Be A Patriot--Seek the Truth

It amazes me how through out history if our leaders confess their beliefs in God, we believe in our leaders and all they do.  We speak of our forefathers like Eisenhower and Truman arguing that they were all God loving men as though we knew them personally, as if their beliefs made them better leaders, better men, nearly perfect in all they did, when in fact they were merely humans and they all took calculated risks in the name of America and its people.

Maybe their faith helped them to get a good night's sleep, but history shows us that they committed some mighty inhumane and ungodly deeds.  Next time you think you have to tell the rest of us how you shall support George W. Bush, I want you to ask yourself this one question.  Are you willing to accept the blame for the dead civilians who had no weapons in Bahgdad or our children who lost their lives or their body parts(even their minds)?  Think awhile before answering because when its all said and done, I'd like to add your name to the list at the World Trials for war crimes.

These are my sons and I can't imagine living without them.  I cannot imagine them taking an innocent victims life. What is happening in Iraq is a hell America and England have perpetuated in the name of OIL and slick Defense Contract profits.  I'm not willing to trade lives for either.

Marriage No Longer Serves The Two Parties Involved

Some say marriage was for procreation but that is totally untrue.

Facts About Marriage

1) Marriage was not necessary in order to pro-create; it was practiced as a type of social welfare to protect children by giving them parental and tribal identification thus holding both parents and tribes accountable for the offspring.

2)  Marriage became a form of bartering, securing men their fortunes, property and power through the dowrys of wives or one rich wife.

3) Much later, the popular concept of love became the reason to marry.

4) Some, because of religious devotion (priests, monks and nuns) were forbidden to marry in the flesh.  Slaves were originally forbidden to marry because they were property not people.  The last 15 states were forced to end a law protecting ethnic heritage by allowing mixed couples to marry.  That was on June 12th in 1967.

5) In America marriage is now limited to one husband and one wife with incest forbidden, once again to protect the offspring.  Where marriage was recently thought to belong to those who wish to procreate, many engaged in marriage have no intention of every procreating.  Still, it is intended to help guarantee offspring medical and physical benefits.  Parents are supposed to be accountable for their offspring until that child reaches the age of 18 years.  The wives are also provided for in word at least, unless the popular prenuptial agreements were in place prior to becoming married.

6)  Marriage is a legal and binding contract with only one legally allowable escape clause--Death!

7)  People who are in love but not married are denied rights they would have from a marriage in the case of pension plans and veterans medical benefits, even the Px use.

Problems surrrounding marriage today.

1) Doesn't control adultry or the birth of children that are produced from it.

2) No guarantee of a better life for the child brought into this world.  Check out Foster Care facts.

3) In 2001, for every 1000 people, 7.8 marriages were performed (15.6 people) while 4 divorces were performed (8 people).  That looks like half of all new marriages end up in divorce--something like that.  Overall, one in four marriages end up in divorce.  Divorce, the breaking of a contract has become our number 2 Gross Domestic Product and depends largely on the redistribution of wealth, a great loss financially for the married couple going their separate ways.

4) Many families who do not subscribe to marriage are denied pensions as I previously stated, not just gay partners, but all unmarried partners.  Even in states where there are Domestic Partnering laws and Common Laws or Civil Unions, there is a chance couples will be denied some of the rights married people have, such as visitation rights in the hospital ward's trauma units.

Conclusion

Yes, marriage changes through time and no matter how we legislate it, the original purpose to protect the offspring is nullified.  Spousal rights have been dilluted. 

All the current debates on the matter including Gay marriages take our minds off the issues our government doesn't wish us to push--domestic partnership reformation.

Marriage isn't a right; it's fluff.  So fight-fight-fight and you too can obtain a contract easily broken, but if that is what it takes to get a piece of your pie, then bon appetite.

If I could choose my family...

You know, the world of politics is interesting enough, the world of law too, but the little understood world of economics is the most interesting of all to me.  One of the most brilliant men living today in the world of economics is George Soros.  He knows the ins and outs of a sound portfolio but he also knows the consequences regarding human rights. 

