the second BAT blogswarm is underway. lets hope there is an upswing in contributors that makes this event even more successful than the one at easter.
the line that separates church and state is in place, but has developed a few weak spots that need to be shored up. nothing will be accomplished by erasing this vital line.
it almost makes me wonder what the fundamentalists are really worried about...our standing with jesus, or that jesus is so endangered that we need constant reminders of his existence.
if your community is like mine, you can hardly swing a dead cat without hitting at least one church. they are as common as bars. and yet some people must think their message is getting lost, not realizing that maybe its just being ignored. we aren't as dumb as we look, ya know. we don't need the ten commandments on the walls of our schools and government buildings to inform the community that they exist. and not all people embrace the idea of god, no matter what name is used.
but more to the point, those who would erase the line between church and state have not considered that we are not a theocracy, but a democracy that is here to serve all...republican, democrat, independent, black, white, red, yellow, brown, old, young and in between, straight, gay, literate, illiterate, everybody. of many assorted religious beliefs. including none at all.
we are intelligent enough, all of us, to make religious decisions with little or no help from others.and if we need help, there are a lot of folks out there eager to council us.
but don't take it upon yourself to make that decision for anyone but yourself.
a democracy only really works well when the greatest number of people and do and act as they please, while respecting the rights of others to do the same.
let it do just that.
worry less about the state of our souls, and more about the state of our bodies. pray for more jobs, more health care options for the poor and middle class, pray for the answer to lawlessness and out of control gun use, and then do more. more than pray, actually help seek solutions, then work to get them implemented.
but at all costs, keep religion out of the government. out of our schools. pray in private, but work in public for the betterment of EVERYBODY not just the religious few who support you.
i've said it before, and i'll say it again. i do NOT want to close any churches. i just want the sovereignty of the separation intact and honored.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Not a theocracy, thank god
wave the red, white and blue...just don't put a cross on it...or any other type of religious symbol.
what has made this country great is the diversity it promised in the constitution and the bill of rights. true, we are a work in progress because the diversity promised hasn't been realized in full...but the promise is there.
women are still working for around forty cents less for every dollar earned by men...but the promise is there and we will succeed in closing the money gap. as my sister told me once, the landlord,utility office,grocery store don't subtract the difference so i should be earning the same as any man doing comparable work. its a paraphrase,but you get the drift.
i have friends and relatives who are gay, and some would like the right to marry. not only do they want the security of being one of a couple, they also want to be able to take advantage of the legal rights of joint ownership of property, and to be able to bequeath their possessions to their spouses, just like hetero couples do...to fight for custody of children, to adopt a family, so many things.
personally, i can't conceive of being married, myself. i'm fifty eight years old, and set in my ways, who would find living with a spouse extremely difficult. but if my gay brothers and sisters want it...they should have it...and the promise is there...in the constitution and the bill of rights, we just need to attain it.
we are guaranteed the right to worship....or not...anyway we like. but there are those who would turn this country into one big church, and force us all to participate.
now, i don't have a problem with people who find comfort in churches or prayer circles if that gives them peace of mind and heart. really, i don't.
but it bugs me when its shoved down my throat.
the biggest, if not only, practitioner of this campaign to foist religion on the masses, is fundamentalist christians...not all christians, but these folks who think that because jesus works for them, its the answer for everyone else. and i wonder how often the members of these fundamentalists sects are people who are too lazy to think for themselves..just climb on a bandwagon that has catchy phrases painted on the side and follow along. maybe not realizing the path they are on is not good for everyone. but they are happy, and believe that we would be just as happy of only we were 'shown the way'
our country started because english people wanted to worship in their own way...as it turned out, it was one fanatical sect who opposed another fanatical sect...but who knew? at the time it seemed like a good idea.
then when a hardy band of men (they left the little women at home to tend the farms and fires while the guys went to philadelphia to start a new nation) decided to start a new country and in the process, decided to make religion separate from government.
when that was decided, america became a republic commonly called a democracy. NOT A THEOCRACY.
there have been slips along the way...somebody thought it would be be a good idea to put in god we trust on the money, and for awhile, before litigation set it right, there were religious homilies on school walls, and someone else thought it would be good to put 'under god' in the pledge of allegiance, but all in all, the line between religion and government is still there.
