SUENOSDEUOMI'S RUMINATIONS AND PERSPECTIVE
Tattered Too
Tattered,
worn not just around the edges,
frayed,
mature and past her prime,
yet still holding on
and looking good
in the right kinda light.
Misadventure
Ten, yes, 10 dogs
of varied kinds and sizes,
off-lead,
up on a mountain trail,
ran frantically
in all different directions,
but miraculously
made it back
safe, sound and tired,
but happy.
One human
with camera,
but no photos
-
very unhappy.
Unsolicited Advice #8 - Bluff
More unsolicited advice
to those still green behind their ears:
Beware!
The elder you might be talking with
may be bluffing!
SHe may not have the foggiest notion
about who you are!
Alzheimer's, Dementia, Senior Moments,
they are all too real.
As things are looking now
you too may be affected, eventually.
So, stay kind,
cultivate patience,
fall back on laughter,
but keep it real.
Tattered around the edges
no longer fresh and young,
but not yet ready to fall off
- the face of the earth.
About how I feel.
Maturity
One white haired, middle aged, middle class woman
gave the finger to another.
What has the world come to?
But then there is thankfully Elizabeth Warren
Autumnal Equinox
Autumnal Equinox, September 23. 2011, 9:04 GMT
The American Nightmare
Today, after yesterday's execution of Troy Davis, after in fact two more applications of so called justice, of the irreversible, unreasonable, unconscionable, barbaric practice of vengeful injustice, in only one day, I have more reasons yet to hang my head in shame and seriously question the wisdom of my choice of having become an American citizen. The American Dream has become The American Nightmare! Maybe it always was and I just had not noticed?
shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame
Here I want to mention only a few of what could make up a very long list of misgivings, not necessarily in order of importance or severity of impact. For me the death penalty is an abhorrent practice that, do you realize, would preclude the US from joining the EU. The US would not qualify, shocking and shameful! The resort to wars in response to terrorism, despite world wide protests, despite Saddam's lack of culpability, despite Afghan's history of resistance - shameful! This acceptance of violence as a way of resolving conflict seen on all levels, political and personal - shameful! This living in an old, outdated paradigm of competition rather then cooperation, a cowboy mentality (personified in Bush) where the stronger win and the weaker perish, where the US has to demonstrate it's exceptionalism while in the pursuit of it's imperialistic expansive endeavors, shameful! America sets itself above international law when it accepts torture and rejects international treaties, such as the Kyoto one, and rejects science, but ridicules efforts to deal with Global Warming, shameful!
shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame
Sadly even our big hope, President Obama, the Peace Nobel Price Winner, with his proclamation for change, continued a path of violence when he ordered the killing, rather then the apprehending of Osama Bin Laden. I can not believe that those highly trained and skilled Navy Seals would not have been able to apprehend this old, unarmed guy, so as to bring him to true legal justice, maybe in an international court of law, in the proper way of dealing with war criminals as established after World War II in the Nuerenberg Trials. But wars are not waged on a bunch of extremists, wars a waged against other countries, we never have been at a war! We just needed a pretext to assert ourselves and protect those precious resources that are not ours but that we need so badly, oil, shameful!
shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame
to be continued ...
Abolish The Death Penalty Already!
Amnesty International reports:
46 prisoners – 45 men and 1 woman – were put to death in the USA only this year, as of today.
By this evening 1 more male got executed in Texas!
This brought to 1,234 the total number of executions carried out since the US Supreme Court lifted a moratorium on the death penalty in 1976.
In a matter of minutes, this number will go up if the institutional killing of Troy Davis will progress as scheduled.
Texas executed 24 people during 2010 and in June carried out its 200th execution under the current governor, Rick Perry, who claimed to never have lost any sleep over any executions.
9 were released from death rows on grounds of innocence during 2010, bringing to more than 130 the number of such cases since 1976.
Not In My Name Pledge - Amnesty International
atrocious, barbaric, immoral, psychologically immature, uncivilized, wrong
46 prisoners – 45 men and 1 woman – were put to death in the USA only this year, as of today.
By this evening 1 more male got executed in Texas!
This brought to 1,234 the total number of executions carried out since the US Supreme Court lifted a moratorium on the death penalty in 1976.
In a matter of minutes, this number will go up if the institutional killing of Troy Davis will progress as scheduled.
Texas executed 24 people during 2010 and in June carried out its 200th execution under the current governor, Rick Perry, who claimed to never have lost any sleep over any executions.
9 were released from death rows on grounds of innocence during 2010, bringing to more than 130 the number of such cases since 1976.
In March 2010, New Mexico became the USA’s 15th abolitionist state under then Governor Richardson - D, who found it in his heart to reverse his position during his last term of service. In 2011 Governor Martinez - R made attempts to reverse this hard won achievement.
hard-hearted, wrong-headed
The USA needs to grow up and realize that revenge is not an acceptable response to crime and it is most certainly not a deterrent. Institutional killing is wrong! A wild west mentality has no place in a psychologically sophisticated modern society. The blatant disregard for life is deeply troubling and shows up throughout American culture, we have to look no further then to how our breakfast eggs are produced.
Troy Davis, male and black never had a fighting chance. Of 9 eyewitnesses, 7 recanted! One juror did testify that if he had been given all the info he would never have found Troy Davis guilty, the jury would have been hung! The weapon was never found. NO DNA. The doubts of his guilt are so severe, even staunch supporters of the death penalty agree that this man should not be executed. I really wish for those that upheld this verdict to have to stand trial and take responsibility themselves for their action or rather inaction, if ever proof of innocence be produced. Would judges and juries be so quick to condemn if they knew they would be held culpable for errors? Death has no room for errors!
