The Chronic Malcontent

Depression 2.0

2008-09-22T19:23:00.002-05:00

Last week's Wall Street watershed was more shock involved than anything. No one knew what to do, what was coming next, and on main street usa, we were even more clueless on how to proceed.

So a lot of us proceeded to do our daily tasks. I thought briefly of taking all my money out of my bank, but I'm kind of socked into it being there, at least on paper... I have payments set up on autopay, so I can't just take the money out.

Interesting how I am now locked into keeping my money in there.

All I know is that I don't have 700 billion for my government to bail out others - I'm too busy bailing myself out almost all the time. I don't think I'm alone there. Lots of us do odd, silly and sometimes downright stupid things with money. Suze Orman would say my relationship with money is totally dysfunctional, and she'd be right. I'm great with other people's money, but not so great with mine.

It's cold comfort that many people with much greater financial acumen than me have some deep fears about money right now. As someone that lives off main street - way off from where people think it really is, anyway, I still don't know what's coming, what it means, and what to do.

All I can do right now, is keep my eyes open and pay attention. I strongly suggest you do the same.

Nation of Whiners

2008-07-13T12:35:00.001-05:00

STOP WAR.

2008-02-10T13:51:00.000-06:00

S.1959 - Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007

2007-11-27T21:43:00.000-06:00

Dear Senator Susan M. Collins:

Regarding S.1959 - Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c110:56:./temp/~c1103Do7Xu:e871:

I am a citizen of the United States since birth. I vote. I pay taxes. I helped get a new library built in my city. And, I am seriously concerned that this legislation can be used for censorship, mind control, and physical and mental imprisonment.

Here are my findings about your findings.

"The Congress finds the following:

"(1) The development and implementation of methods and processes that can be used to prevent violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in the United States is critical to combating domestic terrorism."

CONCERNS: First, I need to know evidence of flagrant domestic terrorism that is currently being investigated in this country. Who determines when radicalization becomes violent enough for measures to be taken? How many incidents of homegrown terrorism have been reported, and which incidents can be used as examples? Also, violence is already covered by the laws which are already on the books. What makes ideologically based violence different?

"(2) The promotion of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence exists in the United States and poses a threat to homeland security."

CONCERNS: What promotion are you referring to? Again, without examples, our senate will blindly vote for this without consideration of the ways this can be abused. After all, the House of Representatives did. Can you elaborate the promotion that you refer to here?

"(3) The Internet has aided in facilitating violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and the homegrown terrorism process in the United States by providing access to broad and constant streams of terrorist-related propaganda to United States citizens."

CONCERNS: I am on the internet a lot of the time, and I doubt I have seen anything to inspire me to participate in violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and the homegrown terrorism. What in the name of all that is holy are YOU watching?
Similarly, if someone has tendencies toward violence, they don't need the internet. Remember books? They can inspire, and incite? Are you going for book burning next?

"(4) While the United States must continue its vigilant efforts to combat international terrorism, it must also strengthen efforts to combat the threat posed by homegrown terrorists based and operating within the United States."

CONCERNS: Who are these terrorists based and operating in the US? Shouldn't this be made clear to all of us so we can respond to our senators in an intelligent manner so they are truly representative of their constituents?

"(5) Understanding the motivational factors that lead to violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence is a vital step toward eradicating these threats in the United States."

CONCERNS: Poverty. Joblessness. Homelessness. Mental Illness. Lack of Education. The ever elusive American Dream. Debt. Hatred. There are 10 commandments lying around somewhere that you could probably refer to, and it wouldn't cost the taxpayers a lot of money to look at.

"(6) The potential rise of self radicalized, unaffiliated terrorists domestically cannot be easily prevented through traditional Federal intelligence or law enforcement efforts, and requires the incorporation of State and local solutions."

CONCERNS: This sounds like you are inventing a threat that does not exist for the purpose of instilling more fear into American citizens. I would think that by now, we're about as fearful as we can get before we all start hiding in our cellars. Potential rise? What is the potential? Can I see some graphs to chart domestic terrorism? Wasn't Oklahoma City enough? And with what resources are already cash strapped states going to use to solve this? In Illinois, we can't even insure our buses will run in Chicago next year due to lack of funds. Now they're going to have the job of putting down a potential threat that you won't even give examples of here?

