In The Time Of The Super Moon

Sunday morning, these two photos were taken.  The first photo shows a brilliant sun.  There are speckles configurations encircling it.

Just a moment later, this photo was taken.  Is that a saucer or two in the background just to the upper left?   There are no speckles now.

The sun was way too bright to see this straight on.  So I centered the lens slightly facing the southeast and look what happened.

The Pebble

I Just Can't!

I just can't write today about corruption in the United States Government.  It's been rainy and soupy the last few days and that seems to reflect what is going on in our world. Rain is cleansing even if it feels like a sauna. It's good for the flora.

 The sun wants to peek through to bestow its glory. So we'll just have to find our sunshine

somewhere else.  I find sunshine looks for ocean artifacts.  Sea glass is one of my favorites.  The other day on the beach, a woman gave me three brown pieces of glass.  No doubt left over from a beer party, then thoughtlessly discarded into the ocean. 

My all time favorite sea glass is the teal and cobalt blue.  The tiny pieces of drift wood, starfish and sand dollar continue to fill the collection. 

How do you spend your rainy days?

Bye, Bye, Doma. Love Rules!

Supreme Court DOMA Decision Rules Federal Same-Sex Marriage Ban Unconstitutional

WASHINGTON -- The Defense of Marriage Act, the law barring the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages legalized by the states, is unconstitutional, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday by a 5-4 vote.

"The federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion. "By seeking to displace this protection and treating those persons as living in marriages less respected than others, the federal statute is in violation of the Fifth Amendment."

Justice Kennedy delivered the court’s opinion, and was joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito all filed dissenting opinions. Justice Clarence Thomas joined Scalia's dissent in whole and parts of Alito's opinion.

As Kennedy read the majority opinion from the bench, cries were heard in the courtroom when the justice delivered the verdict that DOMA violates the Fifth Amendment. A number of same-sex couples sitting in the audience looked up at the ceiling, while others wiped away tears.

DOMA, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996, prevented same-sex couples whose marriages were recognized by their home state from receiving the hundreds of benefits available to other married couples under federal law. During the Obama administration, the Justice Department initially defended DOMA in court despite the administration’s desire to repeal it. But the Justice Department changed course in early 2011, finding that the law was unconstitutional and declining to defend it any longer. (The majority opinion slightly criticized that decision on Wednesday, writing that the "failure to defend the constitutionality of an Act of Congress based on a constitutional theory not yet established in judicial decisions" had "created a procedural dilemma.") House Republicans have since spent hundreds of thousands of dollars taking over that defense.

Plaintiff Edie Windsor, 84, sued the federal government after the Internal Revenue Service denied her refund request for the $363,000 in federal estate taxes she paid after her spouse, Thea Spyer, died in 2009.
During the March oral arguments in United States v. Windsor, a majority of the court seemed to express doubts about the constitutionality of DOMA. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that supporters of the law seemed to want "two types of marriage," likening same-sex unions to the "skim milk" version of marriage.

On Wednesday, the court’s majority ruled that the power of the individual state in defining marriage "is of central relevance" and the decision to grant same-sex couples the right to marry is "of immense import." The state, the court ruled, "used its historic and essential authority to define the marital relation in this way, its role and its power in making the decision enhanced the recognition, dignity, and protection of the class in their own community." The court held that DOMA "because of its reach and extent, departs from this history and tradition of reliance on state law to define marriage."

DOMA’s "demonstrated purpose is to ensure that if any State decides to recognize same-sex marriages, those unions will be treated as second-class marriages for purposes of federal law," the majority ruled. "This raises a most serious question under the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment." DOMA, the majority said, "humiliates tens of thousands of children now being raised by same-sex couples" and "makes it even more difficult for the children to understand the integrity and closeness of their own family and its concord with other families in their community and in their daily lives."

It was the "demonstrated purpose" of DOMA that same-sex unions be "treated as second-class marriage," Kennedy wrote for the majority. The law created a stigma upon all who entered same-sex relationships and "diminishes the stability and predictability of basic personal relations the State has found it proper to acknowledge and protect," he added.

Roberts, in his written dissent, said he "would not tar the political branches with the brush of bigotry" without "more convincing evidence that the Act’s principal purpose was to codify malice." He said he believed Congress acted constitutionally when it passed legislation to "retain the definition of marriage that, at that point, had been adopted by every State in our Nation, and every nation in the world."

Scalia delivered his dissent from the bench. "In the majority’s telling," he said, "this story is black-and-white: hate your neighbor or come along with us. The truth is more complicated. It is hard to admit that one’s political opponents are not monsters, especially in a struggle like this one, and the challenge in the end proves more than today’s Court can handle. Too bad."

Some, Scalia said, "will rejoice in today’s decision, and some will despair at it, that is the nature of a controversy that matters so much to so many. But the Court has cheated both sides, robbing the winners of an honest victory, and the losers of the peace that comes from a fair defeat. We owed both of them better."
In his written dissent, Scalia declared that the Constitution "neither requires nor forbids our society to approve of same-sex marriage, much as it neither requires nor forbids us to approve of no-fault divorce, polygamy, or the consumption of alcohol." The majority’s opinion, he wrote, declares "open season on any law that (in the opinion of the law’s opponents and any panel of like-minded federal judges) can be characterized as mean-spirited."

One of the same-sex couples whose eyes had glistened with tears just moments before chuckled to themselves as Scalia spoke, rolling their eyes when he noted that the majority had characterized DOMA supporters as "unhinged members of a wild-eyed lynch mob."

But Scalia argued the majority's decision "aggrandizes" the Supreme Court for little other purpose than "to buy a stolen moment in the spotlight."

After concluding his dissent, Scalia prepared to deliver the verdict in Sekhar v. United States, a comparatively obscure case questioning whether an attorney's recommendation can be the subject of an extortion attempt under the federal Hobbs Act.

"I'm sorry about that, but this is short," he joked.

The room erupted in laughter, and the court moved on to its next case.

Shortly after DOMA was struck down, President Barack Obama released a statement celebrating the decision. "This was discrimination enshrined in law. It treated loving, committed gay and lesbian couples as a separate and lesser class of people. The Supreme Court has righted that wrong, and our country is better off for it," he said.

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/26/supreme-court-doma-decision_n_3454811.html

There Is A Crack In Everything

"There is a crack in everything. That is how the Light always gets in."

                - Leonard Cohen



 Edward Snowden, NSA Whistleblower.  Patriot.                 

