“Webs of Power” by Starhawk

The best part of Starhawk’s chronicle of recent global protests called “Webs of Power: Notes from the Global Uprising” is the vision she lays out for the global justice movement:

* We want enterprises to be rooted in communities and to be responsible to communities and to future generations. We want producers to be accountable for the true social and ecological costs of what they produce.

* We say that there is a commons that needs to be protected, that there are resources that are too vital to life, too precious or sacred, to be exploited for the profit of the few, including those things that sustain life: water, traditional lands and productive farmland, the collective heritage of ecological and genetic diversity, the earth’s climate, the habitats of rare species and of endangered human cultures, sacred places, and our collective cultural and intellectual knowledge.

* We say that those who labor are entided, as a bare minimum, to safety, to just compensation that allows for life, hope, and dignity as well as to the power to determine the conditions of their work.

* We say that as humans we have a collective responsibility for the well-being of others, that life is fraught with uncertainty, bad luck, injury, disease, and loss, and that we need to help each other bear those losses, to provide generously and graciously the means for all to have food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, and the possibility to realize their dreams and aspirations. Only then will we have true security.

* We say that democracy means people having a voice in the decisions that affect them, including economic decisions.

Cob on His Way

Cob left this morning to stay with Wolfie at Chaos house for another day before heading up to Wolf Creek to prepare for the faerie gathering there.

We had a good visit, at times a bit melodramatic, yet overall very enjoyable.

This morning before breakfast, we hung the second mask he gave me in the stairway mask gallery at my place. It’s a wonderful devil mask. I hope to create a theatrical production that can make use of that mask and the fire mask he also gave me. He’s trying to persuade me to take his puppet theater for the cost of materials, but I don’t see how we could transport it from Seattle to San Francisco. I’m surprised he doesn’t want to keep it around in case he gets the urge to do more puppeteering!

Last evening, we drank a Dutch chocolate liqueur called Vermeer and sang while both playing the piano together. I learned some Irish airs.

Earlier in the day we met in Berkeley and tried to walk to have a drink at the Starry Plough, but unfortunately it was closed when we arrived.

Cob has opened himself up to new forms of intimacy while with me, which was quite interesting and exciting. He’s growing in a lot of ways. I look forward to hanging out with him again soon.

Sam and Zach: New Nephews!

I’ve been so busy I haven’t even written about my new nephews Sam and Zach. Sam is the baby of Dan, my brother, and Erika, his partner and my sister-in-law. Zach is the second child of Jen, my sister, and Jim, her partner and my brother-in-law.

I’m going to Seattle to visit everyone and to have fun at a longhair gathering happening up there, including a visit to the play “Hair.”

Mom should be in Seattle, so I’ll see her there and delay the trip to Rochester I had planned for May.

Paul

Paul and I are still chatting regularly online and sometimes by phone. He is seeing a Dutch guy named Ivo long distance.

I don’t think I felt up to recounting here how he told me by phone one day that I am not “the one” for him. He “broke it off” with another guy named Bruno on the same day. Bruno basically said whatever and cut off communication. I told Paul I still really care about him and still want to see him.

I’ve realized that I love him whether or not he loves me.

I’ve realized that the situation is not unhealthy unless I make it so. For example, as a result of my connection with Paul, I feel better about exercising and I’m trying to learn Spanish. These are overall positive effects on my life.

Paul tells me that we may visit each other at some point after he returns to Cordoba where he lives in Argentina. I think it would be fun to take a trip to Buenos Aires to see the political developments there, then to tour a bit around Argentina and visit Paul.

Cob

Cob is a trip. When we are in each other’s presence, I have a great time. The conversation is great as is making love. We’re exploring some interesting dynamics around power and consensuality through mild S/M fantasies. It’s when he’s not around that I experience difficulties, the uncertainty because he can’t seem to plan when he can be here. So, I try to leave space in my schedule for his arrival which ends up in frustration as I miss opportunities when he doesn’t show up at the time I hoped he would. We’ve discussed the situation. He’s now travelling for a couple of months without a home. I’m in my work and live at home routine. So our needs are probably a bit different. Hopefully, this will work out. I’d like us to spend more time together.

I was a bit surprised when he told me about relations that he was having with a woman we both know. Somehow, I hadn’t realized he is bisexual. I’ve felt brief bouts of jealousy for his liaisons whatever the gender. I work it through in about ten minutes each time. As long as he lets me know what’s going on and as long as he is playing safe, I’m fine with it.