"(7) Individuals prone to violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence span all races, ethnicities, and religious beliefs, and individuals should not be targeted based solely on race, ethnicity, or religion."

CONCERNS: That's a good thing, that they won't be targeted. But, internet viewers will be suspect, won't they? Anyone who makes and posts videos will be suspect, won't they? In this one stroke you have put millions of people into the 'suspect' category. In fact, I'll be suspect, because I make and upload videos. And again, without the internet, the same 'prone' individuals could read a book and accomplish the same. You want a police state with martial law over hapless citizens who just want to watch the game and be left alone. Those of us who are paying attention will be carted away first, I suppose.

If you wish to see my videos you can find them here:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=gabrielized
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=BetterAngels
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=MarkhamJournal
http://www.livevideo.com/gabrielized

"(8) Any measure taken to prevent violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence and homegrown terrorism in the United States should not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights, or civil liberties of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents."

CONCERNS: Have you been paying attention to the signing statements of our current President? We don't even have the right to habeas corpus any more. This section is a joke - and it's not funny.

"(9) Certain governments, including the Government of the United Kingdom, the Government of Canada, and the Government of Australia have significant experience with homegrown terrorism and the United States can benefit from lessons learned by those nations."

I tried to find out where you got your founding information on this bill. I found this speech:

http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/speeches/mueller062306.htm
Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Director Robert S. Mueller, III Federal Bureau of Investigation, The City Club of Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio June 23, 2006

But, I looked a little further. I used these search terms:
homegrown terrorism violent radicalisation Center for Excellence. canada england australia /2006_03

A couple of the first articles I found were these:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2006_03.php
http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/2006_04.html

But the 9/11, Toronto, Madrid, London, and Oklahoma City attacks had happened years before.

So why did 'violent radicalization' and 'Center for Excellence' become buzz words recently?

Here's just one theory.

Could it be that the clamor for the U.S. to pull out of Iraq would make defense contractors nervous? No more no-bid contracts for billions of dollars, so let's whip this up to keep our defense industry happy. Or else they won't contribute to our campaigns any more.

Corporate life - an oxymoron

2007-11-10T08:16:00.000-06:00

Corporate life - an oxymoron. I work for the clinically insane. They think the business is doing great. I know it's not. They don't want to hear it. And so it goes. There are three floors in our building, I am on the 'reality' floor. They are on the other two fantasy floors. And never the twain shall meet.

Then they had us do our self-evals recently. "What got in your way, what were your obstacles?" I filled a page. And while not ridden with expletives, my immediate supervisor, who is just as frustrated as I am, talked with me about revising it for some political correctness. Which I did. I guess "Fighting fires in a world on fire" was too much hyperbole.

One Day at a Time

2007-10-01T21:08:00.000-05:00

Maybe tomorrow will be a normal day.
Maybe, just maybe, it will be a good day.

Maybe, tomorrow will be the beginning of the revolution.
That is the maybe I can't get used to thinking about. I'd rather... not think about it.

Will we get to that point? Will we have to take up makeshift weapons when our peace placards won't do the job any more?

When does the other shoe drop? Which peace protest will I be at when the teargas flies? Which peace vigil will be the one that I feel a billy club crack my skull, and before I black out feel something warm run down my shoulders?

I have never wanted to go back in time more than I do right now. Ten years... when I had just moved back to Chicago. Fifteen years...when I lived in Indiana. Twenty years... 1987 - a much simpler time, compared to now. I want to go back to then. I wasn't paid well then, I didn't feel well then, but I didn't fear like this then.

When my house was broken into, nothing was stolen. Now I worry - what was left behind? I haven't found bugging devices, but where and how would I look? How many tracking systems are on my computer to note every word I type, every word I say into the mic, every video I watch?

What do the powers that be have in store for us? We, the people; we, the useless eaters; we, the cannon fodder. We mean nothing to them. We are in their way. We are too loud. We make too much trouble. We are inconvenient.

We are the inconvenient truth.

