A View From The Rubble
Frustration mounts as oil seeps into Gulf wetlands
Louisiana fishermen losing patience over spill
UN fears 'irreversible' damage to natural environment
One way you can help?
Use less and do some manual shit for a change. Your heart and mind will thank you...
And for Christ's sake,
STOP USING A GASOLINE POWERED VIBRATOR.
I will if you will.
***********************************
There's been such a divisiveness in our country. Such a darkness that has settled on people's spirits. It's almost like it's sucking the life out of the world.
Almost like media, giant corporations and many politicians are conspiring against the average American citizen. Lining their players up in order to control the masses.
Like they're dementors.
Circling and waiting for us to get tired...
And then, when the timing is right, they'll swoop in and devour the goodness, our souls right out of us...
I know this all sounds very dramatic, and maybe it's just because it's the end of February. But, I can't help feeling a wickedness in our social and political climate right now.
And I believe that besides ignorance, which breeds fear, that the main cause of this shadow, once it's whittled down, boils down to people looking outside themselves for something to make them happy. That on an individual level, it's about wanting more. And that more will never be enough.
Whether it's a CEO sick with greed, hoping to fill a void that he or she has always had... And by being financially successful, that this will make up for that emptiness that resides somewhere in them.
Or whether it's a politician, hoping that the recognition of holding an office will be some kind of an award of esteem. That power will fulfill them.
Or whether it's a parent. Working too late and too much in order keep up with the neighbors or others' expectations? Thinking that their children need more things, need to be involved in more activities, need this and that when really, the kid just wants their parent's attention and presence. (I'm talking of extremes here, not someone working their tail off to put food on the table.)
They're diluted to think that "more" will eventually be enough. That it's just right around that next corner. It will always be right around the next corner... All the while walking on Greed Street, USA.
Whether it's money or power, it boils down to greed. And greed is a symptom of lacking in something else, some stealth vacuity inside themselves.
And I firmly believe that if you're not happy without it, you're not going to be happy with it. Whatever that IT may be.
I grew up thinking something different. And hoping for something different. So, I believe in something different.
I believe that we're all interconnected. All fingers on the same hand, limbs on the same body. All waves in the same ocean. All sentient beings a part of one being. That there really is no "us" and "them". That it's all US. And I don't believe this is exclusive to humans, but to ALL life.
That we are a part of everything else. And everything else is a part of us. And it has always been this way. And it always will be... in some form or another.
Therefore, if we're in this giant mess together, and I ain't NEVER gonna get my stank ass away from you crazy bishes and your stank asses, then I also believe that the better off someone else is, in turn, this will help me as well. That to insure someone else's happiness, is to insure my own. And thus, we'll all be better off.
And it certainly doesn't hurt and never fails that every time I'm able to help someone, whether it's as simple as listening (which isn't always so "simple"), or something requiring more effort, I never feel so alive as when I do.
So, in regards to the healthcare reform debate, I've written quite a bit.
I've written about Jesus Christ and His Tennis Shoes. And I've been quite vocal about the Criminal Sabotage taking place in the States right now.
And when I think of our interconnectedness. And the healthcare debate and the corporate greed that's poisoning the American spirit. When I think of the freedom and welfare of all people, I can't help thinking of a brave woman, standing out in all kinds of weather.
She stands decidedly, unwavering in her mission.
It doesn't matter what kind of storm is brewing, she stands.
Looking out to sea for those that are trying to find their way...
I was always so proud of what she represents.
And as an adult, she affects me no less deeply than she did when I was a child.
Her message resonates with me to my very core...
And I hope I never, NEVER forget that.
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
~ Emma Lazarus, New York City, 1883
Those words dampen my eyes with humility and pride every time.
Today is a virtual march on Washington. People are signing more petitions, MoveOn is sending faxes and people are calling their members of Congress. If you're so inclined, please feel free to take part. And here are six easy ways to do so:
Virtual March for Real Health Care Reform (When you sign up, they'll prepare faxes in your name and send them to your senators. They'll also send you a reminder to call Congress.)
We'd rather have a good bill than a bipartisan one.
