Watch the 47th Grammy's and look for DVR's Wife and Producer, Andrea Vuocolo Vanronk, and our beloved Christine Lavin [who helped edit it] February 13, 2005 8PM on CBS.
William Valdez is our Son-in-Law Extrodinaire. You can support our troops via this site, and support William, personally, if you wish. His TFT ID is 1862195 Thank you!
On a more stress free vein, I'd like to introduce you to a brilliantly joyful and informative addition to the bandwidth, called "Breathe In Radio".
This is the brainchild of both Beverly Graham and Julie Keegan, healers and women extrodinaire, who live right here on Whidbey Island! I just love it on so many levels.
On one hand it's a "chick thing" with the ladies just chatting and free-associating as they word-dance around the topics of the day. These ladies are so natural on camera, that they draw a person into their universe, so that we are not mere "flies on the wall", but part of the "coffee clatch". They webcast live from Rockhoppers [the very place that TestingTesting in it's first incarnation used to webcast from when it was the "cybercafe" & bookstore] on the south end in Clinton.
As of this post, there have only been 13 streams (including #0 their test show) since it's origination, yet there is already a wide spectrum of topics and guests. The talks are interspersed with songs from Beverly Graham's repitoire which punctuate the show serendipitously more often than not. Ah synchronicity and woo-woo collide.
The show's main focus is helping to educate people about the holistic approach to life and healing. Whether it's tuning in to the change in seasons, or the alignment of the stars, there is sustenance for the soul on how to get the most out of one's life. It is evident by watching Julie, Beverly, and regular guests, Chef Patti and Gretchen Lawlor, that these ladies practice what they preach.
There is an unrestrained joy in these shows as well as a plethora of information to live by -- and if not live by, to consider.
I'm one of the lucky people here on the Island who has been a recipient of treatments, not only Julie's via Oriental Healing Arts and Beverly's Vibrational Mending [see the photo on that home page? I took it a long long time ago in the days of TestingTesting...] but other alternative modalities which have helped me personally. It's all incredible goodness which you've been reading about off and on here if you've visited my site before and have followed my quest for health.
Check out the show live on Fridays at 6:00PM Pacific time, or visit the archived show site. I'm still playing catch up myself and loving every minute of it! Enjoy!!!
Boy I've been noisy lately, eh? Well yet another post about the "bailout". Here is a copy of the personalized letter I sent with my initial suggestion as to how to approach helping "main street" v. "wall street" as the priority, but ultimately both benefitting -- i.e. not the ol' "trickle down" world:
"The people of this country have spoken. The bailout legislation has been defeated. I have searched various sites, but have yet to see the results regarding how you represented me.
Back-room arm-twisting is an unacceptable hijacking of democracy. I will not accept any vote change in favor of the bailout.
If you are open to suggestions, I request you consider mine, and maybe offer some or all of my thoughts as an alternative option.
We want to protect the people on "Main Street", people who really drive the economy. Therefore let's start a "bailout" for the individual home-owners, or property owners who have purchased homes or transportation or have ended up over-extended based on unreasonable incentives.
Create a system, an emergency, pared down system, which will expedite personal supplement.
When a person goes on unemployment, it is with the knowledge that they will pay back, when solvent, the loan. It is not a blank check given for an unlimited time to the individual.
Specific criteria must be met to qualify for relief, and it is strictly a temporary measure to allow individuals to weather the hardship they currently find themselves in.
I'd like to propose a similar system where a person must qualify for RELIEF. It will be given with the fore-knowledge that they will not get a "free ride", and any extensions, as each case is unique, and sometimes the initial recovery loan period may not be sufficient, will have to be reviewed.
To ensure "Oversight", there is no blanket relief system simply because someone received a loan during an incentive period.
For example, many people engage in "flipping" houses. If that is their story, they were aware of an element of gambling involved in their quest for a quick profit. These individuals, who still have their own home(s), would not necessarily be qualified to receive this relief /loan. There are extenuating circumstances in all things, so they can request a review of their initial application.
While a person's application is being processed, foreclosures or forfeits will be temporarily suspended. To avoid individuals taking undue advantage there needs to be a reasonable time limit in place while they apply for the "Main Street Relief Package".
