But I thought I'd come in tonight and find out that all of America had been talking on the blogosphere about the indictment of Scooter. Myself, I was at the Williamstown Film Festival, but at the parties we made sure we took time to toast the news.
Ironically, we had watched a movie about prison inmates who participate in a program to put on Shakespeare plays "inside." It makes you remember that sending someone to prison is a life-changing event, and for a moment I wondered whether I should be less cavalier about wishing that Scooter, Karl and Dick would end up behind bars.....
But then I said "Nah. F*** the B**tards." They have contempt for democracy. That's about the highest crime and misdemeanor you can commit. Talk about premeditation.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Thursday, October 27, 2005
WELL, ONCE AGAIN.....
Wes Flinn and I will compete to see how effusive we can be about Mike Dukakis' incredible talk at MCLA this evening.
He's the only person (Mike, not Wes....no offense, I'm sure there are many things that Wes knows more about than Mike!) I know whose given a cogent history of Iraq in the 20th century in five minutes and explained why things are so SNAFU....
I was, however, disappointed, that it wasn't SRO. Especially because that size audience is his forte. Michael's commonsense approach to life and learning and his ability to tell it like it is really shines in that venue (and unfortunately a thirty second sound bite never did it justice....) and you can imagine what a wonderful professor he must be.
Probably the most poignant thing about the evening was remembering that there was a time in this Commonwealth where there was someone we could believe in and we worked our butts off in a classic grassroots campaign to change the world.
One of the reasons I'm working for Deval Patrick is that he's the first person in 15 years to come close to Michael's ability to connect with the average voter.
There are many ways in which people give their lives for their country. Mike has certainly given his life for this Commonwealth and this nation and we are all the better for it.
He's the only person (Mike, not Wes....no offense, I'm sure there are many things that Wes knows more about than Mike!) I know whose given a cogent history of Iraq in the 20th century in five minutes and explained why things are so SNAFU....
I was, however, disappointed, that it wasn't SRO. Especially because that size audience is his forte. Michael's commonsense approach to life and learning and his ability to tell it like it is really shines in that venue (and unfortunately a thirty second sound bite never did it justice....) and you can imagine what a wonderful professor he must be.
Probably the most poignant thing about the evening was remembering that there was a time in this Commonwealth where there was someone we could believe in and we worked our butts off in a classic grassroots campaign to change the world.
One of the reasons I'm working for Deval Patrick is that he's the first person in 15 years to come close to Michael's ability to connect with the average voter.
There are many ways in which people give their lives for their country. Mike has certainly given his life for this Commonwealth and this nation and we are all the better for it.
AMERICANS FOR BETTER JUDGMENT
Apparently there is a new group buying ads on TV against Harriet Miers. Now, I don't have an opinion one way or the other on HM because I know nothing about her except that she seems to adore W and that puts her judgment into question. And when you're a judge, or a Justice, I think you're supposed to have judgment.
But the group that is trashing her nomination is called "Americans for Better Justice."
I am thinking of starting a group called "Americans for Better Judgment." (And let's all remember that the word has only one "e." We law school wives learned this the hard way typing papers for our husbands in the era BEFORE computers or even correctable IBMs....)
But I digress.
We are confronted with the fact that Americans allowed W to be installed in the White House (notice I don't call this "electing" him) twice without a whimper. And to top that all off, apparently the majority of Americans do not believe in evolution, a debate I thought we settled 80 years ago.
And we wonder why they're shipping jobs to India. At least there, they keep religion out of the call center.
So, if you want to join MY version of ABJ, just sign a pledge that you'll never vote for an avowed idiot for President and you'll never substitute hogwash for science. For some people, that will make the dues beyond their reach.
But the group that is trashing her nomination is called "Americans for Better Justice."
I am thinking of starting a group called "Americans for Better Judgment." (And let's all remember that the word has only one "e." We law school wives learned this the hard way typing papers for our husbands in the era BEFORE computers or even correctable IBMs....)
But I digress.
We are confronted with the fact that Americans allowed W to be installed in the White House (notice I don't call this "electing" him) twice without a whimper. And to top that all off, apparently the majority of Americans do not believe in evolution, a debate I thought we settled 80 years ago.
And we wonder why they're shipping jobs to India. At least there, they keep religion out of the call center.
So, if you want to join MY version of ABJ, just sign a pledge that you'll never vote for an avowed idiot for President and you'll never substitute hogwash for science. For some people, that will make the dues beyond their reach.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
SO EXPLAIN THIS TO ME....
Why is it OK to impeach the President of the United States over the issue of his reluctance to discuss his sexual peccadillos, but it's NOT OK to indict White House aides and maybe even the VPOTUS over outing a CIA agent?
The chorus of "well, we don't want these indictments to be about technicalities like perjury and obstruction" makes me want to either ROFL or throw up. I'm not sure which.
Any time in the last five years that someone has suggested impeaching Bush (on stupidity if nothing else...) I always pointed out that we only impeached Nixon AFTER we got rid of Agnew. Impeaching Bush to get Cheney was not anything to be wished for.
And then came Plame.
So who's being cast as the Gerald Ford character for this remake?
The chorus of "well, we don't want these indictments to be about technicalities like perjury and obstruction" makes me want to either ROFL or throw up. I'm not sure which.