                                        The Anthem sung as only Leonard Cohen can sing it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_e39UmEnqY8


The Snowden Effect.  

Messages In A Bottle

River cleanups reveal bottled secrets

By CNN Staff

updated 11:14 AM EDT, Fri June 21, 2013

'Each one tells its own story'

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• CNN Hero Chad Pregracke has spent the past 15 years cleaning up U.S. waterways
• Over that period, he has collected 64 messages in bottles
• He's found lottery tickets, sheet music, people's ashes and even voodoo in the bottles
• Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2013 CNN Heroes

Memphis, Tennessee (CNN) -- They've been romanticized in movies and songs, but many people really do send messages in a bottle.

Chad Pregracke has found 64 of them, accumulating what he believes to be one of the world's largest collections.

The CNN Hero stumbled onto them while cleaning up the country's rivers. Since 1997, he and volunteers of his nonprofit, Living Lands & Waters, have removed more than 7 million pounds of debris from U.S. waterways.

CNN sat down with Pregracke to find out more about his unusual collection and what's inside each bottle.

CNN: How did you come to start this collection?

Chad Pregracke: Well, I found my first one in 1997, the year I started. There was a large flood on the Mississippi in 1993, and some guys put a message in a bottle and they threw it in the river and I found it. It had a flag on it. And I just thought it was kind of cool, so I kept it. ...

The second year, I found two or three more, and then I started to actually look for them. I try to keep as many as I can. ...It's pretty cool to find them because (for the most part) you never know how far they came, where they came from, who they came from.

CNN: How do you find them?

Forget the treasure map fantasy. Chad Pregracke says many messages are just people's intimate thoughts.

Pregracke: In my work, I see thousands of plastic bottles out there. But I'm always scanning, looking in every bottle for a piece of paper. You get psyched out a lot because people have stuffed napkins or wrappers in there. You get kind of excited and then, "Oh no."

It's the ultimate thing to find out there. When you're working, you don't use that time to open it right then. You put it in (the) boat, think about it and then open it up and read it. There's usually a lot of anticipation for it, especially at a big cleanup.

It's a romantic idea. And truthfully, most of them aren't like a treasure map. Usually they're more intimate. ... They're sort of writing to the universe or the one above, just putting their thoughts out there.

Read: Gulf workers find message in a bottle from grieving soldier's family

CNN: What types of messages have you found?

Pregracke: Oh, so many things. Some of them come hundreds of miles down the river or different rivers. ... Some of them have been found three or four times and passed on, and it'll keep going down the river and down the river. People will sign them and date them.

I've found lottery tickets, parking tickets, dollar bills. We did find a treasure map, but there was no treasure, I checked. I found one from some guys going to the World Series when it was in Kansas City; that was like 10 years old.

CNN Hero: Chad Pregracke

 

I found one from a girl who threw it in a stream in Lawrence, Kansas, and it made it to the Missouri River and then a couple hundred miles into the Mississippi River. That was cool. I found one for voodoo. It said, "You are bound now," and it had a string that pulled the paper tight. ...

The newest guy on our board, he was at a cleanup for about 10 minutes and he finds this message in a bottle. It had wax at the top so it wouldn't leak and all kinds of sparkles and stuff inside. I thought, "This is going to be a good one." We couldn't see inside the bottle. I got a knife and opened it.

This stuff started blowing all over him. It turned out it was the ashes of somebody. It was like the movie "The Big Lebowski." But it was cool. There was a note about the guy who passed away, and it also had another note that said: "If anyone finds this, you are so blessed. Thank you so much." It was kind of neat that they decided to write a note to someone who might find it someday.

CNN: Have you ever gotten in touch with anyone who has sent a message?

Pregracke: Actually, there are fun ones who say, "If you find this, call me." I've called probably three to five of them over the years. Half of them forget they ever did it.

The one that I most remember was a truck driver. He was smart, because he put some rocks in the bottle, which weighs it down, which means the current will carry it versus the wind.

Anyway, his message gave his name and phone number, so I called him and said, "Hey, you threw a message in a bottle." And he said, "I don't know what you're talking about." And I said: "Dude, this is you. It's your name. You must've thrown it off -- my guess is somewhere near Burlington, Iowa -- and I found it about 90 miles downriver." And he said: "Oh my God, I'm pulling over. I did that five or six years ago!" He got superexcited. It made his week.

Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2013 CNN Heroes

CNN: Do you think it's the world's largest collection of its kind?

Pregracke: It's the second-largest. I used to think it was the largest, but I just found out maybe a month ago that this dude down in Texas has 150 of them. He's a professor, and he has been documenting garbage on the ocean since 1978 -- not picking it up, just documenting it. So his collection is bigger. ...

But we have found way more than 64 actually. If volunteers find them and want to keep them, I let them, so we've probably found about 50 more. I just don't have them.

CNN: Do you have a favorite message?

Pregracke: I do. It's a song that was written for guitar called "Lavender Is You." It was thrown into the Wabash River and then went into the Ohio River. It's a love song. It's sheet music. ....

There's actually a lot of them that are pretty heavy, you know? They're not treasure maps, but they were written to a lost loved one. ... You don't want to keep it, because it was meant not to be kept. So you just kind of send those on, even though it feels weird letting a bottle go on.

Read: 5 amazing messages in bottles

Source:   http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/20/us/cnnheroes-pregracke-messages-bottle/index.html

Walking The Worlds

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. you will begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense".
                     -  Emerson


thanks to nb for sending this quote.

Sometimes I feel like I walk in two worlds.  Not in any particular order.  One world is the earth plane.  It is where things are mechanical, functional.  The lawn needs mowing.  Friends might be having a rough time over something.  I want things to be different than they are.

Then there is the ethereal world.  None of the above matters.  The grass is a mere esthetic -  long or short, it doesn't cause harm. Friends are having the experience they need to rise to the next level.  Things are what they are.  Wanting things to be different just gets in the way of the experience.

Then there is the UFO encounter.  It put it all in perspective.  Flowers peeking out from weeds are still beautiful aren't they?  Each day begins anew.

Find the flowers in your life.

The Power Of Place: A Documentary

The Power of Place – a New Documentary by Jerry Monkman

We’re funded – thank you everyone for your generous contributions! Visit our Wall of Inspiration to see some of the great people who made this film possible.

