I got this in my e-mail from a politically WRONG friend of mine. He's been brainwashed by the Republican party into believing any of the BS that their neocon pundits spew.
Your Blog deserves both sides of the story - but it is your blog:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday accused former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, of hypocrisy for criticizing
President George W. Bush's decision to spare ex-aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby from prison.
The administration is on the defensive after Bush commuted Libby's 2-1/2-year sentence in a CIA leak case. It took aim at Clinton for granting 140 pardons,
including one for fugitive financier Marc Rich, in the last hours of his presidency.
"The hypocrisy demonstrated by Democratic leaders on this issue is rather startling," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel told reporters.
Scott Stanzel can lick my clit. This is exactly why I hate republicans.
This has NOTHING to do with Senator Clinton, nor does it have anything to do
with President Clinton. This has ONLY to do with the Pretender to the Presidency covering up his own wrongdoing.
EVERY President grants some questionable pardons - Reagan did it. Bush Sr.
did it. Carter did it. ALL OF THEM DO IT. However, MOST of them do not do it in order to protect themselves, their VP's and their evil "Advisors" THIS is the story - that Shrub is acting like a goddamn fucking mafioso - Fucking Neocons ALWAYS fucking pull Clinton into it - even when it is NOT applicable - as in this case.
In a letter from the organization "Grassfire", the PROPER usage of the presidential power to commute a sentance is requested - I'm NOT going to hold my breath waiting for the fucking shrub to do the RIGHT thing, however.
> After learning that he commuted the sentence of former
> White House aide Scooter Libby, who was convicted of
> obstructing the investigation of a crime, I'm wondering
> when he's going to pardon U.S. Border Agents Ramos and Compean?
>
> Both of these decorated agents have been languishing in a
> Federal prison for 169 days, and it is time the President
> does the right thing by pardoning both and reuniting them
> with their families.
>
> Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a great friend of Grassfire,
> and a true champion for these agents said it best "the President
> does not seem to have the same mercy for the average men and
> women holding the frontlines of our borders. Unjustly imprisoned
> Border Agents Ramos and Compean...deserve the same mercy afforded
> to Mr. Libby."
563 days - maybe.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Thursday, July 05, 2007
The Week With No Middle
What an oddball week this is. Monday was Monday, Tuesday was Wednesday, Wednesday was Saturday, Thursday is Monday and tomorrow is Friday again...
I was glad I was able to make a suggestion to a friend about her daughter's dog, even though that specific idea didn't work, the vet did suggest giving the poor old fella some benadryl and when she played some classical music for him afterwards he settled down and fell asleep. Hurray for Diphenhydramine.
My zucchini did not get big. It didn't even get growing very well. It fell off last night as a little inch-long shrivvled thingy. OTOH my cucumbers are doing well, one of them is about the size of a standard "sweet pickle" pickle and is growing well. Perhaps I need to get some plant food into the other pots.
I couldn't really bring myself to "celebrate" yesterday. Besides being Wednesday and having to work today, I also just don't feel much like celebrating the birth of this nation as it goes through what very well may be its death throes. I still am not of the belief that we will EVER again have presidential elections, and I am sick to death of hearing all the horrible things that this administration has done.
It's too late to impeach the motherfucker - by the time that the process got under way there would either already have been elections, or he will have already staged the fake terrorist attack that will allow him to suspend elections in the wake of a "National Emergency", and have declared himself dictator for life.
The country my forefathers fought for, died for, gave their all to support and defend is being destroyed from within by those who have profited from its freedom and justice for these many decades. I watched the Berlin Wall come down. I watched the Soviet Bloc disintegrate - and I never... ever... thought I would live long enough to see the destruction of the United States - certainly not by its own citizens in government.
564 days. Maybe.
I was glad I was able to make a suggestion to a friend about her daughter's dog, even though that specific idea didn't work, the vet did suggest giving the poor old fella some benadryl and when she played some classical music for him afterwards he settled down and fell asleep. Hurray for Diphenhydramine.
My zucchini did not get big. It didn't even get growing very well. It fell off last night as a little inch-long shrivvled thingy. OTOH my cucumbers are doing well, one of them is about the size of a standard "sweet pickle" pickle and is growing well. Perhaps I need to get some plant food into the other pots.
