Babs, our foundling kitten, is doing well after her operation (a combination spay and surgery for a navel hernia). She wandered around the house in a stupor for a day, after coming home from the vet. Poor Babs would just sit for long periods of time and stare out into space. She has a big, long scar with stitches on her belly. All she wanted was to curl up in a lap and sleep. We would have to lift her up at first because she was having trouble jumping up. Our terrorizing kitten who raced around the house looking for trouble and who was into everything was now this quiet, purring creature we hardly recognized.
By day two, Babs was returning to her old ways, much to the chagrin of our older cats, Spike and Sylvie. They got used to a quieter household. The stitches no longer seemed to bother her and we only gave her two of the pain medicines that the vet had sent home with her. Soon she was jumping and climbing on to everything. We still have to take her back to the vet in a few days to have her stitches removed, but the old Babs was back. Or was she?
Before her operation, Babs had become very aggressive toward our other cats. She would get jealous if she saw Spike or Sylvie in our laps and would literally chase them away. Sylvie would often spend time away from us in the back room to avoid Babs. It got so bad at one point that Lisa considered taking Babs to a shelter. Even Spike, her “buddy,” was getting tired of her climbing all over him and chewing his ears and biting him. But after her operation, Babs seems less aggressive and more willing to share our laps with the other cats. Sylvie has been sticking around when Babs is in the room or near by and a peaceful coexistence is now in place. The other day, Lisa took a picture of Babs and Sylvie sleeping side by side. Unbelievable! Babs has also been spotted licking and grooming her old buddy, Spike.
So why can’t we ALL just get along?
FOOD for THOUGHT...
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
What Price 9/11?
Since America was attacked on September 11, 2001, our country and its citizens have paid a heavy price, not just in lives lost, but in who we are and what America stands for. Out of our fear, a new America was born. It is an America that I hardly recognize from when I was a boy. My country has changed. We have changed.
One of the first things to change was the passing of the Patriot Act. It increased the ability of law enforcement agencies to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial and other records. Even our libraries and the books we read were subject to this act. Librarians were enraged with this sudden invasion of privacy and new restrictions placed on them. We were told it was to help catch terrorists who wanted to stage more attacks.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created to oversee and coordinate 25 different agencies needed to fight our War on Terror. Some of the better known agencies under the control of this new “super agency” are the TSA, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, U.S. Secret Service, FEMA and the U.S. Coast Guard. To me, the very name of this new agency seems sinister and Orwellian. This one massive organization now has control over a large chunk of our life in America.
One of the DHS agencies, the Transportation Security Administration or TSA, has changed the way we travel. I can remember a time when you could go to the gate at the airport and say good bye to a loved one or wait for them to get off the plane. No more. Now, we wait in long lines to be processed by high tech machines and uniformed people that require us to show picture ID’s and travel documents, remove our shoes, empty our pockets and put everything on a conveyor belt that feeds the contents into scanners. We then are required to step though machines that scan us, our bodies, and if that’s not enough, a final hands on “pat-down” of our person. In May of 2008, our drivers license with our pictures will no longer be accepted as secure identification for air travel. Travelers will need to produce a U.S. Passport, even for domestic flights. All of this is in preparation for a “secure” National Identification Card (REAL ID) that will be required of everyone in the country. Are we feeling safe yet? Now, I grant you most of us do feel safer with all the extra security measures required for air travel these days. We are even willing to put up with the inconvenience to a point, but I have to wonder... what’s next?
Once upon a time we were the good guys. We believed in human rights and treaties like the Geneva Convention and even played a major role in trying Nazis for war crimes after World War II. There was a time when we condemned other countries for human rights violations and torture. But now the world has seen pictures of Abu Ghraib and heard of the abuses at Guantanamo in Cuba, where “enemy combatants” face an unknown future, denied even the pretext of due process. They are declared guilty without any way to prove their innocence or fight their incarceration. Tapes of questionable interrogation techniques of some of these “detainees” have been destroyed by the CIA in violation of orders. Can America any longer claim a moral high ground in the World? Have we become the people we used to condemn out of our fear?
