I am tired of the pre-apocalyptic messages we keep getting from all sides. ( The Christian right and ultra right extremists are happy.) I think, they think, Trump and his minions were chosen by God to bring about the end of the world. If Trump kicks out and breaks up immigrant families who have made the US their home for many years, and if he ends our trade agreements, this will be a step towards massive economic chaos. If he ends our environmental protection regulations and regulatory laws our whole country will decline. If he succeeds in silencing our free press we will never find out about the collisions and atrocities which are being committed. If our Education system becomes private Lord only knows what will be taught. It could be like the Muslim extremist schools where children are indoctrinated with hatred to others, repeating and memorizing endless passages of the Koran. If he turns off our European allies and gets into secret agreements with Russia he could bring our alliances abroad to an end. If racist advisers gets their way Jews, Muslims, Blacks, racist whites, Hispanics and Asians will be pitted against one another and all our social services and social institutions will breakdown and divide against each other. Groups will be forced to grasp for private funds to help their own particular interests and forget about working together for the common good. Terrorists will reek havoc against our divided fronts. Brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, state against state, country against country. Internal and external war of all against all, each trying to protect their own interests.
Oh, I could go on and on listing scenarios for division and duplicity which could be brought about by Trump and both his conscious and his unconscious allies, but I am tired of thinking about all this. Day after day the news gets worse in a never ending cycle of division and mayhem. Like the Allstate commercials on Mayhem we seem unprepared to fight these things in a cohesive way. We are being attacked on too many fronts and people are picking and choosing their battles and causes. More and more fracturing of our American ideals broken into special interest groups.
I know Evils way is to divide us against one another and cause massive self interest and civil destruction. The ending of the world as we know it. The Evil one has plenty to work with. Start a small fire here and there and soon the whole forest is ablaze. How long will it take? Can men and women of good will towards each other stop it. From the apocalyptic view, at the end Jesus comes to the rescue and divides the saved from the heathen and all is well.
In real life, here on earth, no one wins. The beautiful animal and plant world will be destroyed as well as both good and evil peoples. Our fragile little planet will go on but it will be thousands or even millions of years before the toxic elements will be absorbed and new creatures perhaps unlike any we have ever known will begin to form from the deb re. Will it be a better or worse planet, no one knows? The kingdom of heaven is not here on our little planet. It is deep within each of us if we search for and find it. In the meantime Evil and Good forces swirl outside of us and it is up to each of us to decide which we choose to embrace. Our exterior world reveals our own internal battles. Like a body with cancer on the inside is more and more eaten up with disease, our external body reveals the destruction by a pale, rotting exterior often with emotions to match. Revelations happen within each of us. The ancient Bible story is true only for each individual as his soul and heart are examined It is our private battle to be redeemed or not. We should not try to project this battle outside of ourselves to innocent bystanders: human, animal or plant.
A beautiful, harmonious earth can work for all of us. Let us each search our self and come to terms with our own internal heaven and hell. Leave the planet alone from our private religious battles and let the rule of order, law, nature, beauty, truth and justice prevail, however far from the ideals they might wander.
Showing posts with label Trending. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trending. Show all posts
Monday, February 20, 2017
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Reflections on the election of 2016
Well, it is now the day after election day and Donald Trump won fairly and squarely, against most odds. Lord, how I dislike pundits..
The American people have spoken, and I, for one, accept their decision. I am grateful to God that I was born in and live in the United States of America. I have loved this country for as long as I can remember; " For purple mountain majesties, Above the fruited plain,".
As a child I won a civics award, for best composition on the American Flag. In the piece I wrote of our horrendous treatment of American Indians, slavery, the women's vote, the depression and the wars we fought and the tremendous toll it took on our country and soldiers. I spoke of my faith in the American people and how as a country we always attempted to correct our wrongs. I spoke of the strength of our Constitution and Bill of Rights and how regardless of our differences we were a strong, proud and good people and our flag would forever fly as a beacon of freedom to immigrants,and to other countries in the world. You might wonder how I remember all of this from an eighth grade composition. I remember because these are the things I have always stood for. My eighth grade teacher told me, "Claire, you have to continue to write, of course no one will ever be able to read it"( he was commentating on my spelling which I am proud to say has improved dramatically due to spell check).
As I said, I love our country and its diverse peoples and I have every expectation that regardless of who is President, we are bigger and better than an individual or group of policies.
I grew up in the tip of northern New York near the Canadian border in a small town called Potsdam. I know the upstate peoples and the struggles they have encountered. My dad worked for Alcoa Aluminium. and was always a union man He worked as a construction worker to help build the Seaway. He worked for Putnam Hawley, (our local Home Depot), cutting lumber and loading and unloading trucks. He was a union carpenter and a jack of all trades. I mention this because I know what it like to be poor in an unforgiving, cold, upstate county where jobs were scarce, where Native Americans lived on reservations,and Blacks and Latinos were few and far between. Even Jewish people were few back then in Potsdam and my Jewish schoolmates went to Massena to worship
I also know what prejudice is like because it was present in the rarefied air we breathed. Prejudiced against anything or one who was different. If you were poor you were looked down on because the chamber of commerce and the country club set had their own values and restrictions. I remember my mom writing letters to the bank with five dollars to put down on the mortgage, saying to please wait until next month to foreclose as she could then make a larger payment. She wept as she made calls to her relatives to once again ask for a loan. My dad worked very hard at every job he had but was prone to injuries and frequently lost jobs to heal. There was no paid health insurance in those days and we certainly could not afford doctors and hospital bills. We always said my dad was an accident waiting to happen. My uncle Jerry bailed my dad out countless times, recommending him for jobs and slipping him pocket money for gas to go for an interview.