I couldn't really bring myself to "celebrate" yesterday. Besides being Wednesday and having to work today, I also just don't feel much like celebrating the birth of this nation as it goes through what very well may be its death throes. I still am not of the belief that we will EVER again have presidential elections, and I am sick to death of hearing all the horrible things that this administration has done.
It's too late to impeach the motherfucker - by the time that the process got under way there would either already have been elections, or he will have already staged the fake terrorist attack that will allow him to suspend elections in the wake of a "National Emergency", and have declared himself dictator for life.
The country my forefathers fought for, died for, gave their all to support and defend is being destroyed from within by those who have profited from its freedom and justice for these many decades. I watched the Berlin Wall come down. I watched the Soviet Bloc disintegrate - and I never... ever... thought I would live long enough to see the destruction of the United States - certainly not by its own citizens in government.
564 days. Maybe.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Sing Along
In order to raise my rating from "PG-13" to a more respectable "R" at the very least, please sing along to the tune of the chorus from the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (the "Glory Glory Hallelujah" part):
George Bush is an asshole
George Walker Bush is a motherfucking asshole
George Bush is an aaaaa aaasssss hole
And his mo-ther is a cunt.
Repeat.
George Bush is an asshole
George Walker Bush is a motherfucking asshole
George Bush is an aaaaa aaasssss hole
And his mo-ther is a cunt.
Again.
George Bush is an asshole
George Walker Bush is a motherfucking asshole
George Bush is an aaaaa aaasssss hole
And his mo-ther is a cunt.
With feeling.
George Bush is an asshole
George Walker Bush is a motherfucking asshole
George Bush is an aaaaa aaasssss hole
And his mo-ther is a cunt.
Like you MEAN it.
George Bush is an asshole
George Walker Bush is a motherfucking asshole
George Bush is an aaaaa aaasssss hole
And his mo-ther is a cunt.
Once more.
George Bush is an asshole
George Walker Bush is a motherfucking asshole
George Bush is an aaaaa aaasssss hole
And his mo-ther is a cunt.
(yes, the following is plagarized from my own comment on Blognonymous - deal with it)
It is the opinion of 2 of us out here in interwebland that this was in the works from the beginning. Scoots was told to take the fall - but his deal was simple - NO JAIL TIME. He'd take the fall for Cheny, Bush and Rove, but he didn't have to do jail time.
Bush planned to pardon him at the end of his term - expecting that the appeals process would be dragged out at least that long, and that Scoots would stay free during the appeals. The judge ordering Scoots to jail during appeals screwed that pooch.
Our guess is that Scoots has considerable "goods" on Bush, Cheney and Rove, and that his deal was - "No jail time, or I sing like a canary on crack!"
Bush HAD to pardon him now - or face having something(s?) revealed so heinous that it would put all three of the Trinity of Evil away for the rest of their lives.
Ok - once more with feeling - like you mean it - loud enough for him to hear it:
George Bush is an asshole
George Walker Bush is a motherfucking asshole
George Bush is an aaaaa aaasssss hole
And his mo-ther is a cunt!!!!
566 days
George Bush is an asshole
George Walker Bush is a motherfucking asshole
George Bush is an aaaaa aaasssss hole
And his mo-ther is a cunt.
Repeat.
George Bush is an asshole
George Walker Bush is a motherfucking asshole
George Bush is an aaaaa aaasssss hole
And his mo-ther is a cunt.
Again.
George Bush is an asshole
George Walker Bush is a motherfucking asshole
George Bush is an aaaaa aaasssss hole
And his mo-ther is a cunt.
With feeling.
George Bush is an asshole
George Walker Bush is a motherfucking asshole
George Bush is an aaaaa aaasssss hole
And his mo-ther is a cunt.
Like you MEAN it.
George Bush is an asshole
George Walker Bush is a motherfucking asshole
George Bush is an aaaaa aaasssss hole
And his mo-ther is a cunt.
Once more.
George Bush is an asshole
George Walker Bush is a motherfucking asshole
George Bush is an aaaaa aaasssss hole
And his mo-ther is a cunt.
(yes, the following is plagarized from my own comment on Blognonymous - deal with it)
It is the opinion of 2 of us out here in interwebland that this was in the works from the beginning. Scoots was told to take the fall - but his deal was simple - NO JAIL TIME. He'd take the fall for Cheny, Bush and Rove, but he didn't have to do jail time.
