....as to think my city is the best city in the state or my state is the best state in the United States or that the United States is the best country in the world. Every city and every state and every country is "the best" is someone's eyes. They all have faults and problems; they all have thing to be proud of. It's all about the people in those cities, states and countries and what is in their hearts. Governments can be bought and corrupted. Only the people represent the goodness of their city, state, and/or country.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Why Should People on Public Assistance be Drug Tested?
It upsets me when people preach that all people receiving public assistance should be drug tested before they can receive help. They seem to be assuming that everyone who needs public assistance is a down-and-out druggie who refuses to work and just wants the money for more drugs. My father left our family when I was approximately 6 years old and went to CA. To my knowledge, he never provided my mother with a cent. I know how that abandonment affected me, but that's another story. My mother was left with three kids, aged 6, 5 and an infant. She was young, had only a high school education, and lived in a community with very few job opportunities. Her parents helped as they were able, but she had to accept public assistance in order to feed her children. Should she have been drug tested and treated as a criminal because she wanted to put food in her children's mouths?
Saturday, April 07, 2012
It's Time to Stop the Hate
It's time to stop all the hate in this country and learn to compromise and accept others. God made each and every person in this country and loves each and every one of us just the same. We are ALL made in his image. God doesn't discriminate because of the color of one's skin or whether a person has straight or curly hair. He doesn't discriminate because one is fat or thin, whether one is gay or straight, whether one is old or young, whether one is athletic or disabled, whether one wears a 3-piece suit or a hoodie. God loves each of his children and wants them all to treat others as they want to be treated themselves. I used to teach my Sunday School classes that, just like a box of crayons, God liked to color and he made people in all kinds of colors. Has anyone ever criticized a child for coloring a cow blue just because that child likes blue? So why do people criticize God for making people different colors? God gave us all voices to sign and musical languages to sign in. God likes variety. He gave us different religions so humanity can celebrate his goodness and love in different ways. None of them are wrong...and not one of them is more "right" than the other. It's the human part that gets in the way of understanding and appreciating the gifts God created. Like a box of crayons...we are all the same but different. Yes, it's time to stop the hate and learn to appreciate the colors of the rainbow.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
The end of civil America
I am very saddened by what I am seeing in American society these days. Greed and hatred and angry is everywhere. A handful of very greedy, rich, white men are trying to buy our country so they can run it as their own country, so they can control society in general like they control the men and women who slave away for them earning minimum wage, so they can claim all the money in the country for themselves without providing for anyone else. They don't care who they hurt in their power grab. They are encouraging discrimination and attempting to set people against each other...conquer and divide. What I don't understand is how people can defend these horrendous, evil men. The people who will be hurt the most are the people who are fighting the hardest to enable the spawns of Satan.
I go to bed many nights in tears just thinking about the country I grew up in and how, as a child, we could wander our whole neighborhood during a summer day...from morning to night...without fear. Where neighbors all knew each other and all kept an eye on all the children. Where we were taught to share and to say please and thank you. We believed the golden rule and treated others as we all wanted to be treated. We may not have been rich, but we always had everything we needed. Where has that world gone? I'm sad and very frightened.
I go to bed many nights in tears just thinking about the country I grew up in and how, as a child, we could wander our whole neighborhood during a summer day...from morning to night...without fear. Where neighbors all knew each other and all kept an eye on all the children. Where we were taught to share and to say please and thank you. We believed the golden rule and treated others as we all wanted to be treated. We may not have been rich, but we always had everything we needed. Where has that world gone? I'm sad and very frightened.
Monday, February 13, 2012
What to do with myself?
I have come to the realization that I am just not happy right now. There is nothing in my life that excites me...nothing to look forward to. I don't know how to find what it is that would make me feel alive again. Right now I feel like I'm watching life pass me by ... Like I'm just biding my time. What to do? What to do?
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Imagine......
