Vegetarianism Day #20
January 22, 2009
So, today was Day 20 of the 30 Day Veg and it’s still going brilliantly. I’m loving it and today, in the grocery store, my daughter even said, “Hmm, lets try some new and interesting fruits today!” She decided on a cantaloupe.
When I first started this 30 Day Veg I was tricked into ordering some propaganda from PETA via goveg.org. I promptly recieved my brochure of empty headed celebrities saying stupid things, like “and stuff”. The next several pages were pictures and horror stories of how animals are processed for food. Now, I’m not the animal loving type and none of these torture stories surprised or shocked me in the least. Because I grew up in mid-Southern Missouri, I’ve just never really seen farm animals as anything other than food. I’m not like the little daughter of a friend of mine who was eating dinner one day and said “Heeeyyy, this is called ‘chicken’ and chickens are called ‘chicken’!” Everyone in the room held their breath, but it either didn’t click, or didn’t bother her. She just giggled and chowwed down. For me, when I see a pig, it’s a porkchop and that field full of cattle, well that’s some Kansas City Steak right there. What do you expect from a girl who’s favorite steak joint had a larger than life Hereford cattle as its sign? It was no secret to us what was for dinner.
The most interesting and impressive thing I’ve learned about vegetarianism and being vegan was on the back pages of that brochure. Through all of this, it isn’t all the awesome food out there (although I can’t get enough of it) or even the way I feel (which is WONDERFUL), but it’s the impact that vegetarianism, particularly veganism has on the environment. The facts are fascinating and endless. The single biggest thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint is to become a vegan! I was shocked.
So, even if you really don’t care that your dinner was once part of a living, breathing creature, don’t shut all the herbivores down. We’re not all protesting the hunting of Bambi.
The Great American Privilege
November 6, 2008
November 4, 2008 – We got up at 6AM, just as planned, to go vote today. We walked, as a family, to our polling place and were in the door at 6:45. The 3 rows of chairs that were awaiting the long lines were quickly filled and were able to stand and sign in at 7AM.
As we looked around the room, some people were getting their ballots and waiting for a booth to open up. Others didn’t bother with a booth. They just dropped to the floor and began filling in circles. Not a very private way to vote, but then it hit me: So what? We live in a country where these people can choose to vote, even forgoing the most private means (the booth) and still feel safe. They have no reason to fear. No one is going to blow them up, or spray them with tear gas. More than likely, even if someone did see their ballot, no one is even going to say anything to them about it.
Because today is the day. We’ve heard the arguments. We’ve even given a few ourselves. But when it all comes down to it, I will defend your right to vote as you choose and I have a feeling that you would also defend my right, even if, no, ESPECIALLY if, we are voting differently. Because that’s how we do things in America. That’s how peaceful democracy works.
Eden: A Novel with a Lot of Truth to It
by D. Kevin May Ph.D.
Looking at Kevin May’s website, www.kev.net, I find myself asking this question, “Did Kev May set out to write a book, or did he set out to start a revolution?” This is a story about a carefully planned, seemingly exotic, journey. Kevin recounts his trip throughout Southern Asia and Europe in a language that emphasizes a “us and them” mentality. The contrast of lavish lifestyles against the backdrop of poverty grabs your attention and causes you to feel a bit of self-consciousness, with a shot of righteous indignation.
This story about Daniel, a.k.a. Kevin, is a true-story-blend of fact and unverifiable, admittedly embellished, detail that keeps you guessing. (Imagine if James Fray had been honest with Oprah from the start.) You’ll be so inclined to assess the meaning of every conversation and ruminate every exchange, you’ll put the book down, for a little while, in order to reconcile the words with your own worldview.
There is one rule to reading this book; opening its pages commits you reading every single page. (Well, except the explicit love scene, you can skip those two pages. I did.) Kevin’s writing style isn’t exactly the refined prose you may be used to reading, in fact, he admitted to me that it was dashed off in a matter of only four months. But don’t let that slow you down, the value of the story isn’t diminished by the author’s lack of linguistic precision.
The story calls into question the idea of “coincidence”. It’s filled with stark moments of clarity that slowly and unnoticeably slip into to Daniel’s confusion. Declarations are made with an immediate resolve and then as soon as they are made, they begin to fade so slowly, you barely notice. When you do realize what’s happening, you find yourself wanting to grab Daniel by the shoulders and shake some sense into him. You want to yell “What are you thinking?” Watching helplessly from the sidelines, the suspense keeps you turning the pages.
