Today I received this message in an email..."Your mind does not know the difference between an actual event and something that you are just thinking about. When you think about something with emotion all of a sudden your mind becomes focused on that thought with an intensity that draws the subject of the thought to you. It does not matter what the emotion is, all that matters is that you have invoked emotion and the higher the degree of emotion the more powerfully you are attracting whatever you are thinking about. The power of anger is just as attractive as the power of love. Here’s the key; if you want to manifest something into your life think about it with a lot of emotion. Intensify the emotion and you turn up the attraction factor. Yes, we live in a cause and effect universe and emotions affect the cause."
These ideas seem particularly pertinent to me right now as my life has been thrown into an upheaval of change that contrasts fears with possibilities around what-could-happen. Fear on this level is not familiar to me. I'm usually a big fan of trusting myself and life... the difference this time is that two key security pillows are missing... income and base location. In February I must move from my home of 3 decades. Rents have tripled around me, so with minimal income sources in the area, my sense of equanimity is chaotic... I must consider leaving the familiar for the unknown ... and without any tangible safety net, I am experiencing a lot of anxiety - and yet almost as impressive, I am having dreams of a different life; A life set in unknown places - not the well loved and familiar Midcoast shores of Maine... places warm and sunny with forests of different trees... I get twinges of excitement and joy considering these unknown places - and wonder what focusing of emotion or thought would pull them into manifestation or even how I can identify them for clarity. I am on a roller coaster of feelings and intuition, practical and etherial awareness.
In the meantime I must empty closets and discard what I do not need... Quite the challenge!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
A perspective on Reality
On Saturday evening (11/21) I traveled to the Penobscot Reservation on Indian Island to watch the independent documentary "Trudell" and hear poet/AIM activist/actor... John Trudell speak after the film. I am still feeling the experience, absorbing his words...
I am very impressed by this man. He is eloquent. He is self aware. He is passionate but rational. For me he speaks truth, pure and simple. Much of what he said was not new to me, but I had not realized it's pervasiveness. Native people have dealt with the reality since 1492... but those of us who are of mixed or non-native descent, have not understood how destructive of the human experience our national legal/political/financial systems are. Trudell considers economic policy
John states it simply. These policies are insane. They are anti life. They are anti nature. They are founded on economic properties that ignore law and seek to dis-empower individual responsibility. His focus on personal responsibility is what I am working to absorb. Having been raised in a culture that celebrates property and privilege, it is sacrilege in our national conversation to suggest that life choices that are based on acquisition and "power" are not a true pathway to a good life as a human being. It is a truth that I have always intuitively felt but never had affirmed by the people around me. To hear him speak is to finally understand my own discomfort and alienation with/from my culture's morays. I have not lived with this awareness long enough yet to know how or what my future choices will look like... I am still ruminating... my body, spirit, heart and head are not in accord yet as I have no answers...
I am allowing my spirit to take the lead. I love how Trudell's spirit when faced with "reality" is based in awareness, recognition, and the power innate within individual consciousness rather than in fear or anger. I am determined that is the direction of the path of a true Human Being. John Trudell on the Identity of being a Human Being
I am very impressed by this man. He is eloquent. He is self aware. He is passionate but rational. For me he speaks truth, pure and simple. Much of what he said was not new to me, but I had not realized it's pervasiveness. Native people have dealt with the reality since 1492... but those of us who are of mixed or non-native descent, have not understood how destructive of the human experience our national legal/political/financial systems are. Trudell considers economic policy
John states it simply. These policies are insane. They are anti life. They are anti nature. They are founded on economic properties that ignore law and seek to dis-empower individual responsibility. His focus on personal responsibility is what I am working to absorb. Having been raised in a culture that celebrates property and privilege, it is sacrilege in our national conversation to suggest that life choices that are based on acquisition and "power" are not a true pathway to a good life as a human being. It is a truth that I have always intuitively felt but never had affirmed by the people around me. To hear him speak is to finally understand my own discomfort and alienation with/from my culture's morays. I have not lived with this awareness long enough yet to know how or what my future choices will look like... I am still ruminating... my body, spirit, heart and head are not in accord yet as I have no answers...
I am allowing my spirit to take the lead. I love how Trudell's spirit when faced with "reality" is based in awareness, recognition, and the power innate within individual consciousness rather than in fear or anger. I am determined that is the direction of the path of a true Human Being. John Trudell on the Identity of being a Human Being
Saturday, November 7, 2009
A new Gadget
Just curious to see how this works... blogging from my iGoogle page - Seems good for short posts... course mine are rarely short!
Shifting Fortunes
Have you ever awakened with a premonition of change? That something wonderful was about to happen for you? Nothing you could explain or even pinpoint... just the awareness that the energy had shifted and possibilities were waiting to manifest...
That is what I'm feeling today, and I'm very excited about it. Lately I have been working at clearing the clutter of my life... things and dynamics that no longer serve... and I feel like I am standing on the other side of a tipping point! So... one more trip to the dump with another load of flotsam and jetsam, and then I am going to paint something that expresses the potential I am feeling...
That is what I'm feeling today, and I'm very excited about it. Lately I have been working at clearing the clutter of my life... things and dynamics that no longer serve... and I feel like I am standing on the other side of a tipping point! So... one more trip to the dump with another load of flotsam and jetsam, and then I am going to paint something that expresses the potential I am feeling...
Friday, November 6, 2009
How Now Brown Cow
Thursday started out with irritation - the awareness that some relationships are a vexation more than a pleasure. Fortunately as the hours progressed my mood lightened.
I was able to help a friend and generate some income too...
I have worked for the needs of others too often without benefiting... and so I intend reciprocity from here on out. I've found that often, the ones you give something free to - do not honor either the gift or you in the bargain!
I had some good conversations throughout the day... so the morning's irritant was a catalyst for moving on and keeping only what serves. A useful awareness that could prove to be a solid foundation to build upon in the future.
I was able to help a friend and generate some income too...
I have worked for the needs of others too often without benefiting... and so I intend reciprocity from here on out. I've found that often, the ones you give something free to - do not honor either the gift or you in the bargain!
I had some good conversations throughout the day... so the morning's irritant was a catalyst for moving on and keeping only what serves. A useful awareness that could prove to be a solid foundation to build upon in the future.
Monday, November 2, 2009
An abundance of life...
Yesterday I once again returned to Sears Island. My purpose was to witness the use of a 60 foot Beach Seine that would indicate what sort of "biomass" would be found this late in the fall, in the shallow waters along the island's western beach near the causeway. Much to my surprise the "catch" was impressive.
