Saturday, August 28, 2010

"..I'LL DEFEND TO THE DEATH.."

Lest some of you think from reading my last blog entry that I condone censorship, I must fall back on my French ancestry by quoting the famed philosopher/writer, Voltaire: "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."

(Photo of First Amendment [free speech] Zone at 2004 Democratic National Convention)

I was half-joking when I remarked that Warren Buffett and Bill Gates would be doing us all a favor by paying some of the more obnoxious people who's voices are so strident in the land today to "stay home and shut up." Of course, they have a right to speak their minds.. even when they are spouting lies and half truths, and even when they are advocating violence, as some do. If I truly supported censorship, I would not have suggested they "pay them"!

In light of this, I'd like to state that I am sorry if I offended any of my readers of this blog. I did not start this blog to be a forum for dissension or political debate. If some of my words create a need for such, I suggest these debates take place in a different forum, such as Facebook or one of the many political blogs already doing so. Or... you may start your own blog. I am happy to print your comments, but I will not be dragged into a heated discussion on issues that are important to each of us. My own opinions, as I am sure yours have as well, have been formed over many, many years of study, observation, and personal experiences.


I have suffered many experiences that would cause most people to view the government, law enforcement, and the "establishment" in general with much suspicion and indeed, fear, as so many seem to be doing today. I choose not to live my life in fear. I choose not to believe the "voices of doom" or the conspiracy theories so loudly proclaimed in our land. I choose not to believe President Obama or the current administration - whom I proudly voted for - have anything but the best interests of this country at heart. I choose not to view with suspicion people of color who may or may not be in this country legally. I choose not to believe that people of a different faith than mine are somehow unacceptable anywhere in this country.

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"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." Sinclair Lewis, 1935
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I choose not to believe that rallies that are prone to incite violence and promote dissension are the way to solve the enormous problems we face in our country. The voting booth is my preferred way, and words spoken in an honest, calm, and deliberate way by me as well as the candidates I support.


I choose to believe in the edict issued by some religions to practice "nonresistance". What we resist, we do maintain. That is often very difficult to practice, especially in today's world. Carrying signs proclaiming the power of love is very different from those proclaiming anger, hate, and ignorance. As Mother Teresa said, "Let me know when you give a march for peace." Do not ask me to support a march to "take back our country", especially when many of those making these statements vow to "carry a gun"..and some blatantly do so.

I suggest that many of those would do better by arming themselves with facts and the truth of the issues they think they are supporting.


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Enough of that. I had a delightful visit yesterday with my "boys". We ate a huge "brunch", then - even with full stomachs - they decided to play golf anyway. Craig later returned and told me that they had a really "fun" game, putting aside their initial competitiveness about half-way through the 18 holes, and just plain old enjoying themselves. I wish I had been on the golf course to photograph them, but I located an older photo of another time they played golf. I might add that Matthew does not wear a beard now. (I don't think!) Craig, however, still does.

I am indeed a proud mom. We had some really good discussions, and I have great hope for the future of both of my sons. They are both intelligent, warm, loving human beings, who are raising children to be the same.

I love you guys,
Mom (Marilyn)

Thursday, August 26, 2010

THE POWER OF THE WORD

This little devotional I read daily, " A Cherokee Feast of Days" by Joyce Sequichie Hifler, was published in 1992. Ms. Hifler was probably writing this as the Persian Gulf War was taking place. It seems to be written for the current time:


"The voice of doom is loud in our land. It is predicting unheard of fears and possibilities. But we have the antidote in our mouths - our words. Words are powerful, able to turn away the negative thoughts and words of those who have no purpose but to degrade. We don't have to let other people decide that we are victims of every attack, every debate, every wrongdoing. Our u ni ne tsv (words), say the Cherokees, are mighty to pull down anything or any person that lies in wait to harm us. Life and death are truly in the power of the tongue - and our part is to study the use of words and their effect on us. We know what it is to hear words of courage. It is light entering a dark place and we hear as well as speak." "Give ear, I am the mouth of my nation."....Kiosaton
(Photo of Wes Studi, Cherokee actor in "Trail of Tears", PBS film)

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I'm sure by now most of you have heard what billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates have been up to. Beginning last year, and culminating in a dinner in June of this year, Buffett and Gates have headed up a project called the Giving Pledge. Their aim is to reach the wealthiest people on the Forbes 400 list to pledge at least half of their wealth to charitable causes before they die. Of the 70 - 80 people they called, 40 of them responded. That's 10 percent of the wealthiest people on the list. And they hope to reach more. Many folks were hesitant to let their commitment be known, but Buffett persevered, pointing to the legacies of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. They feel that the philanthropy they exhibit will leave a valuable example to future generations. Not promoting any particular charity, they encourage people to support the environment, education, and health. With the pledges so far, over $120 billion dollars have been offered. (Photo: Carnegie Library, Ballinger, Texas)

