Every had poison ivy? Not me...before now anyway.
Well for the last two weeks I have been gaining an intimate knowledge of poison ivy reactions.
A couple Sabbath's ago I went strolling with my dearest in the UNC Botanical garden. It was a lovely day looking at the most common and rarest of plants. Bladder Ferns or carnivorous plants, anyone? We played with a sensitive plant, making its little leaves close up with a gentle brush. We even got to sit and listen to what we call "rubber band" frogs. Hold a fat rubber band extremely taut and *twang* it. That is the sound the frog makes.
We had identified poison ivy through out the gardens in the more "brushy" and "wild" parts. But we didn't go wondering off the trail so we didn't think much of it.
Ha, maybe we should have!
Tuesday last week I found myself digging at my neck while I worked at the computer. Yep a big old rash on the underside of my chin and left side of my neck. Then it showed up on my lip. Later that week it swelled up my left ear something fierce. My ear stopped having delicate little folds and became a festering red lump of flesh.
Nice.
But from pictures I saw online I didn't get it HALF as bad as some people have. :)
The excitement of a new place!
Wonder if I will come out infected with it head to toe when backpacking. Guess we'll see. :D Hopefully we can go backpacking a couple weeks from now.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
Persian Girls or Yelling Dads
What to write about...? And Walter you are right...all these heavy topics, what is up with that? But for some reason a lot of stuff that is making me think keeps happening. Now I have to decide what to write about...the book I read, Persian Girls, or about the outraged father this morning. I think I will go with the outraged father and talk about the book Persian Girls later. The father is much fresher and more now.
You see, we live near a tennis court. In fact it is right out our back windows and over the fence. We can watch people play or chase the ball...depending on their skill level, most of the day any day. Recently, blame it on the phase of the moon, the air quality or the level of heat there has been a lot of fighting on the courts.
There is a father, we assume, that brings his 3 little boys to teach them how to play tennis. The boys are aged from 10-7. They all, father included, have matching outfits, matching tennis raquets, matching tennis bags and for all I know matching underwear...mind you I haven't checked.
It was cute, until the father opened his mouth. The last couple of days that he has been out there with the boys he has been berating them verbally, and loudly for not "getting it". It has been slowly getting worse and worse.
Today was no exception. This morning they came and it was only the two older boys and the "dad". For awhile you heard the plunk, plunk of them playing tennis and then the father would lose it and just light into one of the little kids.
I began to be really upset with "dad". It is bad enough to have to deal with people that lose their temper at my work but to have to listen to people scream at their small boys cause they don't hit their "back handed slice" just so with their knees just so was getting old and really getting on my nerves. But what do you do? It is a public park. So I prayed as I continued to get ready for church, make up, dress, heels, hair. Charles went in to take a shower.
i came out of the bathroom in time to hear the father scream as if he had short circuited every thought in his messed up brain at his child, "STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!!!!!!!!" THAT WAS IT, I COULD NOT TAKE IT ANY LONGER. I began to shake from the anger and the adrenaline pumping through my body. I wanted to run out and drag him off the court. He was out of control, clearly out of his mind and exploding with anger. I feared for the children.
Instead I was propelled out the door by a force inside of me and into the breeze way where I had a clear shot of the court. I didn't know what to say. I stood there so angry I could not stop shaking. I didn't have to say anything. Surprisingly, the father was walking on the court toward me and saw me standing on the breezeway. My body must have radiated how I felt because he looked at me and said, "Sorry". Out of the depths of my throat came this forceful, "THANK YOU!". It sounded as if I were speaking to a three year old and in that thankyou was wrapped a thinly veiled threat that if you dare do it again... It was surprising how I sounded. I pray to God he thinks of who he is and what he is doing to his children.
Back in the house, I paced shaking and shaking. I fell on my knees begging God to help that man learn. The one boy is already yelling at his father back, the other sits with his head on his knees. It burns me up to think of the future of those boys. In the end I spent a good deal of the time crying. Crying from frustration, helplessness, pain and fear.
Charles was kind and hugged me and I got pulled together enough to go to church. I told Charles the "father" probably doesn't have a wife any more and felt he deserved that to pay for his bad temper.