As others managed the net, I took photos of the late fall color of the island. The shore was varying shades of crimson, purples, indigo, ultramarine, and bits of gold and silver with the oncoming sunset. My photo (above) doesn't do it justice as the fading sun light made it impossible for my camera to record the colors as I saw them... but it was deep and luscious to say the least!
As others managed the net, I took photos of the late fall color of the island. The shore was varying shades of crimson, purples, indigo, ultramarine, and bits of gold and silver with the oncoming sunset. My photo (above) doesn't do it justice as the fading sun light made it impossible for my camera to record the colors as I saw them... but it was deep and luscious to say the least!
Friday, October 30, 2009
My 2 Cents on 2009 Maine Elections
This year our elections bring several important issues to the fore. I'm using today's post to highlight my opinions on the Citizen Initiatives on this year's ballots, which include:
1. Equality... The same rights for all - "People's Veto" seeks to rescind Maine's "Gay Marriage" law. And so...It's defeat will strip any doubt from Mainers' intent to recognize that consenting adults have the right to join in legal married partnership regardless of what sex any of the participants are - without diminishing traditional unions or religious traditions.
2. Municipal Excise Taxes... the taxes that pay for local road and bridge repair... that sometimes seem exorbitant (especially to those who own used vehicles that cost lots of $$$ when new) - but how else do we cover the cost of local roads?
3. State vs Local Educational Priorities... While the original idea of school district consolidation to save money by eliminating redundancy, was a good one, like many plans of this nature, when it was all said and done the savings found were not great enough to offset the disruption such a plan causes... and the fines levied on those towns that could not comply are a travesty! Personally I prefer that local education remain firmly in the hands of the communities and believe consolidation works against that priority.
4. "TABOR"... a tax cap that sounds good on paper but can't work in reality. This is another issue of local control. Communities need to have full power to address their own priorities. When costs are decreed by a formula - local involvement diminishes. Democracy only succeeds with citizen participation. Local government needs to be MORE interactive NOT less! State wide formulas for local costs are not a good idea - especially when based on population #s - a small rural area has different priorities from a large urban one. The passage of these sort of tax-cap plans always result in diminished social welfare within small communities.
5. Medical Marijuana... This one simply makes sense to me. In medical use, the "drug" Marijuana has less cost and side effects than most current pharmacology and it's many benefits for those suffering from anxiety, pain, nausea, glaucoma... are well documented. Legality should not even be an issue - this is a naturally occurring plant not some man-made drug to regulate!
I'd like to go even further than this regarding Cannabis - IMHO Hemp needs to be legalized in all it's forms. The economic ramifications alone are reason enough. I'd love to see hemp cultivation for cloth, rope, and paper return to it's once lucrative contribution to rural economies. The saving of our forests alone is reason enough!
6. $71,250,000 Bond Issue... I see no reason for Maine taxpayers to go into debt to pay for infrastructure that will largely profit out of state interests and corporations. (And in the dredging of the Sears Island harbor area - have a deleterious affect on a vital estuary) In the case where in state businesses would profit - such infrastructure should be part of their own profit-expense plan rather than come out of the pocket of their fellow citizens! If more than one industry would benefit - let them work together to fund their own profit.
7. Increase the Time allowed to certify citizen petition signatures... Why not? In these busy times I say as long as the deadline is reasonable for getting the initiatives on the ballot - there is no downside to giving certification all the time it needs.
1. Equality... The same rights for all - "People's Veto" seeks to rescind Maine's "Gay Marriage" law. And so...It's defeat will strip any doubt from Mainers' intent to recognize that consenting adults have the right to join in legal married partnership regardless of what sex any of the participants are - without diminishing traditional unions or religious traditions.
2. Municipal Excise Taxes... the taxes that pay for local road and bridge repair... that sometimes seem exorbitant (especially to those who own used vehicles that cost lots of $$$ when new) - but how else do we cover the cost of local roads?
3. State vs Local Educational Priorities... While the original idea of school district consolidation to save money by eliminating redundancy, was a good one, like many plans of this nature, when it was all said and done the savings found were not great enough to offset the disruption such a plan causes... and the fines levied on those towns that could not comply are a travesty! Personally I prefer that local education remain firmly in the hands of the communities and believe consolidation works against that priority.
4. "TABOR"... a tax cap that sounds good on paper but can't work in reality. This is another issue of local control. Communities need to have full power to address their own priorities. When costs are decreed by a formula - local involvement diminishes. Democracy only succeeds with citizen participation. Local government needs to be MORE interactive NOT less! State wide formulas for local costs are not a good idea - especially when based on population #s - a small rural area has different priorities from a large urban one. The passage of these sort of tax-cap plans always result in diminished social welfare within small communities.
5. Medical Marijuana... This one simply makes sense to me. In medical use, the "drug" Marijuana has less cost and side effects than most current pharmacology and it's many benefits for those suffering from anxiety, pain, nausea, glaucoma... are well documented. Legality should not even be an issue - this is a naturally occurring plant not some man-made drug to regulate!
I'd like to go even further than this regarding Cannabis - IMHO Hemp needs to be legalized in all it's forms. The economic ramifications alone are reason enough. I'd love to see hemp cultivation for cloth, rope, and paper return to it's once lucrative contribution to rural economies. The saving of our forests alone is reason enough!
6. $71,250,000 Bond Issue... I see no reason for Maine taxpayers to go into debt to pay for infrastructure that will largely profit out of state interests and corporations. (And in the dredging of the Sears Island harbor area - have a deleterious affect on a vital estuary) In the case where in state businesses would profit - such infrastructure should be part of their own profit-expense plan rather than come out of the pocket of their fellow citizens! If more than one industry would benefit - let them work together to fund their own profit.
7. Increase the Time allowed to certify citizen petition signatures... Why not? In these busy times I say as long as the deadline is reasonable for getting the initiatives on the ballot - there is no downside to giving certification all the time it needs.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
After the Rain
This morning as I walked by the shore, I was aware of how incredible the colors are the morning after a rainstorm.