Ahem. I have a suggestion. They could help America and Americans by using a portion of that wealth to pay certain people in the public eye (and ears) today to stay home and shut up! They are doing more damage than any terrorist organization could do to this country. They are killing us slowly with their hate-filled rhetoric. Their efforts to be the first with a "news" item or event, often leads them to put forth lies and half-truths by not taking the time to verify their facts. And they count on their viewing public to not check out those facts, as they are supposedly presenting a "fair and balanced" view. So many people stay glued to their televisions news channels today. The power those words have over them is evident when we see such things as "Tea Party" activists carrying signs that have nothing to do with the Tea Party movement (like "Teabagging for Jesus" or "Take Back our Borders!"), and more about individual prejudices. (Tea Party photos from About.com)

I believe that the people listening and believing some of the things presented by their favorite newscaster, politician, or radio talk-show host listen in order to attach themselves to any cause these people support - often not knowing anything about the true issues they are "supporting". Surely, in their hearts, they don't believe that someone like Sarah Palin - who showed her lack of expertise in her knowledge of government in the last election - surely, they don't think that all the speaking engagements she has been involved in over the past two years have given her qualifications to lead this country! And for her to dare support political candidates! I would not vote for them because she supports them if for no other reason! She, who couldn't even finish her term as governor of Alaska? It's the $100,000 speaking fee she's after. The more anger, fear, and dissatisfaction she is able to stir up, the more speaking engagements - and probably more money, she adds up!

So, Gates and Buffet: Pay her and Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, and any of the others poisoning our airwaves and confusing a lot of people, whatever they ask. Just shut them up.

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There is so much good happening. I hope some of you have checked out the sites I have listed to the right of this post. Good News Now is my favorite. You can find these stories and many more like them on their site. Did you know that:

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The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has revealed a previously unknown type of oil-eating bacteria, which is suddenly flourishing." This microbe has apparently evolved due to smaller oil leaks into the ocean, and is not using as much oxygen as they feared it might... Go! Eat that oil, little bugs! (Photo furnished by Science journal.) If you want to read more about it, go to this site (or check it out on Good News Now):
http://sfist.com/2010/08/25/whoa_voracious_oil-eating_bacteria.php

A Connecticut woman recently donated a kidney to a complete stranger.

The 11-year old artist, Olivia Bouler, who painted pictures of the birds affected by the Gulf oil spill and sold them to raise money for the rehabilitation of the birds, has now raised $150,000.

A New York ad executive gave her credit card to a homeless man.

The wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico appears to be recovering, and not suffering as many effects from the oil spill as first feared.

Did you know that former Presidents Clinton and Bush are working together in aiding the recovery of Haiti? That they have a relief organization (listed on the right) that you may donate money to? This makes four living ex-presidents that have put aside political differences and are working alone and together to better the world. Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter are the other two.

If you have any extra money lying around, please remember the poor people of Pakistan who have been flooded and lost everything, as well as the Haitian people still in dire need. Organizations who are active in the relief efforts are listed to the right of this post.

And this excerpt from an important article in Reuter online news:

".. the newly formed New York Neighbors for American Values, made up of more than 40 religious and civic groups, said the debate (
over the proposed Muslim Center) was creating fear and division and that it would fight for U.S. constitutional freedoms to be upheld. 'We were not attacked by the Muslim world,' said Donna O'Connor, spokeswoman for September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, whose pregnant daughter was killed in the World Trade Center attacks."

She went on to state that this group supports the proposed cultural center "100 per cent". To that I say: AMEN!


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My heart is happy today. Tomorrow I am fixing "brunch" for both my boys! Craig has been in Austin working on sales with Matthew, and they are winding up their work week with a game of golf at the popular Delaware Springs Golf Course here in Burnet. Should be a lively meal, as they love to poke good-natured fun at each other.

Here's a picture of the three of us when I coaxed them into helping me move out of my Barn - nine years ago! I think we all have changed a little since then! (Maybe added a few pounds?)

Until next time, may our words reflect the society we wished we lived in. We can make it happen with words of hope, encouragement, optimism, love, and of course,

Peace,

Marilyn

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Keith Olbermann Special Comment: There Is No 'Ground Zero Mosque' - 08/1...

WHAT DOES YOUR SENSE OF "RIGHT" TELL YOU?



I published this post and sent out a notice to everyone about 45 minutes ago. My first response was from my son Craig, who told me about a lively discussion on Facebook on the topic of the proposed "mosque"/center in NYC. He sent me the video you are now seeing at the top of the page. I urge each of you to watch this, as it touches on such an important matter.. The speech at the beginning will stir your memory. 

