For all the uproar about Global Warming/Climate Change- Is it man made? Is it human-accelerated? Is it even a 'thing' at all or just something the scientists made up with the help of a pile of treehugging dollars? here's something that is indisputable.
Whether or not we're killing the world as we know it (and we are- just in case you were still on the fence about that), we are 100% certainly killing the world for some of our fellow travelers, because we're killing them. All of them. Every single precious one of them.
I mean, lookit this-
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/01/dead-grandmother-dream-causes-florida-man-to-snap-and-destroy-spiritual-girlfriends-car/
No. Wait. That one'll give you the heebie jeebies. Lookit THIS-
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/science/wildlife-news/141231/13-species-we-might-have-say-goodbye-2015?mc_cid=aa67eacf04&mc_eid=d461ac6f14
These are not little things; things that no one would miss like mosquitoes or cockroaches or possums or Paris Hilton. These are 13 arguably more noble creatures than humans, including our much more human-acting cousins the gorillas.
And unicorns. My god- we've just about eradicated the actual unicorns.
Tigers, rhinos, leopards, dolphins...WHAT IS WRONG WITH US?
Poached. Squeezed out. Polluted out.
Genesis 1:28- "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
And Boy Howdy, did we.
I can just see God returning to Earth from whatever great golf course in the sky he's been at for the last few thousand years and walking into what is, for all intents and purposes, the dreggish remains of the biggest kegger in the universe.
Shaking his head, God would say, "And this is why we can't have nice things."
PS- I had an entire weekend at home, ya'll. From Friday 10pm till today (Monday) 2pm I was at home, flat refusing to leave the yard. I'm here to tell you there is nothing sweeter than getting out of pajamas, taking a nice scalding hot shower, and putting on clean pajamas instead of going-out-in-public clothes. Nothing.
photo
photo by Sheri Dixon
Monday, January 5, 2015
Friday, January 2, 2015
New Year's Resolution
I never make these. Because I know in my heart and my head and everywhere in between that I'll never keep them. And yet, here I go- making one in front of ya'll and everybody.
This last year I completely sucked at blogging. I'ma changing that here and now. Twice a week, people. Ya'll will see a new blog twice a week. And at least for the most part, I'ma changing up the format from 'just shit that pops into my head and out my fingers' to 'just shit that pops into my head and out my fingers that relate to this linked article'.
There will also be a post script with something warm and squishy at the end.
We'll see how long this lasts...
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A BURNED-OUT WASTELAND
One thing I've noticed in most of the shit-hits-the-fan books I've come across is that when the world ends, the big cities pretty much eat themselves almost instantly...like within hours of (fill in the blank with your favorite zombies, terrorists or nuclear attack). And I have several problems with that scenario.
Oh, sure you can point to New Orleans during Katrina or Ferguson after Michael Brown's death, and I'm not saying that right at the git-go, there won't be people losing their damn minds. But that will be happening whether you're in a metroplex or out in the country. You can't tell me the good ol' boys won't be all gun-happy and the fundamentals won't be all shut into their churches and both groups will fend off anyone else, enemy or not. You just can't. Between small-town mentality and survivalist hermits, in a lot of ways, being in the boonies would be more dangerous than a big city 'when the lights go out'.
Because here's the thing.
People in a big city are used to adapting to a lot of other people and situations- most out of their own personal control. There are many micro-communities in a city in the form of either individual neighborhoods or individual buildings, city people literally brush elbows with each other every single day.
Most things are walking distance- and that is a huge benefit when the world is 'blown back into the dark ages' by zombie terrorist nuclear weapons.
Even lacking zombie terrorist nuclear weapons, some cities are already in practice-mode for the end of the world. Detroit is one. Flint Michigan is another one, and the source of today's hopeful message.
Here ya go- literal food for thought.
http://civileats.com/2015/01/02/an-urban-farmer-breaks-new-ground-in-flint/?mc_cid=0f47f3273c&mc_eid=d461ac6f14
See? Even WITH gangs around and even WITH obstacles, this chick is getting shit done and growing food in a place that for all intents and purposes has given up on itself (by outside observers' standards). I submit that when the going gets tough, and after the initial zombie terrorist nuclear warfare smoke clears, that the big cities will not, in fact, be molten piles of the remnants of the dregs of society and places that even rats will be loathe to habitate.
I submit that residents will pull together, regroup, and get shit done.
As proof, please see these badass grannies-
http://thebabushkasofchernobyl.com/
2015. A brand new year. Lets not screw it up.
PS- The other day was weather-challenged to the max. It was cold. It was windy. It was the kind of gray that pushes on my sinuses and gives me a headache straight down to my knees. I headed out the door and across the foot bridge to let the horse out for her afternoon of eating weeds and looking majestic. I'd crossed about halfway when I was stopped dead in my tracks by the upward rising of a Great Blue Heron lifting silently from directly beneath me. He seemed to use his wings as mere suggestions of flight; they were completely silent and barely moved at all- he was suspended a few feet above the creek and was carried downstream with the current.