Yesterday was a classic stormy day. The sky was a deep slate all day and the rain never let up. It was a day for hot chocolate and hunkering down. I was fortunate in that my niece (freshly home from California by way of NYC) had come up from Portland for a weekend visit, so I had good company! We chatted, watched movies and did a lot of laughing. Other than her quick visit to Wasses Hot Dogs (the famous Rockland delectable) we stayed put - warm and dry... It was a day to ignore the out of doors ... so going out this morning felt like seeing the world anew. Every color was pumped as every object and surface - washed by yesterday's rain - gleamed in the early morning sun. It was one of those visual experiences impossible to capture because part of it's charm is the contrast to the day before! I'm not sure if the colors seem more intense because they are set against a brilliant blue sky - or because the rain actually revitalizes the foliage, but the end result is delicious. Every orange, red, gold and green seems to be supersaturated. Shadows are in tones of Cobalt and Indigo and form exotic patterns everywhere. It is one of those days when you FEEL the color - not just see it! It is like Harvest personified. Days like these I feel enormously grateful - I may not be rich, or famous, or powerful, or whatever measures a "successful" life, but I am incredibly blessed to live with such incredible beauty at my doorstep!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Poetry for an inward day
It's a grey and rainy fall day, parrot is napping and not a lot of traffic on the road... so I'm reading old journals and found two of my poems worth typing up...
Fall in the Woods
Fall in the woods,
leaves shadow shifting
A pond, ringed by trees,
punctuated by lily pads,
shimmers it's reflections
... and the world flies by
unknowing of the miraculous only steps away
The Gift of Seeing
I want - I need - I visualize;
A house along a shoreline lies
it's view of water, forest, marsh
absent the artificial harsh
bestows a soft and dreamy view
allowing life lived softly too
Receptive, open, full of awe
for Natures bounty - Beauty's law
Within this home I live my life
a world apart from illness, strife
Allowed, inspired, creating art
and food and play
for health and heart
In quiet bliss at Nature's hand,
in stewardship with this fine land,
I live and love and have my being,
and share with all
the gift of seeing.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Counting Fish
Not surprisingly, it being fall and the shores being heavily forested, our most abundant catch was leaves! Shyly hidden among the harvest of colorful foliage were a dozen small (1.25" to 2.5") almost transparent fry of (as yet) undetermined species and several krill. Each seining we caught more of the same and those wielding the nets became more proficient at controlling them. It was a beautiful day, though a bit chilly and the men in the water were thankful for the protection of their waders and neoprene wetsuits!
The real counts will begin later this fall when volunteers come together to help deploy the larger 60' net off the beaches around Sears Island. It is exciting to have such fun while doing something we believe will prove helpful to protecting the future of these vital coastal estuaries!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
A daytrip to Marshall Point
As we prepared to leave, a lobster boat moved across the bay, silhouetted against the sea like an illustration for a fisheries magazine. My sister exclaimed "Could there possibly be a more beautiful day!" to which I could only smile... Our Maine Coast is always beautiful, and in fall it is almost always exceptional - outdoing itself day after gorgeous day!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Sears Island Expedition
Yesterday (glorious fall day!) my sister and I decided to explore more of Sears Island. Our plan of approach rather than following the shore per usual, was to walk up the center of the island via the cell-tower road and out to the seaward shore from there... trouble was there was no path/trail we could find that led to the shore! So we began coming back along and following trails that branched off. We never found a trail that gave even a view of the water until we were almost all the way back to the causeway! From there we headed out around the other side of the island to the "jetty" "tumble of rocks" "peir footing" or whatever one calls the mass of granite blocks facing the mainland... We never made it to the southern seaward shore as both of us were fairly done-in after 5 hours of continual hiking!
My next plan of approach will be sea kayaks.
I am amazed that 100s of years of use have not forged sporadic trails to the waters edge all around the island! Other islands I have known (inhabited and uninhabited) only accessible by boat, all had such exploratory trails. I am wondering if it because the island has a belt of wetlands around it's perimeter? We found fern beds each time we started shoreward... the island would seem to be a moose paradise!
My next plan of approach will be sea kayaks.
I am amazed that 100s of years of use have not forged sporadic trails to the waters edge all around the island! Other islands I have known (inhabited and uninhabited) only accessible by boat, all had such exploratory trails. I am wondering if it because the island has a belt of wetlands around it's perimeter? We found fern beds each time we started shoreward... the island would seem to be a moose paradise!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Reform and Renewal
I haven't posted for several days... Probably because so much of what I see in the world seems borne of chaos. I am saddened and furious at the same time about several issues...
Health Care Reform is a prime example. There is no talk of Single Payer when it is the only system that will bring costs under control, recompense physicians fairly, eliminate our ridiculous drug programs and malpractice suits, AND actually provide all Americans with Health Care. Instead, the talking heads and politicos jaw endlessly about insurance and how we must include the cads in the reform package... INCLUDE them??? - they are writing the mess! Health Care in America is quantified by wealth not health... let freedom ring.
"Environmental" issues are a big focus of my angst too... I wish people would stop calling those who believe in sustaining and abiding with nature "environmentalists" when what we really are is stewards. There is no "ism" to the issue. Either we use our intelligence and awareness to sustain the natural balances that sustain us... or we trade the eternal providence of nature for the transitory superficiality of our own devices.
Health Care Reform is a prime example. There is no talk of Single Payer when it is the only system that will bring costs under control, recompense physicians fairly, eliminate our ridiculous drug programs and malpractice suits, AND actually provide all Americans with Health Care. Instead, the talking heads and politicos jaw endlessly about insurance and how we must include the cads in the reform package... INCLUDE them??? - they are writing the mess! Health Care in America is quantified by wealth not health... let freedom ring.
"Environmental" issues are a big focus of my angst too... I wish people would stop calling those who believe in sustaining and abiding with nature "environmentalists" when what we really are is stewards. There is no "ism" to the issue. Either we use our intelligence and awareness to sustain the natural balances that sustain us... or we trade the eternal providence of nature for the transitory superficiality of our own devices.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Hard Day's Night
So today I spent all day resurrecting a fellow's malfunctioning laptop... with success I might add -but only because I erased the hard-drive and reloaded the OS fresh... then learned that the version I had was missing most the newer drivers needed ...so had to search and install those (without knowing what they were I might add!) Again success - but am wondering how I could lose an entire day so someone else can get their daily dose of spam and popups - SIGH! It was a challenge I couldn't walk away from - and I got to see the mess that uninvited virus/spy/adware can make of a perfectly decent system! ... I will make some $$$ but not nearly the value of an entire day. So I have to settle for success and helping a family keep their internet connection (fix?). Seems like computers in my life have been unreliable of late - perhaps the Universe's way of telling me to go out and paint more! :)
I have been busily learning Flash and DreamWeaver and css scripting so I can put up a nice site for Sears Island... A site where people can submit stories, photos, art, poetry, video that appreciates our wild coast. Web design seems complicated if you want more than text and photos... I'd like one page to be an interactive form where people would finish the sentance - "This Island is special to me because ..." fill in the blank and have it be an ongoing wall of Sears Island praise. Of course I can only hope that many would post there!