Tell your Senator to sign the Bennet letter for the public option
Americans want a good bill -- not just bipartisanship
* Obama backs repeal of decades-old antitrust exemption for health insurance companies
****************************************
"Fail"... That's funny. I thought victory. They're, of course, looking at it from the lion's point of view. While I was looking at it from the boar's view. Ah well, reality is subjective, isn't it... And in the meantime, that boar is a total badass.
Don't ever give up, bishes.
Not ever.
*****************************
"Nobody can tell ya;
There's only one song worth singin'.
They may try and sell ya,
'cause it hangs them up
to see somone like you.
But you've gotta make your own kind of music
sing your own special song,
make your own kind of music even if nobody
else sings along."
Sing it, Mama Cass... Sing it loud and clear.
*****************************
These petty, short-sighted, small-minded, reactionaries. They're hindering progress. And are extreme detriments to the evolution of this country and its people.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
1. Republicans proposed a deficit commission. President Obama endorsed the idea so then Republicans decided they‘re against it.
2. Republicans proposed pay-as-you-go rules for budgeting. President Obama endorsed the idea. Then Republicans decided they were against it too.
3. Republicans who voted for the bank bailout are now criticizing President Obama for that same bank bailout.
4. Republicans supported President Bush‘s policy of trying terrorism suspects in U.S. courts. Now that President Obama is implementing that same policy, they decided they‘re against that now, too.
5. Republicans supported a cap-and-trade policy against global warming. Now that President Obama is trying to pass that same policy, Republicans have decided - say it with me now - they‘re against that, too.
6. Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana has railed against the stimulus, then gone around the state handing out big fake checks with his own name on them as if the money came from him instead of from the stimulus that he‘s been railing against.
7. Then, there‘s Congressman Phil Gingrey of Georgia. That‘s him getting all Publisher‘s Clearinghouse with a giant check for funds that he voted against and criticized as worst than worthless. He called the money and that check he‘s holding a boondoggle and a dismal failure.
8. Republican John Mica of Florida trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in his home district as “helping improve one of our key economic generators.” "I applaud President Obama's recognition that high-speed rail should be part of America's future," the Florida Republican beamed in a press release.
9. Republican Frank Wolf of Virginia trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in his home district by saying, “We could use that money desperately. There are a lot of things up here that that money could be used for.”
10. Republican Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in his home state by attending the groundbreaking of a sewage treatment plant that it funded and praising the jobs that it would create in his district.
11. Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas trashed the stimulus, voted no, and praised its effect in her home state by saying this funding will spur growth in Texas communities.
12. Republican Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in his home district as a great thing for this county. We‘re not accustomed to federal dollars in that magnitude finding their way to North Carolina.
13. Republican Senator Kit Bond of Missouri trashed the stimulus, voted no and then praised its effect in his home district by saying it would create jobs and ultimately spur economic opportunities.
14. Republican Joe Wilson of South Carolina, remember him? The “you lie” guy? He trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in his home district by saying it would provide jobs and investment in one of the poorer sections of that district.
15. Republican Senator Bob Bennett of Utah trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in his home district by saying said, the addition of federal funds would maximize the stimulative effect on the local economy.
16. Republican Pat Tiberi of Ohio trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in his home district by saying it would support businesses and jobs.
17. Republican Mary Bono Mack trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in her home district by saying the funding will provide much needed assistance.
18. Republican Senator Mike Johanns of Nebraska trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in his home state by saying that just one proposed stimulus-funded project in Nebraska would create 38 new jobs.
19. Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in his home state by highlighting a project he says would create over 200 jobs in the first year, and at least another 40 new jobs in the following years.
20. Republican John Linder of Georgia trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in his home district by saying the employment opportunities created by this program would be quickly utilized.
21. Republican Mike Castle of Delaware trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in his home district by sending out press releases touting how imperative those funds were.
22. You want to see Mike Castle of Delaware handing out one of those giant checks? Yes, as if he hadn‘t actually voted to kill the money that‘s in that check. Mike Castle is running for senator from Delaware now, presumably on the platform of being a giant hypocrite.
23. Republican Eric Cantor not only trashed the stimulus and voted no on it, he coordinated the feat of having all House Republicans vote against it. Then he held a job fair in his home district at which nearly which half of the companies who were at the job fair because they were in a position to hire have received stimulus funds.
