Osama Bin Laden is dead - now what? A call to cut military spending.
Yesterday Osama Bin Laden was killed. A day that many American's looked forward to.
Part of a pain, a hate, a rage, a chase that has been going on for over a decade, is over.
Yet it feels anti-climactic. It feels that as a nation we have been in this "place" for so long, that
this one death isn't enough to pull us out of it. What we need to kill is the hate & pursuit
of a justice that may not be able to be found. Sometimes there is not a happy ending; just a
(reluctant) ability to move on, & slowly past the pain of the past. No one will forget 9/11,
but no one can bring back the thousands of lives lost - both physically & emotionally.
Its a shame that Bush did'nt do this on his watch. At least he could have said he accomplished
something worthwhile in office. But instead, 3 years after he has left office & Obama's poll is diminished
what happens next? What can we learn from THIS war, or the other wars we are involved in at present?
In my eyes nothing we do to avenge the war can fix or change the past.
Can it bring back the thousands & thousands of lives that have been lost; both civilian & in service?
Can it help the millions of people that are hurting now; out of work & losing their homes, & lives in a bad economy? Can it bring back the billions & billions of dollars we have invested on military spending; to the point that we have slashed all other budgets in the this financial web of a deficit that America is in?
We have lost accountability for ourselves because we are so busy being accountable to the world,
and our image.
I think its time our image changed & we work in-ward. By no means do I mean to turn our back on the world, but its time we change the fight. We should be fighting hunger, disease, poverty, & homelessness
here in the US - not wars. People right here are desperate in every state & city. You can throw a rock in any direction and hit a house in jeopardy of foreclosure. We have cut school budgets to the point
of depelting our future (children) of the riches of the arts, music, foreign language, & simple things like physical education. You wonder why most kids can't run a mile, hold a conversation, or know anything about culture, its becuase they are not getting these expereinces in schools anymore, and the TV & the I-pod are raising them at home & on the street., while parents work 2 + jobs to stay afloat.
Maybe we can take the billions of dollars invested in the military now & slash that to distribute to
healthcare, safe childcare, poverty, non-profit agencies that are bursting at the seams with need, schools and educations that will make a difference. Not testing with FCATS till were spent physically & emotionally, but measuring children on thier academic, social, & artistic skills, & then nurturing those skills.
How about making it mandatory for citizens (un-employment colletors,those on welfare, those on exceedingly long workmen's comp cases, & those on perpetual disability) to show up at schools, non-profits, and community centers & donate a minimum of 3-5 hours a week of thier time. Everyone can do something, no matter how disabled you are. If you have a voice, a hand, and even the smallest heart you can make a difference. Wether its reading to children in aftercare, cleaning a bathroom, filing work, or being the voice on the other end of the phone for a desperate caller. In these times, everyone should give back.
JFK so elquently said "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
I think its time our president bring that call into action, & make everyone start with thier own community.
Make it mandatory for anyone over the age of 15 to put time in to thier city. Thus cutting the desperate need for manpower to at least half the government & social service agencies. Then lets start using that money
that we cut from the military (since Bin Laden is dead that should losen up at least some funds) to help US citizens get back on thier feet. Work- Build- Support- Help- Eachother.
I hope Obama can leave a legacy of more than this. There was a lot to clean up before he got into office,
and I think he has been given the short end of the stick in many ways. I think both parties should have come together better than they have, because its about "the people" now, not the politics & policies. Its been an embarrassing & frustrating time watching the lack of movement & change because parties won't cooperate with each other to get things done. Would any of those politicians like to go into a local emergecny room & explain that mom will now have to work 2 jobs, because her kid has strept throat & no insurance to pay for it.
But that is out of my hands. I am just a ant in the mound, looking for the next picnic. I try to carry my wieght whenever possible, but I am not sure its enough. But now that Bin Laden is dead, can we concentrate on another picnic & put our money back into us/US?
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
This Generation - Values & Lack of Them
Sometimes I think I was born & brought up in the wrong generation.
I say this because I sometimes have such a hard time relating to things going on these days, and the lack of
values & common sense I see in people.
I grew up and was raised to know the meanings of Respect, Sincerity, Common Decency, Kindness, Accountability, Honesty, & in some cases Pprofessionalism. But, I am starting to believe that other people do NOT follow or believe in these traits. Every day at any hour you can turn on a TV show that shows other people behaving badly. IE: As one small example Jerry Springer prides himself in shows such as "Who is my baby's daddy?", " I am leaving you for your sister/mother/brother/father" , "Your woman is really a man!", etc. People come out dressed like hookers & hill billy's, & fight all the time. The people in the audience holler in encouragement of this bad behavior. And this is what we call entertainment.
