What is truth..correct...best..important?

ESSAY RESPONSE:

February 5, 2008


Q: How does one (an individual, a group) determine what is truth / correct / best / important?
A: Well...it’s a hell of a question!

It raises more questions than ultimate answers. The following thoughts are part of my truth.

All of us (individual or group) on this earth are the sum total of our experiences. Our truth is shaped by the century, continent, culture, race, religion, resources and history of that experience.

Our truth is subjective, but not limited. Our understanding of truth lies within a continuum of discovery that keeps redefining and building upon itself. If we stretch and add to our experiences...our knowledge and truth expands and embraces the wonderful complex diversity of our existence. We find congruence as we discover the truths of others.

We do not have the right to arbitrarily determine what is “truth, correct, best or important” ... for another entity.

We need to learn to listen and understand: there is more than one “correct” solution to a problem…what is best for us is not best for someone else…what is important to us lies elsewhere in the priorities of others.

We need to embrace the diversity of truths in this world. We need to respect ...and be awed by how many unique ways people have found to survive on our fragile globe.

We need to respect the truths of others.

We humans have always had an innate pull to believe in something or some deity beyond our immediate understanding ...ever since the beginning of time. Societies have worshiped and organized themselves around those beliefs …within the context of the country, century and society or religion into which we were born.

Does it matter if society is organized around religions or rules or magic beliefs....if it works for that group or person?

If we can understand this concept ….do we have the right to insist that one truth or choice is better than another? If we look closely ...there are shared values ...in each one. We need to respect this most profound truth of mankind.

We need to look hard at the truths that are driving us as individuals and as a country now.

Empty rhetoric doesn’t solve problems. Neither does pre-emptive war strikes on a country that will not bow and scrape.

Rock-hard religious morality stances will not bring about progress...only dead bodies and eternal feuds.

Greed and conspicuous consumption infringe on moral stances that would honor and support the needs of our human race upon this earth.

What happened to diplomacy, mediation, tact, respect, attentive listening, discipline, and respect for law?

Have we no patience to listen to the concerns of the other side? Could we find solutions without having to murder innocent people who get in the way?

What great American or personal truth is deciding what is correct, best or important for other nations?

Power alone...with all its wealth, weapons and armies only make things worse when we do not pay attention to the root causes of dissent and war.

When do justice, common sense, creativity, fairness, and use of resources come into play?

When do we focus on mankind’s need for food, water, shelter, jobs, medical care, education, religious freedoms and a homeland?

Could we work on those issues instead of bombing the hell out of our world?

What truth is shaping our values?

How much is enough?
Today, it is the war on Iraq: How many dead are enough before one side or another proves a point? How many maimed?

When does the scale get balanced between their dead and our dead?

We lost almost three thousand innocent citizens on 9.11.01. We have caused the death of approximately one hundred thousand men, women and children of Iraq in return. Is it enough yet? They were not responsible for the actions of Saddam nor did they participate in attacking America.

What truth...are we deciding for them?
How many of our honorable young men and women have to die or return home with life altering wounds before we will have corrected someone else’s country?

When our troops rushed to protect the oil facilities instead of the halls of antiquities...was that a revealing tip-off about our coveting the second largest source of oil in the world?

We allowed the looting of hospitals, schools, and government offices.

We allowed a power/leadership vacuum to develop when we dismantled the government structure.

We blew the cover of “democratic intent” when we closed down the press.

We approved torture via official documents before we planned the war. Is it any wonder we have lost the respect of the world?

Have we proven that we know best?

We showed an empty heart when we did not immediately fix the infrastructures of water,
waste disposal and medical services that we bombed into oblivion. How desperate and sick do people have to get?

We showed a greedy soul when we gave the jobs of rebuilding Iraqi industry to American companies and their contractors rather than unemployed hungry Iraqis. Think of Americans making $500 a day when Iraqi men have no way to feed their families.

After thousands of years of tribal and religious government structure, who are we to come and tell them they have to change? How does this country founded on the establishment of freedom of religion and the right to choose our form of government deny that right to other countries?

When did we begin to believe that bombs and bullets can change beliefs?

How have we come to embrace the idea that causing more poverty, hunger and loss of hope can turn around the actions of a desperate people?

We need to ask ourselves.....what are the truths of our own individual experience … do we know?
What truths, as a society, do we as a nation embrace?

Are we open to the truths of others?

We should be contemplating the values we hold as a result of our experiences as individuals and as a country...instead of pondering who determines what is truth, correct, best or important.

Our values should shape our choices and actions.

Board's win, community's loss

The night that members of Spokane County Health Board terminated the services of Dr. Kim Thorburn, there were loud responses of “shame on you”.

The audience included more than friends of Dr. Thorburn. I admired her professional and passionate commitment to health issues and ethical standards. I respected her courage in standing up for what she believed to be in our best interests and battling to make services better.

