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Saturday, June 30, 2007
Enigami Peace
It was only a hundred gazillion degrees outside for our Women in Black vigil today. Umbrellas are really helpful in the hot Colorado sun. I used to think umbrellas were for sissies - rain or shine. Just call me Sissy.
A car stopped in the turn lane in front of us, and a young woman got out and handed one of our vigilers a handful of Imagine Peace window stickers.
I can't photograph it from the front until I wash my car windows and apply it. :-)
But enigami-ing peace is a very beautiful thing to do!
Labels: peace, Women in Black
posted by Carol at 4:02 PM
0 comments
Friday, June 29, 2007
Sicko
Dear Mom and Dad,
We just got back from seeing Michael Moore's movie, "Sicko". Sorry to have to break the news, but we're moving to France. I will be studying French in all of my free time until then. We have decided that quality of life is very important and we are not going to be victims of our broken health-care system and its lobbyists anymore.
In the film, an American woman living in France said it well when she explained that in the U.S., people are afraid of the government; in France, the government is afraid of the people. The French protest on a regular basis and don't just take it when they are getting the raw end of the deal. We keep quiet, because we can't afford to lose our jobs and thus our health-care.
And Michael Moore asked a very provocative question when he asked, "Who are we?"
Who are we that we can allow our 9/11 rescue workers to be called heroes one day, but then forget them when they need medical care as a result of their heroic acts? Who are we when we can walk around a woman dying on a hospital floor? You taught me to care about my fellow man (and woman). You taught me the Christian ethic of doing unto others...
So, since the U.S. is owned by corporations whose only goal is profit, I am on a search for a place that cares a little more about its people. I know that no bureaucracy is perfect, but it would be nice to at least strive for better.
Oh, and if you want to do something to change this system we have now, you can begin by signing a petition calling on Congress to pass HR 676 for non-profit health-care for all at HealthCare-Now.org.
I'll miss ya!
me
P.S. Just to be fair, here's a link to a site that tells all the bad about Universal Health-Care. Guess I'll have to find out for myself.
We just got back from seeing Michael Moore's movie, "Sicko". Sorry to have to break the news, but we're moving to France. I will be studying French in all of my free time until then. We have decided that quality of life is very important and we are not going to be victims of our broken health-care system and its lobbyists anymore.
In the film, an American woman living in France said it well when she explained that in the U.S., people are afraid of the government; in France, the government is afraid of the people. The French protest on a regular basis and don't just take it when they are getting the raw end of the deal. We keep quiet, because we can't afford to lose our jobs and thus our health-care.
And Michael Moore asked a very provocative question when he asked, "Who are we?"
Who are we that we can allow our 9/11 rescue workers to be called heroes one day, but then forget them when they need medical care as a result of their heroic acts? Who are we when we can walk around a woman dying on a hospital floor? You taught me to care about my fellow man (and woman). You taught me the Christian ethic of doing unto others...
So, since the U.S. is owned by corporations whose only goal is profit, I am on a search for a place that cares a little more about its people. I know that no bureaucracy is perfect, but it would be nice to at least strive for better.
Oh, and if you want to do something to change this system we have now, you can begin by signing a petition calling on Congress to pass HR 676 for non-profit health-care for all at HealthCare-Now.org.
I'll miss ya!
me
P.S. Just to be fair, here's a link to a site that tells all the bad about Universal Health-Care. Guess I'll have to find out for myself.
Labels: Michael Moore, Sicko
posted by Carol at 10:01 PM
4 comments
I'm drowning my brother drowning
Oh!
This article by Robert Shetterly,
What Does Drowning Mean Drowning?,
hits the nail so precisely, the truth of it rings with a crystal clarity. It's not too long, but if you don't have time to read it now, come back when you have a few minutes. It's important.
"Drowning in silence, we are brothers and sisters drowning each other." Eva Patterson
It is time to wake up and take action.
This article by Robert Shetterly,
What Does Drowning Mean Drowning?,
hits the nail so precisely, the truth of it rings with a crystal clarity. It's not too long, but if you don't have time to read it now, come back when you have a few minutes. It's important.
"Drowning in silence, we are brothers and sisters drowning each other." Eva Patterson
It is time to wake up and take action.
