Be Informed- Be Aware- Part 2 of 2 Do you know the difference?

Be Aware…Be Informed Part 2 of 2 Series –Do we know the difference.

Part 1 was looking at 3 random chosen conservative groups. Part 2 is looking at 3 random chosen liberal groups.  Do we really know the difference?  ***Red denotes me, my opinion. ***

There is that word “progressive” organization. I noticed that this word is also listed on several conservative organizations web sites. “Progressive” means to “happen” or to “develop.”  

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=List_of_progressive_organizations

Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AUSCS) I have to object to the name of this group right off the bat. I am looking at the acronym and to me that seems too much like Auschwitz. But according to their website they actually go by AU. I will follow suit. They are a “nonpartisan organization dedicated to the preserving of church-state separation to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.”  It was found in 1947 because government wanted to extend aid to private religious schools which would clearly violate the constitution of government becoming involved in private religion. Well “hot-dog!” Isn’t that interesting, it had nothing to do with prayer in schools at the inception. But went on to tackle prayer in schools and school sponsored Bible reading. Incidentally, this was in 1962 and 1963 according to their web site. What I find wonderful, the Bible is still read in school and kids still pray, but on their own which is far greater than a teacher or a school requiring a younger person to do so. A young person growing and going toward Jesus and God on their own is greater than being told they “have to.”  

One of this issues I see that they have been dealing with is a 55-foot tall cross in Cross Part. According to Barry W Lynn, executive director of AU, “The City cannot have an official religion and it can’t send that message either.” (Meaning the cross denotes Christianity.) Who is Barry W Lynn? He is an ACLU attorney and an ordained minister with the Church of Christ (COC). I wonder how many COC members are aware of this. The last major church I was affiliated with was COC and I wasn’t aware of it. I can guarantee you that many of my friends are not either. He has also worked very heavily with “Pat Buchanan and Company.”  

This is a liberal group. I thought conservative groups were mainly Christian and faith based—called right wing? But this is a religious group fighting for the constitution to be upheld. Either way, according to Wallace Stegner, a great writer just ask that no one become over zealot because that is when people have the tendency to be murdered at the hands of Christians, and “It not only becomes dangerous but has often masked itself as religious in nature to lift up the down trodden.”

Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Washington, DC. 2012. 19^th August 2012 Web.

http://www.au.org/

Gediman, Exec.  Prod. Dan. This I believe. The Bob Edwards Show: 2^nd April 2010.  Robert Stegner. “Everything is Dangerous” Circa. 1950s.  http://thisibelieve.org/essay/17017  Web  1^st October 2011

Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) has spent years to ensure policies and programs for health care, protection from abuse and neglect, education, moral and spiritual and spiritual foundations for children.  This is a national advocated group for children. “CDF provides a strong, effective and independent voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventative investments before they get sick, drop out of school, get into trouble or suffer family breakdown.” I am not sure what I am reading, but if this group is still in existing, they must not have enough money to really be effective.

“CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations.”  (This is why they are not a strong group. They need money!)

The CDF grew up in Jackson, Mississippi after being born in 1973. (Of all places? And, I think it was a great idea, too. Why? Mississippi had a history before and after World War II of not believing in its children. I personally caught a glimpse of their loving children attitude when I couldn’t believe my ears when listening to an educator in 2002. “We have no funds to teach your child. That is why we passed him to the 6^th grade. We just give them a coloring book and put them at a table. (That was a Harrison County Schools Special Education teacher talking about dyslexia—Wortham Road Elementary-I heard it personally being said to a mother.) When the child reaches 17, contact the Army. They will help him get into the military. They take everybody.” Mississippian farmers also had a strong disliking for motorized plows; the child was the better of the two. Strap a plow to a child and it was more cost effective according to several people I have spoken with and there were no “white and black issues” with the plow. (Although it was a contention that a black child could pull a plow better because they suffered hunger more; which this stopped being an issue after World War II.)

Marian Wright Edelman, 1^st black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar, founded the CDF. “Yet, in the wealthiest nation on earth, millions of children still do not get the head start in life they need and the opportunities to fulfill their God-given potential.” I had to bold this comment, because it is true. If a child has a great set of parents, they get pretty much all the support and opportunity unless the economic hinders them. There are great parents with little to no money for children. It may not have started out that way, but in these times it ended up that way. Children are left out in the cold and in the cracks of society. Why is that? Can anyone answer that question? I cannot fathom as to why we often forget our children in the daily course of our lives. Recently a parent told me, they were able to get everything their children wanted and needed, including the “XBOX.” I asked the parent if they loved their children. Of course they responded favorably. Then I asked them why are they subjecting their children to murder, rape, car theft, hate crimes, reasons not to talk, anti-educational propaganda, and possible addition leading to a possible psychosis – mental disorder? There was no answer to the question. I will tell you the answer, XBOX teaches children to murder, rape, car theft, hate crimes, reasons not to talk except in cursing every other word, anti-educational propaganda, and possibly leads to mental disorders. Not to mention “getting children everything they want” does not make a parent good just that means a parent is throwing money down a hole and is confused as to what a child needs.

According to the website, Dr. Jeanne Middleton-Hairston, CDF Freedom Schools Programs, was only able to serve 8,000 students at over 124 sites in 61 cities across the country.  This statistic just made me sick. This is nowhere near enough help for the amount of children who are actually slipping through the cracks of society.  SOMEONE DONATE TO THIS GROUP. GIVE THEM SOME MONEY. Do what is right for the future of our children—the future of our country. If I had any money to donate I would. But, I just spent my last $5.00 on gas to move on campus to get my master’s degree and being an associate teacher, my work doesn’t start back up unit after the last week in August. I too am broke!

Children’s Defense Fund. Washington, DC 2012. 17^th August 2012 Wed. http://www.childrensdefense.org/

Park Foundation, Inc. This liberal organization was founded by Roy Hampton Park, Sr. He graduated high school at the age of 15 years old where he went on to NC State U and majored in journalism according to their website. This is a very private organization that promotes communications. He worked for H.E. Babcock (founder of Grange League Federation--now “Agway”—which sells products to grower or buys products and markets them through various channels nationally and internationally.) I was curious about the last name Babcock and if there was any relation to the Mary Reynolds Babcock foundation from North Carolina. I couldn’t find any link between the two. Mary Reynolds Babcock was the daughter of R J Reynolds (Reynolds tobacco) and Katherine Smith. She married a Charles Henry Babcock from Lafayette, IN.  

This is a 501(c)(3) organization that believes in higher education with limits set at Ithaca College and NC State University for exceptional students in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service and character; it further more “supports interests in media that raises awareness of critical environmental, political and social issues to promote a better informed citizenry in the U.S.”  The foundation promotes healthy drinking water systems in the U.S, nationally significant animal welfare, sustainable Ithaca as well as their community needs (Tompkins County, NY.) The Board of Trustees are from areas around the country NY, NC, DC, and FL. The student receiving the scholarship needs to also have a financial need or such.

There is not a lot to say about this organization other than their premise is short, sweet, and to the point. But then there again, nothing denotes it as being liberal and or conservative.

Park Foundation.  2012. Ithaca, NY. 18^th August 2012 Web.  http://www.parkfoundation.org/

In determining what is liberal versus conservative, in all honesty we do not know. Morality and character is a major common factor with all 6 groups that were examined. Christianity and the constitution is a common factor among 5 groups. So with the similarity involved, why all the “mud sling and finger pointing” between the democrats and republicans?  Why the hate? The major common factors are the foundations; we want to see our Constitutional rights remain in tack and Christianity a forefront leader—which in my opinion, neither candidate nor any candidate can claim top priority to this election year.

YOU DECIDE!

Be Aware---Be Informed Part 1 of 2 Series

BE INFORMED PART ONE (1)

Do We Know The Difference?

Do you honestly know the difference between conservative and liberal? The following information might surprise you as to what their platforms really are.

***Red script denotes my opinion and questions that we should all ponder upon.*** 

I have chosen three random groups from a “Google” search just to inform everyone on the basis what denotes the conservative platform.

Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) – devoted to improving public appreciation of the world of business in what it terms a moral society. This group was founded by Ernest W LeFever, a protestant Minister, scholar and compassionate realist. He was an assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs. He debated whether, how and how much human rights issues should be part of American foreign policy. The US had no right or power “to promote human rights in other sovereign states.”

