I was a college freshman in the fall of 1969. Many of my HS classmates were either drafted or enlisted. Many of those young men never came home. Let's be honest and say those high school grads who went to Vietnam were still kids - emotionally, cognitively, physically. Wise they were not; hood-winked by a very sick culture.
General Eisenhower and later President, warned us of the industrial-military complex back in the 1950's. THAT cultural phenomenon has only grown in strength, since. ARGH.
The collective we must stop the insanity of endless wars.
I remember All in the Family. Norman Lear was a genius...
I protested the war of my youth "back in the day." Still protesting, sadly.
Now though, more of us fiercely oppose. I was a high school teacher for 25 years in a poor inner city school. When the Marine recruiter came and set up his table at lunch I used to sit there the whole time and debate him in real time. I hope he got fewer of my boys, but there’s no way to know that.
I LOVE YOU, Susan. And yes, me too. When I was a kid and heard the Abraham and Isaac story for the first time, I was horrified. This show of supposed faith was just a huge betrayal in my book. And the compromise? The foreskin of that son? WTF? Traumatizing a newborn boy on their 8th day of life became the acceptable substitute? GAH. And the Jews who cleave so steadfastly to this brutal and ignorant practice? I just don't get it.
It feels blind and ignorant and cowardly to me, still. I am a Jew. I'm proud to be a Jew for secular and cultural reasons. I'm proud because we persist, because we've survived. Because theoretically, we welcome the stranger, though that's hardly apparent as evidenced by Israels treatment of Palestinians. But I'm not and will never be a god-fearing Jew. I opted out of Bat Mitzvah when I was a kid because I couldn't bear reading Torah. And because I was a girl, I wouldn't be reading from it, anyway. Because girls weren't allowed. We were allowed to read from and remark on Haftorah, from Prophets, because women in traditional Judaism were not obligated to these religious obligations and because women's voices heard from the bimah (the pulpit) were considered immodest. Hard pass on that, thank you very much.
I attended Friday and Saturday services for a long time in adulthood until I decided to forgo the Torah service on Saturday mornings, instead, opting into Friday night services only, where there is no Torah reading, but instead, songs of prayer and gentleness. A time to welcome rest, to stop, to sleep, to unplug, to meditate. I find that quiet time preferable to stories (lessons?) of murder and betrayal. I want to hear the sad, sweet, songs my grandmother sang instead of following along in a book about war. I want to stop and remember the loved ones I've lost and pray for the sick and still suffering. Not into the other stuff. Nope.
Have a beautiful retreat, my dear friend. I don't know if I could do it, but the idea of it appeals. Maybe I'll start small and begin observing Shabbat again. Unplugging from devices, praying, writing. Stepping away from the craziness of the world for 25 hours a week. Not a bad idea, come to think of it. I will end here as I began. I love you, Susan. You wonderful teacher, human being, thinker, and friend. xo
Agreed. Once you start chopping off foreskins from screaming babies you’ve crossed the metaphor line. And that whole part about the stories of those women? Those stories weren’t metaphorical either. Those were the playbook justifying dominance through misogyny and calling it “What God wants.”
Thank you, Nan. I love you, too. I love your approach to spiritual practice. I love the T-shirt you sent me that reads: IT’S A METAPHOR. All traditions have beauty if you remember this. It’s like a dream where every character is an aspect of yourself. I love the practice of unplugging for 25 hours a week. Sounds like sanity. See ya when I get back.
I know. It's a metaphor, it's a metaphor, it's a metaphor. But is it, really? Ha. Just kidding. I know. But I didn't like the stories, and I didn't like the way women were regarded. Metaphors sometimes feel a little passive-aggressive to me. If you want me to understand something, don't give me a story to decode. Just tell me flat out what you want me to know. And if it's a metaphor, why did it become necessary for people practice their commitment to God by chopping off the foreskins of innocent babies. Why couldn't it be enough, to show your commitment by doing good works in the world? Why should the ritual sacrifice of a body part be necessary at all? I think it stinks. xo See you when you're back! xo
Thank you! The Abraham story always creeped me out. When my daughter was six, she got in trouble at school. We found out that it was because she called Jesus a "story." Yeah. We are witches in my family. Our relationship with the gods is purely imaginary. When my twins asked me if I believed in God, I asked, "which god?" We told them the stories of Jesus, but also the stories of Circe and Athena and Hekate. Just stories, but Witches know how to use stories to shape our reality. That's what we call Magic, "changing consciousness at will." Others might call it behavioral therapy. My twins (boy-girl) are now nineteen. I wrote on my Substack yesterday. It is an essay called, "Conscientious." I talk about my experience and why I will not let the bastards have my twins. https://rowanfalconwolf.substack.com/p/conscientious
That’s it. I’m heading over to read it now. I love witches, and anyone who is non-literal, but especially witches. Powerful girl, your daughter. Good trouble.