24. Even John Boehner, leader of the House Republicans, who has led the trashing of the stimulus and voted no on it and who bragged so enthusiastically on Republicans in the House all voting against it.
25. When it came to his home district, John Boner praised the federal funding for shovel-ready projects that will create much needed jobs.
26. Republican Senator Jim Inhofe of denying-global-warming fame - he trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised the effect in his home state by saying it would help spur additional economic growth.
27. Republican Jack Kingston of Georgia trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in his home district by saying these funds should help save or create local jobs.
28. Republican John Carter of Texas trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in his home district by saying it was a victory for the economy in central Texas.
29. Republican Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania trashed the stimulus, voted no, then praised its effect in his home district by saying it would be great for employment in the area.
Republicans proposed a deficit commission. President Obama endorsed the idea so then Republicans decided they‘re against it.
Republicans proposed pay-as-you-go rules for budgeting. President Obama endorsed the idea. Then Republicans decided they were against it too. Republicans who voted for the bank bailout are now criticizing President Obama for that same bank bailout.
Republicans supported President Bush‘s policy of trying terrorism suspects in U.S. courts. Now that President Obama is implementing that same policy, they decided they‘re against that now, too.
Republicans supported a cap-and-trade policy against global warming. Now that President Obama is trying to pass that same policy, Republicans have decided - say it with me now - they‘re against that, too. (source) (And another source) (And another source) (And one more, if you're not convinced.)
(Thank you, Beny!)
"Democrats need a spinal transplant." / "Republicans have decided to wreck the system in order to get their way." ~ Gov. Howard Dean (2-11-2010) (Thank you, Howard Dean!) (And thank you, Fred!)
"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."
~ Plato
(Thanks, Plato!)
Look, I KNOW you're tired... I am as well. The whole scene is exhausting. But, it's our future. And if you care at all, get involved. Get vocal. Stand up for what you believe in. And never, never, never, give up.
*********************************
So, as you might know, I'm a veteran. And I've written before about how I proudly served without giving handjobs, blowjobs or getting it up the butt.
I haven't been bothered that President Obama hadn't addressed the issue until his "State of The Union". I didn't feel "sold out". Yes, I believe that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is discriminatory and breeds contempt. But, I also believe that there has been a reason for his delay. There's been quite a bit for him and his administration to work on. And my hope is that it would be addressed in due-time. That AGAIN, people need to have patience. Change doesn't happen overnight.
So, while I believe that gays should be allowed to openly serve and receive all the benefits of their heterosexual counterparts, I haven't felt much sympathy for people who volunteered for the military FULLY KNOWING that the policy was "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". They signed on, then later didn't like it. Well, I'm sorry, you should've thought about that sooner.
This doesn't mean that I don't applaud their courage in standing up for what they believe in and for what is right. I do. And certainly, if we're paying attention, our awareness is an evolution. We shouldn't think the same way five, or ten years down the road.
Well, anyway, we're at the beginning of it being addressed, and that's a good thing. Overdue, yes. But, it's still being addressed: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Gays Military Policy Under Fire
Top Uniformed Officer: Gay ban should be lifted
And besides, we're too pure to serve. (Hysterical - courtesy of "The Onion".)
If sovereign people who know nothing other than their freedom had ANY IDEA the insidious self-loathing that accompanies being in an oppressed sect of people, the lowest of the low on the totem pole, there wouldn't be a minute left of discrimination. It would have no place to hide.
Liberty WILL win.
*** If you'd like to tell your representative and senators to repeal this discriminatory law, you may do so here.
****************************
It doesn't matter if you make mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes. What matters...
Is what you do next.
*********************************
So, a little over a week ago, Will and I went to see Tom Ford's film, "A Single Man" with our friends, Tristan and Clancy.
It was a really good film. Set in Los Angeles in the early 60's, it's very stylistic and visually compelling.
And I think Tom Ford does an excellent job of portraying the acuteness and closer scope of vision, metaphorically and literally, that we all have when tragedy strikes.