I'd hope it would go without saying, that the paperwork and approval process that is required for receive aid and relief will be streamlined so that it can be reviewed in a timely manner so that people and lenders would be allowed to return to "business as usual" [well, preferably better than usual, but that is a different set of issues needing to be addressed].
I trust that if panic is gone from the equation, all people will benefit and heal, discouraging impulse shouts of "Sell, sell, sell!". This way I hope our 401k and retirement plans, money-markets, stocks, and all things fiscal and "Wall Street" related will resolve itself, as the people gain purchase again in their lives.
Thank you for your patience regarding my thoughts, but, most importantly, I need you, as my representative, to Vote No regarding the Bailout Legislation under any new moniker or incarnation that serves "Wall" Street, v. "Main" Street." ##
I'd like to offer you another new site for a petition, this one is slightly different in scope, as it offers ideas on how to proceed for "Main" street - check it out:
We need our government to actively work for US in fixing this financial mess. I urge you to start over and pass a New Deal for Main Street.
That means:
• Putting real regulations back on runaway financial corporations, and taking an ownership stake in exchange for any taxpayer support • Providing mortgage relief so ordinary Americans stop losing their homes • Putting millions to work by investing in new green jobs and infrastructure • Investing in a health care plan to cover everyone
I received a reply from Rick Larsen which, I know is not personal in any way, at least is a reply and an attempt at explaining his vote -- I will share it with you all:
Today I made the difficult decision to vote for the financial rescue package. I would like to take this opportunity to explain my decision to you.
Over the past five days, I have heard from many of you concerned with the financial rescue package. I have read the messages you left with my staff. I have talked with constituents visiting my DC office. I have read your emails. I have spoken with local banks and small business owners, students, and families.
Many of you have said you were worried about the huge cost of this bill. Others thought we should not act to help the Wall Street investment firms whose irresponsible choices led us to this terrible situation. Some of you were concerned that this bill helped Wall Street but did nothing to help families struggling with foreclosure and the economic downturn.
I have heard your concerns and have worked to address them.
Our nation faces an economic crisis that has the potential to impact every family in the country. The Bush Administration responded to the crisis by requesting a $700 billion blank check with no oversight, no protections for taxpayers, no returns on taxpayer investment, and no help for homeowners.
Congress said no way, no how, no blank check. Instead, Democrats and Republicans in Congress worked together to make improvements to the Administration's plan. We included the oversight, accountability and stake in our investment that American taxpayers need and deserve.
That is why I voted for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (HR 3997). Although I voted in favor of the bill, it failed by a vote of 228-205. This improved financial rescue package would have cut the $700 billion payment in half and conditioned any future payments on Congressional review. It would have banned golden parachutes and exorbitant bonuses for Wall Street executives who participate. It would have provided help for families who have been hit hard by the foreclosure crisis. It would have ensured that taxpayers get a fair return on our investment, benefit from any future profit, and it would have provided strong oversight and prohibited any conflicts of interest.
The economic rescue package I voted for today is not about helping banks or Wall Street. It is about protecting all of us -- American families in Washington State and across the country who need our economy to recover and grow.
Due to the credit crunch we already face, banks in Washington State and around the country have already tightened lending, and families and business are finding it more difficult to get the loans they need in their everyday lives. If you own a small business and need a loan, are planning to buy a home, or if your son or daughter wants to go to college, you could pay the price.
Without an emergency intervention, Americans who play by the rules, Americans who pay their bills on time every month, and Americans with good credit will suffer due to Wall Street's mistakes and the Bush administration's refusal to provide the appropriate regulation our economy needs.
Under the financial rescue package, the federal government would buy bad debt from troubled banks to unclog our financial system, allowing banks to once again provide the capital our economy needs to recover and grow.
In the coming days, it is critical that Members of Congress come to an agreement and pass a financial rescue package as soon as possible. Our economy depends on it. In the coming weeks, Congress must also act to deliver the appropriate regulation and oversight our economy needs for the long-term - regulation and oversight the Bush administration has failed to provide.