News banger for the week of September 11 2007

2007-09-12T21:54:00.000-05:00

Today's juxtaposition of news. Makes for awfully interesting reading.

1. Prime Minister Abe of Japan announced today he will resign, ending a troubled year-old government that has suffered damaging scandals.

2. Bond prices rose as investors stockpiled secure government issues.

3. Oil prices rose 58 cents to $78.81 a barrel, after closing at a record $78.23 Tuesday. Wheat prices finished just shy of $9 a bushel on Tuesday — an all-time peak — up from about $5 a bushel in May.

4. Mr. Putin yesterday sacked his prime minister, Mikhail Fradkov, and Cabinet, nominating a loyal ally and member of his inner circle, Viktor Zubkov, as the new premier. The choice came as a surprise to Kremlin watchers both inside and outside Russia.

5. The Russian military said it had successfully tested a non-nuclear "thermobaric" weapon comparable in its destructive effects to a nuclear bomb.

6. President General Musharraf of Pakistan came under fire today for the expulsion of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, with newspapers dismissing the government's claim that he returned willingly to exile.

7. OPEC sought to reassure jittery oil markets yesterday by agreeing to boost crude production by 500,000 barrels a day — a move the cartel conceded was prompted partly by "clouds on the horizon" from America's housing slump.

8. Major Earthquake Rocks Indonesia; at Least 5 Dead

9. The Monroe County district attorney says a man on a terrorism watch list was discovered taking photos of the Interstate 80 bridge crossing the Delaware River.

10. Africanized honeybees, a fierce hybrid strain sometimes referred to as "killer bees," appear to have established themselves in the New Orleans area, the state agriculture commissioner said.

11. A left-wing guerrilla group has said it was behind a series of explosions on pipelines in Mexico earlier this week. The People's Revolutionary Army (EPR) called for the release of two of its members, whom it claims were captured by Mexican security forces.

12. Since Steve Fossett did not file a flight plan the search area is immense - more than 600 sq miles (1,554 sq km). Maj Cynthia Ryan, of the Civil Air Patrol, said it could take a week to search the entire area.

Damned busy week.

Where was I on 9/11?

2007-09-12T07:53:00.000-05:00

Toxic FEMA Trailers

2007-08-11T11:12:00.000-05:00

Things are getting ugly. In looking at different news articles, here is what I can glean so far.

The companies had to build them in a hurry. They couldn't get enough of low toxicity materials to build the trailers with in the time they had to deliver, including the adhesives needed to put them together, and the low emission particleboard.

What company or companies built them? Was it a no bid contract? Let's see...

Fourteen companies that supplied FEMA with trailers are named as defendants in the suits. Who can name the companies, so that consumers can know which companies more... were involved?

Forest River Inc. of Elkhart, Ind., was mentioned in one article.

Gulf Stream Coach of Nappanee, Ind., which won two FEMA contracts worth nearly $540 million less than two weeks after Katrina hit in the summer of 2005, did not return calls requesting comment.

Ohio-based Thor Industries, another major supplier of travel trailers to FEMA, would not comment.

Jeff Tryka, spokesman for Elkhart, Ind.-based Coachman Industries, also would not comment.

Starcraft RV Inc., also of Elkhart, Ind., Fleetwood Enterprises of Riverside, Calif., and others named in the suit did not return phone calls.

FEMA bought 13 different kinds of travel trailers for hurricane evacuees.

The Louisiana Recovery Authority, St. Bernard Parish and the Mississippi governor's office are all lobbying FEMA to replace the temporary travel trailers it is using to house displaced storm victims with the "Katrina Cottage," a 400- to 750-square-foot prefabricated home that sleeps four, can be erected in days, and could eventually be expanded into a full-size permanent home.

By the way, at gsaauctions.gov, FEMA travel trailer sales are still temporarily suspended. The agency also has temporarily suspended the sale and deployment of trailers while federal authorities probe allegations that formaldehyde fumes in trailers are responsible for occupants' illnesses.

As of August 10 2007, FEMA last week announced it would stop selling surplus trailers - those vacated by storm victims who found better housing - through the General Services Administration, which serves as the federal government's supplier. But FEMA did not tell the public it has decided to buy back surplus trailers, which were sold at a rate of about 1,200 a week.

