I'm Sorry I'm A Christian

Being my blog, this is typically a platform I reserve for my own poetry - on the occasions that I share it. Today is not that day. Today, a young man named Chris Tse is taking that post from me, and he doesn't even know it.

Chris Tse won a local slam competition in his area with the poem I'm Sorry I'm A Christian, in which he discusses being a 'hypocritical critical Christian.'

Though he's not pagan, he's definitely Christian Enough, despite not living up to the stereotype on TV.

Mr. Tse, I am your fan.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

The Call Can Wait

National No Phone Zone Day is today. This movement, founded and promoted by Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Studios, seeks to illustrate the dangers of distracted driving. Texting, talking, or interacting with anything other than the steering wheel in your hands or the road in front of you is distracted driving.

In Illinois, where I live, there is already a full ban on texting while driving, and partial bans on using a cell phone at all - with or without a handsfree device.

I'm not going to preach at you. I'm not going to tell you how many times more likely you are to injure/kill yourself or others just by simply reaching for a phone (1.4). I'm not going to tell you that you're nearly 3 times more likely to kill yourself or another person just by simply glancing down for a moment to tap numbers or letters into your mobile device. I'm not going to tell you about the 5,870 people who were killed last year due to distracted driving. Nor will I tell you about the thousands more who were maimed, injured, disfigured, or otherwise harmed by someone's vital need to answer a text message.

I'm also not going to tell you that I'm a perfect person. While I have taken the No Phone Zone pledge, I still slip up. I have caught myself 2-3 times checking to see who an email was from or responding to a text at a stop light. But, today, I have renewed my vigor for this cause, and I hope that you Rioters join with me.

When I was 16 I was nearly killed in an accident involving a distracted driver. Somebody that was merely reaching for their phone, that pulled out in front of me on the highway. I had to swerve to miss this enormous purple van that had just appeared from nowhere. My car overcorrected, and it was literally launched into the air. I hit a tree halfway up the tree, and then my car wrapped itself between three trees. It ended up looking like someone had taken black aluminum foil and crinkled it up. By the grace of the Mother, I walked away with nothing but a seatbelt burn, where the belt stopped me from rocketing headfirst into a tree trunk.

Please, take the No Phone Zone pledge. Does signing this mean someone is holding a gun to your head, forcing you to stop using your phone in the car? Obviously not. (I don't think Oprah has that much money, but she might.) But, I hope that it will convict you about these behaviors. I'd really like to know exactly what someone could be texting you that is so important that it merits the loss of life or limb. What call could you be taking that is so vital to your continued breathing that you halt somebody else's?

Find a level of the pledge that works for you so that you can ease into it. Right now I'm on the no texting/handsfree calling level (#2). Hopefully, I can get all the way to level 3, but I need a way to ease in rather than going cold turkey.

Rioters, light your torches, grab your pitchforks, and stick those phones out of the way during your drive!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Speaking of Injustice...

While we're all still hotly debating the Arizona Immigration Law, I'd like to turn our attention to the ridiculous state of affairs going on in school systems.

Quick reminder: the current year is 2010. Now that we've gotten that out of the way...

Ceara Sturgis, a senior at Wesson Attendance Center (high school) in Jackson, Mississippi, was completely omitted from her yearbook. Sturgis, a lesbian, wore a tuxedo for her senior picture, which, apparently, is more than enough to ban her from the yearbook.

And, no, I'm not keeping some vital detail about the case - like, that she dropped out before the year was over, or failed her classes, or didn't actually attend the school. According to her mother (Veronica Rodriguez), Ceara does well in school and inferred that she has possibly won some awards:

"It's like she's nobody there, even though she's gone to school there for 12 years," Rodriguez said. "They mentioned none of her accolades, even though she's one of the smartest students there with wonderful grades. They've got kids in the book that have been busted for drugs. There's even a picture of one of the seniors who dropped out of school."

To be fair, Sturgis and her mother knew that her picture would not be included in the yearbook as of October 2009, after the school informed them that girls-wearing-tuxedos was so reprehensible that it merited omission. The Copiah County School District claims they have perfectly legitimate legal precedent to erase this girl's memory from the collective yearbook.

"We have had our legal counsel research the validity of the position of the School District on this matter," Copiah County Superintendent Ricky Clopton said in the statement. "We are informed by counsel that this exact issue has been litigated in federal court. The decisions of the federal courts completely support the policy of the district in this regard. It is the desire of the Copiah County School District to inform, first, the patrons of the district, and second, all other interested parties, that its position is not arbitrary, capricious or unlawful, but is based upon sound educational policy and legal precedent."

Well, that's settled. As long as we have sound legal precedent to discriminate against people that makes it totally ok. Yep...just so we can legally meander around civil rights, ethics, and what's right, that makes it all better.

In exactly the same news: Constance McMillen - who hasn't had enough crap happen to her yet - is now the target of Westboro Baptist Church's picketing wrath. In their press-release, WBC stated:

[We] will picket the graduation of Itawamba Agricultural High School to remind the parents, teachers and students of this nation that God said 'Thou shall not lie with mankind, as with womankind, it is abomination'.

Not to make light of their very serious religious standpoint, but...she's a lesbian. She's not wanting to lie with mankind as with womankind. She's wanting to lie with the womankind. So...doesn't that sort of negate the logic?

Suffice it to say, these people are seriously messed up. And, law enforcement officials know about this in enough advance that there is no excuse for these perversions of human DNA to be allowed anywhere near this poor girl's graduation. Let's pray this doesn't turn into another Matthew Snyder incident, forcing McMillen's family to pay to be persecuted. Unless you subscribe to WBC's belief:

“This generation has been raised to believe that they can live for the devil and still go to heaven, that God has no standards and the biggest lie of all – that God loves everyone.”



Another case of humans claiming to know the mind of 'God.'

What do you think about these issues? Why are schools so intent on persecuting their gay and lesbian students? Isn't high school bad enough? Email your thoughts to IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com, leave a comment, or tweet me @IncitingARiot

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Arizona Boycott

All around the country, people are boycotting travel to Arizona. I mentioned on the podcast about Arizona's ridiculous new legislation requiring police to ask those they feel look like illegal immigrants to supply their papers proving otherwise. Not only does this put the burden of proof unduly on the accused, but it requires police to racially profile individuals who may or may not be illegal.

The mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, has issued an official city employee ban on travel to Arizona as a symbol of solidarity with those against this ridiculous legislation. Mexico has warned its citizens against going to Arizona, which means a potential loss of 3.8 million visitors, and even more millions of dollars lost in tourism.

This is FUCKING FABULOUS! 

Absolutely nothing in the modern world talks like money does. Perhaps if Arizona's interim governor begins noticing that expenses aren't equaling income due to a rapid decrease in the latter, they'll realize everybody thinks this legislation is ridiculous. Sure, it's a good kick in the rear to the federal government to get on immigration reform, but that's like saying the Holocaust was a good kick in the rear for diplomatic relations. How many people will have to be victimized between point A and point B?

The Washington, D.C. city council is also thinking about putting the same travel ban in place that San Francisco's city government has. Businesses, local & state governments, whole countries. They're all ringing the proverbial alarm clock on Arizona, hoping the state's government will wake up!

What do you think about these boycotts? Are they too extreme? Is this punishing the whole of Arizona for the idiocy of their government? Or, is this doing to Arizona what it is doing to its citizens? Email IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com, leave a comment below, or Tweet me @IncitingARiot. 

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Episode 28: Inciting A Paid Riot

Episode 28 of Inciting A Riot: the Podcast has arrived! Today, we’re Inciting A Paid Riot and taking on the notion of getting paid/charging for magical services such as divination and spell-casting.

News: Payday lenders are screwing people, South Park screwed the wrong people, Immigration reform in Arizona is screwing everybody, and California won’t let certain people screw.

Word of the Day: repartee

Sociology: Unschooling – ever heard of it? Didn’t think so.

Spirituality: Getting paid or charging for magical services

Music: Paper Bag by Anna Nalick

We also have your listener feedback and my weird rambles at the end of the show.

Remember you still have time to enter April’s Swag Draw!

Send all comments to IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com! Tweet me @IncitingARiot, subscribe through iTunes, check out my Examiner articles, vote on Podcast Alley, and follow the blog at IncitingARiot.com!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Home Page: http://www.IncitingARiot.com

Podcast Alley: http://www.podcastalley.com/podcast_details.php?pod_id=86829

Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/x-43503-Chicago-Pagan-Activism-Examiner

iTunes: http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=337689333

Twitter: http://twitter.com/IncitingARiot

Swag Shop: http://cafepress.com/IncitingARiot

Project Pagan Enough: http://www.incitingariot.com/p/project-pagan-enough.html

New WitchVox Article: Doubt Increases Belief

Rioters! I'm recording the next episode of Inciting A Riot: the Podcast within the next 24 hours, but for now I'd love to point you to my new article on WitchVox - the Witch's Voice. Here's a snippet:

I’m an academic. I’m not a philosopher, and though I made A’s in all my Philosophy courses in school, I cannot possibly consider myself a true philosopher. I’m a social scientist. I study the human condition, specifically what happens when we do harm to one another. I’m what philosophers would call a naïve realist. A naïve realist is someone who completely accepts that the world is real, that it does not require perception to be real, and that it would be real whether or not I thought it was real. To me, that is a leap of faith in and of itself. I don’t question the realness of the bullet; I just know I don’t want it to hit me.


I know doubt on an intimate level. I question everything: motives, definitions, reasoning, thought patterns, what I read, what I see, and most especially what I hear out of people’s mouths. I’m the first to encourage pagans to call one another out on their claims of superpowers and claiming ridiculous titles like High Mugwump Magus of the 7th Seely Court – or whatever your particular World of Warcraft guild calls you. So, why, then would I ever talk about having faith? And how is the acceptance of reality a leap of faith?

To read the rest of the article, head over to the Witch's Voice website and read Doubt Increases Belief. Make sure to send me your thoughts on skepticism and faith to IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com or Tweet me @IncitingARiot!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

The Pagan Overly-Defensive Initiative

I've got an audience. People read this blog and listen to my podcast. I know that people listen to what I say, and in that spirit I would not like to direct the following blog post at any other well-known pagan specifically. That being said, this was inspired by a recent article on another blog, which shall remain nameless.

What in the HELL is the deal with pagans playing the eternal victim? From time to time I read other blogs and listen to podcasts that review television, movies, books, and other media. In a vast majority of these reviews, the focus is on how pagan/witchy/magical folk come off, and they're always pissed off.

Hollywood is so irreverent! I don't watch TV anymore! They're making us all out to look silly!

We're all just so abused!!!

Ok. I think I've said this before, but aren't you just exhausted with this ridiculous display? Let me tell you a little secret: there's not one group out there (despite its size) that is accurately portrayed by Hollywood. Do you think a story about the peaceful nature of most Muslims is going to sell tickets, or will people pay to see the evil Muslim extremists act as villains and terrorists on the big screen? Is the story of a mundane, middle-class Christian family the subject of news coverage, documentaries, or television? NO! We see the polygamists, the extremists who rail against government control, and the fringe that makes up only a fraction of a percent of that group.

I remember when Lisa Simpson dabbled in Wicca. It wasn't that long ago. The outcry from the online pagan community was one of disgust! That's not what Wicca is! Why isn't Hollywood working hard to portray us as a valid religion/belief system? Yes, we're expecting a show whose characters never age, who has relegated the Hindu/Indian guy to being the gas station owner, who depicts cops as fat, donut-eating idiots, whose Christian character is overly pious and violently afraid of sinning...we expect that show to depict Wicca with historical accuracy and reverence. 

Why are we eager to consume media that nonchalantly places characters into various convenient stereotypes, but get so full of vitriol when paganism is mentioned? What's the problem? We have given the various forms of media permission to create the story lines they do by purchasing tickets, reading books, and consuming their products. 

Some of the most recent complaints have come from an episode of Supernatural. The show depicts various gods and goddesses from various pantheons apparently eating human flesh, using humans as pawns in their divine designs. (Sorry, Candice Olson.) The problems people complain about are that Hollywood has trivialized their respective deities, turning them into Marvel-style mutants with dreadful egos rather than faces of the divine worthy of worship. People, people, people... It's a show about monster/ghost/angel/demon/etc. hunters! They're doing what most of TV and movies these days does: putting familiar names on fairly original characters. They need a bad ass chick with enough power to hold her own against the big, bad Satan, so they choose Kali as inspiration - considered by some to be the Goddess of change or death. 