Bush planned to pardon him at the end of his term - expecting that the appeals process would be dragged out at least that long, and that Scoots would stay free during the appeals. The judge ordering Scoots to jail during appeals screwed that pooch.
Our guess is that Scoots has considerable "goods" on Bush, Cheney and Rove, and that his deal was - "No jail time, or I sing like a canary on crack!"
Bush HAD to pardon him now - or face having something(s?) revealed so heinous that it would put all three of the Trinity of Evil away for the rest of their lives.
Ok - once more with feeling - like you mean it - loud enough for him to hear it:
George Bush is an asshole
George Walker Bush is a motherfucking asshole
George Bush is an aaaaa aaasssss hole
And his mo-ther is a cunt!!!!
566 days
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The first veggie...
Will be a tomato. A little bitty tomato - either a "Cherry" tomato or a "Sweet 100" tomato, I can't remember which one is in which pot. But 2 of them are going red already and one of them is almost there!! The first veggie is always such a joy. This year I am getting a whole lot of baby tomatoes (mini ones by design) as well as a good 1/2 dozen or so of the mid-size ones I planted as well. Happiness.
BBC asked what is the big deal about the zucchini - really it is not a big deal in and of itself, it is just one baby zucc, but I really get a kick out of harvesting my own food from a garden I've tended myself, so this baby zucc is the first one and kind of exciting. I also have never grown zucc's in a pot before, so that whole thing "working" is fun as well.
The Nasturtiums must have heard me complaining, as they have started making more flower buds. Apparently, glaring at them in disapproval works almost as well as "Miracle Gro". LOL
The weather is utterly stupendous today - I think I may just do the BBQ thing in the little baby Weber and cook up some burgers tonite. Its been a long time since I did that, and I do have some nice ground beef I can spank into patties!
BBC asked how many people I hug in one week. Well, Dear - I'm not a big huggy person - as said before, I come from that "stoic German" family tradition, so it feels to me as if I am being intrusive into another person's "personal space". In fact, it seems to me that more people are uncomfortable at PDA's (Public Displays of Affection) than those who are not.
Most of those I'd hug with a lot more regularity live far enough away to make it impractical, however. There's a fair few folks I hug on a regular basis, but I'd say in one week there are probably only 2 or 3 actual PEOPLE who get hugs. Some get more than 1 a week, tho.
And I'm ok with that.
571 days
BBC asked what is the big deal about the zucchini - really it is not a big deal in and of itself, it is just one baby zucc, but I really get a kick out of harvesting my own food from a garden I've tended myself, so this baby zucc is the first one and kind of exciting. I also have never grown zucc's in a pot before, so that whole thing "working" is fun as well.
The Nasturtiums must have heard me complaining, as they have started making more flower buds. Apparently, glaring at them in disapproval works almost as well as "Miracle Gro". LOL
The weather is utterly stupendous today - I think I may just do the BBQ thing in the little baby Weber and cook up some burgers tonite. Its been a long time since I did that, and I do have some nice ground beef I can spank into patties!
BBC asked how many people I hug in one week. Well, Dear - I'm not a big huggy person - as said before, I come from that "stoic German" family tradition, so it feels to me as if I am being intrusive into another person's "personal space". In fact, it seems to me that more people are uncomfortable at PDA's (Public Displays of Affection) than those who are not.
Most of those I'd hug with a lot more regularity live far enough away to make it impractical, however. There's a fair few folks I hug on a regular basis, but I'd say in one week there are probably only 2 or 3 actual PEOPLE who get hugs. Some get more than 1 a week, tho.
And I'm ok with that.
571 days
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
The Zucchini That Ate Tokyo
Ok, not yet.
It's only about the size of the top of my thumb - but there is a baby zucchini growing! I know that I have to keep a weather eye on it, however, lest it go off and rob Godzilla of his favorite snack. (I love that song. It makes me laugh.)
I also have a baby cucumber. It is about 1/2" long, and about 1/8" wide. I know that eventually it will be a full size cucumber and ready to make into sandwiches, but right now it is just an itty bitty baby pickle with prickles and soooo cute.
