One Day to Oblivion?

Friday, December 21, 2012 marks the end of the Mayan Calendar. The World waits breathlessly to see if it means the end of the world…

I guess it does seem like the end of the world is pending these last few days and weeks. We have the fiscal cliff waiting to plunge our economy into a world-wide recession. The wealthy would see their taxes go up a few % points, the poor and the elderly would see safety net programs slashed, students and teachers would see funding decrease even further and the military budget would be thrown to the wolves. Surely the folks in Washington will come to their senses, compromise and save the day!

It might seem like the end of the world is approaching after the tragedy in Connecticut. It was horrendous. It was unthinkable…but regrettably…not so uncommon these days. We watched President Obama list the all too many mass killings by deranged people with access to assault rifles and mega clips of ammo. He read aloud the names of the dead first graders and said enough. He said we could no longer live this way. Americans began to shout, “Make it stop! No more.” Surely the folks in Washington will come to their senses and DO SOMETHING to end the madness!

Well, unfortunately our leaders are not free to act in our best interest. I know we elected them to represent us, but they are beholding to organizations like the NRA (National Rifle Association), big banks, large corporations and a guy named Grover. Grover? What to do? What to do? We the people have the vote, but others have the money and it takes money to get elected to office. Getting elected to office gives our leaders power and privilege in our society. So Washington has become this place for large egos and small, petty ideas. Will their better nature somehow prevail? Will we be saved from oblivion?

Perhaps the Mayans had the ability to time travel. Perhaps they traveled to our time and watched our politicians play their stupid partisan games. Perhaps they saw how we valued having our guns more than the safety, even the very lives of our children. Perhaps they saw the accumulation of wealth and power by the very few in our society at the expense of the rest. Perhaps they saw how we just did not get it. United we stand as a prospering nation, the envy of the world, but divided we fall into depravity and ruin. Perhaps they saw no hope for us, no potential for growth, for evolution, for change. Perhaps they only saw our greed, our lack of compassion, our egos and our need to win at all costs. Perhaps they saw how little we valued the lives of our poor, our disabled, our elderly and our struggling masses. Perhaps they saw all of this…and decided to pull the plug. They ended their calendar and left it for us to find…and wonder.

Food for THOUGHT…

It’s the Message…Stupid!

I find it very curious that when Republicans are asked about why they lost the recent Presidential election they come up with every reason under the sun but one. Oh, they didn’t embrace Hispanic voters and their issues enough or my personal favorite…it was Hurricane Sandy. The Republicans in Ohio and Florida will tell you it is because Obama was able to deliver the black votes from the inner cities (and they were thwarted in their efforts to suppress their votes?). Some Republicans even have the nerve to blame their own candidate, Willard Romney, for the loss. He wasn’t conservative enough! He was the wrong guy for the job! We should have gone with Ricky Santorum. Oh no…they could have had a V8! I say leave the man alone! He tried very hard to be that conservative you wanted. He flip flopped all over the place trying to make the Tea Party as well as the moderate, middle of the road Republicans happy. The faithful had a hard time knowing just where he stood, but damn it…he tried.

No, the one reason why the Republicans lost the Presidency to Barack Obama was their message. In my mind it was as simple as that. Their message was mean spirited and downright nasty and at times deceitful. It disparaged Hispanics, women, gays, blacks, the poor and the elderly. They viewed 47% of this country as “takers” who contribute nothing to this economy. These “takers” are lazy bums who should get off their butts and “get a job.” If you cut the entitlement programs enough or better yet… end them, the “takers” will suddenly go out and find jobs. If you defund Planned Parenthood and pass laws calling for “Personhood” of unviable fetuses, if you shut down all available abortion clinics in the state and deny contraception to women, then the need for abortions in this country will end. If you make life so miserable for illegal aliens, if you force them to show law enforcement officers their papers for any reason (including how they look walking down a street or driving a car), then they will…”self-deport.” Gays should just become straight because that is how the Bible says so! If you have to be gay, well then keep it to yourself. According to Rev. Pat Robertson, you folks are responsible for all natural disasters in this country and Haiti.