I strongly recommend seeing it at the theaters while it's out. If you haven't yet seen it, I wouldn't watch any of the clips below. But, to see the high stylization of the film, and how palpable "George's" (played by Colin Firth) heartache is on the big screen is well worth it. It will certainly lose some punch when it's viewed on a small screen, as any movie does.
After the first few minutes of the film, an older woman who was sitting in the row directly in front of us and virtually minutes away from death began talking loudly. She started, "I THINK THIS IS GAY... I THINK THIS MOVIE IS GAY... I THINK THIS MOVIE IS ABOUT GAY PEOPLE!!"
Her ultra-white-hair-covered head was bobbing up and down and turning every which way as though a wreaking ball was going to take her out at any minute. She continued on her rant for the hearing-impaired, "I'M PRETTY SURE THIS MOVIE IS GAY! I'M GOING TO SEE IF I CAN GET MY MONEY BACK!!"
She got up, climbed over 5 people, disrupting everyone and stormed out of the theater never to return. Her permanent exit had NOTHING to do with me following her and stuffing her into a garbage can in the Ladies' Restroom, if you're wondering.
We actually thought it was quite funny and we all guffawed over it.
I have always enjoyed placing the elderly into trash cans. It's a favorite past-time of mine.
So, anyway, during the film, "George and Jim's" 16 year relationship really wasn't taken seriously. Even by the people closest to them. And that was heart-breaking in its own regard.
It was a beautiful film and though it was melancholy, I didn't feel sad so much as I felt grateful. Reminded how temporary it all is... Reminded to be thankful for this very moment, for that's all we really have.
After the film, the four of us went for sushi. And at the dinner table, "Tristan and Clancy" presented us with a card, which also contained a generous gift card inside to one of our favorite shops. It was in honor of our marriage, which they felt they hadn't properly acknowledged. "Tristan and Clancy" are a heterosexual couple, if you're wondering.
We both objected, saying that they didn't have to go through any trouble and that it really wasn't necessary...
They said it wasn't any trouble and it was necessary.
Well, when we opened the card, the front of it said, "BELIEVE".
And on the inside,
"Believe in your dreams. Believe in your love. Believe in forever.
Have a Happy Marriage.
With Love Always,
Clancy and Tristan"
And suddenly, I had a hard time holding back the tears from my dampened eyes...
Some of my oldest, dearest friends (gay and straight), still refer to Will as my "boyfriend". And while I don't refer to him as my "husband", but rather as my "partner". He is. He IS my husband. And I am his.
And acknowledgment from those you love can send one's spirit SOARING. And I was reminded of that.
Thank you... THANK YOU, "Clancy and Tristan". With your belief in us, you help us to believe in ourselves. And that's the biggest gift anyone can ever give...
* "UNCLE! UNCLE!!"
* Where Love Flies
* "I Kevin, Take You Will, To Be Seven Letters..."
*******************************
A Very Productive Congress, Despite What The Approval Ratings Say
By Norman Ornstein
Sunday, January 31, 2010
"When President Obama urged lawmakers during his State of the Union speech to work with him on "restoring the public trust," he was hardly going out on a limb. The Congress he was addressing is one of the least popular in decades. Barely a quarter of Americans approve of the job it's doing, according to the latest Gallup/USA Today poll, while 58 percent said it was below average or one of the worst ever, according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal survey last month.
It's not hard to find reasons why Americans are down on Capitol Hill, and why President Obama's approval rating has dropped below 50 percent in many polls. A year into the 111th Congress, unemployment remains at 10 percent, and many Americans are struggling to get by -- even as they've watched Congress bail out banks and coddle the same bankers now salivating over massive new bonuses. At the same time, the public has had a front-row seat to the always messy legislative process on health care and other issues, and this past year that process has been messier, more rancorous and more partisan than at any point in modern memory.
There seems to be little to endear citizens to their legislature or to the president trying to influence it. It's too bad, because even with the wrench thrown in by Republican Scott Brown's election in Massachusetts, this Democratic Congress is on a path to become one of the most productive since the Great Society 89th Congress in 1965-66, and Obama already has the most legislative success of any modern president -- and that includes Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson. The deep dysfunction of our politics may have produced public disdain, but it has also delivered record accomplishment." (Keep Reading)
I keep hearing that Scott Brown was voted in because people wanted change. I happen to believe that he was voted in because of complacency and arrogance in the Democratic party that the Senate seat would easily go to another democrat. And the fact that it was an off-season election, thus complacency and arrogance in the democratic voters as well who stayed home thinking that it would easily go to another democrat. But, whether my belief is correct or not, people wanted change last year, that's why Barack Obama was voted in as President.
