A Simple Kindness

My daughter was very upset yesterday. So much so that she was having a hard time keeping her mind on the work she was having to do for the community service she has been working on at a local mega church.

That morning, her son, my three year old grandson, had a nightmare and woke up crying. He had dreamt that his step dad, Mark, had been shot. Aiden was very upset and this, in turn, upset his mother who is already doing her best to keep herself together with a husband in Iraq and a baby on the way.

Jaime couldn't keep it together. She was a teary mess all day long. Finally, the pastor at the church pulled her aside and spent a few minutes with her, doing what he could in the best way he knew how. He listened while she voiced her concerns. They he asked if he could pray for her and for Mark and Aiden. Jaime said yes and, together, they prayed.

We are not Christian. But we will take the prayers and love from those who offer it because, after all, it is all the same energy and intended to comfort.

Afterwards, Jaime was sent home to wait for Mark's daily phone call.

Mark calls almost every day. Sometimes he can talk for about 30 minutes, but lately it's been crazy over there and he's only been able to call long enough to let Jaime know that he loves her and that he's okay. That's enough. that's all she needs. And after yesterday's phone call, Jaime collapsed in tears of relief and joy. Mark is okay.

Thank you to the stranger who gave the simple gift of love and compassion yesterday to help a young mother and wife when she needed it. May your God bless you.

Peace,
Amy

When I Was Growing Up...

We all walked to school. That is, unless we lived more than a mile from the school, in which case we took the bus.

This morning, I had to go out and run a couple of errands before Maxx had to head off to work. He needed a couple of things before he could go and I had the time to do it before I had to start work myself.

Now, I usually don't get out that early in the morning because I work at home and my schedule is later than most people's. I don't start work until around 11:00 a.m. So, being out on the road at 8:00 a.m. is rather unusual. I noticed that the traffic was pretty heavy and it was all headed to the two local schools located on the main road. Most of the cars had two occupants -- a driver and a young person. The driver would head to the school, wait in the line to make their drop off, then leave. This is repeated every single morning and every afternoon. There are also a lot of buses dropping of their loads of students.

Now, I will say that the location of these schools is not really a good set up for kids to walk. There is heavy traffic on the main road and the school is surrounded by barditches. There are no sidewalks.

However, the school located in the subdivision I live in does not have barditches and there is not a road with heavy traffic. It's in a pretty quite location.

I have not ever noticed, in all the years I've lived here, anyone walking to school. Even if the kids only live a block away, for some reason they have to be driven to school.

I don't understand it. Have parents become so paranoid that their children cannot walk to school now? My kids always did. Or they took the bus. Rarely did I drop them off or pick them up after school. My husband and I were both working and just simply were not able to do it.

Like I said, when I was growing up everyone walked or took the bus. We had crossing guards to help us safely cross the busy streets. Usually, we walked with one or two friends and had a great time laughing and getting some of that energy out as we walked to school or, after school, getting some of that restless energy out of our systems after being in a classroom all day. The older kids kept an eye on the younger ones and we took care of each other.

I grew up in Idaho and Utah, so we even had to walk to school in the cold and snowy weather (gasp!). One year I went to a school where girls were not allowed to wear pants, so I had to walk in the cold in dresses and tights. When I lived in Idaho, in the winter time my brother, George, and I would take turns watching out the window for the bus, and when we saw it, we would run like mad through the cold winter mornings to catch it.

Just imagine how much more fit our children would be if they actually had to walk somewhere and be responsible for themselves, even if it was just for a few minutes a day. Imagine how much gas we could save, as a country, if we let those young ones walk.

Imagine what would happen if we quit coddling our kids and let them actually do something for themselves!

I know, I know, my age is hanging out. I'm starting to sound like my grandparents...

Peace,
Amy

Blago Blah Blah

Maxx and I were watching yet more coverage last night when it dawned on him who Blago reminds him of...
Lord Farquaad from Shrek!

Seriously, can you see the resemblance?

Couldn't help it, just HAD to add a little humor to the day.

I'm getting pretty tired of seeing this guy's face plastered all over my television set, though. Seriously, don't the news networks have far more important things to cover than that bore Blago? The man is one of the biggest egomaniacs ever and all the news coverage is only feeding his ego.

Let's move on. Give me the condensed version later...

USA TODAY’S BAKER SAYS THOSE SEEKING BUSH PROSECUTION DRIVEN BY “REVENGE”

By Sherwood Ross

Hardly had President Bush slunk out of Washington before his apologist Ross Baker, the Rutgers political scientist, defamed those seeking his prosecution as motivated by “revenge.” They “should let their hate ‘die away,’” Baker advised in his January 27th USA Today article. Bush’s critics are mere low types “possessed of a kind of legalistic blood lust that can be satisfied only by criminalizing conduct of which they do not approve.”

Nowhere does Baker credit the Bush posse now forming up with seeking justice after the frightful firestorm of death and destruction Bush called down upon Iraq. No, as far as Baker is concerned, Americans should make “allowances for errors in judgment” by the lying imbecile that killed a million human beings, drove four million from their homes, killed four thousand of our sons and daughters and wounded thirty thousand more.

By accusing the posse of “hate,” Baker is standing reality on its head. It was Bush that was filled with hatred. It was Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and Co. that did the killing. They were the thugs dripping with “blood lust.” They were the ones that ordered the torture of innocent human beings. What is it, if not hatred of the most despicable genre, to kidnap men off the streets with no warrant and imprison them half way around the world without charging them of any offense, not even for spitting on the sidewalk, and humiliate and torture them for years to the point of madness and suicide?

Baker’s article gets worse. He prays that President Obama, “with his sense of decency and fair play will, in time, shame the haters” so the country can go forward to “deal with our daunting problems.” Again, Baker wants to shame the posse for doing its job! Baker even rationalizes this by pointing to the lack of prosecution of President Kennedy, who ordered the assassination of Viet Nam’s Ngo Dinh Diem, and of President Reagan’s “illegally supplying arms to the anti-communists in Nicaragua.” Well, maybe if those presidents had been tried for their crimes then George Bush might not have assumed he was free to plunder and torture at will today. Meanwhile, new criminal evidence keeps coming to light.

Baker says those seeking Bush’s prosecution will be satisfied “only by criminalizing conduct of which they do not approve,” as if the posse is making up the laws as it goes along! Wrong! As Francis Boyle, the University of Illinois political scientist, reminds in “Destroying World Order”(Clarity), Bush’s illegal attack on Iraq violated the United Nations Charter, the Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact, and is a Nuremberg Crime against Peace. Wars of aggression were “criminalized” generations ago.

Yes, accusing Bush’s critics of seeking “revenge” is absurd. Those that want to see Bush in the dock could easily walk away from any confrontation. The reason they can’t is because it is Justice, not revenge, tugging at their conscience. Justice is weeping. She is pleading with us because Bush trampled the Constitution and the new president is solemnly sworn to prosecute. President Obama doesn’t have a choice as to prosecute Bush or not. He can’t use “looking forward” as an excuse for looking away. He must do his duty or turn the government over to somebody who will. After all, we elected a president, not Santa Claus.

Baker, of course, never mentions what it is that distresses people of conscience about George Bush: the lies, the “preventive war” with its dragnet arrests, barbarities, bombings (78,000 murdered by air strikes alone), even the torture of children in Iraq’s prisons. No, you’d think Bush did nothing worse than take a lollipop from a toddler. Had Baker been alive in 1775 he might well have asked the Colonists to forget and forgive King George III for his “errors of judgment” and “fat-headedness.”

If Professor Baker thinks the republic should not prosecute the biggest criminal that ever drew breath on this continent, maybe his heart will melt with pity, too, for the two million Americans imprisoned for lesser crimes, such as writing a bad check, stealing a car or mugging an old lady to snatch her purse. Not one of these prisoners, no, not one, ever started a war, and thousands of inmates are doing time for nothing worse than selling a few joints. So why not open the prison gates and set the criminal class free? After all he’s done, if Bush ain’t guilty, name one American who is. Whoopee! At last, compassionate conservatism for all, Ross Baker style!

(Sherwood Ross formerly reported for the Chicago Daily News, the New York Herald-Tribune, and wire services. Currently, he runs a Miami-based public relations firm for worthy causes. Reach him at sherwoodr1@yahoo.com)

Hey, Republicans!

Here's a thought for you: Why in the hell didn't you question YOUR President, Bush, like you are Obama? Why didn't you stand strong in the face of very bad decisions that have led our country to the place we are in now?

Why didn't you put country first and politics last?

In case you hadn't noticed, let me clue you in on something. We tried it your way for far too long and it didn't work. Our country is in shambles at this very moment and the immediate future looks pretty bleak for most of us. Your policies didn't work. So, We, The People, held this thing called an election and voted for CHANGE because your way wasn't doing very well.

Quit fighting the change. If you truly believe Obama is on the wrong path, that's one thing. But I think that's not quite what you believe. You are being obstructionists and poor losers.

It's just infuriating... If someone, ANYONE had stood up to Bush this way eight years ago, maybe we'd be in a very different position right now...

Peace (someday)
Amy

How To Cheer Yourself Up on a Gloomy Day

Throw a party!

Then, get yourself to the store and buy some cheerfully colored flowers! They will add a touch of cheer to any dark corner! This is in my guest bathroom.

See how cheery it is?