Ok, so I know what it is like to be poor and to have baked beans and mac and cheese the night before payday and there was no meat left in the house. I remember in high school our home ed teacher, asked us what our favorite meal was and I said baked beans and mac and cheese. She was horrified. She said "there is no Meat!!!!!" I laugh today as a vegetarian, because it was a very high protein meal, but then I was just embarrassed.
My new clothes came from Fishman's, (the 5 and 10 cent store), or mama laboriously made them as she hated to sew, and worked full time as a teacher, and later a social worker.
I say all of this because I know the rural areas of the US and understand that if you are not among the favored few, life and Washington seem stacked against you. When there were large industries around and steel and aluminum plants, and manufacturing plants, and the auto and coal industries; at least you could find some kind of work. Today those jobs are few and far between because most of our industries have gone east to China. In this country today the rich and business' have gotten richer and richer through foreign investments and offshore bank accounts. Even if the common middle class worker has a has a savings account they are lucky to earn 1% ROI.
So all in all, to sum it up. I understand the rural mentality and it's desire for change regardless of the cost. I know I got the hell out of there as fast as I could. There was no room for a bleeding heart liberal like me in the beautiful farm country, unless I went to be a forest ranger in my majestic Adirondack mountains.
I know the rural vote is now in control and hope and pray the alternative right and the hate groups will continue to be disavowed by Trump and his soon to be formed cabinet. We are going into unknown territory and we must bring our better angels to the foreground, and trust in our Constitution with its separation of powers and Bill of Rights, and the goodness and strong will of our generous American people.
The American people have spoken, and I, for one, accept their decision. I am grateful to God that I was born in and live in the United States of America. I have loved this country for as long as I can remember; " For purple mountain majesties, Above the fruited plain,".
As a child I won a civics award, for best composition on the American Flag. In the piece I wrote of our horrendous treatment of American Indians, slavery, the women's vote, the depression and the wars we fought and the tremendous toll it took on our country and soldiers. I spoke of my faith in the American people and how as a country we always attempted to correct our wrongs. I spoke of the strength of our Constitution and Bill of Rights and how regardless of our differences we were a strong, proud and good people and our flag would forever fly as a beacon of freedom to immigrants,and to other countries in the world. You might wonder how I remember all of this from an eighth grade composition. I remember because these are the things I have always stood for. My eighth grade teacher told me, "Claire, you have to continue to write, of course no one will ever be able to read it"( he was commentating on my spelling which I am proud to say has improved dramatically due to spell check).
As I said, I love our country and its diverse peoples and I have every expectation that regardless of who is President, we are bigger and better than an individual or group of policies.
I grew up in the tip of northern New York near the Canadian border in a small town called Potsdam. I know the upstate peoples and the struggles they have encountered. My dad worked for Alcoa Aluminium. and was always a union man He worked as a construction worker to help build the Seaway. He worked for Putnam Hawley, (our local Home Depot), cutting lumber and loading and unloading trucks. He was a union carpenter and a jack of all trades. I mention this because I know what it like to be poor in an unforgiving, cold, upstate county where jobs were scarce, where Native Americans lived on reservations,and Blacks and Latinos were few and far between. Even Jewish people were few back then in Potsdam and my Jewish schoolmates went to Massena to worship
I also know what prejudice is like because it was present in the rarefied air we breathed. Prejudiced against anything or one who was different. If you were poor you were looked down on because the chamber of commerce and the country club set had their own values and restrictions. I remember my mom writing letters to the bank with five dollars to put down on the mortgage, saying to please wait until next month to foreclose as she could then make a larger payment. She wept as she made calls to her relatives to once again ask for a loan. My dad worked very hard at every job he had but was prone to injuries and frequently lost jobs to heal. There was no paid health insurance in those days and we certainly could not afford doctors and hospital bills. We always said my dad was an accident waiting to happen. My uncle Jerry bailed my dad out countless times, recommending him for jobs and slipping him pocket money for gas to go for an interview.
Ok, so I know what it is like to be poor and to have baked beans and mac and cheese the night before payday and there was no meat left in the house. I remember in high school our home ed teacher, asked us what our favorite meal was and I said baked beans and mac and cheese. She was horrified. She said "there is no Meat!!!!!" I laugh today as a vegetarian, because it was a very high protein meal, but then I was just embarrassed.
My new clothes came from Fishman's, (the 5 and 10 cent store), or mama laboriously made them as she hated to sew, and worked full time as a teacher, and later a social worker.