what we need to work towards is keeping it there.
defend our right to be a democracy, because a theocracy would spell disaster for this nation of people comprised of jews, muslims, moslems, catholics, methodists, etc...and the first fight we would face is which religion would the one everyone would have to recognize and follow. this alone could be the second civil war, and we haven't completely healed from the first one.
face it folks, if we dink around with the line, and possibly erase it, we loose a lot more than we gain. because if we loose the right to this most fundamental right, we are on the road to loosing it all.
hopefully, we will not allow a few to ruin it for the many. this is the first post i've done in awhile. and i will be doing another one over the weekend, to support the blogswarm that will be going on to support the rage against theocracy. i am not the greatest writer. i'm too prone to letting my emotions run away with me and have been known to write incomplete thoughts as my mind sometimes gets ahead of my fingers. my sister would no doubt say, that's what editing is for...give it some time and go back and reread it...make the changes, then publish. what, does she think i'm as talented as she is?!? au contrair. but i do have strong opinions, and now a place to put 'em. and this is so cool.
what has made this country great is the diversity it promised in the constitution and the bill of rights. true, we are a work in progress because the diversity promised hasn't been realized in full...but the promise is there.
women are still working for around forty cents less for every dollar earned by men...but the promise is there and we will succeed in closing the money gap. as my sister told me once, the landlord,utility office,grocery store don't subtract the difference so i should be earning the same as any man doing comparable work. its a paraphrase,but you get the drift.
i have friends and relatives who are gay, and some would like the right to marry. not only do they want the security of being one of a couple, they also want to be able to take advantage of the legal rights of joint ownership of property, and to be able to bequeath their possessions to their spouses, just like hetero couples do...to fight for custody of children, to adopt a family, so many things.
personally, i can't conceive of being married, myself. i'm fifty eight years old, and set in my ways, who would find living with a spouse extremely difficult. but if my gay brothers and sisters want it...they should have it...and the promise is there...in the constitution and the bill of rights, we just need to attain it.
we are guaranteed the right to worship....or not...anyway we like. but there are those who would turn this country into one big church, and force us all to participate.
now, i don't have a problem with people who find comfort in churches or prayer circles if that gives them peace of mind and heart. really, i don't.
but it bugs me when its shoved down my throat.
the biggest, if not only, practitioner of this campaign to foist religion on the masses, is fundamentalist christians...not all christians, but these folks who think that because jesus works for them, its the answer for everyone else. and i wonder how often the members of these fundamentalists sects are people who are too lazy to think for themselves..just climb on a bandwagon that has catchy phrases painted on the side and follow along. maybe not realizing the path they are on is not good for everyone. but they are happy, and believe that we would be just as happy of only we were 'shown the way'
our country started because english people wanted to worship in their own way...as it turned out, it was one fanatical sect who opposed another fanatical sect...but who knew? at the time it seemed like a good idea.
then when a hardy band of men (they left the little women at home to tend the farms and fires while the guys went to philadelphia to start a new nation) decided to start a new country and in the process, decided to make religion separate from government.
when that was decided, america became a republic commonly called a democracy. NOT A THEOCRACY.
there have been slips along the way...somebody thought it would be be a good idea to put in god we trust on the money, and for awhile, before litigation set it right, there were religious homilies on school walls, and someone else thought it would be good to put 'under god' in the pledge of allegiance, but all in all, the line between religion and government is still there.
what we need to work towards is keeping it there.
defend our right to be a democracy, because a theocracy would spell disaster for this nation of people comprised of jews, muslims, moslems, catholics, methodists, etc...and the first fight we would face is which religion would the one everyone would have to recognize and follow. this alone could be the second civil war, and we haven't completely healed from the first one.
face it folks, if we dink around with the line, and possibly erase it, we loose a lot more than we gain. because if we loose the right to this most fundamental right, we are on the road to loosing it all.
hopefully, we will not allow a few to ruin it for the many. this is the first post i've done in awhile. and i will be doing another one over the weekend, to support the blogswarm that will be going on to support the rage against theocracy. i am not the greatest writer. i'm too prone to letting my emotions run away with me and have been known to write incomplete thoughts as my mind sometimes gets ahead of my fingers. my sister would no doubt say, that's what editing is for...give it some time and go back and reread it...make the changes, then publish. what, does she think i'm as talented as she is?!? au contrair. but i do have strong opinions, and now a place to put 'em. and this is so cool.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
A new link on the blog
i just added a new link to this blog of mine. one for the brady campaign to prevent gun violence.