I added this vase of flowers to my dining room table. The room is decorated/painted in shades of gray and black, making it a very elegant space, but needing a splash of color from time to time. This was just the right touch!

Also, we had a house full of guests last night until the wee hours of the morning. It was lovely to have a home filled with feasting, laughing, talking and just being with people. It certainly broke up my routine of work/sleep/work/sleep and the general sense of hermitage I usually feel!

On Being a Mom and a Gramma

That's Aiden, me and Danielle on Christmas Eve.

One of the true joys of life is being a parent. I am one of those women who really enjoyed being pregnant, in spite of the six months of "morning" sickness that lasted all day every day and kept me from getting in a car because every I did, my breakfast (or lunch or dinner) came back up, I enjoyed being pregnant. That was only with the first one, though. That did not happen with my other two pregnancies. I looked forward with great anticipation to the births of my babies and felt the absolute feeling of contentment that comes with having given birth to a healthy, bouncy child. Sometimes I really miss the times when my children were little. When Jeremy and Danielle were little, we'd all pile up in my old swivel rocking chair and watch Sesame Street together. They were brats a lot of the time, but they were angels when they were sleeping. I loved to watch them sleep at night.

Actually, my kids were pretty good kids for the most part, in spite of their father and I. We moved them around alot and probably could have been more "present" for them than we were. I was never one of those parents, though, that coddled my children because I knew that someday they were going to have to go out into the real world and live real lives and needed to be prepared for that. They had chores to do whether it was cleaning the bathroom, their rooms, picking up the living room and their toys, doing the dishes, cleaning the cat box or helping me cook, they worked. I even taught them how to do their own laundry.

I swear, when my kids reached puberty, though, aliens came and took my relatively good, happy children and left their evil spawn for me to raise. The teenage years were pretty tough years. Eventually all three grew out of that. I thought they never would.

I'm finding that the joy of being a mother extends to being the mother of adult children who are making their own decisions and living their own lives. My policy is that I let them live their own lives and make their own decisions without my interference. Sometimes they make good choices and sometimes they don't. Sometimes I help them (when I can and believe it is the right thing to do) and sometimes I don't. My goal is to make sure that they are able to take care of themselves because I will not always walk this earth, so I will not always be here to help them. I have had to sit back on my hands and bite my tongue more than once because I felt my "help" would actually be more of an interference. Trust me, sometimes I have cried myself to sleep because of their decisions.

My daughters have sometimes chosen partners that I did not care much for, but I rarely said anything unless I could see something that was not healthy. Usually my girls asked me for advice and it was given as kindly as possible. Right now, both of them are in relationships with people I like a great deal and I am happy for them. Mark and Jaime are married. Danielle and Lauren would like to get married, and will when and if they ever move to a place that allows gay/lesbian marriage. I support them 100% in this.

One of the greatest joys of being a mother to adult children is becoming a Gramma. I was in the delivery room when my grandson, Aiden was born. Wow, was that an experience to remember! I watched, helpless, as Jaime went through labor, knowing full well how much pain she was in and, as a mother, I wanted to take that pain from her. But I also knew that this was something she and only she could do and in the end, would give birth to her own child.

It's been fun to watch my daughter learn to be a mother. She's done a very good job of it, too. Aiden is a challenging child who requires lots of personal attention and is a very, very busy little boy. Sometimes it seems as if he actually has more than two arms and they are going in every different direction possible. He is smart and funny. I have found that he has a great deal of empathy for the other people around him.

Once again, I have a little one to pile up in the rocking chair with and watch Sesame Street or a movie.

Jaime is pregnant again and this week we learned that the new little one will be another boy. Mark was overjoyed to hear this news when he called from Iraq Thursday. Aiden, on the other hand, was not so thrilled. He had decided that he wants a little sister and when Jaime told him he's getting a little brother, well, he just didn't like that idea at all. I'm sure he'll get used to the idea between now and June.

My philosophy on being a Gramma? Love those little ones with all my heart and soul, just as I did my own babies. Mix a little bit of spoiling in with the love and, sometimes even, discipline (rarely) and enjoy every single minute I can with my grandkids. I absolutely adore Aiden and we have a pretty special relationship -- after all, I watched him be born, I was the second person to hold him, he came home to live in my house right after he was born and, last year, lived with us for six months when he and his mother moved back to Houston. I have no doubt that I will love my new grandson when he arrives as well.

Mark is coming home on leave the first of June and, with any luck, will be here when his son is born.

Life is full of joy if you just open your eyes to see it.

Peace,

Amy

Blue Star Families, First Lady stand united

From: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/01/military_bluestar_families_012009w/

Also, if you are an active duty military family, go to http://www.bsf4o.com/

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By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jan 20, 2009 13:29:50 EST

Common goals brought them together: a desire to improve the lives of military families, and a desire to help put Barack Obama in the White House — because they strongly believe the second goal will give great strength to the first.

Now, the fledgling Blue Star Families, having caught the ear of new First Lady Michelle Obama last summer hopes to take their campaign to help military families to a higher level.

On Jan. 19, one day before Obama took office as the 44th President of the United States of America, about 100 people gathered at the Fort Belvoir, Va., Officer's Club for a victory celebration to honor the work of military families and veterans who contributed to his election.

"We really helped share his pro-military message with the military community," said Angie Morgan, a spokeswoman for the group.

Spurred by the contacts they have made with each other and with the Obama administration, and by the needs of military families, they've shifted their focus to a nonpartisan, broad-based effort to help military families.

And so "Blue Star Families for Obama" has become "Blue Star Families."

"This is really the beginning," Marine wife Kathy Roth-Douquet, founder and co-chair of Blue Star Families, told the group. "We got here. Now we can actually do something. So let's do it. We can help America hear our … message about what we do for the country and what we want to continue to do for the country, with the country joining us."

This effort is being undertaken "not because we are victims, not because we're an underserved community, but because we're a vital part of America," she said.

Americans can learn from military families, she said, citing the strong spirit of volunteerism in the military community. "We're not about complaints," she said, but "about solutions."
Roth-Douquet said the group hopes to build on its "wonderful" relationship with Michelle Obama, and is developing similar ties to the office of new Vice President Joe Biden.
Since Michelle Obama formally announced the group in August, the number of people in its military family network has grown to "tens of thousands," said Marine wife Heidi DiEugenio, executive director of Blue Star Families.

"We represent the entire military community," Morgan said. "We're here to bring the issues to the highest levels of government, and to help the First Lady champion our causes."

The group has conducted a survey on its Web site to gather information about what's important to military families, and will be focusing on issues like health care, quality of education for military children, the effects of the operational tempo on families and how foreclosures are affecting military families, she said.

She said one focus of the group will be National Guard and Reserve members and their families, who often do not live near a military installation and its support networks.

Pamela Stokes Eggleston will be part of the effort. As a member of the group, and wife of wounded Army Sgt. Charles Eggleston, she will be a regional representative for Blue Star Families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. She said she and other group members "are talking now about what that will mean."

Terry Danielson, a Marine mother whose daughter, Sgt. Erin Theresa Danielson, returned from Iraq last April, came from Oregon for the Blue Star Families party, the inauguration and other events. In addition to working with the Blue Star Families for Obama, she has spearheaded several initiatives such as donating computers for the campaign, and donating copies of Obama's books to local libraries that did not have enough.

She and her husband were the only two people who voted for Obama out of nine relatives who attended the party. The others voted for McCain. "We have people from Illinois, Florida, Virginia and Oregon," she said. "We represent what Obama is doing, bringing all kinds of people together. I'm proud about that. I wanted these people to come to this party," she said.

Air Force wife Kimberley Taylor-Beer, part of the group's leadership in Colorado, said she was struck by Michelle Obama's connection to military families.

"Here's this tremendously talented woman in so many ways, and because of her husband's career choice, her life is different," Taylor-Beer said., adding that she thinks that's why the First Lady can identify with what military families go through.

During a conference call to the military families shortly after the election, Taylor-Beer said, the First Lady "told us that when she is really tired and has had a bad day, she thinks of military families and it keeps her going."

The group was founded late last spring when Roth-Douquet and Army wife Laura Dempsey were introduced by a mutual friend and began talking about how America views the military, and what they could do to change that, Dempsey said.

"At the same time, through different channels, we were asked to be policy advisors for the Obama campaign … we decided to do something bigger," she said, to bring together a grassroots effort in support of Obama.

With no money, no sponsors, and using house parties as their model to get the word out, "we just sat back and watched" as the effort gained steam, Dempsey said. "It almost ran itself. It was something to see."

"Most of us are not in a position to do anything more than what we do already for the people we love who are in the military in addition to being professionals and mothers and volunteers," Roth-Douquet said.

Inauguration Day

Well, I watched almost every single second of it that I could and enjoyed it.

What I think I enjoyed and appreciated the most was the ritual, timed and perfected over the years, of power passing from one President to the next. I enjoyed the pomp and circumstance, the speeches and the parade, the music and yes, even the prayers. I especially enjoyed Reverend Lowery's prayer, a man whom I met once when he came to visit us in Crawford on an Easter Sunday and have great respect for.

I enjoy President Obama's speech very much. He was straight forward and laid it all out for us. I think his State of the Union speech will be more revealing. What I appreciated the most was his calling of all of us to pitch in and help out. We have become such an egocentric society, always looking for the "me" first. In everything Obama has done leading up to Inauguration day, I have seen the community organizer and I believe this is going to serve him, and us, well.