Sincerely,
Rick Larsen United States Representative Washington State, 2nd District
PSA: For those of you /us who are looking where to sign, or create, a petition against the 700 billion dollar bailout proposal, here are a few places to start searching;
This site I personalized a letter, which you can as well, and it goes to your local representatives which might be the MOST effective as they are directly elected based on how they represent you on a more local level -- this IS an election year...:
Regarding the above, if you already have written don't hesitate to write again, I plan to, as there is a new vote coming up this week - as of now, slated for Thursday, but don't hold me to it, we know things are changing at unpredictable time-tables.
As always, feel free to "google" or your search engine of choice "petition against $700,000,000,000 bailout" or any key words you wish. If you are for it, you can modify the key words too.
It's amazing how bi-partisan it has become for the PEOPLE on "main street" - in this regard it is quite lovely to behold.
Watching Bailout ote as I write and as of now, despite their saying "it's over" I see that it's 226 NAY and 207 YAY -- so far atta constituents...tos and fingers crossed....Holy Moly -- dare to dream? 141 dems yay 94 nay 66 reps yay 132 nay
Being told that they can hold it open intefinitely trying to convince people to change to pass it. 218 yay is the "magic number". Stay strong people. Cell Phones are not supposed to be on the floor...but they have...sign your petitions now -- call, phone, write email to your constituency ASAP if you don't want them to "bailout".
Gordy said that dow is down 600 pts. to 749 and STABILIZING, not even top 10% loss to impact money market or 401k!!! CNN is doing a good job.
But are they still crying wolf about "main street" v. "wall street" or not?
Off to MD appt -- I'll keep you posted! Power to the people? Dare to dream? Peace! ##
PS Gavel went down as question was asked....curiouser and curiouser...no wonder politics is coo-coo AP says bill rejected. So they now have to start all over with ammendments if they wanat to. I never thought I'd say thank you republicans...I can't find the votes by my state yet...I hope they listened to us? Can Democracy be working for us? Kewl beanz. Happy New Year!
It looks like the bailout isabout to pass, and it really angers me - no one listened to the voters. I am not sure how you feel, but I immediately had to see just how my representatives voted, so I finally hunted down 2 ways to find this out.
One is via a .gov site [which gave me an error message that it is overloaded w/inquiries right now] and it's link is here:
The other one is a Washington Post driven database which can be found here -- it's pretty slick and the data goes back to 1991, but there is no free lunch at the Washington Post, as one has to suffer the ads. I'd be remiss if I didn't say that it is pretty exciting to key it in by state and see just what one's reps are doing and how often they do vote at all. Many neat configurations available.
Speaking of family, I was wracking my wee brain trying to name all of the 13 Gillman's, of which my father was the youngest sibling of. I only got as far as 11.
Libby to the rescue - well just about!
We think this is right in order of appearance, but there are 2 unnamed that we think must have been born stillborn, but here it is for all posterity?!? Jacob and Rebecca begat... :
Flora [eldest, and 30 years Dad's senior 1887] Lillian Sam [Libby's Dad who also had a landmark birthday when he turned 100] Irene Fanny Dotty Evy Molly Sonny [Lou] Alfrea Ray [my dad -- 1917]
Calling all Gillpeople and Goldpeople [Rebecca's maiden name Goldman] any extra insight and information? Step on up please ! ##
On a joyful note, I believe that my younger nephew, Andrew, got married some time this past week, to Lizzie, in Hawaii! I phoned Joan and she had told me about a phone call from Mary and Jim last week stating that they were heading to HI for the ceremony - just immediate family and one of the grandmothers.
Knowing Andrew, I am sure it was a grande time had by all!
Congratulations dearling AJG and welcome to the family as the newest Gillmangirl, Mz Lizzie Gee! If you read this maybe you'll stop in WA on your way home [hint hint]? LOL I'm thinking of you and love you dearly! xo+ ## PS send photos!
Isn't there any one else who was as upset as I was during last night's debate at how Obama did not talk about getting the troops out NOW, and /or how to shore up the military so that our troops do not have to go back into harms way over and over again without enough time off home to connect with their families, and decompress, and do the mundane work around their homes to center themselves so that they aren't so fatiqued and /or stressed that their reaction time and perspective may not be as sharp as it should be?
15 months in Iraq, 8-12 months home, 15 months in Iraq, 8-12 months home, 15 months in Afghanistan...this is unacceptable, inhumane and torture.