I have one Nasturtium flower. It looks stupid all by itself in the pot. *sigh*
My glorious new tan colored hot-water heater is doing a heck of a job, Tannie, and while I still have to call the repair guy back to finish working on the sink and commode, the watery floor issues seem to be resolved. HUGE sigh of relief. As I repack the closet, I am finding that I am less inclined to hang on to stuff that I just never use. It's hard even to keep the extra parts for the carpet-steamer and the floor scrubber, because I don't use them - but if I ever Freecycle the cleaners, I will want to give all the "parts" with them, so I best maybe box them up and haul to the garage.
My fingers are sore from doing piecework for work - a little extra cash for some mindless assembly that I can do while watching movies. I've been watching all my favorites so far this week, but I may take a break from that and go for something "less travelled" like Gone With The Wind tonite. I'd like to get this over with so I can go back to using my weekends for naps.
572 days
It's only about the size of the top of my thumb - but there is a baby zucchini growing! I know that I have to keep a weather eye on it, however, lest it go off and rob Godzilla of his favorite snack. (I love that song. It makes me laugh.)
I also have a baby cucumber. It is about 1/2" long, and about 1/8" wide. I know that eventually it will be a full size cucumber and ready to make into sandwiches, but right now it is just an itty bitty baby pickle with prickles and soooo cute.
I have one Nasturtium flower. It looks stupid all by itself in the pot. *sigh*
My glorious new tan colored hot-water heater is doing a heck of a job, Tannie, and while I still have to call the repair guy back to finish working on the sink and commode, the watery floor issues seem to be resolved. HUGE sigh of relief. As I repack the closet, I am finding that I am less inclined to hang on to stuff that I just never use. It's hard even to keep the extra parts for the carpet-steamer and the floor scrubber, because I don't use them - but if I ever Freecycle the cleaners, I will want to give all the "parts" with them, so I best maybe box them up and haul to the garage.
My fingers are sore from doing piecework for work - a little extra cash for some mindless assembly that I can do while watching movies. I've been watching all my favorites so far this week, but I may take a break from that and go for something "less travelled" like Gone With The Wind tonite. I'd like to get this over with so I can go back to using my weekends for naps.
572 days
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Screw the troops.
So I'm reading this article about how Michigan is all worried about the Republican party saying that flying the flag at half-mast every time a Michigander comes home from Iraq in a box is "disrespectful" and sends "the wrong message".
A commenter on this article - allegedly a "wife" of a soldier currently in Iraq, indicated that the troops do NOT appreciate any of the things we try to do for them back here. They consider the lowering of the flag to be just an insignificant token that is meaningless to them. They do not appreciate the care packages or letters from strangers back here in the U.S. - the "patriots" are the subject of their derision, and they actively speak out against those whom they are hired (and paid by) to defend and protect. They are an "insular group, a band of brothers that admits no outsiders". Fine. Screw them.
You know... the soldiers bitched and moaned and cried when they came back from Viet Nam and nobody did anything to "honor" them. So now Michigan is "honoring" them - and they're bitching and moaning and crying about it. Screw them - and the jackasses they rode in on.
What this tells me is that all they want is the ticker-tape parades and the free drinks in every bar if they walk in wearing uniforms. Mindless adoration.
After posting this, I am going to remove the links on the right to the sites that I've used to try and make life a little less miserable for the "troops" in the Middle East. If they have nothing but scorn and derision for those of us who are trying to NOT make their lives in the field, or their homecomings as miserable as the ones given the soldiers in VietNam, then I have no reason to "support" these troops, neither with my letters, nor with my "Care" packages. They can all rot in the sand, so far as I'm concerned. Screw the baby-killing torturers and rapists.
573 days
A commenter on this article - allegedly a "wife" of a soldier currently in Iraq, indicated that the troops do NOT appreciate any of the things we try to do for them back here. They consider the lowering of the flag to be just an insignificant token that is meaningless to them. They do not appreciate the care packages or letters from strangers back here in the U.S. - the "patriots" are the subject of their derision, and they actively speak out against those whom they are hired (and paid by) to defend and protect. They are an "insular group, a band of brothers that admits no outsiders". Fine. Screw them.
You know... the soldiers bitched and moaned and cried when they came back from Viet Nam and nobody did anything to "honor" them. So now Michigan is "honoring" them - and they're bitching and moaning and crying about it. Screw them - and the jackasses they rode in on.