Was she supposed to actually be an accurate portrayal of the revered Hindu Goddess? OF COURSE NOT! Just like Satan/Lucifer is pretty much just a title they gave to their Big Bad. I wonder if the Christian community is outraged that angels, demons, Yahweh, and the devil aren't all portrayed perfectly...

Nobody is trivializing pagans in the media except pagans. Is Wicca/paganism/earth-centered religions/witchcraft weird to the majority of the population? Yes, and if you think otherwise you're a nut. I've said it time and again - We're a minority! A pretty big minority. Not everybody fully understands our beliefs, but the same can be said of any religion that isn't our own. 

Like Velma Nightshade has said to me, "If you're looking to [Hollywood] for your history, then you've got more problems than being victimized." It's pretty pathetic, to be perfectly honest. It's pathetic that we're putting on blinders to how the media is portraying other groups and only focusing on our own. It's simple-minded to believe that somebody out in Hollywood is actively victimizing us. 

We're going to get about as much respect as any other religious group gets. That is to say none. Jesus Christ is an active running joke on shows like Family Guy, American Dad, South Park, the Simpsons, etc. Name a group: gays, lesbians, comic fans, blondes, red heads (ginger kids), fat people, beautiful people, witches, cops, politicians... They've all get their types and subtypes of stereotypes. 

An example: There's not just one gay stereotype, there are several. The queeny guy, the masculine guy who hates on effeminate guys, the really hot one who straight women want to turn, the bitter average/chubby guy that can't understand why the guy with the 6-pack doesn't want to screw him....and the list goes on and on. 

It doesn't matter what little niche of society you've sequestered yourself into, it's been made fun of. It's been talked about, written into a screenplay, made into a comic book, whatever. Get the hell over it. If you don't like what's happening, become a media executive. Become the publisher who decides which books do and don't enter the market. Become the TV producer who decides the direction and depth of characters on the shows you create. Become the movie big whig who decides to portray true and accurate accounts of witches throughout history. (I won't be buying tickets to your film, though, as it would be a snore fest.)

And, where is the outrage about the special effects departments?! When Willow's eyes go black, she hovers a few inches over the carpet, and she sends a lightning bolt into her foe, where is the public outrage from pagans and witches saying that we can't really do that? When the chicks on Practical Magic put the whammy on a man, kill him, bring him back from the dead, kill him again, and then suck his visible soul out of Nicole Kidman...where was the victimized river of tears?

Bottom line: Nobody goes to the theater or turns on the tv to their favorite fictional sci-fi show to be given an in-depth historical, literature, psychoanalytical breakdown of every single magical act, deity, or belief system portrayed. They're there to be entertained. 

Sure the writers might attempt to inject a bit of true lore into their production, but they're also trying to appeal to an audience. Why don't we just sit back and enjoy the show? 

Side note: If you're really worried about our public perception, why don't you take off the damn fairy wings and glitter, quit calling yourself High Priestess Witch Princess Bumblebee Fartweather, do some real research, and become an active participant in making this community a respectable public force? Just a thought.

Let me know YOUR thoughts by emailing IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com, tweeting @IncitingARiot, or leaving a comment below!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Do you have a library card?

You don't need one! (Gosh that was hokey...)

Take a quick gander at the newly minted Riot Library page at the top. It's full of books on nearly every subject the Riot takes on: poetry, sociology, religion, spirituality, and Jean Grey even makes an appearance.

Also included are the Inciting A Riot Official Book Club selections so that you can easily find what books we've read, what books we're reading, and what might be coming up in the future!

Click around; you might find something you like!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Earth Day Reflections

Today was Earth Day. Most pagan bloggers got up really early to wax all righteous about how Earth Day has become a pseudo pagan holiday. Because, you know, 8 sabbats a year just isn't enough. Started in 1970, the movement has become an excuse for every star in Hollywood to go green - if only for 24 hours.

Here's my beef: for the few hours that make up the broadcasting day on April 22nd each year, everybody is hypercharged about recycling, saving some whales, giving to poor kids, etc. Then, like the love we think we feel on Valentine's Day or the instantaneous blank slate we give to loved ones coming off planes after being absent for long periods of time, it fades. Fast. We buy biodegradable underwear and eat only organic, grass fed, free range, free roaming rabbit food that harms nothing and nobody - for one day.

There's nothing wrong with raising awareness for a righteous cause, and saving our planet is potentially the most righteous of all causes, but I just can't get behind this overly commercial...event, for lack of a better term. Is there something wrong with hokey, Hallmark-style holidays such as this? Probably not. But I'm unsure why pagans feel so closely tied with Earth day.

I get that we're all supposed to be tree-hugging eco-Nazis, but to claim this day as ours...hmm... Something feels false about this, too.

My question to you: Are we pressured by others in the pagan community to feel celebratory about Earth Day, because of the ideas that we find the divine in the natural world? Are we allowed to just treat this day as any other? Is Earth Day too commercial, yet? What are YOUR thoughts on Earth Day?

Send responses to IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com, or leave a comment below!

On a literary note: I got a really cool present in the mail today from one Velma Nightshade. Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal looks to be a promising book! If you'd like to read along with me, purchase the book through the link below.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Greene v. County of Sonoma et al.

Copy and paste articles aren't my thing. Typically, I interpret the news in such a way as to break it down and comment on it.

But, when I heard about this news story, I was stunned. I didn't know what to say. I just sat and cried. I cried, because this is the country I live in. This is the future we are creating. We are actively making this our history, and who the hell cares enough to do anything about it? And, yes, this is happening in California. The Land of the Gays.

The problem with people assuming that places like California, Vermont, Massachusetts, etc. are safe from this type of persecution is that nobody continues to do the work towards equality. If nobody votes for the amazing singer on American Idol, they get voted off despite how amazing of a singer they really are. Prop 8 happened in California. Greene v. County of Sonoma is happening right now in California.

Again, I'm not one to copy and paste other people's articles, but nothing I could say could add to the story below. This story comes from NCLR (Nation Center for Lesbian Rights), but has been reported by many agencies. I hope and pray that the media attention given to this heinous act creates change.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte


Greene v. County of Sonoma et al.

Clay and his partner of 20 years, Harold, lived in California. Clay and Harold made diligent efforts to protect their legal rights, and had their legal paperwork in place—wills, powers of attorney, and medical directives, all naming each other. Harold was 88 years old and in frail medical condition, but still living at home with Clay, 77, who was in good health.

