67-year-old deeply religious man who was accused of a hate crime was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for the crime of cutting the beards off several community men.

Samuel Mullet, Sr and the other defendants in the case.

The prosecutor and Justice Department presented this case as a hate crime based on religious differences between two splinter groups. The government said the attacks were retaliation against Amish who had defied or denounced Mullet's authoritarian hold over the splinter group he started in 1995. The government asked for a life sentence for Samuel Mullet, Sr., the defense asked for two years. Because this was a hate crime and presented as such, the jury agreed that religious differences were the reason for the attack which made this a First Amendment case.

Amish women entering the courtroom.

Do I agree with this sentence? Whether I agree or not makes no difference. What is important is one statement that the District Judge said. He stated "The victims were terrorized and traumatized," and noted that the same constitution that exempts the Amish community from jury service and gives them the right to pull their children from school when they reach age 14 was turned against the victims. "Each of you has received the benefits of that First Amendment."

The Amish lifestyle can be hard, but there is joy in

jobs performed well and the surrounding family and

faith. Those members I've met in my life have been

respectful and friendly.

Turning his back on the fact that the freedom to practice his faith allowed others in his small community to practice theirs as they also saw fit has now caused Samuel Mullet, Sr to be sentenced to a crime that will likely see him die behind bars. A simple crime of cutting the beards of those men who spoke against him has ended his freedom completely. Freedom is a bell that swings both ways and which has a clarion call spreading out throughout this nation. Something to think about on this snowy day.