Many were community leaders who run non-profit and government agencies that serve the most vulnerable and needy in our area. They were angry and in shock to lose such a vital partner in this endeavor. There were staffers in tears at losing their boss.

The members of the Health Board deserve no respect when their need for “control and ego-stroking”overwhelm their responsibilities to support the services of the Health District. There was no question of Dr. Thorburn’s professional competency, job performance or respect for her across the county and state.

The Health Board’s unethical display of power said “gotcha....we win....nyah nyah nyah!”.

No, the Health Board didn’t win...the community lost. You should all hang your heads in shame.

I pray that many voices will be raised against this outrageous action...and that we will all remember when the next election rolls around for these committee members.

Peter Goldmark...Cowboy with a White Hat and a PhD

Of all the strengths I admire in Peter Goldmark, his common sense ranks high.

It’s no easy task to pursue election without selling your soul for the dollars required for campaigning. But I watch him trying. I have observed a man who holds fast to his sense of ethics, displays a reverence for life, and is passionate about those needs that touch his community and country.

He has an intellectual curiosity that runs the gamut from scientific research to wondering “what his constituents really think are critical issues”. He insures notes are taken so he won’t lose their ideas. He can admit when he is not fully informed about something and ask for further information.

That curiosity led to exploring alternative energy sources, war in Iraq, health care, tribal and veterans issues, education, business and rural community needs...and...ethics in congress!

McMorris’ phony television ad accusing of Peter Goldmark being a “dreaded taxman” is a far cry from his stated concern about excessive taxes burdening constituents.

Okay...I confess...I like his sense of humor best! When Goldmark said “I wear cowboy boots so that I can walk through the kind of stuff that my opponent is shoveling out” ...he got my vote!

Less rhetoric...more intelligent action

Re: Thomas Sowell’s article... “Peace rhetoric brings real war”

Empty rhetoric on any issue won’t solve problems. Neither will pre-emptive war strikes on a country that will not bow and scrape. Rock-hard religious morality stances will not bring about progress...only dead bodies and eternal feuds. Greed and conspicuous consumption infringe on moral stances that would honor and support the needs of our human race upon this earth.

How did our world get to be such a “dumbed down place”? What happened to diplomacy, arbitration, mediation, tact, respect, cordiality, attentive listening, civilized behavior, discipline, respect for law, patience and listening to the concerns of the other side? Could we find solutions without having to murder innocent people who get in the way?

Power alone...with all its wealth, weapons and armies only make things worse when we do not pay attention to the root causes of dissent and war.

When do justice, common sense, creativity, fairness, and use of resources come into play? When do we focus on mankind’s need for food, water, shelter, jobs, medical care, education, religious freedoms and a homeland? Could we work on those issues instead of bombing the hell out of our world?

Less rhetoric....more intelligent action!

Elections not for sale

Americans have common sense, good values and pride of country. When our intelligence is insulted, our values challenged, our resources squandered and our country’s reputation is tattered...we get mad.

Over the years we built a nation that served the common good while making opportunity for individuals. It’s time to go to work again and I suggest we start with the dollar bill. Knock it off the almighty altar and get back to basic values.

Could we start with “politics”? The candidate with the most money gets the job! They can buy lots of “free speech”. Why do we have a system that requires selling yourself to the highest bidder because you would like to serve the public? This is nuts.

We need a publicly funded election system that provides basic funds and limits expenses, shortens time spent campaigning and allows qualified individuals to serve their country in an honest way.

Groups and lobbyists should not be allowed any level of financial contributions. They are valuable when they educate, provide data, polls, identify problems and suggest solutions.

Our job as voters is to learn about candidates, examine their education, experience and credentials, and provide labor, materials and approval...and hold them accountable.

Diversity is our strength

What seems to create a problem for the Democratic Party is also the secret of it's strength, resiliency and progress over time.

It is our wholesale diversity. It's not just about race ...it's the diversity of ideas...of faiths...of cultures...and proposed solutions for the progress of our nation.

We are the face of America. We are the richness of it's history ...we are the backbone of the bluecollar workforce...we are the roiling pot of ideas to solve the issues that rise over time...we are the churched and unchurched....we own guns and shun them....we are ranchers and farmers and we are an urban population of whitecollar workers and service delivery folks.

We are the professionals...the judges, lawyers, the doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers, counselors and we are the inventors and enterprising business owners.

We are the poor and vulnerable segments of society. We are all the colors of the rainbow.

There is no either/or....our ranks hold all and our conversations are the richer for the diversity. The solutions come from examining all points of view and the answers are found in the middle where the commonality of our values are found.

We embrace the privacy of personal choice in matters of abortion. I think it is because down deep we know we cannot legislate morality...nor spiritual beliefs...and we all will be held accountable before our own Gods in the end for our decisions in life.

We work hard to provide pregnancy planning and medical services, foster care , emotional counseling, adoption services to make sure there are alternative choices (without judgement) for an unplanned pregnancy.