Labels: Robert Shetterly
posted by Carol at 10:47 AM
0 comments
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The Little Things
Today I took a bath because I needed to wash my hair and get clean. This is really cool! I realized, while soaking in the hot water that makes my whole body smile, that lately I haven't been hopping into the tub straight from the bed in the mornings in order to be able to tolerate another day of life. Where a hot bath first thing used to be my way of easing the shoulder pain enough to function, I can now get up and do WHATEVER I WANT! I still have pain (mostly tolerable), and sometimes 1/2 a pain pill is called for, but I can get out of bed in the morning and be glad I'm doing it!
Just when I thought I wasn't getting better, a little light on the subject brings much psychological relief!
So, today, on my last day of physical therapy (thank you, insurance for paying your less than generous part - considering how much we pay you - and thank you, also, for cutting people off at some arbitrary number and leaving them owing wads and not so inclined to pay more exorbitant fees out of pocket.), I come out better, but not the person I was before. And that is a good thing. The body is more limited in movement, but I have learned much through this process. Maybe, just maybe, I will eventually be as good as new AND have the lessons learned, too!
But it doesn't matter. This is what is right now.
And I wonder... when we look at all of the things we'd like to change in the world, do we notice what HAS changed? Do we see the beautiful actions that are being done by many people? Are we aware of the little things, like baths not needed or an elder's smile? And do we appreciate the gifts embedded in the harder things?
It's all a part of the whole.
Just when I thought I wasn't getting better, a little light on the subject brings much psychological relief!
So, today, on my last day of physical therapy (thank you, insurance for paying your less than generous part - considering how much we pay you - and thank you, also, for cutting people off at some arbitrary number and leaving them owing wads and not so inclined to pay more exorbitant fees out of pocket.), I come out better, but not the person I was before. And that is a good thing. The body is more limited in movement, but I have learned much through this process. Maybe, just maybe, I will eventually be as good as new AND have the lessons learned, too!
But it doesn't matter. This is what is right now.
And I wonder... when we look at all of the things we'd like to change in the world, do we notice what HAS changed? Do we see the beautiful actions that are being done by many people? Are we aware of the little things, like baths not needed or an elder's smile? And do we appreciate the gifts embedded in the harder things?
It's all a part of the whole.
Labels: shoulders
posted by Carol at 8:45 AM
2 comments
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Breathing into the Pain
I watch you, my friend, in drug-induced, fitful sleep.
I ride the waves of your breath flowing in and out.
A tint of yellow has moved into your skin and eyes.
All systems have begun to close down.
And your belly has grown to the point that I know you
will be giving birth to yourself soon.
No need to resist - your body knows what to do.
And death is not a failure
but a shedding of these cocoons that we all
live in for a few moments before we fly.
When it is time
you'll fly.
posted by Carol at 9:05 PM
0 comments
Peaceful Moments
Each moment is so full of life
that it seems so long
and so sufficient in itself. - Richard Jeffries
that it seems so long
and so sufficient in itself. - Richard Jeffries
Labels: Nature
posted by Carol at 5:35 PM
0 comments
An Hour a Week to Remember
Every Saturday since September, 2005, we Women in Black have stood in silence for an hour in the Golden/Lakewood area. Sometimes we've had ten people, sometimes only two. Sometimes it has been so cold, we huddled and shivered despite all the layers we were wearing. Other times, we held umbrellas to keep the sun off, but sweat still ran down our faces. I guess I won't be enticing new members from this attractive sales pitch, huh? Well, if the military can bring in new soldiers that sign up to wear body armor in the 114 degree Iraqi heat, surely standing here for only an hour is not too daunting, no matter the weather.
I have definitely seen a shift in the responses to our presence as we stand outside our nearby shopping mall. In the early days, emotions were higher. We had a lot of positive response, but also some negative. Now there are times that I wonder if anyone is awake. Still, we receive a lot of positive feedback, and if there are people who disagree with us, they usually don't demonstrate it except by their silence. Which fits right in with the silence that we are holding anyway.
I just figure that it is my responsibility to remind others that, while they are shopping or driving to the mountains, people are dying in war, genocide, domestic violence, and other violent atrocities. The Women in Black vigil is not a chore or interruption of my weekend. It is something that I schedule around, because it is an important time of witness, sisterhood, and presence. My week would not be complete without it. AND if there comes a time in my lifetime where we all treat each other with respect, I will gladly figure out something else to do on Saturdays at 12:30.
