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Thursday, October 29, 2015

Oh, What Filth !!!




The TV sitcom, Two and a half Men ended its run February 2015.  You either liked this show or you did not.  But it is interesting how a child star grows up and changes in front of his viewers' eyes.  

At the tender age of 16, this young man signed a contract worth $300,000.00/episode; add to that a $500,000.00 signing bonus (2010).  Two years later, this young man decides to convert to Christianity.  Well, jolly good for him!  

Appearing on a Christian radio program, he declared the show that paid him for over ten years to be, filth that contradicts his moral values.  Later he referred to himself as a paid hypocrite.  Nothing like chewing up the hand that feeds you.  Here is a thought or two about that.  

It is not at all unusual for the recently converted to be filled with religious zeal and for them to express it in various ways; put this on a shelf.  All honest work is good work; things like selling drugs, pimping women, and selling illegal firearms to criminals are not - a garbage man and a dishwasher have more honor than the latter.  So if a man has a change of heart (such as what happens in religious conversion) and refers to his employment as filthy and himself as a paid hypocrite, he has reached a moral dilemma.  

If a man, for any reason believes that what he did was filthy and dirty, it stands to reason that the money paid to do that job also is filthy.  It appears that to make one's self "clean," the dirty, filthy money should at the very least be given to charity.  But, this writer after searching, could not find any vast divestiture of monies from this young man: admittedly, I could have missed something.  So how filthy and dirty can that money be?  This writer does not hold any animosity whatsoever towards this young man.  Rather, I offer him the best of luck and Godsspeed.  For the rest of us, it serves as yet another learning experience.       

                                                   Copyright @2015 Terry Unger






   
  

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Standing in the Shadow of Bowie, Crockett, and Travis




Everyone in the USA knows or should know the basic history of the Alamo located in San Antonio, Texas. Also known as the Mission San Antonio de Valero, the Alamo as of 7/5/2015 became a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Very recently, my wife Sandra and I had the privilege of walking on this sacred ground.  For us, it was an emotional experience.  

The siege of the Alamo lasted 13 days.  On 3/6/1836, about 5:00AM, General Santa Anna launched his final assault.  He gave the order that all rebellious Texicans must be killed; it was a brutal hour and a half with no quarter given.  Eyewitness accounts put the total dead of the Alamo defenders at somewhere between 182 - 257.  And historians put the Mexican army dead at one third of the total of Santa Ana's troops (about 600).  Colonel William Travis died thinking that his letters for help were ignored.  They were not, but the politics of that time left the decision makers impotent.  But when the right time came about, General Sam Houston evened the score, and then some; it was payback time.  

On 4/21/1836, Houston and his small army attacked Santa Anna at San Jacinto.  Catching Santa Anna and his troops off guard, the fight lasted all of 18 minutes.  Travis's letters had their effect; the howl of "Remember the Alamo" caused Santa Anna to suffer at least 850 casualties and his very own capture as a prisoner of war.  Houston's army had less than a dozen casualties; legend has it that the San Jacinto River ran red with blood for days.  In a few days, Santa Anna gave up Texas and retreated south of the Rio Grande River, now the natural boundary between Texas and Mexico.  The history of this event in its' totality cannot be written in a short blogpost.  I urge you the reader to investigate; professor Google can be a big help.  

There will be those people who will question why my wife and I had an emotional experience at the Alamo.  The answer is a simple one:  we value our freedom.  The men at the Alamo in 1836 died to make Texas free from oppression.  We value their sacrifice.  Walking in their shadow makes their sacrifice an emotional one, at least for us.  

                                                 Copyright @2015 Terry Unger    




   

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Old Spice




Recently, my awesome wife Sandra thought that I would like a subscription or two to men's magazines (no, NOT Playboy, Hustler, or Penthouse.  These magazines are something that you can show your pre-Alzheimer's mother; definitely something in short order she will forget but something that would have amused your grandmother).  These publications, in my opinion, are short on substance and long on advertisements.  