i am so upset about the current tragedies in virginia and texas that i've finally decided to put my hand in.
it is just too easy for people in this country to get their hands on any kind of weapon they want and can afford.
the young man in virginia was disturbed. but because he was legally an adult, and could not be forced to undergo counseling, no alert was sent out to possibly prevent him from buying a gun.
as i have said before. there is no earthly reason for anyone other than law enforcement officials and the military to possess weapons.
we need to get together until this madness stops.
i am so upset about the current tragedies in virginia and texas that i've finally decided to put my hand in.
it is just too easy for people in this country to get their hands on any kind of weapon they want and can afford.
the young man in virginia was disturbed. but because he was legally an adult, and could not be forced to undergo counseling, no alert was sent out to possibly prevent him from buying a gun.
as i have said before. there is no earthly reason for anyone other than law enforcement officials and the military to possess weapons.
we need to get together until this madness stops.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
It's My Choice, Stupid
The recent supreme court decision in Gonzales v Carhart, permitting a ban on an abortion procedure without exceptions to protect a woman's health is a strong blow to women's reproductive rights.
It's even more than that. the ban refers to something the anti choicers call a 'partial birth abortion' and no such thing exists. Never has. Never will.
That the media, in all its lazy haste to fill air/print space, has picked up this phrase only illustrates the pervasiveness of the fanatics who would control a woman's life completely, even to inserting themselves between a woman and her doctor.
There are abortions performed during the second and third trimester of a few pregnancies. But they are rare, and only done because the health of the woman makes it necessary. The doctor and his/her patient discuss this, and together decide whether or not to abort the pregnancy.
One example is when a cancer is discovered that must be treated, and could damage the fetus, or if no treatment is consented to, the woman faces a harder battle against the cancer after giving birth...if she survives at all.
But the point of this is that this decision is made by a woman and her doctor...made even more poignancy by the fact that, given the pregnancy has advanced to even the third trimester, this woman has looked forward to giving birth to a wanted child. A child that was looked forward to, anticipated, even longed for.
But the anti choicers don't think about this. They have an agenda that they adhere to no matter what.
I don't want anyone to make my decisions for me. I don't want anyone to make decisions for anyone in my family. my friends, my city, county, state or nation.
We are intelligent, thoughtful people. i don't ask the anti choicers to become pro abortion. i do ask that they respect my right to make up my own mind, and then act on that decision. In other words, become pro CHOICE. because what they don't realize is that prochoicers would fight just as hard to protect their decision not to abort a pregnancy, as we fight to get safe, legal abortions.
I have had many discussions over the Internet with women in the fight to protect our reproductive freedom. ultimately, i decided that we can no longer trust our government to defend and protect our reproductive rights. laws can be made, changed, amended, overturned, at the whim of whatever power is in charge.
the best way to make sure that abortion is available and safe is to learn how to do it ourselves. and then no woman would ever again be at the mercy of a collection of men and the women who support them.
It's even more than that. the ban refers to something the anti choicers call a 'partial birth abortion' and no such thing exists. Never has. Never will.
That the media, in all its lazy haste to fill air/print space, has picked up this phrase only illustrates the pervasiveness of the fanatics who would control a woman's life completely, even to inserting themselves between a woman and her doctor.
There are abortions performed during the second and third trimester of a few pregnancies. But they are rare, and only done because the health of the woman makes it necessary. The doctor and his/her patient discuss this, and together decide whether or not to abort the pregnancy.
One example is when a cancer is discovered that must be treated, and could damage the fetus, or if no treatment is consented to, the woman faces a harder battle against the cancer after giving birth...if she survives at all.
But the point of this is that this decision is made by a woman and her doctor...made even more poignancy by the fact that, given the pregnancy has advanced to even the third trimester, this woman has looked forward to giving birth to a wanted child. A child that was looked forward to, anticipated, even longed for.
But the anti choicers don't think about this. They have an agenda that they adhere to no matter what.
