Catch This Phrase

I woke up this morning and was once again confronted with political ads that make no sense to me.  Some of my favorite (not) "Catch Phrases" are:

• Political Insider
• Career Politician
• Mainstream Media

In regards to "political insider and career politician", the logic of those who subscribe to these catch phrases want you to believe that knowing how to make things work and having experience at what you do are negative things.  Somehow, having no experience qualifies you to win office.  Or better yet, he's a business man who's a political outsider.  As a business man myself, I will 100% let you know that my likelihood of hiring a person with no experience is 0%!

As a advertising and marketing professional who deals in all sorts of media on a daily basis, I can prove that there is no such thing as "mainstream media".  In fact, media has never been as fragmented before in it's history.  Just look back to those decades that are so lovingly looked at as being "Real America", there were only 3 TV networks, plus eventually Public Television.  Funny how the term "mainstream media" never flourished during this time.  Now with literally hundreds of networks, the internet, streaming services, etc....it is impossible to call one entity "mainstream".

In fact, "mainstream media" is used as a scape goat by both the conservative and liberal fringes to attack those who do not, or will not, subscribe to their causes.  So, the next time you actually pay attention to some political add now through election day, ask yourself three things:

1. Are you educated on the issues they raise?
2. Do you think they have the experience to do what they say?
3. Can they work with others inside the system, but outside their belief's?

And remember...

...whatever you tell them!

Sir Hook "the mainstream" of Warrick

I Wanna Be Elected!

The United Kingdom recently held their elections.  How many of you colonists even heard about it?  They have 6 weeks to campaign compared to our 2 years plus.  There's a lot we can learn from the electoral system in the UK as compared to ours...especially in regards to time and money spent.

Read American v British elections           Read BBC News Election Live

Best of all, they just go at it face to face, even when sitting in Parliament, as an example in the video below of PM David Cameron taking a jab at the opposition.

As Sir Dayvd from Oxford so eloquently stated, "I give Cameron his due...he is a past master of the Oxford Union debating society...and also they are pretty much trained in gracious insulting at Eton."

If only our conservatives where trained in gracious insulting instead of mindless blather.

Ah, this errant Knight wishes for the day he too can only have 6 weeks to listen to professional politicians and vote at his local Pub while drinking a quality Ale!

Sir Hook "The Drunken Dem and Gracious Insulter" of Warrick

414

This morning found me waking up earlier than usual. After a few tosses on my side of the bed I decided to get up and look to see what time it is...4:14am.

Sometimes I like to have fun with numbers, especially with time. Whenever you become aware of time and it is, let's say, 5:55, I call that Trinity Time. It's a special time when my awareness of time and awareness of self meld and I receive divine inspiration. This morning, I decided to look up what happened during the year 414 A.D.

414, know in the Roman world as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Constans, was basically an uneventful year, at least according to history. The one thing that stuck out to me was religious in nature, and also demonstrated that the more things change, the more they stay the same.


In the year 414, a Christian Bishop, Abdas of Susa, in what is now the country of Iran is blamed for the burning down of a Zoroastrianism Temple in his zeal to spread Christianity throughout the Persian Empire. This act is followed by the political reaction by King Yazdegerd of Persia who orders the destruction of all Christian Churches in the Empire. That's the headline if the Times where publishing in the day; however, here's the rest of the story...

Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Persia (Iran). In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil originates from Him. Thus, in Zoroastrianism good and evil have distinct sources, with evil (druj) trying to destroy the creation of Mazda (asha), and good trying to sustain it. In some form, it served as the national- or state religion of a significant portion of the Iranian people for many centuries. Its leading doctrines were adopted by other religious systems, like Jewish and then Christian religions. It was ultimately replaced by the spread of Islam in the 7th century A.D.

Abdas had a Zoroastrian mother. She educated him in good virtues, which made him loved by everyone. After Abdas had gained an excellent education and grown up in virtuous life, he was ordained a priest, and built up in his hometown a monastery and a school, which he took personal care of and which grew to have around 60 teachers. This caused the local magi to become jealous of him and his teachings.

King Yazdegerd began his reign being not only tolerant of Christianity, but also to help it spread in his attempt to keep the Zoroastrian religion in check to increase his power. He later would turn on Christianity and promote Zoroastrianism for the same reason. It was during this later time that the incident involving Abdas occurred.

So, in doing some historical investigation and applying human behaviour to the equation the following facts come to live on this case:

1. Abdas, being raised by a Zoroastrian mother, is highly unlikely to promote the burning of Zoroastrian Temple. In fact, he pleaded innocence when accused by the magi.

2. Yazdegerd was tolerant of all religions; however, he used their emotional volatility to his political advantage.

3. Humans being humans, it's highly likely that the jealousy of Abdas' success was the motivating factor of the magi to accuse him.

4. It is also highly likely that agents of Yazdegerd actually carried out the burning of the Temple to set up the Christians.

5. When Abdas was ordered by Yazdegerd to pay for the restoration of the Temple, Abdas refused based on his innocence. This gave Yazdegerd the green light to order the destruction of all Christian Churches as a result.

