Reverse Racism - Editorial

Proud To Be

Coca-Cola - It's Beautiful - Behind the Scenes

Ramadan (Is Obama a Muslim?)

Ramadan began on the evening of July 8 and will run until the evening of August 7.

From Wikipedia

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar; Muslims worldwide observe this as a month of fasting. This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month lasts 29–30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon. The word Ramadan comes from the Arabic root ramida or ar-ramad, which means scorching heat or dryness. Fasting is fardh (obligatory) for adult Muslims, except those who are ill, travelling, pregnant, diabetic or going through menstrual bleeding.

While fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food, drinking liquids, smoking, and engaging in sexual relations; in some interpretations they also refrain from swearing. Food and drink is served daily, before sunrise and after sunset. According to Islam, the thawab (rewards) of fasting are many, but in this month they are believed to be multiplied. Fasting for Muslims during Ramadan typically includes the increased offering of salat (prayers) and recitation of the Quran

President Obama is taking a lot of flack for the Ramadan Tweet he sent out and has been labeled a Muslim by some joker on Facebook because of the dinner he will host at the White House on August 10 because "of course if he hosts this dinner he has to be a Muslim.  Never mind that Bill Clinton and George W. Bush did the same thing because Obama has a "foreign" sounding name that makes him a Muslim.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will celebrate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan by hosting an iftar (ifta) dinner Friday night at the White House.

The iftar is the meal that breaks the day of fasting, when Muslim families and communities eat together after sunset.

The meal to be served in the State Dining Room will be the fourth iftar that Obama has hosted. It continues the tradition of hosting iftars that began annually under President Bill Clinton and was continued by President George W. Bush.

Invited guests include elected officials, religious and grass-roots leaders in the Muslim American community and leaders of diverse faiths and members of the diplomatic corps.

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I decided not to argue with him on Facebook but I went back and looked at the post later. Somebody else pointed out that the Ramadan Dinner had been hosted by Bush and in fact, he had started the tradition.  He stopped posting after that but there were plenty of other comments.  My policy is not to argue with these types of Obama haters. You can't argue with bigots or ignorant people. It is better for my soul to let them stew in their ignorance and walk away from them.

I have some things I am not happy with him (Obama)  about but I certainly am not going to make up things like "Obama must be a Muslim because he is celebrating a Muslim holiday". I prefer to call him on his environmental record and the need to protect wolves which they want to remove from the protected list, among other things.  (I blame it on his growing up in an urban environment and knowing nothing about the balance which the wolves bring to the habitat.) Also I am not very pleased with the spying on people or force feeding prisoners who should probably be brought back to the US to stand trial.  And as far as the Snowden and Manning whistle blowers. If we had been following principles that our country used to stand for there would be no need to call them "traitors" for telling the truth about the despicable practices which should have been ended long ago.  Oh yes, and bring the troops home and get our noses out of Afghanistan. And by no means should we be using drones as instruments for targeted killing. (Note these are my opinions and you are welcome to yours but do read the disclaimer above because comments are moderated and trolls will be dispensed with. If you want I will post your disagreement as long as you are civil about itl

Comedy Central has a new show called  "Drunk History" which is a riot.  They get a person snockered and have him (or her) tell a story from History. I laughed out loud at the first one and will be watching the ones to come.  They do check the history to make sure it is accurate but to hear a drunk tell a story is funny.

Ruminations of a Retired Reprobate

Several years ago I was invited to a wedding. A judge had said that people in same sex relationships were entitled to be legally married in Iowa. There was a race to get married by couples. One couple made it before he put a stay on the order but another couple (friends of mine) had their license but would have to wait.  They decided to go ahead and get married and there were a lot of us at their wedding. One of them remarked that it was the first time they had kissed in public and they had been together for 25 years. Of course they had to wait until the Supreme Court weighed in allowed his ruling to stand and Iowa's Gay marriages were allowed to proceed.  At that point the wedding I had attended became legal and Terry and Mark were, in fact, married.  I was (and am) extremely happy for them.

I could remember a couple of men who regularly visited my Grandmother's antique shop to buy and sell antiques.  She referred to them as "the boys" (this was in the late 1940s.  I didn't pay much attention to that or to them but I did remember years later when I was more aware of "things" figuring out that they were probably more than just a couple of guys who went antiquing together.

I personally have no desire to be married.  I enjoy not being married.  In fact one of the things that I dread the most is the idea of winding up in a nursing home where I have to deal with a lot of people every day.  I taught school and loved it and I loved my kids but I also loved my time in the summer when I could just be alone and read a book and not have to deal with anyone else.  I do quite well with Molly and Cassie and my Kindle. Don't get me wrong, I love going out to be with people. I enjoy the most going out to eat with one or two people but I like to go to movies and plays alone and I don't mind eating alone.  I used to take a book with me every where.  Now I take my Kindle.  I can sit and watch a lake or a river or just the gentle breeze move the leaves and be quite content.

However I believe that if people want to be married they ought to be able to. I understand why partnered people want and need to have the protection of marriage and why their families also deserve that protection.  So when I happened across this ad for Same Sex Marriage from Illinois (on Americablog) and found it to be so well done I need to share it.



The one thing I do know is that it is LOVE that holds these families together and LOVE created these families and nothing the haters say can convince me otherwise. And since God is LOVE those haters are showing hatred for something that God created.