I don't want anyone to make my decisions for me. I don't want anyone to make decisions for anyone in my family. my friends, my city, county, state or nation.
We are intelligent, thoughtful people. i don't ask the anti choicers to become pro abortion. i do ask that they respect my right to make up my own mind, and then act on that decision. In other words, become pro CHOICE. because what they don't realize is that prochoicers would fight just as hard to protect their decision not to abort a pregnancy, as we fight to get safe, legal abortions.
I have had many discussions over the Internet with women in the fight to protect our reproductive freedom. ultimately, i decided that we can no longer trust our government to defend and protect our reproductive rights. laws can be made, changed, amended, overturned, at the whim of whatever power is in charge.
the best way to make sure that abortion is available and safe is to learn how to do it ourselves. and then no woman would ever again be at the mercy of a collection of men and the women who support them.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Save Small, Independent Magazines like Ms.!
The future of independent magazines like Ms., Mother Jones, The Nation, etc. is at risk with a massive new postage hike!
The U.S. Postal Service has accepted a Time Warner proposal that would significantly increase postage rates for smaller magazines, while reducing costs for the nation's largest publishers like Hearst and, you guessed it, Time Warner.
Ms. is working with Free Press, a national non-partisan organization working to reform media, and the Media Consortium, including Mother Jones, The Nation, American Prospect, The Progressive, In These Times, and other independent media to send a massive number of letters protesting this unfair postage hike. But we must act now - we only have until April 23 to respond!
Please take a minute now to cosign a letter demanding that the rules are changed.
Time Warner's plan was chosen - with no public input - instead of another proposal that would have imposed a mostly equal increase (approx. 12 percent) for all magazine publishers. If implemented, the Time Warner plan could force many smaller publications out of business.
This proposal unfairly hurts smaller, cutting-edge publications like Ms., at a time when we need independent media more than ever. You can count on Ms. magazine, not "big corporate media," for the real story on the issues affecting women in the U.S. and worldwide.
Don't let Time Warner and the corporate media win - please cosign a letter demanding that Congress step in to stop the unfair postage hike and save independent media!
For A Strong Feminist Media,
Katherine Spillar, Executive Editor
Eleanor Smeal, Publisher
THANKS AGAIN, NRA.
there was another shooting this week. some guy walked into NASA in texas with a shotgun (?) and killed his supervisor for giving the shooter a bad work performance review that cost the shooter his job.
the fact that the shooter used a shotgun to respond to this review may be one indicator that the dude wasn't really a team player, and may have had the need to keep his mind on his work more than whatever he was actually doing. i dunno, when the mind wanders to things like killing someone, your work tends to suffer.
but the fact also remains that if guns were illegal, he may not have killed his victim. true, the shooter might have used something else. but if it's harder to buy a gun than pick up a club or whatever, maybe there would be fewer deaths.
i know a woman who's husband hunts every deer season to put food on his family's table. but he uses a bow and arrow. he said it makes for a level playing field, as he isn't the greatest shot, and the deer can move really fast. yet he manages to keep venison in his freezer. enough so that his wife and kids won't starve. they may get tired of it, but they eat.
maybe if the shooter had walked to the building with a bow and arrow in hand, someone would have asked the question 'wha'ca doing?'. if the answer was anything other than feeding my family, maybe someone would have stopped him before he got through the door.
the fact that the shooter used a shotgun to respond to this review may be one indicator that the dude wasn't really a team player, and may have had the need to keep his mind on his work more than whatever he was actually doing. i dunno, when the mind wanders to things like killing someone, your work tends to suffer.
but the fact also remains that if guns were illegal, he may not have killed his victim. true, the shooter might have used something else. but if it's harder to buy a gun than pick up a club or whatever, maybe there would be fewer deaths.
i know a woman who's husband hunts every deer season to put food on his family's table. but he uses a bow and arrow. he said it makes for a level playing field, as he isn't the greatest shot, and the deer can move really fast. yet he manages to keep venison in his freezer. enough so that his wife and kids won't starve. they may get tired of it, but they eat.