Any time in the last five years that someone has suggested impeaching Bush (on stupidity if nothing else...) I always pointed out that we only impeached Nixon AFTER we got rid of Agnew. Impeaching Bush to get Cheney was not anything to be wished for.
And then came Plame.
So who's being cast as the Gerald Ford character for this remake?
Thursday, October 20, 2005
THERE'S A WARRANT OUT FOR THE ARREST OF TOM DELAY!
So why don't my email headlines from the NYT say that this a.m.?
This is the biggest news since the crash of the Hindenberg.
Of course, if Cheney resigns, we could be looking at '73-'74 all over again.
Those who ignore history are bound to repeat it.
How many seats DID the D's gain in the '74 elections?
How sweet it is.....
This is the biggest news since the crash of the Hindenberg.
Of course, if Cheney resigns, we could be looking at '73-'74 all over again.
Those who ignore history are bound to repeat it.
How many seats DID the D's gain in the '74 elections?
How sweet it is.....
Monday, October 17, 2005
CAMERON KERRY
You heard it here first. Well, maybe not first....
He was in Pittsfield yesterday. My friend Frank Lloyd had mentioned me to him.
He actually remembered the conversation and the fact that I lived in Williamstown.
If the "personal touch" genes had spread a little further, the world would be a different place.
Anyway, it will be fun working with him.
And my son's middle name is Cameron, so we're almost family.
He was in Pittsfield yesterday. My friend Frank Lloyd had mentioned me to him.
He actually remembered the conversation and the fact that I lived in Williamstown.
If the "personal touch" genes had spread a little further, the world would be a different place.
Anyway, it will be fun working with him.
And my son's middle name is Cameron, so we're almost family.
I ALWAYS LOVE IT WHEN I'M RIGHT...
And so it kills me that I can't find anything I wrote in this blog in re: Judy Miller. I never felt sorry for her, and all my buddies in the free press were wringing their hands and talking about First Amendment freedoms. I thought she committed treason.
So her lame claims that she can't remember who told her about "Valerie Flame" just don't cut it with me.
She should just admit she was lied to about WMD (a lot of us were suckered in that one...it turned out you couldn't believe Colin Powell for gawd's sake....) and has seen better days as a journalist and get on with her life. Making this into a "cause" cheapens the work of REAL whistleblowers that need protection.
So her lame claims that she can't remember who told her about "Valerie Flame" just don't cut it with me.
She should just admit she was lied to about WMD (a lot of us were suckered in that one...it turned out you couldn't believe Colin Powell for gawd's sake....) and has seen better days as a journalist and get on with her life. Making this into a "cause" cheapens the work of REAL whistleblowers that need protection.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
DEVAL PATRICK WOWS THEM IN PITTSFIELD
I'm sure Wes Flinn, Michael Wilcox and I will all compete to see who can put up a "review" of Deval's speech to the Central Berkshire Labor Council this morning. Read them all with the caveat that we are all involved in his campaign....
But it didn't take a political genius to figure out that, once again, he was a rock star. His message of hope and affirming the American dream really resonated with the audience, people like me who had worked hard to get where they were. Probably the story that affected me most (besides the observation that he showed up at Milton Academy the first day in a windbreaker because the mailing had said that young men should wear jackets to class....) was his recounting of the call home to his grandmother to tell her he had been admitted to Harvard. He was all excited and his grandmother was too. Then she paused and said "Now, just where is that?"
Of course the crowd howled. But then he gently pointed out the lesson. "She wasn't so much interested in or aware of the prestige. She was happy for me because I was going to have the OPPORTUNITY."
God helps those who help themselves, but we all need an opportunity first. Deval's story of the opportunity that the A Better Chance (ABC) program gave him to go to Milton and the opportunity he got to attend Harvard and HLS are the kinds of dreams that we are still trying to create. And his reminder to us that government can be the instrument of that possibility is one of the things his candidacy is about.
As a kid who went to a Seven Sisters school on a half scholarship, and got survivor's benefits from the Social Security system to finish, I can only say, "AMEN."
But it didn't take a political genius to figure out that, once again, he was a rock star. His message of hope and affirming the American dream really resonated with the audience, people like me who had worked hard to get where they were. Probably the story that affected me most (besides the observation that he showed up at Milton Academy the first day in a windbreaker because the mailing had said that young men should wear jackets to class....) was his recounting of the call home to his grandmother to tell her he had been admitted to Harvard. He was all excited and his grandmother was too. Then she paused and said "Now, just where is that?"
Of course the crowd howled. But then he gently pointed out the lesson. "She wasn't so much interested in or aware of the prestige. She was happy for me because I was going to have the OPPORTUNITY."
God helps those who help themselves, but we all need an opportunity first. Deval's story of the opportunity that the A Better Chance (ABC) program gave him to go to Milton and the opportunity he got to attend Harvard and HLS are the kinds of dreams that we are still trying to create. And his reminder to us that government can be the instrument of that possibility is one of the things his candidacy is about.
As a kid who went to a Seven Sisters school on a half scholarship, and got survivor's benefits from the Social Security system to finish, I can only say, "AMEN."