There are plenty of ads for smokeless tobacco, booze, e-cigs, and yes fine cigars.  And, sandwiched between some sports articles and stories of manly men doing manly things, there are ads for men's fragrances.  These ads have a peel back section that allows you to smell/sample and see the price of the fragrance.  You have got to be kidding me; these men's fragrances smell like something that teenage age girls with raging hormones would stand in line for eight hours to purchase.  Do men really buy this stuff?  Obviously they do or they would not be featured in these men's magazines. What the hell happened to Old Spice and Aqua Velva?  

Nothing happened to Old Spice and Aqua Velva; they are still available.  However, they have been marginalized by these very feminine fragrances that men are supposed to and now do embrace. Why? Wait for it, here it comes.  Political Correctness has brought about the feminization of the American male; the term, it appears, is Metrosexual.  True masculinity is out and something between male and female is in, for men.  This is sad.  

Personally, I cannot imagine real men, masculine men of the past embracing these things; they would have kicked such things to the curb and lost not a moment of sleep in the process. Here is a hint:  Don't just try to smell like a man, be a man.  As for me, I will stick to my Barbasol, Old Spice, and Aqua Velva.  

                                                   Copyright@2015 Terry Unger   

      

Monday, October 19, 2015

Important Announcement !




My interview with Mythology Corner is released!  You can watch it at these venues:  








At this time I want to thank Syam Akella and his great production crew at Mythology Corner for an excellent job.  Also, Patrick Henry, my interviewer, did a great job at keeping things rolling.  And thank you, thank you, thank you to Mike and Amy Erwin, owners of Fantasia Crystals, LLC for providing the time and space !  

In my opinion, this is a ground-breaking interview for all involved.  The interview is punctuated by some great music and features the awesome artwork of Adriene Alden.  Watch the interview and see what all the excitement is about! 

                                                       Copyright  @2015 Terry Unger




Saturday, October 17, 2015

Winter Nights




It's that time of year.  As the Sun settles in the western horizon, a chill fills the air.  To our gaze, there are as many leaves on the ground as are on the trees.  And, the days are shorter while the dark of night intensifies.  It is the time of Winter Nights.  

Winter Nights is one of the original holidays celebrated by our northern European Ancestors (Ynglinga Saga/Heimskringla...the other two are Yule and Sigrblot/Ostara).  Modern Asatruars and Heathens mark this holiday between the mid to end of October (the Celtic Samhain, sometimes pronounced Sow - Inn is celebrated at the very end of October 31st and is not related to Winter Nights) and try to practice this holy period in a re-constructionist vein.  

For our Ancestors, it was the time to get ready for winter:  the final harvest, the butchering of animals and the preservation of the meat.  It also was a time to give thanks to Mother Earth for her bounty.  But, great care was given to honor and praise other mothers.  

Female Ancestors and those known as the Disir/Matronae (the deceased women of family, clan, and tribe known for their positive contributions and Goddesses such as Frigg, Freya, Frau Holle, etc. The Disir/Matronae were Goddesses) were honored, remembered, and petitioned for aid and protection during the coming cold weather.  It was not unusual at this time for thoughts to turn to the female regenerative, healing, and life-giving part of life.  

In the eyes of our Ancestors, women in all of their aspects were important, as they should be today. All men (humans with a penis) need to look at their wives, daughters, grandmothers, and our Goddesses with a sense of awe, deep appreciation, and wonder, daily.  And, honor them with our memories, Blots, and Sumbels.  We must keep and properly honor the Tides.  

A certain decorum and behavior must be followed by all true Asatruars/Heathens.  This Winter Nights and for all of our Holidays, if you do not Blot and Sumbel you're doing nothing more than attending/hosting a BBQ or a potluck supper; anyone can do that.

Suggested read - Matribus Germanis 2/25/16

                                                Copyright @2015/2016 Terry Unger   



   

  

Friday, October 16, 2015

The High Road



Arminius was the son of a Cherusci chieftain who was given up to the Romans to seal a treaty.  As this boy grew into a man, he also grew in stature in Rome; he excelled at everything.  Rome thought so highly of Arminius that they gave him a high military command and made him a noble.  To say that this so-called "barbarian" had it made in the shade would be putting it mildly.  But, he willingly gave up his life of wealth and Roman prestige.  