We advocated Aid for Dependent Children so that poorer mothers could be there for children until they began school. That aid was cut under Republican administrations .

There exists a wide variety of voices within our party and all are honored.

Many of us own guns ...for the purpose of hunting, self defense and competitive meets. We do not want to take away all guns. We just want to keep them out of the hands of the crazies, kids, criminals and terrorists.

We think the NRA does a good job of education...and we wish they could come up with good ideas to preserve our rights to own guns while protecting us from those who are incapable of responsible ownership.

We take the risks to start up businesses and create jobs and we love the freedom to pursue financial success.

We have sons and daughters in the military and we honor their choices, support their efforts, and respect their role in our country's history. We worry about their safety, the resources available for their efforts during war and the services that should be available as they return home. Mostly....we would argue that this most valued military resource ...should not be wasted or destroyed on forays into other peoples countries for less than honorable reasons.

We are Catholics, Jews, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Christian Scientist, Salvation Army,Congregational, Lutherans, Mormons, Methodists, Baptists, Christian, Buddhists, Moslems, Hindus, Native Americans (forgive me for the ones I left out) and those who have grown beyond the need to belong to organized religions.

We understand that man has always had an innate pull to believe in something or some deity beyond his immediate understanding ...and that we have done so since the beginning of time.

Societies have worshiped and organized themselves around those beliefs ...and so we tend to worship within the context of the country, century and society or religion into which we were born.And if you look closely ...there is a middle ground of shared values ...in each one ...and space for us to respect this most profound need of mankind.

Diversity is our strength.

Democrats have a Sense of Humor

Ever notice how optimists and humorists tend to be Democrats? I think it is a left-brained thing...the side that does not see everything in black and white. We see possibilities...solutions...and are ever hopeful that...sharing common resources...we can make life better in this world.

We can say “Oops!... Sorry! ...learn from our mistakes...and have another go at the problem...wiser for the experience.

I swear that a sense of humor makes common sense possible.

Common sense requires a balanced and even outlook on life. The only benefit of extremist stands is that they do get the attention of voters. Do those stances hold realistic answers for problems? I don’t think so... (left or right!).

A sense of humor requires the ability to look at the world (and ourselves) from all angles. It encourages looking at all the possibilities, thus the ability to be a problem solver.

A sense of humor results in flexibility and freedom of choice. The funny bone gives a defense against the stress of life...a way to keep equilibrium.

It gives patience to cope with the inane and insane. Without it...there is no joy and laughter...only the taking of one’s self and one’s issues entirely too seriously. With it...there is the balance that leads to common sense.

Hang in there....

How Much is Enough?

How much is enough? This question occurs to me every time I pick up the paper....and read about the excesses of our world.

Today, it is the war on Iraq: How many dead are enough before one side or another proves a point? How many maimed? When does the scale get balanced between their dead and our dead? We lost almost three thousand innocent citizens on 9.11.01. We have killed approximately one hundred thousand men, women and children of Iraq in return. Is it enough yet? They were not responsible for the actions of Saddam nor did they participate in attacking America. I can’t believe that over 45% of Americans still believe they are guilty. What am I missing?

How many of our honorable young men and women have to die or return home with life altering wounds before enough is enough?

What is it we have accomplished? Have we proven our leader had a higher level of testosterone than theirs? Everyone already knew we had more weapons of mass and individual destruction than anyone else in the world...so that was not the question.

When our troops rushed to protect the oil facilities instead of the halls of antiquities...was that a revealing tip-off about our coveting the second largest source of oil in the world?

We allowed the looting of hospitals, schools, and government offices. We allowed a power/leadership vacuum to develop when we dismantled the government structure. We blew the cover of “democratic intent” when we closed down the press. We approved torture via official documents before we planned the war. Is it any wonder we have lost the respect of the world? How much of our international reputation being trashed by our actions is enough?

We showed an empty heart when we did not immediately fix the infrastructure of water, waste disposal, and access to medical services that we bombed into oblivion. How desperate and sick do people have to get?

We showed a greedy soul when we gave the jobs of rebuilding Iraqi industry to American companies and their contractors rather than unemployed hungry Iraqis. Think about the insult of Americans making $500 a day when Iraqi men have no way to feed their families. How much abasement is enough?

After thousands of years of tribal and religious government structure, who are we to come and tell them they have to change? How much ignorant insult is enough? How does this country founded on the establishment of freedom of religion and the right to choose our form of government deny that right to other countries?

When did we lose our minds and begin to believe that bombs and bullets can change beliefs? How have we come to embrace the idea that causing more poverty, hunger and loss of hope can turn around the actions of a desperate people?

Power...world resources...wealth...control? How much is enough in terms of our greed? Dead...wounded...hungry...homeless...hopeless?. How much is enough in terms of the cost paid?

We need to hold our leaders accountable. We have the power to make a difference...one vote at a time. But we need to ask ourselves.....how much is enough?