Olga Bonfiglio writes from Michigan in Women in Black: Mourning for All Victims of War and Violence, published on the Common Dreams website today.
I have definitely seen a shift in the responses to our presence as we stand outside our nearby shopping mall. In the early days, emotions were higher. We had a lot of positive response, but also some negative. Now there are times that I wonder if anyone is awake. Still, we receive a lot of positive feedback, and if there are people who disagree with us, they usually don't demonstrate it except by their silence. Which fits right in with the silence that we are holding anyway.
I just figure that it is my responsibility to remind others that, while they are shopping or driving to the mountains, people are dying in war, genocide, domestic violence, and other violent atrocities. The Women in Black vigil is not a chore or interruption of my weekend. It is something that I schedule around, because it is an important time of witness, sisterhood, and presence. My week would not be complete without it. AND if there comes a time in my lifetime where we all treat each other with respect, I will gladly figure out something else to do on Saturdays at 12:30.
Olga Bonfiglio writes from Michigan in Women in Black: Mourning for All Victims of War and Violence, published on the Common Dreams website today.
Labels: Women in Black
posted by Carol at 8:16 AM
2 comments
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
"If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work." - Thich Nhat Hanh
Labels: Middle East Peace, Nature, Thich Nhat Hanh
posted by Carol at 8:59 PM
2 comments
Monday, June 25, 2007
Why Can't We Live Together?
No more war, no more war, no more war...
Just a little peace.
No more war, no more war.
All we want is some peace in this world.
Everybody wants to live together.
Why can't we be together?
We saw Steve Winwood in concert last night, outdoors at the Botanic Gardens with perfect weather, a cloud show at one point, and then a breeze that urged the trees to sway to music that was as sweet as honey from heaven.
WOW!
Labels: peace, Steve Winwood
posted by Carol at 9:23 PM
0 comments
Friday, June 22, 2007
Real ID
Colorado is one of 16 states whose legislature has opposed the Real ID Act. The vote was unanimous. Republicans and Democrats alike rejected the act. Still, unless something big happens, we Coloradoans - and the rest of you Americans - will be subjected to this expensive invasion of our privacy in the next couple of years.
Thank you Washington!
A site with FAQ's: News.com
A ten minute video that talks a lot about RFID chips that will, most likely, be implanted in our national I.D. card - or in our bodies. These chips are already implanted in products and passports.
Interesting stuff here, too.
According to Wikipedia, Utah's resolution opposing the Real ID Act states the REAL ID is "in opposition to the Jeffersonian principles of individual liberty, free markets, and limited government." It further states that "the use of identification-based security cannot be justified as part of a 'layered' security system if the costs of the identification 'layer'--in dollars, lost privacy, and lost liberty--are greater than the security identification provides."
Thank you Washington!
A site with FAQ's: News.com
A ten minute video that talks a lot about RFID chips that will, most likely, be implanted in our national I.D. card - or in our bodies. These chips are already implanted in products and passports.
Interesting stuff here, too.
According to Wikipedia, Utah's resolution opposing the Real ID Act states the REAL ID is "in opposition to the Jeffersonian principles of individual liberty, free markets, and limited government." It further states that "the use of identification-based security cannot be justified as part of a 'layered' security system if the costs of the identification 'layer'--in dollars, lost privacy, and lost liberty--are greater than the security identification provides."
Will YOU accept this ID when it comes to a driver's license office near you???
Labels: Real ID Act, RFID chips
posted by Carol at 8:07 AM
0 comments
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Summer Solstice
On a hot Kansas day many years ago, the solstice sun drew me into this world.
Now, over half of my life is over. But the richest parts have only begun.
If I left this world today, I think that I would miss:
the voices and touch of loved ones
the sun in my face
the moon to light my way
birds and their songs - or the sound of their wings as they fly overhead - or the sight of a bird of prey circling the skies
cooling waters
music that begs me to sing and dance
life in all of its forms popping out of the earth
eating fresh garden vegetables
kisses
laughter
tears
friends
chocolate
the cold white of winter, hot yellow of summer, cool green of spring, and warm rust of fall
my dog's adoration
my kitty's tiny paws
the fascinating way of people in this world
the movie of life going by and through me
But I really wonder if, after we leave this plane, we miss anything.