One evening, Harold fell down the front steps of their home and was taken to the hospital. Based on their medical directives alone, Clay should have been consulted in Harold’s care from the first moment. Tragically, county and health care workers instead refused to allow Clay to see Harold in the hospital. The county then ultimately went one step further by isolating the couple from each other, placing the men in separate nursing homes.

Ignoring Clay’s significant role in Harold’s life, the county continued to treat Harold like he had no family and went to court seeking the power to make financial decisions on his behalf. Outrageously, the county represented to the judge that Clay was merely Harold’s “roommate.” The court denied their efforts, but did grant the county limited access to one of Harold’s bank accounts to pay for his care.

What happened next is even more chilling: without authority, without determining the value of Clay and Harold’s possessions accumulated over the course of their 20 years together or making any effort to determine which items belonged to whom, the county took everything Harold and Clay owned and auctioned off all of their belongings. Adding further insult to grave injury, the county removed Clay from his home and confined him to a nursing home against his will. The county workers then terminated Clay and Harold's lease and surrendered the home they had shared for many years to the landlord.

Three months after he was hospitalized, Harold died in the nursing home. Because of the county’s actions, Clay missed the final months he should have had with his partner of 20 years. Compounding this tragedy, Clay has literally nothing left of the home he had shared with Harold or the life he was living up until the day that Harold fell, because he has been unable to recover any of his property. The only memento Clay has is a photo album that Harold painstakingly put together for Clay during the last three months of his life.

With the help of a dedicated and persistent court-appointed attorney, Anne Dennis of Santa Rosa, Clay was finally released from the nursing home. Ms. Dennis, along with Stephen O'Neill and Margaret Flynn of Tarkington, O'Neill, Barrack & Chong, now represent Clay in a lawsuit against the county, the auction company, and the nursing home, with technical assistance from NCLR. A trial date has been set for July 16, 2010 in the Superior Court for the County of Sonoma.

Happy Birthday to ME!

Okay, I know... It's a little self-ingratiating, but somebody had to say it! Today is my 24th birthday. Partner took me to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago to see all the fishies. You know you're in love with your pets when you think, "Gosh, Kika would love to see this."

Just sayin', I'd make a bitchin' dad!

My mom called to tell me The Story of My Birth. Actually, she caught my voice mail and told it to that. It's a tradition where she tells me all about the day I was born - about how I was a month late, how she had me induced, and how I just wouldn't friggin' come out until almost midnight. I caught up with her once my phone got signal, and she's promised to retell the story this evening over Skype. 

I've gotten some really sweet tweets and one rockin' eCard (thanks Velma!) from you awesome Rioters! You really have made this birthday a very special one. You've made my show NUMBER ONE on Podcast Alley! Each and every one of you are NUMBER ONE in my book, too. Yes, that's possible. Except Jason - aka Squirrel Man. He's above number one. He's like...1 Prime! Go April Birthdays.

Partner is out right now picking up some utterly fattening munchies from Buffalo Wild Wings - sorry vegetarians. This will mark the 3rd day in a row of eating junk, but I have promised my abs and and my fat cheeks that I'll be right back in the gym first thing...sometime this week. 

Anyways, Rioters, enjoy Episode 27. It took a lot of research, a lot of planning, and a lot of recording, but I hope you like it. Get yourself some birthday swag in the Swag Shop. Spread the love around. Thanks for walking...the Riotous Way. (Sorry Mojo...my fingers really wanted to type that.)

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Jaguar Inductee: Goodwin Liu

What a way to start off a birthday! While watching the Rachel Maddow show, I came to learn of a man named Goodwin Liu. He's a 39-year-old professor and associate dean at the Berkeley School of Law, in the University of California system. He is actually up for a position as a 9th circuit court of appeals Federal Judge that Obama nominated him for last February. Which means, of course, that Republican officials are trying their damnedest to stop his confirmation process.

The guy's resume is ridiculous, his accomplishments unquestionable, and his skin is flawless! Seriously, LOOK at that skin!

Since the Jaguar Club has truly nothing to do with boring you all with academics, I'll dispense with them and get straight to the pictures.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Episode 27: Inciting A Christian Riot

Episode 27 of Inciting A Riot: the Podcast. Today we're Inciting A Christian Riot, which kicks off our 10-month series of the top 10 world religions - yes, it was the world religions list that was picked. We talk about the basic tenets of Christianity, and have a strangely synchronistic list of Christian-related segments.

News: A lesbian Christian singer, Mike Huckabee proves he's an ass...again, Obama rocks, and Deepak Chopra causes an earthquake - whether literally or figuratively will be left up to you.

Word of the Day: verdure

Gripe Department: The Roman Catholic church blames the priest sex abuse scandal on homosexuality, and we all learn what a pedophile ACTUALLY is. (So, please use the term correctly from now on.)

Spirituality: Christianity.

Book Review: We're discussing the Inciting A Riot Book Club book The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. It's an excellent read and full of interesting Biblical tidbits and hilarious exploits.

Poetry: Who will save my soul?

Music: Double dose of music today with What if I stumble? by DC Talk and Up to the mountain sung by Kelly Clarkson.

We also get to hear some interesting listener feedback and give a shout out to some excellent podcasts. I also announce the first ever Inciting A Riot Swag Draw. Two ways to enter (and you can enter twice by doing both): donate any amount through the PayPal donate button at IncitingARiot.com OR purchase swag from the swag shop & take a picture of yourself with the swag and send it to IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com.

Follow the blog at IncitingARiot.com, subscribe through iTunes, vote at Podcast Alley (THANK YOU for keeping the show #1!!! It's the best birthday present you could give me! Though, gifts are nice, too.), get your swag from the CafePress swag shop, check out my Examiner articles, Tweet me @IncitingARiot, and send your questions, comments, gripes, and complaints to IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Home Page: http://www.IncitingARiot.com

Podcast Alley: http://www.podcastalley.com/podcast_details.php?pod_id=86829

Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/x-43503-Chicago-Pagan-Activism-Examiner

iTunes: http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=337689333

Twitter: http://twitter.com/IncitingARiot

Swag Shop: http://cafepress.com/IncitingARiot

Project Pagan Enough: http://www.incitingariot.com/p/project-pagan-enough.html

National Day of Silence & Obama's Bedside Inclusion

Today is the National Day of Silence, which means that all around the country young men and women will be keeping silent in solidarity with their gay, lesbian, and transgender classmates. According to the homepage of Day of Silence, its purpose is:

The Day of Silence is a student-led national event that brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Students from middle school to college take some form of a vow of silence in an effort to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBT behavior. The event is designed to illustrate the silencing effect of this bullying and harassment on LGBT students and those perceived to be LGBT.