What this tells me is that all they want is the ticker-tape parades and the free drinks in every bar if they walk in wearing uniforms. Mindless adoration.
After posting this, I am going to remove the links on the right to the sites that I've used to try and make life a little less miserable for the "troops" in the Middle East. If they have nothing but scorn and derision for those of us who are trying to NOT make their lives in the field, or their homecomings as miserable as the ones given the soldiers in VietNam, then I have no reason to "support" these troops, neither with my letters, nor with my "Care" packages. They can all rot in the sand, so far as I'm concerned. Screw the baby-killing torturers and rapists.
573 days
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
The Handyman Arriveth
And I will have a new water heater tomorrow. And new guts for my toilet. All in all, I'm going to have a water-free floor & carpet shortly, and it will only cost an arm and 1/2 a leg - no major internal organs.
Had it not been for the car repairs, I"d be looking ok at all this - as it is, it is a good thing this is a 3-paycheck month.
Soon as I can get some more cash together, however, this guy is going to be put to work again and fix the upstairs bathroom issues, then I get to save up for the BIG things - I want to gut that upstairs bathroom to the studs, and then redo it with quality materials and waterproofing so that it lasts a REALLY good long time. And with a GIRL bathtub. The one in there now (I may have mentioned this before) is a Man bathtub:
|_____|
I want a GIRL bathtub:
\____|
Some day my tub will come
Some day I'll soak in it
And together we'll bubble away
Like a Calgon Commercial on crack...
La, de, da da da da....
La, de, da da da da
LA LA DE DE DE DA DA DA DA...........
Ok, that's enough Disney for tonite.
I'm going to have to take a "sink bath" tomorrow with water heated on the stove, (how primitive!!) and put my hair in a bun, I guess. Tomorrow nite I'm taking a LONG, HOT shower!!!
579 Days
Had it not been for the car repairs, I"d be looking ok at all this - as it is, it is a good thing this is a 3-paycheck month.
Soon as I can get some more cash together, however, this guy is going to be put to work again and fix the upstairs bathroom issues, then I get to save up for the BIG things - I want to gut that upstairs bathroom to the studs, and then redo it with quality materials and waterproofing so that it lasts a REALLY good long time. And with a GIRL bathtub. The one in there now (I may have mentioned this before) is a Man bathtub:
|_____|
I want a GIRL bathtub:
\____|
Some day my tub will come
Some day I'll soak in it
And together we'll bubble away
Like a Calgon Commercial on crack...
La, de, da da da da....
La, de, da da da da
LA LA DE DE DE DA DA DA DA...........
Ok, that's enough Disney for tonite.
I'm going to have to take a "sink bath" tomorrow with water heated on the stove, (how primitive!!) and put my hair in a bun, I guess. Tomorrow nite I'm taking a LONG, HOT shower!!!
579 Days
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Free Will
An interesting thought crossed my mind the other morning. This post deals with christian philosophy and theology, and does not always reflect my own views on religion. However, the only way to discuss a specific religion's philosophy and/or theology is to (at least temporarily)agree on a few basic matters for the sake of discussion. The existance of an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient "god" is one of these matters. The "infallibility" of the revised collection of ancient works known as the "Bible" is another, as is the existance of an evil force incarnate called "the Devil" or Satan. For the sake of this post, we shall allow those beliefs to stand.
It was an anti-choice arguement that started it all. First off - let me say that I don't buy into the "life begins at conception" theory. Due to having had a dermoid cyst, and due to things like ectopic pregnancies and the education on the growth of the zygote to fetus to birth, it is my belief that a separate life does not exist until the fetus is able to live outside the womb - without extraordinary medical intervention.
In fact, the bible seems to go a step further - until the child breathes, it is not a living soul, if you take Genesis literally. "[God]breathed into him the breath of life, and man became a living soul". This indicates to me that the writer acknowledges that without breath, there is no soul, there is no "life".
(Whoo boy - I'm glad I'm the admin here... this could get ugly)
Anyhow. One of the reasons that so many christians want to overthrow Roe v. Wade is that they believe that all abortion is murder (I don't agree) and that they have a "moral imperative" to make sure that these "murders" do not occur.
Free will.