maybe if the shooter had walked to the building with a bow and arrow in hand, someone would have asked the question 'wha'ca doing?'. if the answer was anything other than feeding my family, maybe someone would have stopped him before he got through the door.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
THANK YOU NRA
in today's Anderson Herald Bulletin newspaper, i was greeted with the banner headline 'gunman kills 32, then self'. this was followed by three pages of news and pictures of terrified students and parents, reports of kids fleeing classrooms by breaking out windows and jumping from a second story classroom, while a gunman was trying to break down the door- guarded by a teacher trying to give his students as much time as possible for as many of them to escape as possible. the student talking to a reporter said he didn't remember seeing this teacher later.
all this mayhem just so your members can hunt, collect guns, play war with paintball rifles...whatever it is big time shooters do with whatever weapon they want to use.
it is long past time for guns to be regulated in this country. far more people die from gun related incidents than from tobacco. yet, we are facing more and more restrictions and taxes on tobacco products, that are faced by gun owners in this country.
this has got to STOP.
what do we have to do to get legislators off their greedy butts and pass legislation to prevent the unconditional purchase and use of all these killing machines.
if car owners killed and maimed people with this kind of disregard, there would be fewer drivers on the roads...and this is with licensing and testing at intervals to renew and regulate drivers.
i know that there are people behind the wheel of autos who are driving without a licence. but when they are caught, they pay a fine and or go to jail. repeat offenders can go to jail for quite along time.
they don't have the NRA there to fight for their rights to kill with cars.
perhaps the NRA could take a big chunk of the money they now use to buy legislation and give it to the families to pay for the funerals of their lost loved ones...more money to pay for the medical bills incurred by those the killer only wounded, or were hurt trying to evade flying bullets. the rest of the money they can make available to the survivors to pay for the counseling they will need in order to gain control of their lives after this tragedy.
then, they can get the hell out of dodge...make that Washington, DC, and all the state legislators across the country who benefit from this blood money.
all this mayhem just so your members can hunt, collect guns, play war with paintball rifles...whatever it is big time shooters do with whatever weapon they want to use.
it is long past time for guns to be regulated in this country. far more people die from gun related incidents than from tobacco. yet, we are facing more and more restrictions and taxes on tobacco products, that are faced by gun owners in this country.
this has got to STOP.
what do we have to do to get legislators off their greedy butts and pass legislation to prevent the unconditional purchase and use of all these killing machines.
if car owners killed and maimed people with this kind of disregard, there would be fewer drivers on the roads...and this is with licensing and testing at intervals to renew and regulate drivers.
i know that there are people behind the wheel of autos who are driving without a licence. but when they are caught, they pay a fine and or go to jail. repeat offenders can go to jail for quite along time.
they don't have the NRA there to fight for their rights to kill with cars.
perhaps the NRA could take a big chunk of the money they now use to buy legislation and give it to the families to pay for the funerals of their lost loved ones...more money to pay for the medical bills incurred by those the killer only wounded, or were hurt trying to evade flying bullets. the rest of the money they can make available to the survivors to pay for the counseling they will need in order to gain control of their lives after this tragedy.
then, they can get the hell out of dodge...make that Washington, DC, and all the state legislators across the country who benefit from this blood money.
Monday, April 16, 2007
who can afford health care these days.
I have a friend who has three sons. Two of these intelligent young men are currently liveing is Spain because the style of living is better over there than here in America.
One of the things they enjoy is health care.It's universal. They don't have to decide whether or not to go to the doctor, or pay their rent that month. The young men can even get prescriptions filled and still be able to buy food.
this country is fantastic in many ways. but our healthcare system sucks. Part of the problem is the cost of medications...because the manufacturers help fund future drugs on the sale of present ones.
I kinda wonder where all the money raised in the last fifty years to find the cure for cancer. treatments have improved, for sure...if you can afford them. But not cure.
And the inventor of the mammogram must have been a man who graduated from the marque de sade school of medicine.
I have worked out a personal solution for the high cost of health care. I simply wait until something really drastic happens, go the the emergency room, get cured, then ignore the hospital bills. It's not a great solution, but until this country can solve the problem for everyone, it'll have to do.
Hey, I don't claim to have the answers for everything, but I know that things must change, and in ways the people who uses these programs can understand without taking out a college degree before going to the doctor.
One of the things they enjoy is health care.It's universal. They don't have to decide whether or not to go to the doctor, or pay their rent that month. The young men can even get prescriptions filled and still be able to buy food.
this country is fantastic in many ways. but our healthcare system sucks. Part of the problem is the cost of medications...because the manufacturers help fund future drugs on the sale of present ones.