While in command of his troops on a journey north, Arminius came home for the first time since he was a boy, years ago.  He witnessed first hand how well the Romans honored their treaty with his fellow Cherusci; they didn't.  His people were suffering against the unfairness of the Roman yoke and it sickened him.  After some cloak and dagger maneuvering that involved uniting the Cherusci with the Marsi, Chatti, Bructeri, Sambri, and Chauci Arminius convinced the Roman commander Varus that a rebellion was afoot.  And Varus believed him.  

Following Arminius's directions, Varus took three full Roman Legions, Calvary Brigades, and auxiliary troops into the  Teutoburg Forest.  During a few days in early September, 9 CE, over 20,000 Roman troops were slaughtered (this defeat, the worst in Roman history, effectively ended Roman expansion east of the Rhine River).  It also ended Arminius's Roman wealth and prestige.    

There may be a few who may argue that Arminius did what he did to create an empire of his own; I do not believe that is what Arminius had in mind.  Rather, he saw his people, the Cherusci being given a raw deal by the Roman occupation; the Cherusci were his family, clan, and tribe - not the Romans.  Arminius freely gave up what the Romans gave him to help his people.  He could have turned his back on his fellow Cherusci, his family and lived a luxurious life in Rome, but he did not. Arminius took the High Road.    

                                                  Copyright @2015 Terry Unger




Sunday, October 11, 2015

Columbus Turns Over a New Leif?




Every second Monday of October is a federal holiday known as Columbus Day.  Government offices are closed as is all banks.  The retailers love this holiday; it is their jump-start for Christmas sales. On this date we are supposed to celebrate the life of a man who discovered "the new world."  But this man's life is not one to be celebrated but rather forgotten.  

This all started in the 1930's when the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's organization, wanted a Catholic hero to hold up to the nation.  They must of had some powerful lobbyists; President Roosevelt signed the holiday into law in 1937.  And ever since, we are supposed to celebrate the life of a murderer, rapist, and slaver.  

Columbus never, ever set foot on land that we know as the USA.  The first place he placed his foot on was an island in the Bahamas chain.  Then, he pushed off to walk on what we know today as Cuba; that's the closest he ever got to mainland USA.  He made a total of four voyages, all of them a disaster for the indigenous populations.  

This man made his fortune by becoming a master slave trader and had no qualms about selling girls as young as ten into sexual slavery.  In his lust for gold, Columbus is personally responsible for the genocide of thousands of native peoples; the island of Hispaniola, modern day Haiti and the Dominican Republic, had at least 250,000 inhabitants - all dead within ten years of Columbus's arrival.  And, it appears that he and his son introduced the black slave trade from Africa into "the new world."  So you want to celebrate this man's life, a man who cut off the hands of indigenous people who did not bring him enough gold?  And then we have syphilis.  

The debate rages on as to who introduced syphilis to who; the Europeans to the natives or the natives to the Europeans.  What is not debatable is the massive uptick in deaths in the old and new worlds from this killer disease after Columbus's voyages.  How can a person in good conscience celebrate a man like this?  A person of conscience cannot.  In our time, a man like this would be sitting on death row waiting for a needle in his arm.  There is a solution.  

It is a fact that Leif Ericsson hit the beach in North America five hundred years before Columbus raped his first native girl.  It is a fact that there were at least two more voyages after Leif.  It is a fact that they made temporary settlements.  It is also a fact that these men (and women) did not stick around for long; the natives did not want these tall pale skinned fellows to partake of their beachfront property.  And these men did not rape, murder, or enslave anyone - history still refers to them as Vikings.  Here is an idea.  

A Catholic Christian men's organization is responsible for the creation of this horrid holiday.  The Sons of Norway can and should petition Congress to replace Columbus with Leif Ericsson.  It is the ethically, historically, and morally right thing to do.  

                                                      
                                                Copyright @2015 Terry Unger

  
     


Friday, October 9, 2015

The Making of a Saint





According to Merriam - Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, copyright @2007, a saint is - 1 : one officially recognized esp. through canonization as preeminent for holiness 2 a :one of the spirits of the departed in heaven  b : ANGEL 1a   3 a : one of God's chosen and usu. Christian people .... 4 : one eminent for piety or virtue .....
Recently Pope Francis canonized another man, Junipero Serra y Ferrer, O.F.M. into the Catholic Church's Hall of Fame (sainthood).  This writer has a question or two.  