Saturday, October 15, 2005
IT'S MY DOG'S BIRTHDAY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MOE! You are the best dog in the whole wide world (even better than Lucky.....)
Friday, October 14, 2005
THIS IS HOW WE SAVE ENERGY
OK, OK, OK (as Rebecca Joffe-Halpern would say....) this is how we save money this winter with high energy prices.
For those of us who are mobile, we turn the heat down in the house and walk briskly to the local wi-fi coffee place (in our town it is Tunnel City.) We have internet acccess, cell phone in hand, and we do our work "offsite" and don't drive to work. We have companionship, and the more bodies there, the warmer we are, not to mention the coffee.
Works for me. Are you listening, Human Resources?
For those of us who are mobile, we turn the heat down in the house and walk briskly to the local wi-fi coffee place (in our town it is Tunnel City.) We have internet acccess, cell phone in hand, and we do our work "offsite" and don't drive to work. We have companionship, and the more bodies there, the warmer we are, not to mention the coffee.
Works for me. Are you listening, Human Resources?
Thursday, October 13, 2005
BUMPER STICKER IDEA
"GOD FORGIVE AMERICA"
for the war in Iraq
for our response to Hurricane Katrina
for our inability to eliminate poverty in this richest of nations
for our ability to put in office (I won't say elect) a certified idiot, not once, but twice....
for the war in Iraq
for our response to Hurricane Katrina
for our inability to eliminate poverty in this richest of nations
for our ability to put in office (I won't say elect) a certified idiot, not once, but twice....
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
BRAIN DEAD
This is how dead my brain is. I don't remember what I said in my last post.
I am brain dead because I do "three shows a day" about the new Medicare Rx benefit. My shows are great. Entertaining, informative and focused.
They still all leave the room totally confused. I'm not sure what to do about that. I'm not sure I CAN do anything about that.
So I'm up performing and, in the case of yesterday, driving some significant miles from one small town to another. The upside is the great people you meet in the small towns. And although the foliage is behind schedule, and probably won't have a great peak, there are worse ways to spend your business day than driving around southern Berkshire County looking at incredible views of mountains, fields, leaves and barns.
My weekend did not come out the way I thought it would. I've tried to balance all the pressure at work with taking care of myself, and realizing that a long weekend was in the making had visions of going to to Cape and chilling out. And then I saw I had booked myself for a presentation at a local church on Sunday morning. In that particular case, God works in mysterious ways. Heard a great sermon, reconnected with a friend that I hadn't realized attended that church, and met some wonderful people.
But that , combined with the rain, meant that both the Cape and my second choice, Lake Sunapee, NH were both nixed. But it did mean that I went on the Greylock Ramble Monday a.m. with my faithful dog Moe.
Both of us were a little bit (or a lot) the worse for wear by the time we descended to the parking lot. Covered in mud, tired and aching. We got into the shower together, washed off the mud and went to bed (at 3:30 in the afternoon!) me with a bourbon manhattan, Moe dead to the world at my feet. (He's hardly moved for two days...) For those of you who don't know, Mt. Greylock is the highest peak in MA. The hike was seven miles r/t and the hardest part was that it was extremely wet on the ground so footing was iffy. I think Moe literally pulled me up the mountain. My friends Jen and Lona had brought sandwiches and if it wasn't for them, I would have been carried down in an ambulance. But I was revived by the egg salad and pb&j and schlepped back. As of this morning my musculature is still complaining, but I am capable of doing my schtick out in the community so I must not have suffered too badly.
But what occurred to me as I saw all the rain (and cleaned leaves from gutters at teh end of the street so it wouldn't flood) is WHEN WILL PEOPLE REALIZE THAT WE ARE F---ING UP THE PLANET? Sometimes they barely have time on the local news to give all the disasters that are occurring simultaneously. I suppose I won't blame Pakistan on global warming, but to have that and the tsunami in one year, and Katrina, Rita and Stan to boot, not to mention mudslides in NH, seems like TOO MUCH OF A COINCIDENCE.
And then of course there's the whole issue of "being old enough to remember the gas lines of the '70s." I'm turning off my engine if I'm going to be idle for more than 45 seconds, resisting jackrabbit starts and driving the speed limit (or higher if it gets me to 50 or 55, the ideal speeds.) The young kids don't know this stuff. I've even been known to revert to the time-honored 16 year old's trick of going into neutral at the top of a hill, although I'm not sure if this really has any effect. We were always doing stuff like that when we were teenagers; I'm not sure I've EVER heard a kid say that they were doing something to "save gas." We'd all chip in our spare change to see if we could come up with two bucks to put gas in someone's Beetle. Now that car isn't a symbol of efficiency, it's just an excuse to hit the kid sitting next to you in the car if you see one.
What hath God wrought?
I am brain dead because I do "three shows a day" about the new Medicare Rx benefit. My shows are great. Entertaining, informative and focused.
They still all leave the room totally confused. I'm not sure what to do about that. I'm not sure I CAN do anything about that.
So I'm up performing and, in the case of yesterday, driving some significant miles from one small town to another. The upside is the great people you meet in the small towns. And although the foliage is behind schedule, and probably won't have a great peak, there are worse ways to spend your business day than driving around southern Berkshire County looking at incredible views of mountains, fields, leaves and barns.