I say all of this because I know the rural areas of the US and understand that if you are not among the favored few, life and Washington seem stacked against you. When there were large industries around and steel and aluminum plants, and manufacturing plants, and the auto and coal industries; at least you could find some kind of work. Today those jobs are few and far between because most of our industries have gone east to China. In this country today the rich and business' have gotten richer and richer through foreign investments and offshore bank accounts. Even if the common middle class worker has a has a savings account they are lucky to earn 1% ROI.
So all in all, to sum it up. I understand the rural mentality and it's desire for change regardless of the cost. I know I got the hell out of there as fast as I could. There was no room for a bleeding heart liberal like me in the beautiful farm country, unless I went to be a forest ranger in my majestic Adirondack mountains.
I know the rural vote is now in control and hope and pray the alternative right and the hate groups will continue to be disavowed by Trump and his soon to be formed cabinet. We are going into unknown territory and we must bring our better angels to the foreground, and trust in our Constitution with its separation of powers and Bill of Rights, and the goodness and strong will of our generous American people.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
This is a political rant-beware of ANGER
I have been trying so hard to keep my political feelings off this blog as I know whatever I say will not change any minds which are made up and opposite to mine. Last night and this morning creamed it for me, however, as I am truly angry and I do not care who knows it.
John Lewis is a pioneer in the Civil Rights movement and a true gentleman. He was one of the "Big Six" in the Civil Rights Movement and was beaten to a pulp and got a fractured skull from state troopers for leading a peaceful march from Selma, Alabama. This came to be known as "Bloody Sunday", and was directly responsible for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1987 and has served there ever since. He is 76 years old.
He has always been one of my hero's and to hear the little guttersnipe President of the NRA, call him a terrorist, is beyond the pale.
John Lewis has always been a man who stood for and still stands for peace, but he will not back down or give up what he believes in. His speech on the floor of the House of Representatives on June 15, 2016 was polite and firm and quietly made. He then ended his speech by staging a peaceful sit-in on the floor of the House. He vowed to remain there until some form of gun legislation was brought forward so all the legislators to vote on, and have their vote recorded. He did not say the legislation had to pass; but only to be submitted for vote.
Paul Ryan then returned to the floor at about 10:00PM and called for a vote on a piece of Wall Street legislation, which Obama had vetoed, and which subsequently failed, then he called it a day. The morning of June 17, Paul Ryan dismissed the House early for their 4th of July holiday.
John Lewis has vowed to carry on struggle when Congress returns after the 4th. I will quote some of his words below: "We have turned deaf ears to the blood of the innocent & the concern of our nation. We will use nonviolence to fight gun violence & inaction".
9:18 AM - 22 Jun 2016
In truth I am so sick of the lack of any positive action in Congress, but what truly bothers me is the attempt to discredit honorable men and women simply to force an agenda.. People should take a peaceful stand for what they believe in. All the name calling in the world will not and cannot besmirch the reputation of a man like John Lewis. For those who do not know who he is and what he stands for I find myself attempting to set the record straight.
I am done for now
John Lewis is a pioneer in the Civil Rights movement and a true gentleman. He was one of the "Big Six" in the Civil Rights Movement and was beaten to a pulp and got a fractured skull from state troopers for leading a peaceful march from Selma, Alabama. This came to be known as "Bloody Sunday", and was directly responsible for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1987 and has served there ever since. He is 76 years old.
He has always been one of my hero's and to hear the little guttersnipe President of the NRA, call him a terrorist, is beyond the pale.
John Lewis has always been a man who stood for and still stands for peace, but he will not back down or give up what he believes in. His speech on the floor of the House of Representatives on June 15, 2016 was polite and firm and quietly made. He then ended his speech by staging a peaceful sit-in on the floor of the House. He vowed to remain there until some form of gun legislation was brought forward so all the legislators to vote on, and have their vote recorded. He did not say the legislation had to pass; but only to be submitted for vote.
Paul Ryan then returned to the floor at about 10:00PM and called for a vote on a piece of Wall Street legislation, which Obama had vetoed, and which subsequently failed, then he called it a day. The morning of June 17, Paul Ryan dismissed the House early for their 4th of July holiday.
John Lewis has vowed to carry on struggle when Congress returns after the 4th. I will quote some of his words below: "We have turned deaf ears to the blood of the innocent & the concern of our nation. We will use nonviolence to fight gun violence & inaction".
9:18 AM - 22 Jun 2016
In truth I am so sick of the lack of any positive action in Congress, but what truly bothers me is the attempt to discredit honorable men and women simply to force an agenda.. People should take a peaceful stand for what they believe in. All the name calling in the world will not and cannot besmirch the reputation of a man like John Lewis. For those who do not know who he is and what he stands for I find myself attempting to set the record straight.
I am done for now
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
It's all about the bass?
When did this fascination about asses begin? When I was a kid the only asses we talked about were jackasses. Guys don"t make passes at girls with big asses. Oh, for the good old days. Now the Booty is the thing. No one cares anymore about breasts or lips, or legs. Every girl now wants a big bum and every guy seems to only notice the hind side of a woman
Where did it all begin? I think the beginnings go back far into human history. Consider the baboons and monkeys with bright red bottoms to make them sexually attractive to their mates. Can humans do any less?