It was the message people! Get it? You might actually try being nice to people and doing things that help them next time, especially if they can vote your ass out of office. Just a thought.

Food for THOUGHT…

The Results are In

Each Presidential election seems to be more contentious, more partisan than the last. This election was no exception. In fact, it was horrible. It was obscene. Thanks to the Supreme Court’s ruling on Citizen’s United the amount of money spent by wealthy “super PACs” who did not have to disclose their wealthy donors was outrageous. It gave rise to offensive terms like “self-deportation, legitimate rape” and “death panels.” We saw blatant attempts by state officials to suppress the votes of citizens leading to long lines and confusion at the polling places. Just as voters were headed to the polls, Hurricane Sandy hit and devastated the most populous part of our country. In the end, it was a very close race.

I was both horrified and fascinated by this Presidential Campaign. The one thing that really amazed me was the amount of lies that were told in an age of digital and electronic verification. You would think that a candidate might be more careful about what he says and how he says it and to whom he says it when cell phones, video cameras and news footage of past speeches and interviews could and did expose them as bald-faced liars and benders of the truth. Even more amazing was how it did not shame the candidate or lead to a retraction or an apology. No, instead the lies were repeated over and over as if in telling them often enough they would magically become true. The truly horrific part of this campaign was how many Americans DID believed the lies, even when they were exposed. For so many, the truth teller was wrong, part of a partisan plot.

I learned that people will believe what they want to believe and they will hear what they want to hear. Cheering crowds and eloquent speeches full of promises tailored to a specific crowd stir the hearts and minds of the masses, but the devil, as they say, is always in the details. Discernment has become a commodity in short supply these days. As Americans, we too often failed to question, to examine those promises. People failed to look at the real results. People failed to weigh and measure truth vs. fiction. People wanted someone to give them economic recovery now, not down the road, not later. People wanted simple answers, simple solutions and there were people who promised they could deliver with no consequences. They had all the answers. Just trust them! Just believe! Too many people didn’t ask questions. They did not probe or dig deeper. They accepted what they heard, what they saw and what they were promised, even if in the end it would be their undoing.

I’ll be honest, I expected a different outcome. I expected money and wealth to win out. As my wife and I watched the election returns that night we both felt that the results might be so close that only the courts and lawyers would be able to sort things out, perhaps weeks or months later. I was certain of much confusion and partisan wrangling before this election would be over. I almost did not want to watch the coming “train wreck” and yet I was hanging on every early return. The swing states and the electoral votes they held were the key, the prize, the treasure. In the end, a handful of states would determine who would lead our country for the next four years. It was like America was being held hostage by a “deranged gunman” for several hours. But soon the “cavalry arrived.” People who stood in line for hours against all odds, against all threats, all predictions came through.

The results are in.

Food for THOUGHT…

47 %

"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it -- that that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. ... These are people who pay no income tax. ... [M]y job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

-       Mitt Romney (Mother Jones video)

I want to thank Willard Romney for clarifying his view, his perspective on America. He never intended his remarks for the general public. He would not have wanted to offend such a large portion of American voters on purpose. His remarks were intended for a group of wealthy supporters of his campaign for President. They were gathered in a posh Florida mansion (Press not invited for obvious reasons). He was preaching to a choir of the powerful and elite…many in his circle of friends and acquaintances. Willard told them what they believed in their hearts…what they wanted to hear from their candidate.

Here is how the Tax Policy Center breaks down the numbers:

Total Households: 163.9 million

Tax Paying: 53.6%

“Non-Taxpaying”: 46.4% (close enough, round up)

Of the “Non-Tax Paying”:

28.3% paid payroll taxes (oops, are they tax payers or not?)

10.3% elderly (and military) retirees paid no taxes.

6.9% nonelderly with incomes under $20,000 a year paid no taxes.