So far, so sweet...!
Labels: summer solstice
posted by Carol at 9:44 AM
2 comments
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Would someone 'splain to me why it is okay to throw embryos in the trash, but it's not okay to use embryos to help people???
"Destroying human life in the hopes of saving human life is not ethical, and it is not the only option before us," said Bush.
Ummm.... Iraq???
"Destroying human life in the hopes of saving human life is not ethical, and it is not the only option before us," said Bush.
Ummm.... Iraq???
Labels: Iraq War, Stem Cell Research
posted by Carol at 5:10 PM
0 comments
What???
My daughter's cat, Killian, during my last visit.
Right now, I feel about as excited as Killian looks.
Right now, I feel about as excited as Killian looks.
posted by Carol at 11:36 AM
1 comments
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Questions
I just read that U.S. troops have launched Operation Arrowhead Ripper in Iraq.
Who names these things?
And how much do they get paid to do it?
If a soldier dies in Operation Arrowhead Ripper, will he/she have more prestige than, say, if he/she just died in a nameless fight?
"The end state is to destroy the Al-Qaeda influences in this province and eliminate their threat against the people," said US commander Brigadier General Mick Bednarek.
How does a soldier know who is a member of al-Qaeda so that only those people are "eliminated"? When I work in my garden, I can identify each weed and each vegetable plant. Do al-Qaeda members wear name-tags so that they can be identified?
Who names these things?
And how much do they get paid to do it?
If a soldier dies in Operation Arrowhead Ripper, will he/she have more prestige than, say, if he/she just died in a nameless fight?
"The end state is to destroy the Al-Qaeda influences in this province and eliminate their threat against the people," said US commander Brigadier General Mick Bednarek.
How does a soldier know who is a member of al-Qaeda so that only those people are "eliminated"? When I work in my garden, I can identify each weed and each vegetable plant. Do al-Qaeda members wear name-tags so that they can be identified?
Labels: Iraq War
posted by Carol at 12:05 PM
0 comments
Monday, June 18, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
He's Coming Home!
Today, he leaves to come home. After four years and two deployments. First to Iraq, then to Afghanistan. At one point, he sat in a Humvee in the middle of the night for hours with his friend whose head was blown away. A twenty year old. Sitting for hours in the middle of the night, not knowing who was around and who would come get him - people on "his side" that would help, or those from the "other side" that would do the same to him as they had done to his friend.
That's the stuff nightmares are made of.
But that happened during his first deployment - in Iraq - and he would have to tempt fate again by going to Afghanistan.
His mom has worked and stood vigil to bring him and the others home. She has raised money to supply the troops with body armor. She spoke to crowds, to representatives, to senators - more than she ever would've chosen to had she not had a mission. She has cried and laughed and held her breath for four years.
I cry as I write this. I don't know if they are tears of joy or relief or sadness at the pain of it all. Maybe it is that big All Of It.
There is really nothing about this war that I can find to enjoy, be happy about, or appreciate.
But Andy is coming home today. Alive.
Happy Father's Day, Frank.
And Happy Belated Mother's Day, Gaye.
Labels: Bake Sales For Body Armor, Iraq War
posted by Carol at 8:28 AM
2 comments
Friday, June 15, 2007
How To Put Our World Back Together
Here's a story that comes from the vast mythology of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It goes like this: Somewhere, in a time like our own, a father is pensively trying to solve the world's problems, when his little boy comes in and says, "Father, I want to help." The weary man appreciates the gesture but only feels the child's presence as a hindrance. But the boy persists. So the father takes a map of the world and rips it into little pieces, gives them to the boy, and says, "I know you like puzzles. You can help by piecing the world back together." The boy protests, "But Father, I don't even know what the world looks like!" His father laughs, "Nonetheless, this is how you can help," and he sends him off, expecting that this will occupy his son for days.
And so the pensive man returns to his weary reflections. Two days later, his son comes bounding in, shouting, "Father! Father! I've put the world back together!" And sure enough, all the torn pieces are taped into a beautiful whole. His father is stunned. "But how did you do this?"