Agreed. If they start a draft there is nothing I won't do to protect my children and really we need to be protecting all the children. Iranian. Gazan. Israeli. American. Etc
You take me right back to that time, Susan. I was a kid in the 1970s, but I remember those discussions after All in the Family. The female surgeon debate. Yup. And of course, the Vietnam war on our black and white television since (in my case) the beginning. It's horrifying to think back on all of it, and to consider what's happening now. I will say, as a Canadian, I've met some wonderful draft dodgers in my time. They had a different kind of courage. Thanks for this powerful writing.
Thank you, Robin. I’m glad you remember those episodes and conversations as vividly as I do. We, here in the US, could all be more Canadian. I would welcome that.
As one drafted and as one who servef in Vietnam before a lottery, the choice was there. I was comfortable with my choice, however not comfortable while there. And not so with the results of such a war. And so it goes should not lead us into another mistake. Cherish the lives of our young! Tom Kacvinsky
Thanks Tom, for everything, for your service and for your discomfort over it. For making the best choice you could. Especially for being my partner all these years, and for being such a good father to our son. There is no doubt in my mind where you land on this. There will be no sacrifice of sons. None.
I was a college freshman in the fall of 1969. Many of my HS classmates were either drafted or enlisted. Many of those young men never came home. Let's be honest and say those high school grads who went to Vietnam were still kids - emotionally, cognitively, physically. Wise they were not; hood-winked by a very sick culture.
General Eisenhower and later President, warned us of the industrial-military complex back in the 1950's. THAT cultural phenomenon has only grown in strength, since. ARGH.
The collective we must stop the insanity of endless wars.
I remember All in the Family. Norman Lear was a genius...
I protested the war of my youth "back in the day." Still protesting, sadly.
Now though, more of us fiercely oppose. I was a high school teacher for 25 years in a poor inner city school. When the Marine recruiter came and set up his table at lunch I used to sit there the whole time and debate him in real time. I hope he got fewer of my boys, but there’s no way to know that.
I LOVE YOU, Susan. And yes, me too. When I was a kid and heard the Abraham and Isaac story for the first time, I was horrified. This show of supposed faith was just a huge betrayal in my book. And the compromise? The foreskin of that son? WTF? Traumatizing a newborn boy on their 8th day of life became the acceptable substitute? GAH. And the Jews who cleave so steadfastly to this brutal and ignorant practice? I just don't get it.
It feels blind and ignorant and cowardly to me, still. I am a Jew. I'm proud to be a Jew for secular and cultural reasons. I'm proud because we persist, because we've survived. Because theoretically, we welcome the stranger, though that's hardly apparent as evidenced by Israels treatment of Palestinians. But I'm not and will never be a god-fearing Jew. I opted out of Bat Mitzvah when I was a kid because I couldn't bear reading Torah. And because I was a girl, I wouldn't be reading from it, anyway. Because girls weren't allowed. We were allowed to read from and remark on Haftorah, from Prophets, because women in traditional Judaism were not obligated to these religious obligations and because women's voices heard from the bimah (the pulpit) were considered immodest. Hard pass on that, thank you very much.
I attended Friday and Saturday services for a long time in adulthood until I decided to forgo the Torah service on Saturday mornings, instead, opting into Friday night services only, where there is no Torah reading, but instead, songs of prayer and gentleness. A time to welcome rest, to stop, to sleep, to unplug, to meditate. I find that quiet time preferable to stories (lessons?) of murder and betrayal. I want to hear the sad, sweet, songs my grandmother sang instead of following along in a book about war. I want to stop and remember the loved ones I've lost and pray for the sick and still suffering. Not into the other stuff. Nope.