0.9% others paid no taxes.

In Willard’s view of America, in his perspective, he would have us believe that (46.4%) of all Americans are “victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it -- that that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them.” He would have us believe that “those people” are voting for President Obama no matter what and they should just be written-off. Willard would have us believe that he will “never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives." That is quite an indictment, Mr. Romney. That is quite an indictment of a large segment of the American people.

I guess people of wealth and privilege and power have such a different view of the world. People like Willard Romney will never see or understand the lives of millions of Americans who work hard all their lives and yet never really get ahead because they lack education and resources. They will never understand the millions of people who one day are out of work when their jobs are outsourced overseas to exploit a cheaper labor force. They will never get the millions of Americans who worked hard, served their country and paid into Social Security (a government handout for moochers?) so that they might have something to retire on. They will never see the need for people to have access to affordable healthcare or how one major illness can bankrupt a family. They don’t understand that most people would rather work than be on unemployment or welfare, but for the lack of jobs and training to do new jobs. Willard and his pals don’t comprehend that when they crashed America’s economy with their greed and disdain, they left millions of people with no jobs and foreclosed homes.

In Mr. Romney’s world there are only the “haves” and the “undeserving masses.” I thank him again for making clear his vision of America. Please remember to vote in November as if your life depended on it…because it does.

Food for THOUGHT…

What Would You Do?

I watched a very thought provoking movie last night called, Return to Paradise. It involves 3 young American men vacationing in Malaysia. They have a great time living on the beach, smoking dope, drinking and plenty of women in this beautiful paradise. But soon it comes time to go back to civilization, New York, and their lives. They borrow a local’s bicycle for the day to go into town for one last time. On their way back to the beach that evening, they have an accident and the bike gets damaged. Two of the guys tell the third guy to just get rid of the bike. He says he can’t. He borrowed it and has to return it, but one of the other two guys takes it and throws it into the Jungle. The next morning the third guy says he’s not going back. He’s going to stay there and work for an Orangutan rescue center. One of the other two guys gets careless about the dope they had and leaves it out in the open as they say their goodbyes to the third guy.

Two years later, the other two guys have returned to New York and lost touch. One guy is driving a limo in Manhattan. The other guy is engaged to be married and working a good job. A woman shows up and gives the limo driver some disturbing news. Their friend back in Malaysia was arrested over the bike after they left. The police found their drugs and he was charged with drug trafficking. In Malaysia that is a death sentence. The woman, who turns out to be the condemned guy’s sister, has worked out a deal with the prosecutor. If she can convince the other two guys to come back and be arrested, the condemned man will be spared and the two men will each have to serve 3 years in prison. If only one of them returns, that one will have to serve 6 years in prison. The woman has no deal in writing, only a verbal agreement and their friend is due to hang in only a matter of days.

So here is the question: What would you do and why? I’d love to hear your reply.

Food for THOUGHT…

Teaching Men to Fish

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

 – A Chinese Proverb

The Conservative Right is correct to worry about all the people on welfare and out of work in this country. They are right to worry about the flood of illegal immigrants coming into our country demanding goods and services while taking jobs that should be done by American citizens. After 9/11 we all have a right to worry about the terrorist threat looming in the world. We have a massive deficit in our country and it is growing. As a nation we are spending more than we are taking in. To cover this shortfall, like most Americans today, we borrow money to pay the bills and keep the lights on. To be fair there are many real things we need to address and be concerned about if our nation is to survive. Our biggest divide is in how to tackle our many problems.

Those on the far Right tend to see economic solutions. Shrink the size and scope of the federal government. Reduce taxes and illuminate costly social programs for people who do not deserve them. If you cut the programs the lazy cheats will be forced to go out and find work sooner or later or starve. As they see it so clearly: The government’s job is not to support those that can work, and refuse to do so. The government’s job is not to provide healthcare for its citizens, including the elderly and the poor. These programs will bankrupt this country. They call on us to allow the wealthiest among us to do what they do best. Without being tied down by federal rules, regulations, unions and heavy tax burdens, the wealthy will create the jobs and put people back to work. This, we are assured, will turn the economy around. The wealth at the top will begin to trickle down to the masses and America will once again become the shining example for the rest of the world.

