America's Last Great Hope - Education

According to a recent AP article the US ranks ninth for 24 to 34 year olds with a high school education. We tied Belgium for seventh for college education in the same age group. Just twenty years ago, we were 1st in both categories. So much for no child left behind! Despite that much touted program it appears we have slipped. Part of that is due to the cuts to local aid that towns have had to absorb into their school budgets. This means that some teachers had to be let go. The smaller class sizes that was once the supreme target, were now doubling in size.
As if that wasn't bad enough, recent articles have stated that some Tea Party representatives are pushing to privatize schools. They say that the taxpayers should not have to foot the bill, it is up to the parents to educate their kids. Well, what happens to the middle class who are struggling to get by, or the poor who can barely afford to feed their kids?
Another noteworthy thing in that AP article was that the US is an information economy. For the time being, we are still number one when it comes to information, but do to our falling education level, we are slowly slipping on that slope. So the one thing we are good at outside of war and weapons, we are starting to slide on that too.
The Tea Party and some Republicans think that our education system is broken so rather than try to fix it, they say we should do away with it and let the parents take up the responsibility. How is that going to keep us number one and get us back into first for education? We need to stop flapping our lips and saying things like, "It takes a village" or "No child left behind", hollow words. We need to actually put education first in this country. Yes, get in there and find out what isn't working and why? Sometimes, we may find that the reason is that we aren't funding it right. Sometimes it might be because of text books that are just plain wrong. Pretty sad when a student points it out to a teacher and the teacher says, yeah, they know but they have to teach it that way or get fired. Maybe part of the problem is like with medicine, we have bureaucrats calling the shots and telling the professionals what to do. Maybe the first thing is to let the teachers teach. The other thing is that we need to double down on education not pull it apart. We need to make it more affordable for our students to progress beyond a high school education. It is just getting way too expensive.
My daughter is ready to go to college. She wanted to go to a state college out of state. In the end, she would graduate owing over $800 a month for fifteen years. That is no way for a young person to start their life. Deval Patrick, the Governor of Massachusetts, announced a program to help. If Massachusetts students go to their local community college and can maintain a 3.5 or better, then when they graduate, they can go to UMass Amherst tuition free and reduced room and board. Think about that for a moment. They still get the education. They graduate from University of Massachusetts, which is what appears on their resume. Yet the cost will end up being about half. Why can't there be more programs like that? At least here in Massachusetts, we still believe in education.
According to the Institute of Economics and Peace, Global Peace Index which measures how peaceful each country is, the US ranks below China. Yes, China. China is 80th, we are 85. Is this how we want our country to be known? Or do we want to raise the US from the ashes and become the leaders in innovation, education, knowledge, and the ability to solve problems. Solve them, not by blowing them up, but by finding real solutions to real problems. In that ranking the UK is 31, Canada is 14. I challenge the US to rise up and move up the list and ahead of at least the UK. Wouldn't you rather be known as a country of wise men and wizards than barbaric orcs?

I have a vision of the US becoming number one again. I would like us to start with education. Maybe one day, we will be number one at peace.

My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.

The Failing of isms - A New Paradigm Needed?