As I walked to the barn, the horse was feeling the biting of the wind. She snorted and tossed her mane, pounding back and forth in her pen and into the stall, going from full-speed to zero an inch before the gate. I opened the gate and she floated out, prancing on air and dancing on invisible pillows. Turning her huge liquid doe eyes to me, she came close, closer, closest. I could see every eyelash and feel her breath. She paused for effect for just a moment, then snorted horse snot all over me, wheeled around and thundered up the hill, tail high and mocking.
This last year I completely sucked at blogging. I'ma changing that here and now. Twice a week, people. Ya'll will see a new blog twice a week. And at least for the most part, I'ma changing up the format from 'just shit that pops into my head and out my fingers' to 'just shit that pops into my head and out my fingers that relate to this linked article'.
There will also be a post script with something warm and squishy at the end.
We'll see how long this lasts...
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A BURNED-OUT WASTELAND
One thing I've noticed in most of the shit-hits-the-fan books I've come across is that when the world ends, the big cities pretty much eat themselves almost instantly...like within hours of (fill in the blank with your favorite zombies, terrorists or nuclear attack). And I have several problems with that scenario.
Oh, sure you can point to New Orleans during Katrina or Ferguson after Michael Brown's death, and I'm not saying that right at the git-go, there won't be people losing their damn minds. But that will be happening whether you're in a metroplex or out in the country. You can't tell me the good ol' boys won't be all gun-happy and the fundamentals won't be all shut into their churches and both groups will fend off anyone else, enemy or not. You just can't. Between small-town mentality and survivalist hermits, in a lot of ways, being in the boonies would be more dangerous than a big city 'when the lights go out'.
Because here's the thing.
People in a big city are used to adapting to a lot of other people and situations- most out of their own personal control. There are many micro-communities in a city in the form of either individual neighborhoods or individual buildings, city people literally brush elbows with each other every single day.
Most things are walking distance- and that is a huge benefit when the world is 'blown back into the dark ages' by zombie terrorist nuclear weapons.
Even lacking zombie terrorist nuclear weapons, some cities are already in practice-mode for the end of the world. Detroit is one. Flint Michigan is another one, and the source of today's hopeful message.
Here ya go- literal food for thought.
http://civileats.com/2015/01/02/an-urban-farmer-breaks-new-ground-in-flint/?mc_cid=0f47f3273c&mc_eid=d461ac6f14
See? Even WITH gangs around and even WITH obstacles, this chick is getting shit done and growing food in a place that for all intents and purposes has given up on itself (by outside observers' standards). I submit that when the going gets tough, and after the initial zombie terrorist nuclear warfare smoke clears, that the big cities will not, in fact, be molten piles of the remnants of the dregs of society and places that even rats will be loathe to habitate.
I submit that residents will pull together, regroup, and get shit done.
As proof, please see these badass grannies-
http://thebabushkasofchernobyl.com/
2015. A brand new year. Lets not screw it up.
PS- The other day was weather-challenged to the max. It was cold. It was windy. It was the kind of gray that pushes on my sinuses and gives me a headache straight down to my knees. I headed out the door and across the foot bridge to let the horse out for her afternoon of eating weeds and looking majestic. I'd crossed about halfway when I was stopped dead in my tracks by the upward rising of a Great Blue Heron lifting silently from directly beneath me. He seemed to use his wings as mere suggestions of flight; they were completely silent and barely moved at all- he was suspended a few feet above the creek and was carried downstream with the current.
As I walked to the barn, the horse was feeling the biting of the wind. She snorted and tossed her mane, pounding back and forth in her pen and into the stall, going from full-speed to zero an inch before the gate. I opened the gate and she floated out, prancing on air and dancing on invisible pillows. Turning her huge liquid doe eyes to me, she came close, closer, closest. I could see every eyelash and feel her breath. She paused for effect for just a moment, then snorted horse snot all over me, wheeled around and thundered up the hill, tail high and mocking.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Not All...
"Not all" is a 'reversible' phrase. It's a close relation to "Not everything", "Not everyone" and "Not every".
Here's how they work. You can use them at the beginning of any sentence, and they render the sentence completely different from how you meant it. In fact, they're almost magical.
Just like the old saying about dogs- tell a dog
Don't eat that
Don't pee there
Don't chew this
And what they hear is
Eat that
Pee there
Chew this
They focus only on the words they want to focus on.
Anyway, here goes, and every single phrase below is 100% how I feel. Notice the inclination to exclude the first word from the thought process in order to fit me into some preconceived notion of who you think I am.