While I was at church I was talking with God and partially listening to the sermon :( But God reminded me that He does not enjoy the punishment of the wicked. That in the end He does not revel in them "getting what they earned" but it causes Him immense pain to see His children suffer. (Thank you Mom for getting this process started). Did I love that man? Would it make me sad to see him loose his wife and children? I honestly had to say no I don't care about the man and he deserved to have those things happen to him. And right then and there God reminded me that I need Him. He is the only one that will give me the heart to see the out of control abusive father as He did. As a child of God. That man a child of GOD!?!?! Yep. Does that mean that man should not be told he is wrong? Nah. Should there be no consequence for sin. Nah God doesn't even espouse that belief. But could I talk to that man and tell him he was wrong with the love of God exuding from my soul? Now there is a change of heart.
By the way, while we were there, he never yelled at his children like that again. And I thank God He had the man look at me while I stood there and I don't know what I looked like but somehow God got the message to him that what he was doing was unacceptable. But did he curse them quietly...anyone's guess.
This is another thing where I wonder what other people think. This will happen again...what would you do next time?
You see, we live near a tennis court. In fact it is right out our back windows and over the fence. We can watch people play or chase the ball...depending on their skill level, most of the day any day. Recently, blame it on the phase of the moon, the air quality or the level of heat there has been a lot of fighting on the courts.
There is a father, we assume, that brings his 3 little boys to teach them how to play tennis. The boys are aged from 10-7. They all, father included, have matching outfits, matching tennis raquets, matching tennis bags and for all I know matching underwear...mind you I haven't checked.
It was cute, until the father opened his mouth. The last couple of days that he has been out there with the boys he has been berating them verbally, and loudly for not "getting it". It has been slowly getting worse and worse.
Today was no exception. This morning they came and it was only the two older boys and the "dad". For awhile you heard the plunk, plunk of them playing tennis and then the father would lose it and just light into one of the little kids.
I began to be really upset with "dad". It is bad enough to have to deal with people that lose their temper at my work but to have to listen to people scream at their small boys cause they don't hit their "back handed slice" just so with their knees just so was getting old and really getting on my nerves. But what do you do? It is a public park. So I prayed as I continued to get ready for church, make up, dress, heels, hair. Charles went in to take a shower.
i came out of the bathroom in time to hear the father scream as if he had short circuited every thought in his messed up brain at his child, "STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!!!!!!!!" THAT WAS IT, I COULD NOT TAKE IT ANY LONGER. I began to shake from the anger and the adrenaline pumping through my body. I wanted to run out and drag him off the court. He was out of control, clearly out of his mind and exploding with anger. I feared for the children.
Instead I was propelled out the door by a force inside of me and into the breeze way where I had a clear shot of the court. I didn't know what to say. I stood there so angry I could not stop shaking. I didn't have to say anything. Surprisingly, the father was walking on the court toward me and saw me standing on the breezeway. My body must have radiated how I felt because he looked at me and said, "Sorry". Out of the depths of my throat came this forceful, "THANK YOU!". It sounded as if I were speaking to a three year old and in that thankyou was wrapped a thinly veiled threat that if you dare do it again... It was surprising how I sounded. I pray to God he thinks of who he is and what he is doing to his children.
Back in the house, I paced shaking and shaking. I fell on my knees begging God to help that man learn. The one boy is already yelling at his father back, the other sits with his head on his knees. It burns me up to think of the future of those boys. In the end I spent a good deal of the time crying. Crying from frustration, helplessness, pain and fear.
Charles was kind and hugged me and I got pulled together enough to go to church. I told Charles the "father" probably doesn't have a wife any more and felt he deserved that to pay for his bad temper.