Much peace, my friends,
Marilyn

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My good friend from my FEMA days, Mary Simpson, who visited me recently, had an experience shortly after 9/11 that stuck in my memory. I asked her if she would write a brief account of an event that happened during those scary days that followed 9/11. This is her report.


"On September 11, 2001 I lived across the street from the Islamic Society of Denton mosque. Two days later, after coming in from a long shift at FEMA past midnight, I woke up about 3:00 a.m. because my dog was barking. I heard glass breaking. After making sure my house and car were safe, I remembered seeing a TV report about vandalism at mosques in several cities. I looked across the street and saw that a fire had started at the mosque. No cars were parked at the site, but I noticed a white pickup about ½ block away peel out. I called 911, and fire engines and police patrol cars arrived almost immediately. They extinguished the fire quickly. Police found a bottle rocket that had been tossed through a window. I am sure the one (or ones) responsible for the cowardly act was disappointed in the outcome: the fire did little damage; a group of student volunteers from the nearby University of North Texas whitewashed a wall on the mosque that had smoke stains; someone hung long sheets of poster paper on the fences and members of the community left messages, just as was happening in New York at the time; and a meeting took place between the Muslims and representatives from many other Denton congregations seeking a greater understanding of each other. I, who do not enjoy the spotlight, found myself preaching tolerance on my front porch into a (Dallas) Channel 5 microphone. Finally, a few days later two members of the mosque brought me a basket of fruit and their thanks." 

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You know, it took a lot of courage for my friend Mary to speak up -- on TV no less -- against the violence perpetrated upon the Islamic mosque across the street from her so soon after 9/11. Denton County at that time (I don't know about now), along with other smaller communities in that part of Texas, was known to have a lot of Ku Klux Klan members. Not long before I moved from there, I was with a group of people from Unity who showed up at a Klan rally in the City Park. We carried signs of love and peace and tolerance; and when the Klan became agitated and tried to speak their words of hate, we began to sing a simple song that many others joined. It was a little hymn called "Love is the Only Power"... "Love, love, love, love -- Watch our circle grow. " The song drowned out their rhetoric of hate and separatism, and the Klan shortly exited the park with their police escort.
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It seems to me that what is happening in our world today is not so much about religions or kinds of government or even race as it is about what is right.. ethically or morally right. Not what our religion nor what our government tells us is right. Our society is becoming more like sheep, inasmuch as it has become easier for us to watch our favorite pundits on television, or listen to the radio talk show hosts, and vote for those we are told believe the way we do. When did we start "believing" the hatred so many are spewing at the public today? When did we as a nation stop thinking for ouselves? How did those who espouse to be Christians or belong to a "Nation Under God" allow themselves to be brainwashed or hypnotized by the people who's only purpose is to gain more ratings, power, and money? Or to promote their candidacy for one government position or the other.

If we do some serious soul-searching, and go with our heart and our gut as to what is the "right" thing to do, and who is the "right" person or party to vote for in our own opinion, will we go along with those who are promoting the divisiveness, anger, and hatred in our country? We truly need to start thinking for ourselves in this country. And if you are reading this, you have access to the largest amount of information in the world via the Internet to research any and all political or religious views to make an informed decision when it comes time to vote or take a stand on an issue like the proposed NYC mosque.

I hear so many folks repeating word for word, some even appearing to be in an altered state while doing so, some of the mottos you can hear over and over on certain television news stations. One in particular is the one by FOX News: they purport to be the only network that is "fair and balanced" in their reporting. And in my email box today I received a notice that the owner of that network (and many other media outlets as well), Rupert Murdock has donated a seven-figure amount to the Republican Party to ensure their candidates win in the upcoming elections. Fair and balanced? Indeed!
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The following is an excerpt from an article written by Richard Restak called "Empathic Civilization", February 15, 2009:
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"..one can increase one's empathic powers by recognizing that, in general, the emotions that we bring to an encounter with another person will be the same emotions that that person will reflect back to us. A similar rule holds in our inner world. If we try to think in a compassionate manner about the other person--no matter how difficult that may be-- we then become capable of empathizing with him or her. Via such freely chosen acts of empathy we become at once homo sapiens and homo empathicus.
Developing and maintaining our empathic powers is a lifetime task with a simple goal: experiencing what is happening to another person as if we were experiencing it ourselves. But learning to do this isn't easy especially in our current society where we are encouraged to look upon others as competitors for increasingly scarce resources, or even as enemies we have reason to hate.
Our challenge is to enhance, fine-tune, and act upon our capacity for empathy. It's especially important to include people with whom we seem to share more differences than commonalities. I'm referring here to the level of empathy spoken about by religious leaders and prophets throughout history ("Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.") If we can live up to this challenge of extending our empathy beyond our immediate circumstances and self-interest we have a chance of achieving the so far elusive goal of creating an 'Empathic Civilization'."
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What are we as a nation reflecting to the world at large? And in our personal lives? What emotions and actions are we presenting to our friends and families? Do we understand and practice our own beliefs? Even when it is an unpopular thing to do and we might lose the friendship and love of some?