Ending harassment? Stopping bullying, name-calling, and victimization? I LOVE IT!

The event was started in 1996 at the University of Virginia as a project concerning non-violent protests. 150 students participated in that year's event. By 1997 the event went nationwide and involved at least 100 colleges and universities. The event has now expanded to include middle schools and high schools.

In 2008, hundreds of thousands of students from more than 8,000 K-12 schools, colleges and universities organized Day of Silence events. These numbers make the Day of Silence one of the largest student-led actions in the United States. The event has drawn significant attention to LGBT issues in schools over the years. For example, GLSEN spokespersons have appeared on national media outlets and there has always been extensive local media coverage from coast to coast, with numerous interviews with students.

You can make a difference, despite your age. Don't be discouraged, though. Every year there are outcries at schools around the country stating that this silence is unnecessary, a disturbance, wrong, glorifying a disturbing and evil lifestyle... Blah Blah Blah. Please don't let these conservative naysayers stop you from a completely legal, completely allowed, completely nonviolent and unintrusive movement.

In honor of this day, and in remembrance of my own victimization at the hands of countless bullies (both verbal and physical), I will be remaining silent until the end of the average school day. If you know me, you know what a sacrifice this is.

In similar and totally awesome news: President Obama has extended bedside hospital visitation rights to same-sex partners. Now, if you're in the hospital, the government will not stop you from seeing your loved one who, in many sad cases, is the only family some have. This is an act of progress. This is an act of true change. This is an act that no Republican would have ever pushed through.

Bravo, Mr. Obama. You are steadily making me a believer. Thank you for giving me rights I should have as a human, as a citizen of this planet. Thank you for seeing me as a first-class citizen and recognizing that my love is just as real and just as valuable as a straight person's.

Will YOU be joining in on the Day of Silence? What do YOU think about Obama's extension of civil rights? IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com Send me your thoughts! Or, leave a comment below.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Spring is BLOOMING around my house!

These pictures come from around my back yard. It is just so glorious to go outside and see such luscious flowers and opulent trees.

Times like this remind me to be very thankful of freedom, of the Mother, of healthy lungs that breathe air, of life, and of all that is.

Yes, even the bad. Because, without the bad, without the rain and clouds covering the sun, how would we measure the glory of times such as these?

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

(Hint: Clicking the pictures makes them BIGGER!)

The first blooms of Spring came a few weeks ago.

This bird's nest was in some shrubs next to a parking lot. Something about it was gorgeous, tragic, and said ART to me.

The next flowers to bloom in my back yard. I actually don't know what they are for sure. (Bad earth lover!)

I pass this tree everyday on my walk with Kika. The exposed root system is a beautiful analogy for connecting with the divine. Or at least that's what I thought.

Look! It's a squirrel! They're all over our back yard.

Bella, the cat, REALLY wanted to make friends with the squirrel.

I also pass this tree everyday on my walk with the dog. When it's in bloom, and you catch the sun behind it, it takes your breath away every single time.

What does spring look like around YOUR house? Send pictures to IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com

Shout Out: New World Witchery

Apologies go out to Cory and Lane, the hosts of the fantastic, amazing, insightful, truly riotous podcast New World Witchery. I have been meaning to give them a shout out on the podcast and keep forgetting. The show deals specifically with the magic and folk traditions of the New World, that is, the Americas over the past couple hundred years. Voodoo, Hoodoo, Granny Magic, Appalachian folk magic, superstitions and prognostication, etc.

Their advice is simple, practical, and has absolutely no qualms about discussing curses, hexes, and other unmentionable things. (Shout Out Dorothy Morrison: Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes & Other Unsavory Notions!) They don't just tell you about hypothetical spells, remedies, tricks, and conjures; they actually describe how to do them and give personal anecdotes of their successes and failures.

This show preaches what I have been saying for a long time: magic is simple. Magic is earthy and rich and real and thick like maple syrup on a winter morning. Magic doesn't require high ceremony to be effective.

Cory and Lane have put out a fabulous podcast full of needed information that is an asset, whether you've been practicing for 30 years or 30 days. We're all so inundated with pseudo-European spirituality and belief that we overlook the magic that is right underneath our native feet, the lore and beliefs used in our own backyards. So, if you're wanting to learn about an area of the craft that is seldom mentioned in the New Age section, do your ears a favor and subscribe to New World Witchery - the Search for American Traditional Witchcraft.

Cory and Lane, I am your fan!

Their homepage: http://newworldwitchery.wordpress.com/

Their iTunes page: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/new-world-witchery-search/id349625395

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Homosexuals are Pedophiles! Wait... What's a pedophile?

Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's Secretary of State, is claiming that the child rape scandal currently tearing apart what last shreds of dignity the Roman Catholic church - and this Pope - has is all due to homosexuality. His comments were made on April 12th (Monday) in Chile during a news conference over the scandal involving a Catholic priest and a young girl. You read that right. The male priest is a homosexual for sexually assaulting the female girl.


According to Cardinal Bertone, "Many psychologists and psychiatrists have demonstrated that there is no relation between celibacy and paedophilia. But many others have demonstrated, I have been told recently, that there is a relation between homosexuality and paedophilia. That is true. That is the problem."


Mmk... Here's the thing about pedophiles: they're not just people that have sex with kids. If an offender sexually assaults a minor, that does not automatically make them a pedophile. What you find in dealing with pedophiles is that they have regressed to a point in childhood at which their sexual maturity stopped. An excellent article from WebMD by Gary Vogin, MD details pedophilia quite well:


Insecurity, Hord agrees, is at the heart of pedophilia. Typically, pedophiles have trouble relating to people their own age. They need to feel they have power and control in a relationship, which is easy with children.


I studied Crimes of Violence in college, with an entire semester focused on sex crimes. I am constantly frustrated when people misappropriate the label of pedophile to a person who has committed Aggravated Sexual Assault of a child. Does it belittle the crime at all if I say the offender is not a pedophile? No, but finding the right psychological diagnosis may very well determine whether the offender can be rehabilitated and introduced back into society or not.

And as for the Catholic Church, priests that can't stop diddling little kids, and blaming it on the sins of man, allow me to summarize my feelings in one word...