In the end, the resolutions are made, the sides are chosen and you’re faced with the Truth. The battle between good and evil is very much alive in this day and age and there are those who are out to get you. Let the revolution begin.
That’s SO Gay!!
July 16, 2008
This is a big blog for me. It’s not been brought on by anything done recently, and I’m not sure why it’s time to write it, but when you got it coming out, might as well write it down. Please note, I’m well aware that this stuff is tricky, so please read with eyes and mind full of grace.
In my circles in my life, I generally come across four different categories of people when it comes to the issue of homosexuality. Group 1 says that all “homos” are going to hell and that’s the end of it. Group 2 says that gays can be reformed. Group 3 is Gay Okay! and Group 4 says, let’s just love people and let God do His thing.
I live about 20 miles away from the biggest instigators of the philosophy of Group 1. They hold the domain name godhatesfags . com and are the “funeral protestors” you keep hearing about on national news outlets. They claim to be a Baptist church, but are actually Calvinistic and believe that your fate has been decided for you and that only a small portion of people have been preselected by God to be Christians and get to Heaven. I don’t know what they do with the idea of Freewill, but pretty much everything they espouse blows my mind, so I quit trying to figure them out.
Group 2 is gets a bit of national attention all of their own, but they are often misunderstood and lumped into the same category as Group 1 (unfairly, in my opinion). They beleive that, yes, homosexuality is in fact a sin, but God loves us all anyway, and we all have to get our act together, so they support reformation programs such as Exodus or other support groups. This category includes men and women who are no longer practicing homosexuals. Some have married (heterosexually) and have had children of their own. They consider themselves to have been set free from the grasp of homosexuality and watch themselves, lest they be tempted. I read a book once called “Heaven’s Back Row”. It’s supposed to be about a married pastor and father who is struggling with his homosexuality, but the recurring theme that made me queasy was first and foremost, his infidelity to his wife and secondly his promiscuity. He wasn’t just gay, he got around to boot!
Some in Group 2 also promote the idea of “a gay agenda” like there is some organized group of gays somewhere smoking cigars and taking notes trying to turn us all into “their kind”. Now, I’m speaking from my own experience here, but I’ve never, ever been asked to or been recruited to be gay. (Okay, so a girl asked me to make out with her once, but I was like, “um, no.” and she totally wasn’t offended and as weird as it was, it just wasn’t awkward…) I’ve seen movies and TV shows with gay characters, and while I suppose these could be interpreted as “gay promos”, I thought they were actually more like “understand me, love me, accept me” kind of shows. But then again, I haven’t seen Brokeback Mountain. The gay people I know don’t want me either, so I’m just really not sure where this scary”organized agenda” idea comes from. I think it’s this impersonal “they” mentality that keeps a lot of gay people’s hearts closed to considering the Gospel for themselves.
Group 3 is the God loves Gays group. God made them gay. There’s nothing wrong with being gay. All the New Testament Bible verses have been mistranslated (that should say “child molester” not “homosexual”) and the Old Testament doesn’t apply anymore anyway (I mean really, who doesn’t love pork chops?), so that doesn’t matter either. So, they live gay, they love gay and they worship God, love Jesus and love themselves. I personally know a couple that falls into this category and I can undeniably say, I think they have truly accepted Jesus as both Lord and Savior and love Him. I would also be willing to say, I can’t see any reason that they would not, in fact, be saved.
Group 4 is the group I consider myself to be a part of. This group either A) has no definitive opinion or B) is keeping their cards close to their chest and nobody knows their opinion. (Although, you may be able to have me figured out by the end of this one) They either believe the same as Group 2 and don’t want to offend gays or those in Group 3, or they believe as Group 3 and don’t want to offend or upset the people in Group 2. (and Group 1 can go sodomize themselves… oh my lame attempts at humor, don’t take me too seriously) Group 4 knows that God loves us all. “Just As I Am” is truly their anthem. Most people in this group know exactly what it is they, themselves, have been saved from. They don’t want to judge other people or get involved where God doesn’t intend for them to be. Group 4 people are generally experienced in ministry and understand that love comes first. They get it that God wants people to love Him. Once God gets a hold of someone, then God convicts people about the sins He wants them to deal with, not the ones I want them to deal with. They relate to the reformed homos in Group 2. They understand what it means to be freed of something burdensome. But on the other hand, they don’t think that Group 3 is going to Hell necessarily either. This group is, in deed, a bunch of saved sinners, still working out their own salvation.