Imagine a place where all the public schools have been closed and only the children of the wealthy are entitled to an education....a place where all the forests have been chopped down...a place where water does not have to be disinfected while at the same time the lakes and rivers have been polluted by toxic waste and chemicals being dumped by corporations in their gutting of the land....where electricity, water, and heat are controlled by corporations who can charge what they want for services and who can discriminate against those not able to afford them....a place where jobs don't exist other than cleaning the toilets of the wealthy or bussing their tables....a place where small business have had to close their doors because no one has any money to buy their goods or services.
Welcome to Wisconsin...Ohio....New Jersey....
Welcome to the United States as the Republicans envision it.
Welcome to Wisconsin...Ohio....New Jersey....
Welcome to the United States as the Republicans envision it.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
2011 Sucks
So far the year 2011 sucks! On January 4 Chuck ended up in the emergency room just hours after my brother was admitted to the same emergency room. My brother had pneumonia; Chuck has Meniere's Syndrome and is still unable to drive. He is being treated at the National Dizzy and Balance Center. No sooner were Chuck and my brother home, when my knee began giving me problems. I saw my doctor at the end of January and got a cortisone shot in the knee, only to have the knee totally give out a day later. I am walking with crutches and looking at total knee replacement surgery in a few weeks. And the snow and cold keeps coming.....
Like I said, 2011 sucks!
Like I said, 2011 sucks!
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Woo is Me
I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I really didn't get much sleep last night and what I did get was not restful. At 12:30 Erik took Kiko out to do his business. Kiko saw a rabbit and took off like a shot after the rabbit. Erik woke me up to help him find the dog. After that I had a hard time falling asleep and then I woke up at 5:00 a.m.
Being this tired doesn't help my mental state. I'm feeling very depressed. Last night, after watching election results, I just wanted to pull the covers over my head and not have to face the world ever again. I want to avoid people and withdraw into the comfort of my little home.
I don't think I believe in God any more. I was always taught that to ask and it shall be given. I keep asking and keep waiting and nothing changes. I don't believe there is anyone there to answer prayers. If there is a God, why can't he stop all the hate and bigotry and racism and greed. Why is evil taking over? If God is all powerful, why is there so much pain and hate and suffering?
Being this tired doesn't help my mental state. I'm feeling very depressed. Last night, after watching election results, I just wanted to pull the covers over my head and not have to face the world ever again. I want to avoid people and withdraw into the comfort of my little home.
I don't think I believe in God any more. I was always taught that to ask and it shall be given. I keep asking and keep waiting and nothing changes. I don't believe there is anyone there to answer prayers. If there is a God, why can't he stop all the hate and bigotry and racism and greed. Why is evil taking over? If God is all powerful, why is there so much pain and hate and suffering?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Jesus and Healing the Poor
Jesus and His disciples came to a town, and in the square of that town He preached and He called to the people to come and be healed.
And those with ailments and those covered with sores and boils and those afflicted with all manner of maladies sought His healing.
Jesus approached the first person, a man who lay on a litter, his pain and suffering writ on his face. As Jesus knelt to lay His hands on the man, Peter stepped forward.
“Wait Lord, ” he said. “Are you a participating provider for this man?”
Then Andrew said “Should we not determine whether he suffers from a pre-existing condition?”
Matthew added, “He may be so ill that it would strain Your resources to heal him. In that case, You should not try. Let him seek help elsewhere.”
Then James son of Zebedee and John chimed in. “Why do You not ask for payment?” asked James.
“Surely it is not fair to those who pay their healers if You heal these people without cost,” John pointed out.
“After all,” said Simon Zealot, “what if his condition was brought about by the way he lived? Should he not bear responsibility?”
“I question whether You should heal the children,” said James son of Alphaeus. “Their parents should be working to pay for their care.”
“Indeed,” said Thomas, “if You heal them every time they will never learn personal responsibility.”
“Then they will always rely on the support of others,” said Philip.