I have been busily learning Flash and DreamWeaver and css scripting so I can put up a nice site for Sears Island... A site where people can submit stories, photos, art, poetry, video that appreciates our wild coast. Web design seems complicated if you want more than text and photos... I'd like one page to be an interactive form where people would finish the sentance - "This Island is special to me because ..." fill in the blank and have it be an ongoing wall of Sears Island praise. Of course I can only hope that many would post there!
Monday, September 21, 2009
A Common Sense Health Program...
I think we need to actually think out of the box... and I know that allopathic medicine does not begin to have the answers - let alone be our only recourse for "Health Care"... so I share this article;
"Does Anyone in the Healthcare Debate Really Care About Health"
..."the best healthcare system in the world is actually their own mind and body, with assistance from their families and communities"...
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/09/21-3 for entire article...
"So instead, here's a modest proposal for something different: a public, universal, free healthcare option that can be used for (a) proactive and preventive care and/or (b) bona fide emergencies and chronic conditions. For that middle range of routine procedures, office visits, and garden-variety treatments, there can be subsidization in the form of capped co-payments. People seeking more elaborate coverage will be free to do so in the manner they are now, by purchasing it privately or securing it through their employer. The plan will be financed by tax revenues assigned from the Treasury at an amount not less than 1/2 of the annual military budget, and moreover at least 1/4 of every dollar spent through this system of primary healthcare services will be funneled to health education and nutrition counseling. Healthcare costs will thus be keyed to limiting the ways of war and funding human services. Such a plan would cover everyone and still come in at far less than the $2.5 trillion we are estimated to spend on healthcare this year. Over time the program will cost less as overall health in America improves, reversing the downward spiral we're presently in whereby healthcare costs outstrip the growth of our GDP."
"Does Anyone in the Healthcare Debate Really Care About Health"
..."the best healthcare system in the world is actually their own mind and body, with assistance from their families and communities"...
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/09/21-3 for entire article...
"So instead, here's a modest proposal for something different: a public, universal, free healthcare option that can be used for (a) proactive and preventive care and/or (b) bona fide emergencies and chronic conditions. For that middle range of routine procedures, office visits, and garden-variety treatments, there can be subsidization in the form of capped co-payments. People seeking more elaborate coverage will be free to do so in the manner they are now, by purchasing it privately or securing it through their employer. The plan will be financed by tax revenues assigned from the Treasury at an amount not less than 1/2 of the annual military budget, and moreover at least 1/4 of every dollar spent through this system of primary healthcare services will be funneled to health education and nutrition counseling. Healthcare costs will thus be keyed to limiting the ways of war and funding human services. Such a plan would cover everyone and still come in at far less than the $2.5 trillion we are estimated to spend on healthcare this year. Over time the program will cost less as overall health in America improves, reversing the downward spiral we're presently in whereby healthcare costs outstrip the growth of our GDP."
A touch of art...
I hadn't painted for awhile... but fortunately during a visit with family I found myself out enjoying the Maine sunshine with my cousin's daughter (a rather talented young artist; Karisa Darrell who's website of artwork is: http://www.bluerealmstudio.com/)
That day I did two pastels; one of the Marshall Point Lighthouse and one of the Lightkeeper's porch So I've finally scanned them and am posting them here to see how they fly.
I think they will make nice greeting card images.
News? It sounds like the same old same old to me!
I've had a devil of a time with the internet lately! I've been trying to upload videos all day with no success! Other days in the past week - I've had posts around the WEB simply disappear or appear twice with the same timestamp... If I hear "Mercury Retrograde" once more I'll... well, I suppose I won't do anything except SIGH! So with frustration dogging my every computer attempt I've gone for more frequent walks in wooded places and along the shore, - fall is definitely nippin' the air here in Maine. While some folks can't bear the weather shifting from summer to winter, I don't mind a bit (unless I have to drive somewhere in a storm!) and for a time Nature again restores me...
Which I dearly need with the flavor of the NEWS these days- politicians are still (continually?)making a hash of our national goings on... National climate/Energy issues seem to be in exactly the same place as they were 3 decades ago when it was first brought to our attention that the climate was going through some massive changing and we needed to find different energy sources... The Envoronment is still struggling to maintain some balance - with less than 10% of the land and water in this nation "undeveloped" - as if pollution and resource extraction was some sort of evolution! Wolves, polar bears, dolphins, whales; all straining just to exist ...Iraq has been blown to pieces and all modernization with it... women afraid to even walk their own streets - power and water unavailable for most of the time... Afghanis are still being blown up as "collateral damage" in a conflict that makes no sense to me at all. What exactly are we doing to these people and Why? They've never done a thing to this nation - except of course try to kill the soldiers we keep sending over to ... find Osama? stop the murdering Taliban? bring them democracy? (I am even having trouble understanding what democracy is with the way our politicians have been "representing" us!)... Health Care Reform appears to be a cruel joke where facists are finding new ways to bankrupt consumers and too few of our elected "representatives" seem to have enough regard for the populace to give a tinker's damn what we want. Our own Maine senators have a different view than the majority here... We want Single Payer and they want ...what? - happy corporate sponsors? SIGH!
Why is it that all the government people who have single payer, don't seem to think We the People should enjoy the same safeguards for health and savings?
So thanks be for puppies that wrestle fallen leaves, ...for the beauty of Nature that helps me cope with all of the human folly... for family that shares, and for Fall in Maine; cool nights - glorious days... and for being able to live, love, learn, and create as best we can, amongst it all!