Barack won the primary largely to the fact that he NEVER voted for the "war" in IRAQ; tha first blank check, and his saying he'd get the troops home ASAP! I don't hear that man talking anymore, especially at the debate last night.
Isn't anyone else upset and wondering about this change of plan or idealism?
Another thing that makes no sense to me, is no one is listening to their constituents about no BAILOUT! If you must give money, give it to the people to help defray the costs of their Mortgages [EXCEPT for the one's who obviously were gambling and /or "flipping" the house -- they knew that going in that there were risks] for a time so that they can get their feet back on the ground...or maybe a slice of the money to shore up the tons of 401ks that may suffer substantially because of the mess..the money that "average people" [their term, not mine] worked hard to sock it away for their retirement?
Why are these people who are supposed to represent US not doing that in such a flagrant blatant way?
I'M SHOUTING HERE YOU GUYS -- I'VE WRITTEN Y'ALL (personally), SIGNED PETITIONS, and seen the numbers of others who have signed the same petitions, AND YOU ARE NOT DOING AS WE HAVE ASKED!
While I'm doing some reality posts, here's one about my latest Mom visit on Wednesday, and information as of 6:00PM tonight.
Mom looked absolutely great. Gordy and I arrived later than usual, and Mom appeared to be dozing or zoning out in the hallway where we look in as we buzz the door. I walked right to her, and one of the other residents warned me not to disturb or wake her else she'll shout -- brave daughter, I didn't heed, and at my kiss and hello Mom, she immediately looked clearly at me and smiled and kissed me right back! Her friend said that she wants to take Mom home, and she told me other stories about how Mom takes her husbands hand when he visits. We smiled etc. and then tried to get Mom to our private room.
No amount of cajoling, bribing, encouragement got her there until one gent came over and offered to help her, and she joined hands and came into our room. I later found out it was the husband of the resident I had been speaking to! How lovely!
Mom used to make egg salad using a foley mill. Recently I mentioned that to Gordy, so he surprised me with buying one, and so we made egg salad for her, on a piece of Gordy Bread (with no crust - soft is good).
It turned out to be a warm time together, and I left feeling separation anxiety (per usual) and some guilt, but glad she looked and seemed so great!
Yesterday around 9:00 PM, I got a phone call from her Psychiatrist, Chuck, who told me that Mom had an episode during the evening after I left where she fainted and scraped her knee, but recovered ok. There were concerns about the possibility of her medicine contributing to it, so after about 1/2 hour of our chatting, we made an appointment for this evening, 5:30PM to talk about it. This is just one of the prime examples of the care and dedication WSH has consistently shown to Mom's well-being, and respecting her and her family...wow!
Well, this AM I received a phone call from the physician on call, Dr Kaur, who told me that Mom had "fainted" again, but it took about 2 minutes to revive her. The consensus seems to be that we are all going to get a neurologist on board, but each step of the way they have to consult with me as I don't want to have Mom take any invasive tests. TBD.
After our chat, I phoned Annette, the ward administrator to get the skinny and the pulse on how Mom was and if I should be there with her now. Annette assured me that she is "back to her own sweet self" and in her opinion (after I pressed and pressed and asked in many different ways) she felt right now all is fine, no need to come today, but they will keep me posted. I then heard some more details. She was screaming in her sleep, "MommyMommyMommy!" and scratched her face with her fingernails as she cried. They went to her and noted she had wet herself, so they went to get her up to change her, when she lurched forward, was white, and then stiffened as in a seizure and they gave her some oxygen and she regained consciousness and appeared "normal" again. But this is 2 days in a row now.
I'm worried - but basically helpless as this is so way beyond my scope of knowledge or personal history. Dr Kaur and I went over the DNR POLST and it is quite rigid and scary. Oh crap I hate this so much.
Chuck did phone right on the dot, and we talked for a while, and he is very caring and thinks about things very clearly and well, but he's not ever "carved in stone". He listens too, imagine that!?! So, we have determined the next few steps, and let's hope it helps the situation, and possibly stops these syncope episodes - send protective healing prayers and light Mom's way if you are so inclined.