Martin, Douglas. New York Times. “Ernest W Lefever, Rejected as a Reagan Nominee, Dies at 89”, 4^th August  2009. Web 7^th August 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/us/politics/05lefever.html

The EPPC was established in 1976 to clarify and reinforce the bond between the Judeo Christian moral tradition and the public debate over domestic and foreign policy. According to its web site it wants to control the decisions of the US Supreme Court because “the program focuses, in particular, on what is at stake for American culture writ large—for the ability of the American people to engage in responsible self-government and to maintain the “indispensable supports” of “political prosperity” that George Washington (and other Founders) understood “religion and morality” to be.”

Interesting enough, on the same page of their web site, “the views expressed by EPPC scholars in their work are their individual view only and are not to be imputed to EPPC as an institution.” 

So they do not back the word of the organizations scholars? Furthermore, they want to promote unity among all religions, with the Pope taking up issues as “religious freedom, ecumenism, Christian-Jewish dialogue, and the culture of life.”

Ethics and Public Policy Center, The Constitution, the Courts, and the Culture. 2012. Web 7^th August 2012  http://www.eppc.org/programs/constitution/programID.39/default.asp

**This is not what our founding fathers intended and was far from it. Let us take a quick history lesson. Henry (of England) didn’t like the way the Catholic Church was dictating to him about the fact he wanted to divorce his wife and marry another because he had some morality issues and wanted a male heir to the throne. He started an Anglican Church of England.  Some settlers in the Colonies wanted freedom from religious persecution that meant in some cases Catholic and Anglican Churches.  It is common historical knowledge that the Pilgrims attitude was “Whatever the elders had planned at Leyden, it is clear that Bradford (1590-1657) (Governor at Plymouth) and the younger generation was to create, under God and His guidance, a Christian community on wealth in which Scripture should be the guide but with civil and religious function clearly separated.”  The Virginian Statute for Religious Freedom 1786 was the forerunner for the 1^st Amendment, “Whereas, Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishment…are a departure from the plan of the Holy Arthur of our religion, who, being Lord both of body and mind, that chose not to propagate it by coercions on either.” (Thomas Jefferson) (This information is taken from my classroom study notes on the period.)

All of this (1976) came right after a period of conservative politics that went so far that everyone was being investigated By Nixon. Elvis had say in the White House. The overall political system was trying to heal itself at the hands of Gerald Ford—troops were coming home from Vietnam still. It was just before the new US political leader was about to take office Jimmy Carter—a highly religious man with sound moral values. He proved to be a terrible president—economically speaking. His hands just weren’t dirty enough, we had to go out and elect Ronald Reagan—the president who actually did nothing. He let everyone else do it for him and took their credit; he was the actor on the screen that did just that and very well—acted.  I even voted for him.   

The EPPC wants to control our thoughts on religion and morality. I do not want modern man to gather together to tell me how to think or take my right away to think because God gave that to me not modern man. Who is to say they know God any better in their heart than I do? In doing so they would be taking away my liberty to religious freedom.

To speak of our founding fathers, would it be appropriate to say that Jefferson was humane toward his slaves as scientific experiments? He would inject his slaves with cow pox in 1796. If that didn’t kill them, then he would use live small pox. I also remember years ago reading (do not ask me to site the source) how he stood his slaves up against the barn wall to observe them urinating. (This doesn’t sound exactly like humane not moral treatment to me.)

The Legal Eagle Community Newsletter Blog. “Thomas Jefferson’s Medical Experiments on Slaves”. 15^th July 2010. Web 10^th August 2012.  http://legaleaglesflyordie.blogspot.com/2010/07/thomas-jeffersons-medical-experiments.html

The Heritage Foundation is a “research and educational institution.” It is their goal to promote conservative public policy on free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense according to their website. They are a tax exempt organization that relies very heavily on its support from the general public, foundations and corporations. They will not accept any governmental money and do not perform any contract work. They believe very much in the constitution feeling they are any authority to every aspect of it. They strongly believe that late President Wilson “…led the
Progressive revolution in American politics out of which grew modern liberalism.” (I thought this was a conservative group.) They are quoting an essay in which Woodrow Wilson: Godfather of Liberalism. According to Ronald Pestritto, Wilson has been attending a new formed progressive movement department at Johns Hopkins University with the express purpose of bringing German education, principals, and the science of their politics into the America politics. While Wilson was working at Princeton he began having an illicit affair with Mary Peck. Eventually Wilson started in politics with national income taxes in 1913, Federal Reserve Act, and worked hard to point out that there was a lack of federal foreign policy under “Teddy.”

Pestritto, Ronald. The Heritage Foundation—Leadership for America. “Woodrow Wilson: Godfather of Liberalism.” 31^st July 2012. Web 8^th August 2012.  http://www.heritage.org/about .

 I now gather that progressive liberalism is now conservative. But what was going on in 1876 in Germany when J Hopkins University wanted Germany so much in America? President Grant was in office. “The German Conservative Party, right wing political party, was founded which only represented the interests of the German nobility and the Evangelical Church of the Prussian Union because of universal suffrage… The party failed and dissolved and eventually became the German National People’s Party…with no connection to the German Conservative Party of 1946.”

Wikipedia-The Free Encyclopedia “German Conservative Party” 26^th April 2012. Web 7^th August 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Conservative_Party

The German economy had been good until about 1876; then it started to be shaky. They wanted to return to the power they had received where as metal (gold) backed their economy. But according to the National Monetary Commission, “the outflow of gold in 1874-76, experience a violent interruption for reasons connected with carrying out the German monetary reforms.” (220)  “The Prussian Bank was in the last year of its existence, relieved of acute uneasiness about an outflow of gold, it was now forced to adopt a severe limitation of inland circulation which affected the money market.” (221)

German Monetary Commission.  The Reichsbank 1876-1910. Washington: Government Printing Office: 1910. Web.  7^th August 2012. http://books.google.com/books?id=WT8uAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA217&lpg=PA217&dq=German+economy+1876&source=bl&ots=8JjfeCK1L0&sig=YLydWertX3DVFnwOkPefCzWKckQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=FwMiUL-3J4GC2AX9u4DIBA&ved=0CE8Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=true.

**Let me see if I understand the principal of this organization. One of its goals is to promote American values. Well if Woodrow Wilson is a representative of American values then this organization would clearly be in conflict with EPPC. Is adultery an American value or is it a pre-qualification of American political leaders? This organization is about money being free to make money anyway you see fit and adultery. This is something that is needed in America?

A few years back, I received some information from this group in the mail. Talk about what sounded like pure “hate of the fellow man.” If I didn’t know any better, I thought I was reading something from the class of “Brotherhood of the Skinhead Prison Race Relations 101.”

John Birch Society  (JBS) – I happen to think this is by far the most interesting society of all. John Birch was deceased when his society was started by Robert Welch, who started the Oxford Candy Company because the inventor of the Sugar Daddy. He left his own company after a dispute with management and went to work for his brother until he retired. But who was John Birch? He was “a devoted Christian missionary who served in World War II and was killed by Chinese Communists 10 days after the war ended.” He secretly was a US Intelligence Agent between China and North Korea; he was murdered in some espionage case that was covered up which if brought to light might have made a difference between USA, China, and North Korea.

Another key player in the JBS was Dr. Larry McDonald, Representative Larry McDonald who married Callie Grace Patton – cousin to George S Patton. He was a democrat---who believed in Jefferson, Jackson and Grover Cleveland, the Constitution, rejected the New Deal and government approach of F D Roosevelt. He crusaded against communism and believed in National Security. His best friend was Ron Paul. He was the “only Congressman lost to the communists during the Cold War” during the Korean Air Lines Flight 007 shot down by a Soviet MIG fighter over Safhalin Island in 1983.

Other famous people involved in the John Birch Society were Robert Welch, Fred Koch(founded the oil refinery), Augereau Heinsohn (Cotton Mills in Tennessee and NC-anti Union), William Grede (producer of ductile iron and steel, anti-union), and Garman Kimmell (inventor—oil and gas).

According to their web site their core principals are “To bring about less government, more responsibility, and – with God’s help—a better world by providing leadership, education, and organized volunteer action in accordance with moral and constitutional principles.” They admit all persons who believe in the 10-Commandments regardless of race, colors, creeds, or national organization who believe that God will lead to the better world desired by all men and women of good will with no particular religious background. The organization would also like to promote the prosperity that the Founding Fathers worked toward for all Americans.

