Friday, August 27, 2021

Afghanistan Oh Afghanistan

 As the US nears the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, as the world cringes over the evolving human rights disaster in Afghanistan, RantWoman finds this chart both tragic and illuminating.

Afghan casualties over time from The Economist

Bar Chart: the long war in the Hindukush
Bar Chart: comments in text










Commenting unencumbered by full explanation, bar chart showing deaths in thousands of Afghan civilians, Afghan military, us troops, and allied troops from2001 to 2021.


Civilian deaths steadily about 3000 / year since about 2010.

Deaths of Afghan forces increase from about 1000 / year in 2007 to about 12,000 in 2020.

Deaths of US forces declined from a few hundred in 2009 to almost none in recent years. 


RantWoman has NO information about military strategy or campaigns, RantWoman only speculates: if Afghan forces were taking that many casualties several years running WITH US air support (drone strikes?) RantWoman finds it completely unsurprising that they had no interest in fighting after a US withdrawal. 


Only SOME of the Light to be found at Waging Nonviolence

What a truly humanitarian response in Afghanistan would look like.

PRogressive openings as US empire declines?


RantWoman will stop there for now.

Thursday, August 26, 2021

Fruits of ....

 RantWoman continues Twitter faithfulness in the form of the #CivicsForLauren hashtag.


RantWoman learned recently in a breakout room that an FCNL Advocacy Team member is having an impact.


And RantWoman connected with The Colorado Sun and this item about homelessness in National Forests, topical possible for family reasons.

Colorado Sun article about homeless people in National Forests


RantWoman will continue a ministry of Holding in the Light.

Library Fellowship: Funeral Liturgy Saturday August 28, 2 pm

Friends who remember Sandra Smith are invited to a Funeral Liturgy at St. Marks (Episcopal) Cathedral on 10th Ave. in Seattle or on the St. Mark's Livestream  RantWoman has it on reliable authority that the event will be livestreamed but cannot at this moment find a link.


Sandy died of a breast cancer recurrence, not of COVID in July. RantWoman hopes she is as well loved at St. Mark's as she was at UFM.


Sandy always had a smile and was ready to relate to people, one of those cheerful extroverts who always astound RantWoman in terms of cheerfulness and relateability. 


One of Sandy's biggest gifts to UFM was to be kind of one of the anchors of fellowship in the library. She was one of three or four people there most Sundays sharing lively conversation and care. That was a gift of its time. 


One of the other library regulars Henry Bernstein passed away a few months ago, not of COVID and the library fellowship has already been on RantWoman's mind mind because of that.


The world has one less smile  RantWoman sends condolences to Sandy's wife Mary and everyone close to her. May Sandy's memory never fade and may we all find solace  as life goes on without her physical presence.


Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Fourth Saturday Worship New Time 4 pm while we stay virtual

Black and white artichoke image
Artichoke: a
 vegetable with a heart

Why is this artichoke here? 

Can you find praying hands? 

Can you think layers of sustenance?

 Please join us for Fourth Saturday Worship in the manner of Friends

Join Zoom Meeting

Fourth Saturday Worship Zoom Link

Meeting ID: 859 4336 5336

Passcode: 665344

One tap mobile

+12532158782,,85943365336#,,,,*665344# US (Tacoma)

+13462487799,,85943365336#,,,,*665344# US (Houston)


Dial by your location

        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)



Seeds for Meditation this month.

The beginning of the school year. Return to in-person learning at most schools, colleges, universities. What are Friends hopes and trepidations? 

What are we called to do--including wear masks--to protect others as well as ourselves?


Current events / Anniversaries

August19 was the 30th anniversary of events in Moscow that were a catalyst for the collapse of the Soviet Union.


September 11, 2021 will be the 20th Anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center

When Someone sticks a microphone in your face

Please particularly note the link to a contemporary article in the Seattle Weekly.


More or less the same thoughts as above


Should Friends hold some kind of worship for lamentation?


Finally, Johan Maurer on Afghanistan

How can Friends build awareness of history, history of the region, history of the US as well as contemporary concerns such as women's / human rights and competition for control of mineral resources into our daily walk seeking peace and flourishing for all of humanity?

Monday, August 23, 2021

Today in Worships...

 


This is the day the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice ... in it.


RantWoman is not quite sure about glad except for one moment below.


Wash the brain out and  eventually get to sleep.

RantWoman needed to wash her brain out with sacred music of some kind. Sometimes the Compline service at St. Marks speaks to RantWoman more than others. Tonight was on the more end: no shortage of reminders why RantWoman is a Quaker, but also moments that speak to RantWoman. Because RantWoman cannot maintain entirely serious thouht for more than a few second at time, RantWoman's mind also wandered as the livestream camera panned both worshippers in pews and the choir. RantWoman think two choir members may have been performing barefoot and tonight can offer no opinion about how many choristers wear glasses.