“Besides, aren’t there better people to help?” argued Bartholomew.
“They should pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” proclaimed Thaddeus.
Judas Iscariot stared from one disciple to the next. “Oh for crying out loud!” he said. “They don’t have BOOTS!” But they paid him no heed so he went to find an inn and wine.
And Jesus?
Jesus wept.
(Copyright D. Scanlon 2010)
And those with ailments and those covered with sores and boils and those afflicted with all manner of maladies sought His healing.
Jesus approached the first person, a man who lay on a litter, his pain and suffering writ on his face. As Jesus knelt to lay His hands on the man, Peter stepped forward.
“Wait Lord, ” he said. “Are you a participating provider for this man?”
Then Andrew said “Should we not determine whether he suffers from a pre-existing condition?”
Matthew added, “He may be so ill that it would strain Your resources to heal him. In that case, You should not try. Let him seek help elsewhere.”
Then James son of Zebedee and John chimed in. “Why do You not ask for payment?” asked James.
“Surely it is not fair to those who pay their healers if You heal these people without cost,” John pointed out.
“After all,” said Simon Zealot, “what if his condition was brought about by the way he lived? Should he not bear responsibility?”
“I question whether You should heal the children,” said James son of Alphaeus. “Their parents should be working to pay for their care.”
“Indeed,” said Thomas, “if You heal them every time they will never learn personal responsibility.”
“Then they will always rely on the support of others,” said Philip.
“Besides, aren’t there better people to help?” argued Bartholomew.
“They should pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” proclaimed Thaddeus.
Judas Iscariot stared from one disciple to the next. “Oh for crying out loud!” he said. “They don’t have BOOTS!” But they paid him no heed so he went to find an inn and wine.
And Jesus?
Jesus wept.
(Copyright D. Scanlon 2010)
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
What does 2010 hold?
I've been told that if a person writes down his/her hopes and desires, there is a better chance those hopes and desires will be achieved. With that in mind, I've been thinking what I hope for 2010.
(1) My first hope is that I can get back on track with my weight loss and figure out why I feel the need to sabotage myself. What does the excess weight protect me from? I know what it prevents me from doing and the negative feelings it creates, but don't understand why I would rather deal with the pain and unhappiness than stay on track and achieve permanent weight loss. This will be an area of major work in 2010.
(2) I hope to be able to make a trip to Tunisia to reconnect with Chuck's family. I also hope that some (if not all) of my kids will mare the trip as well. Connecting with family members on Facebook has really brought home the fact that I want to go to Tunisia. Renew passports!!
(3) I want to find a job where I am truly happy and that pays decently. I'm so burned out in my current job. I adore my boss and all the freedoms I have, but I am finding it harder and harder to come to work every day for a variety of reasons. I keep thinking I would like to open my own cross stitch shop, but then I don't know if I want that kind of responsibility at this point in my life.
(4) I want to challenge myself to do a better job of staying in touch with my friends and family.
(5) I want to take time every day to write in my journal.
That's it so far. Now to motivate myself!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Dear Sarah:
Dear Sarah: Keep up the great writing!
By CARL HIAASEN
chiaasen@MiamiHerald.com
(Confidential response of Sarah Palin's book editor to the first draft of her upcoming memoir, ``Going Rogue''):
Dear Sarah,
Thank you for turning in the manuscript so quickly. I thought only Stephen King could crank out 400 pages in four months! Seriously, there's some terrific material here, and all of us at Harper Collins are thrilled to be publishing your life story.
Before we move ahead, the fact-checking department has asked me to pass along a few notes and comments that may require some revisions on your part.
1. Eric Clapton spells his last name with a C.
More significantly, his publicists tell us that you were not the inspiration for Layla, and that he doesn't recall ever having an affair with you.
Is it possible you've got him confused with another rock star?
