Rant.

The Tunisians are uprising.
The Yemenis are uprising.
Now everybody is uprising.

Not the Americans, we’re all too busy.
Tear gas doesn't always make a success story, anyway.
"It take 7 people to flip a cop car!" How many people does it take to flip a government?

How do Americans live with themselves?
Denial. "Ignorance is bliss" is our country’s motto
Like it or not.

The movement we all look back to, up to, is the Civil Rights Movement.
How many people marched on Washington that day?
And elsewhere, how many people took to the streets? Boycotted the bus system?

It used to be called the Freedom Movement.
They killed it when they dubbed it the Civil Rights Movement.
That was all they were willing to give, and still it has not been given.

A penguin stands up and says "Where are all the fish?"
Is there a god who gives an answer?
Is it explained to the penguin that due to the careless and selfish nature of humankind, the world is getting too hot and the fish have had to move on to other waters...and still they wash up on foreign shores? Where is the Lorax?!

Well, there's this anarchist collective called the Lorax full of young drunk commies here in town...
"I ride bikes" says So-And-So defensively.
The penguin stares blankly and repeats, "Where are all the fish?"

"You know what I think," says I,
"Any of us who have ever driven a car or paid for rides in cars or buses should put our mouths around an exhaust pipe
And inhale deeply what the rest of the world should never have had to experience.”

I make excuses for driving because I feel guilty daily.
My main excuse being:
I have chosen to live this part of my life within society, against so many of my beliefs, because I need this stability to stay off the drugs!

Or do I?
I don't know but my family relies on me to get them places--to school, to stores, and I have to get to my 12 step meetings and well
Sometimes my knees just hurt!

A homeless man helped me fix my car today.
I thanked him, he didn't mind.
Perhaps he walked away feeling good about himself (such feelings are fleeting) but I rather doubt it stuck in his mind.

Of course it was significant.
Everything is significant.
Still, are most things not forgotten?

All good samaritans are homeless.
They are good samaritans because they are homeless.
Is that what it's gonna take for the average American to become good samaritans? for the average American to be homeless?

Blackbirds are falling from the sky.
Turtle Doves are flying too high to breath.
Who says this is not a sign? Don't be stupid!

How soon can we forget...
The government wants us to forget--
There are WARS to fund!

I don't have time for any of this,
It just goes through my mind while I am walking
To pick my daughter up from school.

If I limit my thoughts to three lines each
It still doesn't seem to control
The voracity of my anxious mind.

Back to MY present moment! Walking in the sunshine in Eugene, Oregon and it is so beautiful.
I want so badly to share this experience and I want so desperately to hold on to this moment
So I reach for my Android pocket phone...

And I...check facebook.
And I...look at pictures.
And I...check for texts.

And I have lost this moment.
I look up from my phone, recognizing the outrageousness of my reaction to serenity.
I say a quick little prayer, try to hang on to it.

I walk past a crossing guard who says hello to me.
I reply with an earnestness for sincerity
And for a fleeting moment I experience a feeling I felt as a child in the summertime but only during the "ah" part of "hi."

Still, I sense the eternity of that feeling
And feelings are eternal,
Good or bad.

Is my present moment any different from the crossing guard’s?
From the Tunisians, the Yemenis, the Egyptians?
The penguin?

Outraged: The Kill Team. Wake-Up Call? Desensitization?

Yesterday I saw the Rolling Stones article, “The Kill Team”.  Saw, not read.   After seeing the photographs, I couldn’t bear to look at them anymore.  I did read about it, however, in an article that does not actually show the photographs.  It is strange to see these photographs in between an article about a comedian and a rock star, featuring a pop star interviewed about"sexting" on the cover.  Is it good that these photographs were published in a mainstream magazine?  I do believe the American people need a wake up call.  Where are all the anti-war protests these days?  Is everyone in la-la land?  Busy busy with our domestic lives, trying to make a happy childhood for our children while other people's children are shot and killed by our own sodiers?  Working all the time, trying to make enough money to afford gas for our cars (oil=war, partially) to get our children from girlscouts to soccer games to the mall to buy clothes by a brand that is socially acceptable (and socially deplorable)…is it just me?  Does it help at all that I recognize this?  We are sending trained and brainwashed murderers to Afghanistan.  I do believe we, as a society, need to be reminded of the reality of what is going on overseas.  Some questions, though…is it disrespectful to the memory of those lost and to their families to post these photographs in a popular magazine?  A friend of mine had me thinking today of how I would feel if it were my family member whose dismembered body was on display with smiling soldiers in a pop culture magazine.  And is this Rolling Stones being progressive or is it desensitizing our youth, who commonly buy that magazine?  I haven’t read the entire article, but I’m not sure it was respectfully done.  However, it left me feeling outraged and sick, as well I should.

This is a time of growth for those that know
And it's a time of hope for those that don't
But if your mind is open you'll get shown,
We've had our sights blinded, all of my like-minded,
People need to get up and discover the right time is,
Now, so start opposing the powers that arose,
In ancient days and paved the way to this load,
It's so controlled, it's sitting in most, just sit and stare,
At a television with a distant glare, 
And I'm ashamed to admit it, I'm a slave to this shit,
As much as anybody but I'm not afraid of it,
This is where the change comes, and this is where we make some difference,
Embrace what's within us and escape from this prison,
All it takes is a little bit of faith,
And a little bit of love, to get rid of all the hate
But the thing about it is we can't just sing about it,
We can't just sit around and wait until they thin us out,
We figure out where we're going while we live in doubt,
If you want my truth, listen now and just think about it,
The thing about it is we can't even think about it,
Can't afford a minutes time to figure how to bring about a change,
So, take a second, and shake your head,
And take a step ahead and think about it...

 (for the rest of the lyrics see here)

Why A Blog?

What would be the purpose of writing a blog?   To have my voice heard, sure.  To write, because I don’t write often enough, yes.  But also to read the response of readers, to learn from their perspectives, and to have open discussion about the issues of today that are so troubling.  In our society, we do not talk enough about the events and issues that matter!  Our lives are too busy!  And we have too many distractions!  TV!  Facebook!  I’m guilty of it, too.  So, I am going to attempt to take advantage of our internet culture, and see if important discussions can take place here.  It’s just an experiment, I make no promises of keeping it up!  And I want to thank my sister, Jaime Jo, for persuading me to start a blog.  Check out her (extremely inspiring and informative) blog, The Equality Chronicle.