The boy is eager to show him and turns the map of the world over, saying, "On the back was a picture of a person, Father. I put the person back together and then turned it over and the world was back together!"
From The Exquisite Risk by Mark Nepo
And so the pensive man returns to his weary reflections. Two days later, his son comes bounding in, shouting, "Father! Father! I've put the world back together!" And sure enough, all the torn pieces are taped into a beautiful whole. His father is stunned. "But how did you do this?"
The boy is eager to show him and turns the map of the world over, saying, "On the back was a picture of a person, Father. I put the person back together and then turned it over and the world was back together!"
From The Exquisite Risk by Mark Nepo
posted by Carol at 10:47 AM
0 comments
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Look Into His Eyes
The parents of 5-year-old Seif Salih were both killed in a road-side bombing. Now Seif lives in an orphanage. He is so precious. If he lived in the U.S., offers of adoption would be rolling in.What will Seif think of the U.S. when he grows up? Will he think that we are the wonderful people who liberated his country and gave it democracy? Or will he hate us for creating the conditions that took his parents away from him?
Will he live long enough to figure out that this war has not been about democracy, but about U.S. power and profit? And what will he do with that understanding?
(Photo: Wathiq Khuzaie / Getty Images)
From Truthout.org
Labels: Iraq War
posted by Carol at 9:06 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Bearing My Arms
Yesterday I told my physical therapist that I was feeling pretty good about myself because it seemed that I had turned another corner in my healing. Ohhhhh... Beware of saying such things to people who are paid to torture! Said torturer took advantage of my hubris by adding a couple hundred new exercises and as a result, today did not start out so great. Fortunately, my neighbor had offered the use of his hot tub, so I took him up on it. That helped a lot.
This healing journey is a little FRUSTRATING. But hiking and seeing this year's AMAZING wildflowers gives me hope and sanity. At least I still have legs that carry me to the places I love.
"The Second Amendment says we have the right to bear arms, not to bear artillery." - Robin Williams
posted by Carol at 9:02 PM
2 comments
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
The earth is all that lasts.
The earth is what I speak to when
I do not understand my life
Nor why I am not heard.
The earth answers me with the same song
That it sang for my fathers when
Their tears covered up the sun.
The earth sings a song of gladness.
The earth sings a song of praise.
The earth rises up and laughs at me
Each time that I forget
How spring begins with winter
And death begins at birth.
- Nancy Wood, Many Winters
from Life Prayers, edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon
Labels: flowers, Life Prayers, Nature
posted by Carol at 8:48 PM
2 comments
What Do You Think About Ron Paul?
If you haven't seen him, check him out here: Ron Paul: Stop Dreaming.
(thanks to Judy)
And watch him on Bill Maher's show by going to the Ron Paul website and clicking on the "Ron Paul is Bill Maher's New Hero" video.
Pro: He doesn't believe that we should spread democracy around the world via the military, but instead by leading as an example.
Pro: He recognizes that we need to get rid of the inflation tax that transfers wealth from the poor and middle class to Wall Street. Our middle class is becoming a thing of the past.
Pro: Unlike most of the people who are heading up our country, Ron Paul actually served in the military - as a flight surgeon.
Con (in my opinion): In 1976, he was one of only four Republican congressmen to endorse Reagan for prez.
Pro: His wife's name is Carol. Well, that's enough right there!
Read some of his stands on the issues at his site.
Today I give him *** 1/2 out of 5 stars.
And ***** for speaking a lot of truth about our government - things that no other politician (except Kucinich) will say.
(thanks to Judy)
And watch him on Bill Maher's show by going to the Ron Paul website and clicking on the "Ron Paul is Bill Maher's New Hero" video.
A couple of pros and cons.
Pro: He doesn't believe that we should spread democracy around the world via the military, but instead by leading as an example.
Pro: He recognizes that we need to get rid of the inflation tax that transfers wealth from the poor and middle class to Wall Street. Our middle class is becoming a thing of the past.
Pro: Unlike most of the people who are heading up our country, Ron Paul actually served in the military - as a flight surgeon.
Con (in my opinion): In 1976, he was one of only four Republican congressmen to endorse Reagan for prez.
Pro: His wife's name is Carol. Well, that's enough right there!
Read some of his stands on the issues at his site.
Today I give him *** 1/2 out of 5 stars.