While I was at church I was talking with God and partially listening to the sermon :( But God reminded me that He does not enjoy the punishment of the wicked. That in the end He does not revel in them "getting what they earned" but it causes Him immense pain to see His children suffer. (Thank you Mom for getting this process started). Did I love that man? Would it make me sad to see him loose his wife and children? I honestly had to say no I don't care about the man and he deserved to have those things happen to him. And right then and there God reminded me that I need Him. He is the only one that will give me the heart to see the out of control abusive father as He did. As a child of God. That man a child of GOD!?!?! Yep. Does that mean that man should not be told he is wrong? Nah. Should there be no consequence for sin. Nah God doesn't even espouse that belief. But could I talk to that man and tell him he was wrong with the love of God exuding from my soul? Now there is a change of heart.
By the way, while we were there, he never yelled at his children like that again. And I thank God He had the man look at me while I stood there and I don't know what I looked like but somehow God got the message to him that what he was doing was unacceptable. But did he curse them quietly...anyone's guess.
This is another thing where I wonder what other people think. This will happen again...what would you do next time?
Thursday, June 7, 2007
The Deserving Poor
I had emailed the ACLU to find out if they were supporting SHAC 7 in their fight for their 1st amendment rights. If nothing else I figured that they might have more information not based on hearsay. They wrote me back to search their website - which I had - but I tried more and still came up with nothing so I wrote them back looking for some more fruitful search strings. Currently I haven't heard anything back. But the ACLU is fairly well organized and should have some "bother your congressman about this" emails a person could send out. So I will let you know what I find out.
It is interesting here in Durham. They have officially "ok'd" beggers that wait in the median at stop lights. When the light is red they have a captive audience. From what I hear they go to the city offices and get the green light (no pun intended) to beg by the stop lights. They are given a reflective vest and are allowed to be there during the day.
How do you feel about beggers? They create a cacophony of feelings inside my chest. Even having them beside my car makes me so uncomfortable with myself, that I will choose the left turning lane furthest from them just so I don't have to grapple with my confusion. Should I or shouldn't I look at them and what I should or shouldn't do for them. I am pathetic. They confuse me. What is my duty, do I have a duty, where does a person draw the line?
Some are on crutches, some are without a leg, some look like construction workers, some slowly hobble to the cars to get the handouts. Some are shaggy, greasy looking while others are clean and neat.
This is something I have struggled with since Cambodia.
There, I became hardened and at one point caught myself laughing at the expense of one of the beggers...I became nauseated, the bile filled my throat, disgusted with who I had become.
Now I avert my eyes. Pretend I don't see.
I have seen people, who are physically in worse shape than most of these people working a 40 hr week. Just because you don't have a leg doesn't mean you can't type...it seems that perhaps some of them suffer from mental conditions...some are lazy...some aren't poor at all, but I guess the screening process is supposed to weed those from the group.
It is fun to help the poor, the "deserving" (according to my book) poor. But God sends the sun, rain and clouds to the deserving and undeserving. He asks us to care for the poor (deserving and undeserving?). There are food stamps and housing programs for the poor, why aren't they on those? What do you think? Someday this question will be settled in my mind it is one of those questions it works on quite a bit...how about yours?
It is interesting here in Durham. They have officially "ok'd" beggers that wait in the median at stop lights. When the light is red they have a captive audience. From what I hear they go to the city offices and get the green light (no pun intended) to beg by the stop lights. They are given a reflective vest and are allowed to be there during the day.
How do you feel about beggers? They create a cacophony of feelings inside my chest. Even having them beside my car makes me so uncomfortable with myself, that I will choose the left turning lane furthest from them just so I don't have to grapple with my confusion. Should I or shouldn't I look at them and what I should or shouldn't do for them. I am pathetic. They confuse me. What is my duty, do I have a duty, where does a person draw the line?
Some are on crutches, some are without a leg, some look like construction workers, some slowly hobble to the cars to get the handouts. Some are shaggy, greasy looking while others are clean and neat.
This is something I have struggled with since Cambodia.
There, I became hardened and at one point caught myself laughing at the expense of one of the beggers...I became nauseated, the bile filled my throat, disgusted with who I had become.
Now I avert my eyes. Pretend I don't see.
I have seen people, who are physically in worse shape than most of these people working a 40 hr week. Just because you don't have a leg doesn't mean you can't type...it seems that perhaps some of them suffer from mental conditions...some are lazy...some aren't poor at all, but I guess the screening process is supposed to weed those from the group.
