A Nation of Bed Bugs:
Glenn Beck & The Billionaire-Funded Tea Party
Anne Frank Tree Felled by Storm

By Shelley L. Ackerman © 2010

SHELLEY ACKERMAN
Photo: Rich Press

Signs of Nature

I pay attention to signs from nature, and to natural phenomena for ways to interpret and think about what’s going on in the world. And the recent outbreak of bedbug infestation seems to say that the collective has lost its marbles, and we are in effect, a nation of bed bugs.

This past weekend, Glenn Beck (you know, the guy that says President Obama is a racist) and his Tea Party followers desecrated the sacred memory of the Civil Rights Movement by gathering at the Lincoln Memorial on the 47th anniversary of the August 28, 1963 March on Washington led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

If you haven’t done so already, please read Bob Herbert’s glorious take on the timing of the event. If these malevolent misanthropes have their way, there’d be no more unemployment insurance, little or no Social Security, no Medicare, no Medicaid, and no checks and balances for big business. The Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest would remain in place, the deficit would keep ballooning and there’d be fracking and drilling to the point of no return. And it would happen so fast it would make our heads spin, all proceeding under the heading of “taking back our country.” Heck, what’s ever left of nature would be demolished in less than a decade.

Earlier in the week, the celebrated 150 year old horse chestnut tree outside of Anne Frank’s Secret Annex in Amsterdam where she, her family and four friends hid for more than two years broke off and died during a storm.

The Anne Frank Tree

According to Maureen McNeil, Director of Education for the Anne Frank Center USA, “the tree had been failing for several years. Factions were divided on whether or not to keep the tree alive. It was braced but wind and rain broke it off at three feet.” The nature spirits won. Ms Mc Neil, who is completing a novel The Red Diary about Marilyn Monroe’s last seven months, went on to say “The tree helped to sustain her. She was able to nurture herself by looking at the tree and seeing that there was order (the cycle of seasons), and it comforted her. All was in order, and so humanity might get back to that order. It was a symbol of hope.”

There are saplings of that tree all over the world. Japan has at least 20. The tree was a symbol of hope for Anne, and after she died, the tree became a symbol of her.

Are You Reading Me?

I should be doing more on the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, reminding all of how the 9th ward has or (more accurately) hasn’t come back since that fateful week in 2005. And I should review the past week’s mid-term election primaries. But truth be told, this Summer’s heavy transits (namely the square of Saturn to and the station of Pluto on my Moon) have taken their toll and I’ve needed time to process, hence the delay in this week’s posting. Going forward, I’ll shift the Thursday to Wednesday schedule to Sunday-Saturday. Hope that works for you. And I also hope you’re reading more than your horoscope- I know, that’s the hook, and most of KarmicRelief.com’s readers seem to check in specifically for that one paragraph. But to be empowered we must keep informed, don’t you think? So with that in mind, I present these suggested links for each of the four elements of the zodiac:

*FIRE: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius – To be an inspiration, be courageous and find ways to stay inspired.

Here Sagittarian Jon Stewart tells it like it is re: Glenn Beck’s manipulative heist of August 28th’s historic March on Washington, “I Have a Scheme”.

*EARTH: Taurus, Virgo, Sagittarius – Back to Basics, Keep your feet on the ground, and make sure there’s water to drink, air to breathe, and a ground on which to walk.

Molly Hall, About.com’s fine astrologer and blogger shared “An Urgent Call to the Land” astrologer and agrarian (Capricorn) Steven McFadden’s posting which asks, “What is the land asking of me?”

And honorable mention goes to Twenty Five Household Uses for Borax, a dream of a piece for Virgo month I might add.

*AIR: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius – Air signs rule the intellect and when healthy and positive, use their talents to inform, educate and at times, provoke.

Gemini Frank Rich provided all you needed to know about the sham perpetrated by Aquarian Glenn Beck this weekend. In The Billionaires Bankrolling the Tea Party, Rich discusses who is funding the Tea Party movement: (Hint: Rupert Murdoch and David and Charles Koch, a/k/a the Koch Brothers) whose only agenda is to keep moving the flow of wealth up to a select few. Through Beck, Sarah Palin (born one day after Beck in February 1964), Rush Limbaugh, and other well-paid instigators, they continue to incite the masses to call for their own demise!

Beck and Palin: Bedbugs?

*WATER: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces – Astrologically, water symbolizes depth of feeling and flow of emotions, but on a practical level it is the element that sustains life as we know it. Since April 20th and through most of the Summer, we have been focused on the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Thousands in Pakistan are dead or displaced due to flooding, and on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a huge chunk of ice, about the size of Bermuda, has broken off of Canada’s last remaining Arctic Ice Shelf.

Here, Amy Goodman speaks with Harry Shearer who shares his thoughts on what may have caused Hurricane Katrina.

Pisces Paul Krugman writes of The Witch Hunt in Washington DC. In it, he says:

“Wall Street has turned on Mr. Obama with a vengeance: last month Steve Schwarzman, the billionaire chairman of the Blackstone Group, the private equity giant, compared proposals to end tax loopholes for hedge fund managers with the Nazi invasion of Poland.”

What’s the connection? Greed has taken over to the point that our very survival is being threatened. If BP or Schwarzman, or the Koch brothers have their way, Earth will be flooded and none of the water will be drinkable.

Chart: Last Quarter Moon
Click for larger view

Bonus: 2010 Astro Crib Sheet

Weekly Horoscope:

Note: Though waning, the effects of the Saturn-Pluto square are still at play, as is Mercury Retrograde in Virgo. The theme for this week’s horoscope is: “End of Summer 2010”.