False Flags

2007-07-28T14:42:00.000-05:00

False Flag Operations

Impeachment for Treason

2007-07-21T22:54:00.000-05:00

Impeachment is a word heard more these days, I see articles or hear about legislators talking about it.

Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Gonzales - the lot of them need to be impeached.
Harriet Myers has failed to show up for testimony TWICE! If I did that I'd be in jail now.

I want them out - all of them. I want them tried for treason and murder.

Here is my fear.
I fear martial law being used when more angry Americans get angry enough to surround more cars and take to the streets. All the groundwork has been laid for martial law and internment of citizens who disagree with our government. It is not out of character for this administration to see impeachment proceedings as a 'national emergency' and declare martial law.

Then the few troops we have here will have to make a horribly tough call.

While I want impeachment, I fear what the madmen will do.

I never wished to be a coward, but I have deep abiding fear of these people and their power. As citizen, I should not fear these people this much, but they have put in place all that is needed to enforce martial law in this country.

Are these fears unreasonable?
Are these visions just overactive imagination?
Could we lose everything before we are forced to reclaim it?

And I wonder why I have trouble sleeping.

I shouldn't blog on Thursdays...

2007-07-19T19:48:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's right. I shouldn't blog on Thursdays. I am too tired by Thursdays. I'm running on fumes by Wednesday anyway, and until Saturday it's like living dead time. Zombie time.

However, this week, in honor of Nelson Mandela's birthday, the first gathering of The Elders took place in South Africa. These are former heads of state, and others, who will actually try to solve the problems of the world, with their combined experience, and free agency.

http://www.theelders.org/

A glimmer of hope in a tired world.

Peter Gabriel took time from his tour to celebrate with Madiba. You can see video of the historic event here:
http://www.theelders.org/video.aspx

I don't know about you, but I just might listen to these people when they speak. Maybe we all should.

2007-07-07T18:58:00.000-05:00

Technorati?
Technorati Profile

Why would I do this? Because I have to start writing again... on a regular basis!

As far as other issues now, last week we had a national tragedy righted. Scooter Libby's sentence was commuted. It's like nothing really happened - right?

Right?

Or did the president take the law into his own hands again and make us all out to be fools?

O for Chrissake

2007-06-22T21:56:00.000-05:00

Blogging -Vlogging - Holy moly!

You're right, I cannot possibly keep up with keeping a blog up. My last entry was over 7 MONTHS ago. Ridiculous.

Except that in the meanwhile, I have been Vlogging; creating and posting video after video of my physical/mental/emotional effluvia.

And, that's what it's for - to express.

Unfortunately, all I can express right now is frustration that I can't keep up a blog. Well then, that's got to be enough!!

Thanksgiving

2006-11-24T16:36:00.000-06:00

I am thankful.

I have family that likes me. I have friends. I have a job. I have a house. I have food. I have all five senses intact, and I can walk, laugh, read, and enjoy the brilliance of a holiday Thursday with sunshine.

My blessings are a thousandfold.

Many many people can't say any of those things, and yet, some of them manage to be thankful. For life itself. For that is a gift.

As with any gift, it matters what you do with it.

What have you done with your gift today?

Children

2006-11-16T22:31:00.000-06:00

Today a mother was accused of killing her four children in Elkhart, Indiana. There was apparently some custody battles going on, but these four kids, ages 8, 6, 4, and 2, didn't deserve to be asphyxiated by their own mother.

Whenever I see a story like this, it hurts me very deeply - for I never had any children. Not for lack of trying, mind you - but by the time I was divorced, I was childless, and would remain so.

I wanted one or two kids. I wasn't one of those people that wanted lots and lots, but one or two to guide through life woul d have been amazing. With the divorce, though, it was probably a blessing not to have kids.

But each time I hear about a person who was blessed in a way that I wasn't, I used to have this 'discussion' with God. "OK, you gave her 4 kids. You gave me none. What up with that?" The answer in my heart is that it was for the best for some reason I will never know on this earth.

It's possible I would have been a terrible mom, I don't and won't ever know. I suppose I could have been artificially inseminated, but for me, I wanted to raise a kid with a spouse, not alone. Many folks do that successfully - I didn't count myself in that category.