I love her so much, I hope she knows it inside her core being and doesn't feel alone and afraid - maybe these episodes don't stay in her memory long enough to get to her, although she did mention, as I write I recall, about her feeling afraid all of a sudden. Shit - I have to remember to tell them about this, it may be of import, maybe not. I do love her so dearly. ##
BTW, did I happen to mention that the bank that owns my house just had it's doors closed, the same day I got a phone call about opening an 8 month CD at 4.5% and JP Morgan Chase has purchased it. Here's a link to the local area news video if you are interested. ##
OK ok, call me chicken, but I'm going for the easy post tonight apres the debates...here's from David Letterman in case you haven't seen this yet when McCain canceled to go back to WA -- watch for yourself:
Another show follow up:
and while I'm posting... here's a bit of Jon Stewart from last night...:
PS I've yet to find the full interview of Katie Couric and Sarah Palin - only bits and pieces, curiouser and curiouser. ##
This article from the Well of the NYT is just so profoundly "current" and true for me and many others I know, I just have to post it all here v. snippets and a link -- here's the link, and here's the article:
What Would Hippocrates Do? By Tara Parker-Pope September 23, 2008, 12:33 pm
Lately, I’ve been reading a fascinating new book, “Hippocrates’ Shadow: Secrets From the House of Medicine” (Simon & Schuster, 2008), which explores the entrenched subculture of doctors and medical practice. The author, Dr. David H. Newman, is an emergency medicine physician at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York who was also deployed in Iraq in 2005. The book focuses on the missteps of modern medicine, but it begins with a fascinating look back at where it all began. Here is an excerpt.
In deciding upon a final diagnosis and treatment, Hippocrates recorded and considered dietary habits, the season, the local prevailing winds, the water supply at the patient’s residence, and the direction the home faced. He absorbed everything, examining exhaustively and documenting meticulously.
Modern-day physicians often cringe or shake their heads when they hear descriptions of Hippocrates’ diagnostic methods; laypeople, however, have quite a different response — they wonder aloud at how nice it might be to have Hippocrates as their doctor.
Somewhere in our twenty-four-hundred-year journey from the island of Cos in ancient Greece to the modern centers of the technologically and scientifically advanced medicine that we now practice, the interests and the goals of patients and doctors have gone their separate ways. Most likely it was at first a subtle divergence, and the chosen road was undoubtedly paved with noble intentions. But no matter how it started, we physicians have steadily moved in a different direction than our patients, and now we are light-years apart.
In his teachings to neophyte practitioners and students, Hippocrates cautioned physicians to “make no pretense to infallibility.” As one might expect of a physician practicing in an age before the accurate elucidation of human function and disease, he was acutely aware of his lack of knowledge. Given this lack, his success as a physician and a physician-educator is mystifying. Despite subscribing to the “humors” theory of human health, despite knowing neither the location nor the function of the human heart, and despite being unaware of staple concepts like oxygen or the passage of blood through arteries and veins, Hippocrates was heralded as a man of medical science whom his patients and students loved, and whom the Western world lionized. How can someone with little to no true scientific knowledge still be seen as the great master of medical science?
There’s a linguistic clue that may help to explain how a prescientific Hippocrates flourished in, and eventually led, the field of medicine. Those who’ve attempted to translate the Hippocratic writings for modern readers have often noted an idiosyncrasy in the language: the ancient Greeks made no distinction between “art” and “science.” In Hippocrates, translator W. H. S. Jones notes in an introductory passage, “The word ‘te‰cnh’ can mean either ‘art’ or ’science,’ though it inclines more towards the former.” Discussing the evolution of ancient Greek language, he continues, “We have to wait until Aristotle . . . before there is a word approximately equivalent to our ’science’ without any additional notion of ‘art.’ ”
Hippocrates and his contemporaries believed the worlds of poetry, music, and medicine to be fundamentally intertwined. For ancient Greeks the scientist was philosopher and vice versa, as they envisioned their disciplines in a vastly different way than we envision our scientific models of thought and knowledge today.
Hippocrates did not see the field of medicine as a storage bin of ultimately knowable facts and figures, and therefore he neither pretended nor aspired to be all-knowing. Instead, he knew his patients.