More and more we see the news coming out about the injustice in the American way. We hear how the cards are stacked against the average Joe as they struggle to pay their mortgage, rent, put food on the table, pay for healthcare and the gas to get to work. While they are working longer hours with less help, they are hearing about corporations skipping out on their taxes, or worse, getting subsidies while raking in billions. They are inundated with news about credit card companies jacking up rates and foreclosing on people's homes after the taxpayers bailed them out. As a further slap in the face, if they are lucky enough to get a vacation, it is a staycation, while the execs of the financial companies are reaping huge bonuses and vacationing in the Caribbean.
Yet, we are told that capitalism is the best system in the world. We are told how good we have it. We are told that we have the best health care, the top education, freedom of this, and freedom of that. When we tried to improve healthcare, the rants went up about socialism and how bad it is and how we are becoming communists. We are led to believe it is bad. And to the point, the example we had, the USSR, was bad. Yet, those who have combined the two systems, like England and France, and other European states, seem to have managed to get systems that work. According to the WHO, it is France that leads in health care, not the US. I think the US ranked about 37. Oh we will hear that we have the best doctors and hospitals and how others come here, but our own people can't afford the same. If you are in the upper income brackets, the US is a great place, but for most Americans it is a struggle.
One of the things I find interesting is how a segment of America goes on and on about how they want their country back. They go on and on about how America is being turned into a communist country. They go on and on about how we need to put God back in America. We even hear some complain about how we need to put the pledge back in schools. Though, I am curious on that one as I hadn't heard they stopped saying the pledge. Interesting point to note. The Pledge of Allegiance that they are pressing so hard for, was actually written by an American Socialist in 1892 named Francis Bellamy. Hmmm, pledging to a socialist pledge, do they even know that? Even worse than the pledge is the idea that they go on and on about how we need God in this country, how we need Jesus. Yet, they do everything that is the antithesis of what Jesus would do. Jesus cared for the people, all people, not just the ones who agreed with him. He opened his heart to all people. But let's leave that for now.
During the health care debate we heard about the system in France, England, and Canada. We were told these systems were evil. We were told horror stories about these systems. Yet, the wonder of the Internet allows us to connect to people around the world. Friends from these countries asked what the heck were they talking about. I even had an expatriot living in France tell me that he loves the French health care system and told me that the lies about the out of control taxes were a joke. Yes, they have higher taxes, but for the people, they have much more. They have free health care. If a student qualifies, higher education is also free. They even get 37 days of vacation time a year. Yet, that system, is evil. Evil for who?
The current paradigm in this country is to dismantle everything from health care to prisons, and even schools. There was an incidence down south I believe, the fire department was privatized. The people had to pay for the fire department. No pay, no protection. Well, a guys house caught fire. He called the fire department and they showed up, at his neighbors. It seems his neighbor had paid for the protection, but he hadn't, so they let his house burn down. Ah, capitalism, got to love it.
You see, that is the point, pure capitalism, just like pure socialism, can't work. The best systems are those that provide the core services from education and health care, to police, fire, and roads. However, companies are allowed to compete and make profits. Though, a smart government, puts checks and balances in. Our unbridled capitalism has allowed things to become so unbalanced. The average worker is lucky to get a 2% raise, while the average exec is reeling in a whopping 25% or more increase plus bonus. There have been some who say that if this continues, we could be up for a revolution. Personally, I think people are way too distracted these days and are more interested in their crops on Farmville, than standing up for their rights. Shame. I have often asked, where are the hippies? It just seems that back then, there were more people standing up for the rights of the people, standing up against the wars. Indeed, where are the hippies?
What we truly need is a new concept. A new paradigm. A more humane system of government that works for all the people and not just the elite few or corporations. Maybe a blend of the various isms working together, but with its core principal that all people are equal. Maybe the US has grown too big. Too big to fail, not hardly.

"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." -Thomas Jefferson

Capitalism has become an ugly beast that is devouring its children. We need to rethink this paradigm and maybe come up with better ideas that will work for most of the population instead of a select few.

My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.

Wisdom From a Fortune Cookie - Keep a Cool Head

Keep a cool head and bide your time. A chance is bound to come.