Not all cops are assholes.
Not all young black men are thugs.
See that? I can be against policemen who abuse the power of their position and not be a cop-hater. I can abhor those who misuse that power and still be outraged and horrified when two get murdered by a psychopath.
I can acknowledge that there are segments of young male society (any color) who live in and thrive on violence and not giving a shit while knowing full well that that's not all of them (or even most of them).
Those are true statements no matter who you are.
But here's what people hear-
All cops are assholes.
All young black men are thugs.
Those are false statements no matter who you are and only serve to divide us more than we already are.
Not everything a Republican says is a lie.
Not everything a Democrat says is the truth.
Again- all politicians are individuals with their own agendas and favors to repay. Some conservatives have good ideas and some liberals have bad ideas.
But what do we hear?
Everything a Republican says is a lie.
Everything a Democrat says is the truth.
Bad. Very bad.
Once more!
Not everyone who goes to church is a good person.
Not everyone who is an atheist is a bad person.
I've known some folks who have a path flat worn down from their house to the church and yet I wouldn't trust them as far as I can throw them. Ever. With anything or anyone.
I personally am an atheist, and I'd like to think I'm a pretty decent human being.
And yet, what do we hear?
Everyone who goes to church is a good person.
Everyone who is an atheist is a bad person.
Dangerous. Dividing. Deadly.
Here's what happens with statements like this. The first sets are open, accessible, discussion-inducing. They proclaim a non-concrete opinion that is inherently open-minded. Read 'em again and you'll hear it.
The second sets- the ones people's brains hear and then repeat as quotes- are absolutes that are not up for debate or discussion- those minds are closed tighter than a baby's mouth when there's strained broccoli coming at it.
In the end
Not every conservative is a racist bastard and
Not every liberal is a bleeding heart imbecile
but it's going to take careful and deliberate re-training on our own parts to fix this unconscious mental habit.
The politicians encourage it for their own ends.
The media encourage it for their ratings.
Every faction, race, religion, and group encourages it because there MUST be an 'us against them' mentality- otherwise how do we know who are the good guys (like us) and who are the bad guys (who we don't want to be like)?
If that automatic suspicion is gone, that instantaneous revulsion removed, where does that leave us as a people?
It leaves us with the truth.
Most cops are doing a difficult job bravely and unflinchingly and when even one of those dies in the line of duty it's one too many. It's especially heartbreaking when it's senseless, and random, and unexplainable.
Some cops are assholes who thrive on power and feed off hatred because cops are human and there are those types of humans everywhere, but it's more dangerous when it's a cop and those need to be ferreted out- even one is too many.
Most young men are just trying to find their way- in their peer groups, the world at large, in life. They make stupid mistakes because we all do. Most of those mistakes aren't fatal but even one is too many.
Some have been caught up in a destructive life and they are a danger to themselves and others and even one is too many.
Most Christians are good people who are trying to live life according to their Christ, who was a good example. Those are the ones quietly helping the poor, feeding the hungry, championing the downtrodden. These need to be spotlighted and emulated even though the 'humility' part of Christianity forbids them of doing so themselves.
Some Christians wield their Faith as a weapon and bludgeon the rest of us with it, whether we believe or not. They are intent on making our nation a theocracy...for our own good, of course. These people are dangerous, and self-serving, and definitely NOT Christians as Christ intended.
Here's the thing about Conservatives and Liberals. We're all American citizens with equal rights and equal freedoms. For the most part, we all love our country and want what's best for ourselves, our families, our communities and the nation as a whole. Most of us are aware that this requires compromise because we're all different and even though the Ends are very similar, the Means and Path to get there varies between ideologies.
Most of us are intelligent, thinking, caring people.
Some of us are assholes. Both sides.
Somewhere, somehow, we need to find the strength and patience and backbone to protect and celebrate those who are doing their best every single day no matter if they're in 'our group' or not. Across the board.
And we need to call out the violence and hatred and destruction mental and physical; haul it into the light of day and expose it for the evil it is and the evil it represents and be done with it. Do not accept it no matter where and who it comes from.
Do not.
America is a great idea. I think we should try it out sometime.
Here's how they work. You can use them at the beginning of any sentence, and they render the sentence completely different from how you meant it. In fact, they're almost magical.
Just like the old saying about dogs- tell a dog
Don't eat that
Don't pee there
Don't chew this
And what they hear is
Eat that
Pee there
Chew this
They focus only on the words they want to focus on.
Anyway, here goes, and every single phrase below is 100% how I feel. Notice the inclination to exclude the first word from the thought process in order to fit me into some preconceived notion of who you think I am.
Not all cops are assholes.
Not all young black men are thugs.