Which I dearly need with the flavor of the NEWS these days- politicians are still (continually?)making a hash of our national goings on... National climate/Energy issues seem to be in exactly the same place as they were 3 decades ago when it was first brought to our attention that the climate was going through some massive changing and we needed to find different energy sources... The Envoronment is still struggling to maintain some balance - with less than 10% of the land and water in this nation "undeveloped" - as if pollution and resource extraction was some sort of evolution! Wolves, polar bears, dolphins, whales; all straining just to exist ...Iraq has been blown to pieces and all modernization with it... women afraid to even walk their own streets - power and water unavailable for most of the time... Afghanis are still being blown up as "collateral damage" in a conflict that makes no sense to me at all. What exactly are we doing to these people and Why? They've never done a thing to this nation - except of course try to kill the soldiers we keep sending over to ... find Osama? stop the murdering Taliban? bring them democracy? (I am even having trouble understanding what democracy is with the way our politicians have been "representing" us!)... Health Care Reform appears to be a cruel joke where facists are finding new ways to bankrupt consumers and too few of our elected "representatives" seem to have enough regard for the populace to give a tinker's damn what we want. Our own Maine senators have a different view than the majority here... We want Single Payer and they want ...what? - happy corporate sponsors? SIGH!
Why is it that all the government people who have single payer, don't seem to think We the People should enjoy the same safeguards for health and savings?
So thanks be for puppies that wrestle fallen leaves, ...for the beauty of Nature that helps me cope with all of the human folly... for family that shares, and for Fall in Maine; cool nights - glorious days... and for being able to live, love, learn, and create as best we can, amongst it all!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Ramblings about last night's Sears Island forum...
So, what did the Sears Island's Future forum mean to me?
It was the development plan that continues to confuse me. I still do not understand how anyone who has traveled to (let alone lived in) other places could compare the qualities inherent in an undeveloped coastal Maine with those of another pie-in-the-sky economic based plan. There are many areas in the state that might benefit from urbanized commercial investment, but I don't think Sears Island needs anything more than a restored free flow of water around her shores to serve the greatest good... as she has for centuries.
I love trains and would love to have passenger cars crisscross the state afford-ably. Sadly American railways are not constructed or run afford-ably and we are too aware of the undesirability of the noisy belching trains to compare them favorably with the roadways we are so comfortable with - or to let go of the millions of jobs and dollars already invested in roads and bridges. As rail owners have been pulling up track for decades - railways don't appear to be a certain investment. It is folly to decimate an island's ecosystems, put mid coast fisheries in jeopardy, and spend millions of taxpayer dollars during a recession, with a priority NOT to build local markets, but to channel resources to distant industrial and corporate interests. How many container port experts are there in Maine - how many factories to fabricate the machinery? - not one!
Why is the Maine Government looking to develop these mega businesses? Historically people of the North Atlantic coast have been of an entrepeneurial character. I'd love to see the millions of dollars intended to develop the East Coast - Sears Island trade corridor to be directed instead to assisting our more individually oriented small businesses. As it stands today, a plethora of limits, restrictions, fees, licences, and regulations are now imposed on standard small businesses in Maine - which might be seen as un-supportive of individual enterprise...
So... to sum up the Forum I do not support a container port, a rail yard on the island, or the classification of part of the island as a mitigation bank as a good solution for Maine. I heard nothing that leads me to believe that Augusta has faithfully considered why this idea won't float with the people of Maine - and certainly not with the fisheries or future fisheries!
Sears Island at the Alamo Theatre
I've just returned from the WERU forum on Sears Island's Future.
Participants included: Maine's DOT Commissioner David Cole, State Senator Dennis Damon - Chairman of both the Transportation and Marine Resources Committees, Jim Freeman a carpenter and member of the Friends of Sears Island and the Sears Island Joint Use Committee, Peter Tabor - Veteran Writer and Journalist and an independent advocate for keeping Sears Island forever wild, and Ron Huber - Director of "Penobscot Bay Watch" an advocacy organization for the stewardship of Penobscot Bay and environs.
The format of the evening was that each man on the panel had five minutes to introduce themselves and define their position with regards to the future of Sears Island. After all five had spoken each was to direct a question to another panel member of their choice and that speaker had 3 minutes to answer the question. Finally at the end of that round, the audience were given the opportunity to ask questions of anyone at the table.
Senator Damon defined his position as a supporter of a Container Port and Railyard as his idea of the best possible compromise for safeguarding 2/3 of Sears Island while bringing the possibility of prosperity to Maine's economy through International Trade.
Peter Tabor used his time to articulate his disappointment in the Sears Island Joint Use Process, giving examples where the public was excluded/unrepresented in the meetings and decisions that lead to potential development. Tabor spoke with conviction and restrained fury of the way advocates for a Wild Sears Island were pushed out of the process so that only those who agreed that development was appropriate use of the island were allowed to participate.
Jim Freeman expressed his belief that this compromise of 2/3 of the island put under the watchful eye of the Maine Heritage Trust and 1/3 made available for Port Development was the best possible outcome he believed realistic because there were far worse possibilities if something was not done to cement the process now. He explained that he felt he had done a service to the island by insuring the well being of it's largest portion and hoped that the Port would not be able to get the permits it would need to progress.
Commissioner Cole spoke with great enthusiasm of this plan as one that would open the door to international trade and interstate freight service as an avenue for profit and employment in the state of Maine. He made it clear that no port was actually planned yet as no port developer had been found, but did go on to say that the state was aggressively seeking a developer and also searching for markets that a port might serve.
Ron Huber explained the ways that the Sears Island estuary was infinitely more valuable than any port could be, as it was integral to the Maine Coast Fisheries. He spoke of the richness of young fish that depended on the area for protection and sustainence through their early development and the perfect environment the waters around Sears Island gave young fish with it's eel grass and shallow depths. He also stated that both regional fisheries and Sears Island ecosystems would be irrevocably damaged by any Port or Rail development.
The question part of the forum was less than satisfactory to me... answers too often missed the point of the question or were uncommital or hazy.
When it came time for audience participation, I asked Commissioner Cole... Why after 40 years of trying to develop the island at taxpayers' expense, and continually being told that Environmental Law would not allow such development did the MDOT continue to fight public sentiment and spend more of our money trying to find a way to develop the island... Mr Cole said that the studies had not yet been done this time and he felt optimistic that a Container Port was the right use of the island. --- It was as though he didn't get it that all these studies cost taxpayers for something the majority was opposed to, and that too much was at stake to experiment with what the ecosystems could cope with!
There were some great audience questions, but the answers did not satisfy me or my sense of justice. It seemed to me that the state was simply committed to "progress" through development and that they did not know or care about the affects. The advocates for Sears Island seemed to have information at their fingertips while both Mr Damon and Mr Cole often responded with unfamiliarity with the documents and a refusal to consider that if development was prohibited in the past with lesser Environmental Laws in place, that certainly a review today would reveal the same undeniable result.