So why is there so much unemployment in America? What happen to the jobs? Were they all taken by illegal immigrants? How about this…Americans love a bargain. They demand cheap prices. Big business and Congress were more than willing to give Americans what they want. The problem, the thing that stood in the way was unions. Unions… the bane of capitalism, these hard won institutions became fat, bloated and corrupt over time. They sought more and more concessions from big business to stoke their own wealth and power and that hampered the bottom line. Yes, they brought about work place safety, minimum wage and the 40 hour work week. Yes, they ended sweatshops and exploitation of American workers, but now they were becoming the problem. Foreign competition, where there were no unions, was knocking on our door. Cheap labor, just ripe for the plundering in India and China, were calling to American business like sirens to sailors. Too bad no one was looking for the rocks just off shore. Company after company began to move their manufacturing jobs overseas. Soon whole industries like textiles and steel production were gone from the American landscape. Small towns and large cities that once had factories that provided jobs for Americans closed or went out of business. Our folks in Washington turned a blind eye to this exodus because Americans were getting their cheap goods brought to them by American corporations like Wal-Mart. Corporations were making money hand over fist exploiting the cheap labor and a lot of that money found its way back into politician’s pockets to keep the gravy train going.

As more and more jobs disappeared the cheap goods looked even better as families adjusted to the new economic reality breaking all around them. This in turned caused more companies and more jobs to leave our shores. Our trade deficit was growing, hell it was exploding! The idea of allowing these American companies and banks to become multinational corporations and “too big to fail” financial institutions was a disaster. It did not bring the wealth and jobs back to American shores. Our demand for cheep stuff was financing the rebuilding of China and India into world powers while America sank deeper and deeper into debt. It was perpetrated by Washington and American corporate greed. Nobody was minding the store. Despite getting involved in two “boots on the ground” wars half way around the world, Washington’s reluctance of imposing trade tariffs on American goods for fear of a… trade war keeps us locked in this losing cycle with trading partners like China.

Not only has America lost jobs and whole industries, but we have allowed American education to fall far below other countries of the world. As our cities and towns have fallen into decay with unemployment, drugs and poverty, the task of educating the next generations of children has become nearly impossible. With so many families living in poverty without job prospects, it seems that no matter how much money we pour into our schools or how high we raise the educational requirements, the return on the investment is more and more dismal. Higher education has almost become out of reach for even the middle class. Those students lucky enough to secure funding with student loans are now graduating college with huge debt and few job prospects. Soon, only the wealthy will be able to afford a higher education, shutting out the poor and the middle class who will be needed in any kind of rebuilding of America. We have neglected the one thing that could truly save us in this post job-exodus America. And in the midst of this growing education downturn, we hear politicians on the Right calling for cutting back on teachers, promoting larger class sizes and even the elimination of the Department of Education to save money. Such a careless move would mean trusting the education or our next generation to a scattered bunch of local and state school boards all with different standards. Many of them are today caught up in religion and politics rather than teaching actual science with world class educational standards.

The point is this, if America is to recover from this downward spiral and regain its footing in the world, we must be about teaching our children to “fish.” We must be willing to rethink education in this country. We must be willing to put more teachers in the classroom and bring crumbling old buildings back up to world class standards. We must make higher education affordable and accessible to ALL Americans so that they can produce jobs in America with their own intellect and ingenuity. That has to be job one, Mr. Romney, not eliminating “Obamacare.” Our social safety nets need to stay in place, to provide for these children, the elderly and the disabled. They are not going to just disappear or go away. Welfare must again be transformed from a government handout program with no expectations to an education program with the promise of real jobs. Where will these jobs come from? Just look around. They will come from new American industries such as solar and wind power. They will come from rebuilding schools, highways and our nation’s infrastructure. These are all things the Conservative Right wants to cut funding for. Recovery will come from hiring teachers, fire fighters and policemen. Our nation needs so many things and it is time we get busy restoring this once great country of ours. Stop this talk of not enough, shrinking and cutting back. America should be about growing and thriving, not austerity. Millions of Americans need to get back to work, but they need to be educated and retrained for new jobs and new technologies. America is going to have to invest in its own people again.