If you have any doubt, I was glued to my television set after the inauguration while George and Laura walked to the waiting helicopter behind the Capital building to fly to Andrews Air Force Base. I wanted to see with my own eyes that man get into that chopper and fly away. Goodbye, George, and good riddance.

The sun is shining in Houston this cold winter morning, as it did yesterday. It almost feelsl like a weight has been lifted and HOPE has revisited us.

Peace,
Amy

To the Gold Star Families

That's me, protesting at a fundraiser for Tom Delay that Cheney attended.

Gold Star Families in Crawford, Texas.

left to right, Maxx, me, Mike, Cindy, (Unknown), Dede, Juan and Beatrice. That's Ann Wright at the mic.

Dear Friends,

Tomorrow, January 20, 2009, we will watch as a new President takes the Oath of Office and begins leading our nation. This is a monumental occasion in the history of our nation, a nation that we all love and whose values we all hold near and dear to our hearts. It is a nation to which all of us have given that which we hold most dear and precious – one of our children or family members.

Tomorrow we will see the leadership of one President end and the leadership of a new President begin.

I want to tell you, if you have not already come to the realization for yourselves, that you had a part in this. Every single one of us who has fought against the war in Iraq, every single one of us who has marched, written, given speeches, done interviews, traveled across the country and many other things have worked for this very moment. Every single one of us has put something more on the line and questioned the decisions of George W. Bush and his administration not only for the lead up to the war in Iraq, but also for the lackluster way in which this war has been managed.

For some, like Mike, Celeste and the Zapalla family, Sue, Cindy, Karen, Jane, Norma and many others, it began much earlier than for others. For some, like me, it began when I marched with Cindy in a ditch on a hot Texas August afternoon to the President’s ranch in Crawford asking him for what noble cause our children had died for. Many of you came to join us. We questioned the Bush policies on the war, his reasons for going to war in Iraq and many other things. It was the first time any of us got any kind of national attention. We were joined by thousands of other people from around the country – military families, vets, hippies, grandparents and even young people.

We, as a whole, made it okay for the people of this country to do something they had not dared to do until then – question our President on the decisions he had made. It took some time, but most of the rest of this country found that if we, the Gold Star families who had sacrificed so much, found it acceptable and even our responsibility to question the authority and the acts of the President, then it was okay for them to do so as well.

We helped change the minds and hearts of the American people. We have influenced policy in Washington D.C. and we have helped make sure that another war monger did not get elected President.

We made a difference!

Our goal of ending the war in Iraq is not yet accomplished, but great steps have been made in that direction.

I know that Barack Obama is not a miracle worker and he is not perfect. I believe we are going to have to continue to challenge him to right the wrongs that have been done in the name of the American people both at home and abroad.

For today and tomorrow and quite possibly a day or two after that, I am going to enjoy not having George W. Bush in the White House and dream the dream of what could possibly be a different tomorrow. I am going to be proud of the small part I had in history. I hope you will, too.

Peace & Love,
Amy

The Palestinians Say: 'This Is a War of Extermination'

We haven't heard much about this here in the states. To hear about it, you have to watch alternative sources, like BBC or listen to Pacifica (there may be others, I don't listen to radio much). What Israel is doing in Gaza is nothing short of genocide and should be labeled as such publically.

I have not included what was a very graphic picture written about at the bottom of this article. If you really want to see it, go here: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/39111

Peace,
Amy
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Everyone says something new is going on here; something different. The residents of Egyptian Rafah are used to the sounds of rockets and shells exploding on the other side of their border, but they've never heard the sounds they've been hearing over the last 20 days. Twenty-five miles further into Egypt the general hospital at el-Arish is used to receiving the Palestinian wounded. The staff have never seen injuries like these before. The hospital forecourt is swarming with ambulances, paramedics, press. The wounded are raced into casualty.

The Palestinians are mostly silent; each man working out where he finds himself and what he's going to do. Fearing for their wounded and fearing for those they've left behind, they are silent but unfailingly courteous.

They try to answer questions. They must be exhausted? "The people of Gaza," they say (not "we"; they're too proud for that), "the people of Gaza just wish for an hour's sleep." The case you're accompanying? "I'm here with my nephew. He's 19. Shrapnel in his head. He was sitting with his friends. He's a student. Architecture. The helicopter dropped a bomb and seven of the group were killed and six were injured. They found a boy's hand on a 3rd floor balcony."
Later, I see a boy sitting up in bed with a bandage round his head. He has wide brown eyes flecked with green and he frowns a little, as though he was trying to remember something important. In the next bed a 12-year-old also with a bandaged head is not quite conscious yet. He is flushed and fretful.

The Palestinians say: "This is a war of extermination." They describe bombs which break into 16 parts, each part splintering into 116 fragments, the white phosphorus which water cannot put out; which seems to die and then flares up again.

No one I spoke to has any doubt that the Israelis are committing war crimes. According to the medics here, to reports from doctors inside the Gaza Strip and to Palestinian eye-witnesses, more than 95% of the dead and injured are civilians. Many more will probably be found when the siege is lifted and the rubble is cleared. The doctors speak of a disproportionate number of head injuries - specifically of shrapnel lodged in the brain.

They also speak of the extensive burns of white phosphorus. These injuries are, as they put it, 'incompatible with life'. They are also receiving large numbers of amputees. This is because the damage done to the bone by explosive bullets is so extensive that the only way the doctors in Gaza can save lives is by amputating.

One of the nurses said to me that the nurses and paramedics were horrified by what they were seeing. "We deal with cases all the time," she said. "But what we're seeing these days we've never seen before or imagined."

Upstairs a professor of economics, accompanying his brother, sees me staring at my notes and says: "Exaggerate. Whatever you write will not be as bad as the truth."

In the silence that followed someone put a mobile in my hand.

"Look!" On a rubble-strewn street lay the body of a roasted and charred child. Two bones were sticking out where her thighs had been. "The dogs ate her legs," he explains. For a moment I put a hand over my eyes. The phone goes round the table, each man gravely contemplating the burned child on the screen. Then someone asks: "What will it take to make the Israelis stop?"

The White House

That's me, in front of the White House. That's about as close as I'll ever get, I guess.

As I stood at the fence, I wondered how in the world George W. Bush ever got there in the first place. Then, I remembered, he was put there by the Supreme Court. He was not elected. He did not win the popular vote.

That is not how we do things in America. Or at least, it didn't used to be.

One piece of advice I would give to President-elect Barack Obama: Go on a tour of the National Mall. View the memorials, the statues, the engravings you will find scattered throughout. Go the the National Archives and look at the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution of the United States of America. You will find hidden in the beauty of the art and the engravings the wisdom left to us by those from our past. Take heed and learn from it.

The White House.

We found this spiral outside the Native American Museum. The sacred geometry of the spiral has been found in many, many cultures, works of art, cave drawings, etc all over the world. It represents many things to many people.

I love the simple beauty of this design.

From the Capital building overlooking the National Mall. It's deceptively huge!

United States Capital

What you don't usually see on television, ground level view from the front of the US Capital building. I had no idea that all of this was down front! It is gorgeous! Of course, the average, every day person cannot just walk up those grand staircases, but I would have loved to!

The enormity of the building was a surprise. The architecture is breathing taking.

View of our Capital Building from behind.

Supreme Court Building

Inside the Supreme Court Building. the overall feeling is one of awe, inspiration and a reminder of the greatness we can achieve.

We were able to peek into this famous room where verdicts are handed down by the Supreme Court Justices. What I found entirely surprising was just how small this room is!

The Supreme Court Building.

The Library of Congress

This was, by far, my favorite building in the city. Best of all, it overlooks the Capital building.

The Minervas, Greek (Or Roman, depending on your source) Goddess of Peace, Knowledge, Wisdom and more. My favorite part? She is right there, when you come in the original doors (no longer accessible to the public) overlooking our nation's capital.

A few inside the Library of Congress.

One of the many paintings, directly on the wall, not a canvas, inside the Library of Congress. There is so much knowledge, so much wisdom incorported into the design and decor of this place that it's astounding.

Vietnam Memorial

World War II Memorial

"Here We Mark the Price of Freedom"

A quiet pool of water flanked by one gold star for every fallen warrior.

Gold Stars.

On the National Mall in Washington DC. This view is from the Washington Monument looking toward the Lincoln Memorial.

From the Washington Monument looking toward the Capital building.

The Washington Monument.

The Jefferson Memorial.

One of the things that I found surprising is how big the National Mall is! Really, television and pictures do not do justice to the enormity of this place! One day we walked from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial and it really was a lot further away than it seemed to be.

Everywhere along the way are reminders of the wars our country has fought. How many of these wars will we have to fight? How many memorials must we erect to remember?

When will we, as a nation, finally learn the real price of war?

Washington DC

With the media's and the world's attention focused on Washington DC this week, I thought I'd share some of my personal pictures from a trip Maxx and I made to our nation's capital in the fall of 2006.

We spent nine days in the area and did not have time to see everything we wanted to see. What we did find, throughout the whole time, were pearls of wisdom amongst the beauty of the buildings, statues and memorials.

The image above is from one of the Smithsonian buildings.

The engraving says: "Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty".