I left the Forum more convinced than ever that Sears Island must not be tampered with... and sadly, that Maine Government seems to have lost it's compass and has also lost sight of true environmental/economic priorities in a state who's natural bounty is it's greatest asset!
Participants included: Maine's DOT Commissioner David Cole, State Senator Dennis Damon - Chairman of both the Transportation and Marine Resources Committees, Jim Freeman a carpenter and member of the Friends of Sears Island and the Sears Island Joint Use Committee, Peter Tabor - Veteran Writer and Journalist and an independent advocate for keeping Sears Island forever wild, and Ron Huber - Director of "Penobscot Bay Watch" an advocacy organization for the stewardship of Penobscot Bay and environs.
The format of the evening was that each man on the panel had five minutes to introduce themselves and define their position with regards to the future of Sears Island. After all five had spoken each was to direct a question to another panel member of their choice and that speaker had 3 minutes to answer the question. Finally at the end of that round, the audience were given the opportunity to ask questions of anyone at the table.
Senator Damon defined his position as a supporter of a Container Port and Railyard as his idea of the best possible compromise for safeguarding 2/3 of Sears Island while bringing the possibility of prosperity to Maine's economy through International Trade.
Peter Tabor used his time to articulate his disappointment in the Sears Island Joint Use Process, giving examples where the public was excluded/unrepresented in the meetings and decisions that lead to potential development. Tabor spoke with conviction and restrained fury of the way advocates for a Wild Sears Island were pushed out of the process so that only those who agreed that development was appropriate use of the island were allowed to participate.
Jim Freeman expressed his belief that this compromise of 2/3 of the island put under the watchful eye of the Maine Heritage Trust and 1/3 made available for Port Development was the best possible outcome he believed realistic because there were far worse possibilities if something was not done to cement the process now. He explained that he felt he had done a service to the island by insuring the well being of it's largest portion and hoped that the Port would not be able to get the permits it would need to progress.
Commissioner Cole spoke with great enthusiasm of this plan as one that would open the door to international trade and interstate freight service as an avenue for profit and employment in the state of Maine. He made it clear that no port was actually planned yet as no port developer had been found, but did go on to say that the state was aggressively seeking a developer and also searching for markets that a port might serve.
Ron Huber explained the ways that the Sears Island estuary was infinitely more valuable than any port could be, as it was integral to the Maine Coast Fisheries. He spoke of the richness of young fish that depended on the area for protection and sustainence through their early development and the perfect environment the waters around Sears Island gave young fish with it's eel grass and shallow depths. He also stated that both regional fisheries and Sears Island ecosystems would be irrevocably damaged by any Port or Rail development.
The question part of the forum was less than satisfactory to me... answers too often missed the point of the question or were uncommital or hazy.
When it came time for audience participation, I asked Commissioner Cole... Why after 40 years of trying to develop the island at taxpayers' expense, and continually being told that Environmental Law would not allow such development did the MDOT continue to fight public sentiment and spend more of our money trying to find a way to develop the island... Mr Cole said that the studies had not yet been done this time and he felt optimistic that a Container Port was the right use of the island. --- It was as though he didn't get it that all these studies cost taxpayers for something the majority was opposed to, and that too much was at stake to experiment with what the ecosystems could cope with!
There were some great audience questions, but the answers did not satisfy me or my sense of justice. It seemed to me that the state was simply committed to "progress" through development and that they did not know or care about the affects. The advocates for Sears Island seemed to have information at their fingertips while both Mr Damon and Mr Cole often responded with unfamiliarity with the documents and a refusal to consider that if development was prohibited in the past with lesser Environmental Laws in place, that certainly a review today would reveal the same undeniable result.
I left the Forum more convinced than ever that Sears Island must not be tampered with... and sadly, that Maine Government seems to have lost it's compass and has also lost sight of true environmental/economic priorities in a state who's natural bounty is it's greatest asset!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sears Island Forum Tonight
For over 40 years successive Maine Governments have posed plans to industrially develop the last uninhabited - undeveloped - road accessible wild island on the entire Eastern Seaboard.
In this last effort Gov. Baldachi created a committee to ease the passage of a container port development. To do this he had those who wished to participate begin the process by agreeing that they were not opposed to a port. That eliminated all voices arguing that the plan would in any form be irrevocably damaging to the Island ecosystem and regional fisheries.
The destruction of the estuaries around Sears Island (which in order to allow the huge container ships passage would have to be deeply dredged) would indeed be catastrophic for the regional fisheries. New studies by Canadian researchers show that when shallow eelgrass ecosystems are destroyed - survival rates for infant fish are reduced to 1 in 17,000! Can anyone imagine how that would impact our coastal sustainabilty? It makes no sense that in the "joint use" process, no active fishery representatives were included in the discussions, and the ecologically inclined were represented by a recreational hiking club and an individual who seems to have profited greatly (awarded grants) from his participation.
Another aspect of Sears Island's Future that disturbs me is that 600 acres of PUBLICLY Owned Sears Island has been, in effect, given to a Private Land Organization - Maine Heritage Trust. It would seem to me that such a huge gift of public land would have to be approved by Maine Citizens rather than unelected representatives who are unaccountable to the public will! How is it possible for the MDOT to have the right to disseminate public land without electoral input, review, or referendum?
In this last effort Gov. Baldachi created a committee to ease the passage of a container port development. To do this he had those who wished to participate begin the process by agreeing that they were not opposed to a port. That eliminated all voices arguing that the plan would in any form be irrevocably damaging to the Island ecosystem and regional fisheries.
The destruction of the estuaries around Sears Island (which in order to allow the huge container ships passage would have to be deeply dredged) would indeed be catastrophic for the regional fisheries. New studies by Canadian researchers show that when shallow eelgrass ecosystems are destroyed - survival rates for infant fish are reduced to 1 in 17,000! Can anyone imagine how that would impact our coastal sustainabilty? It makes no sense that in the "joint use" process, no active fishery representatives were included in the discussions, and the ecologically inclined were represented by a recreational hiking club and an individual who seems to have profited greatly (awarded grants) from his participation.
Another aspect of Sears Island's Future that disturbs me is that 600 acres of PUBLICLY Owned Sears Island has been, in effect, given to a Private Land Organization - Maine Heritage Trust. It would seem to me that such a huge gift of public land would have to be approved by Maine Citizens rather than unelected representatives who are unaccountable to the public will! How is it possible for the MDOT to have the right to disseminate public land without electoral input, review, or referendum?
to be continued after tonight's forum...