We can’t wait for trickle down economics. It does not work! The rich are only getting richer. Wake up America! We need to learn to fish.

Food for THOUGHT…

If I Could See Through Their Eyes…

Being a Progressive Liberal, I’ve tried to understand the other side and their beliefs, but it is not working. Perhaps if I could see the world through their eyes, I might have a better chance to understand how they see the world. I need to understand why so many Americans identify with their view of things when what they say and do seem so foreign to me.

If I could see through their eyes, the world would surely seem like one big opportunity to make money. I would see money and power as the one thing worth striving for. Keep your eye on the prize young man! I might extol the virtue of hard work, but my eyes would see that it is in the connections and who I know that will insure wealth and power. I would see that politics and promises go hand in hand. I would see that it is not so much what I do, but what I SAY that stirs the crowds and brings the cheers. I would see that if I can make my opponent LOOK bad then I look better. Looking better wins elections. Winning elections brings wealth and power…the prize.

If I could see through their eyes, the world would be made up of people like me, people with my same values, wants and needs. Everyone else would just be irrelevant. My eyes would see them as something that needs to be marginalized, defeated or eliminated from my view. (Keep your eye on the prize kid!) I would see them as the great “unwashed” masses of lazy welfare cheats, illegal aliens and drains on society. I would see them as demanding goods and services, things they don’t deserve. Let them work for what they want and need like me and my friends and family. I would see them as ignorant creatures who chose not to take advantage of education and all the wonderful opportunities of this great land. (Cue the flag and eagles soaring!) No these irrelevant beings chose poverty, drugs and ignorance. I would see them as wanting my hard earned wealth to make up for their poor choices in life. My eyes would see that there is not enough for everyone and that only the successful deserve the resources of this great land.

If I could see through their eyes, I would see Ward and June Cleaver. It would be the 1950’s and women stayed at home and raised the children and took care of the house. I would see that women had no higher calling, wants or needs. If they wanted more, they were doomed for a life of disappointment and strife. I would see that children were God’s gift to a marriage and any attempt to limit God’s will would be wrong. Birth control would not be an option for any possible reason. God would determine the size of families, not women. Women would remain chaste until the wedding night. If I were a politician, a good, dutiful wife would be my most important accessory as I ran for office.

If I could see through their eyes, I would only see marriage as between one man and one woman. I would see this as the only way families begin and thrive under God’s plan. Anything other than this idea would be an abomination. Same sex couples would be seen as perverted and unnatural. Anything else would be seen as a threat to God and country …and me. If they are misguided souls, then they should be counseled and brought back to a “right way of thinking” or forever be cast aside to live with their disgrace in the shadows. Again, my eyes would only see people and couples like me and my friends. Life would be so simple seeing only what I know to be true. I would not have to try and understand about loving and committed relationships in different packages. I would see that they only come one way. The way they are supposed to be.

If I could see through their eyes, I would see one nation under God! My God. Anyone not of my faith or belief would not be blessed with the same life, liberty and pursuit of happiness as guaranteed by our Constitution. I would see any attempt to remove my God from schools, courts or the public square as a threat to my way of life and my county’s history. In America I would see room for only one faith, one belief and it would be…mine. Sure I would make allowances for political reasons and alliances, but America would remain under one God…my God. Everyone else would be doomed to the fires of Hell, if they never come around. I would see it as a shame, but unavoidable.

