Thanks for the Observer link--saw the Maddow piece too and have been meaning to look it up.

Just saw your reply--thanks NA!

The entire concept of "race" is only as real as we decide to make it, regardless. Racial categories are *invented* by different societies over time and so they vary drastically from one place to another and through different time periods; they simply don't have any basis in biological reality. Yes people have different skin colors and hair textures and what have you depending on the geographical origins of their ancestors, but it's the meanings that we assign to these characteristics that make up what we call "races," not the characteristics themselves. We don't talk about "quadroons" any more for heaven's sakes (heh, the spell check here doesn't even recognize the word! :)) but it was a vitally important concept a century and a half ago in the Deep South of the US.

Nidhling....? That's one heathen (I think?) term I don't know, can you help me out? Sounds useful. :)

Thanks for the references, Jason, very useful.

Meanwhile...sigh. I wonder if the fact that I'm dabbling in herbalism means I need to have the satanic spirit of basil exorcised out of me? Or maybe it's the sage, that one ALWAYS leads to trouble...;)

Bingo--same thing with the fantasy literature and music etc, they'll cite whatever's current, and they can always find SOMETHING. These days it's Harry Potter etc, earlier it was those "backwards satanic messages" on Styx albums.

Another thing I find very interesting here is the underlying assumption (similar to the Green Dragon stuff) on the WT writer's part that environmentalism is fundamentally incompatible with xianity. But while I certainly prefer a Pagan sort of "dark green religion," there's all sorts of monotheistic religious environmentalism going on out there. As Hecate noted above, this is as much about attacking environmentalism as it is about going after us specifically--and in the process they're (purposefully, I think) condemning more liberal xians who don't have a problem with sharing some of our values and (literally, in this case) giving us our space as well.

I wonder if someone should clue her in that some *white* people also worship/revere their ancestors, and that not all of the tree-worshipers are in Africa? That'd really ruin her Token Black Lady Who Says Things White Wingnuts Love to Hear schtick, though. ;)

Anyone remember the old SNL skit..."demon raisins, I REBUKE you...."

....still laughing...

No way--the wingnuts can NOT have those beaches. Not even the Pensacola ones. ;)