Personally, it’s been my experience that when people change, it’s because God has laid it on their hearts to change*. He not only identifies the area He wants to work on, but He also gives them the tools and conviction to bring about change. If God wants to convict someone from their behavior, whatever that may be, then He has to lead. And I do believe that sometimes, there are other areas of someone’s life that are more pressing and need to be dealt with first and foremost. You never know what God’s going to have someone work on first and more importantly, you never know when someone’s never going to get to the item you would have put on the top of their “to do” list.
*Now, I’m not saying that God will never use you to convict someone of sin. Intervention is occasionally necessary. But Jesus was very clear on this one, He said that when you go to someone, you a) go to them out of love and concern without an attitude of judgement or superiority (that whole plank in your eye thing) and b) you are sure that God has asked you to speak to that person about this issue. There cannot be offense taken when you’ve humbly gone to someone that you love and respect out of concern for their well being. The same cannot be said when you approach someone you barely know or hold up a picket sign or petition.
Nobody’s Perfect, Indeed
April 28, 2008
My daughter is a nine year old. And being a nine year old, she does the things most nine year olds do. We’ve protected her without coddling her. We’ve been able to talk about what’s acceptable and what’s right without violating her innocence and supporting her when she has to make her own decisions. But then again, she’s only 9, so those decisions aren’t monumental by any stretch of the imagination.
One of the decisions she’s made and we’ve supported is her taste in music. Now, to be fair, we heavily influenced her preferences from a very early age. Instead of stars that twinkle, cows who poll-vault celestial bodies and boys who run through town in their nightshirts, she listened to what we listened to. Phish was probably the band heard most in our home. While their lyrics in songs like “Contact” (the tires are the things on the car that make contact with the road) and “Opossum” (the road is your end, and your end is the road) are as equally silly as nursery rhymes, the musical complexity of these jams rival the classical musicians that were being marketed to children at the time. She was exposed to good music.
So here we are nine years later and her playlists include Johnny Cash, that one radio edit from Rage Against the Machine, Waterdeep, The News Boys, and of course, what every nine year old girl has in their CD player, Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus.
She snuck that last one in there all on her own. It was her choosing. We had all been sitting around one Saturday while her aunt and uncle were here for a visit and she asked “Mom, can I watch Hannah Montana?”
and being that I hadn’t seen it and hadn’t been too impressed with Disney Channel so far, I said “No.”
and her aunt spoke up, “Why not? I love that show!”
So we did the responsible thing and sat down together and all watched as a family. And we’ve seen every episode ever since. It’s a cute show, it’s punchy and funny and very far from “cutting edge”. It’s entertaining and the kids on the show deliver their lines with fantastic comical precision.
The songs and music performed by Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) is your typical pop music with inspirational lyrics. Songs about making mistakes and getting up to do better. Songs about not getting down on yourself too much, but trying again. Songs about being a pop star on the outside and being “just one of the girls” on the inside. Nothing controversial, nothing objectionable.
As we continued to watch the show and listen to the music along came tidbits, interviews and backstage tours featuring Miley Cyrus and her family, mostly her famous post-mullet father, Billy Ray Cyrus. They seemed above average. Her parents were still married, had other seemingly well adjusted kids and they all got along great.
Miley managed to stay out of tabloids for the most part, and her interviews were playful and funny and very, very innocent.
There were occasions, during this past year, that the idea would creep in. You know, Brittany Spears had a squeaky clean reputation once. She was a teen pop star. Everyone thought her dad was fantastic too. But I would suppress those ideas because you know, you can’t judge one teen pop princess by the actions of another. Can you? Besides, we’d cross that bridge when we got there. She’s only 15, what could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly wrong? Vanity Fair. That’s what could possibly go wrong.
Thank goodness for all those songs she sings about not being perfect and everybody making mistakes, otherwise, I wouldn’t know what to tell my nine year old.
My husband wonders why I think the subject will come up. I’m betting it will. I’m disappointed to say the least and now Miley is going on the record saying she’s “embarrassed” and the photographer,Annie Leibovitz, in her defense, quotes Miley as saying “”It wasn’t in a skanky way … And you can’t say no to Annie. She’s so cute. She gets this puppy dog look and you’re like, ‘O.K.’” (The fact that the photographer is quoting Miley as saying this makes me think she should be hiding her methods of manipulation, not flaunting them).