So it is with pride that I stand with these families and sincerely hope (but do not expect) that the United States Supreme Court will make the broadest possible ruling about the two cases that are before it at this time. As the video says "It's Just Time"

My Thoughts on Gun Control

 Gun Control

Right now in this country there is a debate going on about gun control and the rage that many feel after the many mass shootings by a deranged individual at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.  I understand that there is in the Constitution a statement about not "infringing" on the rights of people to own guns.  There is also a statement in the Constitution about Free Speech but that has been modified so that falsely yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater is not a legal act.  Also there are some who think that the part of the amendment "a well regulated militia" should be considered regarding gun ownership.

Some gun people are adamant that their rights to own guns be not taken away and will threaten "another 1776" should the government try to take away their guns.  Alex Jones was particularly rude and offensive in his behavior on the Piers Morgan show. He claimed that Hitler outlawed guns (He didn't - see here.) He ranted and raved and held the Swiss up as a society where guns are the norm. More on that later.

The right wing is particularly paranoid about this.  Read this from Don Terry which outlines some of the responses they got after Donald Kaul wrote an Op-ed on gun control.

I understand that people who like to shoot love to use their guns. A friend of mine loves to hunt and used a picture of his "kill" as his Facebook profile picture. The governor if Iowa recently killed an 8-point buck and plans to have the head stuffed and hung in the small conference room at the Iowa Capitol.  They obviously (?) have to have their guns. They are generally responsible and do not go into theaters or schools to kill massive amounts of people.

I have heard some speak about gun control as if it must not be regulated because, after all we do not ban automobiles who kill thousands more people every year. (In Chicago there were 512 gun deaths last year) Deaths by automobile nationwide (32,000+ in 2011}Article on comparison here and you can read about Gun violence in the United States here.

They ask "Why don't we ban automobiles?"  Personally I am finding out that living without an automobile is difficult but manageable. Why you ask?  If you aren't aware I lost my license to drive for 6 months due to some foolishness of my own making. That is just part of what happens when you misuse the privilege of driving a car.  I am just very fortunate that I did not injure myself or others.

As far as automobiles go, they are very expensive to begin with. Then you must be licensed to drive one, have up to date license plates on the car (mine were over $300 this year), Insurance is mandatory and all of these things are renewable each year.  There are only certain places you can purchase fuel and even that is taxed and regulated by the government. One more thing, they must meet certain standards of safety and fuel efficency and must be purchased from a licensed dealer and their VIN (serial number) numbers are kept in a national data base.  If, after having one DUI, you ever do it again the consequences are even more stringent.  I don't plan to find out what they are.

If we did the same thing with guns, made them difficult to get and expensive to keep perhaps there would not be so many of them around.  Background checks on all those who wish to own a gun and multi-yearly licenses much the same as driver's licenses for each gun owned would have to be renewed.  Not necessarily taking away a person's ability to have and own a gun but setting standards for those guns and regulating them so that they are not as accessible to people who should not have them  Everybody does not need a gun.  Even the Swiss have found that out and changed things and if you read about their "gun control" you will see why it works.  Article here.

Whatever happens I hope that something reasonable can be decided upon so that responsible gun ownership is not taken away from those who enjoy the sport of shooting and also that there are safeguards in place so that children in an elementary school are not massacred.

Addendup -  Mother Jones Special Report on Mass Shootings America Under the Gun

Remember

Oh, and if you want to comment feel free to do so in a civil manner. Read the disclaimer here.  Comments are moderated. Annie (non Amous) is not allowed here.

Putting it all together

I did not realize when I wrote this post that it was

American Education Week

Support Your Schools

 I had a student who drew this design and I liked it so much that I worked with it to put the words in and I used it as a graphic for school one year.  It is meant to show how all of the things in a school are interrelated and connected and depend on each other.  There are a lot of people who think that to improve schools we need to do better in math and science.  That is not enough. Students need communication skills, how to speak, write intelligently and use proper grammar and spelling -- they need to read and understand and be able to apply what they read.  They need social studies, a basic understanding of history and how we got to where we are, civics, how we run our country and how to participate as an informed citizen in politics and government.  They need to be able to recognize falsehood when they see it and untruths and find ways to call it out. They need diplomacy and interpersonal skills.

AND they need to learn how to work together cooperatively (and yes also how to work alone) to bring projects to fruition so that progress can be made. They need to work with all types of people. They need to work and relate to all ages of people and they need to get past the prejudices of their parents and recognize the worth of each individual no matter what their outward appearance or whether they are gay or straight.  Over the years I have taught many students, some of them were gay. I loved them just the same as I did the others. Some of them had gay parents, they were treated the same as everyone else.  Everybody has the rights granted to them by the Constitution of the United States of America and anyone who tries to take away those rights needs to be called out and stopped.  And school is the place to learn how to to that responsibly and with civility.

School is not about just math and science and tests. It, like living in the world, is about everything and anything and there is no place for bullies, either in school or in society.
But that is just my opinion.  Your comments are welcome.

Conversation with Jon

My nephew was over to see his dog Monday night and after he told me about his trip to Philadelphia we got into a wide ranging discussion about many things. One of them was about fonts.  It turns out that the Times New Roman Font is the best font to use for readability so I have changed my fonts on the blogs. The Ariel font is good for titles and sub headings but the TNR font has little lines implied in the tops and bottoms of each letter and that is supposed to make it easier to read.  I also have difficulty reading small print so I either have to enlarge the font by using Control + or I sometimes just skip it all together.