So what if we are holding a bunch of radical terrorists, you say. Good riddance! They are terrorists and the world is better off without them. Who cares! Well, think again. Our congress is working on House Bill HR 1955: The "Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism" Act (HR 1955 has been submitted to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.) Since this bill is so vague, the government can theoretically persecute civilians who use their right to assemble and their right to free speech by voicing their opposition to a government policy or program. Homeland Security at any time can label us a “Homegrown Terrorist.” Once we are so labeled, we are then subject to the possibility of having our assets and property seized. We could be incarcerated indefinitely, without trial or even without charges placed against us. Do not forget what the Patriot Act already allows our government to do and do not forget the charges of illegal domestic spying by this administration. Still feel warm and fuzzy? Still feel protected?
What price have we paid for 9/11 and our fear? We may never know until it is too late.
FOOD for THOUGHT...
One of the first things to change was the passing of the Patriot Act. It increased the ability of law enforcement agencies to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial and other records. Even our libraries and the books we read were subject to this act. Librarians were enraged with this sudden invasion of privacy and new restrictions placed on them. We were told it was to help catch terrorists who wanted to stage more attacks.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created to oversee and coordinate 25 different agencies needed to fight our War on Terror. Some of the better known agencies under the control of this new “super agency” are the TSA, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, U.S. Secret Service, FEMA and the U.S. Coast Guard. To me, the very name of this new agency seems sinister and Orwellian. This one massive organization now has control over a large chunk of our life in America.
One of the DHS agencies, the Transportation Security Administration or TSA, has changed the way we travel. I can remember a time when you could go to the gate at the airport and say good bye to a loved one or wait for them to get off the plane. No more. Now, we wait in long lines to be processed by high tech machines and uniformed people that require us to show picture ID’s and travel documents, remove our shoes, empty our pockets and put everything on a conveyor belt that feeds the contents into scanners. We then are required to step though machines that scan us, our bodies, and if that’s not enough, a final hands on “pat-down” of our person. In May of 2008, our drivers license with our pictures will no longer be accepted as secure identification for air travel. Travelers will need to produce a U.S. Passport, even for domestic flights. All of this is in preparation for a “secure” National Identification Card (REAL ID) that will be required of everyone in the country. Are we feeling safe yet? Now, I grant you most of us do feel safer with all the extra security measures required for air travel these days. We are even willing to put up with the inconvenience to a point, but I have to wonder... what’s next?
Once upon a time we were the good guys. We believed in human rights and treaties like the Geneva Convention and even played a major role in trying Nazis for war crimes after World War II. There was a time when we condemned other countries for human rights violations and torture. But now the world has seen pictures of Abu Ghraib and heard of the abuses at Guantanamo in Cuba, where “enemy combatants” face an unknown future, denied even the pretext of due process. They are declared guilty without any way to prove their innocence or fight their incarceration. Tapes of questionable interrogation techniques of some of these “detainees” have been destroyed by the CIA in violation of orders. Can America any longer claim a moral high ground in the World? Have we become the people we used to condemn out of our fear?
So what if we are holding a bunch of radical terrorists, you say. Good riddance! They are terrorists and the world is better off without them. Who cares! Well, think again. Our congress is working on House Bill HR 1955: The "Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism" Act (HR 1955 has been submitted to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.) Since this bill is so vague, the government can theoretically persecute civilians who use their right to assemble and their right to free speech by voicing their opposition to a government policy or program. Homeland Security at any time can label us a “Homegrown Terrorist.” Once we are so labeled, we are then subject to the possibility of having our assets and property seized. We could be incarcerated indefinitely, without trial or even without charges placed against us. Do not forget what the Patriot Act already allows our government to do and do not forget the charges of illegal domestic spying by this administration. Still feel warm and fuzzy? Still feel protected?
What price have we paid for 9/11 and our fear? We may never know until it is too late.
FOOD for THOUGHT...
Monday, January 14, 2008
What I Would Do
By November, we will have chosen a new president. Republican or Democrat, our new leader must hit the ground running. There is much to do if we are to turn this country around and address our mounting problems. These problems now threaten to sink our national ship. I do not envy the person who will be sitting behind that desk in the Oval Office, but they will have a unique opportunity to make a difference in the history of our country and the world. Whoever assumes that office in January of 2009 cannot afford to maintain the status quo, sit on their hands and do nothing. They can no longer afford to punish old political foes and act in their own self-interest. There is too much at stake, too many things that need to be done.