That doctors often don’t have the answers they and their patients seek is a medical secret, the symptom of a quiet and pervasive deception. Physicians are frequently portrayed in popular media as all-knowing, and are often looked to for answers or expertise far beyond the reaches of our limited science and our narrow training. And yet a physician friend once told me that he learned during medical school that there are two things a doctor never says: “I don’t know” and “I was wrong.” That is a decidedly un-Hippocratic lesson.
Physicians are only, after all, consultants to the health of others. What we offer is our consultation and our limited expertise, in the hope that we can collaborate, that we can build a partnership. I tell friends that when a doctor says, “I don’t know,” it is rarely a sign of weakness or ignorance. More often it’s a sign of a physician who knows and appreciates the limits of our science and is willing to be a partner. It’s an olive branch of commiseration about what is not, and a hopeful readiness for what is.
Sign up and take advantage of thisrare opportunity from Michael Moore today!
"Slacker Uprising" chronicles the 62-city tour I did leading up to the 2004 election. It is electrifying to see the tens of thousands of young people who were ready then for the uprising -- and who, this year, are actually making it happen. This is my concert film tribute to the young voters who are going to save this country from four more years of Republican rule.
There are a number of ways, beginning at midnight tonight, that you can download or stream "Slacker Uprising" thanks to our distributor, Brave New Films:
1) Blip.tv will provide standard resolution streaming, free of commercials and advertising. 2) Amazon Video on Demand will provide a high quality version of the above stream. 3) iTunes will make it easy for you to download "Slacker Uprising" on your iTunes, iPod, or Apple TV, and view it there or transmit it to your television. This way, the film can be portable as well as for home viewing. 4) Hypernia is providing bandwidth, servers and management to host "Slacker Uprising" online, so you can download the film and view it at any time or burn it onto a DVD.
I am fortunate to have all these great people bringing you my movie for free. There will be no ads and they have all agreed to supply their services free of charge. All of them wanted to be part of this historic moment when the first major feature-length movie is being released for free on the internet. [snip]
On Tuesday, September 23rd, you will be able to stream, download, or burn a DVD of "Slacker Uprising," free of charge. The distribution is being organized by Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films (they're the great people behind "OUTFOXED: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism" and "WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price").
To sign up for the download of "Slacker Uprising," http://slackeruprising.com click here. You have my blanket permission to share the movie with your friends, to set up screenings in your communities or theaters, to show it on your campuses -- all at no charge. I encourage you to rally voters with it, to raise funds for your favorite candidates, to air it on your local cable access channels or web broadcasts. You can also http://slackeruprising.com/school.php click here to request a free DVD of "Slacker Uprising" for your school or university library.
As I said, this is a movie for you, my fans -- a little 97-minute digital treat that I think you'll really enjoy. I hope you'll check out SlackerUprising.com and download it Tuesday, September 23rd.
Thanks again for coming to my movies all these years. It's meant a lot to me. I feel very privileged and blessed, and I am honored to be in this "virtual" community with you as we try to reclaim our beloved country.
It doesn't matter which party or candidate you are affiliated with...I'd like to encourage everyone watch this upcoming debate, and, from my POV, it sounds like a good idea to have a "debate watch party", with people that are bi-partisan, undecided, or affiliated with other parties, to gather together in one place, to discuss and analyze what y'all hear amongst (y)ourselves, rather than listen to "punditspeak" [grimace] ...here's the first message I rec'd on the upcoming debate, so I am posting it here, but I implore you to please not be turned off the idea because Michelle is suggesting it if you don't support Barack or like her; this goes further than personal feelings, i.e. if SPalin was the face on this video, it's still a valid idea so.... thank you for giving the idea a chance, and tuning in - don't forget *this upcoming Friday, September 26th is the first debate:
I only just found it now myself, so for those of you who are also haven't seen the SNL skit re: Palin /Hillary [BTW, note how the press call her palin, but Hillary was always Hill(ary) - funny that, eh?] here it is:
Katie phoned Gordy today and told us that their dog, Brody died. He was a cutie pie -- a long haired Dachshund. He was definitely a "ladies man", and although he loved Mikey, he knew who his "Mom" was.
I was lucky enough to have spent quality time with him, as I said, he was a "ladies man" so I benefitted from some major holding and loving during the BBQ seen below, and later our "Christmas in July" at their house. Not being a "weiner dawg" aficionado, Brody did win me over - big time! He knew just how to snuggle right into my heart.