Since the purpose of my (and other) blog is to communicate I decided to make the change and while not as sexy as the font I was using I think this makes it easier to read.

Then he made a statement that I totally disagreed with.  Sometimes he does that.  He is a University Student after all and most of them have opinions about everything.  Jon often educates me about insects and tried to get me to agree to eat some caramelized crickets.  But Monday Night he made the statement that it was awful that the schools had stopped teaching typing in the elementary grades (I agree) and then went on to make derogatory remarks about cursive writing.

Now that is where I disagreed so we got into a discussion.  You see I used to teach cursive writing to my fifth graders and I also insisted that they turn in their papers in cursive.  I got static from some of them but I reminded them that it was my classroom and my rules.  The teachers before me complained that they taught cursive in third and fourth grades and then the students didn't have to do it in the upper grades so it was not embedded in their day to day use.

Well as Jon is wont to to he challenged me when I said that learning cursive was important.  He said that shorthand and typing was enough.  Besides he said the students did not have the "fine motor skills" in third and fourth grades to write cursive.

Whoa there.  Fine Motor Skills?   I don't thinks so.  I demonstrated the correct way to hold a pen or a pencil:

Then I showed him that you use the large muscles of your arm to write and not the tiny muscles of the hand and fingers.  It takes practice to do this as most students do it incorrectly.  

I told him about how I could stand at the front of my classroom and observe the students pens and see whether or not it was "bobbing" up and down or remaining in the same position as the illustration above. Bobbing pens were an indicator of an incorrect method because you are using the finger muscles to write. This practice will cause the hand to clench and writer's cramp is the result.

If you switch to using the large muscles and if you practice using the exercises that our grandparents (or maybe it is great grandparents) used you can develop an elegant, easily readable free flowing script that can be written quickly and efficiently and will communicate to your reader.  The problem with shorthand, I reminded him, is that he is the only one who can read it. Shorthand is so personal that you often cannot translate another's message.

Whereas the sample above can be read by anyone,

If you use the large muscles of the arm for writing and hold your pen loosely (so that I can pull the pen out with no effort) you will not tire while writing. Once you have the basics down there are things you can do to increase legibility.  

• Write on the baseline
•  Have a consistant slant to your writing
• Give your letters the proper space
•  Place spaces between the words. 
• Join the letters correctly

 Good readable handwriting can show that a "real person is involved in the writing."  It shows that you care enough to take the time to write in longhand.  It was actually developed to help speed up writing.  It is faster and requires less pen-liftings and in many ways it can be easier to read than printing.

One more thing. I have seen some people who feel that writing their signature so that no one can read it is the way to go. I suppose so that no one can copy or forge the signature.  But that does not communicate the name.  I really hate it when I can't read a signature.  Brother Bill always asks the new Master Mason as he signs the By-laws to make sure that they write their name legibly so that 150 years from now people will be able to read the name.  

We do keep records for that long.  We have minute books in my Lodge that go back 125+ years.  When I was Master I read back through the old minute books.  The script of some of the early secretaries was truly beautiful.

One of my former students who had resisted cursive writing got in touch with me after he was in college and wanted some help learning cursive.

I did a little research on cursive writing and was surprised to find that some states are dropping the requirement to teach cursive writing and worse yet only 12% of the teachers are trained in how to teach it. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Hugs,  j

Movie Tonight

Tonight at the Ames Public Library:

The American Association of University Women will sponsor "Iron Jawed Angels" in honor of the 90th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment at 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 25, at the Ames Public Library. ISU student Jessica Bruning will also speak about the 50-50 in 2020 campaign to increase the number of female candidates for state and federal offices in Iowa,

I was thinking about the place of women in society the other day when I read a comment from a friend about going to a wedding where his friend "gave his daughter away." I was a little surprised when I read that because I had forgotten that "traditional" weddings were just that. The father 'gave' the daughter to the husband and she became his property. (I wonder if that is the traditional marriage the right wing keeps harping about) - I remember another wedding where the minister went on and on about what a great marriage it would be because the new wife was such a good servant....servant. Women weren't servants in the house I grew up in. They were partners. The way things should be.

Women have come a long way in our society. I maintain they still have further to go and sometimes the men are more like obstructionists than partners. That still needs to change.

I know that in Muslim countries the woman did not even attend the wedding - It was between her father and her husband (at least in 1976 and I don't know if it has changed or not) and that was in the relatively secular state of Egypt. Then they threw a big party.

90 years ago women got the right to vote. Remember Abigail Adams who lobbied her husband "not to forget the ladies?" Oh sure, there were powerful women. Eleanor of Aquitaine comes to mind but even she was locked up by her husband so he could pursue other interests (women) - He trotted her out for Christmas Court.

My mother would have been 9 or 10 years old when women got the right to vote..the age of the kids I taught. I can still remember urging my girl students to get involved in politics. I pointed out that to be truly representative the House should be a little over half female.

She wasn't in my class but she knows a lot of my former students and her sign is in my yard. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell is deserving of your vote and she says everybody should see the movie at least once. So lets go tonight and fill the auditorium,

July 4th

The Promise of America

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Lots of "stuff" on the blogs today. Happy 4th of July, Sarah Palin resigned, an American soldier has been captured by the Taliban and we are wondering if they will treat him (or her) the same way that we treated the prisoners we (tortured) held.