Sorrowfully...We can't leave

I wrestle with the question of bringing our troops home.

I want them out of the senseless situation where life is vulnerable to unseen enemies.The cost of Iraqi and American lives since our arrogant invasion is estimated over 100,000. On both sides, thousands are maimed; mourn the loss of their family members and disrupted lives...and face many years of sorrow ahead.

I ache for the daily loss of American and Iraqi lives. I am ashamed of the price that Iraqis who step forward to help their country regain equilibrium and a democratic way of life (our imperative dictum) are paying as they die for a cause they didn’t request.

I marched against this war. But my conscience says “We broke it ...we need to fix it...we can’t leave”. It would be a disservice to all those who have given their lives to support us. It is immoral for America to create a chaotic and dangerous mess and then ask the victims to clean it up.

We must recognize how our patriotism can be twisted and used to manipulate us into actions we come to regret. America is all of us... we hold responsibility through our past and future votes.

It's About Defense...Mr. Bush!

Contrary to Bush’s notion of obstructionism, Democrats are playing defense to maintain the best parts of America for all of us.

It is damn hard to tackle the quarterback when he is wearing Teflon. You think you got a hold on the issue and then he just wiggles loose again.

We Democrats are playing defense in a game that threatens to take away the gains we made over 50 years to support the ordinary guy on the street.

It’s defense to support public radio and television. A house panel has voted to eliminate all public funding for NPR and PBS. The cuts would slash 25% of the federal funding this year and end funding altogether within two years. Geez...how could you not love Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow...and history, the fine arts, and bias free news?

It’s defense to ask about the Downing Street memos. Why is it that the Bush regime is never required to reveal its agendas, memos, studies, consultants, plans, etc.? This is the most secretive government I have seen in my 67 years. We are defending the traditional responsiveness and accountability expected of the government to the people who elected their leaders.

It’s defense to protest the dismantling of the Social Security System. This is an inter-generational promise made to take care of seniors, widows and orphans and the disabled. It would be immoral for this nation to break that promise. It needs tweaking with a raise on the cap, not destruction.

It’s defense to question this regime on its torture policies and record of abuses around the world. America once stood for something great and good. Now we are hated around the world.

It’s defense to question the right to preemptive wars by this government without solid evidence and international support. Wars that takes the lives of our sons and daughters, maims thousands physically and emotionally, kills 100,000 mostly innocent Iraqi men, women and children, dismantles their infrastructures, raises unemployment to 60%, disrespects their culture, history and religions and raises the spector of civil war. What kind of precedent have we set? Who can blame an attack on us again...for we are the threat...the ones with the WMDs and no hesitation to use them.

It’s defense to support NASA and exploration of space and rescue of the wonderful Hubble Telescope rather than put money into more Star War weapons that don’t work.

It’s defense to stand up for cars that conserve gas, renewable energy sources, saving environmental laws rather than defile our nature preserves and spend money on big business so they can mess up the environment even more.

It's defense to stand against the appointment of John Bolton to the United Nations. We need to preserve and improve the UN...it's our creation....not let it be destroyed or disrepected by this man.

It's defense to try and preserve jobs in the U.S.A and stop the outsourcing of our economy. It is in our national interest to preserve the ability to produce and manufacture the sources we need for our infrastructure and safety.

It's defense to protest pharmaceutical companies charging Americans higher prices than around the rest of the world.

It's in defense of our wellbeing to insist on national medical insurance for all at an affordable rate we can all pay into. 40 million Americans should not be without coverage. Businesses should not be penalized by having to provide coverage to attact workers. We can do this better when we take the profit out pain and suffering and fear of illness.

It's defense to protest the taking away of the civil rights that have made America unique in this world by the passing of the Patriot Act during a period of high emotion. The secretive ends do not justify the secretive means.

It's defense to question the budgeting process that gives to the rich, takes away from the poor, bankrupts the nation and leaves the debt to our grandchildren's children. At least we Democrats pay the bills as we go.....and the money goes to improve our nation's wellbeing...not the bottom lines for the privileged.

And the list goes on....It's about Defense ....because we care.

Controversy handled responsibly

The current scandals and problems surrounding Mayor West are being handled carefully and professionally.

This is not a political problem. I am glad that Democrats and Republicans are not utilizing it as such. Leaders on both sides are stating their concerns only as public citizens who love their city.

This is not a Gay problem. I am proud of their public responses and for the most part, the restraints of the heterosexual population not to paint all Gays with broad brushes as pedophiles.

This is not a criminal problem without any formal charge; or a civil court case sans a lawsuit.

Improper use and abuse of political position remains to be proven by the establishment of facts relating to written rules of conduct.

It was hypocritical to lie and legislatively abuse the population of which he was a member. It’s inappropriate to be sexually trolling for youth barely past the age of majority, but not illegal.

We can be angry that he has broken our trust and shamed us before the nation.

We have the right to ask him to step down and spare us more pain. (Write or email).