The Board of Directors members are electors, friends with members of the German cabinet and European Unions, military men, Christian Coalition, believers in Financial Terrorism, and major contributors to explosive conservative magazines like the New America. Also on the board are connections to the insurance industry; according to the biography of Clark Curry, “He has actively worked with the state legislators the past thirty years on such issues as opposing the Equal Rights Amendment and opposing a Constitution Convention.” Robert Bell “challenged the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s intention to acquire jurisdiction over the industry.” He and his wife strongly oppose the “dangerous” Equal Rights Amendments. There was even a natural born Canadian in the group who wants to “fight against unconstitutional federal regulatory agencies, especially the Food and Drugs Administration’s attempt to gain control over the vitamin and health products industry.” Again, according to their web site, they have a Jewish gentleman on the Board to ensure they are not anti-Semitic as previously rumored. There are connections to the Oil and Gas Industry, Financial Industry, Pharmaceutical Industry and Associations, Energy Industry, Horse Associations, benched judges, plumbers, police officers, Gideon’s International, district attorney, automobile dealership owners, rotary club members, pilots, and doctors.  

The John Birch Society: Appleton, WI.  8th of August 2012. Web. http://www.jbs.org/

I looked at the current National Council and not one of them is African-American or Hispanic and any other known national race that resides as true US Citizens. There are no females in the board of directors either. Why is that?

After listening to a speech (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZU0c8DAIU4&feature=related) that was on You-tube by Robert Welch dated 1958, it was very enlightening. The things he spoke on were against communism, but he also warned the people of what was to become in society; His contention was to (1) restore independence (2) get UN out of US business (3) Restore Gold as backing US Dollar (4) Reduce government by 50% (5) bring all war time troops home except those on US soil, and (6) get government out of society.

Another web site that spoke of the JBS stated that earlier “Birch conspiracism reflects an ultraconservative business nationalist critique of business internationalist networked through groups such as Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). The CFR is viewed through a conspiracist lens as puppets of the Rockefeller family in a 1952 book by McCarthy fan, Emanuel M. Josephson, Rockerfeller, ‘Internationalist’: The Man Who Misrules the World. In 1962 Dan Smoot’s The Invisible Government added several other policy groups to the list of conspirators, including the Committee for Economic Development, the Advertising Council, and the Trilateral Commission. Smoot had worked at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC before leaving to establish an anticommunist newsletter, The Dan Smoot Report. The shift from counter-subversion on behalf of the FBI to counter-subversion in the private sector was an easy one. The basic thesis was the same. In Smoot’s concluding chapter, he wrote, “Somewhere at the top of the pyramid in the invisible government are a few sinister people who know exactly what they are doing: They want America to become part of a worldwide socialist dictatorship, under the control of the Kremlin.”  

The Kremlin has since fallen during Reagan’s administration, which he took a big part in making sure that it happened. Or so we were told?

Political Research Associates – Researching the Right for Progressive Change Makers. “The John Burch Society”. Somerville, MA: 2010. Web 8^th August 2012.  http://www.publiceye.org/tooclose/jbs.html.

In all my research, I did run across something really interesting, “Agenda 21”, while going back and double checking the JBS web site once more.  “Effective execution of Agenda 21 will require a profound reorientation of all human society, unlike anything the world has ever experienced – a major shift in the priorities of both governments and individuals and an unprecedented redeployment of human and financial resources. This shift will demand that a concern for the environmental consequences of every human action be integrated into individual and collective decision-making at every level…There are specific actions which are intended to be undertaken by…in short, every person on Earth.”  This is dealing with the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) founded before the Rio Summit 1992. Newport, MA is part of the ICLEI “which is a government to government entity, unconstitutional on its face.” (Is the unconstitutional that is mentioning covered under Article 1 Section 10? Alabama Legislator’s were the first state to vote down and heartedly oppose Agenda 21.) I will have to further investigate this Agenda 21 for a future blog because it has definitely intrigued my curiosity.

I suggest everyone find out about Agenda 21. Research it and be informed. It is not totally about controlling the environment of forestation of lands.  I suggest America not go along with this program. It is not only our federal government, but I feel the United Nations is too far in the running of our government at this point. We may have already lost our Constitutional Rights, and are just too unlearned to recognize that fact.

In closing, Part 1 of “Be Informed-do we know the difference”, I have certainly learned a tremendous amount. All three of these groups are lobbyists groups with an agenda. John Birch Society seems to be the cleanest, more stable group of intellects by far. They all have one commonality—nationalism and the security of the good old USA. 

I was listening the other day to John Wayne speak on “Why do you March” and “Why he loves America.” It was on YouTube and being a life-long fan of “the Duke”, I couldn’t help myself but to down-load it to listen to it over and over again. (He’s my hero.) What would he say if he were alive today to the current state of affairs? “Well partner…they may try to hurt their elders and betters, but they won’t. They won’t if they know what is best for America and that my friend is why we are called The United States of America.”  You politicians and general public best remember that because that is probably what John Wayne would have said.

What would Jesus have said? Nothing, he probably would have gone up on the Mount and screamed: then he would have prayed until he understood how to calmly address the situation. He would tell us we certainly have turned into a greedy lot of people. 

BEWARE..BE INFORMED SERIES--Is anyone awake at Houston Police Department?

A friend of mine recently forwarded me a little news paper type magazine called the Houston Press. One article in particular caught my eye. It was about “cat killing” in some affluent neighborhoods in Houston that has been going on since 2009. According to John Lomax, “In many cases, the cats are shaved, skinned, and mutilated—sometimes beheaded and other times halved or quartered. The bodies are often left on display—in driveways or in one case, in the middle of a baseball diamond.”

What kind of sick sociopath is running around out there in these affluent neighborhoods? This has been going for over 3 years and just “…last week, Crime Stoppers issued a statement…” and put up a reward. I am just now hearing about this. This type of report scares me. Let me tell you why?

I had always heard (rumored) that a serial killer generally starts out mutilating animals because of their morbid curiosity to death. According to the FBI studies “Over the past twenty years, law enforcement and experts from a number of varying disciplines have attempted to identify specific motivations for serial murders and to apply those motivations to different typologies developed for classifying serial murders. These range from simple, definitive models to complex, multiple—category typologies that are laden with inclusion requirements. Most typologies are too cumbersome to be utilized by law enforcement during an active serial murder investigation and they may not be helpful in identifying an offender.” This publication also goes on to state, “Serial murder involves strangers with no visible relationship between the offender and the victim.” In other words, the rumor that I am aware of may or may not be true but it is hard to tell because of the actual statistics of the FBI in this case (the teaching and learning particulars) are not really going to be shared with the general public. But, what we do know is that the possibility of these cat killings being the fore-runner of a serial killer in theses affluent neighborhoods is 50/50.

They will not kill someone they know. I have to in my heart make this statement, if I were in the law enforcement field I would find the cat killer. The cat killer may get board and graduate to killing something larger. I would hate it to be human. In Houston, Texas, there are a lot of people who do not know each other.

FYI: I personally support HPD and they are a group of very fine group of individuals. They are just overworked and under paid (for the most part) according to the job they have to do. They have always come when I needed help and I am forever thankful to them. But sometimes, the obvious needs to be pointed out. And then again, I could be totally wrong—that is my opinion.

SOURCES CITED:
Lomax, John N. Houston Press Vol. 24 No. 9 July 19-24. ““$5K Reward Offered to End Cat Slaughter” Houston, TX. 2012.

Be informed Series

Recently I was in a bad situation. I was suppose to be in charge of buying a gift. I couldn't do it! Why? I couldn't remember what would be the best gift at the time. I searched and searched and nothing came to mind. The leader of a group I belong to had to come to the rescue. She did a great job with such a wonderful selection in the gift department. It was most appropriate for the occasion. She saved the day!

Be informed series this week is about gift giving. Every year we are all faced with a dilemma of gift giving as adults for many different reasons. Of course my favorite is weddings. They are generally easiest because of registries. However not all brides and or grooms register. What to do? Simple.

Here are three rules to go by.

(A)  Always set your personal budget. What are you willing to spend on any gift and stick to it.

(B)  Occasion appropriate

(C)  Age appropriate

Now let us brain storm together.