"The heritage of the past is the seed that brings forth the harvest of the future"

Inside one of the Smithsonians.

A beautiful dome. The graceful, elegant arches capitivated me.

From my InBox This Week

Details of the Bush Library Development

Dear Fellow Constituent:

The George W. Bush Presidential Library is now in the planning stages and accepting donations.

The Library will include:

1. The Hurricane Katrina Room, which is still under construction.

2. The Alberto Gonzales Room, where you won't be able to remember anything.

3. The Texas Air National Guard Room, where you don't even have to show up.

4. The Walter Reed Hospital Room, where they don't let you in.

5. The Guantanamo Bay Room, where they don't let you out.

6. The Weapons of Mass Destruction Room, which no one has been able to find.

7. The National Debt Room, which is huge and has no ceiling.

8. The Tax Cut Room, with entry only to the wealthy.

9. The Economy Room, which is in the toilet.

10. The Iraq War Room. (After you complete your first visit, they make you go back for a second, third, fourth, and sometimes fifth visit.)

11. The Dick Cheney Room, in the famous undisclosed location.

12. The Environmental Conservation Room, still empty.

13. The Supreme Gift Shop, where you can buy an election.

14. The Airport Men's Room, where you can meet some of your favorite Republican Senators.

15. The Decider Room, complete with dart board, magic 8-ball, Ouija board, dice, coins, and straws.

Note: The library will feature an electron microscope to help you locate and view the President's accomplishments.

The library will also include many famous quotes by George W. Bush:

1. 'The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country.'

2. 'If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure.'

3. 'Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child.'

4. 'No senior citizen should ever have to choose between prescription drugs and medicine.'

5. 'I believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and democracy -- but that could change.'

6. 'One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one word is 'to be prepared'.'

7. 'Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things"

8. 'I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future.'

9. 'The future will be better tomorrow.'

10. 'We're going to have the best educated American people in the world.'

11. 'One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures.' (during an education photo-op)

12. 'Illegitimacy is something we should talk about in terms of not having it.'

13. 'We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur.'

14. 'It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.'

15. 'I stand by all the misstatements that I've made.'... George W. Bush to Sam Donaldson.

PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY!
Sincerely, Jack Abramoff, Co-Chair

Don't Do It

It has come to my attention recently that there are some people who have joined the military to "honor Jeremy".

I have to say, while I respect their intentions, I do not think this is a good way to honor Jeremy, nor do I believe that Jeremy would want ANYONE to join the military because of him, in honor of him or whatever.

It's kind of like jumping off of a tall building or bridge because someone you loved jumped off the builiding or bridge, to honor them. It really reminds me of Lemmings.

Please, don't join the military to honor someone. It just plain stupidity. If you want to join the military, do it because you want serve our country, or because you feel it is personally the right thing for you to do.



Peace,
Amy

Forgive and Forget?

By PAUL KRUGMAN, New York Times

Last Sunday President-elect Barack Obama was asked whether he would seek an investigation of possible crimes by the Bush administration. “I don’t believe that anybody is above the law,” he responded, but “we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards.”

I’m sorry, but if we don’t have an inquest into what happened during the Bush years — and nearly everyone has taken Mr. Obama’s remarks to mean that we won’t — this means that those who hold power are indeed above the law because they don’t face any consequences if they abuse their power.

Let’s be clear what we’re talking about here. It’s not just torture and illegal wiretapping, whose perpetrators claim, however implausibly, that they were patriots acting to defend the nation’s security. The fact is that the Bush administration’s abuses extended from environmental policy to voting rights. And most of the abuses involved using the power of government to reward political friends and punish political enemies.

At the Justice Department, for example, political appointees illegally reserved nonpolitical positions for “right-thinking Americans” — their term, not mine — and there’s strong evidence that officials used their positions both to undermine the protection of minority voting rights and to persecute Democratic politicians.

The hiring process at Justice echoed the hiring process during the occupation of Iraq — an occupation whose success was supposedly essential to national security — in which applicants were judged by their politics, their personal loyalty to President Bush and, according to some reports, by their views on Roe v. Wade, rather than by their ability to do the job.
Speaking of Iraq, let’s also not forget that country’s failed reconstruction: the Bush administration handed billions of dollars in no-bid contracts to politically connected companies, companies that then failed to deliver. And why should they have bothered to do their jobs? Any government official who tried to enforce accountability on, say, Halliburton quickly found his or her career derailed.

There’s much, much more. By my count, at least six important government agencies experienced major scandals over the past eight years — in most cases, scandals that were never properly investigated. And then there was the biggest scandal of all: Does anyone seriously doubt that the Bush administration deliberately misled the nation into invading Iraq?
Why, then, shouldn’t we have an official inquiry into abuses during the Bush years?

One answer you hear is that pursuing the truth would be divisive, that it would exacerbate partisanship. But if partisanship is so terrible, shouldn’t there be some penalty for the Bush administration’s politicization of every aspect of government?

Alternatively, we’re told that we don’t have to dwell on past abuses, because we won’t repeat them. But no important figure in the Bush administration, or among that administration’s political allies, has expressed remorse for breaking the law. What makes anyone think that they or their political heirs won’t do it all over again, given the chance?

In fact, we’ve already seen this movie. During the Reagan years, the Iran-contra conspirators violated the Constitution in the name of national security. But the first President Bush pardoned the major malefactors, and when the White House finally changed hands the political and media establishment gave Bill Clinton the same advice it’s giving Mr. Obama: let sleeping scandals lie.

Sure enough, the second Bush administration picked up right where the Iran-contra conspirators left off — which isn’t too surprising when you bear in mind that Mr. Bush actually hired some of those conspirators.

Now, it’s true that a serious investigation of Bush-era abuses would make Washington an uncomfortable place, both for those who abused power and those who acted as their enablers or apologists. And these people have a lot of friends. But the price of protecting their comfort would be high: If we whitewash the abuses of the past eight years, we’ll guarantee that they will happen again.

Meanwhile, about Mr. Obama: while it’s probably in his short-term political interests to forgive and forget, next week he’s going to swear to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” That’s not a conditional oath to be honored only when it’s convenient.

And to protect and defend the Constitution, a president must do more than obey the Constitution himself; he must hold those who violate the Constitution accountable. So Mr. Obama should reconsider his apparent decision to let the previous administration get away with crime. Consequences aside, that’s not a decision he has the right to make.

Cheney On Whether Iraq War Was Worth 4500 Americans Killed: "I Think So"

In an interview airing tonight on PBS’s Newshour, host Jim Lehrer asks Vice President Cheney about the U.S. soldiers who have lost their lives in the war in Iraq.

Cheney shows little remorse:

Q: But Mr. Vice President, getting from there to here, 4,500 Americans have died, at least 100,000 Iraqis have died. Has it been worth that?

CHENEY: I think so.

Q: Why?

CHENEY: Because I believed at the time what Saddam Hussein represented was, especially in the aftermath of 9/11, was a terror-sponsoring state so designated by the State Department. … He had produced and used weapons of mass destruction, chemical and biological agents. He’d had a nuclear program in the past. … And he did have a relationship with al Qaeda. […]
And so I think given the track record of Saddam Hussein, I think we did exactly the right thing. I think the country is better off for it today.

Cheney’s comments mirror those of other conservatives, such as House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), who said that the lives lost in Iraq have been a “small price” to pay, and right-wing commentator Frank Gaffney, who declared that all these troops “did have to die” in Iraq.

The United States did not invade in Iraq because Saddam “had a nuclear program in the past,” nor did he have a relationship with al Qaeda. We went to war because Bush administration officials made everyone believes that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction at that time and an active relationship with al Qaeda. The Iraq war has decimated the readiness of the U.S. military, radicalized insurgents in the Middle East, and strengthened many of America’s enemies. As David Sanger of the New York Times notes, the war also “occupied so much of the attention and the resources of the top levels of the U.S. government that we ignored much bigger threats, short-term and long-term.”

Matt Yglesias has also written:

The harsh reality is that this was not a noble undertaking done for good reasons. It was a criminal enterprise launched by madmen cheered on by a chorus of fools and cowards. And it’s seen as such by virtually everyone all around the world — including but by no means limited to the Arab world.

Evidently, all this was worth losing more than 4,500 Americans and more than 100,000 Iraqis.

Transcript:

Q: But Mr. Vice President, getting from there to here, 4,500 Americans have died, at least 100,000 Iraqis have died. Has it been worth that?

CHENEY: I think so.

Q: Why?

CHENEY: Because I believed at the time what Saddam Hussein represented was, especially in the aftermath of 9/11, was a terror-sponsoring state so designated by the State Department. He was making payments to the families of suicide bombers. He provided a safe haven and sanctuary for Abu Nidal and other terrorist operations. He had produced and used weapons of mass destruction, chemical and biological agents. He’d had a nuclear program in the past. He killed hundreds of thousands of his own people. And he did have a relationship with al Qaeda.
We’ve had this debate that keeps people trying to conflate those arguments. That’s not to say that Saddam was responsible for 9/11. It is to say as George Tenet, the CIA Director, testified in open session in the Senate, that there was a relationship there that went back 10 years. This was a terror-sponsoring state with access to weapons of mass destruction. And that’s the greatest threat we faced in the aftermath of 9/11, that the next time we found terrorists in the middle of one of our cities, it wouldn’t be 19 guys armed with airline tickets and box cutters, it would be terrorists armed with a biological agent, or maybe even a nuclear device.