The Declaration of Independence is there in all its majesty.

A Youtube video of some fool shooting fireworks out his ass, and pictures of parties.

I am watching Yankee Doodle Dandy on Turner Classic Movies and am reminded that America is country built by immigrants and folks who came here under the promise of the Lady of Liberty. The chance to improve and better themselves. My own ancestors came from Scotland, Ireland and England as well as Germany. I am reminded by one of the songs in the movie that the Irish were not always welcome in America. Our country was built by immigrants and it will remain great as long as we remember the principles upon which it was founded. America is not a melting pot. It is, instead, a crazy quilt or a kaleidoscope of people a beautiful amalgamation of all of the cultures that make up America. I really hope that our country does not lose sight of the promise upon which this country was built. To celebrate the 4th please enjoy James Cagney and join with me in being grateful for the promise (still unfulfilled) that is America.


Encore - Cagney could DANCE!

Thanks for stopping by, ARTYAL. Hugs, j

Editorial

The first amendment to the Constitution says:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

I put this up on the sidebar the other day. I just highlighted four words that are very important to me. They refer to the Fourth Estate:

The term Fourth Estate refers to the press. The term goes back at least to Thomas Carlyle in the first half of the 19th century. Thomas Macaulay used it in 1828.
Novelist Jeffrey Archer in his work The Fourth Estate made the observation: "In May 1789, Louis XVI summoned to Versailles a full meeting of the 'Estates General'. The First Estate consisted of three hundred clergy. The Second Estate, three hundred nobles. The Third Estate, six hundred commoners. Some years later, after the French Revolution, Edmund Burke, looking up at the Press Gallery of the House of Commons, said, 'Yonder sits the Fourth Estate, and they are more important than them all.'"

In our country the founding fathers felt that it was important enough to list this freedom in the Bill of Rights. We have always made a lot of the freedom of speech aspect of this amendment. Unfortunately, the Fourth Estate has not always lived up to its responsibility. They have been more interested in their own celebrity than they have in telling the truth.

We have left wing press, and right wing press. We have commentators who aren't really press but are talking heads who supposedly report the news but in actuality they have an agenda which could be theirs or it could be that of their corporate headquarters. In the last administration reporters were rewarded with rides on Air Force One and if they were not complimentary to the President they were punished and in some cases cast into the outer darkness. No more buddy buddy with the pres. They were easily manipulated.

What we have to little of is objective reporters who are interested in finding out the facts of what is happening in our governments and then reporting it to the people so that democratic decisions can be made in an informed manner.

I was listening to someone who had been skewered by Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. He kept saying that Stewart was a "Comedian" - that is true. He is also a member of the Fourth Estate and while I will admit that he is interested on putting out his own "slant" on things and having fun with it while he does. He does put stories out there which can't always be found elsewhere. I admit that I prefer to watch him. I also enjoy watching the Rachel Maddow Show and Countdown. I like them. I also find that they are not afraid to tell stories which make me think.

One of the shows I don't watch is Hardball. I think it is because Chris Matthews yells to much and interrupts his guests. I used to watch Crossfire but found that it was one of the rudest shows on TV and while I liked the differing viewpoints I finally gave up on it because they were so disrespectful towards one another.

There are some reporters out there who I am beginning to enjoy. Katie Couric is one of them. Unfortunately I think most of the others are still more interested in their own celebrity (as I said before) than in reporting news in a measured, fair, balanced manner. Which is something we need more of. Who is your favorite news person and why do you like them.
Addendum

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Basic Cable Personality Clash Skirmish '09

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Economic Crisis

Addendum II
The News They Won't Tell You About - From FireDogLake


Thanks for stopping by. ARTYAL, Huge Hugs, j

Inauguration Eve

I am reading the book "The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus - What's So Good About The Good News?" by Peter J. Gomes. Gomes is the minister of Harvard University's Memorial Church. An American Baptist minister (like my friend Timothy Bonney) he is an amazing man. He has written a book which I believe should be read by anyone who wants a realistic perspective on religion.

I am reading it with pencil in hand as I am marking statements which cause me to think or have a new idea. Tonight I was reading it while eating supper and for some reason the election of Mr. Obama was on my mind. To say that I have been disappointed in some of his choices would be an understatement. He was not my first choice for this office but I did celebrate his election. Since that time I have found things about him that have given me pause.

But then I read the following in "Scandalous"

In one of his great poems, "Choruses from The Rock," T. S. Eliot asks, "Why should men love the Church?" This is his answer:
She tells them of Life and Death, and of all that they would forget. She is tender where they would be hard, and hard where they like to be soft. She tells them of Evil and sin, and other unpleasant facts. They constantly try to escape From the darkness outside and within By dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good...

"Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good" seems an apt description of much of the efforts of modern life, even in the church. somehow, if we can elect the right people or enact the right program, or secure the right leadership, or provide the right resources, we will reach that point where we can justify who we are and what we have or have not done; and then we can declare in the words of Mae West, that "goodness has nothing to do with it."

There is, however, no system so perfect that no one will need to be good. Our little system of Christian capitalism is inadequate.
{...}

Goodness has everything to do with it, and I am convinced that not only will there always be outer turmoil, but inner peace will always be compromised until we recognize and affirm that we cannot be ruled by our fears but only by our hopes.
Inner strength comes from the sure conviction that God has placed us in the world to do the work of life, an not of death.