Katie Val and Mike - family meeting at BBQ Chez Colby
I received a frighteningly fabulous email from Poppy from back east, written by Eve Ensler c/o The Huffington Post:
Drill, Drill, Drill
The Huffington Post SEPTEMBER 14, 2008
Eve Ensler
"I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.
I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.
But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.
I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.
Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, "It was a task from God."
Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.
She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.
Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.
Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.
Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.
I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.
If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, "Drill Drill Drill." I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.
Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?"
~~~ Well, looks like I'm going to do a bit o' free association -- my apologies in advance for my not reading and re-checking what I am about to write...enter at your own risk....
From the first moment that I heard that a woman was picked for VP, I was reminded at just how brilliant the Reps are at strategy in the political arena. Not really keen on how they run the country, but the elections, boy they wrote, and continually rewrite, the book. It scares me to pieces.
They always manage to find the "pulse" of the people, and get it racing through scare tactics, lies, slander, obfuscation, or any little thing BUT the truth and /or platform. They know what the US is about, separation of church and state, and they know there are huge people who are dying and and /or distressed because of this (still) undeclared war, and lack of health care and /or jobs, but dang - they sure know how to make it not about issues and track records, and get people all riled up with their smart use of slogans, or push the people's fear buttons, or even mentioning words about taxes, which get people hot and bothered, but they don't resolve the problem -- $300 - $600 dollars a year back to people is not going to be equivalent to earning a living at a real job.. and it will create a further deficit to boot. They don't take the mere pittance of additional tax off the rich which would be a good start towards downing the debt.
People still are afraid to vote against the "war" and funds for same, lest they be called unpatriotic, and not supporting our troops, or the dreaded words 9/11 are invoked again -- it's the new "get out of jail free card" in politics.
Drilling for oil to make the price of gas go down? How insane. We need our planet, what ever is left unscathed or re-growing now, so lets get the alternative fuel options in motion already. And if they are lobbying so hard against NOT getting alternative fuel for our automobiles, let's beef up the public transportation.
I don't know why the Dems don't stay on their course, and talk about the issues. To try to use the tactics the Reps do so well is just not their style -- so let's get a different style. How about talking about THE ISSUES and demanding that the debates begin already. What about accountability? What about simply reading the constitution out loud again as a reminder?
This ticket somehow has gained momentum and is a contender again. I just don't know how this keeps happening. Why don't people recall what was happening in the Clinton era. Perfect? No, but way less scandals, and surely, to have turned around the debt to a surplus? And to have a leader who truly loved his country first, and his own needs 2nd -- well, it's been a long time since our leaders believed that way.
And c'mon -- they impeached Clinton for sex with a consulting adult, but nothing yet regarding "W" and his conflicts of interests, or the lying about the WMD, or the way these people hated anyone who was not a "good Christian", and didn't act like one, like the folk who hate homosexuals, but then get caught in the act themselves? What about fixing the election(s) and also keeping non-whites away from the voting booths. Or what about their NOT fixing the way people vote before this election?!? What are the people in charge doing? What about sending and re-sending our troops back into harms way -- and why is it a "moving target"? My William is going back for his 3rd stint in just about as many years!!!
I know I have a poor memory myself, but these are big ticket items that they get caught doing and illegal and hurtful and selfish and even, yes, unconstitutional!!! Love thy neighbor...hmmm, is that why they didn't get to the folks in LA with Katrina? Yes, that was this administration too!!!
Remember their "free pass" to eavesdrop and wiretap anyone? How about somehow believing they got the "green light" to TORTURE people, and place people in jail without letting them know why, or even letting them let any one know they were there? What makes some people think that it's ok to do that? Why don't people realize that "not in my backyard" isn't really going to keep them safe from harm from our own leaders? Once the system is ignored with impunity as it has been, and the voices are not raised, and there are no consequences for these actions, how in the world are we going to stop them from hurting "us" next?
And where are the loud voices of the 5th estate? Remember after 9/11 everyone was too afraid to ask questions lest they seem unpatriotic? Is our Democracy and it's principles still binding? I'm afraid. Very afraid. And now, they so cleverly have a woman on the ticket to appeal to the feminist in alluvus, but she is not a feminist. She is scary. Very scary and is looking to take our hard earned "rights" away from us.