Love, peace, and increased empathy,
Marilyn

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

"...BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IN FREEDOM"

For the most part, I was pleased with the response I got for the last blog post on the proposed mosque in New York City. I wish more of you had let me know your views on the subject. However, there are enough differing views in the media and on the Internet to serve anyone's particular tastes and beliefs.

When I received a video via email titled “Three Things About Islam”, my first thought was this would be some kind of conspiracy theory. The friend who sent it sent no commentary regarding it. I have to thank him, as watching this video started me on a journey that I have not as yet completed, but intend to continue in my search for the “truth”.
I have spent hours searching the Internet. First, I have tried to no avail to find out who produced this video. They slyly did so under the name “White Roses”, after a student resistance group in Nazi Germany during World War II whose members were executed for distributing information revealing the “truth” about Hitler's brand of Nazism. I guess we are to believe that this new group of “White Roses” shares the same intentions as the WWII heroes, therefore, we will believe anything they say. That did not set well with me! Most of what I believe or write about comes from my “feelings” – not my expertise, education, or even personal knowledge of a subject. I go with the feelings from my heart or from my gut! My gut tells me there is something very, very wrong with this video. It seems to be just another form of bigotry and intolerance in disguise. Meant to spread fear under the guise of "informing" the American public. For all I know, it could have been produced by Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, Pat Robertson, or even Sarah Palin! Any one of them could possibly benefit either financially or politically by arousing more anti-Islamic feelings in this country. And though I could not find the originators of the video, I found it on many conservative, right wing, and Republican websites.
I forwarded the video to a friend of mine from my high school years, June Curry, who was raised in the small-town church that I also attended. We both have grown a lot spiritually since our younger days, but June is much more knowledgeable about different religions than I am. Having spent time working for the Tulsa B'nai Emunah Synagogue as an Assistant to the Education Director, she said the position taught her “much about religious diversity and loving and being loved by people of the Jewish faith unconditionally.” June is often my mentor that I turn to when I am struggling with some spiritual dilemma. This was her reply:
I don't know where this group came from, but I do know from attending the Islam Mosque with my Sunday School Group in Tulsa that the Muslims at that Mosque deny all accusations of the Qur'an advocating violence. It is their claim and their teachings that The Qur'an is a book of tolerance and peace toward other religions. I don't think the crazies among Islam represent them anymore than the KKK represent our Christian beliefs, even though they claim to.
I just think these types of emails perpetrate so much fear among people for a religion that they don't trust or want to understand at all. And fear causes many other things, including hatred and war and evil in all forms.
But it is truly very scary to think these things are going around on the internet and will be believed by so many people (some of my relatives among them).
We live in very uncertain times. But God hasn't changed a bit and is still able to take care of us in every situation. That's where we have to put our trust and hope.”
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Another reason for being thankful I received the video is that it created the desire in me to learn more about Islam. This will be an ongoing and lengthy journey, as I still am faithfully struggling through the Old Testament. Until I started researching it, all I knew was that Islam is the second largest religion in the world, Christianity being the largest, with the majority of Muslims belonging to two denominations, Sunni and Shi'a.
The only order of Islam that I had a familiarity with is Sufism. I have two books by the 13th century poet/mystic/Sufi Saint Rumi. The Sufis, considered the “inner, mystical dimension” of Islam are also divided into differing orders. A few years back I had a brief experience at my church of learning about the Sufi dances. I had heard of the “whirling dervishes”, but didn't know much about them. I still don't, but I'm learning from my research. At one of the classes at Unity, we all participated in doing a simple Sufi dance (not the whirling). All I remember is that it was based on “turning swords into plowshares”, and that the dance was very moving and prayerful. That doesn't sound very militaristic, does it? In fact, Sufism is all about Love... and Unity.
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I will put more of what I am learning in future blogs. In the meantime, I have learned a little more about the group wishing to build the mosque/center in Manhattan. I laughed at the name of the blog this came from, HorsesAss.org. The founder and “blogger in chief” is David Goldstein, and it has become a well-known political blog, starting out in Washington state as a satire on local politics. You can bet I bookmarked this site! The following was posted on his blog August the 10th, titled “It's Because They Believe in Freedom”:
Like many New Yorkers, the people in charge of Park 51, a married couple, are from somewhere else—he from Kuwait, she from Kashmir. Feisal Abdul Rauf is a Columbia grad. He has been the imam of a mosque in Tribeca (a neighborhood in lower Manhattan) for close to thirty years. He is the author of a book called “What’s Right with Islam Is What’s Right with America.” He is a vice-chair of the Interfaith Center of New York. 'My colleagues and I are the anti-terrorists,' he wrote recently—in the Daily News, no less. He denounces terrorism in general and the 9/11 attacks in particular, often and at length. The F.B.I. tapped him to conduct 'sensitivity training' for agents and cops. His wife, Daisy Khan, runs the American Society for Muslim Advancement, which she co-founded with him. It promotes 'cultural and religious harmony through interfaith collaboration, youth and women’s empowerment, and arts and cultural exchange.'”
These are the people trying to build the mosque/center in NYC.
The writer goes on to say, “As someone who often trolls the right-wing blogs, this proposed center (which sounds a lot like the Jewish Community Center where I used to go to day camp when I was 6) is seen by many as some kind of threat. Coincidentally, these are the same people who talk about how Obama is going to take away their 'freedom' and how much they care about the Constitution. Every day that goes by and every issue that comes up just lifts the veil on that charade. America’s right wing is motivated primarily by one thing – an irrational fear of our multicultural society. Everything else is just talk. "
There were many comments to his blog, but one that stood out to me was written by “Alki Area”:
Once again irony (and emotion) rules the universe. I’ve heard from the right for ages 'why don’t more Muslims come out against terrorism and extremism'. Ok. So here’s the folks that DO just that. The folks who DON’T want to kill all non-believers and in fact run an 'interfaith' group (you know, other religions). This is EXACTLY the type of pro-American anti-terrorist Muslims the folks on the right have said they wanted to hear from all along. So what’s the problem?
Granted putting this .. near ground zero is emotional, but nearly all of lower Manhattan ('downtown' NYC - my note) is ‘near’ ground zero. I sincerely don’t think they planned this as a spit in the face to anyone, but perhaps because of the emotional impact, it could be put in mid-town. I try to imagine if a splinter group of Catholics bombed a holy Hindu site in India, then a Methodist church tried to open up a center near the site. It would probably be met with much of the same emotion, even though you could explain that the original attack was a minority splinter group, and that these Christians (Methodists) aren’t even the same denomination as the group that did the original attack…none of that would matter would it?
And by the way, out of (over) a billion people (Muslims) you only need a tiny percentage, say 1/1000th to be radical nuts to still have a million nutballs to contend with. We’re only dealing with, and hear about, the craziest folks. You don’t HEAR about the 998,231,361 Muslims who just go to work and raise their families and aren’t terrorists…you just hear about the most angry/crazy percentage. Muslims are just as diverse as Christians (Catholics, Baptists, Mormon, Amish, Unitarians). It’s not one big magical block. So I suppose we could start with not talking about them as if they’re all the same people with the same ideas and philosophy.”
I hope the folks at HorsesAss.org don't mind my using so much of their writing. Perhaps it will direct more readers their way.
I am reminded of the time during the height of the Civil Rights movement when I got into a terrible argument with my dad at a dinner party he and his second wife had invited us to attend in Midland, Texas. The talk was extremely biased against integration, and got downright ugly at times. I finally had enough and reminded my dad – in front of everyone, and for their benefit – that his current wife had enough Indian blood in her to qualify for government money and land on a reservation. I brought up the fact that in my maternal grandmother's youth, Indians were thought of as “savages”, and her father threatened to beat any of his 11 children who dared to mention to an outsider that they had Cherokee blood! The room became quiet, and that ended the discussion about the Civil Rights movement.
My wish is that the next generation of Americans will move beyond the religious intolerance currently running rampant in our society. Then maybe we will be able to move beyond all our prejudices. And that, my friends, comes from my heart and my gut!
Peace and love,
Marilyn