 Here’s my Kickstarter video explaining the project:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jerrymonkman/the-power-of-place 
 

Those of you familiar with my photography know that I have devoted a majority of my 20 year career to helping to conserve open space throughout New England. This year I have decided to embark on one of the more ambitious projects I have ever undertaken: The Power of Place, a 30 minute documentary film that explores the negative impacts of Northern Pass, a proposed electricity transmission line that will run 180 miles down the center of New Hampshire.

When I first head about Northern Pass, I’ll admit that I thought it was a fairly innocuous project. After all, I happily use electricity every day, and more than 75% of the proposed Northern Pass route will follow an already existing right of way. However, my mind changed when I was asked by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests to produce a series of videos about the project. The more I learned about the details of the project and talked with people who will be directly affected by it, the more I believed that Northern Pass is a bad idea for New Hampshire. New Hampshire will just be giving up too much, and the benefits that may result from the project are too little.

The Power of Place. In this film, I will combine classically beautiful landscape cinematography with interviews of those intimately connected to the land to show how the wild and undisturbed character of the land has the power to fuel inspiration, imagination, and an interconnectedness with nature. The main question the film will ask is “Do we want to trade this power for electricity that most likely won’t even be needed in New Hampshire?” To make this film possible, I am “crowd-funding” the project through Kickstarter.

Northern Pass: If Northern Pass is built as proposed, it will have a significant impact on the overall character of the land in some of New Hampshire’s most iconic landscapes, including The White Mountain National Forest and Appalachian National Scenic Trail. (The overall impact of Northern Pass is summarized in this FAQ.) These places played a major role in inspiring me to become a conservation photographer twenty-plus years ago. We think of conserved land like Appalachian Trail as protected from this kind of development, but obviously we need to be vigilant to insure that current policy makers honor the conservation intent of previous generations.

How The Power of Place can make a difference: My goal is to produce a film that will depict the at-risk New Hampshire landscape in such a compelling way that those who view it will demand that Northern Pass be stopped or significantly altered. The film will show that Northern Pass not only affects the 1000+ families and businesses that will be directly impacted by their proximity to the right of way, but that Northern Pass will negatively impact the New Hampshire experience for the millions of people who visit each year to enjoy its natural beauty and wilderness character.

In addition to using The Power of Place to sway public opinion, I will also be sending DVD’s of the film to more than 500 decision makers in both the New Hampshire and U.S. governments (several agencies in both need to approve the project.)

My previous work on Northern Pass: I produced several short videos in 2011 and 2012 about the impact of Northern Pass for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Here’s the most recent:

You can see them all in my Northern Pass Vimeo album.

Ahhh

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 http://earthsky.org/tonight/is-biggest-and-closest-full-moon-on-june-23-2013-a-supermoon

It's not just the Super Moon fully revealing itself today. Though it is a time of letting go the dark side of things we have held too long. It is also a time to go within ~ to not extend ourselves too far anymore.   It is healthier to give one's energy to long term relationships. To maintain our circle of friends, to give more to our loving families. To help others in need.  The key word is 'balance.'

These are serious times and call for serious use of our energy.  If the New World Order (NWO) has its way, we will be in another war (Syria). Our global community is a mess.  But today, is a good time to let go of all that doesn't work.  Vision a present and vision a future.

Tell the people near and dear in your life that you appreciate them, that they matter.  Send loving energy to the universe and imagine a healthier world.

Ahhhh.

Ancient Alien Goldmine 200,000 Yrs Old Discovered in South Africa

  Thanks, DC for sending this:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6b9-lXtKTM 

Ancient Alien Goldmine 200,000 Yrs Old Discovered in South Africa

Published on Mar 2, 2013

Publisher and producer Michael Tellinger discussed his study of ancient ruins at the southern tip of Africa, which he believes were associated with a vanished civilization that ET visitors, the Annunaki, brought together over 200,000 years ago, when they came here to mine gold. The ruins, which he's investigated along with Johan Heine, consist of thousands of stone structures over a large area. The structures show evidence of their extreme antiquity through erosion and patina growth, he detailed. One of the most important ruins he referred to as "Adam's Calendar," a monolithic stone calendar that could mark time out by the day.

The Annunaki tinkered with human genetics to make their mine workers, Tellinger said, referencing the work of Zecharia Sitchin. Among the ruins are hexagonal shapes clustered together like honeycombs, which he speculated could have been used as cloning tanks. Further, he suggested that many of the structures, made out of stones that contain quartz, were used as energy devices to power the large settlements.

By studying the area using aerial maps, Tellinger determined there were three great cities, some 60 x 60 miles each, one of which included Great Zimbabwe. Among the ruins, the first pyramids can be found, and details carved into some of the rocks include the Ankh symbol-- thousands of years before the Egyptian civilization used it, he reported.

Biography:

Michael Tellinger is a scientist in the true sense of the word, never shying away from controversial issues and scrutinizing every clue meticulously. After a 30-year long obsession with the origins of humankind and the genetic anomalies of our species, he wrote Slave Species of God. When Johan Heine exposed the mystery of the stone ruins of South Africa to Michael in 2007, they began an irreversible process of research that led Michael to some startling scientific conclusions and the completion of two more books, Adam's Calendar and Temples of the African Gods.

The Anunnaki (also transcribed as: Anunna, Anunnaku, Ananaki and other variations) are a group of deities in ancient Mesopotamian cultures (i.e., Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian). The name is variously written "da-nuna", "da-nuna-ke4-ne", or "da-nun-na", meaning something to the effect of "those of royal blood" or 'princely offspring'. Their relation to the group of gods known as the Igigi is unclear — at times the names are used synonymously but in the Atra-Hasis flood myth the Igigi are the sixth generation of the Gods who have to work for the Anunnaki, rebelling after 40 days and replaced by the creation of humans.

According to later Assyrian and Babylonian myth, the Anunnaki were the children of Anu and Ki, brother and sister gods, themselves the children of Anshar and Kishar (Skypivot and Earthpivot, the Celestial poles), who in turn were the children of Lahamu and Lahmu ("the muddy ones"), names given to the gatekeepers of the Abzu temple at Eridu, the site at which the creation was thought to have occurred. Finally, Lahamu and Lahmu were the children of Tiamat (Goddess of the Ocean) and Abzu (God of Fresh Water).

A Time of Transformation

This is a time of transformation, great challenge and opportunity. It can be a difficult time as all within us that needs transforming comes to the fore. Everyone tends to look through the glass more darkly now so we need to support each other and let it be known that the Light is returning and it will shine brighter than ever before.