But, I highly doubt I would have killed my kids. It takes some really bad stuff in life for that to happen. Someday the full 'discussion' will occur, maybe. I might find out the big answer to my life's question then.

Until then, I guess we can only pray for those kids, those parents, and all of us - because I believe we all suffer when others are hurt. Maybe someday, we will find ways to have parents get help before this happens. Or, possibly, parents will treat each other with enough respect to not even entertain these thoughts. Or people will get health care in time to avoid problems caused by some forms of mental illness including depression, psychosis, post-partum or otherwise.

It's just that today, someday seems a long way off.

Vote - or lose everything.

2006-11-02T09:38:00.000-06:00

First of all, if anyone is reading this, I am sorry I have neglected the blog. It's been an odd year.

Today's message is simple.

Vote. If you are of voting age, please Vote. It may be the only thing we have left soon that resembles the United States of America.

Vote for candidates that listen to you. That might even represent you, the individual citizen, when they vote in their meetings, houses and senates.

Remember, if you vote, you have the right to complain. No vote, not a peep, understand? You may argue that voting doesn't matter. I say this - NOT voting DOES matter. This is a dead serious crucial election.

If you want to keep any of the rights that this adminstration has tried to strip from you, VOTE.

Dumb as a Fox

2006-03-09T23:01:00.000-06:00

Completely emotional response, but our current president scares the crap out of me. What is even worse is that he allows a perception of incompetence to carry him through the Presidency of the United States. For a second term.

He has allowed cronies to lead us into a morass of war and social destitution from which it will take a damn long time to recover.

This week a teacher was suspended for speaking about the President in a non-flattering light. He proposed for discussion that the most recent State of the Union speech had similarities in tone to some things said by Adolf Hitler. One of the students was offended, but even this student's parents didn't want the teacher disciplined quite like this.

What if the teacher's point is well taken? What if I am right? Where does that leave us with two more years of Bush presidency? More Valerie Plames; more Chief Justices; more war; more corruption investigations; more government agencies unwilling or unable to do their jobs in times of emergency.

How many more military, economic and natural disasters would it take before the American people had enough of this nonsense?

When will there be enough hungry, tired and poor to riot in the streets? How long until we call for an investigation of what GW knew about 9/11 and when? What if he is culpable? What if he engineered it to cement his second term momentum? What if he, and his father, have had this agenda in process all this time since Desert Storm, and are playing it out per their own playbook for friends in the Oil industry?

The discomfort level is so high any more, when you cannot believe anyone (we knew that), but also that the apparent incompetent act is just that, an act, to make him seem less guity and responsible for what happens?

You can love your country and not like your government. That is how I feel. But every time I hear more about inner workings about our government, I get a sick feeling that we are reeling toward even more death, more destruction, and of course, the obligatory lying to the American people.

Man, if I only had some answers, i don't know if I would feel better - but without them I am lost.

The War Against The Poor

2006-01-05T00:36:00.000-06:00

It is a war fought without firing one shot. No tanks, no mortar fire are required. No need for intercontinental ballistic missiles or helmets. It is all done economically.

The most important weapon in the war is money. Who has it. Who wants more of it. Who can get it, and who can't. This war is World War III. We all thought growing up that WWIII would be nuclear. No, this is just as devastating. It's totally monetary.

What put the bee up my bonnet this time? Two things - one was a blurb I caught a couple weeks ago about young Chinese men holed up in sweat shops playing online games for rich people and getting paid $250 per month for the privilege - every day, 12 hours a day. The other part was watching "The High Price of Low Prices", an interesting film on the WalMart company's practices here and overseas. Again, young Chinese workers working 7 days a week making stuff to export to the US and get sold to Americans for Low Prices. The film explores how the WalMart company can wreck a town, a person, a family, has no regard for its associates or its customers, or the factory workers that build the stuff we are supposed to buy. It shows workers in China, Bangladesh, and South America all under really bad conditions and not paid well at all.

You can find out about the video game sweatshops from the New York Times online - it was published December 9, 2005 article titled "Ogre to Slay? Outsource it to Chinese" by David Barboza. (Google search young chinese workers games new york times).