(1) Weddings: Budget $25-$100.00

Kitchen garbage can full of cleaning supplies, paper towels, sponges, dish cloths.
A box of spices or spice rack (Salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, etc.)
Pool your money with others (equally)and give a large VISA gift card to be used at the discretion of the couple. (We used ours for extra bills and that $200 was really a God-send.)
Framed copies of really old family photos or of the couples baby pictures (obtained by calling their parents).
5 stainless steel cooking utensils -- they are heavy and generally lasts numerous years.(A really good cooking utensil is generally $10 each--spatula, 2- spoons, slotted spoon, and soup ladle).
2- sets of towels (simple white) for private use (2-wash cloth, 2- hand towels, and 2
bath sheets).
Iron, ironing board, and can of starch (Shouldn't laugh -- makes a great gift).
A living frame with their picture in the center that can be added to continually until full of pictures and such like neat paper collectibles, their honey moon plane ticket stubs, the first $1.00 made in their married lives together, the announcement of the arrival of their children, yearly family snap shots,other paper keepsakes, etc. can be put into this frame.
A laundry basket full of laundry supplies and if they do not have a washer and dryer throw in a roll of quarters.
A homemade gift from the heart that should be noted on the card as such will bring a tear to the couple -- like a homemade Christmas ornament for their 1st tree together or a needle point share pillow. (One large pillow where they can put their heads together and think. Let the couple know this is what the pillow is for.)
Two silver ID bracelets-matching with their initials.
A gift card for two auto oil changes. (Don't laugh this is at least a $50.00 gift and in some cases a most needed one.)

(2) Gift Adult: Budget $10-$75.00(all occasions)

Manicure or pedicure gift card (men love this too).
Sterling silver key chain with monogrammed initials.
Sterling Silver ladies antique purse mirror compact with initials (I once found one in a pawn shop that was really ornate. Yes it was used but once they polished it and monogrammed it with the initials it was a really beautiful piece. I gifted a really unique retiring teacher with that for $45.00)
VISA Gift Card -- pool with other guest of equal amount to be used at the discretion of the receiver. (I used mine to buy groceries or pay an extra bill off.)
A gift card to have for auto oil change. (I kept needing an oil change but never had the money to get one done until someone gave me a gift certificate for Christmas. I was very appreciative because it was 6 months overdue.)
Two movie passes to the local movie theater.
A nice monogrammed writing pen. (I still have mine from years ago,refill it and use it).
(If they are elderly) A gift card to the local pharmacy or holistic health food store.(Which ever is appropriate for their lifestyle).
Offer of free baby sitting service for Mommy and Daddy for 2 date nights.
Two passes to the local ball game.
A small monogrammed pillow for the office chair.
A gift card to the local Army/Navy store.
A sterling silver ID Bracelet with initials.
Sterling silver earrings.
A gift card for a make over.

(3)Gift - Child: Budget $10-$75 - make it age appropriate

$25.00 US Savings Bond.
Gift passes to the local roller skating rink.
Two movie passes to the local movie theater.
Manicure or pedicure gift card.
VISA gift card pooled with other guest to the local Mall.
Gift card to glamour photography package.
Two passes to the local ball game.
Two concert tickets.
Keepsake toy.
Age appropriate toy that your child picked out for the other child.
A card with $10.00 is wonderful.

(4) Baby Shower: Budget $10-$100.00

The best gift of all is supplies. As a new parent, you never have enough diapers, baby wipes, baby shampoo, electrical covers, shoulder covers, bibs, pacifiers, etc.
A package or two of "t-shirts" or "sleepers".
A special keepsake outfit. (This can be found really inexpensive at any upscale resale shop.)

RULES FOR GIFTING and RULES FOR RECEIVING

(a)As a receiver, accept the gift lovingly no matter how bad it is.

(b)Never buy a $9.99 gift at the last minute. I would have rather received a card with a $10.00 bill or a $5.00 bill (even as an adult instead a $4.99 or $9.99 standard stock useless Christmas gift.) I could use the cash for gas and would have loved you more for giving it to me or a simple card would have done just as wonderful. I would have understood and really do not expect gifts from anyone.

(c)Homemade gifts are from the heart and should be noted on the card as such.

(d) Do not gift fast food restaurant gift cards. Encouraging bad eating habits is not a good gift.

(e) Never buy video games, because you could be training tomorrows high school shooter.

(f) Never buy school supplies unless it is a "just because gift" and you know that the parent(s) are financially having a hard time but never at a specific occasion.

(g) Never buy anything that has to be returned or sized--specifically socks, shirts, or any type of clothes. (I had a relative who use to buy my underwear for me. It was always too big. They didn't have a lot of money and a simple card to say "Hey! I love you! Would have been wonderful.)

(h) Never buy crafts (unless the child or adult is a craft type person.)

(i) If you do not know the receiver you are gifting to, buy simple or a card with $10.00 cash for the "crunch times". Everyone has a "crunch time."

(j) Do not be afraid to shop at Pawn Shops. You would be surprised what you find in the better ones. The price is generally budget friendly and can be "negotiated."

(k) Jewelry should always be sterling silver preferably something that can have the initials put on it. (Silver is generally inexpensive.)

(l) Resale shops are wonderful for baby shower items.

(m) If you have a really close relative that is having a baby shower and your child just outgrew or never worn those items; wash them thoroughly and gift them. Explain to the relative that instead of having a garage sale, these are clothes that your child has outgrown. It will save you a bundle in the long run. Be sure to clean them and pass to the next relative expecting a child. My cousins and I did this often. We received new and used items and were very thankful. It did save a lot of money.

(n) Do not be afraid to shop at junk stores. I once found a place setting of
authentic depression glass. It happened to turn out to be a match of the up coming bride-to-be that she had been collecting for years. (That $350.00 collectible cost me $20.00. What a gift!)

(o) If you are older and have an extra family heirloom that was always admired by one of the upcoming bride or groom, gift it. The cost involved is wrapping and delivery.
I once received my g-g grandmother's flat cast iron skillet. I had admired it for years. I still have it in my possession. My mother started a green swirl depression class collection over 40 years ago. No one in my immediately family cared for it. My cousin loved it. He was getting married. Guess who received it as a wedding gift. Another cousin was a collector of antiques. I had many old, old family photos. I had them copied and placed in antique style frames. He and his new bride loved them very much and it fit perfect with their decor. Giving a used gift is acceptable. Mother had an ugly orange vase from my grandmother. I hated it. Couldn't stand to look at it. It is now in my aunts living room. She always loved it. We gave it to her as a Christmas gift.

(p) Easter for children: No to all the advertisement junk at Easter. A simple basket with 1-toy so the child won't feel left out is sufficient.

(q) Christmas for children: No to all the advertisement junk at Christmas. Two simple items per child not only keeps the parents out of the "red debt zone" but in the long run does not turn your child into an expectant materialistic brat! To other relative children, a simple card $5.00-$10.00 cash enclosed is appropriate or one simple gift. As grand-parents, stick to the card and money when the child is older. When the child is younger, like baby age, a $25.00 US Savings Bond is fantastic. <b>REPEAT DO NOT GO INTO HOCK AND SPOIL YOUR CHILD MATERIALISTICALLY BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET IT AS A CHILD-- A COMMON MISTAKE AMONG PARENT(S).</b>

(r) Christmas for adults: No to all the advertisement junk at Christmas. One simple gift,
YOU NEVER KNOW ABOUT GIFTS UNTIL YOU TRY. KNOW WHO YOU ARE GIFTING TO IF POSSIBLE.

VALENTINES DAY:

Buy some red construction paper. Make a heart. Fold, sign it and give it with a simple sucker taped to each as a child.

AS A MAN TO A WOMAN: The best gift of all. Buy some red construction paper. Cut out a
heart. Write on it your feelings. Fold it and give it to her. If your penmanship is bad, use the words out of a magazine to express your feelings. (She will melt in your arms.)(If you want to take her to dinner, make the picnic dinner yourself. She will remember it for the rest of her life. Menu: sandwiches, soda, chips, strawberries, and a chocolate candy bar --for 2--at the park is priceless.)

WOMAN TO A MAN: A simple chocolate heart will please him and you doting over his gift is all that is wonderful. (Unless he doesn't buy you a gift. Then he can have only a chocolate heart but not yours because that is not a good sign.)

Hobbes

It is 5:47am (cst)I have been up most of the night. I am really getting ready to start college again in hopes of earning my Master's Degree. I have been doing a little prep-work for one of my classes...I ran across the definition of Hobbes (you know the philosopher). It is interesting: try putting Hobbes as a politician in today's society. He is an English materialist and political philosopher who advocated absolute sovereignty as the only kind of government caused by the selfishness of human beings. Hobbes was basically people should pursue what ever and defend their own interests--solitary, poor, nasty and brutish. However our founding fathers -- embraced John Locke's work -- unalienable rights -- with some restrictions to individual rights to maintain democracy. Question to think about? Have we allowed too much materialism to be interjected in our lives? and if so, Have we become too selfish as human beings in defending our personal interest and not what is best for all of our brethren? Have we all become solitary, poor, nasty and brutish? TIME TO TAKE A STAND AND STEP OUT OF THE NORMS OF THE POLITICAL BOX. We are all in the same boat together. UNITED WE STAND...LET US NOT BE DIVIDED WE FALL! Maybe the one good quality I do posses is the ability to want us to really think about what we read. Then we should sit down, think about it and ask ourselves honestly "Why do I think this way?" (a) Is it because I was raised this way? (b) Did I pick up this thinking form school? Honesty in ourselves is something that is often taken for granted--especially when it comes to people wanting certain material things in life.