According to the self-same bible, god gave everyone free will. The will to believe, or not to believe. The will to make good, righteous decisions, or the will to make poor, evil decisions. God did not decide unilaterally to foist his "good" agenda on mankind. Instead, he gave each and every person "free will" to make good or bad choices, choices they would eventually need to answer for after death, or at the end of the world, whichever came first, on the "Judgement Day".
If this is, then, TRUTH - how dare the Religious Wrong choose to decide FOR others what is and what is not good for them? How dare they be anti-choice? Is this not usurping GOD's authority? Does not the bible - not less than the New Testament, even - say quite clearly that only GOD can decide what is in a person's heart, and what is right and wrong? Did not god in the Garden of Eden punish mankind not for eating a fruit, but for seeking the knowledge of good and evil - something that god had reserved only onto himself?
To take away a woman's right to choose is, then, to do the work of the Devil.
It was an anti-choice arguement that started it all. First off - let me say that I don't buy into the "life begins at conception" theory. Due to having had a dermoid cyst, and due to things like ectopic pregnancies and the education on the growth of the zygote to fetus to birth, it is my belief that a separate life does not exist until the fetus is able to live outside the womb - without extraordinary medical intervention.
In fact, the bible seems to go a step further - until the child breathes, it is not a living soul, if you take Genesis literally. "[God]breathed into him the breath of life, and man became a living soul". This indicates to me that the writer acknowledges that without breath, there is no soul, there is no "life".
(Whoo boy - I'm glad I'm the admin here... this could get ugly)
Anyhow. One of the reasons that so many christians want to overthrow Roe v. Wade is that they believe that all abortion is murder (I don't agree) and that they have a "moral imperative" to make sure that these "murders" do not occur.
Free will.
According to the self-same bible, god gave everyone free will. The will to believe, or not to believe. The will to make good, righteous decisions, or the will to make poor, evil decisions. God did not decide unilaterally to foist his "good" agenda on mankind. Instead, he gave each and every person "free will" to make good or bad choices, choices they would eventually need to answer for after death, or at the end of the world, whichever came first, on the "Judgement Day".
If this is, then, TRUTH - how dare the Religious Wrong choose to decide FOR others what is and what is not good for them? How dare they be anti-choice? Is this not usurping GOD's authority? Does not the bible - not less than the New Testament, even - say quite clearly that only GOD can decide what is in a person's heart, and what is right and wrong? Did not god in the Garden of Eden punish mankind not for eating a fruit, but for seeking the knowledge of good and evil - something that god had reserved only onto himself?
To take away a woman's right to choose is, then, to do the work of the Devil.
Someone murdered our window washer
I read the small article in the local paper, but the name didn't mean anything to me. A 46 year old man beaten to death by at least 5 young men, all in their late teens/early 20's. Just another day in paradise, living near a big city. Repetition desensitizes you until it all seems to blend into a single entity.
The shock came when I saw the same article posted on the bulletin board at work - with a handwritten note attached on a sticky - "This was Jim, our Window Washer".
Suddenly that "*KICK*" of stunned shock at the brutality, the senselessness, the fear, sadness, disbelief - all those things that didn't happen at first reading come flooding in. Who would want to murder Jim the Window Washer? Why???
Granted, I didn't really know Jim all that well. He would come in with his buckets and squeegies and sponges, and just go about his work with a bit of a smile on his face. We didn't talk much, but they don't pay me to chat up the window washers here at work - but the times we did exchange a few pleasantries he was quiet and kind of self-effacing, a gentle soul. Who would want to murder Jim the Window Washer? Why???
Apparently 5 young men did. Their reasons weren't given in the newspaper article. His wife didn't have much to say when our boss called about where to send a donation in his name.
Since Jim hadn't died when they got him to the hospital, the boys were only charged with aggravated battery. As of the newspaper article, the charges had not yet been upgraded. Personally, I'd like to see the District Attorney throw the book at these murderous birth-control-failures and send them away for life. But then... I knew Jim - sorta.
More later when I've sorted out a few things in my own mind.
580 Days
The shock came when I saw the same article posted on the bulletin board at work - with a handwritten note attached on a sticky - "This was Jim, our Window Washer".
Suddenly that "*KICK*" of stunned shock at the brutality, the senselessness, the fear, sadness, disbelief - all those things that didn't happen at first reading come flooding in. Who would want to murder Jim the Window Washer? Why???