In our country we have elected a new president. He follows in the footsteps of one of the (if not arguably) worst presidents ever (Report Card here.). He is the first black man elected to that office and many of us rejoice that America has taken one more step from the racism which has been a part of our national life since its inception. He stands on the shoulders of Martin Luther King, Jr. who we celebrate today. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his turn stood on the shoulders of Prince Hall, American Freemason.

We are in the midst of a war that none of us want - a recession that has cost us all in some way or another. Joblessness is at an all time high, many people are losing their homes. I am afraid that people are putting to much hope in Mr. Obama. It is obvious that he is capable, he is also, like all politicians (and humans) flawed. He has already shown those flaws to the GLBT population. In 1996 he came out for marriage equality and had changed his stance to get elected. He has asked noted homophobic Rick Warren to lead off the Inauguration with prayer (to a god of hate) and his people (supposedly) made the decision to not have Bishop Gene Robinson's prayer at the We Are One celebration be stricken from the telecast.

I have hopes for him. He has done some good things also. It will remain to be seen whether he can lead our country out of the mess in which George Bush and the Republicans placed us. If he can I will be grateful.

In ancient Roman times when a triumph was celebrated a slave was placed in the chariot beside the triumphant celebrant. He would repeat "Remember (that you are) mortal." I think someone needs to whisper that to the American people. "Remember Obama is mortal." He is not going to "save" America all by himself. He may be the person to bring us out of this mess but he is not the Messiah. He is not God. He is a man. A talented man for sure but we should not expect that he will be able to do everything by himself and he may be disappointing to many. He will try and he will do his best. He ran on a slogan of change. He put Hope on his posters. I do have hope. I hope that he will prove not to be just another politician who will tell you what you want to hear and then go ahead and do what he wants. I hope he can provide the leadership this country needs to bring it back from the disaster of the Bush years. I hope but I also see him for what he is. A human. One doing his best perhaps but still a human.

I do not see that we will be able to pull ourselves up overnight. I see that we will all need to participate in the solution. Sacrifice may (will) be necessary. We all have to come together for the promise of America to be renewed. I hope we can do it together. With every segment of our population pulling together with mutual respect.

Gomes also writes;

" The greatest tragedy {of September 11th} may be that we have since been programmed to live by our fears and not by our hopes...Living in fear is no way for a mature society, much less a Christian, society to flourish."

Let us all look to this Inauguration as one of hope. One of challenge. One in which we, as a people, find our way...together.

Thanks for stopping by. Always Remember That You Are Loved. Hugs, jcs

Awards

Our society seems to be obsessed with awards. The entertainment industry gives out awards (to each other) in the form of the Oscar, the Golden Globe, the Emmy, the Tony (my favorite) and the Grammy. Business Awards for best salesman, employee of the month, etc. are also common. Some awards are for accomplishment, some are given for popularity (People's Choice Award). Some are given for Love - World's Best Mom (or Dad).

 The Masonic Fraternity also gives out awards. The York Rite has several and they are mostly given to deserving men who have given a lot to the fraternity. Sometimes, however it seems like they are given for popularity because the person giving the award likes someone and wants to honor them.

It was suggested that I add to the web sites a listing of those who have been given awards in Iowa York Rite. So that is why my blogging has been light today. I have been retyping a list of names and setting up a Blog list of the Awards. You can see it here or click on the new link in my sidebar. I have the thing 3/4 done. All I have to wait for is the Grand Commandery to send me theirs (and I hope they send it in an e-mail so I don't have to re-type it) and it will be done.

I put the T. S. Parvin Award there also. I have written about it before but I guess I am entitled because I actually thought it up. I read about Parvin and what he had done as a pioneer for Iowa Masonry and I wanted to honor him and also Iowa Masons who best exemplifies the spirit of Masonry which was lived by our distinguished Brother who said,

“I want to be remembered among Masons as one who gave the Fraternity the very best there was in him, not thinking of reward in dollars and cents.”

My friend Jerry Marsengill suggested (and I agreed) that the award be limited to those who had not been honored by having been a Grand Officer or holding Scottish Rite Honors. To me seeing it awarded is the best part of my Masonic year.

If you look you will find my name on that list once. I am a recipient of the General Grand Council Adult Leadership Award. I am proud of that award because it represents a lot of work that I did for the Order of the Rainbow for Girls as a Board Member, Chairman of Grand Assembly and of the Executive Board and the Rainbow Foundation and as a teacher. My mother always wanted me to receive that award. Unfortunately she died in January before it was given to me. However, even if I had not received it I would still be proud of the work I did. Even if no one else recognizes the accomplishment I know what I did and I did not do it in order to get an award. I did it because I loved doing it and it was a good thing to do.

Grand Lodge has several "awards" and for most of them they are of an "accomplishment" variety. If you do certain things you will get the award. In some ways I really prefer those awards. If they are given out fairly. That is not always the case, but I won't go there. My friend Kurt received his Ashlar Award and if you scroll down to last Saturday's post about our trip to Cedar Rapids or visit his blog you can see it.