BULLSHIT!

The current Catholic Church, like many institutions these days, needs a serious overhaul. To quote from the initial article:

In 1986 Cardinal Ratzinger wrote a letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons in which he stated that a homosexual orientation, even if the person was totally celibate, was a “tendency” toward an “intrinsic moral evil”. Moreover, he said, a homosexual inclination is both an “objective disorder” and a “moral disorder”, which is “contrary to the creative wisdom of God”. “Special concern and pastoral attention should be directed towards those who have this condition, lest they be led to believe that the living out of this orientation in homosexual activity is a morally acceptable option. It is not.”


The future Pope concluded in his letter that pastoral care for homosexual persons should include the “assistance of the psychological, sociological and medical sciences”, and that “all support should be withdrawn from any organisations which seek to undermine the teachings of the Church, which are ambiguous about it, or which ignore it entirely”.

Cardinal Ratzinger is now the Pope.

The guy who basically thinks gay people need to be institutionalized, the believes homosexuals are against the wisdom of God, that guy is the Pope - the leader that much of the world looks to for spiritual guidance. The same guy who believes Judaism and Islam are evil, dark religions. The same guy who believes those practicing native beliefs 'secretly long' for Christianity.

The same guy who, when investigating a child sex abuse scandal in the 1980s, slapped the priest on the wrist when it was found he was guilting of lewd conduct with young boys. The same guy who said that these cases should be treated with 'due caution' and gave consideration of the 'good of the universal Church' before deciding whether to defrock the priest.

I urge the Pope, his Cardinals, and the rest of the Religious and conservative ideologues to bear in mind a verse from their most cherished book before they dare speak about matters such as these again:

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? Matthew 7:3

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Episode 26: Inciting A Debated Riot

Episode 26 of Inciting A Riot: the Podcast finds us Inciting A Debated Riot with Johnny Rapture of the blog The Great Tininess. (greattininess.wordpress.com)

He says Project Pagan Enough highlights everything that is wrong with modern paganism. I disagree. We had a fairly intense debate, and I'll leave it up to you to decide who came out on top!

Send all comments to IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com! Tweet me @IncitingARiot, subscribe through iTunes, check out my Examiner articles, vote on Podcast Alley, and follow the blog at IncitingARiot.com!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Home Page: http://www.IncitingARiot.com

Podcast Alley: http://www.podcastalley.com/podcast_details.php?pod_id=86829

Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/x-43503-Chicago-Pagan-Activism-Examiner

iTunes: http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=337689333

Twitter: http://twitter.com/IncitingARiot

Swag Shop: http://cafepress.com/IncitingARiot

Project Pagan Enough: http://www.incitingariot.com/p/project-pagan-enough.html

Tea Party Photographs

You listened to part of the speeches and...songs (could you call them songs if they sounded like someone was killing cats?) from the local Tea Party rally in my neighborhood on the podcast. As I said, I took some pictures on my phone that provide sort of a 'rest of the story' look at the Tea Party.

The one picture I did not get, that I wish I had, was of a man in a felt Uncle Sam hat that had his incomplete census taped to his back with the words "NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION" written on it. As probably know it is required by law to return your census, but the Tea Partiers and conservative Republicans have scared the public into believing that turning in your census equates to handing in your year's salary and sacrificing your first-born child to the evil witch-doctor Obama. This is quite prevalent in Texas, where census returns from mostly Republican counties are down between 14% and 30%. Though, apparently this is typical as those same Republican counties only ever turn in between 48% and 72% of censuses.

I'll let the rest of the pictures speak for themselves. I think the one of the children holding signs while their parent is sitting there speaks volumes. Do you have any crazy political pictures? Send your pictures and comments to IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com or leave them in the comments box below!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

P.S. This particular Tea Party rally got a write-up on the Chicago edition of Examiner.com. Check it out here! (and then head over to my page and take a read)

Don't Tread On Me...because I'm so angry...

OH!!! I get it! Global warming completely negates the fact that winter happened! (Because that's what Fox News told me to say.)

Yep, those are two small children - maybe 7 or 9 - holding signs that say 'Obama Lies' and 'Obama is taking our freedom.' Wonder who told them what to say...? No, I'm sure they understand the complexities of the American political climate.

Join or Die... Yep, that's what the flag says. Join or Die. Well, I don't want to join, so what would they like me to do?

Sweet Swagness You Can Win!

Hello my dear Rioters! Before we continue with our regularly scheduled Riot, possibly coming in the next few hours, I have some business you all might like to know about. (My apologies to prepositions everywhere.)

First off: I am announcing the Riot's first ever SWAG CONTEST!!! Because of the overwhelming - seriously overwhelming, I was nearly in tears - outpouring of support you all have shown me in the past few weeks, and specifically last night as it looked like the Riot was to be postponed, I am now finally able to have a Swag Draw! I will also officially announce this on Ep. 27 of Inciting A Riot: the Podcast, but I'm giving you Blog Readers a jump start.

The rules are simple:

1. The contest is open from the time it is announced until the end of that respective month. So, this contest will be going from now - April 13, 2010 - until Friday, April 30th. The winner - possibly winners - will be announced on the show following that Friday. 
2. As soon as one contest ends, the next begins.
3. To enter the contest, either submit a donation via the PayPal donate button on the left-hand side of IncitingARiot.com OR by purchasing an item from the Swag Shop. 
4. The amount of the donation doesn't matter. Someone donating $10 has the same chance to win as someone donating $1. 
5. IF you enter by purchasing swag, you MUST take a picture of you with the swag as proof. (Plus, I'll add a section to the site for pictures of Rioters with their swag. SWEET!) So, yes, your face must be in the photo. You may also add your dog, cat, altar, herb garden, or anything else you'd like to put up on the Rioters page in the picture!
6. Prizes solely depend on the amount of donations received. This site takes a small amount of money to maintain, and once that amount is met, everything else can be used for swag contests and bettering the Riot. I have some original artwork - paintings, statuary, etc. - that I'd like to give away, and there is also a nice selection of swag to choose from. 

If you are a merchant, musician, craftsman, hobbyist, etc., you may donate items, CDs, jewelry, tools, or anything else you make or sell to be given away in the Swag Draw. This not only promotes your business and improves your visibility in the online pagan world, but it helps out the Riot by lessening the cost of purchasing Swag!

