This election season is a perfect storm of insidiosity

This is the most frustrating election season of any I can recall. What is happening now is way beyond rhetoric. 

What we have today is a perfect storm of political insidiosity, which is a combination of candidate  desperation, millions of dollars in campaign cash, combined with too many uneducated voters.

The desperate candidates are using campaign cash to buy influence and ads designed to sway people who have not followed nor even claim to care about politics. Political neophytes are the most disastrous aspect of this election season because they don't know enough about the system to distrust the rhetoric they are being bombarded with. They are inexperienced enough to believe the endless lies and innuendos that are being thrust upon them.

Doesn't it make sense that the richest among us, the only ones who have the money left to throw toward politicians, are going to give it to those who will keep them rich? Big money is paying for the candidates they can buy to vote their way. Very wealthy people don't need tax cuts! Are those people going to give a damn about us regular people when they get into office? Wake up! They want to buy your vote. 

A vote is an honor, a privilege, and our right as Americans. Don't throw it away or let anyone try rent it from you. You will be evicted. A vote is a tool, the only tool we have to affect our own destiny. We must use it wisely.

Interestingly, I have often said during times of my own political frustration, that what we need is a tea party. What I referred to was a fight against the tyranny that exists in today's political system; the high cost of living with ever-increasing taxation without representation. The idea was borne by the patriots who fought for freedom from oppression. I never dreamed the noble concept of the tea party could become so bastardized.

How dare these offenders who call themselves Christians but worship the false gods of radio and television entertainers using this historic act as a symbol of their misguided rhetoric. They have tainted the representation of our country's historic freedom for their own gains. This is offensive at best. How many of these people who support the 'tea party' and its darling Sarah Palin ever studied the issues? How many of them have gone beyond just bobbing their heads like the little dog in the car's back window? Do they read multiple newspapers, opinion pieces, held discussions with opposing view points, or have they simply accepted as fact, the garbage they are being fed? 

With access to the Internet, it is easier than ever before to become involved, educated, and engaged. Elections shouldn't be bought with dollars. A far better commodity for our political system is experience, education, and leadership ability.

Do the 'tea party' members realize that open-mindedness is a key to learning? Do they understand that every story has more than one side to it? 

When there is an issue I want to know about, I listen to as many angles as possible, knowing that people's perspectives color a story. Money colors it even more. If you listen to only one radio station or one television network, you should not be qualified to vote for candidates that must represent us all.

If you are inspired by someone, great! But before you make up your mind, go to his critics, hear what people say about him/her before making up your own mind. If people had an open mind, we would be a lot better off.

Candidates are not rock stars. They are not celebrities that should be worshipped. They are people that will make decisions on issues that affect all our lives. Look at their motives. Self-enrichment, ego, and control issues should not be reasons to run for public office. Candidates should have integrity, ability, and intellect. 

By all means know that your vote counts. Make it count by using it wisely. Ask questions. Know the candidates you plan to vote for. Call their offices, read their websites, talk to the other side. Every candidate is colored by his own lens. You must get beyond that lens to see clearly. Do us all a favor--do your homework.

Use Internet wisely

I love the Internet. I have loved it since my first online experience, back in those early, primitive days when AOL was the only online portal available to the public.

The Internet was filled with scientists, which is where it really all began, college professors, and other intelligent computer users--geeks if you will. God I love geeks! Every time I logged on to the Internet, I learned something.

Today, the Internet is becoming a horror. My email inbox is choked with jokes, inspirational messages, words of wisdom, and political rants with a large percentage that amount to no more than the latest Fox News BS.

ENOUGH ALREADY!

The Internet helped elect our President, because he and his handlers were bright enough to tap into the technology available to them. And that practice was not lost on every nut ball and wacko from Alaska to Mexico who wants the next taxpayer-funded gig to make them rich.

With so many political wannabes online, learning is much more difficult and I no longer have faith in things I read.