It is fun to help the poor, the "deserving" (according to my book) poor. But God sends the sun, rain and clouds to the deserving and undeserving. He asks us to care for the poor (deserving and undeserving?). There are food stamps and housing programs for the poor, why aren't they on those? What do you think? Someday this question will be settled in my mind it is one of those questions it works on quite a bit...how about yours?
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Thankful for My Nature
This morning I was reading in James. There have been a lot of times, as of late, that I have really complained loudly to God about that fact that I remain attracted to sin after declaring my loyalty to Him. That I still get irritated with Charles or even look uncharitably at old friends who are lying to cover their hurtful and evil tracks.
While reading James 1 it hit me like a load of bricks. In essence he is saying to me, "Heather, thank God when you are tempted (and heck nothing tempts me more than my own desires to do what I want). Because those temptations develop perseverance and patience in you." Well really, I have all the patience I need, thanks, can we move on!?! No, patience is not a strong point of mine. And slowly it dawned on me, it is like exercising to get ready to climb a mt. How are you going to develop those muscles without pushing, straining and building those muscles with "tests" of their strength.
Now really I have no desire to be a baby Christian for the rest of my life. Being tossed about by the latest emotion of the day. Not trusting God to provide the money I need and hording it out of fear. Yeh, I paid tithe this weekend even though I didn't feel I had the money.
Which brings me to another point...Rich Dad Poor Dad talks about the poor mentality and the grasping for money. He encourages you to give tithe or donate money no matter how little you have. I find that when I give there are several things in my attitude that changes. First, for me, I am thanking God for the blessing of even being able to make money, I am putting Him above my own wants which helps root out the selfishness in my soul (which pride and selfishness are one of the biggest struggles I have when you take it down to the root), and giving away money helps me feel wealthy. It changes my attitude toward money from one of desperate clutching to one of realizing how blessed I really am.
While reading James 1 it hit me like a load of bricks. In essence he is saying to me, "Heather, thank God when you are tempted (and heck nothing tempts me more than my own desires to do what I want). Because those temptations develop perseverance and patience in you." Well really, I have all the patience I need, thanks, can we move on!?! No, patience is not a strong point of mine. And slowly it dawned on me, it is like exercising to get ready to climb a mt. How are you going to develop those muscles without pushing, straining and building those muscles with "tests" of their strength.
Now really I have no desire to be a baby Christian for the rest of my life. Being tossed about by the latest emotion of the day. Not trusting God to provide the money I need and hording it out of fear. Yeh, I paid tithe this weekend even though I didn't feel I had the money.
Which brings me to another point...Rich Dad Poor Dad talks about the poor mentality and the grasping for money. He encourages you to give tithe or donate money no matter how little you have. I find that when I give there are several things in my attitude that changes. First, for me, I am thanking God for the blessing of even being able to make money, I am putting Him above my own wants which helps root out the selfishness in my soul (which pride and selfishness are one of the biggest struggles I have when you take it down to the root), and giving away money helps me feel wealthy. It changes my attitude toward money from one of desperate clutching to one of realizing how blessed I really am.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
My Soul in a Cage
I have contemplated blogs for several years. I tend to go with Thoreau on this one. His view is, "How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live." - Henry David Thoreau Personally I don't enjoy blogs very much. They seem to become the verbal vomit of some unhappy soul. What makes me think I, or mine will be much different...I don't know...does it matter...I suppose not.
What is written here is often written in my journal and I write it because writing has been a friend of my heart and the release of my soul. I write it in hopes that some day someone will meander through my steps and emerge more of a person in the early days of their life than I will ever be at the end of mine. Most often I write to God, He the creator and healer of my soul knows and understands me best.
Today, it is Sabbath, I will refer to Saturday as Sabbath because that is what it is to me. Not to offend any. I have finished writing yet another journal full and in the move placed my blank ones in a special place so that when I finished this one I could use my blank ones without having to buy more. Makes sense, except now I am clueless as to what safe box I put them in and have not located my blank ones. Amusing.