I kinda wonder where all the money raised in the last fifty years to find the cure for cancer. treatments have improved, for sure...if you can afford them. But not cure.
And the inventor of the mammogram must have been a man who graduated from the marque de sade school of medicine.
I have worked out a personal solution for the high cost of health care. I simply wait until something really drastic happens, go the the emergency room, get cured, then ignore the hospital bills. It's not a great solution, but until this country can solve the problem for everyone, it'll have to do.
Hey, I don't claim to have the answers for everything, but I know that things must change, and in ways the people who uses these programs can understand without taking out a college degree before going to the doctor.
Friday, April 13, 2007
some thoughts i forgot to mention last week
it occurred to me just now, that while i've discussed how i feel about the separation of church and state...there are other things i like to do, think about, sometimes even discuss.
i've been a feminist since almost the beginning...in thought, if not always in deed. there was a NOW chapter in my city that i joined. we had a chapter president, jan, who called headquarters and asked if molly yard was able to come to our town and head a rally for choice. she came.
at first she was a little miffed that it wasn't a huge media event. but when she arrived at the theater, and saw the turnout, even the counter demonstrators pulled their children out of school, and pushed strollers in the street, she soon got in the spirit of things. and we had a blast.
the chapter has since gone inactive...the activists who had the drive to hold meetings etc, all moved away to other jobs, or followed significant others around the country...
i learned a lot about supporting my sisters and being supported by them.
my daughter was a toddler, and her father was a little iffy on paying support on time. these women pitched in and made sure we were both included in events and activities..my daughter has attended rallies, marches, even traveled to washington dc a couple of times, thanks to the support of wonderful women...not the least of which is my sister, her aunt.
i love to read. i never, ever, go anywhere without taking a book (or two, if its going to be a long trip). i take the bus here in town, to go to work, do errands, visit friends. the book goes. you'd be surprised at how fast the time flies on a bumpy old bus when a friendly book is along for the ride.
i read to escape, mostly. its hard to be poor in a city with few jobs. i read steven king, dean koonz, anne perry, sue grafton, marge percy,marilyn french, alice walker,toni morrison, to name just a few. believe me there are many others.
one of the things i'm going to have to weed out of my possessions are books. and that is going to be hard, because i re-read some of my favorites. like visiting old friends. they can still delight, and even surprise you with a tidbit you missed the first time around.
when i'm in the mood, i knit and crochet, though i haven't done these in quite some time.
i also love cats....most of the time. they can be little shits, as my sister referes to them occasionally, but by and large they are great pets...i lost my scully girl to a stroke last year. she adopted us nearly twelve years ago, and became my other baby. literally placed herself between me and my two legged baby every chance she got.
i miss her to this day.
when my sister and i were kids, we mostly had dogs. the first decider when i started keeping pets, was cats didn't have to taken out and walked...did i mention that i'm just a tad bit lazy? don't like to walk, tho when you don't drive a car, and need to go somewhere, you tend to do a lot of walking.
more like strolling, as i get older. ha.
this is a little delayed introduction, some of the things i do, like, without getting too heavily into the things i hate....that may be too strong a word, but dislike doesn't always cover it, either.
so comment on anything you like. while i love to be agreed with, it isn't necessary! lol just blow off steam about anything you like, cause i---did i mention?--love to read.
i've been a feminist since almost the beginning...in thought, if not always in deed. there was a NOW chapter in my city that i joined. we had a chapter president, jan, who called headquarters and asked if molly yard was able to come to our town and head a rally for choice. she came.
at first she was a little miffed that it wasn't a huge media event. but when she arrived at the theater, and saw the turnout, even the counter demonstrators pulled their children out of school, and pushed strollers in the street, she soon got in the spirit of things. and we had a blast.
the chapter has since gone inactive...the activists who had the drive to hold meetings etc, all moved away to other jobs, or followed significant others around the country...
i learned a lot about supporting my sisters and being supported by them.
my daughter was a toddler, and her father was a little iffy on paying support on time. these women pitched in and made sure we were both included in events and activities..my daughter has attended rallies, marches, even traveled to washington dc a couple of times, thanks to the support of wonderful women...not the least of which is my sister, her aunt.