Monday, August 16, 2010

NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS!

For the most part, I am continuing the "news fast" I started a while back. I removed the news sites from my computer's home page, only occasionally checking the Google news site to scan the headlines. Their site has the least offensive headlines. I have allowed myself to watch a network evening newscast, but after this weekend I think I will quit doing that as well. When one is able to stay calm and optimistic about one's world, it is very obvious when something you hear or read agitates and upsets you. And that happened this weekend.

The uproar over the proposed building of a Muslim center and mosque in lower Manhattan is very disturbing to me. I am a descendant of Pierre Moragne who arrived on the shores of Charleston, South Carolina in 1764, a member of one of the last groups to flee from the persecution of Huguenots in France. Living in the Dordogne district of France, the Huguenots (Calvinists) were forbidden to worship in public by the official church (Roman Catholic) and the state. They met in caves, in the forests, and in the desert, their meetings being led by "Pastors of the Desert". These Protestants were denied civil rights, their property was confiscated, and their ministers executed. To escape persecution French Protestants migrated to neighboring countries and to America. (Photo of John Calvin)

After a tortuous journey, begun in secret and probably without enough necessary provisions, the loss at sea of his first wife that he had married in secret in one of the caves, Pierre's ship turned back after only a month. Not deterred, the grief stricken Pierre struck out again and this successful journey began the history of Moragnes in America. (A book published in 1971.)