2. The mainland of Russia is indeed visible from parts of western Alaska during favorable weather conditions in the Bering Straits. Considering the ridicule you endured over this issue during the campaign, your desire to set the record straight is understandable.
Still, 78 pages is a big chunk of the book. Perhaps it's possible to deal with the I-can-see-Russia controversy a bit more succinctly.
3. Our researchers can find no evidence that Tina Fey belongs to the Taliban. Could you send us the sourcing for that reference?
4. John McCain's campaign staff is vehemently denying the incident you describe in Chapter 13. Perhaps you could provide our legal department with the names of persons who actually witnessed the senator placing the duct tape over your mouth.
5. Even though you quit with 18 months remaining in your term, your achievements as Alaska's governor will be of great interest to your readers and political supporters.
How about expanding that section of the book to a full chapter?
6. On page 107 of the manuscript, you describe a frisky interlude with Todd as taking place on a John Deere Cyclone 340 snowmobile.
However, that particular model has been out of production for several years. Is it possible that you two were cavorting on a Sprintfire?
7. Our researchers can find no evidence that Katie Couric is secretly financing the Sunni insurgency in Iraq. Could you send us the sourcing for that reference?
8. Although the passage about moose-shooting from helicopters is certainly provocative, perhaps it could be re-polished to focus more on your cooking recipes -- which look very yummy, by the way -- than on the preferred field techniques for skinning and gutting.
9. Our copy editors are still struggling to sort out the many colorful characters in your manuscript. In one chapter the children are called Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow and Trig, yet only 44 pages later they appear as Caribou, Cessna, Herring, Juniper and Scrod.
Maybe you could check with Todd and get back to us on that.
10. ``Mexican'' is not a language. (See manuscript page 188).
11. Our researchers cannot verify that David Letterman is ``heavily involved'' in the opium trade in eastern Afghanistan. Could you provide the sourcing for that reference?
12. The details of your high-school basketball career are inspirational, but would it be possible to condense that section from three chapters to one? Just a thought.
13. John McCain's office says that it was the senator, not you, who came up with the ``two mavericks'' campaign theme. He claims you originally proposed a slogan saying, ``One Creaky Elder Statesman, One Hot Young Maverick -- but don't worry, folks, she knows CPR!''
14. Tony Blair was the prime minister of Great Britain. Tony Orlando is an American pop singer. (See manuscript page 341).
15. Levi Johnston emphatically denies that Mitt Romney paid him to seduce and impregnate your oldest daughter. Furthermore, he claims that you personally offered him $50 to moon Joe Biden during the vice presidential debate.
Our legal department has suggested removing any mention of this young man (including those beer-pong photos) from the manuscript. What do you say?
Finally, on a personal note, I'm sorry you're having so much difficulty reaching the ghost-writer we assigned to this project. After your first meeting, she left me a rather frazzled message saying she ``needed to take a break and do some soul searching.''
We've tracked her to a sweat lodge down in Taos, New Mexico, and I'm pretty confident she'll be back on the ``Going Rogue'' Express in no time.
Meanwhile, keep up the great writing, Sarah. We can't wait to read the finished book!
By CARL HIAASEN
chiaasen@MiamiHerald.com
(Confidential response of Sarah Palin's book editor to the first draft of her upcoming memoir, ``Going Rogue''):
Dear Sarah,
Thank you for turning in the manuscript so quickly. I thought only Stephen King could crank out 400 pages in four months! Seriously, there's some terrific material here, and all of us at Harper Collins are thrilled to be publishing your life story.
Before we move ahead, the fact-checking department has asked me to pass along a few notes and comments that may require some revisions on your part.
1. Eric Clapton spells his last name with a C.
More significantly, his publicists tell us that you were not the inspiration for Layla, and that he doesn't recall ever having an affair with you.
Is it possible you've got him confused with another rock star?
2. The mainland of Russia is indeed visible from parts of western Alaska during favorable weather conditions in the Bering Straits. Considering the ridicule you endured over this issue during the campaign, your desire to set the record straight is understandable.