And ***** for speaking a lot of truth about our government - things that no other politician (except Kucinich) will say.
Labels: Ron Paul
posted by Carol at 7:26 PM
2 comments
Monday, June 11, 2007
Silently a flower blooms,
In silence it falls away;
Yet here now, at this moment, at this place,
The world of the flower, the whole of the world is blooming.
Zenkei Shibayama
Labels: flowers
posted by Carol at 9:02 AM
2 comments
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Summer Snow
We have a few HUGE, majestic cottonwood trees. This year is a particularly cottony one. White fluff has been snowing down for a few days.
We are going to have the dead branches trimmed out of these trees soon. You don't EVEN want to know how much it will cost for some brave soul to climb up these 60 foot tall beauties and give them a nice new hair-do! You couldn't pay me enough to do it.
I love these trees deep in my heart, even though they're expensive and messy. Kinda like any relationship.
Labels: trees
posted by Carol at 5:31 PM
3 comments
Indian Slum Girl "Makes Good"
Just when I was working on a blues poem about my writing/world/life/political burn-out...
I came across this moving article about an illiterate man in India who works for $2/day, but scrimped to help put his wife through school and university studies so that she could fulfill her dream of becoming an engineer.
Shaikh Salary and his wife, Fatima, were wed in an arranged marriage when Fatima was only 15. Her parents took her out of school, believing that no girl from the slums could ever become an engineer. But Salary supported Fatima in her dream, and now that engineering school is behind her, Fatima will soon be working for a top information technology company and making $600/month.
From the article, Indian Slum Girl "Makes Good":
"Salary was pleased for his wife, and told Al Jazeera that it was their love for each other that had helped them achieve their goal." This is big in an area where young women are expected to forgo education in order to stay home and raise a family.
Don't have time for no blues - and the poem wasn't that good anyway...
I came across this moving article about an illiterate man in India who works for $2/day, but scrimped to help put his wife through school and university studies so that she could fulfill her dream of becoming an engineer.
Shaikh Salary and his wife, Fatima, were wed in an arranged marriage when Fatima was only 15. Her parents took her out of school, believing that no girl from the slums could ever become an engineer. But Salary supported Fatima in her dream, and now that engineering school is behind her, Fatima will soon be working for a top information technology company and making $600/month.
From the article, Indian Slum Girl "Makes Good":
"Salary was pleased for his wife, and told Al Jazeera that it was their love for each other that had helped them achieve their goal." This is big in an area where young women are expected to forgo education in order to stay home and raise a family.
Don't have time for no blues - and the poem wasn't that good anyway...
Labels: inspiration, love
posted by Carol at 4:10 PM
1 comments
Saturday, June 09, 2007
A Ground for Freedom and Peace
Talk radio host, Bree Walker is purchasing Cindy Sheehan's land in Crawford, TX and will turn it into a "ground for freedom and peace."
This is good.
This is good.
Labels: Cindy Sheehan, Crawford
posted by Carol at 9:17 AM
0 comments
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Digging Out
Because I am practicing A Year to Live, I am taking the whole day to GO THROUGH MY STACKS OF STUFF. When it's my time to leave this plane, I want to slip out and not leave all kinds of work for those who have to go through my stuff - and I don't want to leave any secrets that should go with me to the other side. This project will take more than one day. Especially since I have to stop to do so many things - like blog. But I was on the computer anyway, ordering some exciting books from the library. In one of my piles, I found a list of books that I thought would be interesting, so now that I'm cleaning up, I just ordered the books and I can throw the list away. One more piece of paper bites the dust.
In another pile, I found papers with evidence of the mother that I was during the time my kids were teens. Oh, life is so unfair. I would be a totally different parent now. As I made piles for each of my kids, in case they actually want their high school report cards to remind them of those times (probably not), I seriously considered adding a letter to the stack. This letter would be my apology for things I did out of ignorance. I would also write of my admiration for the fact that these two wonderful people are thriving in spite of my lack of expertise in the ways of relating to teens who lived in my house.
Funny, seeing all of this has made me love my offspring even more. And I see how resilient we can be.
Then there's the little plastic bag... I bought a birthday card the other day and I let the cashier give me this stupid little plastic bag that ain't good for nuthin'. I have kept this bag on my desk for two days, because I feel guilty for getting it and I will feel guilty for throwing it away. What a waste!