I am on the path to medical school. I have not committed in such a sense as to actually start school as of yet. That is planned to happen in August. We have moved. I "quit" my job in Pagosa and we struck out for North Carolina. It is pretty here...and getting hot. :) Having not really quit my job I am working from home. So my foot is on the path to medical school.
Yet I have not taken the step that I fear most...the loans. Why? It is done every day. People live off loans to go back to school year in and out, who cares? This is where my soul begins to feel trapped in a cage. I have felt the strangle of debt and it repels me. The thought of once more plunging in, eyes open is frightening.
Here is where the complications rise. Today I looked beyond the news to the real world. The world inside and outside of the USA where humanity suffers and it crushed my heart. I read about the people of the Darfur region of the Sudan, pressed out of their homeland by rape, torture and death into Chad where they live in camps. But the Janjawid have come there as well destroying them. The SHAC 7 sitting in Federal Penitentiaries for allegedly peacefully protesting the ill treatment of animals at a testing lab, yes that is in my great country. Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest and others in Myanmar for wanting a Democratic government. And then the things I experienced in my travels to Cambodia.
Some may say, but it is complicated and what can we do, what can you do. Oh God, I wish I knew there is little we can "do" to put an end to it all. But to stop the pain and be of greater influence in someone's life who is suffering is what I wish. To actually have the balls to walk out and without regard to myself do what was right. That is all I want to do.
Now how does that play into medical school. Well, I will tell you...bet you thought I would leave you hanging. ;-) Medical school will leave me with debt. Albeit less debt in these schools than in some but debt nonetheless. With debt I am a slave to a system that would drive me to see more patients than almost physically possible, to feed the greedy corporate system, and to let me get the kind of money I need to pay that debt off at a fast rate.
Well, why not just go work in some little town that pays not so much and pay it off slower. Because these countries need volunteers and I WANT TO BE ONE OF THEM in the worst of ways. My soul desires this more than anything. But a person cannot spend their life volunteering when they are strapped to a debt they must repay.
So I wonder, is my EMT training enough? Can I get that corporate greed job and tough it out to pay the debt I have now and go like I am? I won't be as useful but I will be useful sooner. In countries where they die of a lack of a vitamin pill, because of defecating to near there house, do they need Drs or do they need simple knowledge that I already have?
Secondly, and quite honestly I have the same conflict of interest that everyone has. I like stuff just as much as the next girl. It is too easy to feel I need this or that when I don't, or do I? Where does one draw the line? A person needs things to "fit in" and be "respectable" but in the end, what does it matter when people die daily for want of simple things? "...as far as I have heard or observed, the principal object is, not that mankind may be well and honestly clad, but, unquestionably, that the corporations may be enriched." Henry David Thoreau in Walden.
So that is why my soul is in a cage. Some of you may know this feeling, this feeling of helplessness and being trapped not sure which direction to go. I guess we'll see how it goes. These desires to help others, are labeled by some as naive and rose colored. Oh God I have been there and tried to help the child prostitute only to have them turn from me, my heart breaking as they turned to tell their 40 year old buyer about our efforts to help them. No, I know reality. But no one changes the world by focusing solely on reality but on a dream. It is something I have been cursed with, this dream. I wonder where it goes...
If someone from Pagosa is reading this, yes I would like to help the Pagosa people, but honestly in my soul I know that there will be a hundred people who would do that, because it is a park, a haven, but how many will go to the ugly parts of the earth and help those? Some obviously but not as many.
Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I struggle with my desires, my fears and my dreams.
What is written here is often written in my journal and I write it because writing has been a friend of my heart and the release of my soul. I write it in hopes that some day someone will meander through my steps and emerge more of a person in the early days of their life than I will ever be at the end of mine. Most often I write to God, He the creator and healer of my soul knows and understands me best.
Today, it is Sabbath, I will refer to Saturday as Sabbath because that is what it is to me. Not to offend any. I have finished writing yet another journal full and in the move placed my blank ones in a special place so that when I finished this one I could use my blank ones without having to buy more. Makes sense, except now I am clueless as to what safe box I put them in and have not located my blank ones. Amusing.