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Supreme Courts and Corporate "Personhood"
To me this one is simply a dog that doesn't hunt.
A Corporation is not a person and should not have the rights or privileges of a person. A Corporation's sole intent is profit. Therefore it's identity, by definition, is a single and self-serving focus, rather than community sustainability and citizenship. A corporation is not restricted to the community in which it "lives", it can indeed, exist far from the affect it has on an area's resources or culture. A corporation is made up of individuals. Those individuals already have their one vote...being part of a group of other individuals must NOT confer greater privilege.
Listening to Justices Scalia, Roberts, and Alito, arguing in the most recent Special Session of the Supreme Court, I was struck by how they spoke to the unfairness of restricting a corporation from democratic participation. As a citizen, I listened to their arguments with irritation. Why should a corporation have any say in the democratic process? Every citizen in their rosters already has a say, and since the corporate "say" is single faceted to their increase - it is ridiculous for a society to give any weight to their input!
When Justice Scalia asked how we could want to limit the "Mom and Pop"s and the local incorporated Hairdressers (as if they are even the issue) and asked the State defender to sight any example of a corporation using their influence against the public good - I practically choked! How about ENRON? How about the various Tobacco Companies? How about the HMOs? and what about beverage corps who commandeer local water sources all over the nation (and world). What about the energy corps who have destroyed Appalachia mountaintops and watersheds? Good Grief! The Corporate entity does not have to be humane - CANNOT be humane if it follows it's charter to increase profit. It is like suggesting an alcoholic have a say in what protections should be established against alcohol abuse! A corporation does not concern itself with quality of life of a community- but with how to profit from the community's individuals' requisites for life! Certainly there are small corporations - incorporated to minimize taxation and maximize profit, who work in an area constructively... but when they suggest that, as a conglomerate mass of individuals, they want another vote, or a stronger voice, or better access to legislators than the rest of us, it is to our national detriment to even consider!
A Corporation is not a person and should not have the rights or privileges of a person. A Corporation's sole intent is profit. Therefore it's identity, by definition, is a single and self-serving focus, rather than community sustainability and citizenship. A corporation is not restricted to the community in which it "lives", it can indeed, exist far from the affect it has on an area's resources or culture. A corporation is made up of individuals. Those individuals already have their one vote...being part of a group of other individuals must NOT confer greater privilege.
Listening to Justices Scalia, Roberts, and Alito, arguing in the most recent Special Session of the Supreme Court, I was struck by how they spoke to the unfairness of restricting a corporation from democratic participation. As a citizen, I listened to their arguments with irritation. Why should a corporation have any say in the democratic process? Every citizen in their rosters already has a say, and since the corporate "say" is single faceted to their increase - it is ridiculous for a society to give any weight to their input!
When Justice Scalia asked how we could want to limit the "Mom and Pop"s and the local incorporated Hairdressers (as if they are even the issue) and asked the State defender to sight any example of a corporation using their influence against the public good - I practically choked! How about ENRON? How about the various Tobacco Companies? How about the HMOs? and what about beverage corps who commandeer local water sources all over the nation (and world). What about the energy corps who have destroyed Appalachia mountaintops and watersheds? Good Grief! The Corporate entity does not have to be humane - CANNOT be humane if it follows it's charter to increase profit. It is like suggesting an alcoholic have a say in what protections should be established against alcohol abuse! A corporation does not concern itself with quality of life of a community- but with how to profit from the community's individuals' requisites for life! Certainly there are small corporations - incorporated to minimize taxation and maximize profit, who work in an area constructively... but when they suggest that, as a conglomerate mass of individuals, they want another vote, or a stronger voice, or better access to legislators than the rest of us, it is to our national detriment to even consider!
Health Care Continued
For me - Health Care should be a provision of the govt. to all citizens. Cuba has been able with their unbelievably limited resources, to provide Health Care to all Cubans - and to go further in providing doctors to every neighborhood - so that in a case of natural disaster - every area has a medical specialist among them! People call that "Socialist" or "Communist" but for me it is simply good social planning. In that system, young people interested in going into health care are provided the education neccessary and then go on to serve their communities much as fireman, police, educators do. Justifying the ridiculous costs of a medical education - a USA med student pays $200,000 or more, depending on the school, and at least 8 - 10 years of their lives (without earnings) our medical personel must charge many times the average hourly wage to pay back that investment! "Socializing" medicine makes health care readily affordable and available. There could certainly be extended degrees and medical procedures available for profit... any sort of enhancement medicine, ie; cosmetic surgery, weight/fat issues, sexual related procedures... lifestyle related medicine could be a profit area. Pharmeceuticals (excluding innoculations, antibiotics, and life sustaining meds) could also be allowed to generate profit. I think a well - socialized system of health care should not include any pharma other than those, because I believe other medications are optional and should be at the buyer's expense. (I have been appalled to hear of men being prescribed Viagra - and other publicly funded fertility treatments going to those with no means of supporting offspring) ... IMHO every citizen's general, everyday, health and well beig, similar to our program of free primary education, should be integrated into our economics and social structure as absolutes. After all, sickness is often contagious, so good health is a protection for the community at large. If people had medical advisors who they saw regularly to help them stay balanced and healthy... our nation, as a whole, might rise from being ranked 37th in quality of health worldwide, and might reorder all our priorities to reflect that health!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Universal Healthcare
The big discussion lately seems to center around healthcare - Is it a right? Should it be paid for universally out of taxes? Should the insurance industry be allowed to profit from illness? Why is America the only industrialized nation that seems to think good health care is something that is earned/deserved? Don't we all gain from a health system that is purely motivated to keeping us healthy? I could fill this post with questions... but to start the discussion I'll endeavor to clarify my own thinking on the subject.
I believe health is a national economic and security issue. If health (good and bad) is recognized as the result of policies and choices, our national regulation and practices have to undergo a massive reorganization of priorities. Pollution, poverty, economic incentives, and personal responsibility are all pieces of the puzzle that need to be addressed as whole cloth... for it is thier imbalances that create most of the illness/diseases today.
It is a scientific truth that immune systems are greatly affected by "stressors".
We have the everyday stress of making a living; providing what we need to survive is a primary stressor... Add to that the idiology of "Not having Enough" (no matter how much one actually does have) and you add another layer of stress. Then, there is the environmental stress of particulates, chemicals, and metals in the air, water, medicine, and food we eat, that adds another layer of challenge to affect well being...for some a lack of finance limits quality of life - jobs without respect/ too many work hours needed to get by, a lack of education or training, the means to live in a healthier location...and finally, you have the ability of the individual to compete with the challenges and obstacles of their own personal lives, to care enough about themselves to make healthy choices. For me, all of these are out of balance and place Health Care into a catagory that is far more of a shared reality than any other issue in our lives.
