THE SIOUX KILLED LIARS. WE SHOULD TOO.

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"It is said that, in the very early days,

lying was a capital offense among us.

Believing that the deliberate liar is

capable of committing any crime

behind the screen of cowardly untruth

and double-dealing, the destroyer

of mutual confidence was summarily

put to death, that the evil might

go no further."
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Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa) Santee Sioux

The Soul Of The Indian, 1911

*************

Now then, if America had such a

wise and insightful way of doing

business, we'd be rid of thousands

of worthless mortgage bankers, hedge

fund managers, lawyers, real estate

salespeople, and other similar scum.

America's lost its guts.

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THOREAU ON FISHING

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It is the old story.

The fisherman is a natural story teller.

No man's imagination plays more

pranks than his, while he is tending

his reels and trotting from one

to another, or watching his cork

in summer. He is ever waiting for

the sky to fall. He has sent out a

venture. He has a ticket in the

lottery of fate, and who knows what

it may draw? He ever expects to

catch a bigger fish yet.

He is the most patient and

believing of men [or women!].

Who else will stand so long in

wet places? When the hay maker

runs to shelter, he takes down his

pole and bends his steps to the river,

glad to have a leisure day.

He [or she] is more like an

inhabitant of nature.

The weather concerns him. He is

an observer of her phenomenona.

*

Henry David Thoreau

The River

THE PATRON SAINT OF WINDSURFING

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It's almost Summer and so it's time to

rerun the "Windsurfing Prayer" Blog

we had up last year, plus or minus

a photo or two. WHOOOSSHHH!

x

The Patron Saint of Windsurfing

by John Rutledge

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Ever been so deperate for a wind fix that you'd do just about anything--sacrifice a virgin, say a prayer to a patron saint? But virgins are scarce, their parents usually object, and exactly who is the patron saint of windsurfing anyway?

As far as I can tell, no saint has been named the official patron of windsurfing. Skaters have Saint Lidwina of Schiedam in the Netherlands (natch). Skiers have St. Bernard of Montjoux. Sailors, boatmen, and watermen have long had a patron in Saint Brendan the Navigator. St. Brendan sailed the North Atlantic with his band of monks. Possibly they even reached America. Once they stopped on a small island, lit a fire, and began to say Mass, only to discover that the island was a whale.

Maybe we should adopt St. Brendan as the patron saint of windsurfing. The patron saint of windsurfing should be used to unpleasant surprises. The American connection is good even it it's only a remote possibility. St. Brendan's day falls on May 16, timing well with the height of the windsurfing season, at least here on the East Coast.

St. Christopher is another good candidate. Since he carried the Christ Child across a stream, he has a water connection, but no wind. And St. Christopher is rather much overdone. I won't put a plastic St. Christopher on my dashboard until a wind connection is better established.Of course the Virgin Mary can be asked to bring wind, but she's used for everything. A cult of devotion to Our Lady, Star of the Sea already exists. This devotion tends to focus on perils of the sea and hardships endured by people who make their living from the sea. Maybe good for professional windsurfers, but not right for us recreational windsurfers and week-end warriors who mostly work at other jobs so we can windsurf occasionally.St. Jude might be the logical choice. The obvious connection between needing wind on weekends and "lost causes" is too painful to require any comment. St. Jude may just be your man, er. .. saint.

Maybe the ideal saint hasn't been produced yet? How many certified miracles are required for sainthood nowadays? What would qualify as a miracle in windsurfing? Yours truly makes one hundred jibes in a row in rough chop at Jordan Lake? As the result of fervent and heart-felt prayers, we have two perfect days in July at Jordan?

What should the pagans among us do? Classical Antiquity had wind gods for the four prime directions and Aeolus was their keeper-or at least he tried to keep them in order. You want a good nor'easter? Boreas, the god of the North Wind, might listen to you. We rarely see east winds around here. Perhaps we have been neglecting Eurus, god of the East Wind.Greek sailors customarily poured out a portion of wine onto the ground as a sacrifice to the wind gods before setting sail. A glass of Chateau Neuf du Pape seems a small enough price to pay for a good day of windsurfing. Sadly, we have little objective data about the effectiveness of offering wine to the wind gods. So, what's desperate windsurfer to do when he needs a wind fix? Pray!

O great Saint Brendan, grant me just two hours of good, steady windthis afternoon between 2 and 4 p.m.Did you mean Brendan of Birr or Brendan the Navigator?Brendan the Navigator, of course.Well, this is Brendan of Birr. Too bad, no wind for you today.

x

Appeared first in MindJibe May 2002

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WITH GOD ON OUR SIDE (OR NOT)

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"With God On Our Side"

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 .

Oh my name it means nothin'

My age it means less

The country I come from

Is called the Midwest

I's taught and brought up there

The laws to abide

And the land that I live in

Has God on its side.

*

Ah the history books tell it

They tell it so well

The cavalries charged

The Indians fell

The cavalries charged

The Indians died

Oh the country was young

With God on its side.

*

The Spanish-American

War had its day

And the Civil War too

Was soon laid away

And the names of the heroes

I's made to memorize

With guns on their hands

And God on their side.

*

The First World War boys

It came and it went

The reason for fighting

I never did get

But I learned to accept it

Accept it with pride

For you don't count the dead

When God's on your side.

*

When the Second World War

Came to an end

We forgave the Germans

And then we were friends

Though they murdered six million

In the ovens they fried

The Germans now too

Have God on their side.

*

I've learned to hate Russians

All through my whole life

If another war comes

It's them we must fight

To hate them and fear them

To run and to hide

And accept it all bravely

With God on my side.

*

But now we got weapons

Of the chemical dust

If fire them we're forced to

Then fire them we must

One push of the button

And a shot the world wide

And you never ask questions

When God's on your side.

*

In a many dark hour

I've been thinkin' about this

That Jesus Christ

Was betrayed by a kiss

But I can't think for you

You'll have to decide

Whether Judas Iscariot

Had God on his side.

*

So now as I'm leavin'

I'm weary as Hell

The confusion I'm feelin'

Ain't no tongue can tell

The words fill my head

And fall to the floor

If God's on our side

He'll stop the next war.

Bob Dylan

From The Times They Are A-Changin' Album, 1964

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