Kindness

Methinks the term lion-heart normally refers to someone who is brave in battle. In rememberance of the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, I offer an alternative meaning. A friend, Michael, forwarded this to me: The two guys reared lion from a baby in England but the authorities would not allow them to keep it once it reached maturity. They were forced to give it up - took it back to Africa, and placed it in a wildlife sanctuary. A year later they went to see the lion, but were told it would not remember them.

Female Lion Remembers Old Friends - Watch more free videos The experts obviously didn't know what they were talking about. Btw, Happy Vernal Equinox everyone! What do they say about March? In like a lion and out like a lamb?

Gillian Gibbons, the British teacher in Sudan who was sentenced to 15 days in jail for allowing children to name a teddy bear “Mohammed”, was freed on Dec 3rd, after being held for 8 days. Under Sudanese law, the court could have sentenced her to as much as 40 lashes and 6 months in prison.  While there were scary, hateful people in the streets calling for her blood, it was obvious that the court itself did not relish the situation and was trying to find a middle way to appease the angry mobs while still upholding what is just.

In every country, there are always scary, hateful people.  It was comforting to see that the Sudanese legal system did not reflect that.

But what really touched me in all of this was the bravery shown by some of the Sudanese parents of the school kids, standing by Ms. Gibbons and testifying on her behalf  despite the angry furor, and the reaction of Gillian Gibbons herself.  She had every right to bear a grudge, yet in an interview after her release, there was no sign of resentment.  Only gratitude towards those who helped her.  She "praised the bravery of her pupils' parents who had volunteered to back her in court and thanked her teaching assistant who actually did so."

And went on to say that "The Sudanese people are wonderful, warm and generous people. You can't hold a whole nation to blame for the actions of a few."

Silliness.  Kindness.  It's definitely a moment!

Clowns KKKick KKK ass!

Monday May 28, 2007 16:25

by Chris Irwin - Three Rivers Earth First!

FROM THE NEWSWIRE: Knoxville rejects Nazis and Klan.

Saturday May 26th the VNN Vanguard Nazi/KKK group attempted to host a hate rally to try to take advantage of the brutal murder of a white couple for media and recruitment purposes. 

Unfortunately for them the 100th ARA (Anti Racist Action) clown block came and handed them their asses by making them appear like the asses they were.

Alex Linder the founder of VNN and the lead organizer of the rally kicked off events by rushing the clowns in a fit of rage, and was promptly arrested by 4 Knoxville police officers who dropped him to the ground when he resisted and dragged him off past the red shiny shoes of the clowns. 

“White Power!” the Nazi’s shouted, “White Flour?” the clowns yelled back running in circles throwing flour in the air and raising separate letters which spelt “White Flour”.

“White Power!” the Nazi’s angrily shouted once more, “White flowers?” the clowns cheers and threw white flowers in the air and danced about merrily.

“White Power!” the Nazi’s tried once again in a doomed and somewhat funny attempt to clarify their message, “ohhhhhh!” the clowns yelled “Tight Shower!” and held a solar shower in the air and all tried to crowd under to get clean as per the Klan’s directions.

At this point several of the Nazi’s and Klan members began clutching their hearts as if they were about to have a heart attack. Their beady eyes bulged, and the veins in their tiny narrow foreheads beat in rage. One last time they screamed “White Power!”

The clown women thought they finally understood what the Klan was trying to say. “Ohhhhh…” the women clowns said. “Now we understand…”, “WIFE POWER!” they lifted the letters up in the air, grabbed the nearest male clowns and lifted them in their arms and ran about merrily chanting “WIFE POWER! WIFE POWER! WIFE POWER!”

It was at this point that several observers reported seeing several Klan members heads exploding in rage and they stopped trying to explain to the clowns what they wanted.

Apparently the clowns fundamentally misunderstood the nature of the rally, they believed it was a clown rally and came in force to support their pointy hated brethren. To their dismay, despite their best jokes and stunts and pratfalls the Nazis and Klan refused to laugh, and indeed became enraged at the clowns misunderstanding and constant attempts to interpret the clowns instruction.

The clowns on the other hand had a great time and thought the Nazis were the funniest thing they had ever seen and the loud laughter of over 100 counter protesters greeted every attempt of the Nazis and Klan to get their message out, whatever that was.

Many of the local Knoxvillians that came to counter demonstrate had no illusions about why these out of state bad clowns with swastikas were doing in their town.

“KKK YOU CAN’T HIDE, WE CHARGE YOU WITH GENOCIDE!”

“GAY, STRAIGHT, BLACK, WHITE ONE STRUGGLE ONE FIGHT!”

“U.G.L.Y. KLAN YOU AIN’T GOT NO ALIBI, YOU UGLY, YOU UGLY”

Were just a few of the chants that the non clown counter protesters rained down upon the Nazis. The clowns interacted with the non clown protesters with glee and even participated in a chant or two, though apparently with no idea that the Nazis were indeed not clowns thinking it was just part of the show.

In the end the 20 or so sad VNNers left with their tails between their legs. At this point over 150 counter demonstraters were present. The clowns seeing how dejected and sad the Nazi’s looked began singing to cheer them up.

“hey hey hey hey, ho ho ho ho—good bye, good bye” everyone sang waving their arms in the air in unison.

After the VNNers left in their shiny SUVs to go back to Alabama and all the other states that they were from the clowns and counter demonstrators began to march out of the area chanting ‘WHOSE STREETS? OUR STREETS!”

But the cops stopped the clowns and counter protestors. “Hey, do you want an escort” an African-American police officer on a motorcycle asked. “Yes” a clown replied. “We are walking to Market Square in the center of town to celebrate.”

The police officers got in front of the now anti racist parade and blocked the entire road for the march through the heart of Knoxville. An event called imagination station was taking place and over 15,000 thousand students and their parents were in town that weekend. Many of them cheered as the clowns, Knoxvillians and counter protestors marched through the heart of Knoxville singing and laughing at the end of the Nazi’s first attempt at having a rally in Knoxville.

http://asheville.indymedia.org/article/107Clowns

I was at the airport flying back from General Assembly, tired.  It seems to me that whenever I fly nowadays something always goes wrong - a plane is delayed for whatever the reason.  If it's not weather, it's mechanical.  I don't remember it being like that.  I just want to get home.

Today it is weather in DC from the morning that has delayed this afternoon flight.  Not in the best of moods, I decided to treat myself to a slice of cheesecake.  One of the airport stands had specialty cheesecakes of different flavors.  I went for the cinnamon apple with a layer of real, thinly sliced of apple on the top, like an apple tartin, but with cheesecake.  How decadent is that?

The woman behind the counter was talking to a friend on the other side of the glass. She talked while she helped the two customers in line before me, barely looking at them, her actions clearly slowed by the conversation.  I am usually patient about such things but I was tired and thus impatient and thus annoyed.  She asked me what I wanted, still talking, barely looking at me, and reached into the case to get my order, barely looking at the pastries. Her hand paused at the smaller piece that was closer to her reach, then moved further into the case to grab the considerably larger slice.  And then she took my money and handed the cake to me, still in conversation, as if she couldn't care less.

I was considerably less grumpy, of course.  But also curious.  Her mind seemed clearly elsewhere, but something was still present enough to notice and to go the extra two inches to make a stranger's life a little sweeter.