Fair warning, on this edition of the Pagan Weekly News both RevKess and Zaracon get up on their soapboxes. Way up!
War is a topic that no one really wants to talk about. Unfortunately it is the topic on a lot of people’s minds these days. In the United States, the Middle East, Russia, and elsewhere around the globe. Neither Zaracon nor RevKess have served in the military, but they know many people who have or are currently serving active duty. RevKess’s father served over seas during the Korean “Conflict” (War) and several of his nieces and nephews have been in the Middle East during the second Gulf War. War, conflict, strife. It all touches us somewhere and somehow. Whether we are at work, serve in the military, or know someone who is. It touches us all.
Before diving into the meat and bones of the main topic for the show, Z and Kess spoke briefly about crowd sourcing and funding. Taylor Ellwood recently published an article on that very topic on the Agora for Patheos Pagan Channel. The Pagan-Musings Podcast Channel has been a big proponent of crowd sourcing and plans to continue to be so. Having helped with projects for Tuatha Dea, Brendan Myers, Frenchy and the Punk, The New Alexandrian Library, and many others.
“I’m fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.”~George McGovern
A note about the Israeli-Palestinian War: Heather Greene, columnist on The Wild Hunt and National Public Information Officer for Covenant of the Goddess, encouraged RevKess to reach out to Pagans in the Gaza area. Several false starts later he concluded that technology was not going to allow it to happen. Facebook messages and other attempts met with error messages and software failures. There are Pagans in that area and the hosts of PWN hope to be able to give them a voice in the near future.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Call it a conflict, call it a war. The military shambles in the Gaza Strip have been going on for decades, if not centuries. 
Here are some links to articles that give background and current information on the war in the Israeli-Palestinian area.
- Wikipedia has an article on the History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
- Israel’s Prime Minister defends actions in Gaza during a peace summit is Cairo.
- John McLaughlin explains why the conflict in the area is different than it has ever been before – USA Today.
- Michael Cohen on The Guardian’s The Observer asks if the Israeli-Palestinian war is ever going to end.
- Even China has a peace proposal.
- Haaretz, an Israel media outlet, has live updates on the conflict. At the time of broadcast, this was the current article on the updates page. Since then the cease-fire has collapsed with serious effects on Gaza.
- NPR’s Morning Edition asks if there is any empathy left for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
More from the Middle East
- Iran sees some light at the end of the tunnel in regards to Gaza.
- Syria’s civil unrest is a four-point war.
- Obama authorizes air strikes in Iraq against ISIS/ISIL in defense of the isolated Kurdish religious sect Yazidi.
Russia and the Ukraine
- NATO warns that Russia may be poised to invade.
- Canadian Prime Minster Harper announces intentions to send military and equipment aid to Ukraine. Included is a list of individuals and entities involved on the pro-Russian side that Canada is filing sanctions against.
- Russia bans the import of food from the United States and other Western countries as a reaction to imposed sanctions from the US and the European Union.
- Mortar round strikes a hospital in Eastern Ukraine, killing one.
In Pagan News
- On July 29, 2014, the US Airforce approved Asatru and Heathen as a listed religious preferences for all personnel. This is thanks to Msgt Matt Walters the Open Halls Project, according to The Wild Hunt.
- Hellenic Polytheist, blogger and author Cara Schulz is running for City Council in Burnsville, MN.
- Peter Dybing eulogizes Margot Adler on his Pagan in Paradise blog.
MUSIC
- PWN intro courtesy DragonSong
- Culture Club – War Song (clip)
- Damh the Bard – Sons & Daughters of Robin Hood – Antlered Crown & Standing Stone
- SJ Tucker – Poem of War – Ember Days
- Heather Dale – United at War – Call the Names
- Paradiso & Rasamayi – Wisdom Warrior – Attuning to Oneness
- SJ Tucker – Alligator in the House – Sirens
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