But in reality, if I could see through their eyes, life would seem so scary. I don’t know if I could stand it. So much fear and misunderstanding around every corner. So many enemies waiting to take what I have away from me. I would always see not enough and be trying to hold on to what I have and what I think I know. I would not see change as a good thing. I would not see that we are all connected and that we ARE our brother’s keeper. I would suspect, judge and condemn those who did not look like me, live like me or believe like me. I would be too afraid to reach out and see where the river of life takes me. I would be trapped in a world of hate and fear.

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?” (Matthew 5:43-47 )

Food for THOUGHT…

Another Cat’s Tale

My wife, Lisa, was approached last November by the foster coordinator at ADL (Animal Defense League of Texas). We have been active as shelter volunteers since last summer. Lisa loves working in the cattery helping to socialize the cats waiting to be adopted and I split my time between the cats and the dog kennels where I walk the dogs. Being involved with the shelter has made us painfully aware of a growing problem. When pet owners do not get their pets spayed or neutered, it leads inevitably to much pain and suffering by their unwanted offspring.

Our time commitment to ADL up that point had been minimal until Lisa got the call to foster some kittens… 6 kittens only 4 weeks old. Their mother had contracted mastitis and could no longer nurse her kittens. They were being forced weaned at 4 weeks. The shelter needed volunteers to take them in until they reached 2 pounds, around 8 weeks old. At two pounds, the kittens could be spayed or neutered and put up for adoption. After fostering our 3 abandoned puppies that summer for ACS (Animal Control Services) or the “city pound,” we agreed to give it a shot and foster cats.

Since the kittens were so young and would still have still been nursing, we had a bit of a challenge. We had to introduce them to solid food by mixing canned kitten food, water and formula in little bowls. They learned how to lap the soupy mix. Our first attempts were comical disasters. We had to add canned pumpkin to control their diarrhea and they were a mess of orange faces and paws. We began putting then in the bath tub to feed. When they were through, we would pull them out and clean them off one at a time. When they eventually transitioned to dry food, it was a great day. We affectionately referred to them as the “seagulls” because when we opened the bathroom door, they would come running, sounding like a flock of seagulls. Some of the kittens went back to the shelter early with medical problems, but eventually they reached weight and left us. The house was quiet again much to the relief of our house cats Babs and Calie.

Our next call for help came just after New Year’s 2012. A woman had turned in a very pregnant mama cat, who we named Jasmine. The woman knew the owners who had lived in her apartment complex. The family moved one night and left Jasmine to fend for herself. The woman began feeding Jasmine until she realized she was pregnant. It was winter and she could not take the cat into her apartment to give birth.

Lisa and Jasmine bonded almost immediately at the shelter. When Lisa arrived, Jasmine was cowering in the corner, but walked right up to her and began nuzzling her. We fixed up a little warm box in the corner of our guest bathroom and began to wait for “the blessed event.” Jasmine was very restless and craving attention. Lisa began spending more and more time with her. On the second or third night, Lisa took a blanket and pillow into the bathroom for the night. Lisa woke up in the middle of the night as the first of 4 kittens was born. Jasmine was running around and freaked out. Bravely, Lisa picked up the newborn kitten and brought it to its mother. Jasmine began licking and cleaning her baby and Lisa helped calm her down. Lisa came in and woke me up and together we waited for the rest of the kittens to be born. Two more arrived about an hour later within minutes of one another. The first born was a male and the next two were females. Then things quieted down. We had 3 kittens. We were not sure if that was it or not, but we were exhausted and Jasmine was in charge of her new family. There was a flurry of licking and cleaning and nursing so we went to bed. Number four, another male, was born after we went to bed. When we checked later that morning Jasmine and her 4 babies were doing just fine.