Religious intolerance, ignorant masses, manipulative leaders, violence and political gain are still very much alive 1,596 years later!  Know what you believe and why.

Sir Hook the Tolerant of Warrick

Unity Through Diversity: Time to Tug from the Same Side of the Rope!

I don't know about you, but I can't wait until the U.S. elections are over in just a few weeks time.  The mind numbing display of racism, bigotry and misplaced ideology has me at the end of my rope.

Like a cosmic "tug of war", it's time for all of us to realize the beauty and inherent power in pulling together from the same side of the rope...to rediscover and embrace one of the Knights of Creation Spirit and Ale's most sacred and inspiring ideals...Unity Through Diversity.

There is no power in like minds herding together to protect their small territory, like lemmings heading to their demise.  Like a well made sword, which is twisted together from different metals to form a stronger edge, our society's only hope for survival is to be inclusive, not exclusive.

Last night I couldn't hold my tongue anymore while a group of smug racist middle aged right wingers continued to call President Obama a "socialist".  I finally turned and said, "I respect your right to have an opinion, but I do not support your obvious distortion of the truth.  President Obama is not a socialist."  I proceeded to ask them if they believed in Jesus Christ, which of course I knew they would say yes.  I then told them, "Jesus Christ is a socialist, go back and read your Bible on his teachings and then decide how you can have your religious beliefs and political views be so different from each other."

A friend of mine from the U.K. said to me not too long ago, "It's a shame to see that the Civil War is still not over in the States!"  He's correct...white middle class America feels threatened by a black President.  The term "Socialist" has simply replaced the racist term "Nigger" in our national dialog.

The fact is, we have always been a nation of blended race, religion and nationalities...that is what melded the strong sword of Amercia.  It's time to put aside what makes us different to embrace what will make us better!  It's time to keep walking forward and to stop looking backward.  It's time to man up America!

Sir Hook the Diverse of Warrick

Creating a New Future

Our last post on our old site www.knightsmsa.blogspot.com announced that the Founding Father's were taking a much needed summer sabbatical away from the blogging world and use the down time to brainstorm a new approach for our Merry Band of Knights and Ladies.

First, we decided that the use of the word Moleskine was limiting our potential for expansion. Of course, the Founding Fathers will continue to journal, doodle and otherwise express themselves on that fine written platform; however, the real Spirit of the Knights is one of Creation! Creation is incorporated into our ideals: "We are free to create without judgement"

Therefore, we have changed our name to the Knights of Creation Spirit and Ale. We still embody the ideals of Thinking, Drinking and Being Merry...but now we are challenging ourselves, as well as others, to embrace Creating through the whole process.

Create or Die. The challenge is to choose wisely...to choose to Create...which many times can be a deadly enterprise. By embracing the true freedom of our ideals, we must also embrace the freedom from fear. Fear often accompanies one who is about to create, which often keeps them from pursuing the creation and their dreams. So, FEAR NOT!!!

Speaking of Freedom from Fear...when we took our break in May there was still Hope in the world...now...we are surrendering our very foundation to the fear mongers of this world, especially in American Politics.

It's time for the Knights and their voice of reason to rise up and challenge the mindless minions that would bring our country one step closer to the closed, fearful, fundamental abyss that more closely resembles Iran than America. But that's the subject of another blog.

Remember...we become stronger as individuals and a collective when we embrace the ideal of Unity through Diversity.

Finally, it takes more than three outstanding gents, ie, the Founding Fathers, to make this dream possible. We are asking...neigh...begging for others to contribute to our cause by posting on this blog, friending us on Facebook and spreading the KCSA Gospel.

We have decided to utilize Facebook to gain more members and to provide a forum for pictures, videos, works of art, etc. to be displayed by our members. So, Like Us and join us on Facebook and send it to your friends too! The More...The Merrier!

Cheers!

Sir Hook of Warrick

Foaming at the Mouth

Just in case the Colonials across the pond are watching Fox News and thinking that the UK, during and after its General Election, is a seething mass of discontent, disruption, and people taking to the streets all covered in volcanic ash, as its Political elite caught in the headlights of a Hung Parliament are horse trading like Irish tinkers for the privilege of taking the Island down the economic drain, then i hope the above picture that appeared in the press will calm their fears.

This is the Fox and Hounds on Christmas Common in my county of Oxfordshire,

http://www.foxandhoundschristmascommon.co.uk/thepub.html, and helpfully it doubled up as a Polling Station on Election Day. A typical rural haven of tranquility, meaning you can calmly sup a few foaming pints of dark ale, before placing your *X* on the ballot, and wandering back to the bar.

Unlike the Colonies; with it's 18 months of interminable political grandstanding, Primaries and pointless rallies, the UK has about six weeks of seeing these strange people out in the light of day, lying and keeping the truth from us, while we take no notice, we then vote and leave them to fight like cats in a sack for the best seats in the house, as we go back to making our own lives happy in our own way.

Sir D (who's fate is in his own hands.) of Oxfordshire