I lost my parents at the age of 17 and up till then, we had discussions on the above topics around our dinner tables and also while we took drives to and from places.  I've gone all these years feeling somewhat stunted, stuck back in my teen years when it comes to the understanding of these issues.  It's really difficult to find people who will help grow me. At the age of 46 I find George Soros and Gore Vidal to be the best informed people of our century.  Pablo Neruda died or he would have been included on that list of giants.  If I could ask anything, I'd ask that George Soros would be my adopted father so he could teach me the ins and outs of ethical and unethical investing--investing with a conscience.  I'd ask for Gore Vidal to be my grandpapa so that I'd become much better at watching the actions of corporations and politicians in this world today.  I'd love it if Pablo had been my uncle.

Where are the great minds of today--the untainted minds that will take up the cause of these gentle giants after they have departed?  How I wish I were one of those great minds.  How I wish...

Here is a picture of the man I'd choose to be my mentor, my grandfather, if it were possible to pick and choose my family's replacements at the dinner table.  I love you Grandpapa Vidal.

I nearly forgot!  In the writer's chat the other night, folks were discussing classics they were forced to read in school.  Not one mentioned John Steinbeck.  We all had to read Grapes of Wrath, a most brilliant and timeless piece.  Here is one of my favorite quotes from that body of work. "Now farming became industry, and the owners followed Rome, although they did not know it.  They imported slaves, although they did not call them slaves: Chinese, Japanese, Mexicans, Filipinos.  They live on rice and beans, the businessmen said. They don't need much.  They wouldn't know what to do with good wages.  Why, look how they live.  Why, look what they eat.  And if they get funny--deport them."

Enjoy your coming week, folks.   Love and peace to you.  This week's bumpersticker is No you can't have my rights.  I'm still using them.

Where’s The Joy?

By Chelle Stockman

 

            Ah, I remember way back when—when school was fun and the teachers had joy.  They knew they had something wonderful to share with us and that for the most part we would get it.  How did they know this?  They knew how to give tests.  Those tests told them where our strengths and weaknesses were.  I seemed to get all the tough teachers, at least one in the bunch every year was a teacher most kids warned us about. “Watch out for Rathjens, she is strict and takes no bulldookie off of anyone.”  “Look out for Vincent, he works ya to death.”  “You don’t want to get Botta.  He yells so much that you will wet your pants.”

            I got them all and let me tell you, I’m so grateful I did.  They taught me so much!  Mr. Botta taught me that math can be fun and if I didn’t behave he would throw a ball at me and expect me to have the answers to the questions.  Well I was hep to him.  I liked having the answers so I’d disrupt my neighbor while he asked the question and I was prepared for the ball.  I’d catch it, yell the answer out and immediately sail it back to him.  Boy those were the days. 

It was Miss Rathjens that I most loved.  Yes the golfer lady was a toughy.  No one, I mean nobody could pull the wool over her eyes.  She knew her kids, all thirty-three of us.  When she handed us our tests back, we would all be shamed at the red marks on them.  She would tell us to not be upset.  In her hands she held a list of all who missed the questions.  She would say to one of us who had a red mark, say me for instance, “Chelle will you read question number one please?”  I’d read it and she would say, “could you tell me why you answered the way you did?”  I’d tell her my reasons and she was always encouraging but would point out where I had gone wrong.  She would then tell us the correct answer and where we could find it.  We would go to that page and lo and behold, the teacher actually knew what she was talking about!  Imagine that.  She would work hard to make sure we all were on the same page because you see, she didn’t believe in leaving anyone behind.  We made her proud and she had an obvious joy when she taught us.  I’m glad I had this tough lady and I wish there were more like her these days.

We had these reading assessment tests, you know the kind, those bubble tests.  Before she turned them in to be handed off to the districts or states she would make her notes to see where “her” kids were.  In the fifth grade she broke us up into reading groups.  Some were put into mythology, some into remedial reading, and some into speed reading.  She found it easier to work with groups in this case and because of it, I became a speed reader with a higher level of comprehension.  To this day, I have a great love for reading.  Thank you Miss Rathjens!

This was the norm in my day; larger class rooms, discipline, and teachers who evaluated the tests to determine where their students were.  We were their treasure and we knew it.  The teachers had a greater freedom in teaching methods than the teachers do today.  They had less restrictions placed upon them by the state which allowed them to personally oversee the aptitude of every student.  This method makes better sense to me because who would you say knows their students better, the teachers who have the kids day in and day out; or some estranged board of education? 