We received the change we wanted. And now, unfortunately, we're going to have to be a little more patient with the results. Although, I don't believe as citizens that we should be sitting back on our laurels. I believe that we should be holding our politicians accountable and be extremely vocal in our opinions. And hopefully, if we're doing our job, our opinions are based on facts, not hearsay.
So, I'll shut my pie-hole for this post, but not without saying that I'm not giving up hope on this President, or this Congress. At least for the time being, it appears that they're not doing such a terrible job after all.
* Obama, GOP exchange barbs, ideas in rare encounter
* Obama Goes To GOP Lions' Den -- And Mauls The Lions
********************************
"Those who say they can and those who say they can't are both telling the truth."
- Confucius
(Thank you for this video contribution, Holly and Beny!)
*******************************
Get hot, get too close to the flame
Wild, open space
Talk like an open book
Sign me up
Got no time to take a picture
I'll remember someday all the chances we took
We're so close to something better left unknown
We're so close to something better left unknown
I can feel it in my bones
Gimme sympathy
After all of this is gone
Who'd you rather be?
The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?
Oh, seriously
You're gonna make mistakes, you're young
Come on, baby, play me something
Like, "Here Comes the Sun"
Come on, baby, play me something
Like, "Here Comes the Sun"
***************************
"All your life you are told the things you cannot do...
"All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this.
"THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly.
"They will tell you no.
AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES."
- Anonymous
* Image 1 - "Captive Slave" by Michelangelo - Florence.
* Image 2 - "Rebellious Slave" by Michelangelo - Louvre, Paris.
* Image 3 - "Hercules combatant Achelous." Louvre, Paris.
****************************
A young African boy with a haunting back story starts school in Ireland, and finds out quickly exactly what it means to be the new kid. Winner of Best Narrative Short at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival and nominated for an Oscar.
I love "Hazel". We should all be so lucky to have one like her among us.
* You can help the Sudanese by encouraging Obama to follow through with the new U.S. policy for Sudan.
****************************
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.
(Thanks for the quote, Don! It's a keeper.)
*********************************
I can't believe that the following videos are what Will and I watched last evening while eating our dinner...
The cat next to this guy HAS to be like, "Meow, meow, dude... MEOW MEOW! DUDE!!! The hell? Meow, meow..." Or something along those lines...
His grunting KILLS me... And again, farts are ALWAYS funny. And being accompanied by FIRE??
BONUS.
And an enhanced version, that really only requires about the first 30 seconds of the video for the best parts...
The really sad part, is that we watched them much more than once.
************************************
One of my bestest friends ever wrote me this morning. We've been close friends since Third grade. She's such a good friend that a few years back, when a dentist wanted to sand-down a few chips in my front teeth, I said,
"Don't you dare. LeLannie put those there in the Fifth grade when she stole my mittens and I was chasing her on the playground. She slipped and fell on the ice, then I slipped and fell on top of her, slamming my chin onto her head and chipping all of my front teeth. You're not touching those chips."
The dentist just stared at me like I was completely insane, but I didn't give a fuck. Those chipped teeth tell a story, so I'm keeping them. So what if I can't eat solid food.
Anyway, LeLannie wrote to me this morning. She sent me some dialogue between her and her BOSS, "Stank Bish". Her boss, "Stank Bish", forwarded her some inane, bullshit email, but LeLannie had something to say about it.
The forward was titled: "Please join me in prayer" and was as follows:
"We were in Pigeon Forge over the week end. On Sunday, we left to come home. Traffic was moving slowly, and a car in front of us had an Obama bumper sticker on it. It read: "Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8".
