Today, I am reminded of this post from Kelly Brewer's blog. I wish I knew how to so craftily use profanity to convey what I'm thinking... http://pinkhollyhock.blogspot.com/search?q=peacenik
Similar to the encounter Kelly's son had, last Friday night, my little brother was beaten nearly to death by some unknown person or persons. Tonight, he is in the hospital, recovering from extensive surgery to stop internal bleeding and manage damage to his pancreas. Later this week, he will be having another round of surgery to put everything back in place.
This person is out there somewhere. Still walking upright, without a dozen tubes and wires sticking out of his body. Without a pain management pump.
I don't even know what I feel would be just in this situation. But watching my brother laboring to breathe, and shirking in pain at the slightest movement is not it.
I do not understand what could have possibly have necessitated beating an unarmed and decent fellow so horribly. Violence of this magnitude is NOT OKAY.
It is NOT OKAY.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
From the Alaskan Wilderness...
Just a few interesting thoughts about McCain's pick for VEEP.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12997.html
I was able to catch Obama's speech at the Evergreen Lodge, along with about 50 other Obamacans, and one very drunken dissenter. I have been more encouraged about the possibilities for a better America than I have been-- maybe ever. His speech was inspiring, and full of particulars. He has nuts and bolts, folks! Check them out here.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv8eiDvrHJ4
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12997.html
I was able to catch Obama's speech at the Evergreen Lodge, along with about 50 other Obamacans, and one very drunken dissenter. I have been more encouraged about the possibilities for a better America than I have been-- maybe ever. His speech was inspiring, and full of particulars. He has nuts and bolts, folks! Check them out here.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv8eiDvrHJ4
They're Not There for Just a Paycheck
I grimmaced this morning when I read the annual "Labor Day" stories about how much local government employees earn. Particularly offensive is the way those quoted in the stories are labeled by their name and salary, such as, "...Shasta County Support Services Director Michelle Schafer, paid $102,970 a year."
It seems to me that such labels are the antithesis of what brings someone to public service. Attorneys, doctors, and administrators can all make more money outside of government agencies.
It occurs to me that for most County employees, the monetary value placed on their jobs is the least of their achievements. Why is it that Michele Schafer was not quoted in the paper as, "Michele Schafer, Support Services Director who manages over two dozen employees, provides recruitment and hiring services for a workforce of 2,000; manages the interface between hiring and payroll services; provides oversight of compensation and classification activities; manages risk management activities through self-administered, self-insured risk management programs; provides oversight for County purchasing activities; manages a fleet program of several hundred vehicles; manages labor activities with nine separate bargaining units; and a host of other activities for which she will never seek or receive credit." Why is that?
Local government employees are by and large professionals who are dedicated to public service. The fact that they are willing to take on large responsibilities for understaffed, underfunded programs and still manage to provide services to the community is laudable, and deserves more than just an article in the local paper sniping about salaries.
It seems to me that such labels are the antithesis of what brings someone to public service. Attorneys, doctors, and administrators can all make more money outside of government agencies.
It occurs to me that for most County employees, the monetary value placed on their jobs is the least of their achievements. Why is it that Michele Schafer was not quoted in the paper as, "Michele Schafer, Support Services Director who manages over two dozen employees, provides recruitment and hiring services for a workforce of 2,000; manages the interface between hiring and payroll services; provides oversight of compensation and classification activities; manages risk management activities through self-administered, self-insured risk management programs; provides oversight for County purchasing activities; manages a fleet program of several hundred vehicles; manages labor activities with nine separate bargaining units; and a host of other activities for which she will never seek or receive credit." Why is that?
Local government employees are by and large professionals who are dedicated to public service. The fact that they are willing to take on large responsibilities for understaffed, underfunded programs and still manage to provide services to the community is laudable, and deserves more than just an article in the local paper sniping about salaries.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
I'm Just a Strawberry Girl
At least this week, I am. Once I finish tying up all the loose ends at the office, I will race back to Redding, load up the car, pick up the boys, and we will be on the road, headed to five days of bluegrass and roots bliss in the Yosemite mountains. Camping under a pine canopy, listening to great music, and seeing friends will all be on the agenda. Answering my cell phone, text messages, email, etc., will not.
My only exception to this technology ban will be to sneak over to Evergreen Lodge on Thursday to go listen to Barack Obama's acceptance speech. Don't forget to tune in yourselves. It's history in the making. Thursday is yet another standing stone in the journey toward positive and profound change in our democracy. Really. I know it sounds hyperbolic, but Barack Obama is a leader like none other this country has known.