i love to read. i never, ever, go anywhere without taking a book (or two, if its going to be a long trip). i take the bus here in town, to go to work, do errands, visit friends. the book goes. you'd be surprised at how fast the time flies on a bumpy old bus when a friendly book is along for the ride.
i read to escape, mostly. its hard to be poor in a city with few jobs. i read steven king, dean koonz, anne perry, sue grafton, marge percy,marilyn french, alice walker,toni morrison, to name just a few. believe me there are many others.
one of the things i'm going to have to weed out of my possessions are books. and that is going to be hard, because i re-read some of my favorites. like visiting old friends. they can still delight, and even surprise you with a tidbit you missed the first time around.
when i'm in the mood, i knit and crochet, though i haven't done these in quite some time.
i also love cats....most of the time. they can be little shits, as my sister referes to them occasionally, but by and large they are great pets...i lost my scully girl to a stroke last year. she adopted us nearly twelve years ago, and became my other baby. literally placed herself between me and my two legged baby every chance she got.
i miss her to this day.
when my sister and i were kids, we mostly had dogs. the first decider when i started keeping pets, was cats didn't have to taken out and walked...did i mention that i'm just a tad bit lazy? don't like to walk, tho when you don't drive a car, and need to go somewhere, you tend to do a lot of walking.
more like strolling, as i get older. ha.
this is a little delayed introduction, some of the things i do, like, without getting too heavily into the things i hate....that may be too strong a word, but dislike doesn't always cover it, either.
so comment on anything you like. while i love to be agreed with, it isn't necessary! lol just blow off steam about anything you like, cause i---did i mention?--love to read.
having a wonderful time...wish you were here
by the way, i rarely use capitol letters when i'm typing. while it's really that i'm so lazy, i don't want to constantly hit the shift key, i tell people, 'if its good enough for ee cummings, its good enough for me.'
the usual response is 'who is ee cummings'?
this is the end of my first week blogging. it has been so much fun. and i haven't had to harass my sister more than once or twice...
i've also had a chance to visit other blogs, and have enjoyed reading and looking at the pictures.
blue gal has so much to see, it'll take me a lifetime to look at it all. same for yikes and mock,paper, scissors.
this is an interesting world i've stumbled into here.
i received an email from first freedom first, celebrating t. jefferson's birthday. knew he was cool, since we (jefferson,bac and myself) all have april birthdays.
he is quoted as saying something like what someone else believes doesn't harm me in the least.
i may have to try and drop the quote in here so you can read it for yourself. (another first lol)
but his confidence in allowing the people to have the freedom to believe whatever they want, makes me wonder what current christians, like falwell and robertson are afraid of.
do they think that if i wish to put more 'faith' in the goddess,than their god, that i will somehow diminish their whole religion? do i really have that much power? do you?
some time has passed since i started this post. i'm still having so much fun visiting other blogs, reading what others have to say. i get a little self conscious sometimes. i'm not the smooth writer that my sister is, like blue gal is. emotions carry me away and when i re-read what i've written, sometimes its so awful, i delete it.
but now i just basically rant to my hearts content. i'm not well-known enough to be found and followed on the blog circuit. so this has sorta become my diary. even tho this is the blog my sister set up for me, and she checks up on it, and adds stuff to it, i think that she and i are the only ones to actually bring it up on line.
maybe not. i'll know when i see comments entered. lol
in the mean time, i'll just continue on adding thoughts as they come to me. and maybe someday i'll be so clear minded that i'll write something profound. then, again,....
the usual response is 'who is ee cummings'?
this is the end of my first week blogging. it has been so much fun. and i haven't had to harass my sister more than once or twice...
i've also had a chance to visit other blogs, and have enjoyed reading and looking at the pictures.
blue gal has so much to see, it'll take me a lifetime to look at it all. same for yikes and mock,paper, scissors.
this is an interesting world i've stumbled into here.
i received an email from first freedom first, celebrating t. jefferson's birthday. knew he was cool, since we (jefferson,bac and myself) all have april birthdays.
he is quoted as saying something like what someone else believes doesn't harm me in the least.
i may have to try and drop the quote in here so you can read it for yourself. (another first lol)
but his confidence in allowing the people to have the freedom to believe whatever they want, makes me wonder what current christians, like falwell and robertson are afraid of.