Beyonce', Rihanna, Jenny from the block, Lopez and the Kardashians, all exemplify the big ass boom, but they didn't start it. Three of them were most likely born with the feminine pulchritude they carry but then enhanced what is natural more with tight and suggestive clothing. I have no idea where Kim got her booty but I am willing to bet it ain't natural
Everywhere we look we are finding dresses and skirts with stretchable fabric that cups the buttocks and makes women look like they have balloons tucked in their skirts or pants. Gently rounded curves are replaced by caricatures of bulbous comic book women. Girls are getting collegian injections and fat injections and padded underwear to try to fit into the craze.
It is so sad we cannot accept the way we are individually and wonderfully made, We need to be role models for young girls and do the best we are able to keep our bodies fit and active. We need to tell them unnaturally big butts can lead to sway back and other back issues that no one finds attractive. We need to tell out young men, not to gawk and make fun of women with excessive anything. Consider the whole package of femininity, physical and mental and not to be so attracted to image as opposed to substance.
Girls will be girls and boys will be boys. However as a society we should be more judicious of the trends we get caught up in.
If you think these are the opinions of an ancient ugly woman you would be right, but who cares. I am what I is for all time.
Where did it all begin? I think the beginnings go back far into human history. Consider the baboons and monkeys with bright red bottoms to make them sexually attractive to their mates. Can humans do any less?
Beyonce', Rihanna, Jenny from the block, Lopez and the Kardashians, all exemplify the big ass boom, but they didn't start it. Three of them were most likely born with the feminine pulchritude they carry but then enhanced what is natural more with tight and suggestive clothing. I have no idea where Kim got her booty but I am willing to bet it ain't natural
Everywhere we look we are finding dresses and skirts with stretchable fabric that cups the buttocks and makes women look like they have balloons tucked in their skirts or pants. Gently rounded curves are replaced by caricatures of bulbous comic book women. Girls are getting collegian injections and fat injections and padded underwear to try to fit into the craze.
It is so sad we cannot accept the way we are individually and wonderfully made, We need to be role models for young girls and do the best we are able to keep our bodies fit and active. We need to tell them unnaturally big butts can lead to sway back and other back issues that no one finds attractive. We need to tell out young men, not to gawk and make fun of women with excessive anything. Consider the whole package of femininity, physical and mental and not to be so attracted to image as opposed to substance.
Girls will be girls and boys will be boys. However as a society we should be more judicious of the trends we get caught up in.
If you think these are the opinions of an ancient ugly woman you would be right, but who cares. I am what I is for all time.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Finally free to marry
Two of my best friends just got married; to each other. They have been together 25 years and a more loving and generous couple I have yet to meet. Yet it has taken 25 years before they have been allowed by their states to be married.
They have always been very low key. Not out there or in your face...though I most likely would have been both. Instead my dear friends kept their love private, between family, a few friends and God.
Finally they are in the same world the rest of us who love our spouses occupy. They can visit each other in hospitals, sign death certificates and make funeral arrangements for their beloved. They can inherit each other's financial and personal effects with no legal disputes. Most of all they can love another freely and legally.
I am so happy for them and proud of them.
They have braved non acceptance from those previously dearest to them, and scorn and derision for too many unnamed and unkind persons they met or who are in their lives. They have born insults from the right and sometimes the left wings, clergy, the military, and even their governments. All that is in the past for them now.
If only those of you who have ears would listen. Governments, local and foreign, need to change their laws to that of acceptance for the rights and concerns of all of their citizens..
They have always been very low key. Not out there or in your face...though I most likely would have been both. Instead my dear friends kept their love private, between family, a few friends and God.
Finally they are in the same world the rest of us who love our spouses occupy. They can visit each other in hospitals, sign death certificates and make funeral arrangements for their beloved. They can inherit each other's financial and personal effects with no legal disputes. Most of all they can love another freely and legally.
I am so happy for them and proud of them.
They have braved non acceptance from those previously dearest to them, and scorn and derision for too many unnamed and unkind persons they met or who are in their lives. They have born insults from the right and sometimes the left wings, clergy, the military, and even their governments. All that is in the past for them now.
If only those of you who have ears would listen. Governments, local and foreign, need to change their laws to that of acceptance for the rights and concerns of all of their citizens..
Matthew 5:45
The Message (MSG)
43-47 “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
If God causes his sun to shine on all, how can governments do less.
I am so proud and happy for my dearest friends, and for all the others who share in the same benefits, under God and the Law.
If God causes his sun to shine on all, how can governments do less.
I am so proud and happy for my dearest friends, and for all the others who share in the same benefits, under God and the Law.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Book Review- Zealot by Reza Aslan
This is going to be just cover a few examples as I do not wish to spend more time than this subject is worth. I read, I thought, I didn't like.
The author is a very well recognized scholar and as such I was prepared to accept his historical facts. I think I do accept them. I have read about zealots in other places as well as the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and Masada, etc. etc. I doubt very much that the facts are wrong. I cannot stand however, his own opinions, which he freely expounds upon, concerning the New Testament. He takes a piece of text and puts layers and layers of his own theories and ideas over it, and promotes it a historical fact.