Summer Solstice / Midsummer Full Moon, June 21-24 and Beyond ~ The Solstice “still standing Sun,” is when the Sun rises and sets at the same place on the horizon over a 4-day period culminating with Mid-Summer’s Day June 24; then the Sun begins to move southward again. Midsummer is the vital peak of the annual cycle, a time "when magic is most potent and fairies become visible." Vital energy is most elevated in plants and trees so nature spirits are more out and about. Snakes shed their skins at Midsummer and we shed our psychic skins through circle dance and fire leaping, deep breathing and Sunrise/Sunset Sun gazing. We dance and leap Mid-Summer fire (a candle will do) to shed past shadows and free the soul. Shedding body armor clears inner vision so fairies become visible. Dancing Sunwise (clockwise) clears astral shadows that impinge on our realm, then dancing widdershins (counterclockwise) helps bring our new world into being.

This is a time of transformation, great challenge and opportunity. It can be a difficult time as all within us that needs transforming comes to the fore. Everyone tends to look through the glass more darkly now so we need to support each other and let it be known that the Light is returning and it will shine brighter than ever before. Everything changes for the better very soon, how soon and how much so depends a lot on what we do.

Through celebrations in their seasons are the deeper powers of human nature realized. ~ Rudolph Steiner

The Sun in Cancer Full Moon (exact 11:32 am gmt June 23) augments the magic of this Mid-Summer’s Eve. Each Full Moon is a time of revelation and an opportunity for healing body, mind and soul. The Full Moon is a great pitcher that pours out a healing elixir we raise our cups (psychic vessels) to receive. Meditation, music (drumming) and dancing help bring in the new Light. The Full Moon is most powerful in the hour of its rising (the Sunset hour) and at True Midnight when the Moon is on high. Cosmic energies flow freely for 3 days following Full Moon (June 24-26). Revelations come in dreams, chance encounters and flashes of inspiration. Stay tuned.

Time is fractal, the year is like a day; the 24 hours of a day correspond to the 24 horae (15 degree/15 day periods) in the zodiacal year. The 8 canonical hours of the day are reflected in the 8 canonical horae of the year beginning at the Equinoxes, Solstices and the Cross-Quarter days. Every 3rd hour is a canonical hour, every 3rd hora is a canonical hora. Before they were called canonical hours (or horae) these were known as the witching hours.

The canonical hours begin at Sunrise, Sunset, True Noon and Midnight plus the Cross-Quarter Hours of the day. Canonical hours and canonical horae are fortunate times for prayer, for meditation, for rituals, for meeting new people and generally for all new beginnings. What we begin in a canonical hour or hora is more apt to succeed. During these times we have more free will to create and re-create our world. More sacred synchronicities are likely to happen now and those we meet are more likely to be true.

Sunrise, True Noon and Sunset hours are particularly important during the Midsummer Solstice. The rising Sun on Summer Solstice (June 21-23) illuminates the ‘heel stone’ at Stonehenge and the heart of the Grange, the largest stone circle in Ireland. The rising Summer Solstice Sun also shines directly down Maryland Avenue to illuminate the US Capitol Dome. Streets in Washington DC are astronomically aligned because many of this nation's founders were educated in the ancient wisdom tradition spoken of in Thomas Paine’s memorable tract "The Druid Roots of Freemasonry."

Canonical hours are more powerful when they overlap with a canonical hora (June 21 - July 4) and/or canonical Moon period (June 23-24). But whenever, wherever, we're here to enjoy, be present in the now, have fun; this is the key to the magic of the hours.

This Summer Solstice Hora June 21 - July 4 is the most transformative period in Renaissance year 2013. It is now in this Saturn ruled year that we transform the shadow of the passing age. Saturn is known as the Lord of Karma and this is particularly in evidence while Saturn is retrograde (in shadow or Sauron or Dark Lord mode) as it is until July 8. Wonderfully though (good news for us), Saturn enters its stationary degree 5 scorpio on Mid-Summer's Eve. Now we begin to receive more the light side of Saturn and understand more consciously how to transform our life and world. Now psychic shadow, past karma, comes to our awareness to be transformed. The ancient wisdom tells us how.

The Summer Solstice practices are simple and fun. These include: Sunrise/Sunset Sun gazing (lift palms and tone Hu to connect with Sol), full body water immersion and open air dance (clockwise ring dance 3 times round first to clear the dance circle) with fire leaping. This fire can be as simple as a candle, a single flame has a huge aura. Fire leaping 3 times is traditional, preferably jumping toward cardinal points in a figure 8. First water then fire: Leap the fire going west, the water direction, then curve right and back to leap the fire going south, the direction of fire. What needs to be let go may be brought to mind or just let Nature and spirit take their course to release all the soul will know to let go. This can be done singly or in group. The effect is to clear patterns of addiction and old life ways that hold us back from realizing our divine purpose on Earth.

All these practices work especially well during this "going out of the signs" time when the lunar wave is moving down through parts of the body that don't include vital organs (from June 21 to 28). It will be easy to let go now. These Summer Solstice celebrations help us shed psychic skin and set our souls free to realize our destiny. As we shed past life shadows we increase our good luck. This is a time when karma is cleared and dharma can be realized. The old ways tell us how. Time and place and the 4 elements are key.

2013 begins the culminating 4-year phase or 9th wave of the Renaissance Sun period that began in 1981 and concludes in 2016. 2013 is a Saturn Year and it is the year of Cetus the Sea Dragon on the 36-spoked "world wheel of fortune." Saturn retrograde now (since Feb 18 and until July 8) has been conjuring out all old world shadow - personal and global - to be transformed. All patterns of belief and being that impede the new world awakening are up for elimination now. As old patterns break, energy is set free for the new creation to be. This is the key story of our time.

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. ~ Richard Bach

The dance of the planets is the dance of the gods, there are many gods and there is one God, "E Pluribus Unum." Individual divine purpose and the will of the one are written in the heavens for us to see and be.

The pattern in the heavens at Summer Solstice sets the course of what will unfold over the next 3 months. Most prominent in this chart is a Grand Trine in water signs with the Sun just entering Cancer trine Neptune in home sign Pisces (everybody becomes more psychic, more spiritually aware) and trine Saturn in the Ophiuchus/Asclepius decan of Scorpio. Now the world is healed as all wounds are revealed and all patterns of belief and behavior that cause harm are exposed to be eliminated from the psychic world. This Grand Trine releases its great magic through a tri-octile aspect (red line) to the auspicious conjunction of Venus, Mercury and Vesta in Argo the Ship decan Cancer. Argo is the ship of the Argonauts, it is also the Ship of Solomon traveling the astral waters and it is Noah's Ark. This is the time when we choose what is worthy to be saved for the new world to be and what is to be let go to the flood.