Compline on the 13th Sunday after Pentecost | August 22, 2021 | Saint Mark's, Seattle from Saint Mark's Cathedral Seattle on Vimeo.


Can't you just assign .. priority service from RantWoman's always oversubscribed and underfulfilling flogging bureau?

A friend called to confess to RantWoman about Schaudenfreude when virulently anti-vax politicians wind up gasping for air in health care systems that were already overburdened before COVID. Schaudenfreude was the least of it. This friend was suggesting all sorts of gruesome fates for both public figures and their children. Does one say "Get thee to a Quaker meeting because you probably are not alone in your struggle over such thoughts? Does one just bark "Leave the kids out of it, okay?" Priority placement on the flogging bureau waitlist is not the same as patiently laboring with .. to win over hearts and minds but around the RantWoman inner blowtorch, the flogging bureau waitlist is at least trying to hold in the Light.



Wisdom from Twitter and riffs arising therefrom.

Disinfectant Don (@DonDisinfectant) tweeted at 9:33 PM on Sun, Aug 22, 2021:
You are not alone. My pops always taught me anything worth doing is worth doing correctly. That includes screwing up because that's when you learn.


RantWoman has been meditating about important opportunities for pastoral care and spiritual accompaniment. Life changing medical event in mid-life? Vocational Rehabilitation? Needing the same dang technological reasonable accommodations in lots of environments because disabilities don't just go away when laws don't apply. RantWoman has also been sitting with the reality that if RantWoman has to trial and error to figure out what to ask for, she also gets to grit her teeth when people befuddled in the same domain are also living up to the quote above. Now what?


Nasturtiums in Salad Friend still gets to garden.

Raised so the gardener doesn't have to bend over
    Cart full of flowers
with one purple dahlia

RantWoman had not been to visit RantMom in person for some weeks. Today it was time. The visit was wonderful and comes with meditations elsewhere. 


RantMom and Nasturtiums in Salad Friend and another Friend Will Have to Move at some point and the garden willb be deeply missed. After the RantWomen made a pickup lunch we had a walk in the garden. RantMom made a point especially of pointing out a cart tended by Nasturtiums in Salad Friend.


The facility tends a lot of other landscaping and another resident has a whole balcony garde n full of pots too.


RantMom says Nasturtiums in Salad Friend also grow this tomato plant!

Another Quaker gardening project
Also a tomato plant
in a big pot with
many green tomatoes






Parking: bicycle and otherwise.
The Meetinghouse with its gate closed because it's mid worship
Full bike racks 
fill RantWoman with joy



White car, blue disabled paking place sign
Curses be upon people who park
in the disabled parking place without a plate or placard?


Another day, another scooter just tossed on the sidewalk.

The latest fashion in micro mobility. Every time Ambassador thwack misses such things or RantWoman has to rely on wonky eyeballs, part of RantWoman's brain goes straight to "They're trying to Kill Me." No, RantWoman ,"They," whoever they are probably are not TRYING to kill you and you just need to keep being faithful to Light about safe continuous efficient travel routes including all modes, ped, bike, vehicle...


Irony or HOOOLY Shit Has Gun violence reached the navy?

Standard No Guns Allowed sign--
on the door of the Navy recruiting office.
St

And an internet dictionary assignment

The Twitter oracle informs RantWoman that ruthFUL and FeckFUL are both words. Go look it up.


Messages from Worship.

Enroute RantWoman was, oh horror, doing Zoom worship on the bus--and there were messages about using imagery to present people whose culture the images come from in the terms they specify. The message that did not make it out of RantWoman's mouth. RantWoman recently got the convention T shirt for the American Council fo the Blind. The back of the shirt has WAY more corporate logos than RantWoman would prefer to have all over her body--and RantWoman gets both to celebrate progress about accessibility and inclusion and then still for instance have many qubbles with Amazon or speak to a certain large bank about Community Reinvestment Act issues. In other words, yes RantWoman is a chronic malcontent and No, nothing is ever good enough for RantWoman.


Now RantWoman will be trying to herd words together AGAIN about people chronically complaining of overwork. AND turning down repeated offers from RantWoman to help. But that's how we rool in these times of #pandemic, wildfires, hurricanse, earthquakes, wars and upheavals. Blessings and Good Night!

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Women's Suffrage Centennial extended: National Women's History Alliance 2020-2021 Honorees and other notes

 Contrary to some Quaker mythmaking, Quakers assuredly DO NOT have a monopoly on the struggle for Women's suffrage. RantWoman greatly appreciates news from the National Women's History Alliance that the centennial celebration of the enactment of the 19th Amendment has been extended into 2021 because of the pandemic.


Fascinating list of Honorees


Previously regarding women's suffrage in CO

Women's suffrage in CO


And buried in ramble  about Rep. Liz Cheney, WY Women's suffrage dating all the way back to the WY territory