Community

We are losing the human touch
It is all mechanical, corporate, technological
We are forgetting about the community and how we are all responsible for each other
Life is a web of interactions and we are severing the strands
There are no more barn raisings
No more neighborhood potlucks
No community gardens
I do believe that we all need to start paying attention to the person again, on a community level rather than a federal or even state level
The disease that is infecting this country started from the ground up and we are just now seeing it on the CEO and federal level we need to get back to the ground
Community gardens where all participate, Habitat for Humanity where we all pitch in to build houses, volunteering at homeless shelters and food kitchens to help those who have even less than we do
Bringing those in prison into the community to keep them connected: gardens both floral and vegetable, help build houses, work on community clean up, take care of animals; we give them libraries and gyms and tvs, why not give them something productive where they can see a final product to take pride in?
That Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon does not just mean that we all know each other but that we are all connected, all of us together

We are all of us responsible for ourselves and how we treat everyone else
We are responsible for the community we live in

There is too much 'you can't do that' and not enough 'let's do this'
There need to be fewer laws as if we are all children who cannot decide for ourselves what we can and cannot do and more assistance to help everyone succeed in life. That does not mean become rich, it just means become fulfilled and have a rich life full of love and achievement.

We need to become a community of people rather than a corporate culture we have become
People are not corporation, people are life, love, happiness, laughter, joy.

And that's my 25 cents...

Vote dammit!

Regardless of your political party, your beliefs, or your religion; we need to all stand up and demand that the President and those in Congress be held accountable for how they vote, what they vote on, and from whom they take money.
In this, it does not matter what you want them to vote for, only that they are voting the will of the majority of voters in their jurisdiction not the will of the corporation giving them the most money.
Stand for what you believe in, tell them what you want them to do, shout your will!!!
We showed that we can make a difference in 2008, no matter if the vote went your way or not, we witnessed the power of many voting their voice.
Contact your representatives at the city, county, state and federal level!! Let them know we are not happy, we are not stupid, and we see what they are doing. The level of greed, partisanship and downright pandering to large corporations over the common good, the public, the people.
We must never forget that we have the power, this is our country and they work for us. They are elected by us to be our voice.
Remember what so many have fought for us to have today. Read your history, read about how many have fought both physically and verbally to ensure our rights and freedoms.
Vote. Please vote. Vote your will, your conscience. But remember, you would not want someone else to limit your rights, your will. Why would you do that to someone else?

And that's my 25 cents...

9/11 and all it means to me

I live in Washington State. I was not anywhere near NYC on that day but I still felt every blow.
The way I heard about it. I was checking my Yahoo email and saw the first report on the home page. I thought it was some kind of weird joke to begin with but I saw more reports online so I turned on my tv. And I watched again and again, over and over as those planes flew right in to those buildings.

In the years since then I have heard many theories as to who and how this happened. The groups of people who were blamed for the tragedy. The reasons they did it.

One of the most terrifying things I watched happen, was the governments unabashed glee in tightening its noose on our freedoms and loosening the restrictions on what it can and cannot do without any watchdogs.

The good, the bad, and the truly ugly attitudes that many religious people took after this tragedy inspired, terrified, and sometimes just left me open-mouthed in disbelief. Some saw this time as a way to reach out, support and encourage one another regardless of personal beliefs. Others saw this as a great time to point fingers, to hate, to say 'see! i told you we shouldn't have let them in!'. And others used this time to hurt, to burn, to kill; with no proof, no evidence, regardless of whether or not someone could have had anything to do with it.

9/11 taught me that we humans can use a life changing event to open up, grow, reach out or to close ourselves up even further, curl ourselves tighter around our preconceived notions and shut others out.

This may not bring me much praise, but much as I know 9/11 was a tragedy, we Americans are so privileged and protected that this one instance of violence shook our psyche and still disturbs us 10 yrs later. There are places around the world that see violence 1000's of times worse than this every day.

Every day.

Every day.

Every day!!

I know that we know it intellectually but I feel that there is a sense that we are more entitled, better somehow and deserve more protection. So though my heart goes out to those who lost their loved ones 10 yrs ago. My heart goes out even more to those mothers in Lybia, Somalia, and elsewhere who just lost their child/ren last week, yesterday, today.

I know, hate me all you want. But 9/11 did open my eyes. Did make me realize that we are not immune to tragedies. Did make me more aware of our governments actions and that there are ways I can help others who, even in America, need help.

And that's My 25 cents...