Politics Not as Usual, or Some Things Never change

I do not understand how  or why anyone would want to legislate something that is none of their business (like a woman's choice to have a child, or even to use birth control), something that is patently false (like Thomas Jefferson not having much of an impact on the founding of this country), or something totally idiotic (like  telling schools they cannot teach "higher order thinking skills..."). 

What is wrong with us? Have our citizens been dumbed down enough (by TV, newspapers, and other sources of news, or what passes for news today) not to care what is happening in our country? Can we no longer think for ourselves, or must we all be mindless ditto heads, who believe something just because it is said by someone who can shout louder that someone else.

I know people think I am a bit left of center (don't believe in capital punishment, believe in a woman's right to control her own body, think at least some drugs should be legalized), but I have always thought of myself as mostly moderate. I think that some people have lately been, not just leaning to the right, but running that way. Now we hear that our Republican congressman, Steve LaTourette, has decided not to run for Congress again. His reason? The people in Congress today are totally unable to work together; no one seems to have heard of the word compromise. This saddens me, even though I did not vote for Mr. LaTourette. Or maybe I should be glad, because if even this moderate Republican can see that Congress is a laughingstock, there may be some hope. Could his resignation trigger some introspection and maybe even realization that we must work together or our problems will overcome us, instead of the other way around? It's worth thinking about.

Donations, Contributions, Etc.

Every day, the mail brings at least one new request for a donation. Most of these requests support good causes: policies that need to be heard, children that need medical help, animals that need homes, people that need to be fed. There are also the political requests for support: Democrats, Republicans, groups supporting abortion rights, groups against choice, supporters of private schools, supporters of religious freedom, opposers of religious freedom, people against immigration -  it goes on and on.

How do you decide where you want to send your hard earned dollars? Do you have a favorite charity? Or do you throw most of the requests away until you finally start feeling guilty, then donate to the next one that comes in the mail? I have decided that there are only so many causes I can support, so I have set some (arbitrary) rules.

I don't give donations over the phone - no credit card numbers, no promises, nothing. I don't respond to random mailings, no matter how much the stories may appeal to me. I give only to a few causes that I know are worthwhile, and most of these are local. I'm not saying that other causes aren't worthwhile, because a lot of them are, especially in this election year when it seems that a lot of people want to invade our privacy and take away our rights. Especially hard hit this year are women, who could literally be fighting for their lives.

The choice of which charities or political ideologies to support is a tough one. But it must be made. After all, if I give too much, someone will then have to support me!

Reflections, Not Remembrances

Having just celebrated another birthday, I was tempted to reminisce a bit on the past. But the past is the past, and I try not to look that way too often.

Do I feel old? Sometimes. I know I don't do things like chores as fast as I once did, and maybe that's because I don't have as many deadlines as I once had, and not because I'm slowing down. I do know that the older I get, the more things get crossed off my bucket list, and not necessarily because I have done them. Some things I no longer have the desire to try, like sky diving. How could I have actually wanted to do that? And zip lining is fast going the way of sky diving. Has my sense of adventure disappeared or has common sense taken over?

Then there are the new things that have appeared in my life, like Finnish language lessons. I know I will never learn enough to really carry on a conversation in that language with a native speaker, but I love the sound of the words; and maybe, just maybe, I can pick up a few words here and there. Music has always been one of the staples in my life, and that is not changing. I now have a new kantele (thanks, Larry), and am contemplating getting Mom's banjo out of the attic and possibly taking lessons. Reading is one of my passions; now I have time to read a greater variety of books than I ever did before, although I know I will never get everything read that I would like to. I have also learned a few new skills - a bit of drawing, knitting, crocheting, quilting (that is a very questionable skill), and both ballroom and swing dancing.

I believe the real secret to not feeling old, or being old, or feeling sorry for yourself, is to never look back.  You cannot change the past. I learned a long time ago that you make the best choice you can at the time, then move on. You can only change the future, and what you choose to do with your future is up to you.

Comments on a Recently read Book

I just finished reading The Post-American World | Release 2.0  by Fareed Zakaria (thanks for the recommendation, VBob). Written in understandable language, it is timely and eye-opening, as well as offering hope for the future of the United States.