My weekend did not come out the way I thought it would. I've tried to balance all the pressure at work with taking care of myself, and realizing that a long weekend was in the making had visions of going to to Cape and chilling out. And then I saw I had booked myself for a presentation at a local church on Sunday morning. In that particular case, God works in mysterious ways. Heard a great sermon, reconnected with a friend that I hadn't realized attended that church, and met some wonderful people.
But that , combined with the rain, meant that both the Cape and my second choice, Lake Sunapee, NH were both nixed. But it did mean that I went on the Greylock Ramble Monday a.m. with my faithful dog Moe.
Both of us were a little bit (or a lot) the worse for wear by the time we descended to the parking lot. Covered in mud, tired and aching. We got into the shower together, washed off the mud and went to bed (at 3:30 in the afternoon!) me with a bourbon manhattan, Moe dead to the world at my feet. (He's hardly moved for two days...) For those of you who don't know, Mt. Greylock is the highest peak in MA. The hike was seven miles r/t and the hardest part was that it was extremely wet on the ground so footing was iffy. I think Moe literally pulled me up the mountain. My friends Jen and Lona had brought sandwiches and if it wasn't for them, I would have been carried down in an ambulance. But I was revived by the egg salad and pb&j and schlepped back. As of this morning my musculature is still complaining, but I am capable of doing my schtick out in the community so I must not have suffered too badly.
But what occurred to me as I saw all the rain (and cleaned leaves from gutters at teh end of the street so it wouldn't flood) is WHEN WILL PEOPLE REALIZE THAT WE ARE F---ING UP THE PLANET? Sometimes they barely have time on the local news to give all the disasters that are occurring simultaneously. I suppose I won't blame Pakistan on global warming, but to have that and the tsunami in one year, and Katrina, Rita and Stan to boot, not to mention mudslides in NH, seems like TOO MUCH OF A COINCIDENCE.
And then of course there's the whole issue of "being old enough to remember the gas lines of the '70s." I'm turning off my engine if I'm going to be idle for more than 45 seconds, resisting jackrabbit starts and driving the speed limit (or higher if it gets me to 50 or 55, the ideal speeds.) The young kids don't know this stuff. I've even been known to revert to the time-honored 16 year old's trick of going into neutral at the top of a hill, although I'm not sure if this really has any effect. We were always doing stuff like that when we were teenagers; I'm not sure I've EVER heard a kid say that they were doing something to "save gas." We'd all chip in our spare change to see if we could come up with two bucks to put gas in someone's Beetle. Now that car isn't a symbol of efficiency, it's just an excuse to hit the kid sitting next to you in the car if you see one.
What hath God wrought?
Friday, October 07, 2005
HOW NOW BROWN COW?
I say that because I'm asking myself the question: "Why haven't I posted to this blog for a while?"
1. I'm so busy at work that I'm dropping dead when I arrive home.
2. The news of the day is, on the one hand, so commentable, and, on the other, so boring.
3. Will anything ever change?
Take Harriet Miers for instance. (I have no idea whether I have either her first OR last names spelled right....AND I DONT EVEN CARE (which is unusual for me.)
I see conservatives are upset. That's good. Liberals are upset. That's bad.
I get third hand emails from female attorneys in TX saying "she's not that bad and I've seen the others that were possible and believe me they were WORSE" and I read op-eds from people I respect saying "gee, we've come so far baby, we're now cronys!" But it's not a compliment. Especially if someone REALLY DID SAY that W was the smartest man she'd ever met.....OH MY GAWD.
I think what really upsets me is that there's no one in my party (which happen to be the Democrats if you are new to this site....) that is cogently, succinctly, articulately saying "THESE PEOPLE (the B administration) are assholes, incompetents, thieves, liars and nincompoops!" How much evidence has to pile up until we find our "voice?"
I admit it's hard to prove someone's an asshole or a nincompoop; I think we have prima facia and every other kind of evidence that they're thieves, liars and incompetents.
I feel like I'm back in 1973 when Rosemary Woods was claiming that little green men erased the 18 1/2 minutes of tape and no one stood up and said "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" I probably have used this as an analogy before, and I know that EVENTUALLY we got rid of the lying son of a bitch, but I'll tell you, it took the biggest g.d. smoking gun you ever saw.....I guess people are on overload, worrying about being outsourced, downsized, dissed and cut to bits, so that there's not enough time to stand up and say "I'm going to speak up, speak out, march, protest, write, call and holler!"
to be continued....
1. I'm so busy at work that I'm dropping dead when I arrive home.
2. The news of the day is, on the one hand, so commentable, and, on the other, so boring.
3. Will anything ever change?
Take Harriet Miers for instance. (I have no idea whether I have either her first OR last names spelled right....AND I DONT EVEN CARE (which is unusual for me.)
I see conservatives are upset. That's good. Liberals are upset. That's bad.
I get third hand emails from female attorneys in TX saying "she's not that bad and I've seen the others that were possible and believe me they were WORSE" and I read op-eds from people I respect saying "gee, we've come so far baby, we're now cronys!" But it's not a compliment. Especially if someone REALLY DID SAY that W was the smartest man she'd ever met.....OH MY GAWD.
