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Food for Thought

Vol. 1, No. 5--December 4, 2004

WALT WHITMAN
"To The States or any one of them, or any city of The States, Resist much, obey little,
Once unquestioning obedience, once fully enslaved;
Once fully enslaved, no nation, state, city, of this earth, ever afterward resumes its liberty."

WILLIAM PENN
"Patience and Diligence, like faith, remove mountains."

THOMAS HENRY HUXLEY
"Patience and tenacity of purpose are worth more than twice their weight of cleverness."

LOUIS PASTEUR
"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity."

MARK MORFORD (San Francisco Chronicle)
"Stop thinking this is all there is. Realize that for every ongoing war, religious outrage, environmental devastation, and bogus Iraqi attack plan, there are a thousand counter-balancing acts of staggering generosity, humanity, art, and beauty happening all over the world, right now, on a breathtaking scale, from flower box to cathedral. Resist the temptation to drown in fatalism, to shake your head and sigh and just throw in the towel. Realize that this is the perfect moment to change the energy of the world, to step right up and crank your personal volume; right when it all seems dark and bitter and offensive and acrimonious and conflicted and bilious, there's your opening.… Believe you are a part of a groundswell, a resistance, a seemingly small but actually very large impending karmic overhaul, a great shift, the beginning of something important and potent and unstoppable."

Tonight in Fallujah

Is the wind blowing in Fallujah?
Or is the quiet long and jittery, the few
Dry leaves' flutter alarming?
Does the sand sting the eyes, are the
Stars sharp as knives?
No fires tonight in the hearths of
The old women, bent over
Empty pots, dark spoons.
I hear the blare, the harsh
Command to flee, flee into the
Cold night, and I
Laugh like a jackal.
Better to host the infidels at my hearth,
Take their bombs into my open arms,
Give them my last breath as my last bread,
As is honorable for all my guests.

Ina Anderson, Rowe, MA, November 6, 2004

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