But it isn't just about Palin -- au contraire, it's about McCain! Talk about your flip-flopper -- he is in no way a "Maverick" any more, presuming he ever was... This is a scary ticket, and the Reps are so good at their craft. We need to hear from the Democrats, and have them speak in from their strength, the need to talk about recent history, choices made for us the past 8 years, and not get caught up in their game. No more answering attacks or attacking them. Leave that to the pundits and comedians. C'mon already.
One more quickie post about a huge gestalt, well, maybe not the definitive "aha" moment, but damn close, that I experienced with Marilyn today.
While we were chatting, and me trying to catch her up on a lot of things (she had been gone for a couple weeks to NYC ) I brought up something very important to me, about a specific fear that I did something very wrong despite the best of intentions. Marilyn reitertated that historically I had learned from Mom (with Dad's support) that my raison d'etre was to try to make my Mom's world "right" all my life [a wee message Mom had managed to teach me ]. Ultimately, this lesson she taught me, and because of my "sensitivity to same", I constantly work to "Do No Harm"...ding ding ding - fireworks, lights flashing, jackpot, wacka-wacka etc ad nauseum... -->well, dang, that is precisely *IT*.
I so urgently want to walk through this life without hurting ANYONE ever - never ever effing ever!
That I may hurt people in the future, and even have hurt them in the past, well, it kills and gnaws at me until I can't stand myself. Wow.
Since "do no harm" is also the basis of the oath for medical professionals..., well, it just adds that extra ironic twist and dimension to the words which makes it even more resonant and special for me.
It is so the force that drives so many of my actions, and also is also what hurts me to the quick when I question if that mission was actually accomplished. I truly can't bear thinking that I may actually hurt the delicate souls in my life - even if it was unintentional...bottom line, it's hard to be me - often I want to just crawl out of my own skin, this time not from the physical pain. Curiouser and curiouser. Gestalt in processing progress -- time to mungilate on it some more.
It really was a major whammy for me. After our session, I went to bed to "read" but ended up losing the day to the sleep of the dead -- I was wiped from the revelation, and, truth be known, having Marilyn home again (jiggity jig) allowed me to "let go" and not have such a tight control on my feelings that I had unconsciously done in her absence in hopes of keeping myself together. Phew.
Just a quickie mention of "Salon Spring" here in Freeland. I went for the first time this past week on a whim. I'm so glad I did. Spring is a warm-hearted hoot, so it was fun to chat with her...but that's not why I chose to go. Spring is onto something absolutely way way way long overdue. The products she works with are all ecology friendly, and better still, human-friendly and non-toxic! I was so sure that what she had would not be able to cover my gray..er, pigmet challenged roots, but it did! And there were no odors - grande for the MCS folks like moi, and no pain!
No scalp burning at all!
So it was a pleasant experience. I had the acid test 'cuz the night before I scraped my scalp against the corner of a shelf, nice and open and raw..youch, but the product did not cause pain or exacerbate "le boo boo du scalp". Yeeeha is the technical term.
Yes, it cost more, but as with organic food and other "alternative" and "green" goodies, at first, until we make it known we expect it as the norm on this planet, the mass production of it isn't there, so it costs more to create and that lovely cost is passed on to the vendor to the salon and finally, voila, the end user. But I'm sold for now! If you live off-island, make sure you start up noise and ask your salon to carry these odor-free, good-for-us and our planet, fine working products for our hair. Imagine entering a salon without all the toxic fumes hitting us in the face -- oh joy oh rapture, eh?
Pax ## PS I'm so thrilled by the products and concept, I'm doing a site for Salon Spring gratis, I'll add the link at a later date when it's done--it will have some good links to green products.
We salute the Grammy nomination of the late great
Dave Van Ronk's final concert album: 
” (Simon & Schuster, 2008), which explores the entrenched subculture of doctors and medical practice. The author, Dr. David H. Newman, is an emergency medicine physician at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York who was also deployed in Iraq in 2005. The book focuses on the missteps of modern medicine, but it begins with a fascinating look back at where it all began. Here is an excerpt.
Eve Ensler