As the Evening Star, Venus is empowered to restore natural order, harmony and love to the world. Mercury is the Hierophant leading the way while Ceres/Demeter/Liberty shining from on high (Out of Bounds North) illuminates our way forward into the new age. Along with sacred ritual, Vesta rules investments,she shares temple with Moneta the goddess of money. Now while Mercury, Venus and Vesta align a great light is being shined on the world's financial institutions and the concept of economic democracy is highlighted. These effects are felt globally and more especially in cardinal sign zones Aries (west coast U.S.), Cancer (Brazil), Libra (Mideast) and Capricorn (Japan/Australia). Brazil is particularly effected as this conjunction occurs in this part of the world.

Also notable in this Solstice chart is the bunching of the Sun and planets in the 24th parallel where the Pleiades are located. At Summer Solstice the Sun goes as high as it can go - 23N26 - and this marks the northern boundary of the zodiacal band. When a planet goes beyond this boundary it is Out of Bounds North, more transcendent or in the higher world like Olympus of Asgard. When a planet is Out of Bounds North we have greater perspective and more opportunity to reshape our world in that planet's area of expression. Slow moving Ceres/Demeter Out of Bounds North (Nov 20 2012 - Jul 19 2013) is revealing Nature's mysteries and leading the world to soul freedom. It is Ceres / Lady Liberty the patron goddess of France who liberated Mali earlier this year.

The great planet Jupiter (in its 12 year return) is now riding the zodiacal boundary 24 North just leaving Gemini (10 of Swords) and entering Cancer (20 of Cups) on June 25 where the king of the planets will be exalted (raised to higher purpose) in the coming 12 months. Jupiter parallels the Pleiades along with the Sun, Vesta, Venus and Mars. The god of war becomes the spiritual warrior and initiator as Mars goes Out of Bounds North June 28; this is when the new man, new heroes begin to come forth. Mars enters Cancer July 14 to join Jupiter in the water sign Grand Trine.

Mars will be Out of Bounds North from June 28 to August 3 when a new dimension of the spiritual warrior will enter our world. Through the transforming dance of the planets and through our celebrations Woman is liberated and Man is redeemed, The culminating event is July 22 in the early morning hours when Jupiter and Mars rise together just before the Sun while the Full Moon shines brightly in the western sky. Then Jupiter aligns with Mars and the a brilliant first degree Aquarius Full Moon shines through the 7th House...

The Summer Solstice Gemini/Cancer cusp is the place of ascension according to Greeks, the area of the zodiac where Kore ascends to the higher world in the arms of her lover Dionysus. Here too the planets and sometimes the Moon ascend to the higher world that lies beyond the zodiacal bounds. Here new ideas and Earth changing discoveries are more easily and successfully shared.

Solstice means "still standing Sun." Summer Solstice lasts 5 days while the Sun rises at about the same point on the horizon. Summer Solstice culminates on June 24th when the Sun begins to move southward again. This quickening of solar motion was celebrated in the ancient tradition because it is now that a new story begins to unfold. All that will be in any cycle is present at its beginning. A year is a combination of yin and yang. New yang enters at Winter Solstice, the new yin enters on Midsummer's Eve, the most magical night of the year in the Celtic calendar.

Water (yin) purifies the emotions, fire (yang) clears the mind. Full body immersion erases emotional memory clearing subconscious imprinting from the past. The goddess Juno emerges from her sacred pool with her youthfulness and her (psychic) virginity restored. Spiritual conversion through water immersion is common to many religious traditions including the Cherokee who practice self-immersion at Sunrise the morning after each New Moon appears. The Cherokee also self-immerse at the time of every eclipse as do the Hindu and other indigenous peoples of the world. All new beginnings need this dip in the sacred pool.

Midsummer's Day June 24th (beginning at Sunset June 23rd) was considered the most important date of the calendar year by the Celts, the Druids and many other indigenous peoples. Midsummer's Day June 24th is also called St John's Day and it was known more anciently as the Festival of Isis. In ancient Egypt the fires of Midsummer were called the Lamps of Isis, later these fires came to be known as the fires of St. John. In the Christian story St. John the Baptist was the wild man of the wilderness born 6 months before Jesus. A medieval painting, Piero de Cosimo's 'St John with chalice and dragon' shows John holding a chalice over which floats a small dragon. This dragon symbolizes our primal nature which - when trained to purpose - can realize any dream. Our primal energy is more easily raised to soul purpose at Midsummer as illustrated in the painting by Piero de Cosimo.

The Celtic and Druid Summer Solstice practices might be more easily understood in terms of Wilhelm Reich's bioenergetics. In Reich's perspective, chronic muscle tension or 'body armor' is the source of all our anxieties and psychic disturbances. Pagan rituals at the turn of the seasons were designed for bioenergetic release. There may be nothing more effective for releasing inhibiting muscle tension than dancing nude around fire. As body armor dissolves, tensions melt away, windows of perception clear; then we can see can more clearly and 'fairies become visible' to us. In the Theosophical view, fairies are elemental life forces present in all living things. At Midsummer these 'elementals' more readily leave their parent bodies and may become visible - as we release tension and remove our psychic blinders through celebration.

The beginning of Summer is the also the time of the Native American Vision Quest when each person goes out into Nature seeking signs that reveal his/her true purpose in their tribe. The Vision Quest and the Sundance (done by moving clockwise facing a center Sun pole), originally were timed with the Full Moon following the Summer Solstice, this is Sunday June 23 in 2013. Happy Solstice / Happy Midsummer's E

Beachy Keen

A day at the beach.  Just a few days shy of the Super Moon. 

This is one of the best people watching, people meeting spots around.  The bench nearby was dedicated to a couple who loved to gaze at the ocean, spin a few yarns and go home with their dog.  There is almost always someone sitting at the bench with their dog snoozing underneath.  It's a clean beach, too.  But there is a striation of seaweed from high tide covering a portion of the small beach.  Public works isn't picking it up yet.  Perhaps the beach goers will pester them til they do.

It is also a sparsely populated beach which makes it especially nice.  Compromises of mostly 'locals' who know this lil spot, it now has a new lifeguard chair with a lifeguard four days a week.  Everyone is talking about it.  Funny how little touches like that matter.

Of course they are also discussing the once a week refuse pick up now, too.  Budgets have to be contained.  Maybe folks will think twice about buying packaging.