Its especially scary for those that are letting TV raise their child. Because kids are sponges & they share what they know. But when society is not only teaching, but allowing this bad behavior, then where do we end up?
When I was growing up, shows like - Different Strokes (showing inter racial relationships in a positive light),
the Facts of Life (depicting growing pains of any teenager), Eight is Enough (showing family values),
Little House on the Prairie (depicting good, old fashioned values), FAME (inspiring art & culture), Star Trek (always exploring, learning about other civilizations), and 30-Something (showing the importance of friends & good relationships)... all these shows left you with something. A message, a movement, something to think about. But when the shows we see have no valuable message, what are we filling our heads with?
I do volunteer work for a kids shelter & worked with children under 5. You can tell where a child has been by the way they act or speak. I can't tell you how many times I heard a 3 year old tell me
"I am going to kick your ass!" Or one child call another "stupid ,a nigger, or a dumb ass, because that's what they knew. It makes you wonder what the kids & parents lives are like.
I remember seeing a mother hit her young child & call it stupid at a carnival, for throwing up after getting on a ride. When I had heard the child complain about an upset stomach before the ride began. Who at any point thinks its acceptable to cuss out a 6 year old?
But its not just kids were bad to. Look at the news & see the cruelty that we have subjected animals to.
A news story the other day mentioned a dog that had been beaten so badly by its owner that it was blind in one eye, would have an ever lasting limp, no tail, and mangled ears. What posses people to behave this way?
We even do it to ourselves. Like the U-Tube video that shows a father filming his son fighting another boy in the street. There was about 10 teenagers egging it on through the blood - screaming, crack his skull!
His his head in the street. No one stopped it, instead they encouraged it. Where does it end? A truce? The hospital with an astronomical bill & injuries that could last a life time, or just till death do us part?
Sometimes its not event the worst behavior - but every day, common decency that we lack.
Like littering. Why do people think its OK to throw their cups, cigarettes, & trash out in public?
Even doing it in the middle of traffic without regard to who sees them. Really, how embarrassing. Wouldn't you feel badly if you knew your boss, mother, priest saw you do that? I know I would.
Why do seniors think its OK to go to a restaurant & steal food from the buffet?
I never saw that depicted on any TV shows as being funny or acceptable behavior at any age.
If that happened back in my day - you'd be embarrassed beyond belief.
Why do people think its OK to steal their neighbors pet and dispose of it, just because they don't like it?
I never saw that on any TV shows of my generation, or experienced it growing up.
If the dog barked too loud - you asked your neighbor to keep it in more often.
Why is it acceptable to have road rage & actually threaten to kill someone for cutting you off in traffic?
I never saw that on Little House on the Prairie. Hmmmm, can you imagine Charles Engels threatening to tar & feather, or hang someone by the tree on the prairie for cutting off his wagon on his way into town?
What a show that would have been.
But then every day can be like show of its own, depending on where you are.
I was recently at a job interview in a professional setting. I was amazed to see people show up in flip flops, leggings, open blouses, & with outfits that were far from professional. Others sat on the phone in personal conversations with no intent on being discreet about what they spoke about in a room full of people.
I later learned that they had over 200 applicants apply for the job. 100 of which were excluded immediately due to typos, mis-spellings and bad grammar. Another 25 were deleted for not having any of the experience needed, and yet another 50 were excluded becausee the company checked out their Face book & My Space pages & found the content to be less than favorable. Of the remaining 25 - the company called their references, listened to their voice mails and how they spoke, and then called them. 10 people made it to the interview & of them 4 ruled themselves out before the interview began because of their unprofessional dress or behavior. Wow! From 200-6 that fast.
But then I ask myself shouldn't they know that? Isn't it common sense that you present yourself accordingly
when being judged for a job?
Where is our integrity, our self respect, our common sense? When did we stop caring about the world we are a part of by letting society decay to this point? Aren't these morals & principals taught in any school, since there not being taught on TV, or in many homes?
We all agree publicly that there needs to be "change". A president of change, a new year of change, a life/society change. But I think Gandhi said it best when he said
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Honest & to the point. It has to start with us.
I for one would like to change the generation I am a part of - & make this little world of mine a better place,
and feel glad to be a part of it.
I say this because I sometimes have such a hard time relating to things going on these days, and the lack of
values & common sense I see in people.