I think what really upsets me is that there's no one in my party (which happen to be the Democrats if you are new to this site....) that is cogently, succinctly, articulately saying "THESE PEOPLE (the B administration) are assholes, incompetents, thieves, liars and nincompoops!" How much evidence has to pile up until we find our "voice?"
I admit it's hard to prove someone's an asshole or a nincompoop; I think we have prima facia and every other kind of evidence that they're thieves, liars and incompetents.
I feel like I'm back in 1973 when Rosemary Woods was claiming that little green men erased the 18 1/2 minutes of tape and no one stood up and said "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" I probably have used this as an analogy before, and I know that EVENTUALLY we got rid of the lying son of a bitch, but I'll tell you, it took the biggest g.d. smoking gun you ever saw.....I guess people are on overload, worrying about being outsourced, downsized, dissed and cut to bits, so that there's not enough time to stand up and say "I'm going to speak up, speak out, march, protest, write, call and holler!"
to be continued....
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
PRESIDENT SUGGESTS WE CONSERVE ENERGY
DUH!!!! You know, I'm not the kind of person to call other people names (well, maybe I am) but I was brought up that you don't call the POTUS names. (sorry, for some reason I can't use the return key to make a new paragraph, so this will seem run-on...) BUT HE'S A JERK! (Actually, he's an asshole, but I was trying to be nice.) We have needed to conserve energy in this country for at least the last 30 or 40 years. One of my FAVORITE presidential candidates, Paul Tsongas, suggested many years ago that we add a 50 or 75 cent tax to gasoline. Everyone was horrified. Well, right now, we're paying a "tax" that's a lot bigger, but it's not going to fund universal healthcare or education.
Oh, here comes back the ability to write paragraphs. Whoopee!
So for a while, GWB was happy for us to drive as much as we wanted and put $ in his friends' pockets. But eventually his SUV buddies started whining "Gee, W, it's costing me $75 to fill up my vehicle. I could have spent that on cigarettes or half-decent bourbon." So now we all have to conserve.
Some of us have been conserving for a long time. some of us have been carpooling. some of us have been limiting our speed to get the most gas mileage. Some of us even YEARS AGO bought cars that were relatively fuel efficient.
And the minute Prius makes a wagon for my dogs, I'm in line. And like, why DONT they make a wagon? Isn't it obvious that there are more people who want hybrids than there are hybrids available? Whatever happened to supply and demand?
OK, I'm ranting, but I'm tired and cranky and I've been awake half the night worrying about all the things I haven't gotten done. It's election day in Pittsfield. I hope it's stopped raining by the time I have to stand at the polls. VOTE MARCHETTI!!!!
Oh, here comes back the ability to write paragraphs. Whoopee!
So for a while, GWB was happy for us to drive as much as we wanted and put $ in his friends' pockets. But eventually his SUV buddies started whining "Gee, W, it's costing me $75 to fill up my vehicle. I could have spent that on cigarettes or half-decent bourbon." So now we all have to conserve.
Some of us have been conserving for a long time. some of us have been carpooling. some of us have been limiting our speed to get the most gas mileage. Some of us even YEARS AGO bought cars that were relatively fuel efficient.
And the minute Prius makes a wagon for my dogs, I'm in line. And like, why DONT they make a wagon? Isn't it obvious that there are more people who want hybrids than there are hybrids available? Whatever happened to supply and demand?
OK, I'm ranting, but I'm tired and cranky and I've been awake half the night worrying about all the things I haven't gotten done. It's election day in Pittsfield. I hope it's stopped raining by the time I have to stand at the polls. VOTE MARCHETTI!!!!
Monday, September 26, 2005
IT WAS TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY
or pretty close to it and I remember where I was.
In the Bahamas. I remember this for two reasons:
a. We went on the vacation because we had NOT found a house we wanted to buy. I whined to my husband and he (uncharacteristically) caved in. We bought our present house in 1986, so this was the year before.
b. It was mid-September because I am sorry to say that it was the classic time for mental health issues, and while I was on vacation, a young man that I knew took his own life.
So we went to a Club Med in the Bahamas and a hurricane approached as we were there. My husband's parents were taking care of our kids, and the priest from our church, Sinc Hart, very kindly called my in-laws and asked if they were OK as the hurricane approached the Berkshires and were they worried about us.
The hurricane was named Gloria. I remember THIS clearly because as it approached, we danced at Club Med until the wee hours to the song "GLORIA -- G-L-O-R-I-A -- GLORIA" which was an oldie but goodie.
Notice that it was mid-September and we were on the letter G.
It's now mid to late September and we're on the letter R. Do you get my drift?
And a month ago we were on the letter K. So not only had we gotten pretty far by the end of August, but between end of August and mid-end September, we had gone through seven more letters.
I rest my case.
In the Bahamas. I remember this for two reasons:
a. We went on the vacation because we had NOT found a house we wanted to buy. I whined to my husband and he (uncharacteristically) caved in. We bought our present house in 1986, so this was the year before.
b. It was mid-September because I am sorry to say that it was the classic time for mental health issues, and while I was on vacation, a young man that I knew took his own life.
So we went to a Club Med in the Bahamas and a hurricane approached as we were there. My husband's parents were taking care of our kids, and the priest from our church, Sinc Hart, very kindly called my in-laws and asked if they were OK as the hurricane approached the Berkshires and were they worried about us.