I see a lot of people in the Blogosphere who give each other awards. If you get one you are supposed to pass it on to others. Not sure how I feel about that. Seems to me that there are some folks who get left out. I don't like being left out of things but I also don't want any awards. I do this thing for myself and I enjoy reading others blogs a lot. I try to let them know by putting comments on their posts. I enjoy getting comments on my blog. They are Award enough for me. If someone tells me (as Dallas did at lunch today) that they read my blog and always learn something here then I have Award enough. Thanks for stopping by - ARTYAL and do go take a look at the Iowa York Rite Honors Blogspot I think it is kind of neat. Hugs, J-bear

Two Things

1.

My emotions are very close to the surface right now. Senator Obama's grandmother died today and I extend my heartfelt sympathy to him and his family. She died peacefully with family with her. Senator Obama rightly left his campaign earlier to go and say good-bye to her.

Her passing brought my mother's death back to me. Mom was ill with COPD for years and finally had to be in the hospital. I was telephoned at school to be with her. Her death was easy, the dying over the previous years was hard. But I am grateful that I was able to have her as long as I did.

Senator Obama's Grandmother was a year older than my mother was when she died and her dying was much more difficult. I hope that in the next four years the roadblocks to Cancer research will disappear no matter who is elected. I don't know of any family anywhere that has not been touched by this awful disease. I am grateful that the Senator went to see her while the quality of their visit was better than it would have been tonight. He rightly stayed on the campaign trail tonight for there was nothing he could do for her now but he can still change the awful situation that 8 years of George Bush and Dick Cheny and the Republican party he can do much for our country and the world.

I know that the Senator will never read this but these words by Thomas Wolfe have always brought me comfort when I read them when my mother passed. I send them in spirit to him.

Something has spoken to me in the night,
burning the tapers of the waning year;
something has spoken in the night, and told me I shall die,
I know not where.
Saying: "To lose the earth you know, for greater knowing;
to lose the life you have for greater life;
to leave the friends you loved, for greater loving;
to find a land more kind than home, more large than earth.
Whereon the pillars of this earth are founded,
toward which the conscience of the world is tending
-a wind is rising, and the rivers flow."

I hold Senator Obama and his family in the Light as they go through this time of trial.

2

I watched Boston Legal tonight. This edgy contemporary show is going off the air after this season and I will miss it. Towards the end of the show all of the characters on the show were casting their ballots. Everyone was exercising their right and indeed their duty, to vote. To participate as a citizen in this country. There will be more people vote in this election than any other in our history.  ( BTW,  Denny Crane saw the Light and "crossed the line" and cast his vote for Obama.. Smart man.

I voted a couple of weeks ago. I am proud to have done so. I always vote. The book I am reading now is about the Roman Republic. It seems that some of the issues we have in our world today are some of the same issues which were causing problems in the early days of the Roman Republic. Voting is important. I am hoping for a Democtatic landslide tomorrow. But if something else happens I will learn to live with it. I just urge every one to go out to

VOTE!

Thanks for stopping by, ARTYAL, Hugs.
and Oh yes,

VOTE

Mondays

Snopes

I love this site. From time to time I get e-mails such as this one:

Here is a list of books that Sarah Palin tried to have banned from the Wasilla Public Library, according to the official minutes of the Library Board. When she was unsuccessful at having these books banned, she tried to have the librarian fired.

This information is taken from the official minutes of the Wasilla
Library Board.

As many of you will notice, it is a hit parade for book burners.*

*A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Blubber by Judy Blume
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
{...}
Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Decameron by Boccaccio
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Fallen Angels by Walter Myers
Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure) by John Cleland
Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Forever by Judy Blume
{...}
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
{...}
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary by the Merriam-Webster
Editorial Staff
Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts: The Story of the Halloween
Symbols by Edna Barth*

I read it and I was delighted. I love some of these books and no way should they be banned. I was all ready to post the list and write about people who want to get books banned. But first I went to Snopes. Here is the truth. It is false.

So I did what I have always done. I hit reply and sent him a note telling him that. This evening I got this e-mail

Friends,

The nice thing about the internet and having sharp friends is someone went to Snoopes to verify that posting. Not True!

So Sarah might not have such good taste in literature after all.

I was very pleased to get this e-mail. It tells me that my friend is an honorable person who would not lie. Not so many - especially on the Republican side. I have continually gotten e-mails which try to slander Barak Obama. Many of them use his middle name to cast aspersions over him and try to paint him as a Muslim to talk about him in terms that are less than flattering. The tactics used by Karl Rove and Company are alive and well (Well not really well I think they are sick) on the Republican side. The lies they tell are believed by many. It is sad that more people are not discriminating enough to see the lies for what they are.

The vice-presidential candidate has been caught in so many lies about how she sold her airplane on e-bay (she didn't and she lost money when she did sell it) and how she was against the "Bridge to Nowhere" Maybe she was but she shouldn't have kept the money. I could go on. My friend John, writes incredible responses to these people. He debunks their lies and he tells it like it is. And he is intelligent enough to do it. I get copies of his e-mails to them because he knows I will appreciate them.

The television ads put out by these people are disgraceful. I would be willing to listen to the truth but the continually tell lies. They said they wanted a campaign that discussed issues. Instead they have degenerated into attack lies. It just confirms my resolution to vote for Barak Obama.

You know if the Republican party had not been taken over by the religious Reich and adopted their platform there might have been some Republicans I could vote for. ( I would link to it but their site doesn't work - perhaps they aren't very proud of it)  But their pandering to the theocrats who would deny me my rights and the abuses of our Constitution of our present administration (even though they say they respect the Constitution) make me disinclined to do so. The hypocrisy of the Republican party really began with Nixon. Or at least that is my opinion.