I feel certain many of you reading this have similar stories in your family histories of your ancestors coming to this country seeking freedom of all kinds -- religious freedom being the dominant reason for the founding of America. The millions of Muslim Americans deserve the same right as any other religious group to worship here. It's unfortunate that they chose the site they have in New York, which is four (heavily crowded) blocks from what is now called "ground zero". It has given fodder to the extremist organizations as well as the media. Any thinking person knows that all Muslims are not terrorists. (Photo of St. Patrick's Cathedral NYC)

It is scary to think that fundamental religious groups might put so much pressure on officials that they might be able to prohibit the building of this Center. I understand that it is not to be just a mosque, but will house a cultural center that will be beneficial in helping to educate and bring about understanding of the Islam religion to the public. There are many beautiful cathedrals and temples in New York City. Why not a mosque? (Photo of Temple Emanu'EL - NYC)

This close to elections, I know you have not heard the end of this issue. I HAVE, though! I'm going to quit watching any news on television, and may quit perusing the computer news sites as well. Will someone please let me know if we declare war -- or a cataclysmic natural disaster hits the United States??

In the meantime, may God bless Americans -- no matter how they worship -- or not!

Peace and love,
Marilyn

Saturday, August 14, 2010

STAY A LITTLE LONGER....

Gunfights Held at Old West Town in Burnet

This past week I had loads of fun during a visit from a long-time friend from Denton as well as my oldest grandson, Cameron.

Mary and I go way back to the early days of the FEMA call center in Denton, Texas. I started working there during the San Francisco earthquake in late 1989, and Mary came aboard in 1992. I opted out of the stressful environment after only five years, whereas Mary's strong constitution allowed her to withstand the many changes and the rigors of working for a government bureaucracy during disaster after disaster. Recently "retiring" after 18 years, Mary is now writing articles for the Internet. Writing is just one of Mary's many creative talents. She was editor of the FEMA Denton Call Center newsletter for several years.
In a much too short 24-hour period, we managed to do a lot of talking and catching up, eating, sightseeing, and we even watched a great Meryl Streep movie that Mary brought with her. Mary and I were Co-Team Managers of a Section of about 20 people on the telephones at FEMA during several disasters. We had such a good time working together that the people in our section always wanted to return to our section during each disaster. Once a week we even had a pot-luck lunch. Mary is an excellent cook, so these lunches were really appreciated and looked forward to. Because of the happy attitudes in our group, we were continually under scrutiny by upper management. They seemed to think that if we weren't cracking the whip that we couldn't possibly be doing the job expected of us. However, to their surprise, our Section continually produced a higher number of applications -- and applications with fewer mistakes than any other Section!
These photos of Mary were taken at the Old West Town where gunfights are held for the tourists who ride to Burnet on a train that comes from Cedar Park (an Austin suburb) on Saturdays. This old town replica is near the train depot, and both are a block or two from the historic downtown square. Goodnatured as always, Mary posed for me in stifling heat, bellying up to the bar of the saloon, and pretending to play a ragtime tune on the ancient piano! As she came to visit in the middle of the week, we didn't get to witness a gunfight.

The visit wasn't long enough, but we promised not to wait so many years before doing it again. Mary's two terriers, Bingo and Lola, were happy to have her home!

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Cameron's visit was way too brief. Like many young people with big talents, he gave in to the temptation to audition for American Idol, which was in Austin last week. Cameron's beautiful operatic bass voice was not what they were looking for at this time. I wish he had sung an aria for his audition, but then he might have been chosen for the next round and THAT would interfere with his return to LSU this fall. I was blessed to have him sing several songs for me while he was here. I told him I wanted to be around for his first performance at the Met! And I will. In the meantime, he remains MY American Idol! (Cameron said he joined in a protest against the Gulf oil spill.. thus, the t-shirt. He goes to school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.)

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Our mission to catch the rogue raccoon who was eating my neighbor's garden, then using my front yard for his latrine, has been on hold for over a week now. The second night the trap was set we caught a feral cat that I had seen around the neighborhood. I moved the cage out of the hot sun until it could be picked up, and the cat went wild and was hissing so I thought it would tear through the cage and get me! Unless the cat had taken to eating lantana berries and birdseed, it was not the culprit that left the scat in my yard! However, since its capture there has been no evidence of a visit by the raccoon. I search diligently every day. My neighbor and the Animal Control Officer both told me that the vacant lots behind my backyard have deer visit them in the fall and winter. I didn't see them last year, but will be on the lookout this year. It's a shame, too, as the deer cross the busy Highway 281 to get here, and some of the fawns inevitably get hit by a car. If this keeps up, I'll name my home place "Animal Kingdom".
These four lots were covered in wildflowers and lantanas in the spring and early summer, when two very tall crape myrtles burst into glorious blooms. We had a lot of rain last winter that produced the abundant wildflowers this year. However, we are having an extremely hot and dry summer. I don't know what kind of food there will be to attract deer.