It’s not about legalities...it’s about lack of integrity to lead.

Hot Housing Market....except for the low-income!

David Broder (Spokesman Review - 6-2-05) states that our nation lacks 1.5 million units of low-income housing... and that 7.5 million households were "severely burdened by their housing costs, meaning that more than half their income went for rent or mortgage payments.

Over the years, the federal commitment to affordable housing has shrunk steadily, with the only remaining large-scale program being Section 8 vouchers, which help qualified families with rent subsidies but do not expand the available supply of units.

Some bills designed to utilize 5 percent of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's hugh profits for preservation, rehabilitation and construction of low-income housing are in danger of being shut down.

What do you think? Is there some moral (read religious) responsiblity to care for our brothers, shelter the homeless, take care of the fragile and vulnerable segments of our population?

I think we should be outraged that the tax cuts for the rich are balanced on the backs of the poor.

Votes are not for Sale

There is much about the political season that brings out a case of the gut-busting uglies in campaigns.

I would like to remind folks, that in spite of big money seeming to influence all aspects of our democratic process, “our vote is the only thing not for sale”.

It is up to us to guard against the emotionally manipulative persuasions of media presentations. It is up to us to focus on the issues.

Tired of being jerked around

I feel like I have been jerked around for about three years now...and that I am living in a Pavlovian nightmare.

I look around and there are my friends and neighbors also saluting, bowing, nodding acquiescence to demands they normally would reject.

After 9-11, it was unpatriotic to question the President.

It was un-American to question a pre-emptive war against a country that had done nothing to us.

How could you challenge any decision wrapped in our Flag?

The ends began to justify the means....and mostly we only discovered those (torture) by accident.

We (questioners) were beaten up with the words we hold dear. We were manipulated by our horror and pain. We were defeated in spite of world wide opinion that agreed with our reluctance to wreak havoc and instability, destroy homes and infrastructure, and kill innocent people in another country.

Enough! I lay responsibility for the unnecessary deaths of 100,000 innocent Iraqi men, women and children, the maiming of 16,000 armed forces personnel and the 1500 deaths of our sons and daughters in a war that didn’t have to be ...directly at the door of the White House and those who voted in lockstep with this decision.

I lay responsibility for the huge unnecessary financial costs of this war and it’s disruption of lives in both countries on Bush’s door.

I hold accountable, the Republican Party for trashing our world wide reputation and relationships, blowing our financial surplus, running up the largest deficit in history, and supporting those resolutions that allow “Big Business” to access any and all resources in this country without limitations. And now they are after access to Social Security monies.

How did it come about that we privatized parts of our military forces?

How is it in the interests of national security to outsource our ability to mine and manufacture resources needed to maintain a strong defense?

How moral is it to make the provision of health service insurance a for- profit business? Since when is profit more important than access to a basic need?

How moral is it to cut taxes for the richest in our country and cut services and subsidies to the poorest?

Proud to be a Democrat

Enough already! I am a Liberal who is tired of being maligned, miscast and mislabeled.

I am a Democrat who takes pride in our contributions like: The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act honoring the sacrifices of veterans and providing low interest loans for home mortgages/businesses, education , job training assistance, medical care; Social Security Act providing pensions for workers, help for widows/orphans and disabled; Medicare Bill guaranteeing health insurance for those over 65; Head Start, Civil Rights Act; National Labor Relations Act protecting decent wages, safety conditions, banning unfair labor practices; Clean Air Act; and Clean Water Act .

I have been proud to be a member of the party that cares about the little guy...in contrast to the legacy that Bush and Republicans are building where “Big Business is king and the middleclass and poor are left to pay the price in terms of jobs, wage levels, environment, war casualties, taxes, medical services and infrastructure /community needs.”

Democrats remain an integral part of this country and have nothing to be ashamed of. The flag belongs to us too. We mourn the maiming and loss of our sons and daughters in the military and deaths of innocents in Iraq as do Republicans.

Understanding Liberal

After checking out my handy dandy thesaurus (Reader's Digest Family Word Finder), I think "liberal" rocks....count me in!

I found that the antonym (opposite meaning) nails down those who use 'liberal' as a dirty word.

If your head is nodding after reading this...you, my friend.. are a liberal!

Liberal....
-adj.1. progressive, reformist, advanced, freethinking; civil libertarian, latitudinarian; left-wing
2. fair-minded, open-minded, broad-minded, tolerant, forbearing, magnanimous, un-bigoted, unprejudiced, unbiased, impartial; enlightened, humanitarian.
3. abundant, generous, openhanded, unsparing, bounteous, bountiful, handsome, munificent, unstinting, plenteous, ample.
4. lenient, broad, unrigorous, not strict, flexible, tolerant, open to reason, not literal.
5. progressive, reformer, latitudinarian, libertarian, left-winger, leftist.