I solemnly swear that I will not accept any more stupid little bags in the future, because I cannot tolerate them haunting me on my desk or in the landfill.
Okay, back to the treasure hunt.
posted by Carol at 11:58 AM
2 comments
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
I do it so the country won't change me
Yesterday 40 or 50 of us met at the state capitol and a few people spoke before we marched banging pots and pans and chanted our way to the Federal Building. One of our MFSO mothers couldn't be there because she was attending a funeral of a young soldier who was supposed to make it home from Iraq to witness the birth of his first child a daughter but he was killed only 11 days before her birth. A woman who has lived in Syria for a few years read statements from Iraqis who have escaped death by fleeing to Syria and each of these people sounded just like any American parent who loves his/her children but these people were doing what they had to do in order to protect their children from early death when death screamed all around them. And the American parents around us were taking their kids shopping on one of their first days of summer break. I wondered what they worry about. Certainly not IED's and soldiers breaking into their homes and taking away the men of the family. And certainly not a bomb going off on a bus near the shopping center killing and maiming souls whose only crime is being in the wrong country at the wrong time.
Once in awhile as we marched I wondered why we were doing this. It was not going to stop the war and I could just imagine the headlines saying that a handful of protesters walked down the 16th Street Mall banging pots and pans against the war and everyone would think that a few goofballs are against the war while the normal people are walking the mall in shirts and ties and talking important business on their cellphones. But from the peace signs and thumbs up that we got I know that we were bigger than a handful and we put the war in the faces of the shopping moms and summer kids and that is important because over there this atrocity is in the face of every person every day.
And I remember the A.J. Muste quote which I can't promise is a real live quote of his but it doesn't matter because it says something important. It goes like this:
A reporter interviewing A.J. Muste, who during the Vietnam War stood in front of the White House night after night with a candle, one rainy night asked,"Mr. Muste, do you really think you are going to change the policies of this country by standing out here alone at night with a candle?" Muste replied, "Oh, I don't do it to change the country, I do it so the country won't change me.
Once in awhile as we marched I wondered why we were doing this. It was not going to stop the war and I could just imagine the headlines saying that a handful of protesters walked down the 16th Street Mall banging pots and pans against the war and everyone would think that a few goofballs are against the war while the normal people are walking the mall in shirts and ties and talking important business on their cellphones. But from the peace signs and thumbs up that we got I know that we were bigger than a handful and we put the war in the faces of the shopping moms and summer kids and that is important because over there this atrocity is in the face of every person every day.
And I remember the A.J. Muste quote which I can't promise is a real live quote of his but it doesn't matter because it says something important. It goes like this:
A reporter interviewing A.J. Muste, who during the Vietnam War stood in front of the White House night after night with a candle, one rainy night asked,"Mr. Muste, do you really think you are going to change the policies of this country by standing out here alone at night with a candle?" Muste replied, "Oh, I don't do it to change the country, I do it so the country won't change me.
Labels: Iraq War Rally
posted by Carol at 9:13 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
MFSO Families Inspire Change
Local Military Families Speak Out members met with Colorado Congresswoman, Diana DeGette last week, The meeting motivated DeGette to co-sponsor a bill by Rep. Ellen Tauscher of California that would revoke W's authorization to use military force in Iraq. It would also require phased re-deployment of our troops.
DeGette will also co-sponsor Rep. David Obey's (Wisconsin) legislation that will have the troops home by June of next year. (Unfortunately, more than 800 troops will die between now and then and an unknown number of Iraqis will be victims of the devastation that we started there.)
Article and video on Channel 4, Denver (watch for my friend, Gaye who I went to Camp Casey with. We also held a Bake Sale for Body Armor together. Her son is coming home REAL SOON!).
Thank you, Gaye, Vrnda, Pam, and other MFSO members!
DeGette will also co-sponsor Rep. David Obey's (Wisconsin) legislation that will have the troops home by June of next year. (Unfortunately, more than 800 troops will die between now and then and an unknown number of Iraqis will be victims of the devastation that we started there.)
Article and video on Channel 4, Denver (watch for my friend, Gaye who I went to Camp Casey with. We also held a Bake Sale for Body Armor together. Her son is coming home REAL SOON!).