Hmmm, how many times have I gone off half cocked because I have let my emotions get the better of me? Quite a few. I can be very impulsive. I have long believed that the deck was stacked against me so I had to grab what I could when I could. Yet, sometimes, in hindsight, I have found that had I but waited a brief moment, either the funds would appear, or the help I might need. Of course, with age comes wisdom. Well, okay, it could be a stretch for the wisdom part, but at least the voice of experience plays into things. I have started to take a breath and be patient. Usually, somehow things will get done, or money will arrive. Of course, it is only just enough money to barely make the need. You would think, just once, it would be much more than I need so I could actually enjoy it. At least it meets the need.
I have learned over time to not let anger get the better of me. There were many times when I have exploded, mind you, I am usually alone as I try to keep that out of people's view. Usually I go for a long walk deep in the woods. Serves two purposes, gets me away from people so that, in my frame of mind, I am not exploding at the wrong people. It also allows me to vent and then the long walk back, allows me to think more rationally about the situation and how best to resolve it or at least accept that I cannot change it. The thing is that I give it time and a release so that a cooler head can prevail.
Even with buying things, I have tried to curb my impulses. Sometimes you see something really cool and you get that "just got to have it" feeling. You know that buying it would put you in a financial bind, but you do so anyway. Then a day or two later, you see the same thing marked down somewhere else. When I wanted to upgrade my bike, I started to look around. I really fell in love with the Fury. I liked the long rake that gave it that chopper look. I was going to find a way to get it. I stopped though and figured, I should shop around. I hit the motorcycle show in Boston and fell out of love with the Fury, and in love with the Stryker. The jet black coolness of the Stryker just seemed right. Okay, so we take a step back and compare the two. So I then head out to look at bikes around the area. The Fury still appeals to me, but now the Stryker caught my eye. What to do, what to do. Patience. I went to check out the Stryker at the local Yamaha dealer figuring that buying local and servicing local, I am giving to the local economy. I went in and was looking at the Stryker and a few others. Then the dealer pointed out the one in the window. He told me that a big guy like me might find that bike better. The Stryker being a 1300 and the one in the window, a Road Star 1700. I tell him, yeah, but I really didn't want to spend too much. I had just paid off the old one and was hoping to keep my payments low. He told me that the 1700 was a leftover and he could give it to me for $900 less than the Stryker. Wow. It was a sweet looking bike, in cherry red. Lots of chrome. It looked great. So I bought it. So by being patient, I got a bigger bike with more horsepower that will last me a long time and I got it for less money. A chance is bound to come.
Now, not every thing we wait on is going to give us the same result. Sometimes, we might even miss out on an opportunity. In the end though, we may find that in waiting and working things through, we may end up better. That goes for relations as well as purchases.
In relations, we may get upset and want to end a relationship, or not talk to the person. Yet, if we were patient, the truth might emerge and we might find that the reason they blew us off on the date, or didn't come home as expected, had a good reason. Sometimes, they don't share that reason because the other person that they might have been helping has asked that they not tell anyone. Yet, after a bit, we eventually find out. Someone may tell us that they saw our partner hugging someone else downtown. We get all worked up thinking the worst and are ready to explode, only to find that the other person may have lost a relation and our partner was consoling them. They may have lost a job. The thing is that we take the time and let cooler heads prevail.
So keep a cool head in all you do. Learn to count to three, take a breath, whatever tool you need to use, to give that moment to step away from emotion to allow you to think things through. Sometimes you may find that chance you were waiting for is bound to come.
My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.

The New Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project, which began as a small research program in 1939, eventually employed more than 130,000 people at a cost of nearly US$2 billion ($24.4 billion in current dollars). Research and production took place at more than 30 sites, some secret, across the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

We had no qualms about coming up with the money to build weapons of mass destruction. The effort that went into it is astounding. Yet, we shuffle our feet and find excuses as to why we can't do the same to extract ourselves from the addiction to fossil fuels. It seems that we have no problem funding multiple wars, defense contracts, new weapons, and sending billions of shrink-wrapped dollars overseas to be lost in the desert. Yet, to come up with a new way to light our homes, heat them, or power our transportation system, we find every excuse under the sun why not. Not only that, but we actually go even further and give subsidies to the very companies that we should be extricating ourselves from all while they are making billions in profits!

What I propose, as an American citizen, is that we stop funding bombs and weapons, and paying mercenaries and war lords and bring that money home. Reinvest in the research needed so that we don't have to pretend to go to war for altruistic purposes knowing full well that we are there for the resources we can garner as cheaply as we can. When you look at the proposed 2012 budget for defense related spending, just the core DOD spending is around $707 billion dollars. Add another $21 billion for the Energy Departments DOD spending, i.e. nukes. Add another $46 billion for Homeland Security. All of that money, and more when you add in the FBI, NASA (satellites), and the State Department. I mean the core DOD is almost a trillion dollars on its own! Yet, we can't slice off a small portion of that to create a new Manhattan Project for energy independence. I mean, most of the wars lately are over oil. If we have no need for it, then we have no need for wars.

Okay, so say someone actually has the cajones to push this through. Say someone like, um, the President? Where do we start? Well first, we glean the brightest minds at MIT, CalTech, WPI, and the many other schools we have. We bring all these great minds together. I have all ready heard that, I think it was CalTech, may have come up with a solar wafer that can create energy in moonlight. In moonlight! So we have the brilliance. We have the minds! They just don't have the money to really do the research because we squander it on making bombs and killing people.