See that? I can be against policemen who abuse the power of their position and not be a cop-hater. I can abhor those who misuse that power and still be outraged and horrified when two get murdered by a psychopath.
I can acknowledge that there are segments of young male society (any color) who live in and thrive on violence and not giving a shit while knowing full well that that's not all of them (or even most of them).
Those are true statements no matter who you are.
But here's what people hear-
All cops are assholes.
All young black men are thugs.
Those are false statements no matter who you are and only serve to divide us more than we already are.
Not everything a Republican says is a lie.
Not everything a Democrat says is the truth.
Again- all politicians are individuals with their own agendas and favors to repay. Some conservatives have good ideas and some liberals have bad ideas.
But what do we hear?
Everything a Republican says is a lie.
Everything a Democrat says is the truth.
Bad. Very bad.
Once more!
Not everyone who goes to church is a good person.
Not everyone who is an atheist is a bad person.
I've known some folks who have a path flat worn down from their house to the church and yet I wouldn't trust them as far as I can throw them. Ever. With anything or anyone.
I personally am an atheist, and I'd like to think I'm a pretty decent human being.
And yet, what do we hear?
Everyone who goes to church is a good person.
Everyone who is an atheist is a bad person.
Dangerous. Dividing. Deadly.
Here's what happens with statements like this. The first sets are open, accessible, discussion-inducing. They proclaim a non-concrete opinion that is inherently open-minded. Read 'em again and you'll hear it.
The second sets- the ones people's brains hear and then repeat as quotes- are absolutes that are not up for debate or discussion- those minds are closed tighter than a baby's mouth when there's strained broccoli coming at it.
In the end
Not every conservative is a racist bastard and
Not every liberal is a bleeding heart imbecile
but it's going to take careful and deliberate re-training on our own parts to fix this unconscious mental habit.
The politicians encourage it for their own ends.
The media encourage it for their ratings.
Every faction, race, religion, and group encourages it because there MUST be an 'us against them' mentality- otherwise how do we know who are the good guys (like us) and who are the bad guys (who we don't want to be like)?
If that automatic suspicion is gone, that instantaneous revulsion removed, where does that leave us as a people?
It leaves us with the truth.
Most cops are doing a difficult job bravely and unflinchingly and when even one of those dies in the line of duty it's one too many. It's especially heartbreaking when it's senseless, and random, and unexplainable.
Some cops are assholes who thrive on power and feed off hatred because cops are human and there are those types of humans everywhere, but it's more dangerous when it's a cop and those need to be ferreted out- even one is too many.
Most young men are just trying to find their way- in their peer groups, the world at large, in life. They make stupid mistakes because we all do. Most of those mistakes aren't fatal but even one is too many.
Some have been caught up in a destructive life and they are a danger to themselves and others and even one is too many.
Most Christians are good people who are trying to live life according to their Christ, who was a good example. Those are the ones quietly helping the poor, feeding the hungry, championing the downtrodden. These need to be spotlighted and emulated even though the 'humility' part of Christianity forbids them of doing so themselves.
Some Christians wield their Faith as a weapon and bludgeon the rest of us with it, whether we believe or not. They are intent on making our nation a theocracy...for our own good, of course. These people are dangerous, and self-serving, and definitely NOT Christians as Christ intended.
Here's the thing about Conservatives and Liberals. We're all American citizens with equal rights and equal freedoms. For the most part, we all love our country and want what's best for ourselves, our families, our communities and the nation as a whole. Most of us are aware that this requires compromise because we're all different and even though the Ends are very similar, the Means and Path to get there varies between ideologies.
Most of us are intelligent, thinking, caring people.
Some of us are assholes. Both sides.
Somewhere, somehow, we need to find the strength and patience and backbone to protect and celebrate those who are doing their best every single day no matter if they're in 'our group' or not. Across the board.
And we need to call out the violence and hatred and destruction mental and physical; haul it into the light of day and expose it for the evil it is and the evil it represents and be done with it. Do not accept it no matter where and who it comes from.
Do not.
America is a great idea. I think we should try it out sometime.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Holiday Letter 2014
I'm having a hard time getting ready for Christmas this year. Too busy, too stressed, too depressed by what's going on in the world at large. I'm stuck here at work awaiting delivery of a chest freezer so I typed up my annual holiday letter and that's when it happened, as it always happens every year. We're OK. The world at large may seem totally fucked up, but my little family is OK.
That sounds like a complete pile of ass-wipery because it sounds selfish and uncaring, but it's really not.
We're OK. Sometimes that's where you need to start from to even be able to move out of your mental hole and make a difference. Find the (sometimes tiny and seemingly insignificant) things that are OK in your life, hold tight to those as life preservers and go on and dive out into the rest of the mess.
People who have nothing to lose do desperate and sometimes foolish things. People who have everything to gain change the world.