Readers, it is back to the beach.  Hoping you find your sunshine this weekend.

Super Moon - June 22-23rd

Super Moon: June 2013 Full Moon

  By Jamie Partridge | June 15, 2013 |

The June 23, 2013 Full Moon will look bigger than your standard full moon. This is because the Moon will be closer to the earth than at any other time this year. Astronomers call this a perigee full moon. Astrologers, thanks to Richard Nolle, call this a super moon [1]. There are a few super moons every year but the June 2013 full moon is the most super. This full moon falls only 22 minutes after the moons closest approach to earth for 2013 [2].

According to Richard Nolle, we can expect an increase in tides as well as more storm and seismic activity, for a few days either side of a super moon. At the personal level, we might expect the usual full moon effects to be more intense. A full moon generally makes us more sensitive and emotional. Intimate relationships take on special significance and we become more concerned with home and family. We tend to pay more attention to our subconscious, with our intuition having a greater say in things than our more rational, conscious side of the brain.

June 2013 Full Moon Astrology

The June 23, 2013 full moon falls at 2 degrees Capricorn. In the constellations, this is the point of the Arrow in Sagittarius the Archer. The star here is called Spiculum (spear), which is part of the Lagoon, or Trifid nebula. According to Eric Morse, this star can cause morbid fear or religious paranoia for some, but for others it can manifest as deep connectedness to the universe and a positive philosophical outlook [3]. Which way it goes depends on how the star is aspected.
Moon conjunct Pluto is wide in orb at 8 degrees, but it does add to the super moon intensity of emotions. A much stronger influence comes from Moon opposite Jupiter, which will exaggerate the super moon emotional intensity. So this really is a full moon of emotional extremes. Feelings should be running very high and they will be most difficult to control. Jupiter can be self indulgent and over the top when opposite the Moon. The Jupiter urge to go overboard at the emotional level is amplified with the Sun so close, plus Jupiter in on the massive star Betelgeuse. This is a strong and arrogant star which is threatening to explode into a supernova at any time.

June 2013 Full Moon Kite Flying

So far we have an emotionally charged super moon ready to polarize religious and moral views, sending a rush of bible bashers and other assorted crazies onto the streets. Thankfully, Moon sextile Saturn will provide emotional maturity and tone down our exuberant emotions. Moon sextile Neptune adds empathy and insight.
Full moons are not only associated with insanity and insomnia, the increased subconscious activity makes them ideal for dreaming, magic and all variety of spiritual and occult work. Saturn trine Neptune means we can turn dreams into reality. This imagineering aspect links to the full moon, creating a minor grand trine aspect pattern. This encourages the practical application of the spiritual wisdom that the full moon carries.
Saturn trine Neptune links to the Sun to create a grand trine aspect pattern. This brings inspiration and conscious awareness of the dream or vision. Put it all together and we have a Kite aspect pattern. This full moon is very magical. With heightened receptivity, there is great potential for the inflow of spiritual wisdom, resulting in revelations and self understanding. Through dreams, meditation, or through gut feelings, a roadmap for achieving our highest expectation should materialize.

The key to using this roadmap is to stay focused and down to earth. Kite flying requires skill. Over zealousness, religious euphoria or overconfidence, would lead to loss of control and the inability to materialize the dream. The backbone of the kite is the critical component. At the end of the day, any full moon, even a super moon, boils down to one aspect.

Sun opposite Moon challenges us to stay focused and remain objective. Listen attentively to your heart and your head, then balance it out to find the middle road. Place great value on close relationships, listen attentively to both verbal and nonverbal cues, from family and partners. They have a stake in this and they want you to succeed, so don’t be too proud to compromise. Teamwork will result in skilled kite flying and a happy ending, when the dream touches down.

Super Moon: June 2013 Full Moon Times

Los Angeles California USA, Vancouver Canada – 04:32 PDT,  June 23.
New York and Florida USA, Toronto Canada – 07:32 EDT, June 23.
London UK – 12:32 BST, June 23.
New Delhi India – 17:02 IST, June 23.
Bangkok Thailand – 18:32 ICT, June 23.
Sydney Australia – 21:32 AEST, June 23.

References

1. SUPERMOON – What It Is, What It Means, Richard Nolle, AstroPro.
2. Most “super” supermoon of 2013 on June 22-23, Bruce McClure and Deborah Byrd, EarthSky.
3. The Living Stars, Dr. Eric Morse.

http://astrologyking.com/super-moon-june-2013-full-moon/

This Is No Driveway

A few minutes ago, while I was sunning on this bench,  a fellow comes up and asks, "creating a driveway?" He was on the beach with his grandson, filming the event. He was also quite serious.

The home above is for sale.  You can see why.  It isn't just that the family spends part of the time in Europe, it is more about erosion.  The front yard has gotten smaller with the storms this past winter.

These large boulders were trucked in to shore up the bank.  No doubt there will be a few more loads brought in as there is still a huge gap which needs fill. 

Imagine. A driveway to the ocean.  Funny.

Obsession!

Have you ever noticed how the populace has become obsessed with being noticed?  If not, do take a trip to Facebook land.  And please familiarize yourself with this word.  You'll need it.

1. self-aggrandizing - The Free Dictionary

   www.thefreedictionary.com/self-aggrandizing‎

   self-ag·gran·dize·ment (s lf -gr n d z-m nt). n. The act or practice of enhancing or exaggerating one's own importance, power, or reputation.

    

   The social media has allowed one to exaggerate one's sense of importance.  My mind begs the question.  Why?  Is not one's own sense of self healthy enough?  Strong enough?Loving enough?

    

   There is nothing more than seeing how your beloved friends are doing.  But 'see me' truly makes me wanna puke.Just the other day, a woman I know submitted a picture of herself receiving an honor.  Now why oh why do I need to see this?  Know this? I'd much rather see her artwork or music, or pictures of her family.  

    

   But that is just me.  Since I am a grown up, I can pick and choose what I want to read.  Who I want to see. 

    

   Furthermore, this smacks of over self-indulgence.  I'd rather she see a shrink. Or pat herself in the mirror.  Just don't submit that photograph.  

    

   Puleeze.

    

    

     

Wanting Blue

Once again, the blueness in the sky has left me.

I want to know why. As a child, my family vacationed in Vermont.  We'd camp at Calvin Coolidge State Park living in a lean to for two weeks. My Dad loved the out of doors.  My Mom not so much.  Those memories in New England made me want to spend more time in the northeast.