He suggests that Jesus was a disciple of John the Baptist, and worse that the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness was when Jesus was following John with his other disciples. Whatever the 40 days were or meant, there is NO historical evidence that Jesus first followed John. This is pure, or should I say impure, opinion. There is even no historical evidence that Jesus the man of the New Testament even existed ; so where does this author get off.
He suggests that the Kingdom of God, is a call to arms to overthrow the Romans and that he, Jesus, wanted to be the earthly King of the Jews.
I am sick of it. I do not wish to expound on the unhistorical opinions the author holds anymore. He pisses me off. Read the book if you will but this guy is delusional in his theories and opinions and his hubris.
The author is a very well recognized scholar and as such I was prepared to accept his historical facts. I think I do accept them. I have read about zealots in other places as well as the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and Masada, etc. etc. I doubt very much that the facts are wrong. I cannot stand however, his own opinions, which he freely expounds upon, concerning the New Testament. He takes a piece of text and puts layers and layers of his own theories and ideas over it, and promotes it a historical fact.
He suggests that Jesus was a disciple of John the Baptist, and worse that the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness was when Jesus was following John with his other disciples. Whatever the 40 days were or meant, there is NO historical evidence that Jesus first followed John. This is pure, or should I say impure, opinion. There is even no historical evidence that Jesus the man of the New Testament even existed ; so where does this author get off.
He suggests that the Kingdom of God, is a call to arms to overthrow the Romans and that he, Jesus, wanted to be the earthly King of the Jews.
I am sick of it. I do not wish to expound on the unhistorical opinions the author holds anymore. He pisses me off. Read the book if you will but this guy is delusional in his theories and opinions and his hubris.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
I'm just sayin
The news is a buzz with Jody Arias, the Cleveland rescue of 4 girls/women, Benghazi, Israel's air strikes and a few lesser evils. It is all so sensational one stays riveted to the news as the facts don't change but hopes for more information, just keep on building. I'm a news junkie and I have admitted it before. Even when absolutely nothing is happening I watch the weather channel with baited breath waiting for something. I guess I am waiting for the Apocalypse or worse. It all began with the JFK assignation, then Martin, then Robert. I was glued to the TV and hooked. Later came Vietnam, the first really televised war, and then the Watergate hearings, and a war of a different kind. The theater of the absurd then moved to the Clarence Thomas hearings. Then the Clinton/Lewinsky farce was a real attraction for me. I was drawn in again by the death of Princess Diana. Then the nature tragedies really got me hooked. The Tsunami, Katrina, Haiti, Japan, Sandy, etc. Who could ever look away from Jim Jones in Guyana, Waco, 9/11, the mad mass shootings from Columbine to Sandy Hook. Always the politicians ranting and the pundents , pundecating. How can I ever look away from such everyday fascinating and riveting news. I know some people who never listen to radio or TV, or read magazines or newspapers. They always seem to be somewhat aware of what is going on through social babble. They do not have the true, muddied, garbage picture like I do. My picture changes constantly as new information is updated. As I am riveted I think I become an authority on who, what and where and I know the truth about the motive. NOT.!
I really do not know anymore than anyone else. I just know what my liberal bias tells me about who to believe and my favorite correspondent' s theory.
So what to do? Be ignorant, get my news headlines from AOL or Yahoo. Tune into alternate Internet sites, or just tune out completely.
This is very serious because it really matters to me. Like my plan when I get to heaven is to sit at the feet of the Most Holy and for eternity ask the questions I have always had and get the real answers, the real truth, the true scoop. I have to KNOW. If the True and unending Spirit won't tell me, who will.
So I think being a news junkie is all leading up to this, my final bid for Knowledge and Truth, Heaven only knows and I cannot wait to find out. Keep turned in to me as I do for you and perhaps we will all be a little wiser for the final day.
I really do not know anymore than anyone else. I just know what my liberal bias tells me about who to believe and my favorite correspondent' s theory.
So what to do? Be ignorant, get my news headlines from AOL or Yahoo. Tune into alternate Internet sites, or just tune out completely.
This is very serious because it really matters to me. Like my plan when I get to heaven is to sit at the feet of the Most Holy and for eternity ask the questions I have always had and get the real answers, the real truth, the true scoop. I have to KNOW. If the True and unending Spirit won't tell me, who will.
So I think being a news junkie is all leading up to this, my final bid for Knowledge and Truth, Heaven only knows and I cannot wait to find out. Keep turned in to me as I do for you and perhaps we will all be a little wiser for the final day.
Monday, April 22, 2013
I Pray on Earth Day
What does Earth Day mean to me and why do I pray for our little blue planet? I admit it, I am a tree hugger. Each time I see a tree taken down in my neighborhood, even if it wasn't looking too pretty anymore, I mourn. I am not going into all the arguments about how the planet is rapidly changing due to the myriad effects of so called civilization. I'll leave all the reasoning to the scientific community and the bullshit in both directions to the politicians.
