Sedona, Arizona by Taryn Riffey. Photo by Eric Francis. Prior cover: Breakfast.
If you're looking for the February horoscope...
My America | Link to archived edition of Planet Waves by Eric Francis 
 Dear Friend and Reader:ONE OF the most discouraging things about the American political situation is the disappearance of what some call the "left." These dichotomies don't work so well, but we know that the "right" is a fear-dominated philosophy that supposedly espouses the glory of the Constitution but really wants to dictate what goes on inside your undies. Just looking at the the Democratic field, which seems to be down to Billary and Black Osama*, we have at best two ultra-centrists -- not "liberals." Billary, in her incarnation as Sen. Clinton, voted for the invasion of Iraq -- inexcusable because as an ex-president's wife she has access to daily CIA briefings. She knew the real situation in Iraq, or she should have, as a senator and wife of Bill. So we have either someone who is ignorant, a warmonger or a supposedly liberal politician who is pandering to the right wing. She is also not a New Yorker, but is, mysteriously, somehow senator from New York. As for Monsieur Obama, he has a right wingnut reactionary for a mentor -- Iraq war supporter Joe Lieberman. Do we really think any of these people are going to get us out of Iraq, no matter what they may say? We would do better to spend our time figuring out where their money is coming from. How many of their donors are companies making money on the war? That's what the war is ALL about -- making cash. Those billions are being spent, and they are being spent somewhere. At election time, war profiteers fill the war chests of candidates, and they don't do it for nothing. I think it's important to vote, but in my view that's about #10 on the Good Citizen To-Do List. As for the first nine, most of them involve something that used to be called civics -- that is, knowing how your society works. I know that most people are trying to figure out how their cell phone works, and are clueless how their body works; forget about one's mind. The problem with civics is that you have to care. You might suddenly start to care when the school administration starts harassing your kid, or when you discover your neighborhood was built on a toxic waste dump. It's not too late, but you have some ground to make up. Where to start with civics? Well, you can start with going to a local town board meeting. Even if you get as far as figuring out when it meets, you'll learn a lot. Pick up the phone, or Google, and enter your town or city name and then "council" -- such as the city council. Let's try Peoria, Arizona, where all the voting districts are named after trees. Here is what the city council looks like. All these nice people have phone numbers -- most are in the book, so they look good. However, to call them you may have to try 10 times. I suggest you go to a meeting or two -- busy as your schedule is, and get to know their faces. If you live near the county seat (the county is one of the most powerful governments in the United States, in my view), that level of government is a good start. I just called up the Ulster County Legislature, where I live. I talked to Tammy, the country clerk's secretary. The clerk or his/her secretary are THE people to know by name -- they have the keys to the system on the practical level. I learned that tonight, down the street from my house, is a public hearing on Local Law 2008-01, which happens to be about voting systems. Next week, there is a general meeting; these are held at 7 pm the second Wednesday of each month. They're on the 6th floor of a building called the Glass Menagerie. This information is available for your locale, and you can go, and see just how, well, mundane it all is; and try to imagine that Congress functions somewhat the same way, but with a lot more at stake. However, I suggest that you start by reading the Bill of Rights. It's quicker and easier, and will give you something think about at work. These are what is under significant threat right now. Neither Billary nor Black Osama are going to be able to close the hole in the wall that's been blown open by a decade of BushCo. Catch you soon.  *I am suddenly getting complaints about my characterization of Mr. Obama as "Black Osama." Note, this is political satire, after Jon Stewart [of Comedy Central]'s "Obama's been laden with such a terrible name" routine. However, I have NO inherent respect for politicians, whatsoever. I am a journalist and I have known too many of them for that. They are not God; at election time, we make them into God, and I find this more than a little disgusting. This is also a comment on the public perception of these two candidates: Hillary as predominantly the wife of Bill, with all the nostalgia value that bestows; and Obama as an allegedly Muslim, allegedly black man, for which he will surely be attacked by the Republicans. For these reasons, I feel he has a pretty good chance of getting shot at, whether on the campaign trail or as president. My comment was specifically designed to turn this particular card face-up.In Friday's Edition of Planet Waves | Now Available Mike Brown, the discoverer of Eris and professor at Caltech, tells the world why he loves astrologers. In "Notes from the Technosphere," Kirsti Melto and Eric Francis look at the solar eclipse coming on Feb. 7, and its many themes involving computers and digital technology. Plus, each Friday edition includes the Eric Francis weekly horoscope, unavailable anywhere else online. The Aquarius birthday report will be available Monday. It's available as part of Planet Waves Astrology News, or will be sold separately for $9.95 (ordering details Monday). To subscribe to Planet Waves and get instant access to current issues and five years of archives, please check this link.
In Our Midweek Edition of Planet Waves Our midweek email edition for subscribers includes a detailed article about the current Mercury retrograde in Aquarius and the upcoming eclipses. Eric has also posted his annual...interior decorating horoscope, the annual edition of Inner Space. Both Inner Space and Planet Waves are now available as part of Small World Stories, the 2008 annual horoscope edition.
Last Week in Planet Waves Astrology News: Pluto in Capricorn Pluto arrived in Capricorn for the first time since the 18th century last Friday. What are the implications of this? Eric Francis looks at the connection between the planet of intense obsession and the sign of corporations and politics. In his article "We Have Met the Enemy," he declares that our real concern is not the One World Government but rather a seemingly harmless predator most often seen on road signs. Plus the weekly horoscope, Mars stations direct, Mercury stations retrograde and more. To get this edition, subscribe to Planet Waves Astrology News.
Squish Over, Amazon! The Planet Waves Subscription Store After years of tinkering, market research, rocket science and database programming, we are pleased to present a Subscriber Store that will make you want to click, click, click.
Small World Stories Login | Need Help With Your Purchase? Small World Stories | Small Worlds FAQ | Notes from Small Worlds Small Worlds Stories is our annual edition of Planet Waves. It now includes the monthly horoscopes, which will no longer appear on the free horoscope pages. At Planet Waves, we do astrology differently. Really differently. Our 2008 annual edition offers up detailed love, sex, art and money forecasts for each sign, and a collection of first-of- their kind character studies on the new planets from Chiron to Pluto to Eris. Learn about yourself. Learn about the world transition. Small World Stories from Planet Waves. Instant Access to Small World Stories. If you have already purchased and would like to enter, click here.
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Planet Waves Monthly for January 2008 | By Eric Francis Planet Waves and Inner Space monthly horoscopes now appear in Small World Stories, our amazing annual edition. Learn more. |