The hurricane was named Gloria. I remember THIS clearly because as it approached, we danced at Club Med until the wee hours to the song "GLORIA -- G-L-O-R-I-A -- GLORIA" which was an oldie but goodie.
Notice that it was mid-September and we were on the letter G.
It's now mid to late September and we're on the letter R. Do you get my drift?
And a month ago we were on the letter K. So not only had we gotten pretty far by the end of August, but between end of August and mid-end September, we had gone through seven more letters.
I rest my case.
Monday, September 19, 2005
WHERE TO BEGIN?
In the midst of all the problems in the world, I suppose I should be embarrassed that I had one of the world's BEST vacations this month. We joined our friends Gerd and Duncan Ritchie in Orleans (no, not NEW Orleans, just Orleans...) and had loads of fun biking, hiking, walking the beach, eating, drinking, drinking, eating and laughing. I never did get any crab imperial or Wellfleet mix, but besides that it was perfect.
However, the reason I'm not embarrassed is that I am about to embark on a major outreach effort in my job, notifying 30,000 Medicare beneficiaries that their lives are going to change. I will be working nights, weekends and any other kind of calendar settings someone can dream up. I'll be on the phone or in public constantly. I will be the recipient of more unfocused anxiety than you can shake a stick at. So the least I can do is feed my soul in preparation.
My soul having been fed, I am also embarking in my private life working on the Affordable Care Today (ACT!) campaign in conjunction with Health Care for All. We are trying to collect 100,000 signatures, so my personal goal for Berkshire County (although if the truth be told my 'catchment area' is the whole Senate district...) is 2,000 signatures since we are 2% of the population of the state (Senate district is 2.5%) I'm trying to get 40 people to get 50 signatures each of registered voters. (I guess it really should be 50 and 50 to account for the whole Senate district...) So I'm going to try my best. If not now, when? If not here, where? If not me, who?
I am hesitant to make any comment on the state of the world, nation or state. I hear so much drivel that it seems virtually impossible that there are so many stupid people out there. So for now I will keep my thoughts to myself and just hunker down and try to make the world a better place. My commitment to this posture will probably last no more than five days, so I'm sure I'll be ranting and raving in this space soon.
But until then, I am going to try to bathe in the memories of the Cape Cod Rail Trail, the Nantucket Whaling Museum, dinner at Chillingsworth's, ice cream at Nauset Beach (September schedule: Open on sunny days 11-4), and more wine and lobster than you can shake a martini at.
Find someone today who needs a kind word. It's the autumnal equinox, and people who struggle with emotional ups and downs find this a very difficult time. I'm going to try NOT to think about the days getting shorter, but how beautiful the leaves will be in October.
However, the reason I'm not embarrassed is that I am about to embark on a major outreach effort in my job, notifying 30,000 Medicare beneficiaries that their lives are going to change. I will be working nights, weekends and any other kind of calendar settings someone can dream up. I'll be on the phone or in public constantly. I will be the recipient of more unfocused anxiety than you can shake a stick at. So the least I can do is feed my soul in preparation.
My soul having been fed, I am also embarking in my private life working on the Affordable Care Today (ACT!) campaign in conjunction with Health Care for All. We are trying to collect 100,000 signatures, so my personal goal for Berkshire County (although if the truth be told my 'catchment area' is the whole Senate district...) is 2,000 signatures since we are 2% of the population of the state (Senate district is 2.5%) I'm trying to get 40 people to get 50 signatures each of registered voters. (I guess it really should be 50 and 50 to account for the whole Senate district...) So I'm going to try my best. If not now, when? If not here, where? If not me, who?
I am hesitant to make any comment on the state of the world, nation or state. I hear so much drivel that it seems virtually impossible that there are so many stupid people out there. So for now I will keep my thoughts to myself and just hunker down and try to make the world a better place. My commitment to this posture will probably last no more than five days, so I'm sure I'll be ranting and raving in this space soon.
But until then, I am going to try to bathe in the memories of the Cape Cod Rail Trail, the Nantucket Whaling Museum, dinner at Chillingsworth's, ice cream at Nauset Beach (September schedule: Open on sunny days 11-4), and more wine and lobster than you can shake a martini at.
Find someone today who needs a kind word. It's the autumnal equinox, and people who struggle with emotional ups and downs find this a very difficult time. I'm going to try NOT to think about the days getting shorter, but how beautiful the leaves will be in October.
Monday, September 05, 2005
JUST IN CASE YOU DON"T THINK I"M ALIVE...
I've tried to post twice re: the hurricane but to no avail. It just goes into cyberspace. Now everything erudite and pithy that I've said has been said better by others.
via con dios.
mjw
via con dios.
mjw
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
ALPHA/OMEGA
I feel terrible about putting these two contrasting observations in the same post. And yet it is the essence of life.
The news from the South is devastating. After making jokes like "I hope that the storm doesn't hit Commander's Palace" (our favorite NO restaurant) it now appears that the Big Easy did not dodge a bullet and in fact it and the neighbors in MS have experienced something that the rest of us can only begin to imagine. My favorite charity for this kind of things is Episcopal Relief and Development, but Red Cross, Salvation Army etc. are all good choices.