Anyway I refuse to listen to their ads. I await November 5 when it will be decided. In the meantime I shall continue to check out their lies using Snopes or TruthorFiction.com. You really need to check things out.

Thanks for stopping by. I have been and will continue to work at the Scottish Rite in Des Moines this week. I am having a lot of fun doing it. It is good to have someplace to go and people to see. And when I come home there is corn and tomatoes to eat. Nothing better. HUGS, j
Addendum:

Women in our Society

Much is being made of Senator McCain's choice of a woman for his Vice President. It seems to me that some folks in the blogosphere are using this (poor) choice as a way to attack his judgment. I can't argue with that. I wonder why he did it. 

Addendum:  Fran over at FranIam posts this explanation from Jo Trippi.
Now this from Robert Creamer.

I have a feeling that he is a misogynist. Misogyny is hatred (or contempt) of women. I don't think John McCain has a great deal of respect for women. He divorced his first wife and married his current one most likely for mercenary reasons. He has called her a c**t in public and is known as a womanizer.

But this is not about McCain. This is about the way we treat women in our world. One person who early in the election process declared vehemently that he would not vote for Senator Clinton was letting his misogyny show through. I mean it was obvious that he did not like her because she was a woman.

In our world there are societies where women are considered as chattel. They live their entire lives under the domination of a man. In some cultures the woman lives in her father's house. He arranges for her marriage, signs the marriage contract and delivers her to the husband who has complete control over her. She had to bring with her a dowry or "bridal price" to the marriage.

Women were not allowed to hold property in their own name and had to have a caretaker or trustee to hold their property for them.

For many women they do not even have the right to their own name. They start out life with their father's name and when they marry they change it to their husband's. This is slowly changing but I remember how much it bothered some people when my sister did not change her name.

Women in America have always been second class citizens. I recently saw a blog post describing how they were treated when they were fighting for the right to vote. They were thrown into prison cells, beaten, chained to cells and even President Wilson tried to get some of them committed. It was not until 1920 that the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote. Women in many jobs today do not make the wages that men make for doing the same work.

I have known widows who had to learn how to handle finances after their husband died because he would never allow her to have any money except for an allowance for the household.

There are so many misogynistic practices that go on in our world that we are not even aware of that I could not catalog them all. Dressing little boys in blue and little girls in pink is one example. Blue is a color that superstitious people use to ward off evil. Because little boys were more valued of course they were dressed in this color to protect them.

The world is changing. I have seen changes in my lifetime. Women are gaining. Women have property rights now. They are protected by laws (some of them too often ignored) and it is definitely inspiring to see qualified women (such as Mrs. Clinton) aspire to national office.

I still hold doors open for women but I do for men also. And it is all right with me if a woman holds the door for me (after all I am old now) - But the main thing is I look on women as equals. In fact I know some of them are superior to me. I have seen women with great executive ability. In the Order of the Eastern Star the Worthy Grand Matron is in charge of the state wide organization. My friend Betty Briggs was the Right Worthy Grand Secretary of the International Organization and believe me that takes a great deal of ability. There are women in positions of authority in Academic and business positions and they are good.

I guess my whole point for this post is that we need to respect each other as men and women (or women and men as it may be) and in doing so our world will be a better place.

Was I disappointed in John McSame's pick for a Vice President. Yes! Not because she is a woman but because for his first major choice he did not choose more wisely. I do not need to reiterate Ms Palin's shortcomings. There are enough people out there doing that. I just know that there are literally hundreds and thousands of women who would have been a much better choice. It says more to me about his judgment than it does about her qualifications.

I hope to live to see a woman as President of the United States. I was for Mrs. Clinton before I was for Obama. But I had little hope for her getting the nomination. You see I am a realist and I know that being a woman held her back. It is too bad. She would have made a good one. But to be honest, the more I see of Barak Obama the more I like him and his ideas. I am not 100% sold but I do think he will bring our country back to a place of respect in this world and I also think that his wife will make a great First Lady - ( I guess I could go on about that term also because I think it is sexist and antiquated - but I won't)

Thanks for stopping by. Hugs, jcs

Letter to the Editor

With the revelation of a forged letter this week and this article found on Firedoglake I have decided to publish my letter to the Editor of the Des Moines Register here. It is about my friend Matt McCoy and since the Register does not seem to be going to publish it I share it with you here: Addendum: The did publish it but as always they edited it. I will colorize what they left out.

I read with interest your editorial “Politicization at Justice demands follow-up.”
As I read it I thought about my friend Matt McCoy. You see I sat through a day of his hearing and listened to testimony and it was so obvious to me that they were not describing the Matt that I know. I know him to be a good friend, a loving father to his son, Jack and an all around fine person. I did not then, nor do I now, believe the lies that were told about him.

As I have watched and read about the testimony of Monica Gooding in the past week my judgment has been vindicated. Matt was targeted because he was a democrat and because he is gay and it is all right to put targets on the backs of some folks for political purposes.

Matt described to me his feelings when they came to his home very early in the morning to serve him, how his son was told at school by classmates “Your daddy is going to jail.” and how all of that made him feel. He told me about the amount of money it cost him to fight this slander and restore his good name. I still have on my computer the little movie that was on the news when he was acquitted and the joy on his families faces is very moving.