And what of all the inventions of the past? It is said that Tesla had some great inventions but at his death, all his documents were taken by the government and proclaimed Top Secret. What if the government all ready has the answer? Where else could we find a treasure trove of ideas? How about the US Patent Office? Most of Teslas' ideas were patented. Within the Patent Office are the diagrams and designs for many inventions. Beyond Telsa, what of others who had invented new methods or devices for energy? What secrets have been locked in the Patent Office so as to protect the fossil fuel industry? We have all heard rumors about patents being bought up by energy companies and then the product never created, or the design never implemented. Could we not make a change in the laws that states that any attempt to use the Patent Office to hide an innovation that may help society, in order to protect the profits of the industry, would then become a null patent and become public domain? Then these designs/ideas/innovations could be turned over to the new Manhattan Project teams to use as either a foundation for new ideas, or to be implemented if they are deemed viable.

The point is that America has fallen so far, that the only thing we are still number one in is making war and weapons. Germany is ahead of us in green tech. Maybe we should take a lesson from the space race of the 60's when we had to beat Russia to the moon. Maybe we need that competitive challenge. Okay, so I challenge the US to come up with a new, clean, and safe energy source that is cheap and plentiful, and hopefully renewable. Let's do it before Germany does it! We have, or at least, used to have, some of the most brilliant minds in the world. We have some of the greatest technical schools. Let's stop giving subsidies to fossil fuel companies, let's skim a little off the defense budget, let's bring together the most brilliant minds in this country, and let's solve this problem once and for all. Let's make America number one in free, safe, environmentally sound, and renewable energy.

My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.

A Law Proposal - Defense of Families Act

The purpose of this law is to return the holidays to the people. Of the years, corporations have bit by bit taken more and more time from the people. Some of the first to fall were holidays, followed by the repeal of blue laws across the country. You now can go shopping seven days a week. Of course, someone has to man that cash register and stock those shelves. Holidays have all fallen too. Even July 4th has fallen to the greed of corporate America. Kmart attempted to open on Christmas one year, but backtracked after a huge backlash.

Growing up, we had the blue laws. They basically said that businesses could not open on Sundays, except for bars, restaurants, theaters, convenience stores, and gas stations. Of course, hospitals, police, and fire were also on duty. All companies, factories, retail outlets, etc, were closed. Families got together on Sunday for dinner. I can remember the smell in the kitchen as my grandfather cooked a smoked shoulder for the family. We could all get together and spend the day.

Holidays were looked forward to. Picnics, barbeques, and trips were planned. I can remember the clamboils or bakes. We would all get together on the 4th and go to the parade in Bristol, RI, that is if we weren't marching in it. Afterwards, a big cookout and then fireworks at night.

Now if you try to plan anything, you have to work around schedules as many have to work on the holiday. This is especially so if you are in retail. The funny thing is that the people who got rid of the blue laws so that everyone is forced to work on holidays, have all the holidays off. There are ten federally recognized holidays. They are:

New Year’s Day

Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Washington’s Birthday

Memorial Day Monday

Independence Day

Labor Day

Columbus Day

Veterans Day

Thanksgiving Day

Christmas Day

Why is it that the people we elect, get all these holidays off, not to mention liberal vacation time, and we the people are compelled to work? (For clarification, I do get most of these holidays off, but many of my relatives do not.) If these are indeed federally recognized holidays, then why not make them so. Close all the stores and factories and let the people be with their families.

I brought this up one time on Kohl's Facebook page when they announced they were open New Years. I got slammed for being un-American. I was told that I was deliberately trying to destroy the economy. I was told by one woman straight out that the stores needed to be open because all the guys were watching football and she was bored. So all those retail workers have to go in when some would like to be at a cookout or party with their families because they were bored??? As to the economy, I think it was a lot more robust back in the days of the blue laws. Isn't that what the Tea Party keep telling us, they want America back? So why not take us back to the blue laws days? Reinstitute the laws so families can be together again. Republicans used to espouse family values. I used to ask whose? Theirs? Maybe if families had the time to get together again, they might just be able to form the memories like I have of throwing horseshoes at my grandmothers while the clamboil was cooking. Following that up with Cousin Gilly pulling out his guitar and my aunts coming together in perfect harmony singing old Andrew Sister songs. Or being with my grandfather and our "parade" up to Deccy's to get penny candys. Or the cookout when everyone was shocked to see my grandmother show up in hot pants.

So what I propose is that at minimum, there be six federally recognized holidays where the country shuts down for real. Trust me, we won't go broke and the economy will not crash. Of course, in a perfect world we could have all ten that our Congressmen enjoy, plus Sundays. That would be taking it back like the Tea Party wants.