Be informed series....

I noticed that "Being informed" seems to have received the most hits. If you need a subject researched for truth or just to be informed. Let me know. Contact me by e-mail at juliaburns253@yahoo.com -- in subject matter write "research for your blog". I will use your initials if you allow as the questioner and research every aspect of it. If you have any question and cannot find out the answer let me know? No matter the subject matter. I will find out the truthful answer. THERE IS NO FEE FOR ME DOING THIS! I just want to write about it on my blog. Further more no information other than you initials will be used period. I believe in truth in literature no matter what the literature is. But I will ask, no pornography -- the only truth in that is that it is pornography period. Thanks Julia

Be Informed Series--- Welfare and Drug Testing.

How many have seen this little ad on Facebook? If your elderly mother or father were forced to submit to a drug test to get food stamps, how would she feel? It was hard enough to walk into that Health and Human Service office as it was to ask for a “hand out.” But that woman or that man who really needs help, who has worked hard their entire life, is being told a clear message. MESSAGE: “WE DO NOT TRUST YOU DOPE HEAD!” We are putting you in the class with everyone else. In our lives, we often stereo type people with certain words and or phrases – like the use of the world WELFARE. Let us be honest about it, in the south what is the 1st thing that comes to mind. –WOMAN “A” -- “Some woman comes in with 4 or 5 screaming babies; she is tired looking, dressed shabbily. I bet you none of those children belong to the same father. She keeps having baby and getting food stamps. I bet you she also is a prostitute.” Let me give you another scenario. –WOMAN “B” -- A Hispanic woman pays for her formula using WIC and the remainder of her groceries with food stamps. First thought “I bet you she is an Illegal alien who came to this country and is given a government handout!” If this is your thought process (I am not telling you what to think – but again be honest with yourself) shame on you! Let me tell you why. Are you in either of these women’s shoes? No. I know of two cases like I just mentioned. Woman “A” is waiting on some type of life insurance settlement on her only husband who died in a construction accident—social security is making her prove the paternity of her children since two were born before she married their father. Woman “B” (the Hispanic woman) is a natural born US citizen and her husband was killed while going to help her brother with a broken down car. He was shot due to mistaken identity. They had no life insurance. Her social security benefit from her late husband is less than $1,200.00 per month. How does a single mother support an infant and two children off of that? I know for a fact that woman “A” cannot pass a drug test. She is on a mild anti-depressant. According to Harold Pollack, these are obstacles to getting these women out in the work force. Remove the obstacle and they all can work. A woman or man on more than 16 pills due to mental and health issues, zoned out can work? Okay. How are these women going to afford child care? All their children are under the age of 10. According to all the research, women on welfare are more likely to use illegal narcotics but the actual statistics just do not support the evidence because the newest studies were done in the 90s. It did show a decrease of usage from other studies done. But the factors involved are very wide as to why. The studies were not done except through a questionnaire of recipients. Now recently, with the upcoming presidential election, many politicians are screaming “Welfare reform by requiring drug testing.” Mitt Romney has been quoted as stating “Good idea.” Newt Gingrich also thinks it is a great idea, but he was the politician who feels that women on welfare reform need to find themselves a husband to get off welfare. He made a statement similar to that back in the early 90s. If a woman needs a man to gain substance to feed her children and herself, then she is nothing more than a prostitute for goods and services. But what does the Newt know? He allegedly changes wives due like he changes his underwear! He and ex-governor Fordice (R-Mississippi) strongly believed women needed to stay married regardless of any situation. Rumor has it that is why Mrs. Fordice divorced retired Governor Fordice because it seemed he was married to another bent over his desk and she walked in and caught him? **On a personal note, after my divorce, I went on welfare because there were no jobs available. I asked one of the Mississippi State Senators for assistance in collecting child support, to get the papers pushed through. He agreed to assist me but I needed to meet with him to give him some information. Do you know what information he wanted? He wanted to get one on one instruction between the sheets of how hard I really had it and how hard it would be for him to give me the help I needed. Needless to say, I stayed on public assistance and did without child support.** The truth of the matter, there are less than 20% of welfare recipients on illegal drugs. There are many extenuating circumstances of why a person is on any types of welfare or narcotics taking into consideration of mental illness as well. There are many barriers as to why women cannot get off welfare. To date there is about an equalized amount racially speaking of people on the roles. Idaho (according to an AP article in 2012) did a detailed financial study of the cost for all this drug testing. Florida did a similar study as well. It would cost the tax payers more money to do the drug test on welfare recipients. Florida found out first hand that they lost a lot of money in doing the drug testing. Who are the losers in this situation? Children, elderly, and tax payers would lose. Last but not least, the test cases already done have found that forcible testing is in violation of the 4th Amendment. Furthermore, we do not do drug testing on prisoners in our jails because of violating their 4th Amendment, then why should we do it on 8-20% of the welfare recipients that may or may not be abusing drugs. Prisoners incarcerated are far more likely to do illegal narcotics than welfare recipients. Sources: Associated Press. NY Times. “Growing Support for Drug Testing of Welfare Recipients.” 25th February 2012. Web http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/us/support-grows-for-idea-of-drug-tests-for-welfare-recipients.html 14th June 2012. Deva, Jorge, Yehuda D Nuemark, Carolyn D M Furr and James C Anthony. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. “Drug Use Among Welfare Recipients in the US.” 2000 Vol. 26, No. 2 Pgs 335-342. Web http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1081/ADA-100100609 14th June 2012. McNutty, Frederick. The College Voice. “No Welfare recipients should not be drug tested.” 8th Feb 2012. Web http://thecollegevoice.org/ 14th June 2012.

Be informed -- Part of a series of Articles on being informed.

Always having enjoyed my mornings, this particular morning is no different. I woke up and read “Yahoo News” while drinking my coffee and getting ready to face whatever challenges this hot, steamy day in June may present. Among the headlines that really caught my eye was this one in particular:

“UN: Food supply tenuous for 16 million N Koreans.”

I like that word tenuous. (Like many of Americans, I had to look it up. I do not use a word unless I know the full meaning of it.) In other words the food supply in North Korea is lacking, weak, rare.

Do you remember back when (1950s/60s/70s) our parents use to advise us at the dinner table to eat all the food on our plate?

“There are thousands of starving children in southern Asia who go without food.”

Was there any substance to that comment? I cannot speak for then, but for now, that comment is very true and sad to say. I took the time to research the situation. According to an article written by Han Ho Suk, North Korean is fast becoming a world super power and willing to take on anyone who gets in its way. This is all fine and dandy but the country of North Korea cannot feed 24 million people and the United Nations is calling for help. (Lee) A while back, the United States placed an economic blockade on North Korea to enforce worldly UN Sanctions for nuclear weapons, yet the State Department issued information last year that US “will be giving” North Korean emergency aid only. (Michell) Does this make sense?

Get ready US Citizens because our government (which is nothing new with this administration) will cause the people of this country to have severe economic intestinal pains when they swallow this dose of CRAP which is being inflicted or dealt with behind closed doors. I have to criticize whether or not most of the worldly leaders have any intellect what so ever or does this only apply to the USA and its citizens. See if you can make any sense in all of this.

The US State Department, April 2012, published this information about North Korea: Economy* GDP (2010 est., CIA World Factbook): $28 billion; 48.2% in industry, 31% in services, 20.8% in agriculture. Per capita GDP, purchasing power parity (2011 est., CIA World Factbook): $1,800. Agriculture: Products--rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, cattle, pigs, pork, and eggs. Mining and manufacturing: Types--military products, machine building, electric power, chemicals, mining (coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy, textiles, food processing, tourism. Trade (2010): Exports--$2.557 billion (CIA World Factbook): minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments), textiles, agricultural and fishery products. The D.P.R.K. is also thought to earn hundreds of millions of dollars from the unreported sale of missiles, narcotics, and counterfeit cigarettes and currency, and other illicit activities. Imports--$3.529 billion: petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain. Major trading partners (2009): (1) China, (2) R.O.K., (3) Singapore, and (4) India. In small letters at the bottom of the page, “In most cases, these figures used above are estimates based upon incomplete data and projections.”