And so I think given the track record of Saddam Hussein, I think we did exactly the right thing. I think the country is better off for it today.

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Personal note from Amy:

Dick Cheney has no conscience. He places no value whatsoever on human life. It bothers me that he believes and states that the lives of the 4500 Americans who have died are "worth it". It bothers me that he cast Saddam Hussein as a bad guy for killing over 100,000 of his own people, yet we have killed probably many times more Iraqis than Saddam did, but that's okay (in his mind).

Seriously, folks, this man must be held accountable for what I believe to be criminal behavior. He has gotten away with it for far too long.

Peace,

Amy

Thanks Mike!

Imagine my surprise this morning when I went to Michael Moore's website and found my article, Accountability, on his front page, right up in the headlines!

www.michaelmoore.com

Thanks, Mike, for your continuing and unquestioned support and all the work you and your staff do to right the wrongs and injustices done to the people of this country.

Amy

Goodbye, George. Don't Let the Door Hit You In the Butt...

I don't know where this originated, but it was in my email this week... I'll be so glad when this moron is gone.

Bushisms over the years

President George W. Bush will leave behind a legacy of Bushisms, the label stamped on the commander in chief's original speaking style. Some of the president's more notable malaprops and mangled statements:
___

• "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." — September 2000, explaining his energy policies at an event in Michigan.

• "Rarely is the question asked, is our children learning?" — January 2000, during a campaign event in South Carolina.

• "They misunderestimated the compassion of our country. I think they misunderestimated the will and determination of the commander in chief, too." — Sept. 26, 2001, in Langley, Va. Bush was referring to the terrorists who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks.

• "There's no doubt in my mind, not one doubt in my mind, that we will fail." — Oct. 4, 2001, in Washington. Bush was remarking on a back-to-work plan after the terrorist attacks.

• "It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that chamber." — April 10, 2002, at the White House, as Bush urged Senate passage of a broad ban on cloning.

• "I want to thank the dozens of welfare-to-work stories, the actual examples of people who made the firm and solemn commitment to work hard to embetter themselves." — April 18, 2002, at the White House.

• "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." — Sept. 17, 2002, in Nashville, Tenn.

• "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." — Aug. 5, 2004, at the signing ceremony for a defense spending bill.

• "Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." — Sept. 6, 2004, at a rally in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

• "Our most abundant energy source is coal. We have enough coal to last for 250 years, yet coal also prevents an environmental challenge." — April 20, 2005, in Washington.

• "We look forward to hearing your vision, so we can more better do our job." — Sept. 20, 2005, in Gulfport, Miss.

• "I can't wait to join you in the joy of welcoming neighbors back into neighborhoods, and small businesses up and running, and cutting those ribbons that somebody is creating new jobs." — Sept. 5, 2005, when Bush met with residents of Poplarville, Miss., in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

• "It was not always a given that the United States and America would have a close relationship. After all, 60 years we were at war 60 years ago we were at war." — June 29, 2006, at the White House, where Bush met with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

• "Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die." — Dec. 7, 2006, in a joint appearance with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

• "These are big achievements for this country, and the people of Bulgaria ought to be proud of the achievements that they have achieved." — June 11, 2007, in Sofia, Bulgaria.

• "Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction. Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit." — September 2007, in Sydney, Australia, where Bush was attending an APEC summit.

• "Thank you, Your Holiness. Awesome speech." April 16, 2008, at a ceremony welcoming Pope Benedict XVI to the White House.

• "The fact that they purchased the machine meant somebody had to make the machine. And when somebody makes a machine, it means there's jobs at the machine-making place." — May 27, 2008, in Mesa, Ariz.

• "And they have no disregard for human life." — July 15, 2008, at the White House. Bush was referring to enemy fighters in Afghanistan.

• "I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office." — June 26, 2008, during a Rose Garden news briefing.

• "Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have helped transform 13 small colonies into a great and growing nation of more than 300 people." — July 4, 2008 in Virginia.

• "The people in Louisiana must know that all across our country there's a lot of prayer — prayer for those whose lives have been turned upside down. And I'm one of them. It's good to come down here." — Sept. 3, 2008, at an emergency operations center in Baton Rouge, La., after Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf Coast.

• "This thaw — took a while to thaw, it's going to take a while to unthaw." Oct. 20, 2008, in Alexandria, La., as he discussed the economy and frozen credit markets.

Accountability

Today I write as an American -- an American who is a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. I am the daughter of a Vietnam Vet and the mother of a dead soldier. I am the mother-in-law of a soldier serving active duty in Iraq. I am a citizen of this country that was raised to believe that it is the greatest country in the world. This is, in part, a description of how I see myself and greatly influences how I view the world.

This morning I find myself feeling at odds over recent statements by President-Elect Barack Obama concerning this question posted by Bob Fertik at Change.gov:

"Will you appoint a special prosecutor -- ideally Patrick Fitzgerald -- to independently investigate the gravest crimes of the Bush Administration, including torture and warrantless wiretapping?"

The response from Obama when George Stephanopoulos asked him the question directly on his show this weekend was this:

"We're still evaluating how we're going to approach the whole issue of interrogations, detentions and so forth. And obviously we're going to be looking at past practices and I don't believe that anybody is above the law. On the other hand, I also have a belief that we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards."

He is right about one thing. No one is above the law. That means even the President of the United States and his Vice President.

I have become increasingly frustrated with the openly arrogant and flagrant comments of Bush and Cheney in the past weeks who have admitted publically (while not under oath) that they committed crimes that could be consider war crimes.

They must not be allowed to get away with this. Their actions have not made this country any safer than it was pre 9/11. Their actions have only served to erode the Constitution of the United States of America – a document that, by the way, President George W. Bush considers to be little more than a “goddamn piece of paper”.

No one is above the law. An investigation should be started immediately into the activities of the President and his buddies in Washington concerning what they knew and what they did that has undermined our Constitution, our freedom and the stability of this country.

What we need in this country is accountability – a concept that seems lost on those elected officials who are supposed to be serving We, The People.

The soldiers and their families need accountability for being lied to and sent into harm’s way. So far we have 4,226 military deaths in Iraq. That does not count the American civilians working their for private contractors such as Halliburton, KBR and Blackwater, etc. It does not count those who have returned home and taken their own lives because of PTSD.

I want accountability because my only son was taken from his life of school and family and work to train to fight in Iraq and ended up burying him five years ago.

I want accountability because I had my phones tapped, my emails read and I have been followed in the past because I dared to march in Crawford with Cindy Sheehan in August of 2005. I had the audacity to question the President. I did not break any laws but rather, exercised my freedom of speech to question very poor, misguided and even unlawful decisions to take our country to war and endanger so many people without just cause.

I want accountability and I deserve to have it. The people of this country want accountability and we deserve to have it.

If we do not hold those so-called “leaders” accountable for their actions NOW, if we do not look back to see what they did, what they knew, and how they did it, how are we going to learn? How are we going to be able to create the change that Barack Obama ran his campaign on?

If there is no accountability, then what will stop some unscrupulous President in the future from committing the same unlawful and possibly more egregious acts? Nixon once said that if the President does something, it must be legal. And he pretty much got away with what he did without ever being judged by a jury, without ever serving any time and without ever being held accountable.

If George W. Bush and Richard Cheney, et al, are not held accountable for their actions by this nation, and soon, what are we telling the rest of the world? I fear the message that we are sending will be “do as I say, not as I do”. That message is, itself, very hypocritical and most definitely not democratic. It does not promote the freedom and democracy we profess to believe in.

If we do not have accountability, I fear our soldiers abroad in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as other countries will be in much greater danger in the future than they are now. If we do not draw a line in the sand, so to speak, and stand up for what we profess to believe in, our own soldiers will be tortured when they are caught.

When Bush took the oath of office, he swore to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. I don’t believe any President in the history of this country has any greater disdain for the Constitution that George W. Bush. He did not uphold his oath of office. He should be held accountable, far more so than any other person.

Our elected representatives have been complicit in that they have allowed Bush and his buddies to run rampant through this country, corrupting and destroying almost all that we hold dear. They have not stopped these actions, they have not questioned and they certainly have not done anything to bring those responsible to accountability. Bush and Cheney should have been impeached a long time ago. Nancy Pelosi took impeachment “off the table”. She is complicit and, therefore, as guilty as the Bush Administration for their crimes.

I could write page after page after page about George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condi Rice and the countless others who have wrought such chaos and turmoil in this country and abroad. But I will not. We all know very well what they have done.

In the end, when all is said and done by the Bush Administration, they can look back and say one thing that is truthful and stunning. They accomplished the act that the terrorists who struck on 9/11 wanted to do: bring America to its knees. As we close out the final week of Bush as Commander in Chief, we are looking down the road at a very long, dark time in our country with an economy that is collapsing, high unemployment, families losing their homes and everything that we have known in the past that we could depend on is gone. You've done a heckuva job, W.

Accountability. That is what We, the People of the United States of America want. It is what we deserve. It is what the law says must take place.

I am not a vengeful person. I do not seek revenge. I seek accountability.

Go to http://www.democrats.com/special-prosecutor-for-bush-war-crimes and sign the petition for a special prosecutor to be appointed for Bush war crimes.

Peace,
Amy

Eight More Days....

