49th Congress, six months in office

Six months since Inauguration Day, really not much of substance has been accomplished. The 49th Congress continues to deal with the shaky economy, continuing the tax breaks and other economic stimuli passed by the 48th Congress earlier this year, particularly during the post-election lame duck session. But the lack of any substantial recovery (i.e. jobs being brought home from China and a reduction in the unofficial double-digit unemployment rate), has only strengthened the Diet Coke Party and the Swadeshi Ramrajya Movement. Note that Patria does not have mid-term congressional elections, but several Precincts will be electing new legislatures in 2012.

Patria's Congress congratulates its counterpart in the United States for voting to repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell", allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the armed forces, the objections of the usual Christian America rightist dinosaurs and curmudgeonly homophobes such as Pat Buchanan notwithstanding. This horse left the barn in Patria back in the last century; gays and lesbians have been integrated into Patria's army, navy, air force and coast guard since the 1980s. The last frontier is to repeal the unwritten "don't ask don't tell" in Major League Baseball, the NFL, NHL and NBA -- not to mention the Patrienish Hockey League, All-Patria Football Federation and the Castorian and Lazurian Leagues (Patria's two baseball leagues). Any gay high school or college athlete who hopes for a professional career knows the unwritten rule to stay in the closet until his playing career is over, or even after his playing career if he wants a job as a coach or manager. There are no general managers in any of the major pro leagues who are willing to take the risk that Branch Rickey took in 1947 to challenge a very old so-called gentleman's agreement. Consequently, even in the second decade of the 21st century, an openly gay player would face an even tougher battle than Jackie Robinson.

Parvati's North Pole Journey: Inuit past and present in Resolute Bay

Parvati Devi: North Pole Journey - Day Three, Part Two:

"Day Three: Saturday, September 25, 2010, Part Two. The light in the sky is dull. It is just early afternoon. In just a month or so it will be..."

Parvati and friends visit the remains of a thousand-year-old Inuit village in Resolute Bay and cannot help but notice the irony in the community garbage dump being so close to this government memorial for people who were left here to make do, removed from their natural birth homes and familiar environment.

Parvati's North Pole Journey: the Thread of Pure Consciousness

As long as Parvati keeps posting these powerful and inspiring accounts of her North Pole journey, Patria will keep re-blogging!

Parvati Devi: North Pole Journey - Day Three, Part One: "Day Three: Saturday September 25, 2010Part One The Thread of Pure Consciousness I wake up to my second morning in Resolute Bay. It is the..."

"To me it takes way more courage to say I love myself than to say f--- you". - Parvati.

Christmas in Patria

Yes, there is Christmas in Patria. Dec. 25th is an official government holiday. And, no, it's not the tawdry, schlocky, over-commercialized greed-fest with little spiritual value that it has become in much of North America. Indeed, if Jesus could see what is being done allegedly in His name, he would throw the greed-mongers out of the malls faster than he threw the money-changers out of the temple! Practicing Christians in Patria can celebrate Christmas as the sacred celebration it is meant to be, free of the HO-HO-HO'ing, pressure to spend into the poorhouse, phony forced joviality, and all the commercial trappings that have little to do with Christianity. In Patria, you will not see Santa Claus, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, or other secular winter-fest stuff that has virtually no connection to the birth of a divine incarnation (or avatar) who is on the same level as Krishna or Rama. In Patria, the only Christmas songs you will hear on the radio are traditional carols such as Adeste Fideles (Latin version of O Come All Ye Faithful) that have as much spiritual value as any Hindu bhajan and actually mention the name of Jesus. Cruddy, sappy songs, and generic winter-fest songs that do not acknowledge the birth of a divine being are all but banned on Patria's airwaves. You know which songs are being referenced here. Horrid stuff that gets trotted out year after year beginning in late November, such as Jingle Bells, Jingle Bell Rock, White Christmas, Brenda Lee's Rocking Around the Christmas Tree, and arguably the most brutal Christmas song ever written: Jose Feliciano's Feliz Navidad. Santa Claus wouldn't dare show his fat butt in Patria. In fact, the only place you will see a picture of Santa in Patria is in the post office - among the posters of wanted criminals! Santa has been indicted in Patria for violation of labor laws. His workshop has failed to adopt equal-opportunity fair hiring practices, hiring only elves, and from the looks of it, only white male elves who are not paid overtime or allowed to join a union. Santa is also wanted on hate crime charges, for repeatedly stiffing Jewish children. Jolly as he may be, he is a notorious anti-Semite, and he also is not too fond of Muslims, Hindus or other non-Christian heathen swine. Not for nothing do his reindeer have Aryan names like Donder and Blitzen. Fortunately for the kiddies, Patria does not have an extradition treaty with the North Pole!

Patria Post issues an annual Christmas stamp, depicting a traditional Christmas image that those who actually celebrate Christmas as it was meant to be can relate to. See above for 2010 version, and visit the Patria Post site to view previous issues.

Merry Christmas in Patrienish is Anandí Xrístnascí. Note that in Patrienish, many words can and do begin with the letter x, which is a back-of-the-throat fricative, like Scots-English loch. There is even double-x in Patrienish, pronounced as "ksh", e.g. Laxxmí (Lakshmi).