This type of statement is what is wrong with the financial world and the US Economy. Everything is based on estimates, incomplete data, and projections. This is why we went to war with Iraq, incomplete data, estimates, etc. (***FYI the CIA has stopped printing and actually updating its “Factbook” since about 2009: What is the CIA up to?***) Do we all need to contact the show “Fact or Fiction” on SCI-FI Television to investigate? I have three questions: (1) Is there a hunger issue in North Korea? (2) Is there a real military threat in North Korea? (3) Are we getting into a wrangle with the North Korean’s on behalf of one of our allies and major debtors, China? India? Singapore? I choose “C”. What is your choice? According to Tony Michell with the BBC, North Korea is still in armistice with the USA and will continue to have nuclear weapons until the US signs the treaty to end the Korean War but it will continue to accept food aid from the US as it has been since the 1990s. Is this what it is all about? The US refuses to sign the “peace treaty” and the North Koreans sink all their money in their military and starve their countrymen? From that stand point, I can see who is the most humanitarian. We are but not really and they aren’t. Is this called population control? What is the US citizens roll in this? Will there now be more outsourcing? Is there a plan for a petroleum pipeline thru North Korea? According to John Bauer, there is an interest in unblocking the North Korean terrain for petroleum purposes pertaining to oil pipelines and railways to be diverted to Russia. (Oh OPEC “power,” Where are you?) Ultimate goal of the worldly leaders: “Starve children and line the pockets of the wealthy. Whose is dying so we all may drive our cars?”


SOURCES

Bauer, John W. U S Army War College Journal. “Unlocking Russian Interest on the Korean Peninsula.” Summer 2009, Vol. 39 Issue 2, p52, June 2009. Web 
http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/44287816/unlocking-russian-interests-korean-peninsula 12th June 2012.

Lee, Jean. Yahoo News. “ UN: Food Supply tenuous for 16 million N Koreans.” 12th June 2012. Web http://news.yahoo.com/un-food-supply-tenuous-16-million-nkoreans-040735079.html Michell, Tony.

BBC New-Business. “Viewpoint: Kim’s death and the North Korean economy.” Euro-Asian Business Consultancy. 19th December 2011. Web. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16254565 12th June 2012.

Spencer, Richard. The Telegraph. “North Korea threatens full scale war if rocket is intercepted.” 9th Mar 2009. Web http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/4960009/North-Korea-threatens-full-scale-war-if-rocket-is-intercepted.html 12th June 2012 (Photo: Getty)

Fulton Street Mansion

e moved from North Carolina to keep from totally being in the streets, after all what is a 52 year old woman suppose to do?  I had already sent my crazy brother and half insane mother ahead, via plane, a few days ago. I drove with my daughter in a rented truck loaded to the gills with personal treasure.  My feet and legs were three times their size.  I could barely walk or sit because I was so swollen and I was holding the cat (our Siamese Chocolate Point) the entire time.

    It took me two days to get from North Carolina to Houston, Texas.  I was a little scared about returning to a city I had grown up in. Coming down Interstate 10, I saw the crystal palaces from my past. They were bright and shining. Each chimney going full force on this cool December evening as the sun went down in the far western sky. The crystal palace is where the Dorothy went to see the wizard with her friends to try and get home. In actuality, the crystal palaces are chemical plants. I could not find many of the old landmarks that were once on this road into the big city. I saw many houses on the other side of my palaces though. I knew the population had grown but to this extent. There was so much that I could not find.  Mother had told me on the phone, the previous night, “Beware of your emotions.”  I saw what she was talking about. The Houston I knew was gone. I have accepted as much and kept my council to myself.  I looked and stared, slowing my driving speed.  I could not find my blimp. Where was it?
You can’t ever go back. This I know from a life time of living and moving with my parents. They were forever trying to recapture a time of their youth—those pleasant memories in a time of utter lunacy. I kept thinking that it had been more than ten years since I laid eyes on this city.  In truth it had been more like twenty-five years. My Houston was in my heart, never to surface again.

    As we left Interstate 10 and went north on Interstate 45, I looked intently for the correct exit. I was now on Fulton looking for the house where my niece, great nephews, brother and mother were at. After about 30 minutes, we finally arrived. I had to wade through rail construction and look for young boys playing in the street directly across from Moody Park. When we pulled up into the yard and turned the engine off on the moving truck, my daughter and I sat there. We were not speaking at each other. It was as if we knew what each of us understood what the other was thinking.

“What have I gotten myself into?”

   In front of us were three poor pitiful excuses of shacks. They were not houses, they were shacks. They were putridly painted vomit brown, crooked hanging eaves over the front doors, dirt yards, crab grass patches, weeds, rotten wood, and hanging gutters of remnants of three whore houses that were abandoned during the depression that are now leftover shacks for left over people. I had to question my own intentions of why I was here. Am I a left over person?  What did I get myself and my daughter into? Before I got out of the truck, I said a prayer for protection, for strength, and for perseverance.

    Now in my life time, I have made some pretty dumb decisions. After all isn’t that the very essence of living is to fall down, get back up and try to go on with life.  We live from our mistakes. I began to formulate a game plan as I walked into the first shack on the right. This is the residence of where my family was. I walked in and immediately had to sit down again. The inside was almost a worse as the outside. There was dark dust and dirt on the walls and ceiling. There was one chair, clothes everywhere and a Christmas tree in the corner. There was a brand new television, x box, and what looked like an entanglement of black snakes attached to cable equipment. Sheets were over the threshold of each door except the bathroom—a real door. I counted numerous holes in the wall and pencil markings of various messages. Mom looked at me and said, “Take a deep breath. I told you to beware of your emotions.”

I was in hell! Had I been such a bad person turning my life around all these years and for graduating from college with a degree to come and finally get a job to support my family? Is this the price I am to pay, to live in a shack? Okay. If this is what God wants, to see how I make it, then so be it. I am up for the challenge! One of the biggest adventures I have been given from God is to see my dear sweet friend from years past, Donna on Christmas Eve. I have not seen Donna since 1986. I lost touch with her because of reasons I no longer remember. We went our separate ways, had families, and continued to live, missing each other as we became older in life.  Her grandmother, whom I thought the world of, eventually died over time. Her father was now living in that house off of Airline Drive. Mr. Peg was gone too. (He was the old man who owned the gas station on the corner of Airline and Little York.) The buildings I once knew in the area were all gone. There were a lot of ghosts that walk the streets. The majority of my ghosts were men. I was concerned with one man in particular, Joe.  I lived with Joe and cared for him but I did not love him. My niece’s house on Fulton was not far from the house he lived over in the Heights. It took me a whole five minutes to locate him. He was dead. I breathed easy. I was dreading about what we would say to each other if I were to run into him.  We did not part on a good note.

Then there was Milton. A good man but I did not know it at the time; I was too dumb and young. He was tall, redheaded, and handsome. He always smelled so good and in private, we will not mention that except he was a wonderful, caring, and loving man.   I blew it with him. Well, too little too late. Sometimes things can never be corrected. You can’t go back and build on something that you probably have made more tender and sweet that it really was.

While waiting for Donna to pick us on Christmas Eve, my adult children and I decided to walk across the street to Moody Park and look around and wait there. It was cool outside and there was a light drizzle, but it sure did feel good. While sitting on the concrete wall, an oddly looking man walked up to us. He reeked to the heavens of soiled clothes and lack of personal hygiene to a point. If I were a bar of soap and saw him coming toward the tub, I would run stick myself in some drain in hopes of melting quickly. He approached and stopped to stare and smile at my son. When this odd fellow smiled, he had a mouth of black rotted teeth, probably from years of narcotic use and lack or oral hygiene. He tried to get eye contact with my son (who was 22) at the time. My son backed away and he got closer. That is when “Mom to the rescue” stepped between them.
   
      “May I help you?” I asked.

      “No. I was just admiring your man.” He replied

      “That is my son, he ain’t buying! Get lost.” I told him sternly with walking stick in hand.

    The odd man turned and kept on walking. The man wanted my son to pay for his services. Unfortunately my son had never encountered something like this and didn’t recognize the attempt. I did tell him what the man wanted. Robert turned 50 shades of “beet red.” Telling me not to tell anyone, every what had happened that day! (But you know Moms love to tell secrets and funny incidents about their children.)

    Later on Christmas Eve, Donna, her husband, and her daughter came and picked us up.  I had a great time with her Dad, Dad’s life long live in---that he will never marry, brother, sister in law, husband, son, and daughter. It is interesting hearing about me and I didn’t even realize that I was that wild and crazy. My own children couldn’t believe that their mother was a major party animal. I just sat and listened why my kids swapped stories with Donna and her brother – David, who told a lot. I just laughed. If I did those things now it would kill me and be considered criminal.