do they think that if i wish to put more 'faith' in the goddess,than their god, that i will somehow diminish their whole religion? do i really have that much power? do you?
some time has passed since i started this post. i'm still having so much fun visiting other blogs, reading what others have to say. i get a little self conscious sometimes. i'm not the smooth writer that my sister is, like blue gal is. emotions carry me away and when i re-read what i've written, sometimes its so awful, i delete it.
but now i just basically rant to my hearts content. i'm not well-known enough to be found and followed on the blog circuit. so this has sorta become my diary. even tho this is the blog my sister set up for me, and she checks up on it, and adds stuff to it, i think that she and i are the only ones to actually bring it up on line.
maybe not. i'll know when i see comments entered. lol
in the mean time, i'll just continue on adding thoughts as they come to me. and maybe someday i'll be so clear minded that i'll write something profound. then, again,....
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Bring families together
When I first heard about the idea of having a Blog Against Theocracy blogswarm I thought "what a great idea!" It combines two thing I enjoy -- blogging and working to safeguard separation of church and state. I never dreamed that it would provide another way for me to connect with a member of my own family.My older sister, who claims that she barely knows how to turn her computer on, actually set up a blog just so that she could participate in the Blog Against Theocracy! How cool is that! Now, not only can we talk about all the stuff we have always talked about, we can add blogging to our conversation.
It's your dime, sport is our "family" blog. Who knows, maybe before long we can get "the kid" to join in as well. (That would be my niece.)
We don't always agree, but our conversations are never boring. JC is a voracious reader, so anyone who wants to talk books should talk to her. Me, I wait for the movie to come out. But unfortunately at my age, I tend to fall asleep before it ends! Thank the goddess for Tivo and DVD's!
Saturday, April 7, 2007
a different slant, maybe
I'm thinking how destructive it would be if the world truly ran according to religious precepts.
Consider the bloody wars just to determine which religion would rule. Course, that's the way all religions were started...who ever won the war, won the 'peace'. and wrote the history books...and the bibles.
while 'do unto others' is a neat idea...consider what happens when the ones who loose the war, decide to do unto others all over again?!?
Isn't it better to allow everyone to think, act and believe as they choose? without imposing someone else's values on them?
what would happen if public displays and discussions were banned? not worship, not discussions in the home, not discussions in religious schools. just dispensing with all public conduct that would include going door to door trying to convert strangers to your way of thinking. that would include public prayers in public buildings...not the silent prayer made by so many students, for instance, who have just learned there's to be a pop quiz they didn't study for...but those that open political events, sports functions, class assembly...that sort of thing. pray in church, pray at home, pray anywhere as long as its quietly.
perhaps, then, the public would be able to concentrate on solving some of the problems that are currently plaguing society. like poverty. like homelessness. like hunger. the little things that mean so much.
just something to think about
Consider the bloody wars just to determine which religion would rule. Course, that's the way all religions were started...who ever won the war, won the 'peace'. and wrote the history books...and the bibles.
while 'do unto others' is a neat idea...consider what happens when the ones who loose the war, decide to do unto others all over again?!?
Isn't it better to allow everyone to think, act and believe as they choose? without imposing someone else's values on them?
what would happen if public displays and discussions were banned? not worship, not discussions in the home, not discussions in religious schools. just dispensing with all public conduct that would include going door to door trying to convert strangers to your way of thinking. that would include public prayers in public buildings...not the silent prayer made by so many students, for instance, who have just learned there's to be a pop quiz they didn't study for...but those that open political events, sports functions, class assembly...that sort of thing. pray in church, pray at home, pray anywhere as long as its quietly.
perhaps, then, the public would be able to concentrate on solving some of the problems that are currently plaguing society. like poverty. like homelessness. like hunger. the little things that mean so much.
just something to think about
Friday, April 6, 2007
Getting started
They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but hey ... they never met me! And who are "they" anyway?
This "old dog" has a lot on her mind, and I'll be sharing it with you over the coming months. If you like what you see, come back. If not ... hey, it's your dime!
This "old dog" has a lot on her mind, and I'll be sharing it with you over the coming months. If you like what you see, come back. If not ... hey, it's your dime!
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