Until that idiotic buffoon we have in the White House is outta there!

It can't come soon enough. It should have happened years ago.

I saw part of his interview today on TV while I was working. Seriously, I really wanted to throw a shoe at the television set!

I have to partake of sustenance and rest my hands from a long day of typing, but I PROMISE that tomorrow, I will post something worth reading for you...

Peace,
Amy

TGIF!

It's been a very long, very strange week around here. Although I am always happy when this time Friday rolls around, today I am more happy about it than usual. And I'm looking forward to spending the weekend with my sweetheart since he has the weekend off for the first time in a month!

I have always considered the week between Christmas and New Year's kind of an in-between time. Life as most of us know it just kinda hangs in some kind of suspended animation until we can get back to it. The week afterwards is catch-up time -- everything catches up to us that we just sort of left dangling. We're definitely experiencing that around here.

I haven't written or posted much this week. There has been so much weirdness going on in the world that I haven't been able to decide where to start or which weird thing to write about!

To add to the end of this strange week, Maxx broke one of his fingers at work yesterday. We went to the doctor today and he got an X-ray. Poor guy. He has to wear a splint on it for at least 10-14 days and is in quite a bit of pain. But he went to work this afternoon anyway!

Peace,
Amy

For Penny

Penny is a dear, much loved and far-away friend that I have come to love and treasure this past year.

I just learned that one of her sons was in a car accident and passed away.

Penny, I am so sorry. I wish I could be there to hug you.

Amy

5,000!

I just wanted to thank all of you who take the time to visit my blog on a regular basis and those of you who happen upon it by chance.

Today my counter rolled over to 5,000 visits to this blog!

**DOING THE HAPPY DANCE!**

Book Reviews

I love books and I love reading. I cannot remember a time when I did not. The first book I remember ever having of my very own was a book of fairy tales given to me for my birthday when I was very young, maybe 3 or 4 years old. I loved the smell of it, the print, the pictures and the way the story took me away in my imagination to another place when someone read it to me. Later in my life, a trip to visit my grandmother in South Dakota who was a librarian brought me a new sense of reading and books. She brought home for me to read during our vacation The Wizard of Oz and the sequels to that book, which I remember devouring.

Later, this Grandmother would send me retired books from her library, so I have a first edition Nancy Drew and also The Secret Garden to love and to treasure, as well as a couple of other books stashed away in a safe place.

When I learned to read, a whole new world opened up to me. I remember being very bored reading Dick and Jane in first grade and couldn't wait to get to the good stuff. Dr. Seuss and his rhyming words were magical!

A few months ago I was approached by a publishing company to do a book review. I agreed, they sent me the book and I read it. Then a hurricane happened, a historic election happened, Thanksgiving and Christmas and this book and the project got pushed to the back shelf where I *almost* forgot about it.


This is the cover of the book, Historic Photos of Houston. Text and Captions by Betty Trapp Chapman and published by Turner Publishing Company.

While I live in Houston and have lived her for about eight or nine years, I did not know much about the history of my city, the place I now call home and where I have now lived longer than I have lived in any one place in my whole life. So, I was glad to get this book and learn a little bit about the history of where I live.

This book gives a really great overview and synopsis of the city of Houston and how it got its start. It's a great book to show to out-of-town visitors who wonder about Houston, so they can get a glimpse of the history.

Houston was founded by two "enterprising brothers from New York", Augustus and John Kirby Allen. Now I now why some of the main streets in Houston have the names of Kirby, Allen and Augustus! The town was named for their hero, Sam Houston who would be come the president of the Republic of Texas.

If you are interested in the history of Houston and a great pictoral overview of her early days, I highly recommend this book. For more information, go to: http://www.turnerpublishing.com/detail.aspx?ID=1340

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The other book I have to review today is The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. I picked this book up at Costco over the weekend and read it cover to cover. Yes, I know, it is now a movie. No, I have not yet seen the movie. I was just looking for something to read. Sometimes I just need to reset my inner clock and usually sitting down with a good book that is an easy read does just exactly that for me.

This book did exactly what I had hoped it would do. But more than that, it gave me insight into that age-old story about May/December romances between a younger man and an older woman and how those romances have a tendancy to affect every other relationship in that young man's life. The first part of the book goes into detail about the author's romance with Hannah who is more than twice his age. Later, the author describes how this relationship was the basis from which he judged all others. One day Hannah just disappears from his life without saying goodbye and he mourns her leaving.

When he is in college, the author comes across Hannah once again under quite unusual circumstances. I will not say anymore about that, but I will say that Hannah's and the author's life were intertwined from the moment they met. It is an extraordinary tale. I hope you'll take the time to read it.

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I'll be taking time out now and then this year to review what I have read here on my blog. My tastes are quite varied. I love Sci/Fi and Fantasy adventure stories. I love Dean Koontz, John Grisham, Anne Rice, Terry Goodkind, Marion Zimmer Bradley, just to name a few. One of my all-time favorite books is The Moon Under Her Feet by Clysta Kinstler. I also quite enjoy history and research and some of my particular interests is the formation of Christianity as a religion, the Templars and the Masons, and women's spirituality. There are also a few books on politics in my libarary including books by Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, Diane Wilson and Cindy Sheehan. Okay, I had to add Diane and Cindy because I do know them -- just a bit of a personal plug for my friends!

I will read almost anything I can get my eyes and hands on, for the most part. What don't I read? Fluff books, which are also known as romance novels. They fill women's heads with so much nonsense and un-reality that I just don't have the stomach for them.

Winter is a great time for reading and research while we wait for the warm weather and sun to arrive! So, go to your favorite bookstore and find a good book or two, settle in front of the fire with your hot cocoa and a blanket and enjoy your adventure in books!

Happy Reading!
Peace,
Amy

What is Happening in Gaza

I received this in my email this morning from the Crawford Peace House. I am not suggesting that you should donate to KinderUSA, I do not know anything about them. Use your disgression. I posted this because the email gives a much clearer picture of the suffering in Gaza that what we are seeing in the mainstream media. And it is heartbreaking.

Peace,
Amy
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Monday, 05 January 2009

The current situation in Gaza is appalling. 13,000 civilians havefled their homes, more than half children, and are now living inschools set up as shelters by UNRWA. For the majority of thepopulation, there are no safe areas to flee. Hospitals in Gaza areoverflowing with many dying in the hallways before being seen due tothe overwhelming number of casualties. Generators are the sole powersource keeping the hospitals operating around the clock; this willcome to an end due to fuel shortages and spare parts making itimpossible to operate life saving equipment.

Gaza's water and sewage system is on the verge of collapse followingbombardments that have destroyed electricity lines and months ofpreventing fuel supplies needed to produce electricity. 75% of Gaza'selectricity has been cut off, just as hospitals, water wells, andother humanitarian institutions most need electricity to treatcasualties and provide basic necessities to civilians.Parts of Gaza have been without clean running water, fuel for cooking,medicines, and electricity for days forcing already traumatized children to cower in the dark.

The lack of electricity for heating at night presents a hypothermia risk for children, particularly babies and newborns. The trickle of humanitarian aid that was allowed inbefore the ground campaign has been cut off due to the bombardment.

Despite the extreme risk, our partners in Gaza continue to work atcapacity. In addition to the cheese/zatar/date pies, the bakery hasbegun making and distributing bread since Saturday. It has beenreported that there are only 10 bakeries left functioning due to lackof fuel compelling our volunteers and partners to keep the bakeryoperating regardless of the risk. The bakery is distributing readybaked pies to over 1000 families who have 7-12 members, with thisnumber increasing by 50 families a day. Our partners are using bikes,donkeys, and foot to get the food to those families who cannot make itto the bakery and are in remote villages.

Many of our colleagues are trapped in their homes with their children facing extreme trauma due to the fear and uncertainty. Parents are ata loss of how to protect and care for their children. They are either unable to find food and clean water for their children or are being forced from their home in harms way to find shelter.

Even before the latest violence, over 50,000 Gazan children were malnourished; more than two-thirds of all children suffered from vitamin A deficiency and almost half of children under age 2 were anemic. Lack of access to food, clean water and medical supplies exacerbates threats to children's health and well-being.

Children are becoming ill from contaminated water and going untreated as hospitals are caring for the overwhelming casualties.

Reports indicate that many mothers with infants are incapable of lactating due to lack of sustenance and extreme stress, depriving an entire generation of newborns the benefit of maternal nourishment.

"Let us be clear, this is a humanitarian catastrophe. An emergency cease fire is urgently needed to allow life saving aid to reach the children," said Dr. Laila Al-Marayati. "Full compliance withInternational Humanitarian Law is absolutely critical with regards tothe protection of the civilian population particularly in the denselypopulated Gaza Strip."

Kinder USA is planning further operations in the region focusing on clean water and primary health care for children. Kinder USA will continue to update our donors as the information becomes available. Please continue to support our efforts by making an online donation of$500, $250, $100, or whatever you can afford on our website atwww.kinderusa.org and choose Gaza ER on the drop down menu.

We cannot stress the extreme gravity of the current situation nor the uncertain future.

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GEA Monday, 29 December 2008
Gaza Emergency Appeal

In the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian situation is catastrophic. Our partners in Gaza report that the streets are mostly deserted however, long queues are reported to be forming in front of bakeries. Prices for basic commodities are reportedly rising fast while some neighborhoods are without water because the network was damaged due topower outages.