I grew up and was raised to know the meanings of Respect, Sincerity, Common Decency, Kindness, Accountability, Honesty, & in some cases Pprofessionalism. But, I am starting to believe that other people do NOT follow or believe in these traits. Every day at any hour you can turn on a TV show that shows other people behaving badly. IE: As one small example Jerry Springer prides himself in shows such as "Who is my baby's daddy?", " I am leaving you for your sister/mother/brother/father" , "Your woman is really a man!", etc. People come out dressed like hookers & hill billy's, & fight all the time. The people in the audience holler in encouragement of this bad behavior. And this is what we call entertainment.
Its especially scary for those that are letting TV raise their child. Because kids are sponges & they share what they know. But when society is not only teaching, but allowing this bad behavior, then where do we end up?
When I was growing up, shows like - Different Strokes (showing inter racial relationships in a positive light),
the Facts of Life (depicting growing pains of any teenager), Eight is Enough (showing family values),
Little House on the Prairie (depicting good, old fashioned values), FAME (inspiring art & culture), Star Trek (always exploring, learning about other civilizations), and 30-Something (showing the importance of friends & good relationships)... all these shows left you with something. A message, a movement, something to think about. But when the shows we see have no valuable message, what are we filling our heads with?
I do volunteer work for a kids shelter & worked with children under 5. You can tell where a child has been by the way they act or speak. I can't tell you how many times I heard a 3 year old tell me
"I am going to kick your ass!" Or one child call another "stupid ,a nigger, or a dumb ass, because that's what they knew. It makes you wonder what the kids & parents lives are like.
I remember seeing a mother hit her young child & call it stupid at a carnival, for throwing up after getting on a ride. When I had heard the child complain about an upset stomach before the ride began. Who at any point thinks its acceptable to cuss out a 6 year old?
But its not just kids were bad to. Look at the news & see the cruelty that we have subjected animals to.
A news story the other day mentioned a dog that had been beaten so badly by its owner that it was blind in one eye, would have an ever lasting limp, no tail, and mangled ears. What posses people to behave this way?
We even do it to ourselves. Like the U-Tube video that shows a father filming his son fighting another boy in the street. There was about 10 teenagers egging it on through the blood - screaming, crack his skull!
His his head in the street. No one stopped it, instead they encouraged it. Where does it end? A truce? The hospital with an astronomical bill & injuries that could last a life time, or just till death do us part?
Sometimes its not event the worst behavior - but every day, common decency that we lack.
Like littering. Why do people think its OK to throw their cups, cigarettes, & trash out in public?
Even doing it in the middle of traffic without regard to who sees them. Really, how embarrassing. Wouldn't you feel badly if you knew your boss, mother, priest saw you do that? I know I would.
Why do seniors think its OK to go to a restaurant & steal food from the buffet?
I never saw that depicted on any TV shows as being funny or acceptable behavior at any age.
If that happened back in my day - you'd be embarrassed beyond belief.
Why do people think its OK to steal their neighbors pet and dispose of it, just because they don't like it?
I never saw that on any TV shows of my generation, or experienced it growing up.
If the dog barked too loud - you asked your neighbor to keep it in more often.
Why is it acceptable to have road rage & actually threaten to kill someone for cutting you off in traffic?
I never saw that on Little House on the Prairie. Hmmmm, can you imagine Charles Engels threatening to tar & feather, or hang someone by the tree on the prairie for cutting off his wagon on his way into town?
What a show that would have been.
But then every day can be like show of its own, depending on where you are.
I was recently at a job interview in a professional setting. I was amazed to see people show up in flip flops, leggings, open blouses, & with outfits that were far from professional. Others sat on the phone in personal conversations with no intent on being discreet about what they spoke about in a room full of people.
I later learned that they had over 200 applicants apply for the job. 100 of which were excluded immediately due to typos, mis-spellings and bad grammar. Another 25 were deleted for not having any of the experience needed, and yet another 50 were excluded becausee the company checked out their Face book & My Space pages & found the content to be less than favorable. Of the remaining 25 - the company called their references, listened to their voice mails and how they spoke, and then called them. 10 people made it to the interview & of them 4 ruled themselves out before the interview began because of their unprofessional dress or behavior. Wow! From 200-6 that fast.
But then I ask myself shouldn't they know that? Isn't it common sense that you present yourself accordingly
when being judged for a job?
Where is our integrity, our self respect, our common sense? When did we stop caring about the world we are a part of by letting society decay to this point? Aren't these morals & principals taught in any school, since there not being taught on TV, or in many homes?
We all agree publicly that there needs to be "change". A president of change, a new year of change, a life/society change. But I think Gandhi said it best when he said
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Honest & to the point. It has to start with us.
I for one would like to change the generation I am a part of - & make this little world of mine a better place,
and feel glad to be a part of it.
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