The result of having everyone use the Internet, the result has diluted information resources and watered-down content. Advertising is worse than it has ever been with startling windows that pop up from seemingly nowhere just to startle and annoy me. They are never in an obvious place, so it is difficult to know how to turn them off. I usually just hit the mute button on my keyboard until I can find which of my multiple windows contains the offending ad and where it is located.

Even my beloved Google is no longer what it was. Being number one no longer means much as far as quality is concerned. Too many people who think they are writers who are more interested in search engine optimization and correct keyword placement than research. Plagiarism runs rampant online. Worse yet, the content that writers steal and copy is often times incorrect.

I'm tired of email jokes by well-meaning friends. So many of them think they understand my sense of humor. I hate to admit this, but my sense of humor is often times commensurate with what is going on that day. What I may get a kick out of one day may annoy me to the hilt the next. For the most part, I just don't have time to read jokes all day. I am a writer. I use my computer for work, not jokes. Besides, if I want to read a joke, I will Google 'jokes' where I will find just what appeals to me at the time. Funny, I never do that. Maybe I don't have time for jokes!!!

Then there are those inspirational messages with the beautiful music and glittery shapes. If I needed inspiration, I would turn off the computer and read a book or watch TV or look out the window. If I wanted to see NASA photos, I'd search 'NASA.'

My inbox is filled with newsletters, correspondence, and other items that are essential to me. There is no room for jokes and well-meaning inspiration.

But the worst is the political crap. I consider myself a student of politics. I love it. Trouble is, most of the junk that is sent to me is from people who know nothing about politics, and brazenly claim to hate it. So send me political emails?

One word of advice; if you don't like politics, don't forward political rhetoric to me and above all, don't send me spam that is verifiably wrong.

One last message...

If my inbox is any example of the kind of election season we are going to have, I cringe. We get the government we deserve. But I don't deserve it. Do me a favor, if you are not bright enough to understand the issues, don't vote.

Unhappy couch potato

 I love Dish Network. But I'm pretty mad at them right now--not a happy couch potato.

For days there has been no surfing, no CNN or MSNBC, no local news, no NASCAR race, and a tropical storm--Hermine--snuck up on us without my even knowing. All I can say is thank goodness for the internet.

Finding online news is easy. I learned out about Hermine from postings on Facebook from my favorite weather gurus. My NASCAR fix was satisfied by Justin.tv, where I was able to watch the races Saturday and Sunday nights. (See my NASCAR blog).


And I did enjoy catching up on some reading.

Taken by surprise
 
I never thought we would lose service, since we had just gotten a brand new HD system installed about two weeks ago. I couldn't have been happier at the time. We don't have an HD TV, but getting one has moved up on the priority list as something we "need."

Friday night, while watching TV, the screen went blank. We had lost the satellite connection. That was weird, since the upgrade we just got included a new dish, a right out-of-the box receiver, and new connectors at the dish. My husband John, did the techie thing -- he turned the receiver off and then on again. It worked. 

Saturday morning, however, it didn't. He called Dish Network. Customer Service folks are all very nice, and helpful. I was excited because they said they would send out a technician that morning.


Great, I thought. In the past, and we have had this service for years, we had a much longer wait for needed service. 

The tech, a nice young fellow, came out as promised, replaced some things that I don't even care to know about, let alone identify. He said it the receiver was bad and would need to be replaced. He would order it. 

"You should get it tomorrow," he said, giving us his phone number. He instructed us to call him the minute it arrives. He will drop what he is doing and come over to hook it up.

I reminded him that tomorrow was Sunday and Monday was a holiday. I know UPS didn't deliver. He said FedEx might deliver on Sunday. I had my doubts. He said he would call when he found out something. That was the last we heard from him until he stopped by to pick up a tool he left here. He said he would come back Monday and replace all the cables from the dish to the back of the unit. We stayed around the house all weekend, waiting during what was arguably the most beautiful weekend this summer.

John called Dish Network Monday afternoon after not hearing a word from our tech. We now had no satellite service from Friday to Monday. They promised to send a technician out Tuesday between 8 a.m. and noon. It is 10 a.m. and I am waiting, and am not really happy.

