Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The Exchange of Power and La Forza Italia

From the blog of Northwest LeatherSir 2010 -

Many of us accept play as a paradigm of life. We see power as an exchange that goes beyond the play space and into the broader field of citizenship, a role that each of us plays in our respective countries. This view of the praxis of power was promulgated by late twentieth century philosopher, Michele Foucault.

In Italy many refuse to vote, feeling that it is futile to engage in the political dialogue. Yet there are others that continue to participate in the process, despite the disheartening electoral results of the last decade. And as they continue to push against the formidable wall of Berlusconi's "Forza Italia," they grow stronger, louder, more resilient. Resistance training, Italian style.

If we embrace Leather as a lifestyle, a set of principles that infuses our own day to day existence, then we must acknowledge our role in the exchange of power. We must educate ourselves on the issues. We must take a stand and be engaged in our political process. Finally, we must vote.

To translate the words of Mussolini's nemesis, Antonio Gramsci:
The person who truly lives must be both a citizen and a partisan. Indifference is apathy. When one is possessed by it, one becomes a parasite, a coward. Indifference is not life.
Vote!

Friday, October 23, 2009

I never needed a pup hood to do it "doggie-style"...

One evening, as I perused through a leather gear site, I noticed the proliferation of pup hoods and masks that are now on the market. The quality and practicality of these accessories for a human pup is a matter of preference. The owner, as well as the pup, needs to ask him/herself the inevitable question: "Do I really need to wear all of this pup gear in order to play the role of a human pup/dawg?"

I vote NO!

Now, call me old-fashioned, but when I first entered the Leather and BDSM arena back in late 1998, the human pup movement was just getting onto it's four doggie feet. Owning a pup hood was considered a luxury, and there weren't many to be found from many of the leather distributors. I had to (shocking comment) use my imagination and maybe a pair of kneepads and a jockstrap to boot, IF I was lucky! My past Sirs and owners truly craved the interaction they had with me as their human pup, with all the wonderful mannerisms and puppy personality that I could add to it. And I truly felt like a dog, barked, growled, fetched, and begged as a pup. All I needed to be a pup was the energy exchange between my Sir and myself, as well as using our disciplined, yet carefree imaginations.

It would be wonderful to hear more about the hot play that a Sir/Owner has with his/her pup, than whether the boy has the proper puppy buttplug in his/her ass and the right kind of hood!

Power to the pups!

-A Shaggy Mutt in Seattle

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Our Northwest 2009 Titleholders Compete in San Francisco


Gene Romaine, the Executive Producer of the Northwest LeatherSir, Leatherboy & Community Boot Black Contest and the President of Generic Leather Productions of Washington has appointed Thom Butts as Northwest LeatherSir 2009, Dominic Chevalier as Northwest Leatherboy 2009, and Diamond Jack as Northwest Community Bootblack 2009.

Thom, Dominic, and Jack will represent the Northwest Region at the upcoming International LeatherSir and Leatherboy Contest in San Francisco, from October 29 through November 1.

GLPW wishes them the best of luck next week.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

It doesn't matter if you agree -

If the articles in this news blog make you think, then we have done our job. Agree, disagree, get pissed off. It really doesn't matter. As long as we provoke you to use your head and your heart.

Because head and heart are the foundation of what we do, the reason that we exist as a non-profit organization.

And if we can stir you below the waist, too, even better!