Pope Francis spoke about how the Church had harmed the indigenous peoples of North and South America and asked for forgiveness during the  period known as the "colonial expansion."  And it is right well that he should; thousands died on both continents from a variety of reasons.  And then in the United States we have this thing known as "the Doctrine of  Discovery," circa 1823, which made the indigenous populations lower than second class citizens (another chapter of abuse).  

Francis, for whatever his reasons, pushed through Junipero's canonization by deleting a couple of steps.  Like the two verified miracle requirements (there was one, in 2013.  Supposedly a woman was healed after praying over a relic believed to be one of Junipero's.  Here, this writer must ask - how do you verify something like this?  In our age of science?  Did not hocus-pocus go out with the bath water after science became prominent? Oh yeah, faith right?)  Also, he by-passed the Vatican committee that supposedly makes the final approval (Four months after Francis declared that he would canonize Junipero Serra this group did approve Serra.  Because the Pope gets what he wants when he wants it).

There are some historians who state that Junipero Serra was an oppressor of the indigenous peoples of California: he forcibly made these folks give up their age old culture and heritage, while shoving conversion to Christianity down their throats.  And, he had no problem imprisoning, whipping, torturing, and working these people to death, all in the name of his religion and god.  Serra, like some many other churchmen, believed that indigenous peoples were like ignorant children who needed to be brought to Christ and "civilized," no matter what the cost.  Now many Native Americans, especially those in California, consider Junipero Serra a genocidal maniac and should not have been made a Saint; this writer agrees with them.  So why did it happen?

In my opinion, Hispanic Catholics within the USA make up a large segment of the population and many of them vote.  Is Francis trying to influence the vote here in the USA? Serra did hail from Spain. Only Pope Francis knows why he elevated Junipero Serra to his Catholic Church's Hall of Fame.  But a genocidal maniac does not fit into the definition given above.

                                               Copyright @2015 Terry Unger  

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Living Simply




Gandhi said, "Live simply so others may simply live."  These are wise words.  But in my humble opinion, a person must to be able to live simply to make the second part of that statement happen. Too many people have chosen to not live simply; they have complicated their lives by willingly falling victim to our consumerist society.  In other words, they are up to their eye-balls in personal debt.  Every credit card is maxed out, and no money in the bank.  Life is lived paycheck to paycheck,  an unpaid sick day determines how well they will eat for that month.

Sure, we all need stuff.  The problem lies in how our wants are turned into needs by the hypnotic and constant blathering from corporations convincing us that their product(s) is something we cannot live without.  There is, I think a solution but it will appear to be too radical for many people and therefore not attempted.  The solution is a change of worldview.

Paraphrasing Gandhi, "Live simply so that You may simply live."  To me, living simply is about taking stock of your life and unloading excess baggage; if you are going to be honest, it will be a brutal assessment.  Dying with more toys than your neighbor is not only uncool, but foolish.

A few things could be mentioned to help live a simple life; an easy one is credit card debt consolidation.  Pay off the debt by floating a personal loan and cut up all the credit cards save one.  But, this is too easy.  All one has to do is telephone the destroyed cards' lending institution and bingo, they will send out a new card, possibly with a higher credit limit.  Let's not waste more time with financial solutions; you cannot run out and buy a simple, better life on the installment plan.  The roadblock to living a simple, contented life is not physical, mental, or emotional.  It is spiritual.

Most folks who were born and raised in the Western world are saturated with Monotheistic ideals, mainly, the salvation doctrine.  When clinging to this illogical doctrine, one gives up the present life in order to secure a place in some foggy unverifiable after-life.  But enough; I have written about this life denying world view in greater detail in previous posts.  People of northern European descent, in order to have a more spiritual life, need to go back to their roots.  Today, those roots are known as Asatru, the reconstructed folkway/religion of our northern European Ancestors.  After all, people will do better in what they are grounded in;  it's burned into our DNA.  It's that simple.  If you are floundering, google Asatru.  And maybe after some time, you too can simply live.

                                                       Copyright @2015 Terry Unger            

      

In Honor of Arminius

To honor this hero, I offer snippets from my new book, Finding Polaris ...            Introduction, Part One - The Age of Arminius ...