Granted, I didn't really know Jim all that well. He would come in with his buckets and squeegies and sponges, and just go about his work with a bit of a smile on his face. We didn't talk much, but they don't pay me to chat up the window washers here at work - but the times we did exchange a few pleasantries he was quiet and kind of self-effacing, a gentle soul. Who would want to murder Jim the Window Washer? Why???
Apparently 5 young men did. Their reasons weren't given in the newspaper article. His wife didn't have much to say when our boss called about where to send a donation in his name.
Since Jim hadn't died when they got him to the hospital, the boys were only charged with aggravated battery. As of the newspaper article, the charges had not yet been upgraded. Personally, I'd like to see the District Attorney throw the book at these murderous birth-control-failures and send them away for life. But then... I knew Jim - sorta.
More later when I've sorted out a few things in my own mind.
580 Days
Monday, June 18, 2007
Habitual Behavior
Habits are hard to break - we all know this.
Habits are hard to start too - some of them - the ones that start off with "I should..."
I should call my Dad more often. Unfortunately, it's so easy for me to get caught up in the depression that is my own life and not want to "burden" him with all the trivial annoyances that piss me off on a regular basis.
I should work on getting my house spotlessly clean except for the carpet because I can't replace that until the cats die, and the cats are remarkably healthy for being about 12 years old.
I should learn to control my anger, to stop hurting my own insides with the rage that fills me when confronted by things like idiots, fools, religious twitheads and GWB's photo. I can literally FEEL my bloodpressure rise, my brain bruising, my arteries screaming.
Sometimes, though, the habit comes easier. Sometimes it grows from a single event. Last spring my Mom died. As I sat beside her hospital bed, listening to those quick, raspy breaths, trying to be strong and not fall apart, it was too late to say "I love you, Mom" and know for a fact that she heard it. It was too late to KNOW that she knew.
I made a vow to myself that day - that I'd never let my Dad off the phone again without telling him how much I love him. This isn't easy, you know. Ours is not a family of huggy-touchy-feely - we're stoic German stock and keep those emotions firmly in check except when we're pissed off or hanging wallpaper.
The first couple times I did it, it felt so unnatural and weird. And I could tell that Dad was uncomfortable, because he'd just say "Uh huh" and hang up. Didn't matter. This wasn't about comfort zones - this was and is about needing to know for a FACT that he knows I love him, and that he KNOWS and HEARS it. I love you, Dad.
I called him yesterday afternoon for Father's Day. And not for the first time, but for the most clear and coherent time, he said "I love you too!"
Happy Fathers Day, Dad. I love you very much!
581 days
Habits are hard to start too - some of them - the ones that start off with "I should..."
I should call my Dad more often. Unfortunately, it's so easy for me to get caught up in the depression that is my own life and not want to "burden" him with all the trivial annoyances that piss me off on a regular basis.
I should work on getting my house spotlessly clean except for the carpet because I can't replace that until the cats die, and the cats are remarkably healthy for being about 12 years old.
I should learn to control my anger, to stop hurting my own insides with the rage that fills me when confronted by things like idiots, fools, religious twitheads and GWB's photo. I can literally FEEL my bloodpressure rise, my brain bruising, my arteries screaming.
Sometimes, though, the habit comes easier. Sometimes it grows from a single event. Last spring my Mom died. As I sat beside her hospital bed, listening to those quick, raspy breaths, trying to be strong and not fall apart, it was too late to say "I love you, Mom" and know for a fact that she heard it. It was too late to KNOW that she knew.
I made a vow to myself that day - that I'd never let my Dad off the phone again without telling him how much I love him. This isn't easy, you know. Ours is not a family of huggy-touchy-feely - we're stoic German stock and keep those emotions firmly in check except when we're pissed off or hanging wallpaper.
The first couple times I did it, it felt so unnatural and weird. And I could tell that Dad was uncomfortable, because he'd just say "Uh huh" and hang up. Didn't matter. This wasn't about comfort zones - this was and is about needing to know for a FACT that he knows I love him, and that he KNOWS and HEARS it. I love you, Dad.
I called him yesterday afternoon for Father's Day. And not for the first time, but for the most clear and coherent time, he said "I love you too!"
Happy Fathers Day, Dad. I love you very much!
581 days
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