The WalMart movie info can be found here.

Companies in general are not known for having hearts. Only people have those. And I am sure that the US is not alone in hurting workers - (of course, WalMart has ASDA stores in England, same story, different country).

I can't help wondering though, how long you can push people down before they PUSH BACK? And who will get caught in the crossfire when that happens. How wise could it be to tick off many young Chinese people? MANY Chinese people. Why do they work in these conditions? Is there truly no choice, no option? How long can that go on before THEY push back?

There were times in history that were not healthy for the rich - and those times were when the poor pushed back. I wonder how close we are to that......?

I kinda feel guilty to be in my 50's

2005-11-30T21:22:00.000-06:00

Where I work by day, there are two young people who are very, very ill. One has autoimmune kidney failure. One had surgery for a brain tumor today.

These are YOUNG people under 30. They are fighting for their very lives.

I also know someone who fought for their life in their early 30s. The strength she gained, once recovered, supports her to today, where she is now healthy again.

All I can do for them is pray, really. Send good vibes. Wish for them recovery and who knows - maybe they can be healthy too. It might take a while - but I hope, I pray, they are healthy again as soon as they can be.

Looking at their struggle, its hard to be over fifty and have some problems, but nothing like this. NOTHING like this.

It gives me pause, in these shorter days, with less light from the sun to keep me balanced. We're going to try to do some things for these two young men, hopefully help them in some small way. So, if I concentrate on the giving, and less on the receiving, this holiday season just might be worth the paper it's printed on.

What's happening to America?

2005-09-13T21:37:00.000-05:00

Someone on another board asked that question - it hit me right between the eyes.

It is really odd living in America right now. So many stories flying about, conspiracy theories, somewhere between this and that is the truth, and we won't even know when it slaps us across the face.

We'll just be dumbfounded.

Like we are right now. Like we have been.

Those of us that didn't vote for the current adminstration are just hoping (I guess I am hoping we survive the rest of GWB's term...).

But what then? another election left to vote for the lesser of two weevils? It usually is. It was last time.

What's happening to America? A lot of fear, a lot of shaking of heads. Just hoping more excuses for martial law don't crop up. And also hoping that in the meanwhile, those who would destroy us (before we do it ourselves) don't hit. And hoping that the current hurricane Ophelia is not severe. Nor the next earthquake. Nor the next crop of tornadoes. Blizzard. Heatwave.

We already have drought in the north. Flooding in the south.

And all through it an inexorable feeling that everything is spinning out of control.

Sorry.... not too confident tonight.

After the Aftermath

2005-09-09T21:24:00.000-05:00

We have a country in crisis. People are displaced, dead or defiant. Other people are trying to figure out how best to help. Other people are spending a lot of time spinning the media to wind their way.

The real estate records for the city of New Orleans are wet in a basement.

Whole towns and cities in Mississippi are just ... gone.

The gulf coast is a shambles beyond comprehension.

And yet, the glib and the powerful are spinning... and spinning.

Thousands of people were herded to the Superdome, where there were no great stores of water and food awaiting them.

It reminded me of the civil defense shelters of my youth. They always had these barrels of emergency water, emergency food, and supplies. You knew where they were by the CD sign. In those days we feared a nuclear attack. This disaster called Katrina affected an area the size a nuclear bomb would affect. But where were the emergency supplies?

If GWB declared a state of emergency, FEMA had the go ahead to mobilize on Sunday. Where were they? What did they wait for? Volunteers were halted for clearance. Turned back, told to wait. For what? They didn't get the request for help? They got the request for help the second GWB declared the state of emergency!

FEMA as gatekeeper is a failure. Ordinary citizens stared at their television sets agape, horrified, donating money, donating miles, wondering how more they could help. People flew their planes, helicopters, drove miles and miles to help. But FEMA needed confirmation there was a problem? Was anyone from FEMA on the ground in the center of things to make an assessment? It sure doesn't sound like it.

Now, I look at this and wonder - what about hurricane Ophelia? The next earthquake in California? The next volcano eruption in the northwest? Will we finally be ready to respond then? And with what resources? Over 50 billion for this horrific disaster alone. And, where is that money coming from? What part of the budget has that slush fund?