There has been nothing "normal" about the weather since I moved to Burnet.


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Working at Hope's Closet during the sweltering heat causes some of us to get a little delirious, and we are absolutely giggling stupidly by the end of 3 hours! There is only one man who helps out on a regular basis. Melvin is somewhere between 60 and 70 -- it's hard to tell. He's a happy fellow and always cracking silly jokes. Sometimes he and I break into a chorus or two of an old song. Recently it was Zippity Doo Dah. One of the women nicknamed him "Zip" - because he moves so slowly! At the last garage sale, a customer (who was obviously an antique dealer) was confusing a couple of us with a lot of double talk about what he thought one of us had promised him in the way of a "good deal". After a minute or two of back and forth, I threw up my hands and said, "Who's on first??" At which point, we broke into laughter, the dealer paid a fair price, and we all were happy. Later I heard Melvin mumbling "Who's on first? No, he's on second!" Then he went on to say, "I'm a baaaad boy!" No one but he and I knew what he was talking about. How many of you know? Last Saturday he had us just about rolling in the floor. A young teen had found a beautiful sandal and asked if we would help her find the mate. Melvin is in charge of the donated shoes, so we located him and asked if he would find the mate for the teen. He shook his head. "There's not a mate." We asked him why he put it out. "Wel-l-l-l, it's a nice shoe..." he drawled. We're still looking for a customer who needs only one sandal, Size 6! The joys of volunteer work are many and varied.
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I have more to say about "good news" I've heard about the "billionaire's club", and an update on the Gulf sea turtles, but it's getting late so I'll save it for next time.

Peace and love,
Marilyn

Sunday, August 8, 2010

WIND NEEDED

These photographs were taken during one of my trips to Amarillo in May of 2008. I thought the first one was pretty cool, and typical of our day and age. Not only is there a wind turbine, but there is also what appears to be a cell phone tower in the background. Both are in the midst of a typical Texas landscape in the area around Sweetwater. There are miles and miles of these structures that remind me of giant, graceful, futuristic birds.

The first time I ever heard of wind energy was in Denton, Texas during the early nineties. I was sent to a country ranch to do some secretarial work for the owner. This house was magnificent. It was modeled after Tara, Scarlett's home in Gone With The Wind, and looked exactly like Tara on the exterior. The interior (what I saw of it) was very luxurious and modern. The office I worked in was on the third floor, and there was a service elevator for my use as an employee. Another served the owners.
The man was rather young -- probably in his late thirties. Very professional, but rather sad. I was pretty much turned loose on the third floor, where both of our offices were located, his having a magnificent view of "Tara's" grounds, complete with a small lake with swans. I was to organize some files, tend to the fax machine, take overnights to the Post Office, etc. - there was no computer in his home. Among the files was a copy of either Time or Newsweek, dated a while back. On the cover was a photo of what appeared to be dozens of the wind generators, and reference to an article about the producers of these. I turned to the article to find that it was about the man I was working for and, I believe, his father who together started the business which constructed these massive turbines. From the paperwork I was dealing with, it seemed that not only had the business gone under, but this young man's wife had left him, taking their children with her. I felt badly for him, as everything I was hearing about energy led me to believe this was the wave of the future, and his business was just too far ahead of the times. When I lived in Arizona for a brief period, traveling to and from California I saw these up close for the first time... It seemed as though every mountain on our route between Arizona and California was covered with these giant birds. I had to videotape them when I first saw them, as I was so in awe of this technology, and I thought perhaps they were the ones the man I worked for in Texas helped to build.

I was pleased to hear from a good friend of mine who lives in Denton that as of May 2009, Denton Municipal Electric began purchasing "green energy" from a company called NextEra, which owns and operates a Wind Farm located northwest of Muenster, Texas. The company is providing Denton with renewable energy that comprises almost 40% of its energy on an average yearly basis. Not only that, but Denton Municipal Electric is also using their City of Denton landfill to produce more renewable energy by turning the landfill into gas energy, which can provide electricity for up to 1,600 homes!

I find that amazing! My friend Pam told me that her electrical bill has gone down every month since the new project was implemented last year. I don't have any idea about the costs of such a venture, but living in a small town with no choice as to an electricity provider, I think what a blessing it would be if we could provide the benefits of that technology to our citizens. As it is, most of us are faced with rising energy costs every year until - what? We no longer can afford the basics if we are on a fixed income.