The U.S. will be the world's only super power for a while yet, but other countries will continue to move up the ladder. We, as Americans, need to recognize that we live in a global society, and we only harm ourselves if we think we can pull back into an isolationist shell. We need to reach out to the rest of the world, not only with guns and aide, but with openness and understanding.

Most of the world's developing and developed countries are more or less closed societies, that are not replacing the population as it ages. The U.S. has always attracted people from other countries; we have a vibrant and growing (and young) work force.  This gives us a tremendous advantage over other countries. The U.S. has always welcomed people trying to better themselves, or looking for religious or political freedom, and we shouldn't close our doors now.

Besides, someone has to pay for my Social Security benefits.

Old Fashioned Humor

How many of you have ever seen, or even heard of, the George Burns and Gracie Allen Show? It was on television back in the dark ages—the 1950s, I think. Since Den and I don't have cable TV, we are limited to programs we can get via an on-the-roof antenna, which means we are pretty well limited. We do have something called EyeTV loaded on both our computers through which we can record shows that we don't have time to watch. You'd think that with only a few channels, we would never find anything to record, but you'd be wrong. We have enough shows recorded to last us several weeks, even if we don't record anything else. I should clarify that we don't watch TV on the computer, but on the TV, just like everyone else. It's just that our channel selection is limited.

To get back on track: One of the stations we can pick up through our antenna is WJW, channel 8.2, called Antenna TV. And every night, late, this channel shows two back to back episodes of Burns and Allen. It is the funniest program on TV. And it doesn't use profanity, drugs, or sex to be funny. When I say funny, I mean, laugh out loud in your own living room, funny. Gracie Allen's timing is impeccable, as is her self-expression. She is never confused, but everyone else usually is.

I love this show! It is the last thing I watch before bed every night, and I usually get a good night's sleep. If you ever get a chance to watch Burns and Allen, take it. You won't regret it.

Good Music; Good Book

Whether or not this feeling I have right now will last, it is currently strong enough that I have to write something about it.

Den put a CD by Odetta on the stereo to test one of his tubes, or speakers, or something else I don't understand, but it is simply a wonderful CD, brought to our attention by a good friend, Laurie, who knows the kind of music I like. The title is One Grain of Sand, and was first recorded in1963.

Maybe it is because I am reading a book about race relations in the South in the late '60s and early '70s that  this music seems so powerful right now, or maybe not. The book is Blood Done Signed My Name, by Timothy Tyson, and is really good—reads like a novel, but is a true story written by the son of a white Methodist minister who served a white congregation in North Carolina. I am half-way through the book; it is a very powerful story about the murder of a young black man in Oxford, N.C., how race relations were changing, and how the changes came about. Having grown up in the North, I had no idea how oppressed African Americans had become, and still were, in the 20th century. It seems there was more equality right after the Civil War than there was when the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968 were passed.

Reading this book, and listening to this CD at this particular point in the reading (just past half-way), has made me wonder where I was when all this going on. Why wasn't I more aware? Why didn't I do something? Of course, I knew about the marches, the assassinations, the bombings; but they did not seem as real to me then as this story does now. I'm not sure anything will be changed by discovering something I didn't know 45 or 50 years ago, but maybe there is some value in hindsight.

The Healing Power of Time

The last seven months have been very distressing for me and for my family. However, it seems to be true that time does heal, or at least covers over, the worst of the horribly aching feelings that have invaded my whole being. I have to admit that I am reluctant even now to write about the depth of my feelings; they are very hard, if not impossible, to put into words. These feelings are much too emotional to talk about, but they have to come out somehow, so here they are.

The worst thing that you could imagine happening, happened on August 29, 2011. Our niece was murdered by her boyfriend. I know murders happen much too frequently; but it doesn't happen to someone you know, much less to someone in your family. It hurts way too much to talk about, even to those you love, and who loved and knew the person who was killed. But I know that my sister-in-law needs to talk about her beautiful daughter, needs to know that others share her pain (although we do not feel it as deeply as she does), needs to know that we, too, will never forget. But I find myself unable to speak for fear of saying the wrong thing; I am afraid of hurting her more deeply than she has already been hurt, even though I know that is impossible.  Maybe writing about this will make it a bit easier for me to help her, for her to know that I am here if she needs me.