If any industry is allowed to pollute to make a profit - then shouldn't those profits be required to underwrite whatever it takes to restore health to pre-pollutant levels? Aren't many illnesses a side affect of poor environmental controls? ... and aren't insurance and insurance costs a round about way of reassigning that cost to the consumer? If the water my town has available is filled with Dioxin or Mercury - who is responible for keeping us healthy? Would it secure my health if I ate well, got plenty of sleep, and never smoked, if coal ash is allowed to poison my well? Who should pay for the doctor? ... why must I either have to be wealthy, pay someone to insure me, or have to sue someone to make sure my health is protected/restored? to be continued...
I believe health is a national economic and security issue. If health (good and bad) is recognized as the result of policies and choices, our national regulation and practices have to undergo a massive reorganization of priorities. Pollution, poverty, economic incentives, and personal responsibility are all pieces of the puzzle that need to be addressed as whole cloth... for it is thier imbalances that create most of the illness/diseases today.
It is a scientific truth that immune systems are greatly affected by "stressors".
We have the everyday stress of making a living; providing what we need to survive is a primary stressor... Add to that the idiology of "Not having Enough" (no matter how much one actually does have) and you add another layer of stress. Then, there is the environmental stress of particulates, chemicals, and metals in the air, water, medicine, and food we eat, that adds another layer of challenge to affect well being...for some a lack of finance limits quality of life - jobs without respect/ too many work hours needed to get by, a lack of education or training, the means to live in a healthier location...and finally, you have the ability of the individual to compete with the challenges and obstacles of their own personal lives, to care enough about themselves to make healthy choices. For me, all of these are out of balance and place Health Care into a catagory that is far more of a shared reality than any other issue in our lives.
If any industry is allowed to pollute to make a profit - then shouldn't those profits be required to underwrite whatever it takes to restore health to pre-pollutant levels? Aren't many illnesses a side affect of poor environmental controls? ... and aren't insurance and insurance costs a round about way of reassigning that cost to the consumer? If the water my town has available is filled with Dioxin or Mercury - who is responible for keeping us healthy? Would it secure my health if I ate well, got plenty of sleep, and never smoked, if coal ash is allowed to poison my well? Who should pay for the doctor? ... why must I either have to be wealthy, pay someone to insure me, or have to sue someone to make sure my health is protected/restored? to be continued...
First Blog Post
What to write about? So many things on my mind and in my feelings these days...
From the personal to the political - and all that's green in between!
Issues of the day include; Single Payer, Public Option, and National Healthcare for Profit or for Humanity? There's Mountaintop Mining and Toxic Waste, Education and our Children's futures, there's the whole debate of Development and Economy vs Quality of Life and Sustainability, and Polar Bears, Wolves, Whales, and Dolphins at risk, what about the whole cornucopia of Food Issues - Local, Organic, Safety, and the Delights in a good meal - well made... and of course there's all the more personal subjects - like where is God in all this, and do we really create our reality? How much should we legislate of morality (if any) and will we ever be able to create a consensus in this world of diversity? There's so much on my mind that I'm not sure where to start!
So I'll start with the underlying reason for this blog... Communication and Stress Relief.
It seems to me that people are massively stressed lately. So stressed that they shout out at meetings and during Presidential addresses... So stressed that they seem to have a hard time being civil and respectful when differing opinions are voiced. So stressed that common courtesy is no longer common.
As I write, I intend that I am always as courteous as possible. I don't see the need of slamming another to make my point... though I believe it is perfectly respectful to seek out the holes in an idea that make it untenable to "the other" (as long as it is allowed to be expressed first) it is Never acceptable to call names.
I intend that I not overwork sarcasm or fury, and balance my "negativity" with Possibility as often as possible. Even if no one else reads this, I intend that I use this blog to clarify and refine what and how I come to see things as I do. I can imagine different people in my life reading what I write and having a spectrum of reactions... Some would roar in approval, others rise to object/correct, and some jumping in for the pleasure of discourse... so I will not concern myself with following any particular style or venue... Stream of Consciousness Blogging! I feel like I have a lot to say/learn, and that I need a neutral way to say/learn it... I also would love to share without having my flow affected or limited by someone else's... to make myself say what I have to say clearly and without defensiveness. ...and sometimes I might only post a good recipe I've tried or an article I've found in my web travels...
From the personal to the political - and all that's green in between!
Issues of the day include; Single Payer, Public Option, and National Healthcare for Profit or for Humanity? There's Mountaintop Mining and Toxic Waste, Education and our Children's futures, there's the whole debate of Development and Economy vs Quality of Life and Sustainability, and Polar Bears, Wolves, Whales, and Dolphins at risk, what about the whole cornucopia of Food Issues - Local, Organic, Safety, and the Delights in a good meal - well made... and of course there's all the more personal subjects - like where is God in all this, and do we really create our reality? How much should we legislate of morality (if any) and will we ever be able to create a consensus in this world of diversity? There's so much on my mind that I'm not sure where to start!
So I'll start with the underlying reason for this blog... Communication and Stress Relief.
It seems to me that people are massively stressed lately. So stressed that they shout out at meetings and during Presidential addresses... So stressed that they seem to have a hard time being civil and respectful when differing opinions are voiced. So stressed that common courtesy is no longer common.
As I write, I intend that I am always as courteous as possible. I don't see the need of slamming another to make my point... though I believe it is perfectly respectful to seek out the holes in an idea that make it untenable to "the other" (as long as it is allowed to be expressed first) it is Never acceptable to call names.
I intend that I not overwork sarcasm or fury, and balance my "negativity" with Possibility as often as possible. Even if no one else reads this, I intend that I use this blog to clarify and refine what and how I come to see things as I do. I can imagine different people in my life reading what I write and having a spectrum of reactions... Some would roar in approval, others rise to object/correct, and some jumping in for the pleasure of discourse... so I will not concern myself with following any particular style or venue... Stream of Consciousness Blogging! I feel like I have a lot to say/learn, and that I need a neutral way to say/learn it... I also would love to share without having my flow affected or limited by someone else's... to make myself say what I have to say clearly and without defensiveness. ...and sometimes I might only post a good recipe I've tried or an article I've found in my web travels...
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