It also happens that five months after starting my own political action committee, I may have scored a win in my first venture out of the gate. Pat Jehlen appears to have won the Democratic primary for a special election for State Senate in the Somerville area. I feel like my efforts were worthwhile, even though they were a VERY small part of her overall fundraising efforts. Most about that another time....
Isn't that the essence of life? Yin and yang....mundane and ethereal....ridiculous and sublime.
The news from the South is devastating. After making jokes like "I hope that the storm doesn't hit Commander's Palace" (our favorite NO restaurant) it now appears that the Big Easy did not dodge a bullet and in fact it and the neighbors in MS have experienced something that the rest of us can only begin to imagine. My favorite charity for this kind of things is Episcopal Relief and Development, but Red Cross, Salvation Army etc. are all good choices.
It also happens that five months after starting my own political action committee, I may have scored a win in my first venture out of the gate. Pat Jehlen appears to have won the Democratic primary for a special election for State Senate in the Somerville area. I feel like my efforts were worthwhile, even though they were a VERY small part of her overall fundraising efforts. Most about that another time....
Isn't that the essence of life? Yin and yang....mundane and ethereal....ridiculous and sublime.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR SENSE OF OUTRAGE?
...when you're sitting on the beach in Eastham?
I know I haven't posted in a VERY long time. But HELLO! Do you think I started this blog so I could have YET SOMETHING ELSE to feel guilty about? I mean, this is like my answering machine at home. I ONLY LISTEN TO THE MESSAGES WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT...ITS NOT FOR THE CALLERS' CONVENIENCE, IT'S FOR MINE! So this blog is for when I want to say something and not like I have an editor breathing down my neck saying "Your column is due!"
That having been said, I want to thank the people who tell me they actually READ this thing. It's a great privilege to be someone that you use your valuable time to check in with. And I want to respect and honor that.
But I did wonder what I should write about seeing as how I was at a cottage pumping my own water and getting back to nature by improvising showers and using dishwater to flush the toilet with. (You think I'm making this up? I'm not.) But it was gorgeous and relaxing and I was privileged to be there. But it does make one ask "How are you going to get revved up enough about something to write about?"
I mean, it's not like you want to hear "How I spent my summer vacation..."
And then Cos (and I'm sorry but I've forgotten the name of his blog) very appropriately pointed out some things about the special state senate election that's being held Tuesday that got my blood going. So it just shows to go ya...
He pointed out that Pat Jehlen, the individual that MargePAC is supporting, is in favor of nonpartisan redistricting and same day registration and a lot of other "clean elections" kind of legislation. I had been getting discouraged because she was not endorsed by the Globe and I thought maybe I had been too hasty in supporting her. But when Cos pointed out these differences with one of her opponents (and perhaps all of them) I revitalized the courage of my convictions.
THE SINGLE MOST EGREGIOUS ASPECT OF THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM TODAY IS THE FACT THAT POLITICIANS DRAW POLITICAL BOUNDARIES.
Oh, and please, don't start with "but that's the way the people have control. They can vote out the politicians but not the nonpartisan commission." Yeah, and how do I vote out the Billy Bulgers and the Finnerans the the Travs and the Sals? Give me a break. I'm not even saying Trav and Sal are bad people. But why have a special election on 30 August? Give me a BREAK!
Believe it or not, more than the war in Iraq, we should be concentrating on changing the way that electoral districts are drawn in this nation. In other countries, it's nonpartisan. Since ours are drawn for incumbents, not only is there VERY LOW TURNOVER in both the national and state legislature (I'm not expert enough to comment on any other jurisdiction than MA...) but it means that individuals run to the extreme in their party, since the primary is the only place they can potentially be beat. But of course if you're a good party member (and I consider myself to be one) you don't run against a sitting member of your own party unless s/he has done something egregious. And if the district is drawn for them, then the other party doesn't have a chance in hell.
So take that to the extreme. The House of Representatives is made up of M's of C who are extremely liberal or extremely conservative. So there's no compromise, no consensus, no meeting of the minds. And yet the average voter is a moderate on one side or the other.
Until we look this square in the face, we're condemned to decades of deadlock. (Title for a book?) Doesn't make me happy. What about you?
I know I haven't posted in a VERY long time. But HELLO! Do you think I started this blog so I could have YET SOMETHING ELSE to feel guilty about? I mean, this is like my answering machine at home. I ONLY LISTEN TO THE MESSAGES WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT...ITS NOT FOR THE CALLERS' CONVENIENCE, IT'S FOR MINE! So this blog is for when I want to say something and not like I have an editor breathing down my neck saying "Your column is due!"
That having been said, I want to thank the people who tell me they actually READ this thing. It's a great privilege to be someone that you use your valuable time to check in with. And I want to respect and honor that.
But I did wonder what I should write about seeing as how I was at a cottage pumping my own water and getting back to nature by improvising showers and using dishwater to flush the toilet with. (You think I'm making this up? I'm not.) But it was gorgeous and relaxing and I was privileged to be there. But it does make one ask "How are you going to get revved up enough about something to write about?"
I mean, it's not like you want to hear "How I spent my summer vacation..."