I think the time of being horrified has just begun.

What do I want to see?

I want to see the president impeached. The buck stops right there.

I want to see our foreign issues closed so we have resources here at home for such catastrophes.

I want FEMA taken out from the Homeland Security department and put back the way it was. Revamped. Reorganized. Reinstituted as an actual functional organization that has a little respect for the local authorities.

As one more voice in the wilderness, that is what I want.

Aftermath

2005-09-03T11:03:00.000-05:00

I am speechless, so I will just post links.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050903/ap_on_re_us/hurricane_katrina
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050903/ap_on_re_us/katrina_echoes_of_iraq
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050903/ap_on_re_us/katrina_and_race_hk4
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050903/ts_nm/weather_katrina_wrap_dc

Meanwhile, fiddling while Rome burns:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050901/ts_nm/weather_bush_dc

Food Fight

2005-08-21T14:35:00.000-05:00

Often anymore, when I go into any food service facility, I peer at the menu with a jaundiced eye. The phrase that rolls around in my head is 'the restaurants are trying to kill us!!'

So last Thursday I went out to dinner with some friends. True, I am more conscious about this now that I am on a doctor supervised eating plan. But still, I examined the menu finding this platter, that meal deal, this special. What I ended up eating was a stuffed taco, with steak and chihuahua cheese. It was VERY good. I was quite satisfied. Also had a diet cola with it. The others I ate with all had platters and meal deals.

Here is the thing. No one at that table is thin. Some are in better shape than me, but no one is thin.

So, I had my one taco, ate it as slowly as I could, and still was done quite before everyone else. i did have some chips and salsa, but it was quite evident, I was done. And it felt very, very weird. I didn't have the rice, beans, etc., mostly because they had ordered an appetizer platter and I had a couple small taquitos off of that before my stuffed taco.

I surprised myself by not having Flan, which is God's gift to egg custard. But, it was odd - I had enough.

Rare, for me. I find that thankfully, that is happening more and more. Of course yesterday at a City picnic, I ate TOTALLY WRONG. Today I am not much better. But, less sugar today may help the situation.

The restaurants where with every entree you get soup, and/or salad, a basket of bread, an entree the size of Montana, with sides of potato or other veggies, and a dessert is what is standard in a lot of restaurants. Salads are HUGE. NO ONE needs that much salad.

The soup and salad alone from the above dinner would be enough for anyone. It really would. But we are so used to seeing it on menus we accept it as the normal thing to do. Then when you break out of that mold, and try to make their menu fit into a plan, it can work, but it feels odd, it looks odd, and doesn't seem to compute. Unless you really keep a handle on it.

Whether it is appropriate or not to make this VERY personal, maybe I should post this here...

When you have this much weight to lose, any accountability can help. And I can't say I have been totally faithful, either. Some sugar free things are totally too much fat - and vice versa. Sugar and fat free things are rare, but they're out there. So, that's what I am bringing into the house. I figure, it HAS to make a difference from what I was bringing in before.

Also have been trying to eat more veggies, that's where my plan really falls down. But I surprised myself last week by constructing a very tasty veggie bowl for myself, (am NOT saying the SAL__ word - it's such a turnoff I can't even think about it). So, I will have to do that again, since it was soo good.

The other thing I have to start buying is low fat cheese. This is going to be a difficult thing. Being the cheese hound that I am, I LOVE CHEESE. Good for my calcium requirements. Not so good for the OTHER requirements!

Of course. restaurants do not serve low fat cheese, sugar free ice cream bars - so again, this is what I have to put in my home larder so I don't do as MUCH damage. This is war, and I need all the arsenal I can get.

When I get unsure of my servings, I try to look at my hand. It is the best portable reference anyone has. If a serving of meat, or nuts, wouild fit in or is the size of the palm of my hand, then that is the right size. It makes a kind of universal sense. Our hands, designed to measure out our food. What a concept. Maybe it's just a mental trick I play with myself, but I use so many of those anyway, one more won't matter.

Good luck, everyone, and wish me luck too!

Medical Studies - Missing the Point Again.

2005-08-16T21:29:00.000-05:00