Yes follow up is demanded. What has been done to our system of government is unconscionable. I was always taught that the three branches of government were there to place checks and balances on each other. It is vital that they do so. An independent and impartial judiciary is necessary for that system to work. When the courts are broken the whole system is broken. This sort of thing should not have happened in the America I love.

Unfortunately I do not have much confidence that there will be anything done. It seems that not enough people are willing to stand up for each other and show that they care about what happens.

One of the reasons I started this blog was to be able to put up my thoughts. I think Matt got a raw deal. Hell, I think our country has gotten a raw deal. Thanks for stopping by. jcs

Hate

You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!

The Broadway Musical "South Pacific" has the above song in it. I choke up whenever I hear it. IT SAYS SO MUCH! It is talking about Racism but it could just as well be talking about homophobia or any of the myriad other hatreds that permeate our society.

I was talking with my friend Craig the other day and the subject of the young man who killed his classmate came up. He is to be tried as an adult. I said that I thought that was sad. When asked why I quoted the above song. He was not born that way. How many of you have ever held a little baby. A newborn, when it becomes aware has only love for those who care for and feed and cuddle it. There is much joy in a child. Much love. What happens? What happens when that same child comes to school and becomes (or is already) a bully? They weren't born that way. They didn't grow that way naturally. The vast majority of people aren't that way - or at least they didn't used to be. Somewhere along the way they were taught to hate.

It may not have been a conscious choice on the part of their parents/teachers/friends but it happens. Why? What takes a sweet little child and turns them into a hate machine?

This past week-end some parents and families were sitting in a church. A man (?) came into that church with the express purpose of killing people. He had a shotgun. He hated. It turns out that this was a hate crime. Or at least that is the way it is being reported. You see this was not a "Christian Church" It was a Unitarian Church. I have friends who are Unitarian and they are fine loving and caring people. They probably express more compassion and caring than many so called "Christians." They certainly don't teach hatred and they don't go around carrying signs that say "God Hates Fags" and picket soldiers funerals. They don't spew forth that hatred by making statements that the reason for the tornadoes and hurricane Katrina was because God wants to punish the sinful city of New Orleans or other places. They were quietly and joyfully watching children perform a musical. That is one of the ways they celebrate their spirituality. By performance. Celebrating the joy that God gives to all of us. (More here.)

So this liberal hating person came in and in one moment he tried to destroy all of that - because of his hate. We allow that hatred to grow and fester every time we do not speak out against injustice. Every time we allow blacks or gays or anyone to be treated as less than human. Every time one of the "right-wing" of the Republican party decides to demonize gay people and come out against gay people being allowed to marry or to adopt. When they repeat the mantra "I'm for 'family values.' " When they don't speak out against injustice. They have even decided that the only way to win an election is to use the gays as whipping boys. Oh no you say? I have seen it on TV. It happened before and it continues to happen. The Karl Roves of the party don't seem to believe in their own values enough to put them before the world so they have to set forth lies about others and use fear tactics to win elections. And while they are doing that they are giving their permission and even encouraging these hate mongers to go into churches and schools and other places and kill people.

I heard about more bombings on the news. In India and other middle eastern countries. A religion of hate? We talk about the number of dead American soldiers in Iraq and leave out the wounded. We leave out the number of troops of our allies who have been killed and maimed and we totally dismiss the Iraqi men, women and children who have been killed and maimed in this horrible crime against humanity. We call it a war against terrorism but we have our own terrorists here. Terrorists who, like those abroad, have been carefully taught to be that way.

If you get right down to it the war on terrorism is not because of something Osama Bin Laden and his carefully taught extremists did. It is because of something we did and continue to do. The cowboy in the White House is largely responsible for the climate of hate and fear in the world today. And the frightening snakes in pastor's clothing who give their people license to hate are responsible for the climate of hate and fear in the United States. They are carefully teaching the children that it is all right to hate. It is all right to maim. It is all right to kill.

And hypocrites that they are they do it in the name of the most gentle loving person who ever walked the face of this earth. The person who called God his "father" and told us that we could also be the children of God. That person who did not use fear or hatred to bring God to us but who showed us that GOD IS LOVE - THAT GOD IS LIGHT - And in him is no darkness at all." That person whose message has been completely forgotten by those who are supposed to be his followers.

Even the Anglicans, meeting in England, have given permission for their membership to hate by excluding the gay Bishop of New Hampshire from attending. Well Gene Robinson has more of Christ in him that does the Archbishop of Canterbury who just seems more interested in preserving his power and privilege than in living his (so-called) Christianity. Bishop Robinson is quietly witnessing Christ to the world by his gentle prayerful activities this week. He is writing a blog about it. He inspires me because, even though he could hate, he doesn't.

So do I say all preachers are this way? All politicians? Of course not, I know several who are also loving gentle quiet people who witness to God and Christ in a loving way and who show by their actions that they know a God of Love. However sometimes they are silent and in that silence they allow haters to grow. Strong stances have to be taken against bullies and hatred. You can't keep quiet. You have to show the love that God has for every thing He has created and he created everything. He did not create some to be saved and some to be cast into flames. He created everything and "behold it was very good." When we recognize that and forgive those who hate us as Christ did we will begin to build the world that was shown to us as a possibility 2008 years ago.

Thanks for stopping by. And remember - You are Love. Hugs, j