Mike's Bible was lying on the dash board." (Because having your bible on your dashboard makes you so much closer to god. And let me guess, that American flag on your bumper makes you a better American.) "He got it, opened it up to the scripture, and read it." (And you read in traffic, nice.) "He started laughing and laughing. Then he read it to me. I couldn't believe what it said. I had a good laugh, too."
Psalm 109:8
"Let his days be few; and let another take his office."
So, LeLannie replied:
"This is sad to me, and they call themselves Christians. Maybe they need to do a little more studying of their bible and what Jesus really stands for."
And Stank Bish replied:
"I think they simply mean they want him out of office- that his days in office be few not his life:)"
And LeLannie replied again:
"Stank Bish,
Read verse 9-10, to me a childless father and widow means death:
Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
9Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
10Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.
The context of this prayer is about praying for someone's death and misery, this kind of language feeds extemist beliefs and violence.
LeLannie"
I'm so fricking proud of "LeLannie". She had the courage to stand up to not just anyone, but she stood up to her BOSS.
And that makes her a TOTAL BADASS.
Muy bien, LeLannie... Muy bien to that spirit of yours.
Look at me gettin' all spanglish and mierda.
***********************************
So, at some point, the talking head from CNN says, "In every state across the nation where it has been put to the voters it has gone down to defeat. So, the democratic process is taking place here. Seems to be something that voters at large, do not support."
Last year in California, over Prop 8, California voted it down 52% to 48%. And in the recent vote, Maine voted it down 53% to 47%. So, it's not "something that voters AT LARGE, do not support." Hardly, "at large", you fucking moron. It's actually rather close.
I wrote about voters verses courts deciding civil rights matters back in: The Seeing Eye Car; "Justice is blindfolded for a reason, to see without prejudice, without bias, to see objectively, without fear or favor, regardless of the identity, power, or weakness of the involved."
And actually, the "democratic process" is STILL taking place when a court makes a decision about something. Those judges are still appointed via a democratic process, whether we like it or not.
I'm so fucking tired of stupid people...
Wait a minute.
I don't want to make this all about stupid, uneducated, hillbillies that also happen to be getting paid as "journalists".
That young man (a.k.a. "Gaywad") up in that video clip is a TOTAL BADASS. And that's good enough for me.
"Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind -- even if your voice shakes." - Maggie Kuhn
Because it ALL DOES MATTER: A Milestone, An Anniversary, And A Ring
And silence is compliance.
************************************
After all, it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.
******************************
"I was pretty surprised to be asked a question like that. It made no sense to me. And then finally I asked her, 'What do you think I fought for over on Omaha Beach?'"
Thank you, Dor, over at Mom Goes Green, for this special contribution.
*******************************
“We were assured there would be no legal consequences if we opened fire,” Mr. Chen recalled in an interview on Tuesday. “My only hope was that the students would not put up a fight.” - Chen Guang, 37, a Beijing painter, was a soldier in Tiananmen in 1989 has created a series of works based on his photographs of the incident.
Now granted, China hasn't come very far in its stance on Human Rights, given what happened in Tibet last Spring and Summer before their bullshit Olympics. I still can't believe that the World just stood by and said crap like, "Ohh... We can't boycott or anything because that will just hurt the athletes."
Were we going to KILL our athletes in protest? Is THAT what we were going to do?? So... China can just go ahead and MURDER Tibetan monks and nuns and we don't want to upset our athletes??? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?? That whole thing was such a crock... Licensed genocide, is what it was...
But, if I can calm my ass down, looking back on other issues, I really never thought I'd see gay marriage legalized in any State. Nor did I think there was a possibility in the near future of the U.S. having a President that was half black and half white, let alone how unbelievably intelligent and logical the man is...
And looking back to even when I was a kid, did you ever really think that the Berlin Wall would come down? Or that the Eastern Bloc countries would fall? OR the Soviet Union for that matter? Now granted, there's a host of other problems with the aftermath of Russia, but still...
Or how about just having a little phone that sits in your hand, that you can type tiny words on, then SEND them into space and they actually go to a place that you want them to... without wires.
And yes, there are a whole other set of issues now, but I think that we should dwell in possibility. I know I'm going to... Or I'm going to try anyway. Because that image of one man standing in front of a line of tanks will get me every time... Every. Time.
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one..." - John Lennon
************************************