It's almost 2015. Lets change the world.
Happy Holidays From the Dixons!
I can’t think of a way to open this without sounding trite or silly. Everyone has had a busy year. No one can believe 2014 is almost over. So, whatever. Here’s our ‘bringing ya’ll up to date holiday letter’. Ho ho ho.
Our big ‘thing’ this year was our annual road trip- and it was a doozy. Just shy of 7,400 miles north to Montana, west to Washington, south to Arizona and home. We saw everything on the way- everything. Three weeks of everything and it was glorious if exhausting. Pretty sure Alec took almost 2,000 photographs.
I passed my exam to be a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager- there are only about 400 CVPM’s and it’s kind of a big deal- I’m getting head-hunted from all over the country, which is very flattering for a chick who barely finished high school and is only 7 years away from retirement. I’m loathe to leave a job that allows for me to take three week vacations, though- even for more money.
Ward’s doing great- all his exams and scans continue to show ‘nothing of note in his head’. We love that result. He’s assumed most of the house and farm management since I’ve been taking college courses and studying for my exam.
Alec is finishing up 9th grade and is a solid A’s and a few B’s kinda student. His group of friends in Denton are again competing in the Future Problem Solvers program and they just took a three day field trip to participate in a workshop at Heifer International in Arkansas. He and his dog Bonnie have gone to some obedience and pre-agility classes and he still takes art and guitar lessons. Through the magic of layaway, he’s purchased a new steel string acoustic guitar and keyboard and now has his eyes set on an amp and electric guitar. Yay!
We lost Joe’s mom Edna in August. She was almost 95 and I miss her every day.
Joe continues to be one of the most popular authors in ‘mens adventure’ books on Amazon Kindle and he has a huge following of devoted fans.
We are still surrounded by fur and feathers- I finally got myself another ‘co-pilot sidekick’ dog- it’s been five years since I lost Spooj. Her name is Sorcha. She’s a uniquely beautiful blue-eyed red and white Border Aussie and she’s perfect.
Horse, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, various dogs, cats and of course the guinea pigs all present and accounted for. This year my pigs have won multiple best in show awards and did very well at Nationals. Yep, ridiculous.
Wishing only good adventures and the best of everything for all of you in 2015!
-the Dixons
.JPG)
That sounds like a complete pile of ass-wipery because it sounds selfish and uncaring, but it's really not.
We're OK. Sometimes that's where you need to start from to even be able to move out of your mental hole and make a difference. Find the (sometimes tiny and seemingly insignificant) things that are OK in your life, hold tight to those as life preservers and go on and dive out into the rest of the mess.
People who have nothing to lose do desperate and sometimes foolish things. People who have everything to gain change the world.
It's almost 2015. Lets change the world.
Happy Holidays From the Dixons!
I can’t think of a way to open this without sounding trite or silly. Everyone has had a busy year. No one can believe 2014 is almost over. So, whatever. Here’s our ‘bringing ya’ll up to date holiday letter’. Ho ho ho.
Our big ‘thing’ this year was our annual road trip- and it was a doozy. Just shy of 7,400 miles north to Montana, west to Washington, south to Arizona and home. We saw everything on the way- everything. Three weeks of everything and it was glorious if exhausting. Pretty sure Alec took almost 2,000 photographs.
I passed my exam to be a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager- there are only about 400 CVPM’s and it’s kind of a big deal- I’m getting head-hunted from all over the country, which is very flattering for a chick who barely finished high school and is only 7 years away from retirement. I’m loathe to leave a job that allows for me to take three week vacations, though- even for more money.
Ward’s doing great- all his exams and scans continue to show ‘nothing of note in his head’. We love that result. He’s assumed most of the house and farm management since I’ve been taking college courses and studying for my exam.
Alec is finishing up 9th grade and is a solid A’s and a few B’s kinda student. His group of friends in Denton are again competing in the Future Problem Solvers program and they just took a three day field trip to participate in a workshop at Heifer International in Arkansas. He and his dog Bonnie have gone to some obedience and pre-agility classes and he still takes art and guitar lessons. Through the magic of layaway, he’s purchased a new steel string acoustic guitar and keyboard and now has his eyes set on an amp and electric guitar. Yay!
We lost Joe’s mom Edna in August. She was almost 95 and I miss her every day.
Joe continues to be one of the most popular authors in ‘mens adventure’ books on Amazon Kindle and he has a huge following of devoted fans.
We are still surrounded by fur and feathers- I finally got myself another ‘co-pilot sidekick’ dog- it’s been five years since I lost Spooj. Her name is Sorcha. She’s a uniquely beautiful blue-eyed red and white Border Aussie and she’s perfect.
Horse, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, various dogs, cats and of course the guinea pigs all present and accounted for. This year my pigs have won multiple best in show awards and did very well at Nationals. Yep, ridiculous.