Driving over 1,000 miles to experience New England summers along with their famous fall foliage was always about gorgeous blue skies, cotton puffed white clouds.  All day long. Although I have to admit fall in the Smokies rings the bell. New England has a different fall.  Lovely.  Deeper tones.

But this spring and summer are wet ones. A touch of blue skies here and there, mostly there as gray clouds roll in.  More blue skies, more gray clouds. The blue vanishes.

I am wanting the New England summer's of my youth.  Now.

A Knotted Landing

In chatting with someone near and dear to me recently, the conversation turned to optimism, faith and surrender.  For all of my life, the universe has provided me with everything I need.  Not necessarily everything I wanted.  When I was ready for something new, it was provided.  Always.

Sometimes the ego wants to rush things up.  Find a new job, a new relationship, a new dwelling.  Now we don't always realize we have what we need.  Often, we look outside ourselves for the wants.  And when the road gets really tough and we think, feel...we can't go on, we tie and know and climb higher.  The kicker is knowing to go within.  Only when we access ourselves, do we find our true beauty.  It is never outside.

“For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
 For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
 For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
 For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day.
 For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
  People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
 As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others.”
― Sam Levenson

  

Silencing The Thunder

                  
 A well done seven (7) minute film with BFC footage and interviews.  It was produced by Bozeman, MT-based film maker, Eddie Roqueta, who spent some time with BFC this season. 

Silencing the Thunder exposes the controversy surrounding the disease,Brucellosis ,and whether or not Yellowstone National Park’s bison population should be heavily managed because of it.


http://vimeo.com/67853837 

In Gratitude

The irises are up at the beach.  Just beyond them you can see the sea wall.  It keeps the ocean from spilling too far into the road, the lawns and the houses beyond the lawns.  At least, a little bit. 

It has been a rough winter.  The water is still spilling out on the seacoast. Look below to see what the storms have wrought.

This time, in the form of lots and lots of rain.  Even the seacoast can get parched. 

Recent storms deposit rain into the ocean instead of land. Hence, the drought. When it does rain and the rain is heavy, the land is saturated as it has been in the extreme weather patterns were are experiencing.  The land simply can not absorb it all.  Then it floods or runs off.

After a long winter, there is nothing more appreciated than the beauty of nature, the warmth of family and friends with whom it share it all.

Thank you.

On Being A Single Parent

Most people think that being a single parent means you have young children.  Children at home.  That is not often the case.  Sometimes you marry and as you grow and mature, your spouse does not grow and mature with you. The marriage completes earlier than you anticipated even if you are the spouse wanting out. We don't see any of that when we are young.  Nor do we see them model their parent's behavior. Sometimes the view isn't too pretty. We would never have married that parent.  We surely don't want to continue the marriage with their offspring.

In the years since the completion of my marriage, I have learned to do only my part.  I can not make up for the other parent's lack of concern and/or responsibility.  The only saving grace is karma.  What you give out comes back to you.

My more than sore hands and wrists, knees and back attest to a weekend helping paint furniture at one of my children's homes. I think the furniture will be really nice when it is finished.  It was a job that was far more than I bargained.  Fortunately, we don't know that when we begin a project.

But what I gained this weekend in the myriad of little chats we had was a gift.  What a joy it is to be the parent with whom your child can share their feelings.  Their learning experiences.  Their frustrations. Their joys.

I was invited to participate in painting my child's relationship with an involved parent. To help paint the present and to help paint the future.

Unlike the paint on my arms and legs, this will not wash off. It is sealed into our family landscape and sealed into our family memories.  Forever.

Mass Surveillance In America: A Timeline of Loosening Laws and Practices

Mass Surveillance in America: A Timeline of Loosening Laws and Practices

By Cora Currier and Justin Elliott

Global Research, June 09, 2013

by Cora Currier, Justin Elliott and Theodoric Meyer
On Wednesday, the Guardian published a secret court order requiring Verizon to hand over data for all the calls made on its network on an “ongoing, daily basis.” Other revelations about surveillance of phone and digital communications have followed.

That the National Security Agency has engaged in such activity isn’t entirely new: Since 9/11, we’ve learned about large-scale surveillance by the spy agency from a patchwork of official statements, classified documents, and anonymously sourced news stories.

Surveillance court created

Sen. Frank Church  (D-Idaho) led the investigation.

After a post-Watergate Senate investigation documented abuses of government surveillance, Congress passes the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, to regulate how the government can monitor suspected spies or terrorists in the U.S. The law establishes a secret court that issues warrants for electronic surveillance or physical searches of a “foreign power” or “agents of a foreign power” (broadly defined in the law). The government doesn’t have to demonstrate probable cause of a crime, just that the “purpose of the surveillance is to obtain foreign intelligence information.”

The court’s sessions and opinions are classified. The only information we have is a yearly report to the Senate documenting the number of “applications” made by the government. Since 1978, the court has approved thousands of applications – and rejected just 11.

Oct. 2001

Patriot Act passed

President George W. Bush signs the Patriot Act.

In the wake of 9/11, Congress passes the sweeping USA Patriot Act. One provision, section 215, allows the FBI to ask the FISA court to compel the sharing of books, business documents, tax records, library check-out lists – actually, “any tangible thing” – as part of a foreign intelligence or international terrorism investigation. The required material can include purely domestic records.

Oct. 2003

‘Vacuum-cleaner surveillance’ of the Internet

Mark Klein

AT&T technician Mark Klein discovers what he believes to be newly installed NSA data-mining equipment in a “secret room” at a company facility in San Francisco. Klein, who several years later goes public with his story to support a lawsuit against the company, believes the equipment enables “vacuum-cleaner surveillance of all the data crossing the Internet – whether that be peoples’ e-mail, web surfing or any other data.”

March 2004

Ashcroft hospital showdown

Attorney General John Ashcroft

In what would become one of the most famous moments of the Bush Administration, presidential aides Andrew Card and Alberto Gonzales show up at the hospital bed of John Ashcroft. Their purpose? To convince the seriously ill attorney general to sign off on the extension of a secret domestic spying program. Ashcroft refuses, believing the warrantless program to be illegal.

The hospital showdown was first reported by the New York Times, but two years later Newsweek provided more detail, describing a program that sounds similar to the one the Guardian revealed this week. The NSA, Newsweek reported citing anonymous sources, collected without court approval vast quantities of phone and email metadata “with cooperation from some of the country’s largest telecommunications companies” from “tens of millions of average Americans.” The magazine says the program itself began in September 2001 and was shut down in March 2004 after the hospital incident. But Newsweek also raises the possibility that Bush may have found new justification to continue some of the activity.