What concerns me is my empathy for the creator's various life forms. Our planet is made up of infinitely diverse creatures. In the water, on land and even in the very air we breathe,
I admit it I cannot kill even a spider or a cricket. I trap them and place them outside. I have less problem with ants, mosquitoes and black flies but only because they are attacking or harming my being or invading my personal spaces. Everyone has a home they want to protect from invaders. Even bees and crackles defend their little territory.
Nature, flora and fauna, is so innocent and so deserving of our love and protection. Imagine a world with no dandelions with the puffy, round little heads which are blown in the wind to spread their seeds for the next generation? We try so hard to destroy them when they invade out lawns.
Imagine a world with no baby seals or dolphin. or even tuna or sharks? The incredible universe exhibited on our little planet alone, has provided for all our needs for untold generations. When a species is no longer needed it either dies out or evolves to a more useful life form.
I saw a picture yesterday of a man holding baby radishes and carrots he had pulled from his garden. My first thought was why couldn't he have waited until it was their time. Call me a hopeless romantic, call me a hypocrite because I eat dead things every day. You might say what is the difference between eating a potato or a chicken? I would answer the chicken is a more advanced life form. It can feel and sense it's environment in ways a potato or a carrot cannot. I do know that plants scream or react when plucked and I am of the mindset that talking to plants helps them grow. Vibrations of life are everywhere on the planet. I simply choose to limit my munchings to the less sentient varieties of life. I am not opposed to drinking milk or using dairy or eggs but I am very concerned with how the animals used for this purpose live out their days. I am totally in favor of humane farming, like in the good old days. Cows used to head to the barn to be milked because they enjoyed it and it was such a relief. Compare that to living your days in a stall 3 by 8 foot and permanently hooked up to a milking machine. We do things the Lord never intended. Just because it can be, doesn't mean it should be, or has to be.
I want a gentler, kinder, world where we live in harmony with all our fellow creatures. This is what I pray for on Earth Day.
What concerns me is my empathy for the creator's various life forms. Our planet is made up of infinitely diverse creatures. In the water, on land and even in the very air we breathe,
I admit it I cannot kill even a spider or a cricket. I trap them and place them outside. I have less problem with ants, mosquitoes and black flies but only because they are attacking or harming my being or invading my personal spaces. Everyone has a home they want to protect from invaders. Even bees and crackles defend their little territory.
Nature, flora and fauna, is so innocent and so deserving of our love and protection. Imagine a world with no dandelions with the puffy, round little heads which are blown in the wind to spread their seeds for the next generation? We try so hard to destroy them when they invade out lawns.
Imagine a world with no baby seals or dolphin. or even tuna or sharks? The incredible universe exhibited on our little planet alone, has provided for all our needs for untold generations. When a species is no longer needed it either dies out or evolves to a more useful life form.
I saw a picture yesterday of a man holding baby radishes and carrots he had pulled from his garden. My first thought was why couldn't he have waited until it was their time. Call me a hopeless romantic, call me a hypocrite because I eat dead things every day. You might say what is the difference between eating a potato or a chicken? I would answer the chicken is a more advanced life form. It can feel and sense it's environment in ways a potato or a carrot cannot. I do know that plants scream or react when plucked and I am of the mindset that talking to plants helps them grow. Vibrations of life are everywhere on the planet. I simply choose to limit my munchings to the less sentient varieties of life. I am not opposed to drinking milk or using dairy or eggs but I am very concerned with how the animals used for this purpose live out their days. I am totally in favor of humane farming, like in the good old days. Cows used to head to the barn to be milked because they enjoyed it and it was such a relief. Compare that to living your days in a stall 3 by 8 foot and permanently hooked up to a milking machine. We do things the Lord never intended. Just because it can be, doesn't mean it should be, or has to be.
I want a gentler, kinder, world where we live in harmony with all our fellow creatures. This is what I pray for on Earth Day.
Friday, April 19, 2013
One Down, Is it Enough?
They got one of them!!!
It is really good to find out how well our trained local forces can work in emergency situations. Our Police, Firefighters, State Troopers, all local Law Enforcement Agencies and the FBI are working and have worked together with the Public to bring one of the bombing perpetrators to justice and are close on the tail of the other one. Is this an awesome country or what? When you ask people for help you get it.
It is not political and justice is served when we all work together for the Public Good.
So sorry but this just isn't enough.
How sad and telling that in other areas the Public Good and interests be durned, Large Corporations and the Gun Lobby will have their way and the Public vote, polls, and opinion be ignored. On The other sides of the Marathon bombing story, are the Gun Background check vote in the Senate and the Fertilizer Plant Explosion in Texas. Were you aware that upwards of 90% of our people support background checks before gun sales, and the last time OSHA inspected the fertilizer plant was in 1985. OSHA as you may or may not be aware is responsible for safety of the American Working stiffs. This agency has been unpopular and lacked staffing and funding since Unions began to be discredited in the 1980's. Unfortunately even more Govt Agencies will be understaffed or closed with the Sequester and other huge budget cuts on the horizon.
Watchdog agencies, Police, fire and other Protective services are consistently being cut and if we are not very careful we will be cut out of our proud status of the Greatest, Best and most Generous Country in the World. We all know all this but we are lethargic in our responses.
P.S. I have capitalized throughout the above for emphasis.
