tropicalIt's nice that it is so conveniently happening on a weekend. I don't have to worry about rising to the alarm in the morning, and can sleep in as long as I want. While others were shopping today for bread, milk, etc., I was happily buying an extra bag of cat food, and a bottle of wine.
In essence, I'm a minimalist - I have all I need. Plenty of candles to light, some paperbacks to catch up on, a radio for news, and an IPod for music. Add to that a wonderful man, two healthy and happy cats, and no place to be or go, and you have the making of a beautiful weekend. Of course, I have the necessities - bottled water, toilet paper, ready to eat food, matches, etc. Not having a computer if the power goes out or Internet access fails may be a small hardship, but I think I need to be slowed down a bit. And if it takes a hurricane to do it.....
For my friends here in NC, and all over the world - be safe.
Three years ago tomorrow, when Hurricane Katrina was devastating the Gulf Coast, killing thousands of Americans and leaving countless more homeless and otherwise traumatized, and while a major US city drowned, George W. Bush and John McCain were celebrating McCain's birthday with cake and music.
Today, New Orleans has yet to be fully rebuilt, and the same can be said for nearly every community along the Gulf Coast hit by Katrina. A very good friend of mine who spent a week volunteering in Biloxi, Mississippi, in March or April this year tells me that 2 1/2 years after the hurricane flooded Biloxi with 30 feet of water, he met dozens of people who are still living in houses that were destroyed and cannot be rebuilt, either because of a lack of personal funds or because of the noose of bureaucracy imposed by the federal and state governments that refuse to help survivors get the benefits owed to them. In his time in Mississippi, my friend also learned that Governor Haley Barbour, with the full knowledge and consent of BushCo, diverted tens of millions of dollars designated for housing relief for poor residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast in order to fund the expansion of the port of Gulfport, an expansion that had already been planned for years before Katrina hit. And that was hardly the only problem with the expansion of the port, but I digress.
While Americans died by the thousands, while Americans suffered by the millions, George W. Bush felt it was more important to eat cake -- we all know this. But the point of emphasis here is that John McCain, the man who would be president, the man who claims he is so different from his playmate of three years ago, also felt it was more important for the president to engage his sweet tooth than to work on anything that might help the people affected by the ongoing natural disaster.
So I want to see this picture everywhere.
I want to see this picture every time the McCain campaign questions Obama's judgment.
I want to see this picture every time the McCain campaign questions Obama's experience.
I want to see this picture every time the McCain campaign claims Obama isn't ready to lead.
I want to see this picture every time the lack of preparedness for the current hurricane bearing down on the Gulf Coast is mentioned.
I want to see this picture every time the McCain campaign questions how often Obama went to Iraq, for they didn't bother with New Orleans themselves except when doing so provided campaign photo ops. Further, McCain has an appallingly awful record on the issue.
I want to see this picture every time someone says there are higher budgetary priorities than rebuilding New Orleans and the other Gulf Coast communities, or any other underfunded initiative of crucial importance to the American people.
I want the whole world to be reminded that John McCain is running for George W. Bush's third term.
I want the whole world to know that if a President John McCain is ever faced with a disaster that threatens the lives of American citizens, he cannot be counted to set aside his confections and do his utmost to save lives.
I want to see this picture everywhere.
I find myself, for some reason, being more optimistic lately. Having a new perspective. And looking forward to changes that I think will happen. First, I find myself silly in love, and looking through new eyes at a person that I only saw "in the past". The past is over - we can't change it, but we can certainly learn from it. Luckily, we found our way out of the hole we dug and had lived in for a while now. We stuck our heads out, and yes - the sun came up.
Second, I am finding more positive ways to work, and avoiding negativity until absolutely necessary. I can't please everyone, but amazingly some people do find me slightly useful. I'd forgotten how that felt, and I like it!
Third, I think the country is about to change - for the good. I think the man I am hoping will be president can change the world. How we look at the world and how it looks at us. A man of THIS generation, not of past ones, who understands where we are now - and how to get us out of here!
I hope he is given a chance. No - I hope he is given EVERY chance. If the media and the "other side" could just leave him be and see what happens, I think we're in for something amazing. I think our people will unite under this man and hopefully put politics aside. He is the man in the middle - between young and old, black and white, us and them. He's old enough to know, and young enough to dream.
Let's give him a chance, folks, and hop on for the ride.
The problem is that's she's in MY life because of him. His little indiscretion has sicced this barracuda on me. And it seems the only way to get rid of her is to get rid of him. She was my problem indirectly. She wanted to be my friend to get to him.
Guess what? Sorry I have to be so cold, but it ain't my problem anymore. She can have him, he can have her. I know he doesn't want her, but that's the price you pay when you cheat and don't admit the truth - or at least be up front and tell a girl you're just not into her anymore. We both wish it didn't happen, but I guess you picked the wrong woman to replace me with. She's your stalker, baby, not mine.
He's a good man - a very good man. And she knows it. God bless her, she's a smart woman. But I no longer want this crap in my life. If I have to give him up to get rid of her (but seriously - there are other reasons involved in our split), he's on his own. To get rid of cooties, ya gotta disinfect.
Every Peter Pan has his Wendy. My Peter Pan had two Wendy's. This Tinkerbell has flown the coop. The only magic I make is for me.
I love him, and I wish him the very, VERY best in his life. He deserves it. Me? I just want the drama to be on TV, not in my email or my phone. Good luck, and take care. CelticStorm has left the building....
The Town of Apex, NC is in my radar this week. They have hired, as their newest police officer, a fired ex-trooper found guilty of abusing his K-9 police dog. Kicking, strangle-hold by suspending him from his leash, etc. Shame on Apex! The position of police officer is one to be looked up to and respected. Their difficult job is to protect and serve, and they put their lives on the line for us daily. Whether human or canine, they deserve our respect. Inherent to that, we also expect from them to be treated respectfully, with dignity, and kept safe from harm.
What happens when the one you expect to protect you is the abuser? I feel that animal abusers - Michael Vick, this police officer, and the US soldier in Afghanistan who threw a puppy off a cliff - have something basically evil deep inside of them. Maybe not so deep after all. To harm a creature - ANY creature whether human, animal, or what have you - on purpose, when that creature looks to you for protection and care is the sign of a warped and unstable individual.
These people probably start with those unable to protect themselves, and it escalates to children wives, husbands, elderly parents, and maybe even on to murder, rape, and other mayhem.
And besides - the officer's K-9 is a designated partner. Would he have done this to a human partner? And what if the dog would have defended itself? The dog would have gotten a death sentence.
Shame on you, Apex for rewarding this man with a new job. Let him clean streets where no one gets hurt and no one depends on him.