-Ant.1. conservative, reactionary, right-wing.
2. intolerant, narrow, bigoted, biased, prejudiced, provincial, limited.
3. skimpy, inadequate, small, cheap
4. strict, unbending, fixed, inflexible, rigid, literal.
5. conservative, reactionary, right-winger.

Bush beholden to rich buddies

Observing President Bush rush to tout his rip-off of Social Security funds for his Wall Street buddies should come as no surprise to us voters. He's got half a billion dollars in favours to pay back...like Wall Street accessing enormous funding normally put aside for social contracts and employers forgoing paying their half of the payroll taxes.

It's not that Social Security will run out of funds, but that he might run out of time and balance of power in this next election period before he can meet his goal.

Appealing to fears and greed, he is willing to drive a wedge between young and old, unweave the safety net, gut the funding base and place us at risk to repeat history.

Like the Great Depression, stock market crash, brokers leaping from windows, banks closing, jobs disappearing, soup lines and seniors losing everything?

The price to our children is greatly reducing their Social Security benefits, subjecting them to the risks of the stock market, and eliminating a safety net for the nation. The price to us taxpayers is the trillions of dollars we will pay to subsidize this monumental screw-up.

It's our call, voters. Which is it....honor or greed?

Proud of voters on Election Day

As a poll watcher, I spent 14 hours witnessing the face of America come to the polls... all ages, all colors, professional and blue collared workers. The record number of voters included young people casting a first vote and frail seniors with oxygen containers casting perhaps their last vote. I saw pride and purpose in their faces....and heard “you can’t complain if you don’t vote”.

Military men in uniform received heartfelt thanks from the Election workers (and everyone’s applause) for voting and serving their country.

Mothers juggled babies, ballots and pacifiers. Fathers explained process to solemn-eyed tots. Smiling and proud disabled persons with their checklists made their way to the booth accompanied by aides.

The Election Workers (all seniors) ran the polling site with professionalism. Voters were warmly welcomed, questions answered fully, provisional ballots cheerfully offered and absentee ballots accepted. They gave full measure in the 15 hours plus shift. (They got my vote!)

The good that came from this nasty, combative and expensive campaign season is that “People Got It!” Votes count...they had something to say and they came in record numbers. Our process works.

Now we must be vigilant and hold those we elected responsible for their decisions.

Hard realities influence our votes

Reality is the well from which optimism is sometimes allowed to flourish and more often cynical pessimism is nurtured. We are the sum total of our experiences – that’s reality. We see the world through the filtered lenses of that experience and react accordingly.

I read in this paper that the poor lost housing vouchers, mental health services; Feds sent nuclear trash to Hanford; Iraqi war based on false data; death tolls rising and chaos reigns. America losing status due to AIDS policy, response to Sudan crisis, no bid contracts; refusal to share documents; torture and missing prisoners; dying from obesity while millions starve worldwide.

America is a work in progress and has need of the responsibility to stop and assess our directions and actions and “make corrections”. Because we have done that in the past is what made us a great nation. We are at the cross roads again.

It is the hard realities reaching into our community and nation that will influence our vote. We will vote a gut instinct to change America’s course and agenda because our current reality is tearing us apart as a nation.

Worried about bus riders

I rode the bus as a single mom with three kids and a minimum wage job and no car. As a retiree living on Social Security, I am one car accident or car breakdown from becoming a rider again.

I listen to disabled folks who depend on the bus for medical services, church attendance, shopping and “independence”....worry.

I watch workers and employers who worry about filling swing and graveyard shifts. I listen to young mothers worry about the lack of transportation to meet the demand to work, as well as take their children to safe (abusive boyfriend free) daycare centers.

I listen to my teenage neighbor who says she’s going away to college and not coming back because “Spokane is mean” to even consider cutting the services.

I listen to troglodytes who have their heads stuck in their past, unwilling to absorb new information and act accordingly.

I could get depressed if I weren’t watching the hundreds of passionate civic, business, union, and church leaders, and neighborhood activists who are not bus riders swing into action to support the upcoming minimum tax of .003 per dollar to keep a viable transportation system in Spokane.

Thanks. Let’s all vote for Spokane’s future.

Caucus experience awe-inspiring

I want to express my awed appreciation and apology to Saturday's Democratic Party caucus attendees at Roosevelt Elementary School.

The apology is for the delay in having to regroup, as your coming through the doors overwhelmed our preparations for the caucus. We usually get up to 40 people, we prepared for 80 to 100...and nearly 400 people came to participate in this democratic process. Your understanding and patience was remarkable.

I believed that "only those who have a passion for issues would attend the caucus". and did not expect numbers like last saturday. You all blew me away! Thank you.

Kudos to Roosevelt's staff person for capably responding to the unexpected by opening the gym, setting up tables and chairs...and keeping his understanding and professional manner. Thanks to the volunteers who helped him without anyone asking.

Thank you to the high school volunteers and those who chaired their precincts or acted as secretaries and got the job done in spite of the drawbacks!