    After Christmas, it was time to get busy and start really looking for employment. My funds were getting really low. I spent every day looking on the internet. I canvassed hospitals, the city, the county, internet web sites, newspapers, googled, etc. The week after Christmas, I put in 37 applications and sent out many resumes. Then come New Year’s Eve. I slept.
 
   Living in a small house with 3 boys, under the age of 16 years old, who cuss like sailors and challenge everything is a strain on the senses.  There were some tense times. I realize my niece gave birth to those boys; she loves them very deeply, but she is no mother. Same goes for their fathers.  The x-Box, internet, cable television, and the streets have raised those three boys. They very seldom ate anything other than noodles. They never picked up after themselves and they think nothing is frighting at 12midnight. Let’s not mention, when they take off, they are gone for two and three days in a row and my niece has no idea where they are—especially the 13 year old.

   The oldest (who is 15) is a compulsive liar and pleaser. I wonder about him though. He tries not to but it is a defense mechanism. My niece has them trained to call their fathers for money. She spends all the child support money on them, but, for frivolous reasons.  When she could spend the money on food, she would rather buy them an x-Box game or $200.00 pair of tennis shoes.  If you try to ask them how their day was, expect anything but the truth. His grades in school are average, but his social skills with his own peers are way below the level they should be.

   The 13- year old and the 15- year old have the same father. A Vietnamese-American left over from the product of a Vietnam affair with an American soldier. The two brothers look nothing alike. The oldest has Asian features. The youngest has European features. But the youngest I worry about. We didn’t always get along and I have had to call the police to him twice. He has even been to Child Protective Services. A lot of good it did to get Social Services involved. What good does it do helping a child, and putting them back into the same situation when the mother won’t get help and there has been no overall improvement in the home? Not to mention this 13- year old looks younger than the 11- year old. He never really has grown. He also stays gone for as much as 7 days and God only knows where. He doesn’t like school and doesn’t attend. No one seems to care about him. When other people do care is the only time my niece gets involved.

   The 11- year old is a different matter. The youngest has a different father.  His father too is a product of a Vietnamese-American soldier affair. But, he didn’t get kicked out of the country. He stole a boat and traveled the pacific until he made his connections. Some of those connections were honorable and some not so honest. He has done and dried off cocaine numerous times. He and a sister were adopted by good Catholics just in sponsorship. This year he is over 45 and looks 90. His looks have gone and the ugliness of this man is showing.  The 11-year olds father has also served time in Louisiana for the sexual battery of an under aged infirmed person and cocaine use. He is a registered sex offender who doesn’t register.

    The youngest has everything. Also a major drama king, he really knows how to yank a chain. What is bad about the behavior of this child, he never takes a bath! After three days, his oldest ½ brother forces him to bathe. Then a war is on. This child is a hole-maker in walls, screams and cries the loudest, and turns absolutely cold in his eyes.  He also will hide the telephone and lie as well if not better than his older brothers. That is a common trait they share, all three have a lying capacity to protect themselves and all their crazy activities. They also live and believe in x-Box. It scares me to think about them as adults because they will be un-learned and ignorant like their mother and fathers.

    This type of atmosphere in which I have chosen to reside in is a vacuum. It will suck you in to a new type of drama in which all the fish swim against the current to an emotional death.  The highlight of my niece’s day yesterday was to bring me a paper plate and show me what was stopped up in her waste drainage in her home. It was petrified feces mixed with some type of oily residue. She had to show it to our neighbors who were pathetically board captive on lookers. But, I realized that I was sadly interested in what petrified feces looked like. I now can say that I have seen it all!  (To be continued…….)

Why do you get on Face-Book?

Have you ever thought the reasoning as to why you or anyone else gets on Face-Book? It is a social media to be social on; you share part of yourself with others and they reciprocate. Can people be not nice on Face-Book? Of course they can, but here is my thought on the entire social media sharing. Let me share a little about myself and what I see in most of you. I am a person who likes to write, yet I really do not like to go anywhere. I like staying at home in my four walls. I was once extroverted but as I have gotten older, I became introverted: I really do not like to talk to anyone anymore period! Even though I sometimes will take a job as a motivational type speaker, I am truly not a procrastinator except once in a while. The past 30 days (though) I have been a major procrastinator, a personal need of just attention—because of unspoken stress and health issues. So I have really been on Face-Book. I hit the “like” button, because I agree. There are a lot of intelligent comments that people write or comments that are funny and make my day with an internal chuckle or two. My standard day consists of work and home. I do go and actually play Bingo on dollar night once in a while. I win too! It is nice to walk away with more than $500.00 in my pocket. But think about it? We all get in a rut on our home turf on a daily basis. We seek something that we need, which is basically to be agreed with or heard—regardless if it is writing or speaking. We also have a need to share without any real strings attached—no real demands of our precious time other than to just let someone know we will pray for them, or we are thinking about them. Each of us already has a lot on our plate going on personally. Many of the games we play on Face-Book are like exercises; they are a stress releases to get us off of our mundane stressors. Some people do not play games and just do not like to, but that is their choice and I we should respect that. There is a key to all of this. When we click that “like” button, we tell someone we “like” or are “thinking” about them. The underlying meaning is that we are acknowledging that person’s presence. To take it one step further, we are letting them know that we are in their lives and we need them to be there with us in ours. Mother Teresa (I have her pictured above) wrote “Everyone lives to be needed.” When we interact with people in person, there are times (be honest with yourself) you question your very existence as to why you are even there. You may actually question why this person may need you sometimes. On Face-Book, you do not really have to question that. You may sit and say your life is fulfilling, well so is mine, but there is always a little voice, a piece of us which we hold to ourselves that questions so much that we do not understand dealing with our very existence and no one is exempt from this--period. Do not insult yourself by attempting to deny that fact. Be human, be real, be yourself: therefore it is okay to snap, be humorous, make mistakes, and it is okay to be human on Face-Book—not some corporate dummy, or someone’s mom, or someone’s sister, or someone’s daughter. But remember, sometimes employers would like to hold it against us which isn’t right, because we are being human and not perfect by any means. Think about what I have written because this is the way I see in myself, and I see in many of you. Take note: The most exciting thing that I have done in the past 10 days: I boarded a ferry and went across the ship channel. Why was it exciting to me? I closed my eyes, and smelled the water, while feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. I could hear ship horns in the distance. I heard sea gulls calling for morsels of food. I could feel a slightly light splash (a few droplets) of water as I leaned over soaking in the moment. I did not hear too much because I was concentrating on the water sounds hitting the side of the boat. Then I realized that this is a wonderful example of what God created for me. The sky has colors I can never possibly paint on canvas—truly bluer than blue. I was happy to the fact I was sharing it with 2 people I love very intently (my children.) I was then totally relaxed and in love with the world around us. My rose colored glasses saw no pollution, no hate, no anger, no pain, no starvation, no death, no blood, no guts, and no gore for the rest of the day. (And no I wasn’t doing drugs or drinking!)

Out-of-sight, Our-of-mind, Memorial Day?