Wishing only good adventures and the best of everything for all of you in 2015!
-the Dixons
.JPG)
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Fun With E Mails
Ahhh...the chain e-mail. Such a great way to get a lot of people harumphing in agreement and indignation! Behold the following, which is usually accompanied by a photo of a hungry homeless white child- you know, an AMERICAN child.
In America - The Homeless go without eating.
In America - The Elderly go without needed medicines.
In America - The Mentally ill go without treatment.
In America - Our Troops go without proper equipment.
In America - Our Veterans go without benefits they were promised.
Yet we donate billions to other countries before helping our own first.
Of course, the problem with this is what happens when you fill out the outrageous soundbites with facts.
In America- The homeless go without eating because time and again we vote against helping them; calling those who are homeless 'unmotivated' and 'just needing some gumption' and 'if we feed them they become dependent- we don't want to ENABLE them, do we?'
In America- The Elderly go without needed medicines because we have the most profit-motivated and unregulated pharmaceutical and insurance industries in the world
In America- The mentally ill go without treatment because St. Ronnie cut them all loose and "taking care of those folks would be nice, Sugar- but how will we PAY for it?" Also, see above re: enabling and motivation. If we just give the mentally ill a good kick in the drawers and a cheerful "Get over it!" they'll be FINE
In America- Our troops go without proper equipment because there is no fiscal oversight of the bloated military industrial complex that lines the pockets of Halliburton and Raytheon. Send one of Cheney's grandkids over yonder to the sandbox as a regular enlisted grunt and see how fast the troops get equipment
In America- Our Veterans go without benefits they were promised because we KEEP GOING TO WAR and make more and more broken men and women
Maybe, just maybe, 'Rose-colored Glasses Lefties' want fiscal responsibility even more than the Right- we want the money we have put where it's needed most and not GIVEN to those who already make more apiece than the average small town in America.
You can call that Socialism and rail against it. But the entire text in that 'patriotic' chain email reeks of socialism- garnering support for GOVERNMENT to help our own people.
Because in a perfect Conservative World, all those people mentioned? Should just get off their asses and fix their own lives instead of waiting for the NANNY STATE to take care of them.
Or is it only a Nanny State when it cares for people we don't think deserve it?
In America - The Homeless go without eating.
In America - The Elderly go without needed medicines.
In America - The Mentally ill go without treatment.
In America - Our Troops go without proper equipment.
In America - Our Veterans go without benefits they were promised.
Yet we donate billions to other countries before helping our own first.
Of course, the problem with this is what happens when you fill out the outrageous soundbites with facts.
In America- The homeless go without eating because time and again we vote against helping them; calling those who are homeless 'unmotivated' and 'just needing some gumption' and 'if we feed them they become dependent- we don't want to ENABLE them, do we?'
In America- The Elderly go without needed medicines because we have the most profit-motivated and unregulated pharmaceutical and insurance industries in the world
In America- The mentally ill go without treatment because St. Ronnie cut them all loose and "taking care of those folks would be nice, Sugar- but how will we PAY for it?" Also, see above re: enabling and motivation. If we just give the mentally ill a good kick in the drawers and a cheerful "Get over it!" they'll be FINE
In America- Our troops go without proper equipment because there is no fiscal oversight of the bloated military industrial complex that lines the pockets of Halliburton and Raytheon. Send one of Cheney's grandkids over yonder to the sandbox as a regular enlisted grunt and see how fast the troops get equipment
In America- Our Veterans go without benefits they were promised because we KEEP GOING TO WAR and make more and more broken men and women
Maybe, just maybe, 'Rose-colored Glasses Lefties' want fiscal responsibility even more than the Right- we want the money we have put where it's needed most and not GIVEN to those who already make more apiece than the average small town in America.
You can call that Socialism and rail against it. But the entire text in that 'patriotic' chain email reeks of socialism- garnering support for GOVERNMENT to help our own people.
Because in a perfect Conservative World, all those people mentioned? Should just get off their asses and fix their own lives instead of waiting for the NANNY STATE to take care of them.
Or is it only a Nanny State when it cares for people we don't think deserve it?
Saturday, November 8, 2014
When It's Not Fiction Anymore
There's this book that was written.
It's was written as one of those end-of-the-world, everything's-bad, we-need-a-hero sorta deals that also includes some paranormal activity and some pretty graphic scenes of physically intimate relations.
Except the end of the world wasn't brought about by foreign terrorists, or any sort of Liberal Gun Grab, or Literally Hitler come to life in the form of a brown guy who took all the money from rich people and gave it to unworthy (brown) poor people.
The end of the world was caused by an excess of the wrong kind of faith in the wrong kinds of things.