Still, 78 pages is a big chunk of the book. Perhaps it's possible to deal with the I-can-see-Russia controversy a bit more succinctly.
3. Our researchers can find no evidence that Tina Fey belongs to the Taliban. Could you send us the sourcing for that reference?
4. John McCain's campaign staff is vehemently denying the incident you describe in Chapter 13. Perhaps you could provide our legal department with the names of persons who actually witnessed the senator placing the duct tape over your mouth.
5. Even though you quit with 18 months remaining in your term, your achievements as Alaska's governor will be of great interest to your readers and political supporters.
How about expanding that section of the book to a full chapter?
6. On page 107 of the manuscript, you describe a frisky interlude with Todd as taking place on a John Deere Cyclone 340 snowmobile.
However, that particular model has been out of production for several years. Is it possible that you two were cavorting on a Sprintfire?
7. Our researchers can find no evidence that Katie Couric is secretly financing the Sunni insurgency in Iraq. Could you send us the sourcing for that reference?
8. Although the passage about moose-shooting from helicopters is certainly provocative, perhaps it could be re-polished to focus more on your cooking recipes -- which look very yummy, by the way -- than on the preferred field techniques for skinning and gutting.
9. Our copy editors are still struggling to sort out the many colorful characters in your manuscript. In one chapter the children are called Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow and Trig, yet only 44 pages later they appear as Caribou, Cessna, Herring, Juniper and Scrod.
Maybe you could check with Todd and get back to us on that.
10. ``Mexican'' is not a language. (See manuscript page 188).
11. Our researchers cannot verify that David Letterman is ``heavily involved'' in the opium trade in eastern Afghanistan. Could you provide the sourcing for that reference?
12. The details of your high-school basketball career are inspirational, but would it be possible to condense that section from three chapters to one? Just a thought.
13. John McCain's office says that it was the senator, not you, who came up with the ``two mavericks'' campaign theme. He claims you originally proposed a slogan saying, ``One Creaky Elder Statesman, One Hot Young Maverick -- but don't worry, folks, she knows CPR!''
14. Tony Blair was the prime minister of Great Britain. Tony Orlando is an American pop singer. (See manuscript page 341).
15. Levi Johnston emphatically denies that Mitt Romney paid him to seduce and impregnate your oldest daughter. Furthermore, he claims that you personally offered him $50 to moon Joe Biden during the vice presidential debate.
Our legal department has suggested removing any mention of this young man (including those beer-pong photos) from the manuscript. What do you say?
Finally, on a personal note, I'm sorry you're having so much difficulty reaching the ghost-writer we assigned to this project. After your first meeting, she left me a rather frazzled message saying she ``needed to take a break and do some soul searching.''
We've tracked her to a sweat lodge down in Taos, New Mexico, and I'm pretty confident she'll be back on the ``Going Rogue'' Express in no time.
Meanwhile, keep up the great writing, Sarah. We can't wait to read the finished book!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Self Pity
Right now I hurt to the depths of my being. I took a silly quiz recently that said I was a ghost and it's exactly how I feel....invisible and silent. No one sees me, no one hears me. Am I only good enough when someone needs something?? Must I be the one who always gives but who never gets in return?
Saturday, September 05, 2009
What If....
i
you
us
them
those people
wouldn't it be lovely
if one could
live
in a constant state
of we?
some of the most
commonplace
words
can be some of the biggest
dividers
they
what if there was
no they?
what if tehre
was only
us?
if words could be seen
as they floated out
of our mouths
would we feel no
shame
as they passed beyond
our lips?
if we were to string
our words
on a communal clothesline
would we feel proud
as our thoughts
flapped in the
breeze?