Thanks, Jim Camden, for your clarity in explaining the caucus process, posting sites and encouraging citizens to take part in this important grass-roots system.

I heard more than one comment about "I read about it in the paper".

Bush just isn't listening

Remember Daddy Bush's famous "read my lips" line? I figure it's time to give it back to the Shrub. That little old Texas boy just ain't listening...to nobody!

He didn't listen to his secretary of state, his generals, the United Nations, the major countries of the world and their millions of citizens who lined streets yelling real loud about "no war".

He didn't listen to the U.N. weapons inspectors, leaders of the Middle East, major religious leaders of the world, including the Pope, or millions of Americans who disagree with war, no matter how often we marched.

He ain't listening to Wall Street who says "bad for business" or federal budgeters who say there's no money left for war.

He didn't listen to bipartisan legislators who tell him American has some urgent needs that will be ignored because of this war.

He didn't listen to the CIA or veterans who understand war andhow it ain't healthy for anyone in its path.

Outside of Rummy and his cohort of "Friends of Cheney" who make money off this war, I don't reckon he can hear anyone.

Read our lips, El Presidente Bush...see you at the ballot box!

Diary of a Demonstrator

Sometimes I struggle to capture the facts that back up intuitive leaps to conclusions. Sometimes it’s a no-brainer. Like the world wide intuitive response that an aggressive invasion of Iraq was a really offensive idea. (Pardon the deliberate pun).

I found myself demonstrating against the idea of war last November on the streets of Spokane, knowing intuitively there was a need to stand up and be counted.

I am 65 years old. This is new behavior for me. It is also physically painful and sometimes I think I cannot walk all the way. But the idea of innocents being maimed and killed, (including the men and women of our military forces) makes my pain inconsequential. I go back again and again, thankful that someone organized a way for me to express my concerns.

I did not have a sign, so I took my American flag. There was no other flag present and I wondered if I had broken some unwritten rules about protest demonstrations. Someone questioned the aluminum pole that held it up as being interpreted by law enforcement as a weapon. But no one said to put it away.

One person quietly said “Thank you”. An older man challenged me as to why I carried it. I stated “Because it guarantees Americans the right to protest”. He nodded and explained that as a youth, he been involved in miner’s strikes in Pennsylvania. The federal strike breakers sent in had carried such flags and the resultant pain he had suffered was associated with the flag.

On my second foray out, I brought the flag and again it was the only one there. A fellow demonstrator thanked me. “You are the ‘flag lady’ and have reminded us that this is our flag too and that we should take it back”.

The third time out, I brought three flags to share with other marchers and was amazed to see the idea had blossomed into a crowd of flags of all sizes. This was the largest demonstration with thousands from across the social and economic strata. There were sweet smiling nuns and grizzled military veterans, business men in suits and punkers in costume, seniors and teenagers, parents with children in strollers, Democrats and Republicans. It was awesome. The crowd was extremely well behaved and there were no signs of wanting to do damage or inconvenience anyone. They stopped at the lights and stayed on the sidewalk and waved to the crowd.

Waving to the crowd continues to be an interesting experience. Drivers of tall SUVs stare straight ahead and pretend that we are not there. Folks in lowly Hondas tend to beep and wave. Guys in pick-up trucks are experts in one fingered salutes. I wondered if those who were unwilling to make eye contact …had not yet figured out how they felt about impending war. Certainly the smilers and wavers knew where they stood.

A couple of young women pull up at a stoplight. One leaned out to call me an “F…’ing bitch”. I bend over and ask “Are you registered to vote yet?” (Guess I broke the rule, not to engage, just keep smiling).

Passing a women bystander on Riverside who was weeping copiously, I stopped and asked if she was okay. She smiled through her tears and said “Thank you all, you are demonstrating my feelings about the war that I couldn’t say”.

Stopping at a light across from the Davenport Hotel, I am addressed by a polite young man who has just crossed the street. He sips from a large paper cup of what I presume is a latte. He asked my name. I told him and he introduced himself. He asked where I was from. I said “Spokane”. He replied “I am from the United Arab Emirates”. I shook his hand. He asked why I was marching. I said “ I cannot condone killing innocent people on either side of the war” He nodded, looked seriously at the scene, and quietly slipped into the crowd and walked with us all the way back to Riverfront Park.

Some teens in a passing car yelled “Shame on you…support the troops”. I yell back “I do and I want them home safe”.

A drunk stumbles out of a bar to say “Hey lady, give it up, don’t you know the war has already begun?” I respond “I know, I just want the troops home. Starting a war doesn’t get automatic approval from me”. He nods…and goes back inside.

(I just can’t get the hang of keeping my mouth shut).

A pick-up truck roars by and a guy hollers “Traitor”. Two grade school boys yell “Iraqi Bastards’ while pointing and laughing. Some one yells “get a life”. I want to respond that ‘I have a life, I want life for those in the way of war”. But I don’t.