We already have entries into this month's Swag Draw! Thank you to everyone who has given thus far, but you still have time!

In Sweet Swag News: You can now purchase Project Pagan Enough BUMPER STICKERS! They look exactly like this:

But much, much bigger! Head over to the CafePress Swag Shop to snag yours!

Note: No funds ever given or profits from purchased swag will ever go in my pocket. Ever. This money is given in good faith by the Rioters who enjoy the Riot and want to see it continue in all its pitchfork and torch waving glory. I will always honor that good faith by using this money to give back to you and to simply maintain the costs of hosting fees and domain usage. 

One last thing: If you can spare a few minutes, please check out the articles on Examiner.com. Each page view generates some small income, which is used to buy pitchforks for Rioters whose old ones have gotten bent and rusty. You can subscribe to them and read new ones as they come out! Also, click around Examiner.com. There are some fantastic articles and writers there. You might find somebody inciting their own, unique Riot!

Thank you all so much for your love and support over the past year. I hope to see this Riot grow and prosper for years to come. And now, back to the semi-regularly scheduled Riot!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

We have a pickle, and it looks like this: $

Rioters, I hate to ask, and I really haven't ever pushed it before, but we've found ourselves in a pickle. I have some fantastic shows recorded and planned, but Podbean is telling me I don't have enough space to upload them. Because the show has taken off the way it has, and because it has grown, the space it takes up on Podbean has grown as well.

Now, this space resets itself - somewhat - month to month, but I have officially reached the limit of space I can use. So, I'm hoping to make some upgrades to the Podbean account so that you and I can continue this Riot. Unfortunately, this costs money. They charge me for hosting fees and such.

I try not to ask, but I'm asking now. Please don't feel obligated, and I would just absorb the costs if I could, but being in job limbo doesn't help matters much. So, if you can give a $1, or $5, or anything at all, I would be so grateful. I will try and make up the difference of any donations to upgrade the account so we can continue this Riot, but I need your help. The donate button is on the left side of the screen. Scroll down a bit and you'll see it under the heading Support the Riot.

I will trade commercials, and well even have a swag draw for all those that give - despite the amount - if we can get enough donations! So, if Inciting A Riot is a podcast you want to continue enjoying without interruption, if the blog is an asset to you in any way, could you spare a couple bucks to help me continue putting it out there.

Bless you all in advance, and I truly thank you.

Update: In response to the numerous requests, Project Pagan Enough bumper stickers are now available for purchase through the Inciting A Riot Swag Shop!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Episode 25: Inciting A Public Riot

Episode 25 of Inciting A Riot: the Podcast finds us Inciting A Public Riot. Today's show is an extra long episode, because I stumbled upon a local Tea Party rally and decided to record a few speeches - and some awful songs. Inspired by this, and by your votes, we're talking about putting on a good public face for the pagan community.

News: Justice Stevens retires, lesbians go to fake proms, West Virginia mourns, and a man is forced to pay people to protest his son's funeral.

Word of the Day: magniloquent

Sociology: Tea Party audio and commentary from me. Bear with me folks, this takes up a good chunk of the podcast.

Spirituality: The public face of the pagan community: are your wings getting in the way?

Music: Immortal by Saving Jane

No poetry segment today in the interests of time and boredom. We also have some listener feedback in the way of rebuttal concerning Project Pagan Enough.

Keep the show on top at Podcast Alley by voting, subscribe through iTunes, Tweet me @IncitingARiot, join Project Pagan Enough, follow the blog, and send all your thoughts on anything you read or hear to IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Home Page: http://www.IncitingARiot.com

Podcast Alley: http://www.podcastalley.com/podcast_details.php?pod_id=86829

Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/x-43503-Chicago-Pagan-Activism-Examiner

iTunes: http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=337689333

Twitter: http://twitter.com/IncitingARiot

Swag Shop: http://cafepress.com/IncitingARiot

Project Pagan Enough: http://www.incitingariot.com/p/project-pagan-enough.html

Podcasting 101: Top 10 Must-Dos

Strangely enough, I have gotten a lot of emails from current and prospective podcasters that say this show has inspired them to create their own. I am quite flattered that anybody considers this show to be of a good enough quality that they would want to emulate it in any way, form, or fashion. Though I’ve only been doing this podcasting thing 6 months, I would like to impart a few tips and tricks that I’ve learned both as a show-maker and a show-listener.