I will never understand what makes supposed Christians that are under a tenet of thou shalt not kill amenable to killing off criminals, even those with questionable guilt or comprehension capacity? For that matter I do not understand what makes supposed Christians advance righteously in to foreign territory to wage war in supposed self defense? As a liberal I can only suppose a lack of education of mind and heart.
Troy Davis will not be killed in my name, I protest!
SUPREME COURT DELAYED EXECUTION!
'PERVASIVE, PERSISTENT DOUBTS OF GUILT'
FORMER FBI CHIEF
Supreme Court Refused To Block Execution! 10:20 pm
9.21.2011 23:08 PM
HOMICIDE OF TROY DAVIS
Not In My Name Pledge - Amnesty International
atrocious, barbaric, immoral, psychologically immature, uncivilized, wrong
My American Dream?
33 years ago, September 16th, 1978 I set foot on American soil for the very first time, in the early morning hours, burdened only with one special, made for me shoulder bag packed with two changes of clothes, Miso (Japanese soy paste) chopsticks and a Chinese bound diary with pen and color pencils.
It was on a quest for self-actualization that had brought me to the United States. I was determined to pursue the creative impulse full time. I hoped to immerse myself and to marinate in those juices. I sought a conducive environment, fertile grounds. I was up for adventure. Nah, I was desperate.
Desperate to escape what seemed a deadening, stifling working class Swiss upbringing dominated by a post World War II cautious conservative stance to life. Today I would consider myself then a cultural refugee. Like so many of my generation, I had rejected the status quo, the concerns for security through insurance and the hoarding of money and keeping of a steady employ, no matter how deadening to the spirit. Instead I had turned anti-establishment.
Still in 9th grade, I had demonstrated for the rights of Palestinians, the underdogs, and for one exiting evening we protested by forced occupation the planned conversion of an old charming theater in to a new capitalist shopping center until the police forcefully upheld the rules of the bourgeoisie and made us abandon our sit-in. I still can remember that dark cavernous hall we occupied for a few precious hours, which since turned in to something comparable to a Walmart in the US.
A drop out, I had had the good fortune to meet not one, but several outstanding, creative, artistic mentors, that lit a fire in me, a desire to burn and sparkle with life. With an unwillingness to settle for less, I wanted it all. I was young, dumb and very naive and that is how I had put down my foot on American soil for the first time, 33 years ago.
Still in 9th grade, I had demonstrated for the rights of Palestinians, the underdogs, and for one exiting evening we protested by forced occupation the planned conversion of an old charming theater in to a new capitalist shopping center until the police forcefully upheld the rules of the bourgeoisie and made us abandon our sit-in. I still can remember that dark cavernous hall we occupied for a few precious hours, which since turned in to something comparable to a Walmart in the US.
A drop out, I had had the good fortune to meet not one, but several outstanding, creative, artistic mentors, that lit a fire in me, a desire to burn and sparkle with life. With an unwillingness to settle for less, I wanted it all. I was young, dumb and very naive and that is how I had put down my foot on American soil for the first time, 33 years ago.
I did not know much about the United States, did not know what to expect. Big boned, blue eyed, rosy cheeked Peter Smith from Whitewater, Wisconsin had lived with us in Zurich and had taught us how to bake Tassajara whole wheat bread and how to make granola (I would be the one to supply us with the needed raw, whole milk, brought home inside a traditional aluminum container.) I probably expected most Americans to be a variation of Peter's wholesome, generous, cheerful spirit.
33 years ago I had no interest in politics. Having had to endure gruesome images of the Vietnam war as regular fare on Swiss TV, I detested and ignored main stream media and culture. I had not the slightest idea how the political and social climate in the US would change shortly after my arrival, certainly with the surprise election of President Ronald Reagan.
6 years later, or 27 years ago in mid-September, done with New York, never ever wanting to go back, done with an impossible relationship, almost broke, we had made it in a red Toyota pick up truck in to The City Different. 2 1/2 years later, married, a legal resident, I owned my first (and only) home. As a first (and only) generation immigrant, I was living The American Dream!
But hey, is this really my dream? Did I find what I came here for? Did I actually actualize myself?
Am I living the American Dream,
or the American Nightmare?
or the American Nightmare?
To be continued ...
1 Year Anniversary!
Pancho and Lizzie
Today, September 7th, the Schnauzer pups are 1 year old.
Yesterday, up on the mountain, a coyote was in hot pursuit
probably of Lizzie, the smallest and slowest of the pack.
Eric managed to return his Schnauzers safe inside his car.
The coyote had followed them,
while the Schnauzers stayed blissfully unaware
of the danger they had just survived.
Pancho and Lizzie
Los Banditos
The Gang: Flashy, Lizzie, Vasco, Isabella, Sumo, Pancho - Ellie is amiss.
Vasco, the patriarch of the Schnauzers, the Daddy, suffered a knee injury, a torn Meniscus, maybe worse, before he got rescued by Eric. Recently he started to limp and received Prolotherapy. Only 2 weeks later the wiggle in Vasco's knee came down from 34% to 15%, impressive! Soon those two athletes will be back to running their 12 miles, usually every other day. It has been hard on both.
But for a little while longer Eric will carry Vasco up and down hills and restrict Vasco's activity to short walks on lead
to which high energy Vasco adjusted surprisingly well.
Isabella will allow the puppies only so much play with Sumo
before she asserts her claim on her boy-toy.
The Terrible Terriers take over the God Park.
There is power in numbers, watch out!
Los Banditos
Isabella, Vasco, Pancho, Ellie, Sumo
Upon return from the God Park
Isabella and Vasco, the Patriarch
Pretty Lizzie-Girl, Princess of the Gang
7 Terriers in 1 Car with 1 Guy
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