Just throwing it out there. If I get enough positive feedback, maybe I will submit this to Barnie Frank, Scott Brown and John Kerry. What do you think?

My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.

Imagine - Another Level

One of the best songs John Lennon ever wrote was Imagine. I have seen it reposted around the net. Each time, people rant and rave about the song and its message of no religions, no countries, no wars, no hunger, no hate. It is a great message and it reaches just about everyone it touches. It is one of those profound songs that is beautifully written. You can't help but get drawn in and really imagine what a world would be like if we removed those things that divide us, and learn to live as one. Yet, as often as it is admired for its message of unity and peace, that is where it ends.

How many of us really could envision living without countries or borders? I mean, we have heard so much about the "illegal" immigration problem here in the US. A problem, that if you ask any of the indigenous people of the Americas, they will say it goes back to 1492. The thing is that groups back before Europeans came with their idea of owning everything, land was shared. Oh each had their own territory or bioregion. Yet, people travelled freely. If one goes to the Southwest and learns about the early cultures, the Anasazi, the Sinagua, Hohokam, Solado, or Mogollon, you would find that they had trade routes with South America. Passports, they didn't need no stinking passports. People travelled freely between areas. Yes, there were conflicts. These were usually as one society outgrew its bioregion and needed to expand, or if they encountered severe conditions like drought that caused resources to dwindle. It wasn't perfect, but in a way, it symbolized the idea of no countries, no boundaries.
One of the other reasons that we have conflict is over religions. I wonder how many people realize that when they talk about Muslims and "their God", they are really talking about the Christian God and the Jewish God, since all are descended from Abraham. These three religions are based in the same root, yet are constantly at conflict with one another. They are all praying to the same God, whether they call him Yahweh, Elohim, Allah, Jehovah, or simply the Creator. Yet, for centuries they have been at war. Not only between the three religious branches, but also within sects within those branches, like the Sunni and Shi'a, or between the Roman Catholics and Methodists. I read that even the two Methodist branches don't recognize each other. There was a Methodist minister who took part in the memorial after 9/11 and the leadership wanted to excommunicate him. The reasoning that in attending the service, he was acknowledging these other religions. It becomes less about God and more about who's way of praising is right. The Hindu have a teaching:

“There are hundreds of paths up the mountain,
all leading in the same direction,
so it doesn’t matter which path you take.
The only one wasting time is the one
who runs around and around the mountain,
telling everyone else that their path is wrong.”

I love this teaching because it preaches acceptance of all paths. To each his own, so to speak. The Wiccan have a simpler creed, "An it harm none do what ye will."
Now just think of all the wars fought over religious ideology, and then think, imagine no religions too.

John recognized the basis for a lot of our conflicts was religious or resources. Bioregionalist have been telling us for a while that we really need to get back to living within regions and in groups only so large as the region can support. This would require us to rethink the way we do things. Instead of being a consumptive society, we would have live more as the Native Americans originally lived. Take only what you need to survive and give back as you can. Scientists have shown that the earth is a living, breathing thing. It has managed to regulate the environment so as to support life over millenia. If you want to understand more about bioregionalism, I suggest reading, Dwellers in the Land: The Bioregional Vision, Kirkpatrick Sale. So imagine no countries, it isn't hard to do. Nothing to live or die for, and no religion too.

I'd like to take John's dream a little further. We have gotten ourselves caught in a trap. We have bought into the whole consumer venus flytrap and we can't seem to get out. I heard on the radio the other day that one prognosticator thinks that we need to make more of everything and then the people will start buying again. The problem is that they keep dumping people's jobs so that the people don't have the money to buy the things in the first place. His premise was all backwards in that he believed that supply creates demand instead of the other way around. Well, okay, that might work for an iPhone, but not for most things. Of course, if we put more people back to work, that might increase demand and then they would have to up the supply, but hey, what do I know. Now imagine if you will, I know it will be hard, but imagine a world without money.