It is really good to find out how well our trained local forces can work in emergency situations. Our Police, Firefighters, State Troopers, all local Law Enforcement Agencies and the FBI are working and have worked together with the Public to bring one of the bombing perpetrators to justice and are close on the tail of the other one. Is this an awesome country or what? When you ask people for help you get it.
It is not political and justice is served when we all work together for the Public Good.
So sorry but this just isn't enough.
How sad and telling that in other areas the Public Good and interests be durned, Large Corporations and the Gun Lobby will have their way and the Public vote, polls, and opinion be ignored. On The other sides of the Marathon bombing story, are the Gun Background check vote in the Senate and the Fertilizer Plant Explosion in Texas. Were you aware that upwards of 90% of our people support background checks before gun sales, and the last time OSHA inspected the fertilizer plant was in 1985. OSHA as you may or may not be aware is responsible for safety of the American Working stiffs. This agency has been unpopular and lacked staffing and funding since Unions began to be discredited in the 1980's. Unfortunately even more Govt Agencies will be understaffed or closed with the Sequester and other huge budget cuts on the horizon.
Watchdog agencies, Police, fire and other Protective services are consistently being cut and if we are not very careful we will be cut out of our proud status of the Greatest, Best and most Generous Country in the World. We all know all this but we are lethargic in our responses.
P.S. I have capitalized throughout the above for emphasis.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
I don't know what to say about Boston so i'll say it anyway!
I'm calling on my muse today as the news is leaving me down, feeling less than positive about my human family. I do not feel like writing this AM but I will because I must. It isn't so much the deaths because the one who dies has no more problems. It is the family and friends who grieve and forever wonder why. I believe God takes the best, it is we who still have a lot of work to do who are left to suffer the aftermath.
I mourn the wounded and the bereaved and our shell shocked citizenry. Every day of their lives from now on will bear the deep wounds of loss of limbs, loss of health, loss of loved ones, loss of dreams, and loss of innocence. Horrific situations, as we only too well know, happen worldwide every day. There are daily headlines in newspapers and on the web from the farthest reaches of earth, of violence and mayhem and natural disasters.
Why are we even surprised or shaken by just one more event in Boston? I think we are shaken because of the magnitude of people here for the marathon, both those running and those observers. and of course the instant coverage due to the influx of news people and networks following the marathon. Another sporting tradition has been shaken by violence and it reminds one of the bombings of the Olympics in both Germany in 1972 and Atlanta in 1996.
MADMEN AND WOMEN, ZEALOTS, WING NUTS, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL TERRORISTS WALK AMONG US DAILY.
Look to the left and then to the right. Remember is school we learned how two out of five of us would fart in the next 10 minutes, or some other such statistical nonsense. Well, we each could become a victim of violent acts in our lifetime and so could our family members and friends. Each of us is connected to life by a very thin fragile golden thread. Gossamer like a spider dangling from his own thread as he moves around his world building his web. This thread can be severed at any moment and life itself is so infinitely precious. We must constantly be prepared for both mayhem and death; and we must appreciate what we have while we have it. Sure there will be news and stories and punditry, and world leaders will all give their seasoned and reasoned input.
The one thing I hope and pray each of us takes away from the world and national events is to live each day as if it counts. As the Master has said:
I mourn the wounded and the bereaved and our shell shocked citizenry. Every day of their lives from now on will bear the deep wounds of loss of limbs, loss of health, loss of loved ones, loss of dreams, and loss of innocence. Horrific situations, as we only too well know, happen worldwide every day. There are daily headlines in newspapers and on the web from the farthest reaches of earth, of violence and mayhem and natural disasters.
Why are we even surprised or shaken by just one more event in Boston? I think we are shaken because of the magnitude of people here for the marathon, both those running and those observers. and of course the instant coverage due to the influx of news people and networks following the marathon. Another sporting tradition has been shaken by violence and it reminds one of the bombings of the Olympics in both Germany in 1972 and Atlanta in 1996.
MADMEN AND WOMEN, ZEALOTS, WING NUTS, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL TERRORISTS WALK AMONG US DAILY.
Look to the left and then to the right. Remember is school we learned how two out of five of us would fart in the next 10 minutes, or some other such statistical nonsense. Well, we each could become a victim of violent acts in our lifetime and so could our family members and friends. Each of us is connected to life by a very thin fragile golden thread. Gossamer like a spider dangling from his own thread as he moves around his world building his web. This thread can be severed at any moment and life itself is so infinitely precious. We must constantly be prepared for both mayhem and death; and we must appreciate what we have while we have it. Sure there will be news and stories and punditry, and world leaders will all give their seasoned and reasoned input.
The one thing I hope and pray each of us takes away from the world and national events is to live each day as if it counts. As the Master has said:
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Ken Pierce, the NRA and Gun Control
My dad, Ken Pierce, was a hunter, sportsman, and a gun collector, and a proud member of the NRA. I remember the magazines next to his chair were Outdoor Life, Field and Stream and he always had a current copy of Gun Digest. Ken hunted and fished Northern New York State. He and his buddies Don Winters, George Cutler and his brother Gerald Pierce had a camp with a log cabin they built themselves from trees they felled on their own land. Dad had been a game warden on Whitney Park near little Tupper in the Adirondacks. He loved Guns, hunting, fishing ,the outdoors and he passed this love along to me and my sister.