It made me think what my first actions would be as president. First, there is no way in hell I would want the job, but if I were the new President, there are some things I would like to get started immediately. The very first would be to contact our friends and allies and call for a summit to discuss a new era of cooperation and support as equals. We are no longer the “World Sheriff," folks! I would bring back and reestablish a diplomatic corps of top-notch talent and experience. They would be charged with going out into the world and rebuilding our image as a nation and as a people.
I would set a national goal to develop a new engine that would finally replace the internal combustion engine. Like Kennedy’s call for a man on the moon, I think it would challenge and inspire our nation to research, develop and deliver new technologies that would revitalize our economy and end our dependence on oil from hostile, unstable nations in the Middle East. It would be a call for a non-polluting engine that could run on things like sunlight, water, hydrogen or even our own waste and trash...anything plentiful but petroleum.
I would encourage recycling on a massive scale never seen before. We need to recover and reuse materials and resources that are becoming scarce or costly to produce. Virtually everything that can be manufactured should be able to be disassembled and reused or recovered. We might even consider going into our landfills and mining them for plastics, metals and waste that can be converted to energy. At the very least, each home could compost their own kitchen waste and use it in a garden rather than sending it to a landfill. Perhaps landfills would become outdated as everything we discard is reused. There would be thousands of new jobs created as we researched and developed new ways, new technologies to process our garbage and use it again.
I would call for a commitment from every citizen to go green. In return, I would seek the production and distribution of inexpensive solar and wind power generators that could be installed on every single home and office building in this country. The power from such a massive installation across the country could reduce or eliminate the need for coal fired and nuclear power plants as well as plants that burn gas and oil to create electricity. With economies of scale at that level, the cost to produce these units would drop dramatically. Completely new industries and service jobs would be created to accomplish this mass production and installation. Other companies would be needed to manage the corresponding energy production being added to the power grid. Power companies could go from producing and selling energy to managing and maintaining the power grid for a fee. Think about the jobs created!
All of these things would require strong, visionary leadership at the national level to get the ball rolling, to make things happen. Just think what could happen if we could convince the rest of the world that America once again believes in peace, truth and justice through international conventions and treaties rather than unilateral, hostile actions around the world. If we can commit to spending billions of dollars to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, just think what we could achieve if we only took a part of the wasted war money. Why, we might be able to provide affordable healthcare and affordable higher education one day. We might actually solve...rather than create problems.
FOOD for THOUGHT...
It made me think what my first actions would be as president. First, there is no way in hell I would want the job, but if I were the new President, there are some things I would like to get started immediately. The very first would be to contact our friends and allies and call for a summit to discuss a new era of cooperation and support as equals. We are no longer the “World Sheriff," folks! I would bring back and reestablish a diplomatic corps of top-notch talent and experience. They would be charged with going out into the world and rebuilding our image as a nation and as a people.
I would set a national goal to develop a new engine that would finally replace the internal combustion engine. Like Kennedy’s call for a man on the moon, I think it would challenge and inspire our nation to research, develop and deliver new technologies that would revitalize our economy and end our dependence on oil from hostile, unstable nations in the Middle East. It would be a call for a non-polluting engine that could run on things like sunlight, water, hydrogen or even our own waste and trash...anything plentiful but petroleum.
I would encourage recycling on a massive scale never seen before. We need to recover and reuse materials and resources that are becoming scarce or costly to produce. Virtually everything that can be manufactured should be able to be disassembled and reused or recovered. We might even consider going into our landfills and mining them for plastics, metals and waste that can be converted to energy. At the very least, each home could compost their own kitchen waste and use it in a garden rather than sending it to a landfill. Perhaps landfills would become outdated as everything we discard is reused. There would be thousands of new jobs created as we researched and developed new ways, new technologies to process our garbage and use it again.
I would call for a commitment from every citizen to go green. In return, I would seek the production and distribution of inexpensive solar and wind power generators that could be installed on every single home and office building in this country. The power from such a massive installation across the country could reduce or eliminate the need for coal fired and nuclear power plants as well as plants that burn gas and oil to create electricity. With economies of scale at that level, the cost to produce these units would drop dramatically. Completely new industries and service jobs would be created to accomplish this mass production and installation. Other companies would be needed to manage the corresponding energy production being added to the power grid. Power companies could go from producing and selling energy to managing and maintaining the power grid for a fee. Think about the jobs created!