My OBAMA shirt arrived on Monday. I may wear it all weekend, just because I will be in a place where that kind of moderate behavior is acceptable.
I'll have pictures when I return. Hope you all have a happy and safe weekend!
My only exception to this technology ban will be to sneak over to Evergreen Lodge on Thursday to go listen to Barack Obama's acceptance speech. Don't forget to tune in yourselves. It's history in the making. Thursday is yet another standing stone in the journey toward positive and profound change in our democracy. Really. I know it sounds hyperbolic, but Barack Obama is a leader like none other this country has known.
My OBAMA shirt arrived on Monday. I may wear it all weekend, just because I will be in a place where that kind of moderate behavior is acceptable.
I'll have pictures when I return. Hope you all have a happy and safe weekend!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Last Monday was the last first day of school in the K-12 realm for Katie Girl. At the risk of sounding mushy and sappy, it really and truly does not seem like twelve years have passed since my first-born went trotting off to kindergarten. I remember the day so vividly. She was wearing a denim jumper, and I can remember the way her little bobbed hair-do shone in the early morning sun. I didn’t let her take the bus. I drove her all the way to school.
Katie has always been an independent sort. I knew it even back then. It didn’t surprise me at all when she quickly trotted off to her class without even looking back.
A lot has changed in the past twelve years. My Katie now spells her name Katy. Just because she likes it that way. She’s been to Disneyland, Washington, DC, France and Italy, all without me. She has a job, a career plan and goals. She has a nice boyfriend, and her very own laptop computer that she bought with only money she earned this summer. She is almost 17 and she is almost driving.
And today, I drove her all the way to school. She was wearing denim jeans, a black hooded top, earrings and make-up. It didn’t surprise me when she waved good-bye and then quickly trotted off to class without even looking back.
Apparently, looking back is the Mom’s job.
Katie has always been an independent sort. I knew it even back then. It didn’t surprise me at all when she quickly trotted off to her class without even looking back.
A lot has changed in the past twelve years. My Katie now spells her name Katy. Just because she likes it that way. She’s been to Disneyland, Washington, DC, France and Italy, all without me. She has a job, a career plan and goals. She has a nice boyfriend, and her very own laptop computer that she bought with only money she earned this summer. She is almost 17 and she is almost driving.
And today, I drove her all the way to school. She was wearing denim jeans, a black hooded top, earrings and make-up. It didn’t surprise me when she waved good-bye and then quickly trotted off to class without even looking back.
Apparently, looking back is the Mom’s job.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
It's more than just a stop light...
Today is the big unveiling at Buenaventura Boulevard and Canyon Road. The road signs have been up for days, alerting drivers of the coming attraction. I have known for months that this was coming, and mostly, I’ve been filled with chagrin and regret. Is it too much to ask for one stretch of road in town without a stoplight?
I’m a country girl, going way back. Not the Stetson hat and boots kind, but the rural, not many people, not much traffic, lots of good neighbors and great nature kind. I learned to drive on a wide dirt road when I was ten years old. At fourteen, my parents let me drive the back roads all over the place. Everyone’s parents did.
When I finally hit the road as a licensed driver, I could drive almost 40 miles without hitting so much as a stop sign. Traffic “problems” usually involved wildlife, snow, the occasional lost tourist, or the town fire truck that was so old its top emergency speed was about 45 miles per hour.
So, when I heard that the two or so miles on Buenaventura between Placer Road and Railroad Avenue were going to be fettered by yet another traffic light, I cringed. The older I get, the more I think I’m really done with town life.
My girlfriend Kris, ever the optimist, pointed out that one more stoplight was just one more opportunity to multi-task in a distracted driver kind of way. “You can put on another coat of eyeliner on before you hit the highway!”
As if I would ever do something like that.
And then, I read Kelly Brewer’s blog a while back about how excited she is to see the lights go up. One woman’s speedway is another woman’s frogger experience, I suppose. I rarely traverse Canyon Road, so her daily endeavor to deftly defy collision or injury at Canyon and Buenaventura was off my beaten path, as it were.
It occurred to me that it's this kind of broadening of perspective that makes blogs and blogging so appealing to me. It’s an opportunity to learn things I may not have known, or to smell a different scent in the same old grind.
So, be on the lookout for the new stoplight if you’re at Canyon Buenaventura. If you’re lucky, you might even get to see me waiting *patiently* for the light to change, or Kelly smiling as she makes a safe turn onto the boulevard.