After 8 months, Gaza is already paralyzed and the people are utterly crippled with no ability to provide for themselves. Hospitals are completely overwhelmed by the number of serious injuries although some medical supplies have been allowed to cross from Egypt.

However, after 18 months of being sealed off from the world this does not begin to replenish the severe shortages. Since November, children in Gaza have been drip fed aid, with only 6% of needed humanitarian goods entering from the World Food Program andUNRWA during the entire month. Now, the children in Gaza are desperate and our work is much more critical.

Many NGO's have suspended their operations due to the high security risks, further complicating ongoing endeavors to feed and care for the increasing number of malnourished children. Of the 17 bakeries still operating in Gaza, our partner bakery in KhanYounis is functioning at maximum capacity baking bread filled with either spinach, Zaatar, white or yellow cheese and other types ofvegetables that are mixed with fresh olive oil. The bread pies will be distributed to 1000 of the poorest families in the eastern villages ofthe Gaza Strip, over 50% of whom are children. Many of these families are trapped in their homes and have run out of food supplies, sitting in the dark after 3 days of air raids.

Other emergency serviceproviders are not able to reach these families due to the proximity ofthe villages. Kinder USA is urging its donors to make a donation today to assist inour ongoing emergency efforts. The situation is fluid with Gaza already desperately lacking food, medicine, and fuel. Our proposed number of 1000 families is minimal and many, many more families are in need. All of our projects are on hold as we direct our efforts to this crisis.

"All member states of the United Nations are bound to an independent obligation to protect any civilian population facing massive violations of international humanitarian law - regardless of what country may be responsible for those violations," said Dr. Laila Al-Marayati.

"I implore all of our donors to contact their elected represented and ask for an end to this carnage. We must do everythingwe can to support Palestinian children and their families in this time of extreme suffering."

Please, make an online donation of $500, $250, $100, or whatever you can afford. The most basic necessities of life are beyond the reach of these children. Our obligation cannot be overstated.

Good Guys and Bad Guys

When I was a little girl my cousins and I used to play a game we called Good Guys and Bad Guys. The bad guys would go around doing all sorts of things they weren't supposed to do, like stealing and lying and generally being a pain in the butt. The Good Guys were the ones who took care of the Bad Guys and made them stop, beat them up or whatever. It was a variation on the theme of Cops and Robbers, which we also played.

Always, the Good Guys won. Of course they won, they were the Good Guys, right?

Everything seemed so cut and dry, so black and white way back then. If you did bad things, you were a Bad Guy. If you were the one who brought the Bad Guys to justice, you were the Good Guy.

As I have grown older, I have learned that things are not quite as black and white. Sometimes the so-called Good Guys blur the line between black and white.

I got to thinking about this because I have been very disturbed -- angry even -- at the newest round of bombings that Israel is carrying out in Gaza against Hamas. At least, that's what they say their target is. Last night I saw, on the BBC newscast, a reporter in a hospital in Gaza where there are many, many injured, dying and dead children. I have not been able to get those images out of my head. One image showed a man kissing his dead child goodbye, the last of his family. His wife and other children were already gone. Can you imagine his pain right now? He said he did not know if he supported Hamas. He and his family were innocents, caught in the crossfire.

The BBC reporter interviewed a doctor who said the hospital is experiencing a crisis right now. They do not have what they need to care for the injured that are overwhelming the facilities. He went on to say it was not he that was suffering, it is the Palestinians who are suffering.

I know that this struggle in Israel has gone on for decades. Admittedly, I do not have full knowledge or understanding of all the history of this land.

It seems to me, though, that if someone came to my country, to my city, and walled my neighborhood off then cut off food and medical supplies, I would do something to fight back. I would expect my neighbors would do the same thing, rather than sit passively and starve to death.

I cannot say that I agree with the bombings that Hamas carried out in Israel. There could have and should have been better options for them to get the needed supplies for their people.

Israel must stop the attack against Gaza immediately. Hamas must stop their attacks on Israel immediately. The people, those men, women and children who are innocents, who only want to live their lives in peace, should be allowed to do so.

Before anyone gets their panties in a wad about this, stop and think about what you would do if you were in their shoes. I don't give a damn about the history, the religion, or whatever else. I care about humanity. And right now, the things that human beings are doing to other human beings that are so absolutely repulsive in that part of the world need to be stopped.

I am most definitely not a fan of Israel. I don't understand why my country keeps defending this misfit bunch of idiotic, greedy and inhumane people. Wrong is wrong, plain and simple. People are dying because so many in that part of the world refuse to see reason, to set aside their pride and figure a way to live to together in peace. It can be done, it is done every day in America and other parts of the world.

My parents used to tell me: Two wrongs don't make a right.

Peace,
Amy

Advice for Mourning Parents

Over the weekend we were all shocked and saddened to hear the news of the sudden and unexpected death of John Travolta and Kelly Preston's teenage son, Jett. My heart goes out to the family and I send them my love and condolences.

This morning I find myself thinking about what kind of advice I would give them and other parents who find themselves in this astonishing, heartbreaking place in their lives. In February it will be five years since my own son, Jeremy, died in a car accident at the age of 22. That event sent my life into a tailspin. But I have learned a few things about grief and mourning as a parent that I would like to share.

First of all, in the first few days and weeks after the death of a much-loved one, you will be numb. Your body, your heart and your mind will be blessedly numb and you will not be able to think clearly. This is a good thing, trust me. Don't worry about it. Later, you will find that it actually physically hurts, this mourning and grief. That's okay, too. Just go with it.

Drink lots and lots of water. You need the water because you will cry a lot. If you don't replace that water in your body, you will become dehydrated. Your body is in shock. Drink the water. Stay away from alcoholic beverages. They will not help you.

Don't make any major decisions for at least four to six months. Give yourself time to get through the first stages of grief first. Don't sell your home and move. Try to stay where those memories are, even if they are painful. Later they will be a comfort to you. You will need that.

Anger and guilt are natural steps in the grief and mourning process. Don't take it out on yourself or on those around you that you love. Most likely it is not your fault (or your spouse's) that your child died. Recognize that your spouse or partner is likely feeling what you are feeling. Talk about your feelings, get them out in the open. Do not accept any kind of guilt. You did nothing wrong.

You will find out who your friends really are. In the process of my grief, I learned there were some people in my life, friends and family alike, who could not handle the deep sorrow and loss that I felt. So they just disappeared from my life for the most part. Your friends will respect your need for privacy, but they will also call you just to ask how you are doing.

Your life will change in ways you could not have imagined. When you bury your son you will also bury a part of your heart with him. I know that my son's death fundamentally changed me, how I view the world and how I respond to others. You may become more withdrawn for a time. Really, that's okay.

Don't let anyone tell you how long it should take you to mourn your loss. It's different for everyone and a lot depends on the circumstances of the death. For some it takes years and years to work through the mourning process. For others, not so long. It depends a lot on our spiritual foundation, the support that you have, and your ability to learn and to grow through the process.

It is a terrible thing for a parent to have to bury one of their children. We spend our lives raising them, protecting them, teaching them in the hope they will grow to be strong, healthy, independent adults, go to school, marry, have children and have their own lives, families and careers. It is not the natural order. Most of us expect our children will bury us, not the other way around. Their deaths mean the death of our own dreams and hopes for them and is something we must work through as well.

Most of all, remember to remain in life and with the world of the living. It is sorely tempting to slip into the world of the nonliving and forget the things that bring us joy and give us a reason to get up in the mornings. Yes, it's okay to stay in bed and cry if you need to. But don't give in to the temptation to do it for too long. If you have other children, remember they are mourning and they need you, too. Do not mourn your dead child to the point that the other children no longer feel they are important to you. You need them as much as they need you. You can help each other through this terrible time.

It's okay to laugh one minute and cry the next.

I believe there is an afterlife of some sort, although I cannot explain what, where or how it is. I will tell you that my son has visited me many times over the years and yours will most likely let his presence be known to you. You must be open to the possibility. The first weekend that Jeremy died, funny things started happening in my apartment that had not happened before. One night the lamp next to my bed just started turning itself off and on when I went to bed. My cats started acting funny. The computer back up system in the office would start beeping when we walked into the room.

You will, at some point, meet your child in your dreams and know that he is okay. And you will finally feel peace.

The hurt, the sorrow and the soul wrenching heartache you feel will not diminish. You will learn to live with it, but it will not go away. One day someone will ask you, how many kids do you have? You will ask yourself how do you answer that question? the way you answer it will depend on how you view the life and death experience. I often tell people that I have three children but one passed away a few years ago. I don't say this to gain their sympathy but, rather, because I DID give birth to three amazing babies and raised them. To do anything less than to acknowledge the existance of my son would be doing him (and me) a dishonor.

The single most important thing I learned in my journey since Jeremy left us for the Summerlands is that love does not die. I love Jeremy just as much today as I did when he died. I feel his love for me. I learned that death does not slam the door shut on the love that we, as human beings, have for one another. And that, dear ones, is what held me together, what I clung to in the darkest days, and what kept me moving.

In peace and love,
Amy

No Resolutions

There are no resolutions made for 2009 this year. I have this tendency to never keep them. But I have come to some personal conclusions and made some discoveries that I do want to work on. Below is an excerpt from my personal journal -- something I have kept since I was about 14 years old. I have volume upon volume of old journals chronicaling my life, my ups and downs and my struggles. Some names are changed to protect those who do not like to live their life in the public eye.