I remember when, during my last marriage, we wanted to put in a solar hot water heater in the country home we were building. This was the early 80s, and we were
hearing more and more about global warming, the energy crisis, and how to save on energy bills in your home. This seemed a small step toward doing something to make a home energy efficient. Until we heard the price! To install what was necessary (in those days) for a solar hot water heater it would have cost us $10,000! I think I have mentioned in the past what happened to that house. We did not finish the house. We ran out of money, but most of all we ran out of love!

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I am doing quite well on my "news fast" commitment, and I'm not nearly as anxious or agitated as I was when I spent a lot of time perusing all the news sites on the Internet. However, every few days or so I click on Google News and view the headlines. I find they aren't as "sensational" as the Huffington Post I used to read. If I have heard something on my 30-minute nightly news program I allow myself to watch, or something jumps off the screen at me that is amusing and I wish to know more (like my previous blog on Anne Rice), I allow myself to read about it. A few days ago something caught my attention. Any of you reading this who raised sons can relate to this. I thought it funny. It seems that there is an "International Air Guitar Championship" competition every year. Do you remember your boy doing this? (Photo above right.) He's playing an "air guitar". This year's U.S. National Air Guitar Champion is Romeo DanceCheetah and he looked like this in competition. (Photo at left.) You younger mothers probably will never see your boys acting this way when their favorite music comes on. The new Wii game "Rock Star" furnishes the boys - both big and little - with a mock guitar so they don't look so foolish standing there playing "nothing".. Here's what they look like playing Wii -- the real thing, no?
My thanks to "middle-aged" rock stars, Chris R., Chris G., and Mark. (I can't remember who was on drums.) These were taken at Matthew's 40th birthday party. Those guitars have no strings, guys!

Boys Just Wanta Have Fun!

Music, peace, and love,
Marilyn

Thursday, August 5, 2010

ARE YOU "ANTI-" ANYTHING?

I am going out on a limb (again) to talk about an article I read on the Internet. It came from the NY Times, and concerned the author Anne Rice and her quitting organized religion. If some of you aren't familiar with her, she is a best-selling author of a series of vampire books! Yes, vampires. You may have heard of the movie, "Interview With a Vampire", starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. That was one of her books. Now I am not a fan of vampire stories -- not since I was a kid and hid in the closet with a flashlight to read "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. Remembering that book still gives me the shivers. I read one or two of Ms. Rice's books to see what all the fuss was about. I don't think I finished the second one. I understand that the new "Twilight" books and movies are about vampires as well.

You would think that Ms. Rice's books and their topics would preclude being a Christian. I remember being surprised about ten years ago to read about her taking up the Christian faith of her upbringing and becoming a practicing Catholic again. When I read this article this morning, I was equally surprised.


"Today I quit being a Christian. I'm out," she wrote. "I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being 'Christian' or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to 'belong' to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious and deservedly infamous group. For 10 years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.... In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen."

Whew! Even though I am repulsed by some of the practices she has written about in her books, I can relate to her statement above about modern day Christianity. I, too, feel I am an outsider when the Christians I am around start talking about those same issues. I know that is what is behind my inability to find a church home in the last two towns I've lived in. I, too, to borrow her words, "refuse to be anti-gay,
anti-feminist, anti-artificial birth control, anti-Democrat, anti-secular humanism, anti-science, and anti-life"! Personally, I do not have to quit being a Christian for these opinions. The Christ teachings I follow didn't discriminate against these issues. Jesus the Christ taught tolerance, acceptance, forgiveness, and love, and his ministry was all-inclusive. He did not discriminate.

I wish more people -- especially those with a less controversial
profile (is that being discriminatory?) than Ms. Rice -- would speak out about what is happening to Christianity in this country. Separation of church and state has never been more needed.I am aghast at the so-called Christians in such movements as the Tea Party. I am ashamed when I read of the white supremacists who claim to be Christians. I am ashamed when school boards like ours in Texas are filled with "Christians" who try to force their beliefs into textbooks that will sway the minds of little children into believing history was something other than it really was. This country may be "One nation, under God", but that does not mean we are all Christians. Christians do not have a monopoly on God! Nor were the founding fathers all Christians. We were founded to establish a country of freedom -- and that meant freedom of religion, too. Not freedom to become a Christian only.

If Jesus were here today, he would not be in the hallowed halls of our Christian churches. Or stirring up a political movement. You can bet he would be on the streets ministering to the homeless, the sick, the unemployed. Encouraging us to love and take care of our neighbors -- here and abroad. He would be pointing out what is good and right in people, not what is wrong or evil. He would tell us to celebrate our differences.
And you know what? I'll bet he would be a Democrat. At the very least, he would be called a "left-wing liberal"!

Some people got it right. Like Mother Teresa. When asked to join in an anti-war march and protest, her answer was "No. But when you have a march for peace, let me know and I will come."

May we all be known more by the things we are for, rather than the things we are against!Peace and love,
Marilyn