If you look at the candid shots, you can see what the atmosphere was like and how Miley saw it at the time. There doesn’t seem to be anything remarkable or controversial about this shot:
A lot of people are making a big stink out of all of this and quite frankly I think they don’t remember being 15. If Vanity Fair published the things I did publicly at 15, you’d all be too embarrassed to admit you know me. I think most of us could say that. But there is one BIG difference. I knew what I was doing was wrong. Mostly I knew it because I knew my parents would FLIP out if they found out. And at this photo shoot, her parents, according to Vanity Fair, were present. (But the publicist for Cyrus said her parents departed at the end of the day, prior to the pictures being taken and did not see any digital pictures.) Which makes me wonder how he feels today. Was he as naive as she was? Something tells me he shouldn’t have been. I think the firestorm is going to rain heavier on his head and that of the photographer than on Miley’s and that’s as it should be.
Vote, Baby, Vote – 3/3/08
March 10, 2008
About 6 weeks before Super Tuesday, I was picking up the living room and had the TV going in the background. My 7 year old son came in, plopped down on the recliner and said, “What happened?”
I said “What?” very flatly.
He pointed to the TV and said “That. What happened?”
I glanced at the TV and said “Oh, a lady was killed in Pakistan.” I’d been hearing about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto for days, and quite frankly, it was on another planet as far as I was concerned.
But my 7 year old persisted. “Who killed her?”
I slowed down and started to pay attention, not to the TV, but to my son. “They don’t know. That’s why they’re talking about it.”
Then he asked “But why did they kill her?”
I looked at my husband for help. He said “They didn’t want her to be the leader of their country.”
My son got this look on his face, his eyes narrowed and you could see the contemplation, “But why did they kill her?”
I was confused. What didn’t he get? “She wanted to be the Prime Minister and some people didn’t want her to be, so they killed her.”
Again, he was thinking. Then he said it all “So…. why didn’t they just ….not vote for her?”
That was the moment for me. That was when I decided to pay attention. That was when I decided to get involved. I listened to the debates, I choose carefully and on Super Tuesday, our family of 5 stood in line for about 45 minutes to be counted among the supporters of Barack Obama. It was cold, our three year old only had on a hoodie, we hadn’t been expecting to stand outside at all, but there we were, in line, in the mud in the freezing rain and wind. It would have been easy for us to just go back to the car and say forget it, but Benezir Bhutto wouldn’t let me. A lady I’d never really cared about before was now the inspiration to have my voice heard. I don’t even know what she stood for, but I do know this: She didn’t die in vain.
So, when you get your chance, don’t pass it up. Be heard and participate in this country’s fair and peaceful change in leadership.
Patriotism for This Generation – 2/19/08
March 10, 2008
Conservative radio talk show hosts have been blasting Michelle Obama for not being “proud enough” of her country, but I’d like to propose that she’s probably more proud than most of us who are carrying her husband to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The generation that embodies the current movement in this country to elect an African American inspirationalist to the White House has mediocre patriotism for a reason. We never had to put our families into boats to cross the Atlantic for religious freedom. We never shot at Red Coats, or fought with Natives. We never had to blaze trails across a vast and unknown land or fight in a civil war. We never suffered from a the starvation of the Dust Bowl, or from the Great Depression. We weren’t saddled with the responsibility of freeing thousands from the repression of Adolph Hitler. We didn’t experience John F. Kennedy, the Cuban Missile Crisis or race the Russians to the Moon. We’ve never greived the loss of a sitting president.
No, we were raised in a time when Americans were individuals. Pride in our country was passed on to us like an heirloom that we cherished, but never really possessed as our own. Americans of our generation never had to band together to defeat anything or overcome any adversity. The generation before us told us the horrors of war, particularly the war that was lost during their early years. We never understood the need for war. Even in both Iraq wars, the country was never consumed by it. We didn’t send all of our men to fight and leave our women to build the artillery. No, even during those wars we just went on with our daily lives, worked in our offices, drank our cocktails and watched reality television.
But now, here we are, at a crossroads with real prospects, because you see, that reality television did give us something. It gave us the knowledge that we have to power to change someone’s fate. Whether it’s voting someone off of American Idol or electing the man of our choice to the White House, we now understand the power of making a choice. And for the first time in our generation, we are not just individuals who can do very little, we are a united people who can again bring out the greatness of our country. Finally, we are proud Americans.
VD – It’s Not Just For Lovers Anymore – 2/11/08
March 10, 2008
So,yeah, Valentine’s Day is coming and I seriously don’t want to hear one more whiney person talk about “Singles Awareness Day” (ever notice that the acronym is “SAD”?”) Cause I’ve got something to say to you “single” folks out there. And that’s this: Get over it.
I know way too many single gals and fellas that stay single because they are so focused on it. They complain about being single. They rage against Valentine’s Day. Being single becomes their identity. This self pity perpetuates a vicious circle. You’re single, so you’re focused on you, which makes you unappealing, which makes you stay single.