And then Cos (and I'm sorry but I've forgotten the name of his blog) very appropriately pointed out some things about the special state senate election that's being held Tuesday that got my blood going. So it just shows to go ya...
He pointed out that Pat Jehlen, the individual that MargePAC is supporting, is in favor of nonpartisan redistricting and same day registration and a lot of other "clean elections" kind of legislation. I had been getting discouraged because she was not endorsed by the Globe and I thought maybe I had been too hasty in supporting her. But when Cos pointed out these differences with one of her opponents (and perhaps all of them) I revitalized the courage of my convictions.
THE SINGLE MOST EGREGIOUS ASPECT OF THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM TODAY IS THE FACT THAT POLITICIANS DRAW POLITICAL BOUNDARIES.
Oh, and please, don't start with "but that's the way the people have control. They can vote out the politicians but not the nonpartisan commission." Yeah, and how do I vote out the Billy Bulgers and the Finnerans the the Travs and the Sals? Give me a break. I'm not even saying Trav and Sal are bad people. But why have a special election on 30 August? Give me a BREAK!
Believe it or not, more than the war in Iraq, we should be concentrating on changing the way that electoral districts are drawn in this nation. In other countries, it's nonpartisan. Since ours are drawn for incumbents, not only is there VERY LOW TURNOVER in both the national and state legislature (I'm not expert enough to comment on any other jurisdiction than MA...) but it means that individuals run to the extreme in their party, since the primary is the only place they can potentially be beat. But of course if you're a good party member (and I consider myself to be one) you don't run against a sitting member of your own party unless s/he has done something egregious. And if the district is drawn for them, then the other party doesn't have a chance in hell.
So take that to the extreme. The House of Representatives is made up of M's of C who are extremely liberal or extremely conservative. So there's no compromise, no consensus, no meeting of the minds. And yet the average voter is a moderate on one side or the other.
Until we look this square in the face, we're condemned to decades of deadlock. (Title for a book?) Doesn't make me happy. What about you?
Monday, August 15, 2005
FOOLS RUSH IN....
and of course in the Fools category, I have my black belt.
So just in case anyone cares, I think the NARAL ad was a BIG MISTAKE.
I know I know, people say "Why can the slimy Republicans demo John McCain and demonize John Kerry and get away with it and we can't play hardball?"
1. Because we're not a party where people of good will sit around and do nothing when they see something unfair (They Are.)
2. Because we don't have the stomach for slime.
Does that make us wusses? Well, if the definition of a wuss is someone who refuses to stoop to the lowest level just because "they did it first" then sign me up. No election is worth selling one's soul for. And, as I said in a previous post, I think we have to accept the fact that Bush called our bluff when he nominated a non-slimeball for the SCOTUS. Doesn't mean he doesn't have to answer questions and produce the work product from his days in the Reagan White House. But what it DOES mean is that all those people who were gearing up for a fight NO MATTER WHO GOT NOMINATED can't turn on a dime.
We need to maintain our focus on lying about WMD, Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, the corruption in Ohio and the overarching question of how we draw national legislative districts in this country. I'm not a lawyer, and I don't play one on TV, but it seems to me that if people are members of a NATIONAL legislature, then it should be up to a nonpartisan, computer-assisted, "intelligent design" to draw the boundaries in all 50 states. Politics should have nothing to do with it. The reason we have come to such a divided Congress and polity is that districts are drawn in the House for safety's sake, meaning very few are competitive to begin with, and most people run to the extreme side of their party's spectrum to maintain their bona fides. There's no premium on nuanced answers or thoughtful bipartisanship.
I wonder how bad things are going to have to get before people throw up their hands and take responsibility for a broken system. Or are we all numb?
So just in case anyone cares, I think the NARAL ad was a BIG MISTAKE.
I know I know, people say "Why can the slimy Republicans demo John McCain and demonize John Kerry and get away with it and we can't play hardball?"
1. Because we're not a party where people of good will sit around and do nothing when they see something unfair (They Are.)
2. Because we don't have the stomach for slime.
Does that make us wusses? Well, if the definition of a wuss is someone who refuses to stoop to the lowest level just because "they did it first" then sign me up. No election is worth selling one's soul for. And, as I said in a previous post, I think we have to accept the fact that Bush called our bluff when he nominated a non-slimeball for the SCOTUS. Doesn't mean he doesn't have to answer questions and produce the work product from his days in the Reagan White House. But what it DOES mean is that all those people who were gearing up for a fight NO MATTER WHO GOT NOMINATED can't turn on a dime.
We need to maintain our focus on lying about WMD, Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, the corruption in Ohio and the overarching question of how we draw national legislative districts in this country. I'm not a lawyer, and I don't play one on TV, but it seems to me that if people are members of a NATIONAL legislature, then it should be up to a nonpartisan, computer-assisted, "intelligent design" to draw the boundaries in all 50 states. Politics should have nothing to do with it. The reason we have come to such a divided Congress and polity is that districts are drawn in the House for safety's sake, meaning very few are competitive to begin with, and most people run to the extreme side of their party's spectrum to maintain their bona fides. There's no premium on nuanced answers or thoughtful bipartisanship.
I wonder how bad things are going to have to get before people throw up their hands and take responsibility for a broken system. Or are we all numb?
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