I am on the path to medical school. I have not committed in such a sense as to actually start school as of yet. That is planned to happen in August. We have moved. I "quit" my job in Pagosa and we struck out for North Carolina. It is pretty here...and getting hot. :) Having not really quit my job I am working from home. So my foot is on the path to medical school.
Yet I have not taken the step that I fear most...the loans. Why? It is done every day. People live off loans to go back to school year in and out, who cares? This is where my soul begins to feel trapped in a cage. I have felt the strangle of debt and it repels me. The thought of once more plunging in, eyes open is frightening.
Here is where the complications rise. Today I looked beyond the news to the real world. The world inside and outside of the USA where humanity suffers and it crushed my heart. I read about the people of the Darfur region of the Sudan, pressed out of their homeland by rape, torture and death into Chad where they live in camps. But the Janjawid have come there as well destroying them. The SHAC 7 sitting in Federal Penitentiaries for allegedly peacefully protesting the ill treatment of animals at a testing lab, yes that is in my great country. Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest and others in Myanmar for wanting a Democratic government. And then the things I experienced in my travels to Cambodia.
Some may say, but it is complicated and what can we do, what can you do. Oh God, I wish I knew there is little we can "do" to put an end to it all. But to stop the pain and be of greater influence in someone's life who is suffering is what I wish. To actually have the balls to walk out and without regard to myself do what was right. That is all I want to do.
Now how does that play into medical school. Well, I will tell you...bet you thought I would leave you hanging. ;-) Medical school will leave me with debt. Albeit less debt in these schools than in some but debt nonetheless. With debt I am a slave to a system that would drive me to see more patients than almost physically possible, to feed the greedy corporate system, and to let me get the kind of money I need to pay that debt off at a fast rate.
Well, why not just go work in some little town that pays not so much and pay it off slower. Because these countries need volunteers and I WANT TO BE ONE OF THEM in the worst of ways. My soul desires this more than anything. But a person cannot spend their life volunteering when they are strapped to a debt they must repay.
So I wonder, is my EMT training enough? Can I get that corporate greed job and tough it out to pay the debt I have now and go like I am? I won't be as useful but I will be useful sooner. In countries where they die of a lack of a vitamin pill, because of defecating to near there house, do they need Drs or do they need simple knowledge that I already have?
Secondly, and quite honestly I have the same conflict of interest that everyone has. I like stuff just as much as the next girl. It is too easy to feel I need this or that when I don't, or do I? Where does one draw the line? A person needs things to "fit in" and be "respectable" but in the end, what does it matter when people die daily for want of simple things? "...as far as I have heard or observed, the principal object is, not that mankind may be well and honestly clad, but, unquestionably, that the corporations may be enriched." Henry David Thoreau in Walden.
So that is why my soul is in a cage. Some of you may know this feeling, this feeling of helplessness and being trapped not sure which direction to go. I guess we'll see how it goes. These desires to help others, are labeled by some as naive and rose colored. Oh God I have been there and tried to help the child prostitute only to have them turn from me, my heart breaking as they turned to tell their 40 year old buyer about our efforts to help them. No, I know reality. But no one changes the world by focusing solely on reality but on a dream. It is something I have been cursed with, this dream. I wonder where it goes...
If someone from Pagosa is reading this, yes I would like to help the Pagosa people, but honestly in my soul I know that there will be a hundred people who would do that, because it is a park, a haven, but how many will go to the ugly parts of the earth and help those? Some obviously but not as many.
Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I struggle with my desires, my fears and my dreams.
SHAC 7 My Heros
I was on www.vegweb.com this morning looking for something good to take to potluck and I happened to surf onto an ad for some really groovy looking T's. One said "All my heros have an FBI record". Since this is a website devoted to vegetarian T's I was curious what that could be about. In the blurb it talked about SHAC 7. I Googled SHAC 7 and what I read made my blood boil and I have to say that SHAC 7, if they are as innocent as all the sites I have read say they are, have quickly become hero's of mine right along side Aung San Suu Kyi.