One of my favorite scenes in the Star Trek movie, First Contact, was when Picard tells Lily Sloane (Alfre Woodard) to have something to drink. She asks where to put the money and he tells her that they no longer used money. So we have an example of a society without money right there in front of us. Though we hear how we could never do that for this reason or that, Gene Roddenberry dreamed it and put it in his vision. So think for a moment, what it would be like not ever having to worry about money ever again. Oh yes, I could imagine that once we did something like that, everyone would go wild wanting to get all those things they always wanted but never could afford. Yet, once the dust settles and we realize that it will be there and we aren't going to be without, the desire may just dwindle a bit.

Let's take this vision just a bit further. Imagine if there were no money. Rather than base things on budgets and profits and bonuses, it would be based more on need. I have heard the argument that we would have no innovation as the removal of profit would remove the desire to create new things. That is utter hogwash. Man has been innovating and inventing long before we were rendering unto Caesar.

Now imagine this world where everyone could have a home. Of course, the homes would be more modest. They probably would be self-sufficient as we would have solar panels on all the roofs. Since there was no need for profit and control of the food chain, companies like Monsanto would have no need to create seed they can patent in order to corner the market on our food chain. So that would mean that small farms could come back. Part of the reason they were gone is they were forced out by the commercial farms that could sell produce much cheaper due to sheer volume. The net affect would be that the small farms would come back strong because not having to compete on price, they would floor the competition on quality. We would also have much more diversity in our product. Mega-farms usually plant one maybe two strains. We lose the diversity. Of course, this is a problem because if a disease affects one strain, it could wipe out their whole crop. We obviously didn't learn our lesson from the Irish potato famine. The wiped out crops caused hardship and many Irish immigrated to the US during that time. Meanwhile, down in South America, the blight attacked their potatoes too, only difference is, they had more than one variety, so the affect was much less.

Without the need for profit, we might just press for new energy sources that were safe and clean. We wouldn't have special interest groups and corporations bribing, oh sorry, making campaign donations, to our representatives in order to protect their own interests. We might be able to get some of our best minds working towards real solutions. Of course, we might even find new minds because now even the poorest of the poor could get higher education because they would no longer be shackled by a lack of funds.

There are a lot more ideas floating around in my mind. I can really envision this world without money. I can envision people being able to work in careers they really would love to work in. I could really see that kid that was drawn to medicine, but could not afford a college education, becoming the doctor that finally eradicates cancer once and for all. While many see many as an ultimate goal. I see it as the shackles that bind man from soaring to higher heights. We can be ever greater, more environmentally balanced, more connected to each other, more aware of our impact on the world, if we were unshackled from the delusion that we need to accumulate wealth or we are nothing. Until mankind realizes that the greatest wealth is that of the heart, we are forever going to be shackled and unable to truly make our spirits soar.

Until part two, my heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.

The Farce of a Christian Nation

I am probably going to get my butt handed to me again, but I just have to say that I think the idea of this being a Christian Nation is a farce. I think it is just a political game to gain the vote of the religious right. So why do I say this?

Okay, first off, why is Stop and Shop open today? Today is supposed to be one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar along with Christmas. Yet when I went to the market Friday to get all I needed, I saw the sign saying they would be open. I think this is ridiculous. I spoke out back in January when I saw Kohls was to be open on New Years. I spoke out saying that they needed to shut their doors and let families be together. I was immediately set upon. I was told I was a socialist and trying to drive the country into the ground. They continued by saying that we had to have stores open to save the economy. Really? Another woman jumped all over me and told me that she wanted the stores open because she didn't have anything else to do and didn't want to sit around watching the guys watch football. So I responded back to her that she was making that cashier and stockers come into work because she was bored! Oh, how Christian an attitude.

I grew up in the days of the blue laws. All stores except gas stations, convenience stores and restaurants were closed. Every holiday saw families getting together for cookouts and beach days. Every Sunday saw a big Sunday dinner that brought the whole family together. Bit by bit, this was chipped away until now, the only holidays that stores were closed were Christmas and Easter. Well, now Easter has fallen, and that leaves Christmas. I suspect that this year will be the year that Christmas falls too. So much for a Christian nation.

Then there is the whole political atmosphere. The side that seems to call for a return to a Christian nation, though in truth we never were, but that is another point, is the side that seems to act less like Christians. They are the ones that fought against universal health care. They shouted about the demise of America as it fell into socialism. Not hardly, because if it did, then we would have universal health care, unemployment would be low as the economy would not be based on money. The thing is, if Jesus were here today, he would be derided for being a socialist. I mean, here is a man who saw a multitude come to hear him speak and rather than turn them away, took the few fish and loaves of bread and multiplied them so that all were satiated. And he didn't charge them a thing. He healed the sick and didn't charge a dime. Heck, he even made house calls to raise the dead. Maybe if we were a true socialist nation, not the image we have of dark Russia, but real socialism where everyone takes care of everyone else, maybe then we would be a Christian nation.