We became especially close to Jasmine and her kittens, Sammy, Tiger Lily, Chico and Zinnia. As they got older their little personalities really came out. The 4 little “white lumps” were evolving into beautiful little kittens with very interesting markings. Tiger Lily and Zinnia were cream color with dark points and marking like their mother. The two males, Sammy and Chico, were white. Chico, the first born, had a dark spot on top of his head. All but Zinnia reached their two pounds by their 8th week. She stayed behind with Jasmine for an extra week to gain weight. Jasmine stayed behind with us after Zinnia left to let her milk dry up. It was heart breaking to watch her walk around the house calling for her kittens, but Sammy and Zinnia were already adopted by two of our friends and the other two were adopted shortly after going to the shelter. It was hard to see Jasmine go back. In that last week, she bonded with our two house cats, Calie and Babs. We took one last picture of the 3 of them looking out the window together. Jasmine is still waiting for her forever home and remains at the shelter. We go and visit every chance we get.

Our third call for help came 2 days after Jasmine and the kittens left us. The foster coordinator had a young mother cat that had given birth to two kittens. Small litters are not unusual for first pregnancies when the mother is still a kitten herself. One of the two kittens died before we could pick her up. The shelter named the mother cat “Spotty Girl,” but we renamed her “Pearl” and the surviving kitten “Little Grey” since he was grey and white like his mother.

No sooner had we arrived home with our new charges when we got another call from the foster coordinator. Another foster had several newborn kittens without a mother. She was bottle feeding them and one of the newborns was not doing well on the formula. We were asked if we could take one more kitten, since it was the same age as Little Grey, and see if Pearl would accept it as her own. There was a risk that she might reject it and the kitten would die. On the other hand the thought of having only one kitten in the litter and no playmate for Little Grey helped make the decision for us. We went back to ADL that same day and added “Corrie” to the family. Pearl began nursing both kittens right away. You would never know that Corrie was not her own.

Corrie and Little grey gained weight quickly. Corrie loved to curl up in Lisa’s lap at the computer on days the cats were allowed in the sun room, but Little Grey was more restless and preferred to explore. Pearl, being not much more than a kitten herself, often tried to play with her kittens, which was scary at times since she was so much bigger, but Pearl was a good mom. She was very protective of her two and did not get along with our two house cats at all. Later on, Pearl began going into heat every few weeks and would wander around meowing loudly and looking out the window for “boys.” Then she started peeing on things when she wasn’t happy.

One morning, not long before the kittens were to go back to the shelter for neutering and adoption, Lisa went for a walk. On her walk, she saw a box with holes punched in it. The top had been taped but someone had torn it open then left it by the side of the street. When Lisa looked in she found 4 black kittens covered with ants and fleas. The kittens were resting on a bunch of children’s clothes and a handfull of cat chow had been thrown in the box, which attracted the ants. Lisa brought them home and gave them all baths and fed them. We had to get creative about accommodations. Now, we had Pearl and her two kittens, our two house cats and our newest arrivals: Jet, an all black male, Ebony, an all black female, Tippy, a tuxedo male and Panda, a tuxedo female. Nine cats in all!

Corry and Little Grey were the first to leave for the shelter and a week later their mother Pearl followed. We kept them in the sunroom and kitchen which meant our two house cats were confined to our bedroom and the new kittens were confined to the guest bathroom. Our house cats were glad to regain access to their house once Pearl was gone, but they raced by the guest bathroom door not wanting to know what other strange creatures had been dragged into their house.

Jett and Tippy next to the play area I built.

Ebony & Panda

We were able to get the new kittens into the ADL foster program. They were about 6 weeks old when we found them so they are just about ready to head back to the shelter for shots, spaying and neutering and finally, adoption. These four abandoned kittens have been a delight. All but Panda have made their weight. Panda has been very slow to gain and may have to stay with us another week or two. This concerns us since she would be alone without playmates. We are going to see if we can keep the other female, Ebony, behind to keep her company.