And by 'end of the world', I mean a slow, painfully avoidable rotting of the system from the top down and a society who has been taught that the best way to cure it is to cut out the healthy parts and throw them away.
Doubling down on ideology that will hurt them personally because they have been duped into believing the suffering of their fellow citizens is the unfortunate yet justified 'gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet' that will bring the country back from the brink, it all makes sense. Having faith in a God who celebrates those who suffer makes it easier to bear when it astonishingly becomes them personally facing a grim new reality of their own making. It's a perfect recipe for total dysfunction.
So everything is bad in the story, and it's because the wrong people are not only IN power, but get even more powerful when that element has the majority in all our top slots of government. Hey, look! We're almost there!
As of Tuesday...we're almost there.
So here's what I recommend.
I recommend reading this book. It's only 99 cents and a pretty quick read.
There's action, and guns, and a sexy chick who happens to also have some nifty witchy gifts and uses them to help other people. And give a few what they deserve.
Also zombies.
And a duck.
You know you need this after Tuesday.
Read it quick before it goes from being fiction to non-fiction.
And then lets get back to work. 2016 is right around the corner.
http://www.amazon.com/Wyrd-Justice--Weekends-Dystopia-Luna-ebook/dp/B00KKXPWAA/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415456552&sr=8-1&keywords=luna+q%27otu
It's was written as one of those end-of-the-world, everything's-bad, we-need-a-hero sorta deals that also includes some paranormal activity and some pretty graphic scenes of physically intimate relations.
Except the end of the world wasn't brought about by foreign terrorists, or any sort of Liberal Gun Grab, or Literally Hitler come to life in the form of a brown guy who took all the money from rich people and gave it to unworthy (brown) poor people.
The end of the world was caused by an excess of the wrong kind of faith in the wrong kinds of things.
And by 'end of the world', I mean a slow, painfully avoidable rotting of the system from the top down and a society who has been taught that the best way to cure it is to cut out the healthy parts and throw them away.
Doubling down on ideology that will hurt them personally because they have been duped into believing the suffering of their fellow citizens is the unfortunate yet justified 'gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet' that will bring the country back from the brink, it all makes sense. Having faith in a God who celebrates those who suffer makes it easier to bear when it astonishingly becomes them personally facing a grim new reality of their own making. It's a perfect recipe for total dysfunction.
So everything is bad in the story, and it's because the wrong people are not only IN power, but get even more powerful when that element has the majority in all our top slots of government. Hey, look! We're almost there!
As of Tuesday...we're almost there.
So here's what I recommend.
I recommend reading this book. It's only 99 cents and a pretty quick read.
There's action, and guns, and a sexy chick who happens to also have some nifty witchy gifts and uses them to help other people. And give a few what they deserve.
Also zombies.
And a duck.
You know you need this after Tuesday.
Read it quick before it goes from being fiction to non-fiction.
And then lets get back to work. 2016 is right around the corner.
http://www.amazon.com/Wyrd-Justice--Weekends-Dystopia-Luna-ebook/dp/B00KKXPWAA/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415456552&sr=8-1&keywords=luna+q%27otu
Monday, October 27, 2014
Three Little Words
There are three words that rule the universe, have the power to heal, to mend, to open doors and minds, that empower both the person uttering them as well as those within earshot.
Three little words.
"I was wrong."
"I was wrong" signals both an ending and a beginning. The end of stubbornness, selfishness, ego. The beginning of listening, empathy, growth.
"I was wrong" tells your partner you don't NEED to win every disagreement- you are a partnership and are vested in fairness, equality and love above any petty desire to be 'the one who knows better than'.
"I was wrong- please forgive me."
"I was wrong- lets do it your way."
"I was wrong- I love you."
"I was wrong tells your children that you are, in fact, only human and that they are, in fact truly human.
"I was wrong- please forgive me."
"I was wrong- lets do it your way."
"I was wrong- I love you."
"I was wrong" tells your co-workers or employees or boss that you're not perfect. And yanno what? No one really expects you to be.
"I was wrong- lets do it your way."
"I was wrong- help me figure out a better way to do this."
"I was wrong- and here's how I'm going to fix it."
"I was wrong" is the hardest (for me, anyway) when I'm faced with someone I don't usually agree with, maybe don't like very much, and who pretty much stands for everything I hate ideologically. But no ideology or practitioner of same is infallible. Not all my staunch beliefs can stand up under scrutiny. Because that's life. Things we are 'sure' we know turn upside down all the time.
When my first child was born, I was admonished to put her on her tummy to sleep- if she was on her back and she urped up, she'd drown in her urp and die.
When my second child was born, I was told to put him on his back to sleep- if he was on his tummy and got jammed into excess blankets in his crib he'd suffocate and die.
When my third child was born, I just laid him on his side and told him 'good luck'.