The latest march is over. A group of teen age boys at Sheridan’s schoolyard, yelled words at me that I know came from adults in their life. I walked around to the side of my car next to the fenced playfield and faced them. I very slowly begin to furl my large American flag, a few inches at a time, carefully straightening the yellow ribbons that now flow from the top. It takes a while, and I never stop looking at their faces. They fall silent. I drive away.

I read the letters to the editors and am amazed at the automatic assumptions about those who march against war. I try the words on. That’s not me.

I marvel at the generalizations, lumping all demonstrators in the same box, as though we are all out breaking laws, destroying property, being unruly and out of control, unpatriotic and uncaring about our military.

I cringe at the evidence that some citizens think it is not okay to have an opinion different from the President.

I marched because I love my country. I want to be proud of how she wields her powers and uses her resources and influence in this world. I want our leadership to be that of statesmanship and diplomacy …leveraging our resources to solve the problems that lead to war. I do not want us to be bullies, just because we can…and there is no nation state to stop us.

I marched because like other parents and grandparents, I cannot countenance wanton waste of the life and futures of our sons and daughters on a dark cause.

Yes, I am proud of our military and want them to be successful and proud of themselves. But I note that they do not represent the full face of our nation. Where are sons and daughters of the old men who send them off to carnage?

I discovered that marching was not enough. It was only the beginning of acting on my conscience. I join those who work hard to support the troops. I fly and wear yellow ribbons for their return. I attend prayer vigils. I pack up gift baggies to show a sign of nurturing. I write letters to the children of my friends in the war zone. I try to find ways to support their wives and children.

I once wanted to lay the responsibility for the dead on the doorstep of the President and Congress. I now understand that we, the citizens, are responsible for the actions of our leaders. We elected them and then didn’t pay attention.

We have a power that we may have forgotten how to exercise…the ballot box.

Now I will fly my flags…and register voters.

Terrorists turned U.S. into bully

America is emerging from her mind-numbing shock and pain of 9/11, with increasing awareness that it may not be enough to blindly support the president's plans as patriotic duty or wave the flag and knee-jerk our way to war. It's our responsibility to question the actions of our leaders.

We go to war when countries have resources we want. North Korea has only poverty. We aren't going there. Iraq sits on resources we desire to control. We'll light matches in this Mideast oil field with no thought to future consequences.

We'll bomb from a distance and never see the faces of the innocent women and children caught up in our carnage. We'll say "how about you and them fight...we'll supply the weapons of mass destruction. This time you can be on our side"

This is not a righteous war against an enemy country. We need a bogeyman to vent our rage against and Osama's gone missing. We need to validate a military strategy that satisfies the testosterone response to beat the hell out of someone when we're mad...and enrich our military industrial complex.

Bombs cannot change the minds and hearts of a different culture when hope has been long destroyed. Grieve for mothers on both sides who will pay a price for the miscalculation of their leaders.

Why must the most powerful country in the world threaten and bully anyone weaker than us?

The terrorists may have won. We have changed and I am not proud of the results.

Let's not get fooled again

I am old enough to remember the tag-end experiences of the Depression, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and Civil Rights movement. I remember fears, victories, sacrifices, mistakes and prices paid by Americans for decisions made by our leaders.

Today, for the first time, I am truly fearful. Not of terrorists or enemies (real or imagined), but of the actions of my President, his Cabinet and our national legislators.

I fear the zealotry that abrogates the civil rights of my country; the sense of entitlement that brings leaders to think they can do anything they please without accountability; the arrogance that leads our nation to dictating what kind of governments other countries should espouse; and the insanity of declaring war on other countries, without real proof of cause or international assent.

"Because I said so"...is not good enough for me.
"Because I want to get re-elected"...is no excuse for supporting bad policies on either side of the aisle.
"Because I can"...is not excuse for breaking world treaties and damaging foreign relationships.
"Because I am the President"...gives no fiat to act unilaterally.
"Because I am about my father's business"...is no excuse for ignoring the current needs of America: its infrastructure, economy, schools, national debt, Social Security, medical insurance issues, rural issues, etc.

It is not acceptable to ask the most vulnerable in this country or foreign countries to pay the cost of any party's covert goals.

I fear those in power with long memories and unfinished agendas.

Avoid 'knee-jerk' reactions....9/11/01

America has lost her virginity and perhaps her arrogance. We cannot afford to have an isolated attitude and think that the pain in the rest of the world will not touch us sooner or later. We cannot afford to only intervene in the rest of the world when the issue is connected to oil or other resources important to our commerce.

We must, as we have in the past, take our role as the world leader much more seriously and stop being so heavy-handed. We must become statesmen, diplomats and use our resources and power to make a difference in the world.

Yes, those who did this deed must be held accountable. But we are now at risk that our collective anger could make things worse. Now is not the time for knee-jerk reactions. It is time to look at our own historical actions, take a deep breath and act in a measured, deliberate fashion.