Have a beautiful retreat, my dear friend. I don't know if I could do it, but the idea of it appeals. Maybe I'll start small and begin observing Shabbat again. Unplugging from devices, praying, writing. Stepping away from the craziness of the world for 25 hours a week. Not a bad idea, come to think of it. I will end here as I began. I love you, Susan. You wonderful teacher, human being, thinker, and friend. xo
Agreed. Once you start chopping off foreskins from screaming babies you’ve crossed the metaphor line. And that whole part about the stories of those women? Those stories weren’t metaphorical either. Those were the playbook justifying dominance through misogyny and calling it “What God wants.”
Thank you, Nan. I love you, too. I love your approach to spiritual practice. I love the T-shirt you sent me that reads: IT’S A METAPHOR. All traditions have beauty if you remember this. It’s like a dream where every character is an aspect of yourself. I love the practice of unplugging for 25 hours a week. Sounds like sanity. See ya when I get back.
I know. It's a metaphor, it's a metaphor, it's a metaphor. But is it, really? Ha. Just kidding. I know. But I didn't like the stories, and I didn't like the way women were regarded. Metaphors sometimes feel a little passive-aggressive to me. If you want me to understand something, don't give me a story to decode. Just tell me flat out what you want me to know. And if it's a metaphor, why did it become necessary for people practice their commitment to God by chopping off the foreskins of innocent babies. Why couldn't it be enough, to show your commitment by doing good works in the world? Why should the ritual sacrifice of a body part be necessary at all? I think it stinks. xo See you when you're back! xo
Reminded me of this.
https://youtu.be/ULSBPDq1pWU?si=lSnNLHbeyD7jMDZx
Yup. That, too.
Thank you! The Abraham story always creeped me out. When my daughter was six, she got in trouble at school. We found out that it was because she called Jesus a "story." Yeah. We are witches in my family. Our relationship with the gods is purely imaginary. When my twins asked me if I believed in God, I asked, "which god?" We told them the stories of Jesus, but also the stories of Circe and Athena and Hekate. Just stories, but Witches know how to use stories to shape our reality. That's what we call Magic, "changing consciousness at will." Others might call it behavioral therapy. My twins (boy-girl) are now nineteen. I wrote on my Substack yesterday. It is an essay called, "Conscientious." I talk about my experience and why I will not let the bastards have my twins. https://rowanfalconwolf.substack.com/p/conscientious
That’s it. I’m heading over to read it now. I love witches, and anyone who is non-literal, but especially witches. Powerful girl, your daughter. Good trouble.
Agreed. If they start a draft there is nothing I won't do to protect my children and really we need to be protecting all the children. Iranian. Gazan. Israeli. American. Etc
Exactly. All the children. That’s what the grandmothers would do. All the children.
You take me right back to that time, Susan. I was a kid in the 1970s, but I remember those discussions after All in the Family. The female surgeon debate. Yup. And of course, the Vietnam war on our black and white television since (in my case) the beginning. It's horrifying to think back on all of it, and to consider what's happening now. I will say, as a Canadian, I've met some wonderful draft dodgers in my time. They had a different kind of courage. Thanks for this powerful writing.
Thank you, Robin. I’m glad you remember those episodes and conversations as vividly as I do. We, here in the US, could all be more Canadian. I would welcome that.
As one drafted and as one who servef in Vietnam before a lottery, the choice was there. I was comfortable with my choice, however not comfortable while there. And not so with the results of such a war. And so it goes should not lead us into another mistake. Cherish the lives of our young! Tom Kacvinsky
Thanks Tom, for everything, for your service and for your discomfort over it. For making the best choice you could. Especially for being my partner all these years, and for being such a good father to our son. There is no doubt in my mind where you land on this. There will be no sacrifice of sons. None.
Beautifully written, Susan. We will stand with our fierceness against yet another move to kill and maim our sons.
They shall not. Thank you Karen. This is the point where the left and the right of this country are mostly in agreement. No regime change wars.