So stuff changes. Absolutes we take for granted turn out to be more opinion than fact. And even though it's safe and warm and fuzzy inside groups who only think like we do...isn't that the same thing we chide the 'other side' for? Staying cloistered and cozy in their own little echo chambers?
So I step out. It's pretty easy because in our immediate family we have wildly varying political viewpoints so 'stepping out' means walking 50 feet to Joe's house and having a cuppa coffee. And that's made a difference- for both of us.
When you're face to face with someone, it's harder to defend your superiority.
When you can see a reaction in their face, their body posture, their eyes, it's harder to spit venom with impunity.
If it's someone you care about and respect in other aspects of your life, it's easier to listen and open that hard little center of bullheaded belief just a bit to let the light of another angle shine in.
The interwebs are a wondrous place- you can find anything to support any viewpoint you want to have, groups who think just like you do no matter what you think, and you can be anyone you want to be and as snarky and ugly as your little heart desires- pretty much without repercussions. Therefore it's really hard to have discussions of much worth that don't quickly degrade into name-calling and catch-phrase wars.
That's not helping anyone, and it's hurting us. It's hurting us to become so callous and petty and small, vicious and cold. With every angry sarcastic remark, we lose just a bit of our humanity and every chance we'd have to actually connect with the other person.
We should never look only for flaws and mistakes on 'the other side' and crow about it.
We should look twice as hard for flaws and mistakes on 'our side' and expose them, confront them, fix them. Because they're there. They're always there.
"I was wrong- lets talk about this."
"I was wrong- I'm sorry I snapped at you."
"I was wrong- lets start over."
"I was wrong..."
Three little words.
"I was wrong."
"I was wrong" signals both an ending and a beginning. The end of stubbornness, selfishness, ego. The beginning of listening, empathy, growth.
"I was wrong" tells your partner you don't NEED to win every disagreement- you are a partnership and are vested in fairness, equality and love above any petty desire to be 'the one who knows better than'.
"I was wrong- please forgive me."
"I was wrong- lets do it your way."
"I was wrong- I love you."
"I was wrong tells your children that you are, in fact, only human and that they are, in fact truly human.
"I was wrong- please forgive me."
"I was wrong- lets do it your way."
"I was wrong- I love you."
"I was wrong" tells your co-workers or employees or boss that you're not perfect. And yanno what? No one really expects you to be.
"I was wrong- lets do it your way."
"I was wrong- help me figure out a better way to do this."
"I was wrong- and here's how I'm going to fix it."
"I was wrong" is the hardest (for me, anyway) when I'm faced with someone I don't usually agree with, maybe don't like very much, and who pretty much stands for everything I hate ideologically. But no ideology or practitioner of same is infallible. Not all my staunch beliefs can stand up under scrutiny. Because that's life. Things we are 'sure' we know turn upside down all the time.
When my first child was born, I was admonished to put her on her tummy to sleep- if she was on her back and she urped up, she'd drown in her urp and die.
When my second child was born, I was told to put him on his back to sleep- if he was on his tummy and got jammed into excess blankets in his crib he'd suffocate and die.
When my third child was born, I just laid him on his side and told him 'good luck'.
So stuff changes. Absolutes we take for granted turn out to be more opinion than fact. And even though it's safe and warm and fuzzy inside groups who only think like we do...isn't that the same thing we chide the 'other side' for? Staying cloistered and cozy in their own little echo chambers?
So I step out. It's pretty easy because in our immediate family we have wildly varying political viewpoints so 'stepping out' means walking 50 feet to Joe's house and having a cuppa coffee. And that's made a difference- for both of us.
When you're face to face with someone, it's harder to defend your superiority.
When you can see a reaction in their face, their body posture, their eyes, it's harder to spit venom with impunity.
If it's someone you care about and respect in other aspects of your life, it's easier to listen and open that hard little center of bullheaded belief just a bit to let the light of another angle shine in.
The interwebs are a wondrous place- you can find anything to support any viewpoint you want to have, groups who think just like you do no matter what you think, and you can be anyone you want to be and as snarky and ugly as your little heart desires- pretty much without repercussions. Therefore it's really hard to have discussions of much worth that don't quickly degrade into name-calling and catch-phrase wars.
That's not helping anyone, and it's hurting us. It's hurting us to become so callous and petty and small, vicious and cold. With every angry sarcastic remark, we lose just a bit of our humanity and every chance we'd have to actually connect with the other person.
We should never look only for flaws and mistakes on 'the other side' and crow about it.
We should look twice as hard for flaws and mistakes on 'our side' and expose them, confront them, fix them. Because they're there. They're always there.
"I was wrong- lets talk about this."
"I was wrong- I'm sorry I snapped at you."
"I was wrong- lets start over."
"I was wrong..."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)