All of these things would require strong, visionary leadership at the national level to get the ball rolling, to make things happen. Just think what could happen if we could convince the rest of the world that America once again believes in peace, truth and justice through international conventions and treaties rather than unilateral, hostile actions around the world. If we can commit to spending billions of dollars to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, just think what we could achieve if we only took a part of the wasted war money. Why, we might be able to provide affordable healthcare and affordable higher education one day. We might actually solve...rather than create problems.
FOOD for THOUGHT...
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Change
Has everyone had enough of the “C word”? All of the candidates both republican and democrat alike are using it to the extreme. They are tripping over each other trying to convince voters that THEY and they alone are the one candidate who can bring change to our country after almost eight years of Bush & Company.
Politicians! I swear, you gotta love ‘em! They promise and they shout...but rarely do they deliver without their own self-interest at heart. I almost think I would vote for the one who stood right up before the cameras and promised that if elected, they would give us MORE of the same ol’ “do-do” and nothing else. At least I could believe in their honesty.
Okay, okay, we know politicians will say anything to get our vote. That is their nature, but rare are ones who have a plan for AFTER they are elected. Even if they do have a plan, they are swallowed up by a political system and special interests that abhor change and live by status quo. It is a system that says, “Not so fast hot shot! What’s in it for ME?” For everything the candidate promised on the campaign trail, the system will demand something in return.
We voted for change in the last congressional election two years ago...and we are still waiting. I know the votes are not there right now and when congress does manage to send bills with real change to President Bush, he vetoes them. They are dead on arrival. He threatens to veto other bills and so it goes...a nation in gridlock. Even if this congress wins more democratic seats in the House and Senate to obtain a clear majority with a new democratic president in the White House, there is no guarantee that gridlock will not set in again or that abuse and excess will not rear their ugly heads. Our political history not only predicts it, but also assures it.
Change can be for the better...or it can be for worse. Instead of change, how about a good mechanic to FIX what is broken in America? God only knows we have many things that need fixing in this country. For starters, how about fixing our foreign policy and reclaiming our image around the world? How about fixing our healthcare system, our education system, our infrastructure, our environment, our energy policy and our economy? How about fixing our borders and our immigration policy, while they are at it? Whoever is elected in November, republican or democrat, will need to be a damn good mechanic...if not a good magician.
Forget change. Pick up a wrench and a hammer, say a prayer and get busy.
FOOD for THOUGHT...
Politicians! I swear, you gotta love ‘em! They promise and they shout...but rarely do they deliver without their own self-interest at heart. I almost think I would vote for the one who stood right up before the cameras and promised that if elected, they would give us MORE of the same ol’ “do-do” and nothing else. At least I could believe in their honesty.
Okay, okay, we know politicians will say anything to get our vote. That is their nature, but rare are ones who have a plan for AFTER they are elected. Even if they do have a plan, they are swallowed up by a political system and special interests that abhor change and live by status quo. It is a system that says, “Not so fast hot shot! What’s in it for ME?” For everything the candidate promised on the campaign trail, the system will demand something in return.
We voted for change in the last congressional election two years ago...and we are still waiting. I know the votes are not there right now and when congress does manage to send bills with real change to President Bush, he vetoes them. They are dead on arrival. He threatens to veto other bills and so it goes...a nation in gridlock. Even if this congress wins more democratic seats in the House and Senate to obtain a clear majority with a new democratic president in the White House, there is no guarantee that gridlock will not set in again or that abuse and excess will not rear their ugly heads. Our political history not only predicts it, but also assures it.
Change can be for the better...or it can be for worse. Instead of change, how about a good mechanic to FIX what is broken in America? God only knows we have many things that need fixing in this country. For starters, how about fixing our foreign policy and reclaiming our image around the world? How about fixing our healthcare system, our education system, our infrastructure, our environment, our energy policy and our economy? How about fixing our borders and our immigration policy, while they are at it? Whoever is elected in November, republican or democrat, will need to be a damn good mechanic...if not a good magician.
Forget change. Pick up a wrench and a hammer, say a prayer and get busy.
FOOD for THOUGHT...
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