~Marilyn Mariel, "clothesline"
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
I'm Tired of Working
I am so tired of working at this job. I've been here way too long...almost 30 years! I'm tired of dealing with other peoples' problems, both real and pretend. I'm tired of hearing people complain over every little thing they can think of. I'm tired of pettiness and hatefulness and revenge. I'm tired of women pretending to be super mom just to deny men rights to be parents to their children; I'm tired of men refusing to support their children in order to punish women. I'm tired of people who say they can't work because they got a 1/4" cut on their arm. I want a happy job! But in this economy, where do I find a happy job that allows me to work 4 days a week and earn what I do. Not likely! When will that oil well come in??
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Irresponsibility
This morning while getting ready for work I was listening to a story about "Octomom" on the news. It appears that her father has bought her a half-million dollar house...her father who lost one house, filed bankruptcy, and is in the process of losing another house. How is it that he can now buy his daughter a half million dollar house? We couldn't afford a half million dollar house on both our incomes!
And this is for a woman who has 14 kids, no husband, no job, collects welfare, social security disability for 2 kids, food stamps, etc. A woman who is letting the State of California pick up the $1 million plus in medical expenses for the birth of these 14 kids. A woman who sees nothing wrong with collecting welfare because "that's what it's there for." She has set up a website begging for money; she has prostituted her children by selling photos to anyone who will pay for them; she has talked to anyone who will give her a few bucks. She's out getting manicures and pedicures and spending $14 on lip gloss when she has NO job.
So tell me why the State of California is not going after all this money she is earning to reimburse the bankrupt state for the medical expenses? Why aren't they grabbing all this money she has coming in? Why should the hardworking citizens of CA have to continue to support a totally irresponsible woman?
I can only pray that the state does NOT allow her to take those babies home from the hospital. If she doesn't abuse them, she will surely neglect them as well as the 6 older children. There is no way she can adequately provide for the emotional, physical and mental needs of 14 children, 8 of whom are mostly likely going to have special needs. And emotional abuse and neglect is as devastating as physical abuse, just less visible. Oh, that's right...she is going to have nannies! She's already "hired" them and they are highly trained!! WHO IS PAYING FOR THIS!!
I am so totally and completely disgusted by this sad excuse of a mother. Please, State of CA, step in and take those children away from her! She alone will be a line item in the state budget!!
And this is for a woman who has 14 kids, no husband, no job, collects welfare, social security disability for 2 kids, food stamps, etc. A woman who is letting the State of California pick up the $1 million plus in medical expenses for the birth of these 14 kids. A woman who sees nothing wrong with collecting welfare because "that's what it's there for." She has set up a website begging for money; she has prostituted her children by selling photos to anyone who will pay for them; she has talked to anyone who will give her a few bucks. She's out getting manicures and pedicures and spending $14 on lip gloss when she has NO job.
So tell me why the State of California is not going after all this money she is earning to reimburse the bankrupt state for the medical expenses? Why aren't they grabbing all this money she has coming in? Why should the hardworking citizens of CA have to continue to support a totally irresponsible woman?
I can only pray that the state does NOT allow her to take those babies home from the hospital. If she doesn't abuse them, she will surely neglect them as well as the 6 older children. There is no way she can adequately provide for the emotional, physical and mental needs of 14 children, 8 of whom are mostly likely going to have special needs. And emotional abuse and neglect is as devastating as physical abuse, just less visible. Oh, that's right...she is going to have nannies! She's already "hired" them and they are highly trained!! WHO IS PAYING FOR THIS!!
I am so totally and completely disgusted by this sad excuse of a mother. Please, State of CA, step in and take those children away from her! She alone will be a line item in the state budget!!
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Where, Oh Where, Is Spring?
I can tell I am badly in need of some sunshine and warm weather. This winter has definitely taken a toll on me. I'm always in a funk, always on the verge of tears. I hate my job and have very little patience any more with my clients, my boss, the courts, etc. I honestly can't think of anything that would give me pleasure right now.
I NEED SPRING!! I NEED SUNSHINE!! I NEED WARM WEATHER!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