One obstacle to adoption is color. Black cats often get adopted last so it may take awhile for our little black kittens. The last time we checked, Jasmine, Pearl and her two kittens were still at the shelter awaiting their forever homes. This time of year all the shelters get inundated with puppies and kittens because too many pet owners let their pets roam free without being spayed or neutered. ADL is a no kill shelter but their resources are stretched thin. Foster volunteers can give some relief to the shelters, but far too many animals are abandoned and left to fend for themselves. Those animals that survive produce more unwanted cats and dogs and so the cycle continues. All of our cats and puppies were rescues, including our house cats Babs and Calie. The kittens we foster are the lucky ones. They will all be spayed or neutered, given their shots and micro chipped before adoption. They won’t be killed or die abandoned.

Perhaps it is time to spread the word about being responsible pet owners and get your pets spayed and neutered. Shelters need foster volunteers. Check out your local shelter and ask how you can help. Become part of the solution.

Food for THOUGHT…

Caught Between Two Visions for America

One vision for America values family, a Christian God and hard working, successful citizens. They are successful because God rewards their hard work with wealth and the good things in life. Lazy people, the poor, gays, lesbians and people in this country illegally have no place in this vision. They do not fit. In this vision, America would tolerate nothing less. What a person earns through their sweat and hard work should not be shared by taxation of the most fortunate in that society. Everyone should get a job and meet their own needs for themselves and their families. In this vision of America, a federal government would not be responsible for the sick, the aged and the disabled in society. Churches and families would provide for the care of those who could not be productive. In this vision of America, the government’s main function would be to provide for the defense of the nation by maintaining and deploying its military forces around the world when our interests are threatened. There would be no government to get in the way of corporations, banks and big business. There would be no federal government regulations. Each state would be responsible for enacting and enforcing a patchwork of rules and regulations that would vary from state to state. Each state would be responsible for their own healthcare spending and educational standards. This vision of America would be very exclusive with a simple model of operation that rewards those who help themselves. Slackers and people who do not believe in the vision…need not apply.

The other vision for America would be more inclusive. There would be room for the poor, the elderly, different faiths, colors, sexual orientation and beliefs. In this vision of America, there would be social programs and safety nets for all citizens that would provide affordable public education and healthcare for all of its citizens. There would be public works programs for those who cannot find work and programs that would retrain workers for new jobs. Federal and state governments would work together to insure and maintain a cohesive national infrastructure of highways, bridges and transportation and interstate commerce. In this vision of America, there would be room for innovation with ongoing research and development. We would seek to find alternative sources of energy to cut our dependence on foreign oil. There would be regulation of the environment, energy, banks and big business. In this vision of America there would not be a wealthy 1% and the rest of America. There would be 100% of American citizens contributing their fair share to help pay for these necessary programs. Pain and sacrifice would be shared across the nation by all of its citizens, rich and poor alike. Our military might would be used in conjunction with other nations of the world, if conflict and war are called for. But diplomacy and sanctions would be the first card played rather than bombs and boots on the ground. We would remember that we are one of many nations in the world and that actions have consequences. In this vision of America, our country would be a diverse, tolerant, welcoming place once more where those yearning for freedom and opportunity would always find a home.

One vision comes from a world of not enough resources which generates greed and fear. Like a massive game of “Musical Chairs” a few gather up as many chairs as they can when the music stops because they know each round will reduce their resources. A few plan to have more than enough for themselves, their families and friends. Tough luck for those who come up short. I’ve got mine… you go scramble for yours. People unwilling or unable to work hard have no value, in fact, they become a drag on society, a threat, in a world where survival of the fittest prevails.

The other vision comes from a world of plenty and potential where each person has value and a part to play. Each person contributes to the whole for the welfare of the entire village. It comes from a world where ideas, thoughts and discussion are not seen as a threat to the status quo, but rather as a means to grow and evolve as a society. Staying put is not an option. This vision comes from open minds wondering how to make things even better and what lies just beyond the horizon.

Realizing that our world is caught somewhere in between these two visions calls for a choice. It calls for change.  We must either go ashore or drift out to sea. To remain among the rocks to be dashed to pieces is not an option for progress. Which vision then?

Remember to vote in November.

Food for THOUGHT…