If anyone has had a similar experience, leave a comment. Let me know how it turned out.

Nature at the window

I love my life. Almost six years ago my husband and I packed up everything we owned, said goodbye to family and friends, and moved to parts unknown. That is a slight exaggeration because we had vacationed in Arkansas. But that was different. All those years ago, actually living here was the farthest thing from my mind.


But today, I realize there is no better place to be.


One afternoon I was walking past the window when I happened to glance outside. When I saw this three deer foraging on clover in the backyard, I couldn't resist just sitting for a while to take in the adorable scene. 

As I watched, little Bambi seemed to mimic everything her mother did.

I watched the three of them for half an hour or more. While mother and child were munching on vegetation, the other doe was eyeing the protector of our property, our cat Timi.

Timi was sitting in a chair and was slightly interested, though not enough to move from her comfortable perch not far from the activity. She did care enough, however, to give a quick wag of her tail. She seemed less interested than the doe who watched Timi intently. Much to the doe's disappointment, Timi finally tired of the whole routine. She stretched out onto her back where she appeared to be asleep, ignoring the would-be intruders. 

Timi was no stranger to the deer. One day I watched her parading another  small herd of them from the woods into the yard, as if to proudly proclaim, so this is where we live.  

But this was a different doe. She tried a characteristic snort, a little hoof-beating with her front foot, and even a swish or two of her own white tail. Nothing. Finally, when she couldn't get a rise out of Timi, she joined the other two, who by this time had scampered off into the woods. 


I will never tire of this kind of scene, and in my own backyard. It is a joy to watch the wildlife that let us share the woods with them. From the three baby raccoons who trailed behind their mother toward the bird feeder, to the road runner that eyed its own reflection in the glass of the front door, to the tarantulas that traverse the front yard, Mother Nature always provides something to see. And I don't want to miss a thing.

Email Mystery--How's This for Nostalgia?

I got a big surprise recently when I opened an email from a friend.

While I appreciate the gesture, as a general rule I ignore forwarded emails meant to inspire, enlighten, or entertain me. First, I don’t want to contract a computer virus. Second, I have far too many unread emails already. I usually delete them, but there are always exceptions. At times, a good joke is just what I need. The email I reference here, came to me twice from two different people. The first time I took notice, but the second time, I really took notice.

As a baby-boomer with a penchant for the good ole days, I decided to take a look at this one, entitled, "How's this for nostalgia?"

Perhaps you have seen it too. It began with a picture of 'those ugly gym uniforms' we all used to wear. I smiled as I scrolled down looking at the pictures that resonated with me from the past.

When I got to the part that statement, "They (teachers) threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed…and they did it!" there was a picture attached that really caught my eye. 

Immediately upon seeing the picture, I recognized some of the kids.

This is my class, I thought. As I looked at them, I began to remember a few of their names—Gilbert, David, Elmer, Sue, Sally, Jimmy, Rosanne, Theresa, Sharon, and Cynthia. That was all I could muster. I have no idea any of their last names were, except for Sharon. I attended her birthday party. She lived across the street from our school. I wasn't in this picture, but I still believe this to be my class. If this was my class, this picture had to be taken around the late 1950's.

I struggled to read any identifying information on the plaque placed on the floor, front and center with the name of the school and date the picture was taken, but to no avail. It was all too blurred to read. I could tell that it said, Chicago, Ill., however.

I immediately went to an old photo album where I located my kindergarten and first grade pictures—1957 and 1958. The pictures contained those same kids I mentioned. I believe this picture was taken the following year after my family had moved out of that school district.

The picture above is from my first grade class. That's me—front row, fourth from the left.

In '57 and '58, I attended James Hedges Elementary School on Chicago's south side. The school is still there today, but the website yielded no information about those good ole days. I plan to write to the Chicago Public School District to see if there is any way to verify this information.