SHAC 7 is a group that wanted to close an animal testing lab. Now I love animals and I am a vegetarian but I have never really gotten highly fired up about a lot of things like slaughter houses and testing labs...probably more out of ignorance than anything but I will get fired up when someone's right to protest and try to close down a business that they believe is not operating honestly and lawfully is denied them.
You can read the details of their case on their site www.shac7.com.
Read about them...why was this not on national news? Why do I know that Brittany Spears shaved her head and not know that these 6 people are rotting in prison for exercising their right to free speech? Why do I need to know who lost at Idol or what happened on the last episode of Lost when people are quietly being refused their 1st amendment rights? Where is the fire of our patriotism?
I just started reading Walden written by Thoreau last night. There is a often used quote in that book about true patriotism being dissension. And is that not true? If I loudly disagree with something does it not show that I am interested enough to care? That I am engaged with my surroundings enough to become aware of what is going on. What is worse that I was so disengaged, that I relied on main stream media to bring me news such as the SHAC 7 and guess what, it let me down. Shame on me!
Really I am often bored by people's conspiracy theories. For one people get fired up about "supposed" things but never have the balls to go see if it is true for themselves. So I plan to read more about SHAC 7. Did they do something wrong? Did they directly order someone to bomb the plant and kill the people and/or animals inside? If so, then fine, maybe they are psycho and belong in prison. But so far I have not read anything that even says they were any where near to that.
Coming home from Cambodia I literally bowed down and thanked God that I live in a country where I can blog about things I disagree with. That I live in a place that will allow me to protest peacefully. Will this paranoid country be the USA that our children, nieces, nephews grow up in? A state ruled by fear and people to weak to stand up for truth.
Have you watch Clooney's "Good Night and Good Luck" If not, I challenge us (myself included) to sit down, stop the flow of movies that are feeding our hunger for sensational ever more gory entertainment and watch this mind blowing movie. It happened then and it can happen now. Even more interesting is watching it with your grandparents. I watched with my grandma who lived during that era. How fascinating.
What do we do about it? I am researching and I will be back with more of what can be done.
SHAC 7 is a group that wanted to close an animal testing lab. Now I love animals and I am a vegetarian but I have never really gotten highly fired up about a lot of things like slaughter houses and testing labs...probably more out of ignorance than anything but I will get fired up when someone's right to protest and try to close down a business that they believe is not operating honestly and lawfully is denied them.
You can read the details of their case on their site www.shac7.com.
Read about them...why was this not on national news? Why do I know that Brittany Spears shaved her head and not know that these 6 people are rotting in prison for exercising their right to free speech? Why do I need to know who lost at Idol or what happened on the last episode of Lost when people are quietly being refused their 1st amendment rights? Where is the fire of our patriotism?
I just started reading Walden written by Thoreau last night. There is a often used quote in that book about true patriotism being dissension. And is that not true? If I loudly disagree with something does it not show that I am interested enough to care? That I am engaged with my surroundings enough to become aware of what is going on. What is worse that I was so disengaged, that I relied on main stream media to bring me news such as the SHAC 7 and guess what, it let me down. Shame on me!
Really I am often bored by people's conspiracy theories. For one people get fired up about "supposed" things but never have the balls to go see if it is true for themselves. So I plan to read more about SHAC 7. Did they do something wrong? Did they directly order someone to bomb the plant and kill the people and/or animals inside? If so, then fine, maybe they are psycho and belong in prison. But so far I have not read anything that even says they were any where near to that.
Coming home from Cambodia I literally bowed down and thanked God that I live in a country where I can blog about things I disagree with. That I live in a place that will allow me to protest peacefully. Will this paranoid country be the USA that our children, nieces, nephews grow up in? A state ruled by fear and people to weak to stand up for truth.
Have you watch Clooney's "Good Night and Good Luck" If not, I challenge us (myself included) to sit down, stop the flow of movies that are feeding our hunger for sensational ever more gory entertainment and watch this mind blowing movie. It happened then and it can happen now. Even more interesting is watching it with your grandparents. I watched with my grandma who lived during that era. How fascinating.
What do we do about it? I am researching and I will be back with more of what can be done.
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