Ken Pierce was a man's man, and his mantra was cigarettes and whiskey and wild, wild women. He taught my sister Jackie and I to shoot when we were barely out of diapers, and he gave me my first rifle, a 12 gage shotgun for my birthday when I turned 16.
Ken was a card carrying member of the NRA and very proud of it. Remember the NRA stands for the National Rifle Association and in the day, when I came of age, they held gun safety classes for young people. Like I mentioned before Dad was a gun collector. The NRA kept him in touch with other collectors and the newest rifles on the market.
dad kept his weapons in a locked gun cabinet which Jackie was lucky enough to get when he died. I say lucky because his then wife sold every pistol and rifle dad had, mainly to keep them out of our hands, though she most likely did need the money.. We hauled that sucker of a cabinet out of there before she could think to protest.
I am writing this because I want to make one thing very clear. My father, Kenneth Blake Pierce, believed in gun registration and was very willing to register both his guns and ammunition, if the times should warrant it. I had a number of discussions with my father regarding this issue because I to loved guns and Dad gave my husband and I a 22' to keep with us at our home in L.I.
Dad believed it should be very difficult for criminals to legally obtain weapons. He had no problem with gun registration and background checks because as he said, he had nothing to hide or fear. He believed in the 2nd amendment and loved his government and country enough to trust them with his life and his guns. He said that registration would help track his weapons if they were ever stolen and used in a crime, and might help get them back if they went on the resale market. Of course dad died in 1994 so he didn't own any assault weapons. I am sure he would have felt they would have ruined the meat on any deer, moose or bear he might shoot.
The NRA has passed the point where they represent sportsmen and gun collectors. They now represent only the gun manufactures and the survivalist fringe with a few legitimate backward leaning romantics who still dream of a better world back then....but we are living in the now. Now criminals, wing nuts, anti government groups and the lobbyists hope LaPierre can continue to represent their interests.
I will forever carry a picture of LaPierre, with spittle foaming at the corners of his mouth and know that my dad, if alive today, would repudiate him and everything he stands for. As an aside let me close by quoting something I found on a negative LaPierre website: " LaPierre took numerous student deferments to avoid serving in Vietnam and has never served in the Armed Forces in any capacity. This fits in with his infamously calling FBI and ATF Agents “Jack Booted Thugs”, an accusation so ugly that George W. Bush’s much cooler dad resigned his lifetime NRA membership. Clearly this man hates America." If anything the current NRA could do with a classier representative. They should be ashamed.
Ken Pierce was a man's man, and his mantra was cigarettes and whiskey and wild, wild women. He taught my sister Jackie and I to shoot when we were barely out of diapers, and he gave me my first rifle, a 12 gage shotgun for my birthday when I turned 16.
Ken was a card carrying member of the NRA and very proud of it. Remember the NRA stands for the National Rifle Association and in the day, when I came of age, they held gun safety classes for young people. Like I mentioned before Dad was a gun collector. The NRA kept him in touch with other collectors and the newest rifles on the market.
dad kept his weapons in a locked gun cabinet which Jackie was lucky enough to get when he died. I say lucky because his then wife sold every pistol and rifle dad had, mainly to keep them out of our hands, though she most likely did need the money.. We hauled that sucker of a cabinet out of there before she could think to protest.
I am writing this because I want to make one thing very clear. My father, Kenneth Blake Pierce, believed in gun registration and was very willing to register both his guns and ammunition, if the times should warrant it. I had a number of discussions with my father regarding this issue because I to loved guns and Dad gave my husband and I a 22' to keep with us at our home in L.I.
Dad believed it should be very difficult for criminals to legally obtain weapons. He had no problem with gun registration and background checks because as he said, he had nothing to hide or fear. He believed in the 2nd amendment and loved his government and country enough to trust them with his life and his guns. He said that registration would help track his weapons if they were ever stolen and used in a crime, and might help get them back if they went on the resale market. Of course dad died in 1994 so he didn't own any assault weapons. I am sure he would have felt they would have ruined the meat on any deer, moose or bear he might shoot.
The NRA has passed the point where they represent sportsmen and gun collectors. They now represent only the gun manufactures and the survivalist fringe with a few legitimate backward leaning romantics who still dream of a better world back then....but we are living in the now. Now criminals, wing nuts, anti government groups and the lobbyists hope LaPierre can continue to represent their interests.
I will forever carry a picture of LaPierre, with spittle foaming at the corners of his mouth and know that my dad, if alive today, would repudiate him and everything he stands for. As an aside let me close by quoting something I found on a negative LaPierre website: " LaPierre took numerous student deferments to avoid serving in Vietnam and has never served in the Armed Forces in any capacity. This fits in with his infamously calling FBI and ATF Agents “Jack Booted Thugs”, an accusation so ugly that George W. Bush’s much cooler dad resigned his lifetime NRA membership. Clearly this man hates America." If anything the current NRA could do with a classier representative. They should be ashamed.
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