Dec. 2005

Warrantless wiretapping revealed

Michael Hayden, director of the NSA when the warrantless wiretapping began

The Times, over the objections of the Bush Administration, reveals that since 2002 the government “monitored the international telephone calls and international e-mail messages of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people inside the United States without warrants.” The program involves actually listening in on phone calls and reading emails without seeking permission from the FISA Court.

Jan. 2006

Bush defends wiretapping

President Bush speaks at Kansas State University.

President Bush defends what he calls the “terrorist surveillance program” in a speech in Kansas. He says the program only looks at calls in which one end of the communication is overseas.

March 2006

Patriot Act renewed

The Senate and House pass legislation to renew the USA Patriot Act with broad bipartisan support and President Bush signs it into law. It includes a few new protections for records required to be produced under the controversial section 215.

May 2006

Mass collection of call data revealed

USA Today reports that the NSA has been collecting data since 2001 on phone records of “tens of millions of Americans” through three major phone companies, Verizon, AT&T, and BellSouth (though the companies level of involvement is later disputed.) The data collected does not include content of calls but rather data like phone numbers for analyzing communication patterns.

As with the wiretapping program revealed by the Times, the NSA data collection occurs without warrants, according to USA Today. Unlike the wiretapping program, the NSA data collection was not limited to international communications.

2006

Court authorizes collection of call data

The mass data collection reported by the Guardian this week apparently was first authorized by the FISA court in 2006, though exactly when is not clear. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Senate intelligence committee, said Thursday, “As far as I know, this is the exact three-month renewal of what has been in place for the past seven years.” Similarly, the Washington Post quoted an anonymous “expert in this aspect of the law” who said the document published by the Guardian appears to be a “routine renewal” of an order first issued in 2006.

It’s not clear whether these orders represent court approval of the previously warrantless data collection that USA Today described.

Jan. 2007

Bush admin says surveillance now operating with court approval

Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announces that the FISA court has allowed the government to target international communications that start or end in the U.S., as long as one person is “a member or agent of al Qaeda or an associated terrorist organization.” Gonzalez says the government is ending the “terrorist surveillance program,” and bringing such cases under FISA approval.

Aug. 2007

Congress expands surveillance powers

The FISA court reportedly changes its stance and puts more limits on the Bush administration’s surveillance (the details of the court’s move are still not known.) In response, Congress quickly passes, and President Bush signs, a stopgap law, the Protect America Act.

In many cases, the government can now get blanket surveillance warrants without naming specific individuals as targets. To do that, the government needs to show that they’re not intentionally targeting people in the U.S., even if domestic communications are swept up in the process.

Sept. 2007

Prism begins

The FBI and the NSA get access to user data from Microsoft under a top-secret program known as Prism, according to an NSA PowerPoint briefing published by the Washington Post and the Guardian this week. In subsequent years, the government reportedly gets data from eight other companies including Apple and Google. “The extent and nature of the data collected from each company varies,” according to the Guardian.

July 2008

Congress renews broader surveillance powers

Congress follows up the Protect America Act with another law, the FISA Amendments Act, extending the government’s expanded spying powers for another four years. The law now approaches the kind of warrantless wiretapping that occurred earlier in Bush administration. Senator Obama votes for the act.

The act also gives immunity to telecom companies for their participation in warrantless wiretapping.

April 2009

NSA ‘overcollects’

The New York Times reports that for several months, the NSA had gotten ahold of domestic communications it wasn’t supposed to. The Times says it was likely the result of “technical problems in the NSA’s ability” to distinguish between domestic and overseas communications. The Justice Department says the problems have been resolved.

Feb. 2010

Controversial Patriot Act provision extended

President Obama

President Obama signs a temporary one-year extension of elements of the Patriot Act that were set to expire — including Section 215, which grants the government broad powers to seize records.

May 2011

Patriot Act renewed, again

The House and Senate pass legislation to extend the overall Patriot Act. President Obama, who is in Europe as the law is set to expire, directs the bill to be signed with an “autopen” machine in his stead. It’s the first time in history a U.S. president has done so.

March 2012

Senators warn cryptically of overreach

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)

In a letter to the attorney general, Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mark Udall, D-Colo., write, “We believe most Americans would be stunned to learn the details” of how the government has interpreted Section 215 of the Patriot Act. Because the program is classified, the senators offer no further details.

July 2012

Court finds unconstitutional surveillance

According to a declassified statement by Wyden, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court held on at least one occasion that information collection carried out by the government was unconstitutional. But the details of that episode, including when it happened, have never been revealed.

Dec. 2012

Broad powers again extended

President Obama

Congress extends the FISA Amendments Act another five years, and Obama signs it into law. Sens. Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Oregon Democrats, offer amendments requiring more disclosure about the law’s impact. The proposals fail.

April 2013

Verizon order issued

As the Guardian revealed this week, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Judge Roger Vinson issues a secret court order directing Verizon Business Network Services to turn over “metadata” — including the time, duration and location of phone calls, though not what was said on the calls — to the NSA for all calls over the next three months. Verizon is ordered to deliver the records “on an ongoing daily basis.” The Wall Street Journal reports this week that AT&T and Sprint have similar arrangements.

The Verizon order cites Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which allows the FBI to request a court order that requires a business to turn over “any tangible things (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items)” relevant to an international spying or terrorism investigation. In 2012, the government asked for 212 such orders, and the court approved them all.

June 2013

Congress and White House respond

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper

Following the publication of the Guardian’s story about the Verizon order, Sens. Feinstein and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., the chair and vice of the Senate intelligence committee, hold a news conference to dismiss criticism of the order. “This is nothing particularly new,” Chambliss says. “This has been going on for seven years under the auspices of the FISA authority, and every member of the United States Senate has been advised of this.”

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper acknowledges the collection of phone metadata but says the information acquired is “subject to strict restrictions on handling” and that “only a very small fraction of the records are ever reviewed.” Clapper alsoissues a statement saying that the collection under the Prism program was justified under the FISA Amendments of 2008, and that it is not “intentionally targeting” any American or person in the U.S.

Statements from the tech companies reportedly taking part in the Prism program variously disavow knowledge of the program and merely state in broad terms they follow the law.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/mass-surveillance-in-america-a-timeline-of-loosening-laws-and-practices/5338282?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mass-surveillance-in-america-a-timeline-of-loosening-laws-and-practices