ARIES: The good news is that Monday August 30th provides some terrific work and money mojo and you’re likely to manifesting your goals with greater ease, but there remains a malingering sense of inner agitation regarding all that you think should have been a done deal by now. Patience does not come naturally to those born under Mars, and even when you give a signal of outward calm, you often boil and bubble on the inside This has been especially so during Summer 2010 for members of quadruplicity of Cardinal Signs. Your task for the next week is to smooth out your “inner ride” – for real, and to remember that all ships come in over a calm sea.

TAURUS: Though the finest of creature comforts and the most exquisite food and provisions available to man must be yours for the asking, your bottom line of bliss must include a loving companion (your main squeeze) who is equally adored and cherished by your circle of friends. When that is absent, or when you sense that the object of your affection is not held in as high esteem as he/she should be, it messes with your sense of well being in a big way. This week, as Mercury and the Sun conjoin in your 5th house of romance, clear and to the pint conversation and creative problem solving will help you to hit that elusive home run.

GEMINI: No, you are not being treated any less fair than anyone else, nor are you being singled out for any undue punishment: No one has gotten off scot-free this Summer, and whatever has worked out (for some) has probably come with a hefty price. For the next few weeks, commit to focusing on the boring but all important nitty gritty details that have to do with securing your foundation. Pay close attention to inner and outer signals and “messages”: You may learn a thing or two about your genuine needs and as a result will make better choices (for yourself) across the board.

CANCER: As one of the quadruplicity of Cardinal Signs, Summer 2010 has been especially trying. And though you are constantly being reminded that you are not alone, and that in some way, shape, or form nearly everyone is being tested and/or put through the ringer, your world is just too unsettled right now and you’re understandably tired of being without a comfort zone to retreat to. The feeling of being tested may go one for another couple of weeks. But when it’s over, you will see that things rarely turn out as bad as we think they will. Your key word for September is a ‘reprieve”.

LEO: Noble creatures (such as yourself) find it hard to come to terms with the fact that few conduct themselves honorably all of the time. But for the most part, given the chance, most of the human race will redeem themselves at some point in time and will own up to their end of past screw-ups and transgressions. During the next two weeks of this Mercury retrograde (which culminates with a powerful and potentially explosive Pluto station on Sep 14), cut the worst offenders some slack, allow them to make good in whatever way they can, and focus on the tasks that you can complete yourself.

VIRGO: On the one hand, your impulse for the moment is to be private and inner-directed, but on the other hand, you’re also feeling social and have the need to connect. How do you reconcile these opposite urges? There’s no simple answer, but here’s one thing to keep in mind as Summer 2010 winds down: The most important relationship that you have is the one you have with yourself. Everything else comes out of that.

LIBRA: There’s no sense in denying that the past three months have truly been brutal. People near and dear have gone through serious changes, some have left this plane all together, and the fallout seemed to land on your doorstep. But just as it is the case with all of the members of the quadruplicity of Cardinal Signs, you’re in amped up life-changing mode and the only way to get through it successfully is to surrender to the process and to trust in the wisdom of the greater plan. Keep doing your homework, the rewards due you will be on time.

SCORPIO: Next up is the issue of who you spend the better part of your days with and why. And though you normally keep to your own counsel and are very good at minding your own business, you will be working through a lot of unresolved content in the weeks and months ahead, and you will want more of a sounding board than you have needed in the past. Fixed signs tend to stay in one place for long periods of time. But it might be a good idea to be open to the possibility of a move (professional and/or personal). Bottom line- Don’t be rigid and keep your options open.

SAGITTARIUS: If you’ve avoided renegotiating your terms and conditions at work, this is now the time to address it clear it once and for all. Someone (a higher up) who said no to you in the past may be approachable and amenable now. Don’t let the fear of a confrontation or of a rejection deter you, but don’t be too pushy either. Treat it casually and know that it may take up to six month for any new terms to be fully implemented. During the last two weeks of the retrograde, clean up any messes you may have made in the work place and make amends to anyone who you could have offended or stepped on. It could make all the difference in eth world.

CAPRICORN: Like your other cardinal sign cohorts, you too have been on the rack so to speak, with little relief between “stretches”. As you prepare for the next fiscal year, the question is: How much of the discomfort of the past sequence was of your own making and how much of it was (unavoidable) and fated? It may take a while, but there are better days ahead. The sensation of being stuck is almost over (another two to three weeks should do it).Think about what you would do with a blank check, one that could finance your new career.

AQUARIUS: “Why do people have to be so much work?”, you ask. And it’s a very good question, but one that always was and always will be unknowable for the most part. And as much as you desire space and freedom, you are also nourished by a special intimacy with a select few, particularly in the work place. For the next two weeks, there needs to be a review of those terms of endearment, for if something between you has been inadvertently corrupted and remains so, it could cause a very big problem later. Be patient and take the time to make sure that everyone is on the same page. Leave no stone unturned.

PISCES: When centered and anchored in your soul, there is no one clearer, more talented, and better equipped to make a difference in the world. As the tumultuousness of Summer 2010 dissipates (we hope sooner rather than later), you are feeling the pressure to come up with a strategy for the rest of the year. But truth be told, you’re not ready, nor is it time, to move forward in full steam ahead mode, and it may not be for a few months. Use the time to shore up the relationships that you depend on for your sustenance and work on team building for 2011.