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I have got to make some changes in my own personal life, especially where my body is concerned. I’ve had a couple of eye opening experiences or happenings in the last couple of months that I’ve had to really sit up and take notice about.

The first was what happened to a man I have met only a handful of times at various pagan events. His name is Rick. Rick is morbidly obese. When he went home for Thanksgiving to see his family, Rick had a heart attack. Apparently he has an enlarged heart. His kidneys and other body systems completely shut down, leaving Rick in a chemical-induced coma, on a respirator and with feeding tubes in his body in an ICU unit for over a month. He was not expected to make it. Right now Rick is in a rehab hospital, going through dialysis and learning how to take care of himself.

While Rick was in the ICU and in a coma, I had a conversation with Ron, who is a mutual friend and knows Rick much better than I do. Those of us in our spiritual community had been sending Rick healing energy and love to help him. Ron and I were talking about the fact that Rick had a decision to make, whether to live or to die. Once he made that decision he would move forward one way or the other.

I mentioned to Ron that Rick had been refusing to make that decision in his life and that was what put him in the hospital. He had let his body and health get so bad that he almost died. The decision to live or to die was nearly taken away from him until he reached a critical, life-threatening juncture.

It dawned on me the minute I made that statement that I have been doing the same thing. I know I need to lose weight, but I refuse to do the exercise that will help me lose that weight. Yes, I eat more healthy than I used to and have made some changes. But I am not making the changes that would make a really big difference in my health. I am not making the decision to live.

The other “ah-ha!” moment came to me New Year’s Eve. We were at a party. Most of the people at the party were middle aged and overweight, especially the women. Now, these are pretty ladies and they are very nice people. But, as I looked at their bodies and, later, more critically at my own, I realized that I really don’t want my body to look like theirs – but it most likely already does. Big, soft, doughy bellies that hang down over their pubic areas, thighs that rub together when they walk.

I have got to do something, figure out something that will work for me.

I know what doesn’t work. During all the various times I have had memberships at gyms and worked out on a regular basis, I did not lose weight. Diets have not helped me in the least. Atkins was the worst. And, even though I have changed my dietary habits and eat a pretty healthy diet most of the time, I do not eat enough and cannot lose weight. My nutritionist says I need to eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day. The problem? I don’t really like food very much, so I don’t like to eat. I eat because my body says I HAVE to, not usually because I want to.

I rarely have fast food, though on occasion I will. We eat out maybe twice a month or so. I don’t eat candy and cookies but do not deny myself if I really want it. However, I do have problems with my stomach (irregularity) and have found that certain foods really create problems for me, like cheese in any portion, beans, raw veggies, etc. Things like this will have me doubled over in no time flat and for days on end.

Anything with salt in it will bring on the water retention and I’ll swell like a balloon. But my heart is just fine. Blood pressure is good. My blood sugar/glucose is really good.

I am not sedentary by any means. While I am tired and feel fatigued a lot of the time, I am also very busy a majority of the time. When the evening rolls around and I am finished with work and dinner ) usually around 8 o’clock, I am exhausted.

What has worked for me in the past in terms of losing weight is walking. So I’m going to start walking again. The doctor says it will help the sense of depression and fatigue I feel as well. Added benefit.

Really, the hardest part for me is finding the motivation. I am not a very self-motivated person at all. I wish I had a walking buddy.

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The other thing I need to write about today is those “sweet moments” in life, those things that make you feel content and give a sense of well being, those times or things that don’t cost a thing but are precious beyond belief. What are those sweet moments?

For me, at the very top of my list is in the bedroom, where, when I wake up during the night and reach across to touch my beloved while he sleeps, reassuring myself that he is there and I am not alone. I love the warmth of his body when we cuddle up. It just gives me an all-over sense of well being, of love, of happiness.

Also on my list is hearing my grandson, Aiden, laugh and seeing the great, goofy sense of humor he has.

Being with my girls, like I was yesterday, just hanging out and having an afternoon for us. That was a great sweet moment that last several hours.

Sitting in the hot tub on a really cold night, watching the clouds race overhead in the sky. When you get out of the hot tub, you can see the steam rising off your skin because your body is so warm from being in the hot tub.

Spending time with good friends over a home-made dinner, then just lingering over the dinner table talking and solving the problems of the world is one of other favorite “sweet moments”.

Sometimes the sweet moments come at truly sad and devastating times, like when my sistahs all stood in a circle around me as I sat on a bench in tears after they took my son’s coffin away to bury him. I could not move. My legs would not hold me. So they stood around me, each of them with a hand on my head, my shoulder, my back my leg, or holding my hand, and gave me their love and lent me their strength until I could find the strength to stand on my own two wobbly legs again when the sobbing stopped. Not a single one of them said a word, but just sat with me.

Some call them Kodak moments. But they don’t come in pictures, you can only replay those moments in your mind, calling them up at will any time, any place.

May you have many “Sweet Moments” in your life in 2009. May you (and me) find the motivation from somewhere to do what we need to do.

Most of all, may you have peace, joy and love in your life.
Amy

Hello 2009!

So, I'm a little slow today. Gimme a break, I just woke up! Yes, I know, it's after 5:00 p.m.

In all fairness, I did stay up partying and visiting with good friends until 4:00 a.m., fell asleep for about four hours, got up again, visited some more before me and Maxx started our journey home from Sugarland. We stopped at Denny's on the way home for breakfast. When we got home, I puttered around for a bit before I just couldn't take it anymore. My head was killing me! So I fell asleep on the couch for a few hours.

Really, I rarely drink alcohol at all anymore. When I do, I pay for it for days. Just not worth it -- most of the time!

Thank you, Mary, for opening your home to us and giving us a safe (and cheap), fun New Year's Eve. Several of us opted to stay the night and leave in the morning after all the revelers are off the roads and it's safe again.

I like New Year's Day. It's really good for sleeping off the partying from New Year's Eve.

Poor Pete. When I got up this morning he was all bright and cheery and talking to me. My head hurt... I told him not to talk to me yet... But I said it with a smile on my face!

I didn't start this to write about my New Year's Eve partying self, though.

Last night the group of 15 or so people at the party seemed to feel a sense of hope and cheeriness for the coming year, a sense of relief that Bush will finally be gone. We talked about not being able to believe how our country got into the position we are in now and even whether it can be brought back from the disaster it is in. Pretty heavy conversation for a party, huh? Overall, through the frustration and anxiety those in attendance seemed to be feeling, was the sense of hope and looking forward and willingness to do what it takes to "fix" this country.

And then we moved on to doing what middle-aged suburban people do. Drink. Flirt. Tell really bad, corny jokes and listen to Vic's IPOD music, singing along to the "oldies" in a way that only drunk people can and will do. It was fun!

When the clock struck midnight, I was trying to get to my sweet Maxx to give him a kiss. He was not my midnight kiss, I don't know who it was! Someone else grabbed me on my way to Maxx and planted one on me. You gotta remember, most of those present in the room lived the 60's and 70's. Those were their "glory days"!

It's all good!

Here's wishing all of you a happy, peaceful and productive 2009!
Amy

Steps the incoming president can take to build a peace-based economy.

The following is a memo to Barack Obama from Deepak Chopra.

You have been elected by the first anti-war constituency since 1952, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected after promising to end the Korean War. But ending a war isn't the same as bringing peace. America has been on a war footing since the day after Pearl Harbor, 67 years ago. We spend more on our military than the next 16 countries combined. If you have a vision of change that goes to the heart of this country's deep problems, ending our dependence on war is far more important than ending our dependency on foreign oil.

The most immediate changes are economic. Unless it can make as much money as war, peace doesn't stand a chance. Since aerospace and military technologies remain the United States' most destructive export, fostering wars around the world, what steps can we take to reverse that trend and build a peace-based economy?

1. Scale out arms dealing and make it illegal by the year 2020.

2. Write into every defense contract a requirement for a peacetime project.

3. Subsidize conversion of military companies to peaceful uses with tax incentives and direct funding.

4. Convert military bases to housing for the poor.

5. Phase out all foreign military bases.

6. Require military personnel to devote part of their time to rebuilding infrastructure.

7. Call a moratorium on future weapons technologies.

8. Reduce armaments like destroyers and submarines that have no use against terrorism and were intended to defend against a superpower enemy that no longer exists.

9. Fully fund social services and take the balance out of the defense and homeland security budgets.

These are just the beginning. We don't lack creativity in coping with change. Without a conversion of our present war economy to a peace economy, the high profits of the military-industrial complex ensures that it will never end.

Do these nine steps seem unrealistic or fanciful? In various ways, other countries have adopted similar measures. The former Soviet army is occupied with farming and other peaceful work, for example. But comparisons are rather pointless, since only the United States is burdened with such a massive reliance on defense spending. Ultimately, empire follows the dollar. As a society, we want peace, and we want to be seen as a nation that promotes peace. For either ideal to come true, you as president must back up your vision of change with economic reality. So far, that hasn't happened under any of your predecessors. All hopes are pinned on you.
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Deepak Chopra is acknowledged as one of the world's greatest leaders in the field of mind-body medicine. He is the author of over 50 books, including "Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment" and "Ageless Body, Timeless Mind."