Whatever you do this Thursday, don’t sit at home and have movie night with your single friends talking about how much “Love stinks”. Words are very powerful. Attitudes are too. Don’t keep affirming these mantras, cause they suck the love right out of you.
You see, Valentine’s Day is about LOVE, SO, LOVE somebody. Call your Grandma, babysit for your not-single friends. Buy your nieces and nephews some of those awful pink and red stuffed animals and more chocolate than they can eat in a week. Volunteer at a shelter, or soup kitchen, or political campaign. Do something for someone at church. Get out there and focus on others. When you’re focused on others, you become less self serving and way more attractive.
Take my advice and by this time next year, you’ll be beating off suitors with a stick.
Sprawl-mart – 10/5/06
March 10, 2008
When we moved to our fantastic city of 90,000 people two years ago, I noticed something wonderful. The Wal-mart was your basic clothes, CDs, cleaning supplies, toys and toiletries type of Wal-mart. No groceries, no miles and miles of walking, no 50 check out lanes.
I thought that said something about our fair city. I thought it meant that this university town was conscientious enough to reject the world domination that company seeks. As a matter of fact, I later learned the city was in litigation with Wal-mart over the issues of its impending expansion. But to no avail, the corporate giant is crushing. They suck the life out of small businesses and use their insurmountable wealth to legally defend their right to do so.
While this case was being sorted out and then put on hold, it became a hot topic in the community. So, I did what every responsible well meaning American should do, evaluated my experiences and compiled some research.
I grew up shopping at Wal-mart. No one ever talked about the origins of the products, the low wages the employees were receiving or the insufficient heath care. As a matter of fact, my husband worked for Wal-mart in the auto department for a while. It was during his training that we got an indication that something was amiss.
It started when he was required to watch anti-union videos in his training and to pledge that he would not belong to, start or ask others to start a worker’s union. Things seem even more strange when he was introduced to the Wal-mart “cheer”. It eerily resembled spiritual gathers we’d been to. Where else do you stand with others and sing about how great something is?
Later, when I was a loan processor at a bank in Iowa the rumors (later confirmed when they submitted the necessary paperwork) were that Wal-mart was starting it’s own bank. That’s when I began accusing them of desiring world domination. First it was groceries, then gas, next is banks. Those three things cover just about every consumable product that is not delivered directly to your home, but on that note, they also have Wal-mart internet access and they’ve partnered with Netflix. Will Wal-mart utilities be next?
If you’ve still not grasped the unprecedented magnitude of the Wal-mart corporation, how about this: 5 of the top 10 richest people in the United States are Wal-mart benefactors. Read that again. Over half of the top 10 have income coming from the same source. Not only that, but Wal-mart corporation ranks 18th in charitable giving in this country. If there is enough income to produce half of the top 10 richest people then why do they rank 18th on the list of charitable giving?
That’s not the only unbelievable statistic.
Wal-mart is hoarding billions from desperate people locked into poorer standards of living. They are missing an opportunity and doing it to the tune of billions of dollars in their pocket. Since Wal-mart HAS this kind of buying power, shouldn’t they take the lead in raising wages?
If you’re interested in more information, the movie High Cost of Low Price is very compelling in it’s arguments against Wal-mart. The web site, www.walmartwatch.com is adequate.
Some people like to point out that we live in a free enterprise system and this corporation is just the natural product of our economic system. Others agree with me and feel as though they have no choice or can do nothing about it. Let me state that we can use our free enterprise system against Wal-mart. Your dollar is your vote. Shopping locally is the smartest and easiest way to combat this corporate giant. Supporting your local business is not as costly as the large discount retailers would have you believe. Honestly, would you rather give your money to your neighbor, or to half of the top 10 richest people in the country?
Today’s Forwards – 11/28/07
March 10, 2008
I received two forwards in my “inbox” today. Both were from people I love dearly. Both were completely different and both got a response from me.
FWD: 1
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
Why the Politically Correct Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas – no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people’s feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a “Holiday”.
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe’s the word Christmas – was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny’s and Sears
You won’t hear the word Christmas; it won’t touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace.
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate “Winter Break” under your “Dream Tree”
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday!
Response to FWD: 1 (please note, this is not my entire response, I first started out by telling this person how much they meant to me and that I was ranting about the poem and not the person who sent it to me)
Whew!! Are you still with me? Cause if you are, here’s your reward:
FWD:2
Response to FWD: 2