The truth is, we are not. Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli signed by then President Adams explicitly states that we were not. Of course, our actions also say we are not. One of the arguments I heard from a Tea Party supporter against Universal Healthcare was, "I am not going to pay for some trailer trash or monkey who can't keep their legs closed from having a kid." His words, not mine, but it only shows how people talk about being a Christian nation, but their words and actions belie that truth. The real truth is that we are not a Christian Nation, our God is not Yahweh, Elohim, or Jehovah. We do not walk and act as Jesus did. Our God is green, and I don't mean the Green Man, but rather the one with Grant, Franklin, Hamilton, and Washington. We are more concerned with the costs of things rather than what is right. This is why many people go without proper medical care. This is why people are being put out of their homes by banks that the taxpayers bailed out. This is why we try to amass as many things as we can. This is why we are depleting resources at an alarming rate because we are stuck in the paradigm of consumption. This is why we are more concerned with getting more resources no matter what the cost to the environment or the people who live in the area.

I may anger some people with my thoughts but I think people need to be challenged at times. I think we all need to take a step back and think about the way we treat others. What is more important to us? Do we really get ahead by opening stores on holidays and keeping families from coming together? Why was our economy so much better back in the days of the blue laws, which flies in the face of those who support opening stores on holidays? We have grown apart from each other and from the environment around us. We are so caught up with getting ahead that we have fallen behind. If we truly want to be a Christian nation, then we need to start changing our attitudes. We need to start treating each other with respect. We need to reconnect with our God whether we call him Allah, Jehovah, Yahweh, Elohim, or even if it is a Goddess like Ceredwyn or Bridget. We need to relearn how Jesus walked and taught the people. How he reached out and fed the people, both physically as in the story of the fish and loaves, or spiritually as his life was devoted. We need to look at our own lives and attitudes towards others. If we truly want a Christian nation, then we need to be more accepting of all people. We need to be more giving of our hearts and time. We also need to rethink our political stances in light of WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)? I think you might be surprised that if it was a choice between helping the least of us or making a profit, Jesus would choose helping every time.

This was not meant to offend, but to maybe stir a discussion. I just get upset when I see people being forced to work on a holiday so that bored people have something to do. I feel like we are creating a caste system. While most white collar workers and executives are still getting their holidays, the poorer people are being forced to work so that the others "have something to do because they are bored". There is a better way to live. As long as we pray to the Green God, we will never see it.

My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.

Wisdom From a Fortune Cookie - Mystery and Reality

"Yet mystery and reality emerge from the same source."

Now this is an interesting one. The first thing that struck me was how often we see things as miracles or mysteries, but they are every bit a part of our reality. Maybe it is merely a matter of perspective. I have been checking on my seedlings every day. It is amazing seeing them grow. It is a miracle how from a small teeny tiny seed, a big plant can grow. In one sense, it is a reality, it is life. Whether I planted it or someone else, the reality is, that as long as it good soil, water, and sun, it would grow. The real mystery is in how that teeny, tiny seed, could grow a plant so large. The reality became a mystery when I stopped taking for granted that planting the seed, it will grow, and produce, and started watching the mystery of life with amazement.

Of course, these mysteries go far beyond a tiny seed emerging into a large plant producing fruits thousands of times large than the size of the original seed. Look at our children, from the moment of birth, and how they grow into adulthood. They too started as a small seed and grow to thousands of times the size. Once again, it can be a simple reality. Two people come together at just the right moment and conceive. The woman bears the child for nine months and then delivers. They spend the next year or so changing diapers, lacking sleep, feeding, and trying to teach. They continue on as the child grows, becomes an adult, moves out, and starts the cycle. Yuk, reality is so banal. I prefer the mystery and magic of two people coming together in a magical, mystical, entwining of bodies. The woman exalts in the knowing of another life growing within her. She takes on that glow that many speak of. She finally brings this new life into being and the family grows. The parents are enthralled at watching this life grow. They exalt at their first words, their first steps, their being able to feed themselves, and best of all, their being able to go potty. They continue to amaze as this life grows and becomes an adult. They nurture and help this life to become all the best it can be. They enable this life by telling them that they can do or be anything they set their minds to.
All it took was a change in perspective. Rather than taking life for granted, by changing our perspective, reality can become magical. Sometimes, I like to leave my readers with a challenge. This is my challenge for you: Take a few moments to quiet yourself. Let the world just fade away. Look around you. Look outside. Look at your kids or even your parents. Then rather than taking this life that is around you as simple reality, think of the miracle. Think of the mystery of life. Look at the colors of the birds, the flowers, or the shapes of the leaves on the trees. Note how very different they look. Life is a mystery to be cherished. We just need to stop taking it for granted and change a simple reality so that we can see and appreciate the mystery of life itself.
My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.

Wisdom From a Fortune Cookie - Everything You Are

"Everything you are against weakens you. Everything you are for empowers you."

Finally got a worthwhile fortune cookie with a timely message.
This message actually has meaning to me. I have been caught up in the political discourse of late. It has really drawn me down and at times brought depression. I have been having a feeling of helplessness with regards to what goes on in Washington. This is further exacerbated when you hear Senators say basically that they don't care what the polls say or what people want, or they just make up their own polls or in the case of Fox actually flip the results of the poll. It is truly frustrating to be an American and know that your voice is drowned out by corporations and biased media that controls what goes on in this country. I have become so embroiled in all of this and trying to raise awareness about our environment, our food supply, attacks on our elderly, attacks on the poor, attacks on women, and on and on. I get depressed when I hear that the reason I am paying more for gas is not because of supply and demand but because some speculators have driven the price, while our government sits on their collective asses because, hey, it's Wall Street and they are Teflon. I got upset as I watched our country meltdown because of illegal dealings of Wall Street and yet not one person has been prosecuted. In one report, a SEC agent was even told to back off his investigation. I watch as my 401k dwindles. Yeah, I don't have a pension because hey, we did away with those. We decided that putting the money in the stock market was better. So we compelled everyone to move to 401ks. I see people struggling. Meantime, I change the channel because I want to regurgitate because they think it entertaining to show me some millionaire's new plane that looks more like a motorhome and by the way, trimmed in gold. Meantime, more and more see their jobs going overseas, and as they are laid off they get to listen to some Senator tell them too bad as their unemployment runs out. Sometimes, I just want to shut off the TV, turn off the radio, turn off the computer and just tune out. But that's not me. Unlike our government and some of the politicians and corporations, I care about my fellow human beings. I care about the land, the trees, the rivers, the animals. I want to see a world of harmony and balance. And being barraged with all of the news and stories about pollution, global warming, poverty, and the demise of the empire, and yes, we are an empire, I just get weak. So yes, I am against anything that is not for the average Joe. I am against anything that is not for the environment. I am against anything that is not for bringing this world into balance. And because of this, I have been made weak. I have fought depression. I have struggled to want to continue walking this earth walk.

Then you get a simple message like this. Just two sentences of simple wisdom. And instead of collapsing into a heap of despair, you begin to refocus and have a spark of your old self. The words of the serenity prayer come back to you.

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

I can continue to sign ineffective petitions. I will do that because the hope is one day someone will listen. I will continue to speak out against the injustices I believe are being perpretated on the American people. I will continue to bring light on the so-called Christians who want God back in the world, but then move to cut every social program and leave the poor and elderly destitute while lining their own pockets.

I will do all that, but, I will go back to writing of a new world. A world of peace and harmony. A world where all life is respected. A world where a wolf is not murdered because it might one day get hungry and kill a cow that a rancher has on National Forest land. A world where it doesn't matter what your skin color is, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation, as long as you love each other, you can marry and the government will treat it like any other marriage. A world much like John Lennon spoke about in his song Imagine. I find it ironic how many people love that song and the message it brings but do nothing to bring it about. Personally, I would love to see a world without money. Where the measure of a man is by the size of his heart, not his wallet. That is the world I want to live in. Imagine not ever having to worry about whether you have the money to heat your home or drive to work, or pay for medicine? I think it is time to get back to writing about the things I am for. Who knows, maybe it will inspire just the right people that they will bring about the change to make this a better world for all people.

Here's to a brighter future.
My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.
White Wolf of the Turtle Clan