I have noticed over the past decade how little the teachers have in the way of support from their bosses.  Impossible expectations are placed on them because children come to them undisciplined, the state has a criterion for them to meet, and they have 40 minutes to an hour each day to focus their students and meet the state’s expectations.  Gone is the joy of teaching and the kids lose.  We give money to them and then take it away.  We place higher standards on the teachers and students and then don’t back them up.  Something has to change.  We can’t keep raising taxes and shoveling money into a broken system.

In the No Child Left Behind, the tests became more rigorous but what have they accomplished?  Nothing except to measure the level of failure.  Teachers feel a greater sense of ineptitude and so do the kids. The tests are given and the results come back several months later.  Do the kids get a chance to learn where they failed?  Do they learn where they went wrong from taking the tests?  Do they learn the correct answers?  No they don’t.  So the kids only get a sense of satisfaction if they already know the information but for the students who didn’t do so well, they have no way of knowing where they need to improve.  This kind of testing doesn’t make any sense.  We the taxpayers and voters have condoned this; therefore we have failed our teachers and students.  Where is the joy in that?

I’m all for the teachers being allowed to teach their students as individuals.  I’m against all testing that does not allow the kids to find out in every instance where they went wrong and instruct them where to get the correct information.  The kids will respect the teacher who can show them something that encourages them but I’m telling you that they will lose interest if they are constantly being bombarded with their failures.  I’m asking you folks, how can we help restore the joy in our children’s teachers?  Will you help me do this, please?  Our kids deserve it.  All the money and tests won’t improve education because it is only the teachers who can do this. 

If you have any ideas, you can email me at ChelleStockman@aol.com.  Thank you for your concern and your input.

He spoke of the deterioration of covert operations by this administration due to lack of support and funding.

Letter To Mary& My Other Disturbing Thoughts

Well what can we say, Mary?  What about California?  I feel as the New Yorkers do.

Check this out, I was listening to the financial analysts who are all scratching their heads about Bush being re-elected.  They said that the blue states have consistently out contributed federal taxes 4 to 1 over the red states and its the blue states who will benefit the most from Bush's plans while the red states will be hurting more because they rely on the federal subsidies that come from the taxes the blue states contribute but won't be contributing as much of.  They are bewildered as to why the red states don't see this for what it is and they told the blue states to relax because we won't be footing the bill for the red states as we have always had to do.

Still, Mary, this pisses me off.  Taxation should be fair.  I still believe in a flat rate.  I can't allow myself to be happy that as a small business owner I get to get breaks others are deprived of.  When a great portion of our country is required to pay 20 percent or more of their earnings, I get pissed.  That is unfair!  Shit.  I want my Kerry.

Chelle                            MORE DISTURBING THINGS

President Bush was said to be a hero having saved a CIA agent, and a day or two later an assassination attempt was made on his life while at the APEC meetings.  Meanwhile, the plane Papa Bush flies on crashed killing the pilots and personal stewardess to the Bush Family just before it could pick up Bush Sr. for his trip to the APEC meetings.  Hmm  Are any of you seeing a trend here?  I get really pissy when someone tries to kill our leader.  If our leader has sinned, we the American people need to deal with him ourselves; its not the job for some global assassin.  Imagine if our leader were to be killed, the entire world would be screwed.  Cheney would be right where nobody wants him to be.

When Bush Sr was president, Cheney was never out of his sight.  A good warrior when going off to battle keeps his enemies close at hand.  Consider that Bush Sr., a member of the Carlyle Group at the time got into defense contracts for purposes of profits.  The one company in his way continuously was Halliburton.  So, Cheney got to ride the gravy train again when Bush Sr. became our president.  I propose that the 2000 election was totally illegal in order to force Cheney to step down from Halliburton and the only way to do it was to insure he was the Vice President.  Bush Sr is the smart boy of that lineage and Bush Jr., I choose to not think of as evil, but because he is such a reactionary, he is a good tool of those practicing evil ethics.  They play him like a puppet.  Still, as long as Bush is in office, we have some control over Cheney.  Who wins if Bush should die....Cheney and the world will go to hell in his hands.  So you can understand why I'm just a little pissed when I hear that Bush Jr. has made 10 assassination lists world wide.  Pray folks.

A little note:  Don't you think the Bush family is rather like the Ewings on the old show called Dallas?  Why, they even had a Jr.