I’m a country girl, going way back. Not the Stetson hat and boots kind, but the rural, not many people, not much traffic, lots of good neighbors and great nature kind. I learned to drive on a wide dirt road when I was ten years old. At fourteen, my parents let me drive the back roads all over the place. Everyone’s parents did.
When I finally hit the road as a licensed driver, I could drive almost 40 miles without hitting so much as a stop sign. Traffic “problems” usually involved wildlife, snow, the occasional lost tourist, or the town fire truck that was so old its top emergency speed was about 45 miles per hour.
So, when I heard that the two or so miles on Buenaventura between Placer Road and Railroad Avenue were going to be fettered by yet another traffic light, I cringed. The older I get, the more I think I’m really done with town life.
My girlfriend Kris, ever the optimist, pointed out that one more stoplight was just one more opportunity to multi-task in a distracted driver kind of way. “You can put on another coat of eyeliner on before you hit the highway!”
As if I would ever do something like that.
And then, I read Kelly Brewer’s blog a while back about how excited she is to see the lights go up. One woman’s speedway is another woman’s frogger experience, I suppose. I rarely traverse Canyon Road, so her daily endeavor to deftly defy collision or injury at Canyon and Buenaventura was off my beaten path, as it were.
It occurred to me that it's this kind of broadening of perspective that makes blogs and blogging so appealing to me. It’s an opportunity to learn things I may not have known, or to smell a different scent in the same old grind.
So, be on the lookout for the new stoplight if you’re at Canyon Buenaventura. If you’re lucky, you might even get to see me waiting *patiently* for the light to change, or Kelly smiling as she makes a safe turn onto the boulevard.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
It's more than a new day... It's a whole new era.
I was just checking news off my Yahoo home page. As I was reading through a story about the line up of speakers for the Democratic National Convention in Denver week after next, it occurred to me that I haven’t really heard much about the Republican convention, scheduled for the following week.
To see what I could find, I searched the term “Republican National Convention”. Ironically, the results were by and large all articles about the Democratic National Convention with minor quotes as to what some minor Republican or another thought of the DNC activities.
Thinking that perhaps there was some left-leaning bias on the part of the Yahoo search engine, I switched engines. Twice. I tried Mozilla/Firefox, and all I got was quick little news blurbs about the official IT provider for the Republican National Convention, the withdrawal of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae as sponsors of the Republican event. On Google, the most “newsworthy” article on the topic was a blurb declaring that Vice President Dick Cheney will be speaking one night at the Republican convention.
Regardless of where one’s politics lie, it’s hard not to admit that the Democrats are demonstrating a level of leadership that this country hasn’t seen in recent history. I agree with very little of what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has to say in the way of politics and social policy, but I am very impressed by the level of leadership she has exhibited in uniting her party in Congress. Speaker Pelosi is speaking on the first night of the Convention, along with Michelle Obama.
Since I can’t find any information online about the RNC line-up, I’ve been racking my brain to think of who the Republicans have in their arsenal who is going to be able to inspire and energize their choir, let alone a politically disenfranchised nation, the way Barack Obama and his supporters are inevitably going to. I can’t think of much of anyone, really.
To see what I could find, I searched the term “Republican National Convention”. Ironically, the results were by and large all articles about the Democratic National Convention with minor quotes as to what some minor Republican or another thought of the DNC activities.
Thinking that perhaps there was some left-leaning bias on the part of the Yahoo search engine, I switched engines. Twice. I tried Mozilla/Firefox, and all I got was quick little news blurbs about the official IT provider for the Republican National Convention, the withdrawal of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae as sponsors of the Republican event. On Google, the most “newsworthy” article on the topic was a blurb declaring that Vice President Dick Cheney will be speaking one night at the Republican convention.
Regardless of where one’s politics lie, it’s hard not to admit that the Democrats are demonstrating a level of leadership that this country hasn’t seen in recent history. I agree with very little of what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has to say in the way of politics and social policy, but I am very impressed by the level of leadership she has exhibited in uniting her party in Congress. Speaker Pelosi is speaking on the first night of the Convention, along with Michelle Obama.
Since I can’t find any information online about the RNC line-up, I’ve been racking my brain to think of who the Republicans have in their arsenal who is going to be able to inspire and energize their choir, let alone a politically disenfranchised nation, the way Barack Obama and his supporters are inevitably going to. I can’t think of much of anyone, really.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