Humans have a very short attention span in life. It generally lasts with the visual, “Out of sight out of mind.” (Thomas A. Kempis) For many of us once something is out of sight and out of mind we do not miss it until a stimulus comes along. Well that day of an annual stimuli is fast approaching. For many of us it is called Memorial Day. When I was younger, I use to think that it was a day for remembering our dead. It was originally called Decoration Day, a southern tradition that was started by the ladies of the south gathering together to decorate the graves of the dead soldiers of their long gone confederacy. Taken note by General John A Logan in 1868, he made it official under General Order Number 11 to where flowers were placed on all military graves, Union and Confederate. Toward the turn of the century it took hold and the rest is history. The interesting thing about all of this is we remember our dead service men and women on Memorial Day and our living service men and women on Veterans Day but is that sufficient. I choose not to celebrate either. Do not go clicking off this article before reading it through altogether. Do not take it upon yourselves to judge me yet. Let me tell you why I choose not to celebrate either. We shouldn’t be forced to say thank you or remember what our defense service person has done for us through a national holiday. It should not be an out-of-sight, out-of-mind experience. The celebration or the nationalism is no longer taught in schools the way it should be. The national pride of being an American is no longer existent in most cases. Think about it. On Memorial Day, most everyone takes off and goes to the lake, a park, or the beach. Some just stay at home and do yard work, sleep, and barbeque. But how many people actually take the time to attend one of the Memorial Services that is put on by collective cities, VFW posts, or some other service oriented group? Not many. How many people take the time to purchase a flag and actually go to cemetery and put it on a grave of a soldier? Not many. Our children are not taught the actual purpose or the meaning of something real. I recently took a poll and 2 out of 15 middle school teenagers and asked if they knew the purpose of Memorial Day. They didn’t. Of these 15 young people, I watched them very carefully; they did not know the Texas Pledge of Allegiance or the US Pledge of Allegiance for that fact. They stood during morning announcements and mumbled. These were not illegal aliens but full fledge US Citizens and they all knew English. When we think about remembering our dead, we should not only remember the good they had done for our country but the actual history behind their service, the purpose regardless whether we believe it right or wrong. For example, I was not a believer in the Vietnam War when I was fast approaching my teenage years. Yet, I supported the soldiers. I will never believe in the wars or conflicts in which our country has been a part of or is a part of since then, but I support our soldiers. Do not think I am contradictory by any means. I support our soldiers because they have done the job they have been hired to do. They have performed to the best of their ability in most cases. But most of all they have attempted to retain some human qualities about themselves in the face of killing or being killed. They have returned to a country and…..just that and…..are attempting to regain what was lost through time. But what was lost can never be retrieved. Those are the soldiers that come to our aid in a national disaster such as a hurricane or tornado. Those are the soldiers that left their spouses, their children, their family and their friends when called to go far from home and fight for freedoms that many us think we have but in actuality they are fighting for something or some obscure idea of money and power between national entities. The soldiers and the average person can’t even begin to understand this concept. It is sad. Those are the reasons I choose not celebrate Memorial Day or Veterans Day. I want to remember what my father did and why he remained my father until I was 32 years old. He was lucky. He was a veteran of the Korean War. His detachment was scheduled and went overseas without him. Why did he live and the others in his detachment die? He was sent to the hospital for an unknown rash during deployment and stayed there for weeks and then discharged honorably. He was highly allergic to wool and in those days the uniforms had a wool material content to them. I can remember (in later years) he tried on a wool suit, he broke out like crazy on his chest and arms. I choose to celebrate Veterans alive or deceased every day I am living. I walk up to the living soldier, a stranger to me, and shake their hand and say thank you – may God bless you for being my defender. I have taken many a flag and placed it on the grave of an unknown soldier to me. If we stop and take the time to remember the things we do and why we do them, then they wouldn’t be out-of-sight, out-of mind. Take the opportunity to honor that foot soldier, the Native American Indian, that Texas Hispanic, that Japanese American, that Chinese American, etc. Many of their ancestors fought for our freedoms as well. Being an American service person means so much more than just being a soldier. It could be that civil patrol man, who is dead now, that spotted the German U Boat off the shores in Mobile Bay. Or one of my grandmothers, who was a look out during the Civil War. The blood of our freedoms in America has no race, color, sex, sexual orientation, rhyme or reason regardless of what our history is. SUVCW and David Merchant. Origins of Memorial Day. 4th Apr. 2009. Web http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html 24th May 2012,

Meeting of Great Minds -- old band members

The Might Marching Panther Band of Murphy High School gathered together for the first time in years. It was limited to students who were under the direction of Larry Keating and the late E B Coleman on May 5. 2012. We honored Larry Keating by gifting a frame of memories, visiting, and sharing wonderful stories from “way passed when.” When I tell you “way passed when”: that would be a time when a lot of some things were considered teenage mischievousness and not illegal acts like they are now. It was truly an adventuresome weekend to say the least. Now done to business! The planners of the first meeting were unorganized. We learned; that is Regina, Maurissa and I realized that we needed help and a lot more people to be involved. So Maurissa and I realized that Regina is the best organized of the three of us, we sort of appointed her leader—president official of the 1st ever Murphy Band Alumni (only under the direction of Larry Keating and E B Coleman.) Why these two men? Why now and why them? That would be what many would ask. To quote Dr. David Crump (while looking at picture of Larry Keating shouting at band students in Ladd Stadium, “Don’t mill around with head down like a bunch of cattle!”

He is correct. We had to look forward to something and look up. That is why each and everyone I have shared the band experience with over 90% are really very rich in self esteem and successful in their own right! We have all done that, looked up for something because we are something spectacular. It may have taken some of us longer to get there but we did it. To quote Kevin J Conlon, VP of Academic Affairs at the Columbus College of Arts and Design, “We were a great band!” Being great at something means we are only as good as we were taught and to be the best you have to have great leaders. We had the best – both the economically affluent and the economically challenged. Our shoes where white as white as our gloves and our hat brims had to be the reflection of ourselves, confident, clean, and to command a performance of superior. I am not saying we were perfect by any means. We were down-right dangerous in most cases! But as I have realized in putting together the memories and finding the people, I find nothing negative so far. Oh I sure there are negative things but I have not looked for them. It has always been my nature in the past to look for the sour, the sorted, and the negative things in most people but why not this group of people? When I go into searching for the missing, I see something special, a common bond, a uniform to wear, and an emotional warmness. We are all politically diverse, different religions, and so many different professions. Even though I try to avoid coming into any contact with my ex-sister-in-law (because of familial reasons) I find myself thinking of her with a little caring compassion, fondly of that rifle captain whom I practice 10 hours of rifle twirling and tossing with to get it right. Oh the aches and the pains we experienced. I also have met some band members that were there before and after I graced those Spanish walls of Murphy High School. I have also been made privy to some very special hopes and dreams, illnesses, and death. I have discovered three band members deceased so far; two that I shared the news with just earlier today. One former student had no idea that our former band directors (Larry Keating) eldest son had passed away, Alan. It does sadden me to think that the world will never realize just what a great musician he really was. But it doesn’t have to end there. Another one was Carmen Garriz Longino (sister to Patricia Garriz) passed away from a lengthy illness and then the untimely sudden death of Joanne Scruggs. But all in all we were special. Not in an angelic way either but in a humanism type realistic way to question, was it real? We really didn’t stick to our own world either. Larry Keating and E B Coleman dared themselves to venture to other countries with us. They led us to the Netherlands, Mexico, Disney World, and other great places all across the south including a performance at the Super Bowl in the “then new” Super Dome in New Orleans, LA. What happened to us all? We grew up. We left the famous halls and went out into the world to see suffering, pain, happiness, work, blood, gore, guts, death, and all the wonderful things that our young people today very seldom can escape at such a young age. We are now a collective group of homemakers, husband, wives, widows, widowers, divorcees, life-long partners, doctors, painters, students, musicians, educators, professors, scientists, entrepreneurs, conductors, business men, business women, technology specialist, nurses, stylists, brokers, surgeons, geologists, photographers, missionaries, appraisers, engineers, conductors, veteran political activists, food managers, insurance adjusters, therapists, food workers, bankers, lawyers, writers, communication specialist, media specialist, real estate agents, architects, and so much more. We are society that once touched each other’s life. These are the people, even though thru a brief moment in history, gave something to a group they happened to bond with. In learning that lesson, they learned to give of themselves throughout life and that is what makes a successful person. These are the richest people in the world. Richer than any sports ball player could ever have it, these were musical talents and performing artists who won life on their terms and conquered. When we meet again, and we will, we will walk away like before feeling wonderfully charged to have been associated with each other at one time or another. We will go back to our lives and give more of ourselves because that was what we were trained today by Larry Keating’s direction and E B Coleman’s enforcement. Oh our parents had a helping hand in there, but these two men will always be considered special to us when our parents weren’t looking. For the future: I would personally like to see the collective group gather and hopefully form a permanent association for the advancement of at least one person a year. That is correct. There is at least one musician that can follow us and that we can see after to become something wonderful. We can give just a little bit more of ourselves. We can start a scholarship fund for a needy musical artist from the Murphy High School Band. I met Stan Chapman, the current band director. Even though he is not our Larry Keating or E B Coleman, he teaches with such a conviction that he too would be a hard act to follow. I also met a few of his band members and they had that “ego” look of greatness in their eyes. In speaking with Alexis Gould Beegle today, she mentioned him in fondness as a dedicated teacher of music. Bobby Keating and Larry Keating spoke of him as a respected colleague and in very high regards as have other former members who have watched the band from afar. Since this scholarship was suggested when we first met on May 5th this year, it will be placed on the table next year with many more of us to make a decision. There is already an E B Coleman scholarship fund from what I understand. Larry Keating stated that when he meets with his band group in Florida, they are thinking about starting a scholarship fund in the name of his old band director. I had to ask if his old band director was still living. Larry replied, “Why yes he is!” (When he answered he had a smile on his face.) According to Larry, he is up there in age. So ladies and gentleman, get ready. Open your hearts. We are going to make a difference in a life for at least one young person to become leaders among leaders like us in society—but to their own tune!