1. Only talk about things you know. If you’ve never studied it, lived it, loved it, touched it, tasted it, smelled it, or ridden it, then you probably shouldn’t talk about it. Nobody’s asking that you be an expert on the matter, but you’re putting yourself out there for thousands of people to hear what you have to say. It doesn’t benefit you in any way to be wrong. If you don’t have a passion for your topic, choose to talk about something else.
2. Keep notes. As you think of random ideas throughout the day/week/month between shows, take them down. I’ve found the easiest thing to do is to use the Notes application on my phone. That way, when a topic just hasn’t jumped out at me by the time I’m ready to record the next show, I can just refer to my list and pull from that.
3. Record in the same spot. Find a place that’s quiet, that won’t have noise distractions. Don’t turn on any fans, boot the animals out of the room, turn your phone and twitter and social networking updates to silent, and for the love of all that is holy please don’t start and stop to go answer the phone or get something to eat or take care of the loud noise in the background. I know life happens, but you’re breaking your concentration and focus and breaking up the pace of the show. It annoys a listener like crazy. Psychologists say that you'll feel more at ease and remember information easier if you have to recall it in the same place you learned it. (Which is why it's easier to take your English test in your English classroom rather than in the auditorium.) So research your podcast and record it in the same area. You'll remember your information easier, and it won't sound like you're reading straight from Wikipedia.
4. Script your first show. Maybe even script your first 2, 5, or 10 shows. If nothing else, at least write out your main topic, that way you don’t trip up and forget where you were heading halfway through your topic. Your first few shows are critical in letting prospective listeners whether they want to listen to you. We’re not in it for the money or any pseudo-fame, but we are making a show nonetheless. Being well-spoken, without the ums and uhs and empty space in between statements is part of that entertainment/well-spoken factor. Once you become more comfortable talking to your computer, you can script less and less.
5. Mix up your topics. Sometimes you might want to talk about herbs, sometimes a biography of a famous pagan figure, perhaps others you’re beefing about Silver Ravenwolf, but either way it goes don’t beat your audience over the head with a topic. Give them something else to think about. Sure you can talk magic and paganism, but mix in a bit about your daily life, your opinions on your favorite movies or books, etc. One easy way around this is to break your show into segments.  I recommend a 2:1 ratio - especially if you're a pagan podcaster. There are only so many big pagan topics, and many of them have already been covered. And, other podcasts already have the market on herb and stone segments. So do your one spirituality segment, and give at least 2 other non-pagan, or pagan lite, topics. Say something funny, something personal, something random, but say something ELSE. Your mix of topics is why someone will tune in to your show rather than Generic Witchy Podcast #472. Also, just stay away from this format: Intro - break - herb segment - break - stone segment - break - main witchy topic of the day - BREAK - god awful pagan music - BREAK - tell everyone how to email you about said witchy topics. A) That's TOO MANY BREAKS! That's great that you're promoting other people,  but we tuned in to listen to YOUR show! B) That format, or one really similar, is in use by a LOT of other pagan podcasters. They've been doing it longer and probably do it better.
6. Know when to shut up. Again, don’t beat your audience over the head with a topic. This is why I recommend scripting your main topic at least. Make your point. Give your research. Crack a relevant joke or 3, but know when to say when. Your listeners will most definitely get bored if you use your show like a baseball bat and beat them in the head with your 45-minute long, uninterrupted monologue on the same thing. Also, vary things up from show to show. If you’re doing a big biography show one time, share some opinions next time, and maybe have an interview on the show after that. 
7. Research. I covered part of this in point 1, but please do research on your topic. And, as I’ve said before in Inciting a Filtered Riot, don’t just research books in the New Age section of the bookstore. A quick and easy way to do some academic research on your topic is to stop by your local bookstore or use Google Scholar, which searches peer-reviewed, academic articles for your search words. Want to talk about Gerald Gardner? Run his name through Google Scholar and see what comes up!
8. Learn how to operate your recording program. There’s nothing worse than a podcaster whose clicking and scrolling and edits and stuff are so completely obvious. Learn how to insert music and sound bites and effects and stuff into your audio file so that you’re not just recording something through a combination of speakers and microphones (something I’m still learning). No matter what program you use there is some sort of how-to video or article or discussion forum that will tell you how to operate it. Please, oh dear god please, use it.
9. Upload a show regularly, but don’t promise when. We all understand that life happens, but when you leave 3 months, 6 months, or a year between shows…you’re really not putting out a show. If your favorite television program came out that often, would you still be watching that show? However, don’t guarantee when the next show will come out. You’ll eventually only disappoint your followers and yourself.
10. Give yourself a break. Nobody’s first show was perfect. Nobody’s 10th show was perfect. It takes time to get a feel for what your show will sound like and what you will bring to the table as a podcaster in whatever community you’re podcasting for. Your volume levels might suck. You might accidentally record your show so that it only comes out of the left speaker and then correct it only to have it come out of only the right speaker. You might record an interview in such a way that it sounds like you’re a million miles from that person. You might edit yourself so that you cut off the middle of your words or the whole last 12 minutes of your show. Everybody does it, and everybody is still podcasting.

There are so many more tips that I could give, so many really important things to keep in mind (like DON'T read directly from Wikipedia! DON'T rip off other shows' ideas! etc.), but I felt this is probably the best 101 version of a top 10 list. I may put out a 102 top 10, but that will probably be done right after I make Project Pagan Enough bumper stickers. Which is to say...tomorrow. (as in the ubiquitous always-putting-things-off-until-tomorrow tomorrow)

I hope this helps in some way. If you ever have any questions about how to make your podcast run, feel free to ask! IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com You can also tweet @IncitingARiot. Happy podcasting and, in advance, welcome to the Podkin!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Justice Stevens retires & Chicago brothel busted

Justice John Paul Stevens announced officially, today, that he will be retiring at the end of the current term. This provides an interesting opportunity for President Obama, as Stevens was considered by many to be one of the court's most prominent Liberal judges. He even opposed a recent ruling allowing corporations to donate unlimited amounts of money to political campaigns, writing the dissenting opinion for that case.

Stevens is the fourth-longest-serving justice to have served on the court, beginning his tenure in 1970. He says that he was once considered conservative, and that he hadn't changed, the court had.

Obama has an opportunity here, a rare one, to appoint back-to-back justices to the Supreme Court. Many are positing that he will appoint another liberal to keep the balance of ideologies on the bench, and even more political wonks, bloggers, and talking heads are all coming up with their 'short lists' of who they think Obama will put on his short list. In truth, nobody knows who the President is considering. I just hope that whoever he puts on the bench will stand for civil rights, fair-minded spending, keep in touch with the needs of the people (not necessarily whims or wants), and - most importantly - KNOWS when their time is up.

Any political or legal figure that YOU'd like to see on the bench?

In Sex Industry news: Breaking news out of Chicago reports that the owner of a Chinatown brothel offered an undercover cop (posing as a crooked cop) over $18,000 in cash and free sex in exchange for protection. Needless to say, the guy was busted. Sheng Quan Dong, age 37, and his wife Li Xia Zhao were arrested yesterday. He is charged with bribery, pandering, keeping a place of prostitution, and other felonies. She is charged solicitation, keeping a place of prostitution, and pimping.

Yep, pimping is a real crime.

These arrests bring an over 4-year-long investigation to a close. Over the course of that time, the undercover cop was taking money each month to look the other way about the brothel. This amount increased as a second brothel opened. Dong, his wife, and their associates employed mostly Asian women from other cities that they would fly in to work in the brothel for a few weeks at a time. 

Also arrested were: Laisheng Zhang, 54, of West 25th Place, charged with pandering; Changhai Chen, 39, of South Wentworth Avenue, charged with patronizing a prostitute; Danling Zeng, 32, of Brooklyn, New York, charged with possession of a controlled substance and prostitution; and Kristy Kim, 46, of Palisades Park, New Jersey, charged with prostitution.

No word yet whether the prostitutes in question were paid extra not to make fun of the clients' tiny penises.

I'm sorry! I'm sorry... I just couldn't resist the tiny penis joke!

Send your thoughts on these or any other stories to IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com ! Also, if you haven't yet, please, vote for the show at Podcast Alley. We're still #1 in the Religion & Spirituality category, but that lead is down to 2 votes. I'd love to see a pagan podcaster take the number one spot. Not that I have anything against the 1 Year Audio Bible folks, but...you know... It'd be pretty sweet!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte