Reading accounts of the death of President John F. Kennedy always makes me cry, but your article, "A city and the nation shocked" (Nov. 21) broke my heart. The story itself is sad, but what really hit me was the quote by William E. Miller, spokesman for the Republicans convening at Hotel Jefferson at the time of Kennedy's assassination. Mr. Miller said they took down the "Beat Kennedy" banner because "We are Americans first and Republicans second."
The hijacking of that party of Republican patriots by today's corporate masters and radical anti-government extremists is one of the saddest stories in our history. I was a Republican back when President Eisenhower sent U.S. soldiers to guard black students attending what had been an all-white high school in Little Rock. I was a proud Republican when President Nixon signed the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and established the Environmental Protection Agency.
When Ronald Reagan was running for president, I read about his idea of "trickle down economics" and knew the country was in big trouble. Now we are paying the piper. The gap between the ultra rich and the rest of us is as wide as it was in the Great Depression, and the party I was once so proud to call my own now has only one goal -- destroying the administration of the current president regardless of the damage to America.
After 9/11, we all rallied around President George W. Bush because we're Americans first. Huge tax cuts and two unfunded wars later, we are facing bankruptcy. President Barack Obama is trying to rebuild an economy massacred by greedy financiers who have no allegiance to our nation. They robbed our pensions and savings. They sliced and diced our home mortages and then bet against our ability to repay them. And now those pulling the strings in Washington say we should all "share the pain." Sadly, there's no way the people in control of the Republican Party today would say "We're Americans first and Republicans Second."
Published in St. Louis Post Dispatch, Nov. 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Thank you, Mr. President
“THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT”
That’s something we don’t hear much these days, but Missourians have much to be thankful for despite these difficult economic times. Why the “good news” doesn’t bubble up to the surface in our public discourse is a topic for another day.
Most Americans don’t realize how much worse their financial situation would be if President Obama and the 111th Congress hadn’t plugged the leak in the ship of state and kept it afloat long enough for businesses to recover.
Immediately after passage of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, Governor Jay Nixon issued an executive order giving the Transform Missouri team (www.transform.gov) within the Office of Administration oversight authority for Missouri’s share of stimulus funds. Much of the money went to help unemployed workers pay their bills and low-income families access medical care. Jobs were saved and created that might otherwise have put thousands more Missouri families at risk of losing their homes.
Although the media won’t tell us, ARRA actually created more private sector jobs than George Bush created in his entire presidency. In my town of Pacific, MO, private construction companies widened the main thoroughfare, replaced all the lights in city buildings with new energy-saving fixtures, and replaced the old blowers at the city waste treatment facility with new, more efficient ones that will save the city $30,000 in electric bills annually. The Transform Missouri website shows how much each Missouri county received in stimulus funds and how many jobs were created. Check out www.recovery.gov for national totals.
Another life saver for many Missourians is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Thanks to this major piece of legislation, Americans no longer have to fear being denied health insurance because of something in their past medical history. Children born with health issues will automatically be covered under their parents’ health plan, meaning no more arguing with clerks in insurance offices. Children can stay on their parents’ insurance plan through age 26 which will help many college students and young workers who otherwise couldn’t afford insurance.
Eventually, when the legislation is fully implemented, 495,000 uninsured Missourians will gain health coverage. Most of the uninsured are in working class families. Healthier workers are more productive and miss fewer days on the job. Small businesses will get help by way of tax credits to help offset the cost of premiums and will get the same benefit on insurance premiums as large employers do when insurance exchanges are set up.
Rural Missourians should see an increase in the number of doctors and health clinics available to them without having to drive all day to get medical care. The National Health Services Corps will receive $1.5 billion in funding for scholarships and loan repayment for primary care physicians and nurses who work in areas where there is a shortage of trained medical personnel. It is common knowledge that preventative care decreases the need for
expensive and painful surgeries and medical interventions.
Missouri has its share of veterans who need good medical care, especially the younger vets returning from several tours of duty overseas. The 111th Congress added $4.6 billion to the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and train more mental health professionals. President Obama signed the Christopher and Dana Reeves Paralysis Act, the first piece of legislation aimed specifically at improving the lives of Americans living with paralysis.
Much of the fear and anger that brought out an unusually high number of voters in the recent election was the result of financial insecurity. People owe more on their homes than they are worth. Many have used up their savings and are paying bills with credit cards. Workers need two or three incomes to support a family because there has not been a significant increase middle-class income for almost 30 years. The wealth gap in the U.S. now mirrors that of the 1930’s Great Depression and is similar to that of many Third World nations.
Financial reform was long overdue, and the Obama administration made the case for creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to look out for the interests of everyday Americans. Now credit card companies will find it much harder to use bait and switch tactics on interest rates. Mortgage lenders will have to actually verify the information from customers about their income, credit history and employment status before issuing loans that people can’t afford to pay back. And banks will no longer be able to gamble with our savings and pension funds.
Despite all the negative press being thrown at our president and the Democrats in Congress, Missourians have a lot to be thankful for , and historians will write the last chapter of this era with more objectivity than today’s media.
That’s something we don’t hear much these days, but Missourians have much to be thankful for despite these difficult economic times. Why the “good news” doesn’t bubble up to the surface in our public discourse is a topic for another day.
Most Americans don’t realize how much worse their financial situation would be if President Obama and the 111th Congress hadn’t plugged the leak in the ship of state and kept it afloat long enough for businesses to recover.
Immediately after passage of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, Governor Jay Nixon issued an executive order giving the Transform Missouri team (www.transform.gov) within the Office of Administration oversight authority for Missouri’s share of stimulus funds. Much of the money went to help unemployed workers pay their bills and low-income families access medical care. Jobs were saved and created that might otherwise have put thousands more Missouri families at risk of losing their homes.
Although the media won’t tell us, ARRA actually created more private sector jobs than George Bush created in his entire presidency. In my town of Pacific, MO, private construction companies widened the main thoroughfare, replaced all the lights in city buildings with new energy-saving fixtures, and replaced the old blowers at the city waste treatment facility with new, more efficient ones that will save the city $30,000 in electric bills annually. The Transform Missouri website shows how much each Missouri county received in stimulus funds and how many jobs were created. Check out www.recovery.gov for national totals.
Another life saver for many Missourians is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Thanks to this major piece of legislation, Americans no longer have to fear being denied health insurance because of something in their past medical history. Children born with health issues will automatically be covered under their parents’ health plan, meaning no more arguing with clerks in insurance offices. Children can stay on their parents’ insurance plan through age 26 which will help many college students and young workers who otherwise couldn’t afford insurance.
Eventually, when the legislation is fully implemented, 495,000 uninsured Missourians will gain health coverage. Most of the uninsured are in working class families. Healthier workers are more productive and miss fewer days on the job. Small businesses will get help by way of tax credits to help offset the cost of premiums and will get the same benefit on insurance premiums as large employers do when insurance exchanges are set up.
Rural Missourians should see an increase in the number of doctors and health clinics available to them without having to drive all day to get medical care. The National Health Services Corps will receive $1.5 billion in funding for scholarships and loan repayment for primary care physicians and nurses who work in areas where there is a shortage of trained medical personnel. It is common knowledge that preventative care decreases the need for
expensive and painful surgeries and medical interventions.
Missouri has its share of veterans who need good medical care, especially the younger vets returning from several tours of duty overseas. The 111th Congress added $4.6 billion to the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and train more mental health professionals. President Obama signed the Christopher and Dana Reeves Paralysis Act, the first piece of legislation aimed specifically at improving the lives of Americans living with paralysis.
Much of the fear and anger that brought out an unusually high number of voters in the recent election was the result of financial insecurity. People owe more on their homes than they are worth. Many have used up their savings and are paying bills with credit cards. Workers need two or three incomes to support a family because there has not been a significant increase middle-class income for almost 30 years. The wealth gap in the U.S. now mirrors that of the 1930’s Great Depression and is similar to that of many Third World nations.
Financial reform was long overdue, and the Obama administration made the case for creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to look out for the interests of everyday Americans. Now credit card companies will find it much harder to use bait and switch tactics on interest rates. Mortgage lenders will have to actually verify the information from customers about their income, credit history and employment status before issuing loans that people can’t afford to pay back. And banks will no longer be able to gamble with our savings and pension funds.
Despite all the negative press being thrown at our president and the Democrats in Congress, Missourians have a lot to be thankful for , and historians will write the last chapter of this era with more objectivity than today’s media.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Five steps forward, three steps back
A recent issue of Newsweek had a timeline explaining that there have always been backlash periods after major progressive changes in our country. So no surprise that the crazies are out screaming about socialism taking over the country today. The same thing happened to FDR, LBJ, etc. But, when you think about it, most of the reforms became an integral and accepted part of our everyday lives. So far, at least, we've not heard the wingnuts preaching that women shouldn't be allowed to vote, that orphans should be locked up in big, brick buildings or that old people should live in their kids' basements. (Well, that last one might be up for grabs soon if the "privatization" of Social Security ball gets rolling again.)
I used to demonstrate the slow process of reform movements to my students by literally taking 5 steps forward and 3 steps back, 5 steps forward and 2 steps back, etc. There's always a backlash, a time for digesting the changes which seem radical to many citizens. How exactly was Social Security going to work out? Who would be covered? Who should pay the extra tax? These questions had to be answered over a several year period.
Health care reform, although not as "radical" as most of us had hoped, is still a big change in the way we think about sharing the cost of medical care. Wall Street reforms have the banks screaming bloody murder, but those changes will become incorporated into the way they do business whether they like it or not. So the cycle will repeat itself on Tuesday. Conservatives will win some elections because the voters have been drowned in apocalyptical messages ever since President Obama took office.
But he will be seen by future historians as a great reformer and one who accomplished amazing things despite all the lies and vicious attacks on him personally. Let's hang in there and keep moving forward. Let's keep our "Eyes on the Prize" and celebrate the fact that we know history is on our side.
susan
I used to demonstrate the slow process of reform movements to my students by literally taking 5 steps forward and 3 steps back, 5 steps forward and 2 steps back, etc. There's always a backlash, a time for digesting the changes which seem radical to many citizens. How exactly was Social Security going to work out? Who would be covered? Who should pay the extra tax? These questions had to be answered over a several year period.
Health care reform, although not as "radical" as most of us had hoped, is still a big change in the way we think about sharing the cost of medical care. Wall Street reforms have the banks screaming bloody murder, but those changes will become incorporated into the way they do business whether they like it or not. So the cycle will repeat itself on Tuesday. Conservatives will win some elections because the voters have been drowned in apocalyptical messages ever since President Obama took office.
But he will be seen by future historians as a great reformer and one who accomplished amazing things despite all the lies and vicious attacks on him personally. Let's hang in there and keep moving forward. Let's keep our "Eyes on the Prize" and celebrate the fact that we know history is on our side.
susan
Thursday, October 28, 2010
If you go to Branson.....be careful
My husband and I just returned from a few days in Branson. We were hoping for some nice fall colors, but that part of the state is even duller this year than the St. Louis area. At the last minute I decided not to take my car which is a moving advertisement for all things Democratic because, I'm sorry to admit, I was afraid. SW Missouri has a well-earned reputation for keeping the local folks pretty much in the Dark Ages. I lived in Springfield during the 1970's and part of the 80's, so I know whereof I speak.
My mood was probably influenced by something that happened last week as I was coming home after dark on I-44. Even though we were virtually alone on the highway, the driver of a semi pulled up close behind me and then began blinking his lights. I know that rude drivers do that when someone is poking along in the passing lane, but I was in the middle lane. He could pass me on either side easily. He continued tailgating and flashing his lights for a few more miles while I tried to stay in my lane hoping he would pass me. Finally he did pass, on the right, and laid on his horn as he went by. I don't know if he was trying to tell me to move into the right lane or if he didn't like my bumper stickers. My husand thinks it was the latter. He's probably right.
So we took my husband's very conventional Chevy Malibu, sans bumper stickers, to Branson. Springfield is Roy Blunt's home base, so it was no surprise to see hundreds of big "ROY" signs. There were also many "Vote No on Prop B" and "Vote YES on Prop A" signs as well. SW Missouri is teeming with puppy mills as well as voters who believe "Let Voters Decide" is a good idea. The Branson area is hosting a huge veterans celebration next week which is a natural extension of many of the year round shows there. During the height of the Iraq war hysteria, we attended a patriotic music show (only because we had out-of-state guests who wanted to go) where the grand finale brought the flag and cross together as one huge symbol of love of country.
The subtle blending of religion and patriotism blankets the hill country like morning fog. Busloads of senior citizens come from all over the country to revel in it and to go home "saved" once again. I thought I was beyond being shocked by all the appeals to emotional servitude, but one gigantic billboard caught my attention. It was a double size sign - enormous and hard to miss - along hwy 76 just outside the actual City of Branson. The letters that spelled out "Book of Revelations" were in the shape of a question mark. Next to that it said, "What Does it Mean" and "Who is the Anti-Christ?"
I didn't catch the details about where this "show" was being presented, but I certainly caught the message. And I can guess who the anti-Christ is. This is what rational people are up against. Wingnuts like the tea partiers come and go over time, but this foundation of nativism provides the bedrock for the type of fanaticism that always was and always will be a part of our American character.
The good news is that, according to the executive director of the Greene County (Springfield) Democrats, Springfield now votes close to 50% Democratic. So maybe there is still hope.
My mood was probably influenced by something that happened last week as I was coming home after dark on I-44. Even though we were virtually alone on the highway, the driver of a semi pulled up close behind me and then began blinking his lights. I know that rude drivers do that when someone is poking along in the passing lane, but I was in the middle lane. He could pass me on either side easily. He continued tailgating and flashing his lights for a few more miles while I tried to stay in my lane hoping he would pass me. Finally he did pass, on the right, and laid on his horn as he went by. I don't know if he was trying to tell me to move into the right lane or if he didn't like my bumper stickers. My husand thinks it was the latter. He's probably right.
So we took my husband's very conventional Chevy Malibu, sans bumper stickers, to Branson. Springfield is Roy Blunt's home base, so it was no surprise to see hundreds of big "ROY" signs. There were also many "Vote No on Prop B" and "Vote YES on Prop A" signs as well. SW Missouri is teeming with puppy mills as well as voters who believe "Let Voters Decide" is a good idea. The Branson area is hosting a huge veterans celebration next week which is a natural extension of many of the year round shows there. During the height of the Iraq war hysteria, we attended a patriotic music show (only because we had out-of-state guests who wanted to go) where the grand finale brought the flag and cross together as one huge symbol of love of country.
The subtle blending of religion and patriotism blankets the hill country like morning fog. Busloads of senior citizens come from all over the country to revel in it and to go home "saved" once again. I thought I was beyond being shocked by all the appeals to emotional servitude, but one gigantic billboard caught my attention. It was a double size sign - enormous and hard to miss - along hwy 76 just outside the actual City of Branson. The letters that spelled out "Book of Revelations" were in the shape of a question mark. Next to that it said, "What Does it Mean" and "Who is the Anti-Christ?"
I didn't catch the details about where this "show" was being presented, but I certainly caught the message. And I can guess who the anti-Christ is. This is what rational people are up against. Wingnuts like the tea partiers come and go over time, but this foundation of nativism provides the bedrock for the type of fanaticism that always was and always will be a part of our American character.
The good news is that, according to the executive director of the Greene County (Springfield) Democrats, Springfield now votes close to 50% Democratic. So maybe there is still hope.
Friday, October 22, 2010
George and Nelson
George and Nelson
Two Lives, both Good
I attended two memorial services within 24 hours on Friday, October 15th and Saturday, October 16th. Both services were for older men who died of cancer. Both men had been teachers, and both lived by their spiritual beliefs. Chillingly, both men died exactly one month before their next birthday.
Neither man was a war hawk, but they both served in the military as part of their sense of obligation to something larger than their personal life stories.
Both men remained married to their first sweetheart for over half a century and raised a small family. George fathered a daughter and a son, Nelson three daughters. At the memorial services, the genuine love and admiration for their fathers was keenly evident to those of us who didn’t really know either man all that well.
What separates the two men and their life stories is the different spiritual paths they chose. Although they both came from humble, rural backgrounds, each was led by an inner light of a different color. Having been raised on an Iowa farm, George was surrounded by nature and evidently sought consolation in it. His father died when he was seven years old, and his mother raised four boys in the kind of poverty typical of the Great Depression.
George excelled in school and, naturally, chose biology as his college major. One of the speakers at his service summed up George’s intense curiosity about the world around him with this line: “The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder.” George taught his students to wonder, to be curious, to open their minds to endless possibilities. After he retired from teaching, he led tours of Rockwoods Reservation, and a plaque thanking him for his 1,000 hours of volunteer time was displayed during the post-memorial service reception. One can only wish to have been on one of his nature walks and sharing his excitement and awe of the complex living things around him.
Evidently, from the comments by speakers at the service, Darwin was foremost in George’s understanding of the natural world. In his honor, one of the lay ministers at the Unitarian Universalist service wrote a hymn to Darwin and sang a few lines for us.
The issue of what happens after a person’s body dies didn’t really figure into the service for George except in the sense that we can all imagine his former students “wondering” about the living world around them and inspiring others to feel their same sense of awe. In this way, George still lives and will for many generations hence.
Nelson, too, was a child of the Great Depression. His early surroundings in rural Missouri molded him into a fervent Christian believer which he practiced wholeheartedly until just weeks before his death. He taught school and served as an assistant principal. The students called him “the nice principal,” and, from what people said about him at his memorial service, he must have been one of the kindest, gentlest human beings the world has known. His daughters shared some of their wonderful moments with their father, and we all got a glimpse into the life of this humorous, life-loving man. He told his “girls” that there was no need to be angry enough to call anyone anything worse than a “turkey.” That would certainly be a valuable lesson for all of us, especially in this age of nasty name calling on TV.
The minister at Nelson’s Methodist service described a life dedicated to Christ and Christ’s work here on Earth. Mission trips, leadership roles on several church committees, regular attendance and support of the church all figured into Nelson’s daily comings and goings. There was no doubt in the minds of those in attendance that Nelson had “gone to the Lord” and that his family would join him someday. That is a comforting image for those who felt their love for another so deeply and whose sense of loss is too painful to bear. “I’ll Fly Away” was our “hymn of victory” for Nelson.
Both services were followed by the sharing of food, a communion of sorts, and a recognition that physical death is inevitable. But both of these men live on, each in his own way.
Susan Cunningham
October 2010
Two Lives, both Good
I attended two memorial services within 24 hours on Friday, October 15th and Saturday, October 16th. Both services were for older men who died of cancer. Both men had been teachers, and both lived by their spiritual beliefs. Chillingly, both men died exactly one month before their next birthday.
Neither man was a war hawk, but they both served in the military as part of their sense of obligation to something larger than their personal life stories.
Both men remained married to their first sweetheart for over half a century and raised a small family. George fathered a daughter and a son, Nelson three daughters. At the memorial services, the genuine love and admiration for their fathers was keenly evident to those of us who didn’t really know either man all that well.
What separates the two men and their life stories is the different spiritual paths they chose. Although they both came from humble, rural backgrounds, each was led by an inner light of a different color. Having been raised on an Iowa farm, George was surrounded by nature and evidently sought consolation in it. His father died when he was seven years old, and his mother raised four boys in the kind of poverty typical of the Great Depression.
George excelled in school and, naturally, chose biology as his college major. One of the speakers at his service summed up George’s intense curiosity about the world around him with this line: “The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder.” George taught his students to wonder, to be curious, to open their minds to endless possibilities. After he retired from teaching, he led tours of Rockwoods Reservation, and a plaque thanking him for his 1,000 hours of volunteer time was displayed during the post-memorial service reception. One can only wish to have been on one of his nature walks and sharing his excitement and awe of the complex living things around him.
Evidently, from the comments by speakers at the service, Darwin was foremost in George’s understanding of the natural world. In his honor, one of the lay ministers at the Unitarian Universalist service wrote a hymn to Darwin and sang a few lines for us.
The issue of what happens after a person’s body dies didn’t really figure into the service for George except in the sense that we can all imagine his former students “wondering” about the living world around them and inspiring others to feel their same sense of awe. In this way, George still lives and will for many generations hence.
Nelson, too, was a child of the Great Depression. His early surroundings in rural Missouri molded him into a fervent Christian believer which he practiced wholeheartedly until just weeks before his death. He taught school and served as an assistant principal. The students called him “the nice principal,” and, from what people said about him at his memorial service, he must have been one of the kindest, gentlest human beings the world has known. His daughters shared some of their wonderful moments with their father, and we all got a glimpse into the life of this humorous, life-loving man. He told his “girls” that there was no need to be angry enough to call anyone anything worse than a “turkey.” That would certainly be a valuable lesson for all of us, especially in this age of nasty name calling on TV.
The minister at Nelson’s Methodist service described a life dedicated to Christ and Christ’s work here on Earth. Mission trips, leadership roles on several church committees, regular attendance and support of the church all figured into Nelson’s daily comings and goings. There was no doubt in the minds of those in attendance that Nelson had “gone to the Lord” and that his family would join him someday. That is a comforting image for those who felt their love for another so deeply and whose sense of loss is too painful to bear. “I’ll Fly Away” was our “hymn of victory” for Nelson.
Both services were followed by the sharing of food, a communion of sorts, and a recognition that physical death is inevitable. But both of these men live on, each in his own way.
Susan Cunningham
October 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
If you earn less than $250,000 and vote Republican...
If you earn less than $250,000 a year and vote
Republican, you are cutting your own throat.
And here’s why:
The Republican Party is the political arm of corporate America.
The Democratic Party is trying to regain some of the security and benefits that middle class Americans enjoyed between 1950 and 1980.
But the Republicans don’t want us to narrow that gap between the rich and the poor because they want ALL the goodies for their corporate friends, military contractors and lobbyists. There are many charts in recent newspapers and online showing how the gap between rich and poor in this country has widened remarkably in the last two decades. In fact, that gap is as great now as back in the Roaring Twenties when a Republican administration “roared” us right into the stock market crash and the Great Depression. Thanks to the Democrats under Franklin Roosevelt, the country recovered and things were pretty good for workers through the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Then came “Reaganomics” which even George Bush Sr. called “voodoo economics.” “Trickle down” is the assumption that, if the rich have lots of extra cash, they’ll use it to create jobs. Don’t believe it. One filthy rich CEO recently bought a castle in Germany with some of his extra money. No kidding. (“60 Minutes”)
You can believe the lies and nonsense being thrown in your face 24/7, or you can use the brains God gave you and do some homework.
FACT #1 - Tax cuts for the super rich DO NOT create jobs by themselves. After passing the biggest tax cut in history, the G W Bush administration created about 3 million jobs during eight years, a fraction of the 23 million created under the Clinton administration. The Wall Street Journal (a conservative paper owned by billionaire Rupert Murdoch) did a study of job growth and concluded that Bush had the “worst track record” of all presidents. (Jan. 9, 2009)
FACT # 2: When Congress passed the biggest tax cut in history in 2001, they put a 10 year limit on it because they knew that loss of revenue would wreak havoc on the federal budget. So those tax cuts are scheduled to expire this coming January. Republicans want to continue those tax cuts at the same time they are screaming like crazy about the federal deficit. Democrats want to continue the tax cuts ONLY for those making less than $250,000. That’s where you come in. Your taxes will NOT go up in January if you make less than $250,000 a year. So don’t believe Roy Blunt’s “job killing tax increase” propaganda in his TV ads.
FACT #3: Corporations sitting on piles of cash are NOT creating new jobs or hiring back their laid off employees. (Newsweek, Aug. 2, p. 26) The grim truth is that they are waiting until after the November 2nd election because they don’t want President Obama and the Democrats to get credit for improving the employment numbers. They want Republicans to win seats in Congress because the Republicans will roll back the programs the Democrats have passed that help working and middle class Americans. (The Affordable Health Care Act, consumer protection from out-of-control credit card interest rates, work safety laws, etc.) They not only will roll back these new protections, they also want to “privatize” Social Security and Medicare. Bankers and investment brokers are just itching to get their hands on that money so they can gamble with it for their own profit. JUST SAY NO WAY !!
FACT #4: Don’t believe the “failed stimulus” lie either. Ask the guys working on all the road construction around you where the money came from to pay them. Ask your neighbors who have been able to fix their plumbing and furnace problems because of grants from the stimulus funds. Ask your city and county managers where the money came from for those new street lights, sewage treatment facility and salary for the police officers that were going to be laid off. They are thankful for the income and spend it directly in our communities.
Fact # 5: The so-called grassroots anti-Obama campaign is actually being funded by billionaires who just can’t stand having to treat their employees like human beings and who want to stamp their name on buildings like monuments to themselves. They ship jobs overseas, hide their profits from the IRS by setting up fake offices in other countries, and are killing us by dumping toxic crap in our water. BP is just the symbol of the many companies destroying the environment for profit. Google the Koch brothers (Charles & David,) Americans for Prosperity and the American Legislative Exchange Council. Over the last few decades, a handful of incredibly wealthy people have been funding think tanks that do nothing all day but think up ways to convince you that it’s not the government’s job to make it easier for you to get an education, job training or health care. Read Jane Mayer’s article in the August 30 issue of New Yorker magazine.
To sum: you can let them distract you with nonsense that has nothing to do with helping you support your family. OR you can look behind the smokescreen and refuse to be hypnotized into voting against your own best interest.
America is strong when its middle class is strong. We can rebuild the middle class if we ask candidates which side they are on – Wall Street or Main Street.
Republican, you are cutting your own throat.
And here’s why:
The Republican Party is the political arm of corporate America.
The Democratic Party is trying to regain some of the security and benefits that middle class Americans enjoyed between 1950 and 1980.
But the Republicans don’t want us to narrow that gap between the rich and the poor because they want ALL the goodies for their corporate friends, military contractors and lobbyists. There are many charts in recent newspapers and online showing how the gap between rich and poor in this country has widened remarkably in the last two decades. In fact, that gap is as great now as back in the Roaring Twenties when a Republican administration “roared” us right into the stock market crash and the Great Depression. Thanks to the Democrats under Franklin Roosevelt, the country recovered and things were pretty good for workers through the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Then came “Reaganomics” which even George Bush Sr. called “voodoo economics.” “Trickle down” is the assumption that, if the rich have lots of extra cash, they’ll use it to create jobs. Don’t believe it. One filthy rich CEO recently bought a castle in Germany with some of his extra money. No kidding. (“60 Minutes”)
You can believe the lies and nonsense being thrown in your face 24/7, or you can use the brains God gave you and do some homework.
FACT #1 - Tax cuts for the super rich DO NOT create jobs by themselves. After passing the biggest tax cut in history, the G W Bush administration created about 3 million jobs during eight years, a fraction of the 23 million created under the Clinton administration. The Wall Street Journal (a conservative paper owned by billionaire Rupert Murdoch) did a study of job growth and concluded that Bush had the “worst track record” of all presidents. (Jan. 9, 2009)
FACT # 2: When Congress passed the biggest tax cut in history in 2001, they put a 10 year limit on it because they knew that loss of revenue would wreak havoc on the federal budget. So those tax cuts are scheduled to expire this coming January. Republicans want to continue those tax cuts at the same time they are screaming like crazy about the federal deficit. Democrats want to continue the tax cuts ONLY for those making less than $250,000. That’s where you come in. Your taxes will NOT go up in January if you make less than $250,000 a year. So don’t believe Roy Blunt’s “job killing tax increase” propaganda in his TV ads.
FACT #3: Corporations sitting on piles of cash are NOT creating new jobs or hiring back their laid off employees. (Newsweek, Aug. 2, p. 26) The grim truth is that they are waiting until after the November 2nd election because they don’t want President Obama and the Democrats to get credit for improving the employment numbers. They want Republicans to win seats in Congress because the Republicans will roll back the programs the Democrats have passed that help working and middle class Americans. (The Affordable Health Care Act, consumer protection from out-of-control credit card interest rates, work safety laws, etc.) They not only will roll back these new protections, they also want to “privatize” Social Security and Medicare. Bankers and investment brokers are just itching to get their hands on that money so they can gamble with it for their own profit. JUST SAY NO WAY !!
FACT #4: Don’t believe the “failed stimulus” lie either. Ask the guys working on all the road construction around you where the money came from to pay them. Ask your neighbors who have been able to fix their plumbing and furnace problems because of grants from the stimulus funds. Ask your city and county managers where the money came from for those new street lights, sewage treatment facility and salary for the police officers that were going to be laid off. They are thankful for the income and spend it directly in our communities.
Fact # 5: The so-called grassroots anti-Obama campaign is actually being funded by billionaires who just can’t stand having to treat their employees like human beings and who want to stamp their name on buildings like monuments to themselves. They ship jobs overseas, hide their profits from the IRS by setting up fake offices in other countries, and are killing us by dumping toxic crap in our water. BP is just the symbol of the many companies destroying the environment for profit. Google the Koch brothers (Charles & David,) Americans for Prosperity and the American Legislative Exchange Council. Over the last few decades, a handful of incredibly wealthy people have been funding think tanks that do nothing all day but think up ways to convince you that it’s not the government’s job to make it easier for you to get an education, job training or health care. Read Jane Mayer’s article in the August 30 issue of New Yorker magazine.
To sum: you can let them distract you with nonsense that has nothing to do with helping you support your family. OR you can look behind the smokescreen and refuse to be hypnotized into voting against your own best interest.
America is strong when its middle class is strong. We can rebuild the middle class if we ask candidates which side they are on – Wall Street or Main Street.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Glenn Beck's perversion of Christianity
This article in the Washington Post says it all. Glenn Beck says President Obama's interpretation of the New Testament leans too heavily on helping the poor and dispossessed. Say what? I endured four years of New Testament classes at a Jesuit college many decades ago. My memory is not as acute as it once was, but I vaguely remember stories in the gospel about Jesus feeding hordes of people, healing the sick (even to the point of bringing a few of them back to life after they'd already died,)
feeling sorry for women who were being mistreated by their husbands, telling people not to throw stones at each other, etc. I thought Jesus was all about peace, love and compassion.
Glenn Beck has made the case that "real" Christians don't fall for that kind of malarkey. In fact, he claims that the majority of American Christians don't believe as President Obama does that it is noble and good to feel empathy for those who are suffering. I don't have the ability to read the hearts of millions of Christians as Beck obviously does, but I know most Christian churches have all kinds of mission work that they do. And the goal of those missions is to help poor people, sick people, people who have been imprisoned unjustly, people who have lost everything they owned in a natural disaster, and people in general need of some hope and reassurance that life is worth living.
This is not about religion at all, folks. This is about corporations, LARGE, POWERFUL corporations and individual billionaires who don't want Congress and this President to bring some balance back to our economic system. They are mad as hell that health insurance reform passed and that Congress is putting the brakes on wildcat gambling with our pension money. They want to privatize Social Security so they can get their hands on that money for their own greedy purposes. They're quaking in their dirty little boots about climate change legislation because they've gotten rich from keeping us slaves to fossil fuels.
Glenn Beck says President Obama has perverted the meaning of Christ's message. If Beck wants to see the real pervert, he need only look in the mirror.
Those of you who attend a Christian church that still holds to the gospel of helping others had better start yelling from the rooftops because charlatans like Beck are spitting on the cross and getting rich doing it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/29/AR2010082903889_2.html?sid=ST2010082903985
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
Martin Luther King Jr.
feeling sorry for women who were being mistreated by their husbands, telling people not to throw stones at each other, etc. I thought Jesus was all about peace, love and compassion.
Glenn Beck has made the case that "real" Christians don't fall for that kind of malarkey. In fact, he claims that the majority of American Christians don't believe as President Obama does that it is noble and good to feel empathy for those who are suffering. I don't have the ability to read the hearts of millions of Christians as Beck obviously does, but I know most Christian churches have all kinds of mission work that they do. And the goal of those missions is to help poor people, sick people, people who have been imprisoned unjustly, people who have lost everything they owned in a natural disaster, and people in general need of some hope and reassurance that life is worth living.
This is not about religion at all, folks. This is about corporations, LARGE, POWERFUL corporations and individual billionaires who don't want Congress and this President to bring some balance back to our economic system. They are mad as hell that health insurance reform passed and that Congress is putting the brakes on wildcat gambling with our pension money. They want to privatize Social Security so they can get their hands on that money for their own greedy purposes. They're quaking in their dirty little boots about climate change legislation because they've gotten rich from keeping us slaves to fossil fuels.
Glenn Beck says President Obama has perverted the meaning of Christ's message. If Beck wants to see the real pervert, he need only look in the mirror.
Those of you who attend a Christian church that still holds to the gospel of helping others had better start yelling from the rooftops because charlatans like Beck are spitting on the cross and getting rich doing it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/29/AR2010082903889_2.html?sid=ST2010082903985
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
Martin Luther King Jr.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Authors of US Constitution too high-minded?
Letter to Post Dispatch, August 21, 2010
In criticizing President Obama's defense of the First Amendment as it applies to the trumped-up controversy about a Muslim community center building two blocks from where they World Trade Center stood, Richard Wagner says the President is "concerned only with a high-minded and elitist ideal..." (8/21) I guess that puts the President in the company of John Dickinson, Gouverneur Morris, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine, Edmund Randolph, James Madison, Roger Sherman, James Wilson, and George Wythe. These authors of the U.S. Constitution did, indeed, have high hopes for the new democracy they created. Sad to say, we allow these ideals to be trampled in the gutter when we don't defend them. Even sadder is the fact that the people who want to turn our country into a nation of slave workers with no rights can distract us from their evil plan by throwing one hot button issue after another at us. This week it's a Muslim building project. What will it be next week? I wonder if the men who wrote the Constitution ever dreamed the day would come when Americans would condemn their "high-minded and elitist" ideals?
In criticizing President Obama's defense of the First Amendment as it applies to the trumped-up controversy about a Muslim community center building two blocks from where they World Trade Center stood, Richard Wagner says the President is "concerned only with a high-minded and elitist ideal..." (8/21) I guess that puts the President in the company of John Dickinson, Gouverneur Morris, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine, Edmund Randolph, James Madison, Roger Sherman, James Wilson, and George Wythe. These authors of the U.S. Constitution did, indeed, have high hopes for the new democracy they created. Sad to say, we allow these ideals to be trampled in the gutter when we don't defend them. Even sadder is the fact that the people who want to turn our country into a nation of slave workers with no rights can distract us from their evil plan by throwing one hot button issue after another at us. This week it's a Muslim building project. What will it be next week? I wonder if the men who wrote the Constitution ever dreamed the day would come when Americans would condemn their "high-minded and elitist" ideals?
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Great Unraveling
FW: The Great Unraveling
Posted by: "Susan Cunningham" suejimdoer@msn.com
Tue Aug 10, 2010 5:58 am (PDT)
Shortly after it was published in 2003, I read Paul Krugman's The Great Unraveling: Losing our Way in the New Century.
He predicted everything that is happening to our country now. We've made a U-turn and are heading back to the same conditions that it took us 50 years to improve. The philosophy behind the Republican supply-side economics (tax cuts for the rich so they'll create jobs and the benefits will trickle down to everyone) goes back to Milton Friedman's exhortations to his students 40 years ago. The message is founded on the sincere belief that it is not the government's job to help individuals. The government should limit itself to national defense and maybe catching crooks using interstate commerce as their vehicle.
Krugman described the unraveling of the safety net now taking place. The anti-government preachers have made progress (by their definition) in dismantling public education so private companies can make a profit from running schools. They certainly have decimated the social welfare programs including support for the safety of mentally ill Americans. Building and operating jails is now one of the biggest businesses in the country, but we're laying off teachers and social workers.
And the biggest fish is Social Security which is why we're hearing alarmist stories about its solvency. Don't panic. That's just more fear-mongering on the part of the horror story experts. Do some homework before swallowing the propaganda.
So here we are, reaping the benefits of 30 years of conservative politics. In other countries, we call people who want to go back to the way things were in the past reactionaries. Given how the Tea Partiers want to take apart the amendments to the Constitiution, we may well end up back in the 18th century which they seem to adore. Actually, a little peace and quiet - no TV, internet, etc., does sound kind of good right now.
Read more below.
August 8, 2010
America Goes Dark
By PAUL KRUGMAN
The lights are going out all over America — literally. Colorado Springs has made headlines with its desperate attempt to save money by turning off a third of its streetlights, but similar things are either happening or being contemplated across the nation, from Philadelphia to Fresno.
Meanwhile, a country that once amazed the world with its visionary investments in transportation, from the Erie Canal to the Interstate Highway System, is now in the process of unpaving itself: in a number of states, local governments are breaking up roads they can no longer afford to maintain, and returning them to gravel.
And a nation that once prized education — that was among the first to provide basic schooling to all its children — is now cutting back. Teachers are being laid off; programs are being canceled; in Hawaii, the school year itself is being drastically shortened. And all signs point to even more cuts ahead.
We’re told that we have no choice, that basic government functions — essential services that have been provided for generations — are no longer affordable. And it’s true that state and local governments, hit hard by the recession, are cash-strapped. But they wouldn’t be quite as cash-strapped if their politicians were willing to consider at least some tax increases.
And the federal government, which can sell inflation-protected long-term bonds at an interest rate of only 1.04 percent, isn’t cash-strapped at all. It could and should be offering aid to local governments, to protect the future of our infrastructure and our children.
But Washington is providing only a trickle of help, and even that grudgingly. We must place priority on reducing the deficit, say Republicans and “centrist” Democrats. And then, virtually in the next breath, they declare that we must preserve tax cuts for the very affluent, at a budget cost of $700 billion over the next decade.
In effect, a large part of our political class is showing its priorities: given the choice between asking the richest 2 percent or so of Americans to go back to paying the tax rates they paid during the Clinton-era boom, or allowing the nation’s foundations to crumble — literally in the case of roads, figuratively in the case of education — they’re choosing the latter.
It’s a disastrous choice in both the short run and the long run.
In the short run, those state and local cutbacks are a major drag on the economy, perpetuating devastatingly high unemployment.
It’s crucial to keep state and local government in mind when you hear people ranting about runaway government spending under President Obama. Yes, the federal government is spending more, although not as much as you might think. But state and local governments are cutting back. And if you add them together, it turns out that the only big spending increases have been in safety-net programs like unemployment insurance, which have soared in cost thanks to the severity of the slump.
That is, for all the talk of a failed stimulus, if you look at government spending as a whole you see hardly any stimulus at all. And with federal spending now trailing off, while big state and local cutbacks continue, we’re going into reverse.
But isn’t keeping taxes for the affluent low also a form of stimulus? Not so you’d notice. When we save a schoolteacher’s job, that unambiguously aids employment; when we give millionaires more money instead, there’s a good chance that most of that money will just sit idle.
And what about the economy’s future? Everything we know about economic growth says that a well-educated population and high-quality infrastructure are crucial. Emerging nations are making huge efforts to upgrade their roads, their ports and their schools. Yet in America we’re going backward.
How did we get to this point? It’s the logical consequence of three decades of antigovernment rhetoric, rhetoric that has convinced many voters that a dollar collected in taxes is always a dollar wasted, that the public sector can’t do anything right.
The antigovernment campaign has always been phrased in terms of opposition to waste and fraud — to checks sent to welfare queens driving Cadillacs, to vast armies of bureaucrats uselessly pushing paper around. But those were myths, of course; there was never remotely as much waste and fraud as the right claimed. And now that the campaign has reached fruition, we’re seeing what was actually in the firing line: services that everyone except the very rich need, services that government must provide or nobody will, like lighted streets, drivable roads and decent schooling for the public as a whole.
So the end result of the long campaign against government is that we’ve taken a disastrously wrong turn. America is now on the unlit, unpaved road to nowhere.
Posted by: "Susan Cunningham" suejimdoer@msn.com
Tue Aug 10, 2010 5:58 am (PDT)
Shortly after it was published in 2003, I read Paul Krugman's The Great Unraveling: Losing our Way in the New Century.
He predicted everything that is happening to our country now. We've made a U-turn and are heading back to the same conditions that it took us 50 years to improve. The philosophy behind the Republican supply-side economics (tax cuts for the rich so they'll create jobs and the benefits will trickle down to everyone) goes back to Milton Friedman's exhortations to his students 40 years ago. The message is founded on the sincere belief that it is not the government's job to help individuals. The government should limit itself to national defense and maybe catching crooks using interstate commerce as their vehicle.
Krugman described the unraveling of the safety net now taking place. The anti-government preachers have made progress (by their definition) in dismantling public education so private companies can make a profit from running schools. They certainly have decimated the social welfare programs including support for the safety of mentally ill Americans. Building and operating jails is now one of the biggest businesses in the country, but we're laying off teachers and social workers.
And the biggest fish is Social Security which is why we're hearing alarmist stories about its solvency. Don't panic. That's just more fear-mongering on the part of the horror story experts. Do some homework before swallowing the propaganda.
So here we are, reaping the benefits of 30 years of conservative politics. In other countries, we call people who want to go back to the way things were in the past reactionaries. Given how the Tea Partiers want to take apart the amendments to the Constitiution, we may well end up back in the 18th century which they seem to adore. Actually, a little peace and quiet - no TV, internet, etc., does sound kind of good right now.
Read more below.
August 8, 2010
America Goes Dark
By PAUL KRUGMAN
The lights are going out all over America — literally. Colorado Springs has made headlines with its desperate attempt to save money by turning off a third of its streetlights, but similar things are either happening or being contemplated across the nation, from Philadelphia to Fresno.
Meanwhile, a country that once amazed the world with its visionary investments in transportation, from the Erie Canal to the Interstate Highway System, is now in the process of unpaving itself: in a number of states, local governments are breaking up roads they can no longer afford to maintain, and returning them to gravel.
And a nation that once prized education — that was among the first to provide basic schooling to all its children — is now cutting back. Teachers are being laid off; programs are being canceled; in Hawaii, the school year itself is being drastically shortened. And all signs point to even more cuts ahead.
We’re told that we have no choice, that basic government functions — essential services that have been provided for generations — are no longer affordable. And it’s true that state and local governments, hit hard by the recession, are cash-strapped. But they wouldn’t be quite as cash-strapped if their politicians were willing to consider at least some tax increases.
And the federal government, which can sell inflation-protected long-term bonds at an interest rate of only 1.04 percent, isn’t cash-strapped at all. It could and should be offering aid to local governments, to protect the future of our infrastructure and our children.
But Washington is providing only a trickle of help, and even that grudgingly. We must place priority on reducing the deficit, say Republicans and “centrist” Democrats. And then, virtually in the next breath, they declare that we must preserve tax cuts for the very affluent, at a budget cost of $700 billion over the next decade.
In effect, a large part of our political class is showing its priorities: given the choice between asking the richest 2 percent or so of Americans to go back to paying the tax rates they paid during the Clinton-era boom, or allowing the nation’s foundations to crumble — literally in the case of roads, figuratively in the case of education — they’re choosing the latter.
It’s a disastrous choice in both the short run and the long run.
In the short run, those state and local cutbacks are a major drag on the economy, perpetuating devastatingly high unemployment.
It’s crucial to keep state and local government in mind when you hear people ranting about runaway government spending under President Obama. Yes, the federal government is spending more, although not as much as you might think. But state and local governments are cutting back. And if you add them together, it turns out that the only big spending increases have been in safety-net programs like unemployment insurance, which have soared in cost thanks to the severity of the slump.
That is, for all the talk of a failed stimulus, if you look at government spending as a whole you see hardly any stimulus at all. And with federal spending now trailing off, while big state and local cutbacks continue, we’re going into reverse.
But isn’t keeping taxes for the affluent low also a form of stimulus? Not so you’d notice. When we save a schoolteacher’s job, that unambiguously aids employment; when we give millionaires more money instead, there’s a good chance that most of that money will just sit idle.
And what about the economy’s future? Everything we know about economic growth says that a well-educated population and high-quality infrastructure are crucial. Emerging nations are making huge efforts to upgrade their roads, their ports and their schools. Yet in America we’re going backward.
How did we get to this point? It’s the logical consequence of three decades of antigovernment rhetoric, rhetoric that has convinced many voters that a dollar collected in taxes is always a dollar wasted, that the public sector can’t do anything right.
The antigovernment campaign has always been phrased in terms of opposition to waste and fraud — to checks sent to welfare queens driving Cadillacs, to vast armies of bureaucrats uselessly pushing paper around. But those were myths, of course; there was never remotely as much waste and fraud as the right claimed. And now that the campaign has reached fruition, we’re seeing what was actually in the firing line: services that everyone except the very rich need, services that government must provide or nobody will, like lighted streets, drivable roads and decent schooling for the public as a whole.
So the end result of the long campaign against government is that we’ve taken a disastrously wrong turn. America is now on the unlit, unpaved road to nowhere.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Ethical Humanist Tina Busch Nema
Dear Ms. Pacino,
I would like to nominate Tina Busch Nema, 343 Bach Avenue, Kirkwood, MO, for the Ethical Humanist of the Year Award.
I've known Tina for about eight years, but, in a way, I hardly know her at all. She continues to grow toward the kind of loving, compassionate activist that many of us can only imagine becoming.
I will have to limit the examples of her good work because describing her outreach to her fellow human beings is like pulling on a thread of a great quilt. One thing leads to another and there doesn't seem to be an end to the story.
Tina has been active for many years in a group called School of Americas Watch (soawatch.com) headquartered in Washington, DC. The goal of the group is to force the U.S. Congress to close a training camp in Georgia that used to be in Panama until President Noriega fell out of favor with our government. After a lot of bad publicity about the graduates from Latin America using terrorist tactics back in their home countries, the school's name was changed to WHINSEC. But its goal is still to train Latin American soldiers and mercenaries how to control civilian populations through the use of terror and intimidation.
Each fall, on the anniversary of the murder of six Jesuit priests and their housekeeper in El Salvador, SOA members and other peace activists hold a vigil and protest at the gates of the school at Fort Benning, GA. Tina had seen her fellow activists arrested in past years and, at the 2006 protest, made a conscious decision to "cross the line" and accept the consequences. By stepping a few feet into restricted space, she committed a crime and was sentenced by a local judge to two months in prison. (Coincidentally, the judge was running for re-election and needed to brag about being tough on protesters.)
It was spring of 2007 when Tina was told to report to Carswell Federal Women's Prison in Texas. With careful planning, Tina organized her many friends and family to take care of her children and home while she was away. I was privileged to arrange for students from St. Louis University to plant her garden for her. Tina has a close relationship with all living things, and her garden is one of the joys of her life. We wanted it to be growing and producing when she returned in late summer.
Although our goal, as her friends, was to send her letters to keep up her spirits, we had no idea how much we would learn about prison life and the prison-industrial complex in general. I'm sure 99% of the American public knows nothing about how prisoners are used to pad the profits of major U.S. corporations, but that's another story for another day.
Tina was assigned the task of washing tables in the cafeteria from 4:30 a.m. to noon. She got to know many of the women in her cell block and in the hospital wing of the prison. Eventually she felt compelled to help some of the worst cases of injustice. The stories would break the heart of any normal human being. Many women are in prison because of crimes committed by the men in their lives, often their sons who may be living with them and selling drugs. Middle-aged and older women are imprisoned on conspiracy charges when they, themselves, have done nothing wrong.
When her cellmates asked Tina if her action at the protest was worth being in prison, here is how she described her answer in one of her letters to her friends.
"I consistently say yes, and I do not lie. I do mean it. Yes, I do not regret for an instant. But the question that wells up in my heart is...what is the most important thing I can do? Is it closing SOA? Is it standing up to the powers that cause such death and destruction? Is it ending torture or war or poverty?... I think the greatest, most important thing I can do is to simply love. And out of loving comes the rest. The stand I took at Fort Benning was simply an act of love and prison is a consequence of loving people. Here in prison I have come to love some of the women here and listening to them and doing what I can are acts of love...This is not theory or nice words. It is my heart's desire."
"When I see some sisters I share this compound with who are looking at 3,5, 10 years, life sentences, my heart breaks. How can they do it? It is so unjust. Mandatory minimums, conspiracy laws, lack of federal probation. I could not understand the MAGNITUDE of suffering until I see it, live it with my own eyes and life. The US prison system is the dirty little secret of the United States."
One example of Tina's "peace in the world" way of living was to teach her cell mates to make peace cranes using the origami technique. The women made the cranes for the prisoners who were hospitalized on the upper floors and somehow found a way to deliver them. The bedridden and often dying patients expressed gratitude for knowing someone cared about them.
Even after Tina was released and came home, she kept track of some of the women. She asked some of us to write to the warden about one woman in particular, and those letters were successful in getting that woman the medical treatment she needed. Tina has also recruited us to write letters to Congress members about various bills dealing with the U. S. prison system. A small delegation of us visited Sen. Claire McCaskill's chief of staff in St. Louis about one problem in particular. When people are sentenced to prison in the federal system, there is no attempt to assign them to a prison near their homes. Despite all the evidence that people in prison have a much better chance of succeeding after their release if they have contact with family and friends, people are sent to whatever prison comes up next on the list.
I could go on about what we've learned because of Tina about the prison system and School of the Americas, but that's probably enough for now.
In the spring of 2008, Tina joined a short-term peace delegation going to Columbia, South America. They visited with human rights workers there, listened to the stories and concerns of the local people. The area she visited is in the southern part of the country where gold mining is big business. From one of Tina's email messages, "Strip mining techniques used by
multinational gold mining companies are polluting and destroying the
mountains. Land slides are common, displacing entire villages. Government
troops use harsh techniques to win 'control' of the area as the President
of Columbia wants Columbia to be 'business friendly' for multinational
corporations."
Tina was asking us to help her raise the funds she needed to join this mission. We had no trouble filling that request because there are so many of us who are in awe of Tina's courage.
Last winter, I received an email from Tina asking me to help her collect blankets and sweaters for people living outside during that awful bitter cold spell we had. One of the first men she and her group helped was a Native American construction worker from South Dakota. After the work he was doing dried up, he migrated east to Nebraska, then Iowa, then Missouri looking for construction work. Sadly, he ended up homeless in St. Louis. Tina asked us for enough money to buy him a bus ticket home, which we gladly offered. She not only took him to a place where he could shower and change into some clean clothes, she found out he made beautiful dream catchers (those round frames with feathers, etc. that people hang in windows.) She asked him to teach her how to do it which gave him a sense of worth, and she gave me the first one she made all by herself.
For several weeks last winter many of us collected blankets, sweaters, mittens, etc. from our friends, churches, political groups, and got them to Tina's house in Kirkwood. I made one delivery trip with her down to the Methodist Church in St. Louis that offers three meals a day to people in need. They have storage space for clothing and other supplies. Tina's group located people sleeping outside and gave them hot soup, cocoa and tried to get them into shelters. When the shelters were full, Tina convinced the City of St. Louis to use Americorps volunteers to staff two temporary shelters. Most of the shelters will not take anyone with alcohol on his breath or who doesn't have an ID. Since theft of personal belongings is a common occurrence, some people do not have ID cards or drivers' licenses. Tina sees all these fellow human beings through the eyes of one who doesn't judge or criticize. That's an amazing quality in a world full of anger, hatred and fear.
Tina's most recent request to me has to do with trying to get municipalities to become "sweat free" by convincing them not to buy uniforms and other articles of clothing from companies using what amounts to slave labor in Latin American countries. This a project of the Interfaith Committee on Latin America of which Tina is a part. She is looking for groups that might invite a speaker on this topic. Of course, I'll help her find venues to get out the information.
I end with another quote from one of Tina's letters from prison:
"It was suggested to me before I began my prison time, to keep my heart soft. I've thought about that often during these two months. It is easy to harden your heart here. There is so much pain, too much pain. It would be reasonable to protect your heart here by hardening up. But when people are involved, people whose sorrow is written on their faces, in their tears, when I read Pema Chodron's book and she suggests to lean into the pain, well, how can I harden up my heart? How can I not be touched? How can I not feel the pain and despair? ... I face the fact every day that I am not God, that I am just a person, but I see that loving people bears consequences. I don't know what exactly that is other than feeling their pain and listening, but it is not a cause. It is about a way of living and seeing and I am trying, with a lot of questions and errors, to find where all this leads, if it leads anywhere."
I would be more than happy to supply more documentation to support this nomination of Tina Busch Nema for Ethical Humanist of the Year. Thank you for recognizing the many good people in the St. Louis area who serve as examples to all of us.
I would like to nominate Tina Busch Nema, 343 Bach Avenue, Kirkwood, MO, for the Ethical Humanist of the Year Award.
I've known Tina for about eight years, but, in a way, I hardly know her at all. She continues to grow toward the kind of loving, compassionate activist that many of us can only imagine becoming.
I will have to limit the examples of her good work because describing her outreach to her fellow human beings is like pulling on a thread of a great quilt. One thing leads to another and there doesn't seem to be an end to the story.
Tina has been active for many years in a group called School of Americas Watch (soawatch.com) headquartered in Washington, DC. The goal of the group is to force the U.S. Congress to close a training camp in Georgia that used to be in Panama until President Noriega fell out of favor with our government. After a lot of bad publicity about the graduates from Latin America using terrorist tactics back in their home countries, the school's name was changed to WHINSEC. But its goal is still to train Latin American soldiers and mercenaries how to control civilian populations through the use of terror and intimidation.
Each fall, on the anniversary of the murder of six Jesuit priests and their housekeeper in El Salvador, SOA members and other peace activists hold a vigil and protest at the gates of the school at Fort Benning, GA. Tina had seen her fellow activists arrested in past years and, at the 2006 protest, made a conscious decision to "cross the line" and accept the consequences. By stepping a few feet into restricted space, she committed a crime and was sentenced by a local judge to two months in prison. (Coincidentally, the judge was running for re-election and needed to brag about being tough on protesters.)
It was spring of 2007 when Tina was told to report to Carswell Federal Women's Prison in Texas. With careful planning, Tina organized her many friends and family to take care of her children and home while she was away. I was privileged to arrange for students from St. Louis University to plant her garden for her. Tina has a close relationship with all living things, and her garden is one of the joys of her life. We wanted it to be growing and producing when she returned in late summer.
Although our goal, as her friends, was to send her letters to keep up her spirits, we had no idea how much we would learn about prison life and the prison-industrial complex in general. I'm sure 99% of the American public knows nothing about how prisoners are used to pad the profits of major U.S. corporations, but that's another story for another day.
Tina was assigned the task of washing tables in the cafeteria from 4:30 a.m. to noon. She got to know many of the women in her cell block and in the hospital wing of the prison. Eventually she felt compelled to help some of the worst cases of injustice. The stories would break the heart of any normal human being. Many women are in prison because of crimes committed by the men in their lives, often their sons who may be living with them and selling drugs. Middle-aged and older women are imprisoned on conspiracy charges when they, themselves, have done nothing wrong.
When her cellmates asked Tina if her action at the protest was worth being in prison, here is how she described her answer in one of her letters to her friends.
"I consistently say yes, and I do not lie. I do mean it. Yes, I do not regret for an instant. But the question that wells up in my heart is...what is the most important thing I can do? Is it closing SOA? Is it standing up to the powers that cause such death and destruction? Is it ending torture or war or poverty?... I think the greatest, most important thing I can do is to simply love. And out of loving comes the rest. The stand I took at Fort Benning was simply an act of love and prison is a consequence of loving people. Here in prison I have come to love some of the women here and listening to them and doing what I can are acts of love...This is not theory or nice words. It is my heart's desire."
"When I see some sisters I share this compound with who are looking at 3,5, 10 years, life sentences, my heart breaks. How can they do it? It is so unjust. Mandatory minimums, conspiracy laws, lack of federal probation. I could not understand the MAGNITUDE of suffering until I see it, live it with my own eyes and life. The US prison system is the dirty little secret of the United States."
One example of Tina's "peace in the world" way of living was to teach her cell mates to make peace cranes using the origami technique. The women made the cranes for the prisoners who were hospitalized on the upper floors and somehow found a way to deliver them. The bedridden and often dying patients expressed gratitude for knowing someone cared about them.
Even after Tina was released and came home, she kept track of some of the women. She asked some of us to write to the warden about one woman in particular, and those letters were successful in getting that woman the medical treatment she needed. Tina has also recruited us to write letters to Congress members about various bills dealing with the U. S. prison system. A small delegation of us visited Sen. Claire McCaskill's chief of staff in St. Louis about one problem in particular. When people are sentenced to prison in the federal system, there is no attempt to assign them to a prison near their homes. Despite all the evidence that people in prison have a much better chance of succeeding after their release if they have contact with family and friends, people are sent to whatever prison comes up next on the list.
I could go on about what we've learned because of Tina about the prison system and School of the Americas, but that's probably enough for now.
In the spring of 2008, Tina joined a short-term peace delegation going to Columbia, South America. They visited with human rights workers there, listened to the stories and concerns of the local people. The area she visited is in the southern part of the country where gold mining is big business. From one of Tina's email messages, "Strip mining techniques used by
multinational gold mining companies are polluting and destroying the
mountains. Land slides are common, displacing entire villages. Government
troops use harsh techniques to win 'control' of the area as the President
of Columbia wants Columbia to be 'business friendly' for multinational
corporations."
Tina was asking us to help her raise the funds she needed to join this mission. We had no trouble filling that request because there are so many of us who are in awe of Tina's courage.
Last winter, I received an email from Tina asking me to help her collect blankets and sweaters for people living outside during that awful bitter cold spell we had. One of the first men she and her group helped was a Native American construction worker from South Dakota. After the work he was doing dried up, he migrated east to Nebraska, then Iowa, then Missouri looking for construction work. Sadly, he ended up homeless in St. Louis. Tina asked us for enough money to buy him a bus ticket home, which we gladly offered. She not only took him to a place where he could shower and change into some clean clothes, she found out he made beautiful dream catchers (those round frames with feathers, etc. that people hang in windows.) She asked him to teach her how to do it which gave him a sense of worth, and she gave me the first one she made all by herself.
For several weeks last winter many of us collected blankets, sweaters, mittens, etc. from our friends, churches, political groups, and got them to Tina's house in Kirkwood. I made one delivery trip with her down to the Methodist Church in St. Louis that offers three meals a day to people in need. They have storage space for clothing and other supplies. Tina's group located people sleeping outside and gave them hot soup, cocoa and tried to get them into shelters. When the shelters were full, Tina convinced the City of St. Louis to use Americorps volunteers to staff two temporary shelters. Most of the shelters will not take anyone with alcohol on his breath or who doesn't have an ID. Since theft of personal belongings is a common occurrence, some people do not have ID cards or drivers' licenses. Tina sees all these fellow human beings through the eyes of one who doesn't judge or criticize. That's an amazing quality in a world full of anger, hatred and fear.
Tina's most recent request to me has to do with trying to get municipalities to become "sweat free" by convincing them not to buy uniforms and other articles of clothing from companies using what amounts to slave labor in Latin American countries. This a project of the Interfaith Committee on Latin America of which Tina is a part. She is looking for groups that might invite a speaker on this topic. Of course, I'll help her find venues to get out the information.
I end with another quote from one of Tina's letters from prison:
"It was suggested to me before I began my prison time, to keep my heart soft. I've thought about that often during these two months. It is easy to harden your heart here. There is so much pain, too much pain. It would be reasonable to protect your heart here by hardening up. But when people are involved, people whose sorrow is written on their faces, in their tears, when I read Pema Chodron's book and she suggests to lean into the pain, well, how can I harden up my heart? How can I not be touched? How can I not feel the pain and despair? ... I face the fact every day that I am not God, that I am just a person, but I see that loving people bears consequences. I don't know what exactly that is other than feeling their pain and listening, but it is not a cause. It is about a way of living and seeing and I am trying, with a lot of questions and errors, to find where all this leads, if it leads anywhere."
I would be more than happy to supply more documentation to support this nomination of Tina Busch Nema for Ethical Humanist of the Year. Thank you for recognizing the many good people in the St. Louis area who serve as examples to all of us.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Community Theater of the Absurd
Title: Community Theater of the Absurd
Tags: Franklin County MO Planning and Zoning, AmerenUE, coal ash landfill,
Anyone who says rural Missouri offers no exposure to theater and the arts must have missed the amazing production hosted by the Franklin County Planning and Zoning Commission at East Central College last night. The 500 seat theater was filled almost to capacity with folks who came to hear AmerenUE officials and lawyers explain how building a 400 acre coal ash landfill next to the Missouri River would be a great way to store toxic waste safely. Roughly 2/3 of the audience also wanted to present their thoughts on why this maybe isn’t such a good idea.
But, despite a long article in the local paper about this issue and an invitation to the public to attend the hearing last night, it turned out to be a bizarre game of “Let’s Pretend.” At the outset, Planning and Zoning Chair James Grutsch announced that speakers wanting to present their thoughts and opinions should NOT mention any specific landfill project. Citizens, including a team of professional lawyers and engineers representing Ameren Corp, were told to speak only to the general issue of landfill regulations and the changes to those regs under consideration by the commission.
Act 1, Scene 1: Lights, camera, action. A totally flummoxed lawyer for Ameren did his best to present the bright and happy side of the company’s plan to totally surround the toxic waste with a berm of dirt that would never wash away in a flood. Considering the restrictions imposed by the commission chair, the poor guy did a pretty good job of dancing around what he actually came to talk about. While the audience pretended not to know he was actually talking about the Labadie plant and landfill, a huge photo of that very site was projected on the screen behind the commissioners.
Act 1, Scene 2: An engineer familiar with Missouri state landfill regulations reassured the audience that all is well in the Show Me State. Except when it’s not. And a man who worked in coal-fired plants for over 40 years testified that he’d never heard of anyone getting sick from coal dust. Several members of the audience offered to meet with him after the hearing.
Although audience participation was strongly discouraged, a few rowdy theater goers demanded equal time to ask why the commission decided to rewrite the landfill zoning laws at this time when the Planning and Zoning Department is currently in the process of developing a new comprehensive plan. Scottie Eagan, Interim Senior County Planner, played her part convincingly and admitted that the zoning regs rewrite was prompted by Ameren’s plan for the coal waste landfill. But there’s the rub. Ameren has not actually applied for permission to build the landfill, so there is no proposal on the table to be discussed specifically.
While audience members carefully juggled their willing suspension of disbelief with the reality hitting them in the face, the commission chair reminded each of the 20 or so citizens waiting to speak against the landfill not to actually mention the landfill.
Act 2, Scene 1: Maxine Lipeles of Washington University School of Law offered a stunning performance as she represented members of the Labadie Environmental Organization, the strongest opponents of the coal waste landfill. After a few introductory remarks about how the commissioners had been playing “cat and mouse” with the public on this issue, and without referring to the gigantic map of the Labadie plant on the screen behind the commissioners, she explained that the land being proposed for the landfill was actually under water in the 1993 flood. "Our issue is that Ameren wants to put this landf .... or, somebody might want (laughter from audience) to put a landfill in that location,” Lipeles said.
By this time, the audience was totally confused but good naturedly willing to play along with the game plan.
When Ms. Lipeles asked when and if the Commission would hold a hearing specifically on the Ameren proposal for the landfill, Chairman Grutsch reiterated that, since there is no actual application for a coal ash landfill, there is no need for a public hearing on it. However, if concerned citizens would like to attend a regular meeting of the P & Z Commission on July 20, the topic might just come up again.
Act 2, Scene 2: Now fully engaged in the pretense, opponents of the “non-proposal” for a coal ash landfill took the stage one at a time. Some spoke eloquently of the dumping of coal ash on land that had been alive with trees, plants and a lake full of fish only to see everything wither and die. Oops, we aren’t supposed to talk about coal ash. Another player listed the 20 or so toxic elements in coal ash including mercury, lead and arsenic before being cut off by chairman Mao. The man who sold his farmland to Ameren tried to explain that he had been deceived by the company, but, being a bit player, he was unceremoniously shuffled off stage.
One brave soul actually suggested that the commission go back to the drawing board, establish an ad hoc committee to study landfill issues and prepare some kind of plan based on current scientific thinking. Loud applause.
Another participant read the P & Z Department mission statement which includes the goal of “protection of public, private and natural resources” of the county which didn’t seem to cause any particular discomfort to the main characters onstage.
Intermission at 9:30 p.m. came as a great relief to folks who had sat patiently, although totally confused, for close to three hours. This writer left at that point with a sense of having participated in some of the best mystery theater available in small town America.
Tags: Franklin County MO Planning and Zoning, AmerenUE, coal ash landfill,
Anyone who says rural Missouri offers no exposure to theater and the arts must have missed the amazing production hosted by the Franklin County Planning and Zoning Commission at East Central College last night. The 500 seat theater was filled almost to capacity with folks who came to hear AmerenUE officials and lawyers explain how building a 400 acre coal ash landfill next to the Missouri River would be a great way to store toxic waste safely. Roughly 2/3 of the audience also wanted to present their thoughts on why this maybe isn’t such a good idea.
But, despite a long article in the local paper about this issue and an invitation to the public to attend the hearing last night, it turned out to be a bizarre game of “Let’s Pretend.” At the outset, Planning and Zoning Chair James Grutsch announced that speakers wanting to present their thoughts and opinions should NOT mention any specific landfill project. Citizens, including a team of professional lawyers and engineers representing Ameren Corp, were told to speak only to the general issue of landfill regulations and the changes to those regs under consideration by the commission.
Act 1, Scene 1: Lights, camera, action. A totally flummoxed lawyer for Ameren did his best to present the bright and happy side of the company’s plan to totally surround the toxic waste with a berm of dirt that would never wash away in a flood. Considering the restrictions imposed by the commission chair, the poor guy did a pretty good job of dancing around what he actually came to talk about. While the audience pretended not to know he was actually talking about the Labadie plant and landfill, a huge photo of that very site was projected on the screen behind the commissioners.
Act 1, Scene 2: An engineer familiar with Missouri state landfill regulations reassured the audience that all is well in the Show Me State. Except when it’s not. And a man who worked in coal-fired plants for over 40 years testified that he’d never heard of anyone getting sick from coal dust. Several members of the audience offered to meet with him after the hearing.
Although audience participation was strongly discouraged, a few rowdy theater goers demanded equal time to ask why the commission decided to rewrite the landfill zoning laws at this time when the Planning and Zoning Department is currently in the process of developing a new comprehensive plan. Scottie Eagan, Interim Senior County Planner, played her part convincingly and admitted that the zoning regs rewrite was prompted by Ameren’s plan for the coal waste landfill. But there’s the rub. Ameren has not actually applied for permission to build the landfill, so there is no proposal on the table to be discussed specifically.
While audience members carefully juggled their willing suspension of disbelief with the reality hitting them in the face, the commission chair reminded each of the 20 or so citizens waiting to speak against the landfill not to actually mention the landfill.
Act 2, Scene 1: Maxine Lipeles of Washington University School of Law offered a stunning performance as she represented members of the Labadie Environmental Organization, the strongest opponents of the coal waste landfill. After a few introductory remarks about how the commissioners had been playing “cat and mouse” with the public on this issue, and without referring to the gigantic map of the Labadie plant on the screen behind the commissioners, she explained that the land being proposed for the landfill was actually under water in the 1993 flood. "Our issue is that Ameren wants to put this landf .... or, somebody might want (laughter from audience) to put a landfill in that location,” Lipeles said.
By this time, the audience was totally confused but good naturedly willing to play along with the game plan.
When Ms. Lipeles asked when and if the Commission would hold a hearing specifically on the Ameren proposal for the landfill, Chairman Grutsch reiterated that, since there is no actual application for a coal ash landfill, there is no need for a public hearing on it. However, if concerned citizens would like to attend a regular meeting of the P & Z Commission on July 20, the topic might just come up again.
Act 2, Scene 2: Now fully engaged in the pretense, opponents of the “non-proposal” for a coal ash landfill took the stage one at a time. Some spoke eloquently of the dumping of coal ash on land that had been alive with trees, plants and a lake full of fish only to see everything wither and die. Oops, we aren’t supposed to talk about coal ash. Another player listed the 20 or so toxic elements in coal ash including mercury, lead and arsenic before being cut off by chairman Mao. The man who sold his farmland to Ameren tried to explain that he had been deceived by the company, but, being a bit player, he was unceremoniously shuffled off stage.
One brave soul actually suggested that the commission go back to the drawing board, establish an ad hoc committee to study landfill issues and prepare some kind of plan based on current scientific thinking. Loud applause.
Another participant read the P & Z Department mission statement which includes the goal of “protection of public, private and natural resources” of the county which didn’t seem to cause any particular discomfort to the main characters onstage.
Intermission at 9:30 p.m. came as a great relief to folks who had sat patiently, although totally confused, for close to three hours. This writer left at that point with a sense of having participated in some of the best mystery theater available in small town America.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
"Educating" voters is a waste of time
I've been one of those behind the scenes collecting articles, doing research and writing short pieces in an attempt to educate my fellow Americans about the giant blood-sucking squid that's draining the life out of our democracy. But I've finally realized that "educating" voters is a fool's errand so long as they prefer to be alternately entertained with patriotic ego boosters and scared shitless by the big bad wolf.
Two things in today's (Saturday's) Post Dispatch summed up just how crazy our society has become (maybe it's really the fluoride after all)
1. "Texas law: People now have to go through a metal detector to enter the Texas Capitol, but under state law, those with permits do not have to surrender their firearms." No comment needed on that one !
2. In his review of a speaker in the Darwin series at the St. Louis Science Center, religion reporter Tim Townsend felt it necessary to call Rep. Cynthia Davis (R-O'Fallon) for her expert opinion on Darwin's theory of evolution. As always, Cyndi was able to put the whole "controversy" in perspective in her own succinct way. "Evolution is based in atheism." There you go. Nice and simple, easy to remember, likely to infuriate and oh, so, effective. So why bother trying to "educate" people about Charles Darwin, his life's work, theories and accomplishments? When newspapers feel an obligation to consult idiots like Cynthia Davis when there are probably 3,000 other people in the St. Louis area better equipped to understand a topic, we are doomed.
Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford (D-St. Louis) hit the nail on the head in the letter section of the paper. The media is not interested in covering bills that they know haven't a chance of passing in a Republican controlled legislature. So there is no public information out there that might stimulate a public debate. It's a Catch-22. No chance of passing, so no need to educate the public about it. And so the giant squid tightens its grip on the pitiful remains of what was evolving into a rational society.
Two things in today's (Saturday's) Post Dispatch summed up just how crazy our society has become (maybe it's really the fluoride after all)
1. "Texas law: People now have to go through a metal detector to enter the Texas Capitol, but under state law, those with permits do not have to surrender their firearms." No comment needed on that one !
2. In his review of a speaker in the Darwin series at the St. Louis Science Center, religion reporter Tim Townsend felt it necessary to call Rep. Cynthia Davis (R-O'Fallon) for her expert opinion on Darwin's theory of evolution. As always, Cyndi was able to put the whole "controversy" in perspective in her own succinct way. "Evolution is based in atheism." There you go. Nice and simple, easy to remember, likely to infuriate and oh, so, effective. So why bother trying to "educate" people about Charles Darwin, his life's work, theories and accomplishments? When newspapers feel an obligation to consult idiots like Cynthia Davis when there are probably 3,000 other people in the St. Louis area better equipped to understand a topic, we are doomed.
Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford (D-St. Louis) hit the nail on the head in the letter section of the paper. The media is not interested in covering bills that they know haven't a chance of passing in a Republican controlled legislature. So there is no public information out there that might stimulate a public debate. It's a Catch-22. No chance of passing, so no need to educate the public about it. And so the giant squid tightens its grip on the pitiful remains of what was evolving into a rational society.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Raping Mother Earth should be a crime
Mother Nature can take only so much abuse (0.00 / 0)
Some of you might remember the popular poster of the 1970's with the picture of Earth in lovely blues and greens and a message begging us not to "rape" our mother. I've been thinking about that poster recently as I watch news about mine disasters, memorial services, oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico and volcanic ash grounding airplanes in Europe. I know these things are not related (are they?) but I'm sure I can hear Mother Earth crying, screaming actually - "STOP - Stop hurting me. I give you life and you are killing me." Anyone who gives two seconds' thought to what a tiny little corner of the galaxy we live in and how many galaxies are out there that don't give a damn about us should pause a moment and pray that the younger generation will atone for our sins and save what's left of Life on Earth.
Some of you might remember the popular poster of the 1970's with the picture of Earth in lovely blues and greens and a message begging us not to "rape" our mother. I've been thinking about that poster recently as I watch news about mine disasters, memorial services, oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico and volcanic ash grounding airplanes in Europe. I know these things are not related (are they?) but I'm sure I can hear Mother Earth crying, screaming actually - "STOP - Stop hurting me. I give you life and you are killing me." Anyone who gives two seconds' thought to what a tiny little corner of the galaxy we live in and how many galaxies are out there that don't give a damn about us should pause a moment and pray that the younger generation will atone for our sins and save what's left of Life on Earth.
Monday, April 19, 2010
The essential difference - caring
There was a wonderful article in Saturday's PD by columnist Tim Townsend about progressive religious leaders meeting to discuss cuts in the state budget. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/keepthefaith/story/98D43B7FB459814486257707008265A2?OpenDocumentSome of our favorite people, like Amy Smoucha of Jobs with Justice, are mentioned in the article. She came right out and warned attendees to watch out for Rex Sinquefeld, but that's not a surprise to those of us in WCD. She also mentioned the American Legislative Exchange Council. We learned about ALEC a few yrs ago because of Jane Cunningham's involvement with it, particularly in regards to defunding public education. While I was thinking about looking ALEC up again just for old times sake, I came across another article that mentions it. This one has to do with a lawsuit brought against Massey Energy because of the horrible working conditions in the mine where 29 Americans died two weeks ago. AND how cold-hearted millionaires think widows are just looking for "free money." http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/04/18/corporate-front-group-funded-by-coal-industry-scorns-widow-of-mine-disaster-%e2%80%98everyone-wants-free-money%e2%80%99/I've been having a running discussion with an acquaintance out here in Franklin County who is a leader of the local tea party group. I'm trying to tell him, in the gentlest way possible, that the essential difference between those of us who side with the miners and those who side with the coal company is that we care about other human beings and they don't. I could go on about that difference, but that can wait until later. Just think of it as a mighty oak that has been split by lightning. The roots are still there. Some self-surviving new limbs are growing out of the two halves. But the tree will never be intact again. If you can't share another's pain, you'll probably never grow up.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Sedition doesn't solve our problems
Letter to the editor:
Like many other Americans, I am trying to understand the recent public displays of outrage against our government, especially that of the UNITED STATES of America. Our troops are fighting and dying to defend not only Americans in all 50 states and overseas, but also the legitimate government established by our democratic process. They are in foreign countries trying to convince people who have never had a chance to take part in making decisions affecting their lives that democracy is the best way to go.
I wonder if the people who attend anti-government rallies realize that what they are doing has a name. "Sedition: Crime of creating a revolt, disturbance, or violence against lawful civil authority with the intent to cause its overthrow or destruction." (Brittanica Concise Dictionary)
There have been many acts of violence against our elected officials in recent weeks. The FBI is working overtime to break up terrorist groups in our own country and charging them with sedition. The militia group arrested in Michigan last week planned to kill policemen. What those people did was spelled out in the indictment against them. They conspired "to levy war against the United States, and to prevent, hinder, and delay by force the execution of any United States law." If the police are fair game, the next target could be our soldiers and other members of the armed services State officials passing resolutions calling for defiance of federal laws is no less seditious than armed insurrection. It may play to some kind of gut level passion, but it does nothing to solve our problems.
Ask any speaker at a protest rally how he or she plans to create millions of new jobs? How are they going to "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" by destroying the fabric of our democracy? Slogans don't pay the bills. The excitement created by passionate but empty speeches fades quickly. We all love a parade, but most of us know they don't keep the country functioning.
If I could only understand why the anti-government radicals decided to organize now instead of when the damage to our country was being done years ago. They didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us. They didn't get mad when Congress wrote blank checks for wars that we now can't seem to end. (And don't even ask how much of our money ended up in the hands of corrupt contractors.) The debt everyone is screaming about was caused by increasing spending, mostly on wars, and giving a $900 billion tax break to the rich. Anyone who pays bills knows you can't increase spending and reduce income without going into debt.
When I see signs at rallies protesting how much debt we are passing on to our grandchildren, I wonder if the people holding those signs know that ExxonMobil paid NO income tax to the United States of America last year. So every time we fill up, we pay more in federal tax for a single gallon of gasoline (18.4 cents) than ExxonMobil paid in U.S. income taxes in 2009. That's in spite of the fact that the world's second largest company had a gross operating profit of nearly $53 billion.ExxonMobil did pay $15 billion in income taxes. But not a dime of it went to the IRS, however, because they are allowed to set up subsidiaries with offices in other countries and pay taxes to them. And Exxon is just one example.Why aren't people organizing protests about this blatant disregard for the solvency of our country? Do those who will attend local rallies in coming weeks know or care about how huge corporations walk away from their responsiblities and leave us carrying the full load?
I hope those who are conspiring to overthrow our government, either by armed force or by obstruction of process, give some serious thought to all those yellow ribbons we displayed years ago and the parades we held for our military heroes. We are embarrassed now about the way our Vietnam era troops were treated when they came home. In some ways, we are dishonoring our brave men and women in uniform now by spitting, not on them personally, but on the government they risk their lives to defend.
Please think twice before preaching secession. We still haven't fully recovered from our first Civil War.
Like many other Americans, I am trying to understand the recent public displays of outrage against our government, especially that of the UNITED STATES of America. Our troops are fighting and dying to defend not only Americans in all 50 states and overseas, but also the legitimate government established by our democratic process. They are in foreign countries trying to convince people who have never had a chance to take part in making decisions affecting their lives that democracy is the best way to go.
I wonder if the people who attend anti-government rallies realize that what they are doing has a name. "Sedition: Crime of creating a revolt, disturbance, or violence against lawful civil authority with the intent to cause its overthrow or destruction." (Brittanica Concise Dictionary)
There have been many acts of violence against our elected officials in recent weeks. The FBI is working overtime to break up terrorist groups in our own country and charging them with sedition. The militia group arrested in Michigan last week planned to kill policemen. What those people did was spelled out in the indictment against them. They conspired "to levy war against the United States, and to prevent, hinder, and delay by force the execution of any United States law." If the police are fair game, the next target could be our soldiers and other members of the armed services State officials passing resolutions calling for defiance of federal laws is no less seditious than armed insurrection. It may play to some kind of gut level passion, but it does nothing to solve our problems.
Ask any speaker at a protest rally how he or she plans to create millions of new jobs? How are they going to "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" by destroying the fabric of our democracy? Slogans don't pay the bills. The excitement created by passionate but empty speeches fades quickly. We all love a parade, but most of us know they don't keep the country functioning.
If I could only understand why the anti-government radicals decided to organize now instead of when the damage to our country was being done years ago. They didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us. They didn't get mad when Congress wrote blank checks for wars that we now can't seem to end. (And don't even ask how much of our money ended up in the hands of corrupt contractors.) The debt everyone is screaming about was caused by increasing spending, mostly on wars, and giving a $900 billion tax break to the rich. Anyone who pays bills knows you can't increase spending and reduce income without going into debt.
When I see signs at rallies protesting how much debt we are passing on to our grandchildren, I wonder if the people holding those signs know that ExxonMobil paid NO income tax to the United States of America last year. So every time we fill up, we pay more in federal tax for a single gallon of gasoline (18.4 cents) than ExxonMobil paid in U.S. income taxes in 2009. That's in spite of the fact that the world's second largest company had a gross operating profit of nearly $53 billion.ExxonMobil did pay $15 billion in income taxes. But not a dime of it went to the IRS, however, because they are allowed to set up subsidiaries with offices in other countries and pay taxes to them. And Exxon is just one example.Why aren't people organizing protests about this blatant disregard for the solvency of our country? Do those who will attend local rallies in coming weeks know or care about how huge corporations walk away from their responsiblities and leave us carrying the full load?
I hope those who are conspiring to overthrow our government, either by armed force or by obstruction of process, give some serious thought to all those yellow ribbons we displayed years ago and the parades we held for our military heroes. We are embarrassed now about the way our Vietnam era troops were treated when they came home. In some ways, we are dishonoring our brave men and women in uniform now by spitting, not on them personally, but on the government they risk their lives to defend.
Please think twice before preaching secession. We still haven't fully recovered from our first Civil War.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Long Day's Journey into Appalachia
Long day's journey into Appalachia
Fri 4/02/10 6:51 AM
Hi guys, (family)
Got home safely yesterday (April Fool's Day) around 5 p.m. Wide awake this morning at 5 a.m. although it's still dark out. SO glad to wake up in my own bed. We left Raleigh Wed morning eagerly looking forward to getting home by mid-day on Thursday. Not to be. South of Beckley, W. Va., interstate 77 was blocked. After taking an hour to go 4 miles, we got off as soon as an exit was available to use a restroom. A woman waiting with me in the line told me she had come from Louisville (opposite direction from the way we were going) and that the road was blocked all the way back to 64. So, rather than sit in traffic for another several hours, we decided to take the back roads. BIG MISTAKE - it took us 6 hours to go 140 miles - OMG, we saw what coal mining towns in rural West Virginia really look like. I've seen movies about the poverty and the oppressive presence of mining operations, but this was really depressing. Hairpin turns going up mountains, down again on the other side. Only one road and no road signs. (I guess they figure since there's only one road it doesn't need to be labeled.) But the signs for the streets, lanes, and gulches were clearly marked which helps if you're looking for one of those. After what seemed like forever, we still hadn't found Mullens, so I stopped and asked a young girl playing in her yard. She said "just keep going straight up this road." Straight???? Are you kidding? What seemed like an hour later (or maybe it really was an hour) we found Mullens, so we knew we were heading NW to Huntington which was our goal for the night. The areas that aren't big enough to call towns are labeled "unincorporated ________." Every few miles, we saw a cluster of houses, a PO and a church. Although we left the interstate at 1:15 p.m., by the time we got deep into mining country, school was letting out, and kids were happily greeting their dogs. One young boy with a shaved head was playing in the yard with a man, probably his dad, who also had a shaved head. They seemed very happy. From my perspective, these people are incredibly poor and deprived. From their perspective, they don't seem to notice.There are evidently no waste hauling companies or landfills because everything that's not currently being used is strewn about the yards and hills. Not just old cars and appliances, but actual trash. The homes have to be built right next to the road because the mountains are so steep. At one point, we saw a big sign proudly advertising "Six flat acres" for sale. With the houses so close to the road, we felt like we were driving through their yards. I could literally have reached out and touched chain link fences. The mining operations consist of lots of dark buildings, long conveyor tubes and huge piles of black stuff which I didn't stop to identify. Train cars filled with coal are everywhere, some moving, some sitting still. Ironically, I am involved with a local group of citizens trying to prevent our electric company from building a coal combustion waste landfill next to the Missouri River, and my assignment is to research uses for "fly ash" (waste product of coal combustion.) AND what was on the news when we finally found a motel? Ads for "clean coal technology." Another big lie. When we finally found a town big enough to have a gas station/convenience store, we asked how far to Huntington. The man with no front teeth told us 85 miles but said it was "good road." And, after what we had been through, it really was a good road - reasonably straight and two wide lanes. It was almost 7 p.m. by the time we got to Huntington and found a motel. We ate the leftovers from the restaurant meals we'd enjoyed the day before by warming them in the microwave in the breakfast room. We were NOT about to get in that car again to go look for food. Lesson learned: next time the interstate is blocked, DON'T take the side roads. My big fear was that the car would break down or we'd run out of gas and have to find someone to help us. I'm sure the people are very nice and helpful, but I have to admit that whole side trip was so depressing, I just wanted to get back to something familiar.
Later: On Monday, April 5, there was an explosion in a Massey mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia. That is just a few miles from the route we took through Mingo County. I looked up the median household income for those two counties online. People in that area live on less than $25,000 a year. Given how much the owner of the mine makes (tens of millions per year,) one can only conclude that he uses the miners as disposable pieces of equipment. Twenty-five miners are dead and four still unaccounted for. Everyone is up in arms over the fact that the mine owner ignored warnings and fines that were issued. But the outrage will die down and more miners will be killed by the insatiable greed perpetuated by our "free enterprise" system.
Fri 4/02/10 6:51 AM
Hi guys, (family)
Got home safely yesterday (April Fool's Day) around 5 p.m. Wide awake this morning at 5 a.m. although it's still dark out. SO glad to wake up in my own bed. We left Raleigh Wed morning eagerly looking forward to getting home by mid-day on Thursday. Not to be. South of Beckley, W. Va., interstate 77 was blocked. After taking an hour to go 4 miles, we got off as soon as an exit was available to use a restroom. A woman waiting with me in the line told me she had come from Louisville (opposite direction from the way we were going) and that the road was blocked all the way back to 64. So, rather than sit in traffic for another several hours, we decided to take the back roads. BIG MISTAKE - it took us 6 hours to go 140 miles - OMG, we saw what coal mining towns in rural West Virginia really look like. I've seen movies about the poverty and the oppressive presence of mining operations, but this was really depressing. Hairpin turns going up mountains, down again on the other side. Only one road and no road signs. (I guess they figure since there's only one road it doesn't need to be labeled.) But the signs for the streets, lanes, and gulches were clearly marked which helps if you're looking for one of those. After what seemed like forever, we still hadn't found Mullens, so I stopped and asked a young girl playing in her yard. She said "just keep going straight up this road." Straight???? Are you kidding? What seemed like an hour later (or maybe it really was an hour) we found Mullens, so we knew we were heading NW to Huntington which was our goal for the night. The areas that aren't big enough to call towns are labeled "unincorporated ________." Every few miles, we saw a cluster of houses, a PO and a church. Although we left the interstate at 1:15 p.m., by the time we got deep into mining country, school was letting out, and kids were happily greeting their dogs. One young boy with a shaved head was playing in the yard with a man, probably his dad, who also had a shaved head. They seemed very happy. From my perspective, these people are incredibly poor and deprived. From their perspective, they don't seem to notice.There are evidently no waste hauling companies or landfills because everything that's not currently being used is strewn about the yards and hills. Not just old cars and appliances, but actual trash. The homes have to be built right next to the road because the mountains are so steep. At one point, we saw a big sign proudly advertising "Six flat acres" for sale. With the houses so close to the road, we felt like we were driving through their yards. I could literally have reached out and touched chain link fences. The mining operations consist of lots of dark buildings, long conveyor tubes and huge piles of black stuff which I didn't stop to identify. Train cars filled with coal are everywhere, some moving, some sitting still. Ironically, I am involved with a local group of citizens trying to prevent our electric company from building a coal combustion waste landfill next to the Missouri River, and my assignment is to research uses for "fly ash" (waste product of coal combustion.) AND what was on the news when we finally found a motel? Ads for "clean coal technology." Another big lie. When we finally found a town big enough to have a gas station/convenience store, we asked how far to Huntington. The man with no front teeth told us 85 miles but said it was "good road." And, after what we had been through, it really was a good road - reasonably straight and two wide lanes. It was almost 7 p.m. by the time we got to Huntington and found a motel. We ate the leftovers from the restaurant meals we'd enjoyed the day before by warming them in the microwave in the breakfast room. We were NOT about to get in that car again to go look for food. Lesson learned: next time the interstate is blocked, DON'T take the side roads. My big fear was that the car would break down or we'd run out of gas and have to find someone to help us. I'm sure the people are very nice and helpful, but I have to admit that whole side trip was so depressing, I just wanted to get back to something familiar.
Later: On Monday, April 5, there was an explosion in a Massey mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia. That is just a few miles from the route we took through Mingo County. I looked up the median household income for those two counties online. People in that area live on less than $25,000 a year. Given how much the owner of the mine makes (tens of millions per year,) one can only conclude that he uses the miners as disposable pieces of equipment. Twenty-five miners are dead and four still unaccounted for. Everyone is up in arms over the fact that the mine owner ignored warnings and fines that were issued. But the outrage will die down and more miners will be killed by the insatiable greed perpetuated by our "free enterprise" system.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Heartless is as heartless does
Let's get real
In all of these economic discussions, everyone dances around what's really going on off stage. Like Dick Cheney in drag, there's this evil creature lurking behind all of this supposedly reasonable debate about budgets, jobs, the economy etc. The dark side of human nature, represented by heartless Republicans, won't be happy until they force poor people into becoming what the Repugs believe there are - worthless.
Following Grover Norquist's injunction to downsize government until it can be drowned in a bathtub, the "greed is good" crowd howls in protest every time working class Americans catch a break. Unemployment compensation? Forget it. Health care? Get real. School lunch program? Hunger makes kids tougher.
They truly don't believe in anything with the word "public" in it. If they could privatize the air we breathe, they would. The underside of human nature has no concience. There is really no point in reasoning with them because their hearts are stone and and they won't be happy until they make the rest of us live down to their expectations.
The best we can hope for is that they all move to Texas and secede.
In all of these economic discussions, everyone dances around what's really going on off stage. Like Dick Cheney in drag, there's this evil creature lurking behind all of this supposedly reasonable debate about budgets, jobs, the economy etc. The dark side of human nature, represented by heartless Republicans, won't be happy until they force poor people into becoming what the Repugs believe there are - worthless.
Following Grover Norquist's injunction to downsize government until it can be drowned in a bathtub, the "greed is good" crowd howls in protest every time working class Americans catch a break. Unemployment compensation? Forget it. Health care? Get real. School lunch program? Hunger makes kids tougher.
They truly don't believe in anything with the word "public" in it. If they could privatize the air we breathe, they would. The underside of human nature has no concience. There is really no point in reasoning with them because their hearts are stone and and they won't be happy until they make the rest of us live down to their expectations.
The best we can hope for is that they all move to Texas and secede.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Enemy of the People or Are People the Enemy?
"Habits change. Men doesn't." In 1958, a history professor who had escaped from communist oppression in Hungary, wrote that announcement on a blackboard. His English wasn't all that good yet, but he certainly knew a lot about human behavior. Fifty years later, I'm more convinced than ever that he was right.
Saturday evening I attended a performance of Ibsen's "Enemy of the People" at Washington University. Although written in 1882, the point Ibsen was making applies with as much, or maybe more, eloquence today. The hero of the play tries to warn the town that their main source of revenue, a health spa, is swirling with polluted water and making visitors sick. The pollution is coming from a tannery which employs many of the townspeople. Rather than face scientific evidence from a university lab and fix the problem, the town authorities, with help from a co-opted newspaper editor, incite the townspeople to condemn the man trying to do the right thing as an enemy of the people. Fast forward to 2010.
sarah jo :: Enemy of the people or people are the enemy?
There are so many examples of the point Ibsen was making that it's hard to pick one. CAFO's? Nuclear waste dumps? Coal ash from power plants? (which Sen. McCaskill doesn't think is dangerous, BTW) Concerned Missourians visited state reps and senators on Februrary 3 to present evidence of the need for raising water pollution permit fees. During one of those short visits, a state rep made the comment that he didn't "believe in" climate change because scientists are not in agreement. (sound of jaws dropping) I have been exchanging emails with that state rep since our little chat, and his "sources" are free-market think tanks disguised as "institutes" and "policy forums." This particular state rep once taught geography so I'm holding out hope that evidence gathered by the National Geographic Society and available on the DVD I gave him will eat away at his "belief system."
Hope? Did I say hope? Am I, like President Obama, an eternal optimist or just an old fool
When lawmakers speak candidly about "pay for play" in Jeff City, naive Missourians are shocked. Rep. Curt Daugherty is quoted by the KC Star as saying that Mo legislators might as well put a "for sale" sign in front of the Capitol. And then this Ibsenism:
"It is not about being right or wrong," Bushart recalled Dougherty as saying. "It is all about money. I hate to put it this way, but it's the truth."
The current issue of Newsweek offers an excellent analysis of our current political paralysis by Jacob Weisberg. Rather than polarizing the spectacle in Washington as one between Dems and Repugs or even public interest vs private greed, Weisberg sees the struggle as one between politicans who are brave enough to tell the truth and those who aren't. He says Americans generally live in "Candyland" and want everything taken care of without paying for it. President Obama is one politican who will "speak frankly" rather than "indulging the public's delusions."
So, in addition to the powerful corporate lobbies threatening progress on health care reform and climate change issues, we also have to face the fact that we, the people, can't have our cake and eat it too. Weisberg warns that
"Our inability to address these long-term challenges makes a strong case that the United States now faces an era of historical decline. To change this storyline, we need to stop blaming the rascals we elect to office, and look instead to ourselves."
"Habits Change. Men Doesn't." What do you think the chances are that we can alter human nature in time to stop polluting ourselves into extinction?
Saturday evening I attended a performance of Ibsen's "Enemy of the People" at Washington University. Although written in 1882, the point Ibsen was making applies with as much, or maybe more, eloquence today. The hero of the play tries to warn the town that their main source of revenue, a health spa, is swirling with polluted water and making visitors sick. The pollution is coming from a tannery which employs many of the townspeople. Rather than face scientific evidence from a university lab and fix the problem, the town authorities, with help from a co-opted newspaper editor, incite the townspeople to condemn the man trying to do the right thing as an enemy of the people. Fast forward to 2010.
sarah jo :: Enemy of the people or people are the enemy?
There are so many examples of the point Ibsen was making that it's hard to pick one. CAFO's? Nuclear waste dumps? Coal ash from power plants? (which Sen. McCaskill doesn't think is dangerous, BTW) Concerned Missourians visited state reps and senators on Februrary 3 to present evidence of the need for raising water pollution permit fees. During one of those short visits, a state rep made the comment that he didn't "believe in" climate change because scientists are not in agreement. (sound of jaws dropping) I have been exchanging emails with that state rep since our little chat, and his "sources" are free-market think tanks disguised as "institutes" and "policy forums." This particular state rep once taught geography so I'm holding out hope that evidence gathered by the National Geographic Society and available on the DVD I gave him will eat away at his "belief system."
Hope? Did I say hope? Am I, like President Obama, an eternal optimist or just an old fool
When lawmakers speak candidly about "pay for play" in Jeff City, naive Missourians are shocked. Rep. Curt Daugherty is quoted by the KC Star as saying that Mo legislators might as well put a "for sale" sign in front of the Capitol. And then this Ibsenism:
"It is not about being right or wrong," Bushart recalled Dougherty as saying. "It is all about money. I hate to put it this way, but it's the truth."
The current issue of Newsweek offers an excellent analysis of our current political paralysis by Jacob Weisberg. Rather than polarizing the spectacle in Washington as one between Dems and Repugs or even public interest vs private greed, Weisberg sees the struggle as one between politicans who are brave enough to tell the truth and those who aren't. He says Americans generally live in "Candyland" and want everything taken care of without paying for it. President Obama is one politican who will "speak frankly" rather than "indulging the public's delusions."
So, in addition to the powerful corporate lobbies threatening progress on health care reform and climate change issues, we also have to face the fact that we, the people, can't have our cake and eat it too. Weisberg warns that
"Our inability to address these long-term challenges makes a strong case that the United States now faces an era of historical decline. To change this storyline, we need to stop blaming the rascals we elect to office, and look instead to ourselves."
"Habits Change. Men Doesn't." What do you think the chances are that we can alter human nature in time to stop polluting ourselves into extinction?
Friday, February 5, 2010
Please don't secede
I read letters to the editor in the local paper when I get a break from my volunteer job at a food pantry in Pacific. I know first hand that these are difficult times for many families, and I hear the desperation, anger and fear in the voices of those displaced by downsizing, layoffs, and jobs sent overseas.
But as sad as things are right now, we must not fly apart at the seams. Our ancestors worked too hard, suffered too much and believed in the American dream too fervently for us to rip up the social contract they passed on to us.
I'm not sure how states can become "sovereign" without seceding, and I plead with those of you encouraging this to please think about what you are doing. We fought a civil war over states rights, and there are cemeteries all over the eastern half of our country that should remind us what the consequences are of rhetoric that gets out of control.
When President Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg on September 19, 1863, no one knew what the eventual outcome of that war would be. He reminded his listeners that the American experiment of a nation "conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" was a really unique and risky proposition. He fully understood that the civil war was "testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and dedicated, can long endure." It is a testament to our ancestors that we have not only endured but expanded and evolved.
Human nature being what it is, we will always have disagreements about how to protect and enlarge the American dream of self-governance. But I plead with those who preach hate, divisiveness and a breakup of our union to reconsider their position. We need all the talent, ingenuity and compassion we can muster to solve the problems our country faces right now.
Do we really want to rewind the story of the last 200 years of struggle and go back to the living conditions and relationships that prevailed when our Constitution was written? Article I. Section II. "Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other persons (slaves.)" That was the original wording. Wasn't abolishing slavery and the buying and selling of other human beings progress? Do the women who attend the "back to the Constitution" rallies realize they'd be giving up the right to vote? If they would willingly give up that right, I urge them to view the documentary about the suffrage movement called "Iron-Jawed Angels."
We may debate how to achieve the goals set out in the Preamble to our Constitution, but let's keep those goals in mind as we adjust our social contract with each other. The world around us changes, and we must adapt or die. We may disagree on how to "form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity...," but I think we can all agree that this noble experiment is worth preserving.
We may be members of different poltical parties or choose to let the river of progress pass us by altogether and not get involved in the decisions that need to be made. But we are neighbors, friends, co-workers, fellow church members, volunteers and citizens who all want this nation to endure. We face difficult times, but we will come out of this stronger and better able to deal with the global challenges we face if we talk to each other, respect each other and work together.
President Lincoln wasn't sure that a government "...of the people, by the people, for the people..." could endure.But it has, at least for another 147 years. It's up to us what happens next.
Susan Cunningham
Calvey Township Committeewoman
Franklin County Democratic Central Committee
But as sad as things are right now, we must not fly apart at the seams. Our ancestors worked too hard, suffered too much and believed in the American dream too fervently for us to rip up the social contract they passed on to us.
I'm not sure how states can become "sovereign" without seceding, and I plead with those of you encouraging this to please think about what you are doing. We fought a civil war over states rights, and there are cemeteries all over the eastern half of our country that should remind us what the consequences are of rhetoric that gets out of control.
When President Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg on September 19, 1863, no one knew what the eventual outcome of that war would be. He reminded his listeners that the American experiment of a nation "conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" was a really unique and risky proposition. He fully understood that the civil war was "testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and dedicated, can long endure." It is a testament to our ancestors that we have not only endured but expanded and evolved.
Human nature being what it is, we will always have disagreements about how to protect and enlarge the American dream of self-governance. But I plead with those who preach hate, divisiveness and a breakup of our union to reconsider their position. We need all the talent, ingenuity and compassion we can muster to solve the problems our country faces right now.
Do we really want to rewind the story of the last 200 years of struggle and go back to the living conditions and relationships that prevailed when our Constitution was written? Article I. Section II. "Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other persons (slaves.)" That was the original wording. Wasn't abolishing slavery and the buying and selling of other human beings progress? Do the women who attend the "back to the Constitution" rallies realize they'd be giving up the right to vote? If they would willingly give up that right, I urge them to view the documentary about the suffrage movement called "Iron-Jawed Angels."
We may debate how to achieve the goals set out in the Preamble to our Constitution, but let's keep those goals in mind as we adjust our social contract with each other. The world around us changes, and we must adapt or die. We may disagree on how to "form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity...," but I think we can all agree that this noble experiment is worth preserving.
We may be members of different poltical parties or choose to let the river of progress pass us by altogether and not get involved in the decisions that need to be made. But we are neighbors, friends, co-workers, fellow church members, volunteers and citizens who all want this nation to endure. We face difficult times, but we will come out of this stronger and better able to deal with the global challenges we face if we talk to each other, respect each other and work together.
President Lincoln wasn't sure that a government "...of the people, by the people, for the people..." could endure.But it has, at least for another 147 years. It's up to us what happens next.
Susan Cunningham
Calvey Township Committeewoman
Franklin County Democratic Central Committee
Monday, January 18, 2010
Whose side are you on?
I've been thinking for some time that Ed Shultz and maybe even Keith Olbermann are really moles working on behalf of corporate Republicans because of the amount of air time they give to wingnuts like Beck, Limbaugh, Palin, etc. Lately they've also joined the chorus of Obama critics. After reading the daily kos posting called "what went wrong" listing all the failures of the Obama administration, I'm convinced that Democrats have a death wish. Can you imagine a Republican or tea bagger TV show or internet blog ripping Republican leaders apart? Maybe there are conservative bloggers or radio talk show hosts cutting up Mitch McConnell, John McCain and Sarah Palin. I wouldn't know since I don't watch, listen or read anything by rightwingers. But I suspect that they don't hang their dirty laundry out from the top of the tallest building and then put a spotlight on it like Dems do. What possible good are these Dem/progressive bloggers and TV show hosts accomplishing? Why not just send the Repub Nat Committee a big, fat campaign contribution? Oh sure, critics get to play smart ass and show off their "bona fides" as members of the Uniquely Qualified to Judge club.But, after the rosy glow of smug cleverness wears off, what have they accomplished? Why not just go to Massachusetts and campaign for the Scott Brown? The Obamas had barely settled into the White House a year ago when the sniping began. We knew what to expect from Republicans and racists. And they have not disappointed. But I'm dismayed by the amount of air time and the number of words in print that have been written by Democrats and progressives criticizing Obama's every move and decision. Of course he was bound to disappoint us because he's human and not the magical wizard we hoped would make all our problems disappear. Pogo was right. We are our own worst enemies. We can continue to carp and criticize or we can find something useful to contribute to solving the country's many problems. We're smarter, stronger and built of tougher stuff than we're exhibiting right now. The conditions in the country are right for the next set of major progressive reforms. We're on the right side of history, and the obstacles we face are nothing compared to what the civil rights leaders faced 50 years ago. President Obama is trying to steer us in a forward direction despite the mine field laid out before him by those who fight to keep their position of privilege and power. Martin Luther King Jr. said it as did many others: The powerful and privileged never share their power willingly. I hope others will read this inspiring editorial in Monday's Post Dispatch. If they could "overcome," why can't we? http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-platform/published-editorials/2010/01/martin-luther-king-jr-day-2010-arrives-ripe-with-possibilities/
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The trains are running again
Hardly noticed and seemingly unimportant, there was a "brief" in today's Post Dispatch reporting that train service has been restored between Belgrade and Sarajevo. Anyone under the age of 30 reading that might wonder why it warranted a notice in the paper. That train line stopped running 18 years ago because the people on both ends of the line and everywhere along the route were killing each other.
Not only killing but raping, maiming, starving and torturing each other.
In the mid-1990's anyone with a sympathetic heart could barely watch the TV news reports from the former Yugoslavia. Under a communist dictatorship for many decades, Yugoslavia was held together by sticks and glue while the various ethnic and religious factions lived peacefully together or hated each other without means to act on that hatred.
When the lid of oppression was lifted in the late 1980's alongside the demise of the Soviet Union, ethnicity became more important than political cohesion which led to declaration of independence by Croatia and Slovenia in the early 1990's. In an attempt to quash these movements toward independence, the Serbian army attacked the capital city of Sarajevo.
Most Americans had little knowledge of the Balkans and could only shake their heads in dismay as the story went from bad to worse. After two of the worst massacres in 1994 and 1995, NATO forces beat back the Serbian military and brought the war to a messy conclusion.
Despite the obvious tension in the sanctuary at Eliot Chapel, those in attendance felt the spirit of reconciliation through the sharing of grief. The stories of young girls being raped and purposely impregnated were almost too vivid to bear. We had all seen photos of the damage done by the bombing of Sarajevo and knew that men, women and children were incinerated where those bombs fell.
Not only killing but raping, maiming, starving and torturing each other.
In the mid-1990's anyone with a sympathetic heart could barely watch the TV news reports from the former Yugoslavia. Under a communist dictatorship for many decades, Yugoslavia was held together by sticks and glue while the various ethnic and religious factions lived peacefully together or hated each other without means to act on that hatred.
When the lid of oppression was lifted in the late 1980's alongside the demise of the Soviet Union, ethnicity became more important than political cohesion which led to declaration of independence by Croatia and Slovenia in the early 1990's. In an attempt to quash these movements toward independence, the Serbian army attacked the capital city of Sarajevo.
Most Americans had little knowledge of the Balkans and could only shake their heads in dismay as the story went from bad to worse. After two of the worst massacres in 1994 and 1995, NATO forces beat back the Serbian military and brought the war to a messy conclusion.
When I saw a notice in a church program calling people together for a series of Lenten prayer meetings, I was drawn to the idea of being with others who were as horrified as I was and who felt just as helpless. The purpose of the meetings was to bring St. Louisans together whose friends and relatives back in Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia were killing each other. The idea seemed a bit risky, but the organizers were prepared for potential tension.
The first afternoon prayer service was held at Eliot Chapel, Unitarian Universalist, in Kirkwood on the first Sunday of Lent. Someone said the reason the members of diverse religions were willing to come together in peace was because Quakers and Unitarians invited them, and they were on neutral ground. Those who came to pray together included Muslims, Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics, Jews and Protestants. Leaders of each religion were given the opportunity to speak and pray.Despite the obvious tension in the sanctuary at Eliot Chapel, those in attendance felt the spirit of reconciliation through the sharing of grief. The stories of young girls being raped and purposely impregnated were almost too vivid to bear. We had all seen photos of the damage done by the bombing of Sarajevo and knew that men, women and children were incinerated where those bombs fell.
One of the most touching stories was of a cello player who belonged to the Sarajevo symphony. A relative of his, possibly his brother, was killed by a bomb in the central marketplace. Each week, at the exact time of his brother's death, the cellist took his chair and instrument to the middle of the marketplace and played the hauntingly beautiful "Adagio" by Albinoni.
Despite the danger and warnings from his friends, the cellist played for peace each week.
On each Sunday of Lent, at various houses of worship around St. Louis, someone read that story and a local cellist played the Adagio. Focusing on that one life lost in a war everyone said they didn't want to happen fused the prayers and pain of those in attendance.
As we continued to witness the horrible things human beings were doing to each other in the Balkans, it was difficult to believe peace and safety would ever return to that part of the world.
But it has. And the trains are running again. And the Sarajevo symphony is performing again. For the moment, there is peace in at least one part of the world.
And the people said amen.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
The passing of time and classmates
Sad news today. Dottie Kranz Deuel had a massive heart attack and asked the doctors to remove the respirator. Dottie was my gymnastics partner in gym class. She was so tiny I could let her stand on my thighs and hold her up there while she did the angel pose. And she could do a shoulder stand on my back when I was on all fours. Too short for volleyball and not a very good shot at basketball, but she could blast a softball into the extra ballfield at the end of the school property. And run like a rabbit.
I never heard Dottie say a catty word about anyone. My most immediate memory is of her laughing. I think she and her boyfriend (and later her husband) were elected prom king and queen. Or maybe in the court. Anyway, she dated one of the best looking guys in the class, and they were a cute couple.
I wouldn't say I was envious of Dottie because she was so friendly and nice to everyone it was hard to have a bad feeling about her. I not only never made prom queen, I had to practically bribe guys to take me to dances like that. I never had a steady boyfriend in high school much less one of the "cool" guys like Brian Deuel.
After graduation, I don't remember if I ran into Dottie at any reunions, at least not until our 45th which was actually in the 46th year after graduation because no one took the initiative to organize a party for 2002. Actually, I don't think I thought of Dottie at all for 40 years or more. But at the 50th reunion in 2007, we spent time together rehearsing two songs for the banquet entertainment. Dottie was cheerful as always. She asked about my family, what I'd been doing with my life, etc. I like people who take an interest in the lives of others and don't just talk about themselves all the time. She and I reminisced about our fun times in gym class, the teacher, being embarrassed in our ugly gym outfits when we had to combine with the boys for square dance lessons.
I noticed at the banquet that Brian didn't look very alert. Later someone told me he is an alcoholic and that he and Dottie had separated on and off in recent years. The information shattered my image of the prom king and queen. I had to face the fact that I had been jealous of their long marriage because mine ended so painfully. Knowing that several of my classmates had stayed married all those years made me feel like a failure. I assumed they were blissfully happy and living the storybook lives we all fantasized about in school.
It turns out everyone has some kind of burden to carry. I had no idea that Dottie had been living with an alcoholic. How stressful that must have been and how heartbreaking.
The email I received from a classmate said that Dottie and Brian had been to the Rose Parade last week, something she had always wanted to do. I'm glad she got her wish. It just doesn't seem right that someone who lived such an active life should die of a heart attack. Where is the justice in that?
With the passing of each classmate, I feel a part of myself die. They were part of "our story." My life was enriched by the friends I grew up with. When one of them passes, part of "our story" dies. It's like losing a member of a family. Or the bond that is broken by divorce. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. John Donne was right - when someone dies, a part of the whole is lost too. The bell tolls for all of us.
Rest in peace, Dottie. You know you were loved, and that had to be some comfort.
Your friend and gym partner,
susan
I never heard Dottie say a catty word about anyone. My most immediate memory is of her laughing. I think she and her boyfriend (and later her husband) were elected prom king and queen. Or maybe in the court. Anyway, she dated one of the best looking guys in the class, and they were a cute couple.
I wouldn't say I was envious of Dottie because she was so friendly and nice to everyone it was hard to have a bad feeling about her. I not only never made prom queen, I had to practically bribe guys to take me to dances like that. I never had a steady boyfriend in high school much less one of the "cool" guys like Brian Deuel.
After graduation, I don't remember if I ran into Dottie at any reunions, at least not until our 45th which was actually in the 46th year after graduation because no one took the initiative to organize a party for 2002. Actually, I don't think I thought of Dottie at all for 40 years or more. But at the 50th reunion in 2007, we spent time together rehearsing two songs for the banquet entertainment. Dottie was cheerful as always. She asked about my family, what I'd been doing with my life, etc. I like people who take an interest in the lives of others and don't just talk about themselves all the time. She and I reminisced about our fun times in gym class, the teacher, being embarrassed in our ugly gym outfits when we had to combine with the boys for square dance lessons.
I noticed at the banquet that Brian didn't look very alert. Later someone told me he is an alcoholic and that he and Dottie had separated on and off in recent years. The information shattered my image of the prom king and queen. I had to face the fact that I had been jealous of their long marriage because mine ended so painfully. Knowing that several of my classmates had stayed married all those years made me feel like a failure. I assumed they were blissfully happy and living the storybook lives we all fantasized about in school.
It turns out everyone has some kind of burden to carry. I had no idea that Dottie had been living with an alcoholic. How stressful that must have been and how heartbreaking.
The email I received from a classmate said that Dottie and Brian had been to the Rose Parade last week, something she had always wanted to do. I'm glad she got her wish. It just doesn't seem right that someone who lived such an active life should die of a heart attack. Where is the justice in that?
With the passing of each classmate, I feel a part of myself die. They were part of "our story." My life was enriched by the friends I grew up with. When one of them passes, part of "our story" dies. It's like losing a member of a family. Or the bond that is broken by divorce. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. John Donne was right - when someone dies, a part of the whole is lost too. The bell tolls for all of us.
Rest in peace, Dottie. You know you were loved, and that had to be some comfort.
Your friend and gym partner,
susan
Friday, January 8, 2010
Republicans: Pitch in or butt out
Despite reading and hearing the most outrageous, insulting and usually untrue attacks on anyone associated with the Obama administration during the past year, I still was shocked to read recent letters filled with visceral hatred for Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. Suggesting that she be sent to Siberia is not only way out of line, but it also contributes nothing toward solving the problems our country faces. What have the Republicans done to help achieve affordable health care for Americans? What are they doing to pull the planet back from the tipping point beyond which the planet's atmosphere can not absorb any more greenhouse gases? Where are their "back to work" programs to help the millions of unemployed in this country? They do nothing but gripe, carp, criticize and harass those of us who are trying to salvage what we can of the mess they created. What gall. As Lee Iacocca once said, "Lead, follow or get out of the way." We have major problems to solve and we need all patriotic Americans to pitch in and help. If you can't put country first, please butt out.
Susan Cunningham — Pacific
Published in St. Louis Post Dispatch Jan. 8, 2010
Despite reading and hearing the most outrageous, insulting and usually untrue attacks on anyone associated with the Obama administration during the past year, I still was shocked to read recent letters filled with visceral hatred for Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. Suggesting that she be sent to Siberia is not only way out of line, but it also contributes nothing toward solving the problems our country faces. What have the Republicans done to help achieve affordable health care for Americans? What are they doing to pull the planet back from the tipping point beyond which the planet's atmosphere can not absorb any more greenhouse gases? Where are their "back to work" programs to help the millions of unemployed in this country? They do nothing but gripe, carp, criticize and harass those of us who are trying to salvage what we can of the mess they created. What gall. As Lee Iacocca once said, "Lead, follow or get out of the way." We have major problems to solve and we need all patriotic Americans to pitch in and help. If you can't put country first, please butt out.
Susan Cunningham — Pacific
Published in St. Louis Post Dispatch Jan. 8, 2010
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