Considering our heroes

I've said recently that we choose weird heroes. I waver between seeing the truth of Michael Jackson as a perpetrator and a victim. People are choosing to see Michael Jackson as a misunderstood artist who has been falsely accused of crimes he did not commit (even though he settled a case for millions of dollars).

Was Michael like Woody Allen? Or Mike Tyson? Mike actually went to jail and people still see him as a hero. He was recently given a movie roll in The Hangover (I guess he's served his time).

I used to question why people supported Woody Allen and Mike Tyson in the face of such damning testimony. Usually, the victims were written off as setups, or temptresses.

It often seems that the real victims, mostly women and children, get ignored or worse, accused of false accusations, while the perpetrators get forgiven (even when they are obviously NUTS).

Maybe the truth is that we are each both perpetrators and victims; and this is what we really want and recognize in our heroes. Is this what I tell my children? Is this the epitome of lost innocence?

So Michael, may he rest in peace, may have victimized children, but he was an amazing talent that was definitely victimized by his father, by his industry, by the press, and by his AWFUL plastic surgeons (does anyone talk about how disrespectful his surgeries were and who was responsible for that?). And this same family and this same industry and this same press glorified Michael's death yesterday.

I wonder, where were these glorifications these past 15 years?

Debbie Rowe

I'm not a fan. I don't like the deal she made with a superstar, and if I were a judge I would question her motives in entertaining custody again, especially without "Blanket." But I bristle at the attacks such as, "No real mother would do this to her children!"

She was an egg donor. What's the difference between her and a sperm donor? Would we have this much vitriol for an absentee father who wanted to reenter his children's life? Maybe?

If you were Debbie Rowe and you could pull your biological children away from the custody of the Jackson family, would you? What better options do these children have?

America's Children?

I often consider what is the best use of the modest charity funds we distribute every year. Childhood illnesses? Homelessness? It is usually a local charity, helping those most vulnerable. But lately I've been thinking a lot about hunger. And perhaps there are those in our society, especially soon, who are starving and need help. But I also think of the United States as having many safety nets. Our churches (I grew up in one), our government (my family got foodstamps for awhile), WIC, and our land (food grows well and fast here).

Don't cry when you read this but tonight when I was rocking my 15-month old baby to sleep in my arms I was thinking about the very real but not actually threatening fears he experiences upon every separation from his caregivers. I was thinking about how he's probably reassured by his room and his (getting older) mom's image. This image I had of myself as an older and tired mother quickly brought up one I get every once in awhile, that of a mother that would have lived in a holocaust camp. It is much easier to type this than to actually speak it...but I think of how unbelievably unbearable it must have been for mothers to comfort their children then.

And this leads me to this: Are there mothers like those Holocaust mothers now in The World? Are there infants who are not safe? Are there families who are threatened every day? Who are not comforted by their rooms, their mothers, or their food? And this is where I want to help, in addition to America's children...for I am so thankful for the freedoms for our own children.

Peace.

Later thoughts: Looking at the BBC News I see images of children injured in Pakistan (our weapons?) War torn Palestine, Africa, etc.

Wow

So many of these people's stories and words have brought me to tears, but the courage of this one really moved me to blog. Wow, may we all be as incredibly brave as these folks!!

Tax us!

Maybe it will take higher taxes to make our citizens PAY ATTENTION and TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for our government. Maybe THAT's why Republicans are against actually FUNDING instead of BORROWING for our state's services.

Rush Limbaugh and his like are not really advocating for Joe the plumber (or Joe the painter), who can't pay for private Fire Fighters, or for private teachers, or for private nurses and doctors; Rush Limbaugh and the FUNDED conservative press corp are advocating for millionaires and billionaires who CAN afford their own private life bubble. They're just smart enough to get the working class to fight their battles for them.

I would like a team to target every district that these anti-tax-but-happy-to-spend Republicans represent and SHOW how state funds help their community. And show how their community's state taxes FUND or don't fund them.

Peace.

A Prayer from Jefferson City Missouri

I received this from my sister-in-law who is an active part of the growing peace movement.

Greetings,
Please see below. If you can spend anytime at all in prayer, meditation or intention with the words in quotes below..., and especially at the same times 8am &/or 8pm Central Standard Time now through Nov. 6... Pass the word. Thanks.


----- Original Message -----
Subject: say a prayer, meditate

Hi Everyone,
A group of us have decided to join in on a global non-partisan program that centers around the upcoming election. No matter what your beliefs are or who you will vote for, it doesn't matter. I believe this will be time well spent for the planet and everyone on it. (You can find more info on this an other global events at gaiafield.net). We will devote 10 minutes each day at either 8am or 8pm from now until Nov. 6 to hold the following in prayer, meditation, or intention.

“We the people, the ancestors of our great, great grandchildren, call forth the deepest wisdom and the highest compassion from the heart and soul of America, for the benefit of the entire Earth community and the next seven generations. May Wisdom Prevail in the USA. May Peace Prevail on Earth”

If these words resonate in you please join in at either time, and ask a friend.

Liberal Courage

Wow, despite Obama leaving McCain's Ethanol gaff unchallenged (What? You're saying you're "Country First" and you're willing to import Brazilian Ethanol without tariffs and unfund Iowans alternative fuel subsidies? Schmog caught this.) I was so proud at all the shout outs Obama made to women and even labor leaders in Columbia.

McCain had his clock cleaned. That was WONDERFUL. I especially enjoyed the moment when McCain pressed Obama to repudiate John Lewis (I'm proud to say I lived near him in Atlanta and we used the same dry cleaner!!) and Obama wouldn't!! He even had the courage to slam the Palin rallies for being so hateful as well!! I was actually thinking that, surprisingly, Obama's response here would appeal to Midwestern rednecks because most rednecks do not want to be seen as extremists. It was a BRILLIANT moment. I'm dying to ask my Ohio Republican friend if she's voting for Obama yet...I think this is a generational moment, not a party moment.