Why am I not....

surprised.  Once again my "family" has screwed me over and twice on Sunday.  Never trust anyone after a cult gets a hold of their brain.  Shit IS fucked up and bullshit!  There is a atmosphere in this country that has infected the majority of people/sheeple to believe that it is more important to take care of "number 1" before you do anything else.  What happened to "love thy neighbor"?  What happened to "family first"? You wonder why I am depressed?  Watch this video or this one, or this one, or even this one.  There are a lot more out there too.  The story of Monsanto will make you lose your lunch.  Just when we should be holding on to each other and helping our fellow human beings and this planet, that is precisely when we lose our shit and fuck it up even more. I HAVE HAD IT up to HERE!!

Does this look like Disneyland to you??  Well this is what we are facing in this country.  Would you please just WAKE THE FUCK UP!!  WAKE UP!

It just might be time to occupy the farm.

My Robin Hood...

...will not "rob" from the rich.  My Robin Hood would make sure we are not robbed either.  I don't require a huge redistribution of wealth.  I know that a lot of Occupy Wall Street folk are focused on the extensive gap between the wealthiest and poorest in this nation.  I am constantly seeing statistics about "they" have this and "we" have not.  I'm not against statistics but when all you do is publish them, without a corresponding solution, then they fall flat.

  All I want is, what would be considered by (IMO) the majority of people, what is fair.  Right now the minimum wage is not fair.  The average income for the "middle class" is lower now than in 1968.  Too many people can't "get by"* without a second job.  After working for over 40 years and paying into the SSI system, I should not have to worry about it not being there.

My Robin Hood would make infrastructure and the ensuing jobs a top priority.  My Robin Hood would mandate a "living wage" for our essential people like teachers, nurses and other service people that take care of us and our children.  My Robin Hood would focus on sustainable industries like wind and solar power.  My Robin Hood would have a heart and end the wars and safe guard our food.

I don't think I am asking for anything out of this world or unreasonable.  I don't think most of the people I know are either.  "We" don't want handouts, we want a helping hand to get back up on our feet.

I want a Robin Hood to vote for.    Could that be the Green Party?  I can only hope that my Robin Hood  is out there somewhere.

*get by is being able to pay for an affordable home, car and food without a struggle, being able to put a little away for a rainy day and not living from paycheck to paycheck.  This does not include luxury items, just being comfortable and having "enough".

Shall we Dance?

this story in the NY Times illustrates once again why we Occupy.

  I arrived at Zuccotti Park yesterday about 3:30pm to help celebrate the return of the Guitarmy after their 99 mile march to benefit school music programs and honor the great singer/songwriter, Woody Guthrie.  I admit I have been absent from the movement much of the spring and early summer due to some personal problems.  My latest doctor said last week, I need to get out more, Mr. Spock (in a facebook meme) told me the needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few or the one and I really missed the musicality of the park so with a trifecta like that, I had to go.  As I had done in the past, I loaded up my shopping cart with knitting and my folding lawn chair (the one I have had since I was a chaperone at my kids band camp 20 yrs ago).

  There I sat, all afternoon and into the evening knitting, and under the watchful eyes of Brookfield Properties and the NYPD.  After it got dark I heard some people start to get wary about the sudden increase in numbers of officers around the park.  This has been a tactic of the department for a long time, use the darkness to cover up anything they might do that is illegal.  In the amount of time that it takes to take a single breath, I was surrounded by many men in white shirts, BP security and NYPD alike.  I was asked to leave.  I inquired about being shown the rules, in writing, while I put away my knitting, stood up, folded my chair and put in on my shopping cart.  I was trying to comply (clearly shown in this video) with their "request" to exit the park (hampered by my bad night vision with all the flashbulbs) when an officer grabbed my cart and tried to take it from me.  I said, that's private property.  That was when I felt a leather gloved (now known to be Lombardo) hand grab my wrist and I panicked.

  I think some deeply hidden childhood training must have taken over my body because I did a "duck and cover" maneuver.  I also heard myself screaming, but couldn't see what was going on because I couldn't open my eyes due to the panic attack.  Fortunately there are many in the OWS family that film the police.  I became aware of the voice of an angel (OWS medic and angel) telling me that it will be okay.  She helped me to the other side of the street and stayed with me until I stopped shaking.  Many more of my fellow human beings came over to offer water and comfort.

 Here is where things in my head get confused.  I was brought up to ask "Police Officers" for help if I was distressed.  They were supposed to be the knights in shining armor that come to your rescue when you are in trouble.  THEY ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE TROUBLE.  I was doing nothing wrong or even illegal.  I was even trying to comply with their commands even though there was no legal basis for them to ask me to leave that public park.  You must be asking yourself why did they feel the need to do this?  Surely the woman must have done something.  Now I don't want to get all "conspiracy theory" on you but, the thoughts of some of my fellow occupiers was that they were trying to incite violence by attacking "the knitter" (my handle in the park).  They have been filming us as well and I'm sure they want the same kind of evidence that we have against them.  They didn't get it last night.  They did however get my knitting which was not returned to me.  I never intended on becoming an icon of the movement but I guess that is what happens when you show up peacefully knitting things everyday that you give away to people.

How much is too much?

Or maybe I should say how much is enough?

I have done research. I have been on the front lines. I have talked to people. I do not go blindly into anything (except maybe love).

How can you doubt my good intentions especially when I have our children and grandchildren as a motivation for changing what is wrong with this country.

So I guess what I am asking is if I should just give up and save myself the aggravation of hitting my head against the brick wall that is your blindness. There are facts that are indisputable. Just because it hasn't happened to you yet doesn't mean it can't.

People are being kicked out of their homes. People have lost their jobs and pensions and life savings. People who have worked hard all their lives now work hard just to stay alive.

Maybe you could put some effort into basic fact checking before you go on the attack next time.

That is my perspective

Family ties

Sometimes it amazes me how 5 people who were raised in the same household could grow up so different. I guess that makes an argument for nurture vs nature or does it? We all came from the same 'nature' and for the most part had the same 'nurture'. So how does one become an atheist, one a bible thumper, one a cult member, one an athlete and one an activist. I would never say that each of these descriptions is an all-inclusive definition of any one of us as we also have things in common. We all have a strong mid-western work ethic, a love of family and a stubborness when defending our beliefs.

I always believed that conversation and communication were an important part of being human. I love a in-depth discussion with my friend Matt talking about movies we have seen. Coming from different generations we almost always see the movie from a completely different perspective. When we watched "Forrest Gump" I felt nostalgic and he saw a history lesson.

Lately, there seems to be a problem keeping the discussions civil within the family unit. Everything deteriorates into insults, CAPS and hurt feelings. I don't like having some members of my family, extended or otherwise, at odds with each other or, even worse, not willing to talk to or see each other. Some of these behaviors have been going on for a while and some have just bubbled to the surface. Is the younger generation being influenced by the older? (nurture) Is it Facebook that is really the enemy? I would like people to remember that gossip is NOT A FACT. If you were not there, don't assume the first story you hear about something is the truth. There are always 2 sides (or maybe even more).

My mother was a great peace maker. I think if she were still here with us that a lot of this would not be happening. I also believe that if she were alive, she would be supportive of my effort at Occupy Wall Street and even participate in the effort to make this country and this world a better place to live in. She was like that. Happy Birthday Mom, a few days early but I have been thinking about you a lot lately. I hope you got the note I sent on the smoke of the palm fire tied to the strings of my heart.