This picture so haunted me that I googled "How's This for Nostalgia." I learned that several sites by that name contained similar, but not identical information. Only a few sites contained this picture. That leads me to believe that someone, perhaps one of my long-lost classmates, added their own school picture to the nostalgia email.

I would love to solve this mystery, so if you know anyone in this picture, or anything about the origination of this email, please comment or send me an email.

Jury still out in Illinois' Ex-Gov. Blagojevich case

Illinois Ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich

Illinois Ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich looks just as dapper today as he did when this picture was taken in 2003 while he was still Illinois' governor. He made an appearance at Union Station in Joliet, IL to speak to an enthusiastic crowd of supporters.

Today, Blagojevich awaits a verdict by a jury of his peers after weeks of testimony was delivered in a federal court room in Chicago. Blagojevich stands accused of 24 charges, including racketeering for allegedly trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he won the Presidential election.

It is amazing that a man who is accused of acting in his own best interests over and above the very people he was supposed to represent, can still appear as cool as Blagojevich does during television appearances and in interviews.

At the time I took these photos, I was one of the people Blagojevich was supposed to represent, though I didn't feel very adequately represented. 

I was among a small group at Union Station that afternoon, in an effort to lobby, and I use that term very loosely, against the state's plan to build a new airport, the South Suburban Airport, near the small town of Peotone, some 40 miles south of Chicago.

C.J. Ogalla lobbies Gov. Rod Blagojevich

We did get noticed, thanks to the adorable C.J. Ogalla, shown at right, who was just 7 at the time. She wrote a letter to Blagojevich. It was heartfelt and touching as it echoed the feelings her mother has expressed for years.

C.J. lives with her family on a working farm near where they want to build the airport. Her mother Judy has been an avid fighter for a long time, vowing she and her husband will never give up their family farm for a project that isn't needed. Blagojevich continued to support the airport while in office.


Blagojevich's latest criticism stems from the fact that he brought his daughters into the courtroom. Why not, he has consistency claimed he is innocent? It is not odd that he would want his family by his side to show their support for him. Besides, it would look good to members of the jury. And looking good is what Ex-Gov. Rod is all about.

Healthy eating

Healthy eating—it seems that is a common thread in every magazine you pick up and with people you chat with in line at the grocery store.

I have been trying to do my part as well. Today, I discovered the trifecta, of healthy eating—brown rice. I made some earlier in the week, for lunch. I started by sautéing onions, diced carrots and cut-up broccoli. I love mushrooms, so I added those too. Then I added the rice and cooked it in beef stock. It was so much better than plain, bland rice. It was a satisfying lunch.

The following day I cut up lots more veges—red pepper, red onion, more mushrooms, and celery—for a stir fry. I added the rice and a little stir fry seasoning. It was delicious.

Today, with some leftover, I stuffed it all into a green pepper, topped it with a little parmesan cheese and cooked it until the pepper was soft, about 30 minutes. It was very filling and very tasty.

My lunch is always accompanied by a huge glass of iced tea. Whey I drinking it with a meal, I don't use sugar in it. When I brew my tea, I use two tea bags filled with black tea and two with green tea. Sometimes, I use flavored green tea. When I drink iced tea as a stand-alone beverage, I sometimes miss the taste of the loads of sugar I used to use in it. Sometimes, I add honey. I'm not really crazy about that, however, so most often, I just add a squeeze of fresh lemon instead, forgetting about the sweetness.

I admit that I have become a Dr. Oz junkie. I record all of his shows and don't miss one. I wish he would clone himself and place a Dr. Oz copy into every medical community across the country. I am less than impressed with the doctors I've found in my neighborhood. They seem to be interested only in pushing pills rather than encouraging healthy living. That is no answer as far as I'm concerned. Preventative medicine is probably more important than trying to repair the damage once it is done.

Changing a lifetime of unhealthy eating has been difficult, but I think the rewards far outweigh (no pun intended) the effort. With just a few changes, it is easy to see the difference. I feel much better and have more energy. And there is no pill that can do that.