Thank you, Gaye, Vrnda, Pam, and other MFSO members!
Labels: DeGette, Iraq War, Military Families Speak Out
posted by Carol at 7:10 AM
0 comments
Monday, June 04, 2007
We Fight Them Over There...
So We Don't Have To Fight Them Over Here.
(Photo: Khalid Mohammed / AP)
From Truthout.org
And our innocent children won't have to endure the same traumas and deaths that their innocent children have to suffer.
(Photo: Khalid Mohammed / AP)From Truthout.org
And our innocent children won't have to endure the same traumas and deaths that their innocent children have to suffer.
I am ashamed.
Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
posted by Carol at 9:19 AM
1 comments
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Tomorrow
You may remember Former Marine Sgt. Adam Kokesh from the Alberto Gonzalez hearing. Adam was the guy who tallied up the number of times Gonzalez said "I don't recall" when asked a question.
Adam was honorably discharged after serving in Fallujah and is a member of the Inactive Ready Reserves.
Tomorrow he will attend a hearing for his participation in anti-war actions, especially this one: Bringing the War Home.
From Sargeant Kokesh Goes to Washington:
The implications of this hearing may be far reaching, as the prosecution of a member of the inactive reserves under these circumstances is unprecedented. At stake is the right of freedom of speech for the hundreds of thousands of members of the Inactive Ready Reserve, as well as the nation's right to get the unbiased truth out of Iraq. Last week, the prosecuting attorney, Captain Sibert, offered Kokesh a general discharge. To accept this would be to allow the Marines to say that members of the IRR do not have freedom of speech, so naturally, he declined.
Even the head of the VFW has spoken up about how ridiculous this is.
From VFW.org:
"Trying to hush up and punish fellow Americans for exercising the same democratic right we're trying to instill in Iraq is not what we're all about," said VFW head Gary Kurpius. "Someone in the Marine Corps needs to exercise a little common sense and put an end to this matter before it turns into a circus."
Adam was honorably discharged after serving in Fallujah and is a member of the Inactive Ready Reserves.
Tomorrow he will attend a hearing for his participation in anti-war actions, especially this one: Bringing the War Home.
From Sargeant Kokesh Goes to Washington:
The implications of this hearing may be far reaching, as the prosecution of a member of the inactive reserves under these circumstances is unprecedented. At stake is the right of freedom of speech for the hundreds of thousands of members of the Inactive Ready Reserve, as well as the nation's right to get the unbiased truth out of Iraq. Last week, the prosecuting attorney, Captain Sibert, offered Kokesh a general discharge. To accept this would be to allow the Marines to say that members of the IRR do not have freedom of speech, so naturally, he declined.
Even the head of the VFW has spoken up about how ridiculous this is.
From VFW.org:
"Trying to hush up and punish fellow Americans for exercising the same democratic right we're trying to instill in Iraq is not what we're all about," said VFW head Gary Kurpius. "Someone in the Marine Corps needs to exercise a little common sense and put an end to this matter before it turns into a circus."
Labels: Adam Kokesh, Iraq War
posted by Carol at 6:10 PM
0 comments
Friday, June 01, 2007
Molly Ivins Anti-War Memorial March in Denver
If you live in the Denver area and you believe we've got to end this war, please donate your lunch hour this Tuesday to walk with others in letting our voices be heard.
"Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe. But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of all causes - goodwill among men and peace on earth." - Albert Einstein
"Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe. But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of all causes - goodwill among men and peace on earth." - Albert Einstein
The Molly Ivins Anti-War Memorial March
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
"We need people in the streets banging pots and pans and demanding 'STOP IT NOW!'"
- from one of Molly's last columns
Join us in a march from the State Capitol and ending at the Federal Building, 19th & Stout
Brief messages from:
*Theresa Kubasak - Member of Voices in the Wilderness
Theresa has spent time in Iraq and lived in Damascus, Syria for the last two years.
*Hamilton School students from the Atom Bomb Project
*Claire Ryder - recently arrested at Sen. Salazar's office as part of the Occupation Project
Bring Pots, Pans and Spoons, Drums, etc.
Let's make some noise about this war!
Labels: Anti-war March
posted by Carol at 9:19 AM
0 comments