Saturday, February 18, 2012
Apology
I am sorry to all of you who were reading our food adventures faithfully. My shoulder does not cooperate most times. Needless to say, this irritates me. Just as I stated up with Deliberate Choices, it kicked up and I just had to stop. Again, this irritates me. I hope to get back to posting more regularly, but honestly, I can not promise anything. Thanks for checking in.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
For those of you who requested a more permanent version of my "War and Peace" treatise, here is what I posted on Facebook.....
Rant warning.... Let me begin with full disclosure, my son is one of the Occupiers. Most of you know this about him and may or may not support his quest for a "better" world as he sees it. However, if I may have your attention for a bit, perhaps you could reflect on these facts. Big business, whether it is agribusiness giant Monsanto, financial giants like Bank of America, etc. or oil super powers like Exxon or Mobil have declared us mere consumers. Does anyone think that corporations are in the business for any other reason than the consuming of and holding of money? I don't have an inherent problem with money making, it is what makes the world go round. However, when the unfettered greed is to the exclusion of concern for the customer and/or world citizens, it becomes a problem. Why? Because, we as humans are put here to do what? Think about this. Are we here to make the world a better place? Are we here to gather the most stuff? Are we here to raise any children we might have to be good consumers? Are we here to merely consume, consume, consume?
Have you any idea how your chicken is raised? Let me illuminate you... when meat birds hatch they are taken to poultry barns where they never see daylight, are only allowed eat what they are given, only drink what they are given, and are viewed as commodities. Overcrowding is acceptable, and they must be fed a constant barrage of antibiotics to live and this is the real revolting part, they are fed unwanted chicks that are ground and put into the feed. How are we any different? We are spoon fed drivel from the news services, eat what we are given, drink what we are given, and the corporations care no more about what we are "fed" than they do the chickens. Well, they care if they get sued, but otherwise if they can get away with it, they will cram crap at us until we smarten up and say "enough is enough".
The drive to get consumers to buy a particular product involves complex psychology and marketing to make the product seem indispensible. We are bombarded night and day to buy, buy, buy. People go into big debt buying the latest and greatest thing, to feel like they have accomplished something. I do believe in personal responsibility, so we are inevitably responsible for racking up debt. However, we are programmed from early childhood with brand recognition, product placement and the chant "buy, buy, buy" ringing in our ears. After 9/11 President Bush said to go shopping as the surest way to beat terrorism. (I paraphrased, but you get my drift.) I am not a communist, I am not a socialist, I am a patriot who is sickened at what we are allowing to happen in our own backyard.
Which brings me to Dave. He is a street medic, which for those of you who don't know means he acts as a first aid provider during protests and between as well. He and his fellow medics work hours that some of us never have. 24 hour shifts are not unheard of and stress is a constant companion. Having talked to some of the medics, I can say that these men and women are risking more than their physical selves, they are risking PTSD. Imagine if you will, facing an armed force who has made a habit of beatings, sprayings and physical intimidation. An armed force that has dislocated shoulders, intentionally caused nerve damage in wrists, caused head trauma. Don't believe me? Do a search on youtube for "occupy police brutality". Bring a bucket, because the videos are pretty sickening. These medics know all this and run toward the sound of whichever side calls "MEDIC!!!" Would you? I don't know that I would. They do it over and over again. Why? Because they believe that we are worth it, that we deserve a better world, a world where people matter, again. Where big business cannot donate to Super PACs without disclosure (do some research on that little goodie.) Where our elected officials are not bought and paid for by the highest contributor, but are beholden to us, the voters. Where our voices are at least as loud as the corporations.
What do they ask in return? Nothing. No benefits, not GI loans to restart their lives after their time of service, no pay to make a nest egg, nothing. Do you think we can as Americans take the lessons of the past and apply them to these folks? I am asking you to reach out to an Occupier, a protester, a patriot and have a kind word, maybe a honk of a horn. If that is too much, how about just not saying "Get a job!" or telling someone you hear running the Occupiers down that you think they at least deserve a modicum of respect whatever their politics. Thank you for listening and I hope you can do this for me
Rant warning.... Let me begin with full disclosure, my son is one of the Occupiers. Most of you know this about him and may or may not support his quest for a "better" world as he sees it. However, if I may have your attention for a bit, perhaps you could reflect on these facts. Big business, whether it is agribusiness giant Monsanto, financial giants like Bank of America, etc. or oil super powers like Exxon or Mobil have declared us mere consumers. Does anyone think that corporations are in the business for any other reason than the consuming of and holding of money? I don't have an inherent problem with money making, it is what makes the world go round. However, when the unfettered greed is to the exclusion of concern for the customer and/or world citizens, it becomes a problem. Why? Because, we as humans are put here to do what? Think about this. Are we here to make the world a better place? Are we here to gather the most stuff? Are we here to raise any children we might have to be good consumers? Are we here to merely consume, consume, consume?
Have you any idea how your chicken is raised? Let me illuminate you... when meat birds hatch they are taken to poultry barns where they never see daylight, are only allowed eat what they are given, only drink what they are given, and are viewed as commodities. Overcrowding is acceptable, and they must be fed a constant barrage of antibiotics to live and this is the real revolting part, they are fed unwanted chicks that are ground and put into the feed. How are we any different? We are spoon fed drivel from the news services, eat what we are given, drink what we are given, and the corporations care no more about what we are "fed" than they do the chickens. Well, they care if they get sued, but otherwise if they can get away with it, they will cram crap at us until we smarten up and say "enough is enough".
The drive to get consumers to buy a particular product involves complex psychology and marketing to make the product seem indispensible. We are bombarded night and day to buy, buy, buy. People go into big debt buying the latest and greatest thing, to feel like they have accomplished something. I do believe in personal responsibility, so we are inevitably responsible for racking up debt. However, we are programmed from early childhood with brand recognition, product placement and the chant "buy, buy, buy" ringing in our ears. After 9/11 President Bush said to go shopping as the surest way to beat terrorism. (I paraphrased, but you get my drift.) I am not a communist, I am not a socialist, I am a patriot who is sickened at what we are allowing to happen in our own backyard.
Which brings me to Dave. He is a street medic, which for those of you who don't know means he acts as a first aid provider during protests and between as well. He and his fellow medics work hours that some of us never have. 24 hour shifts are not unheard of and stress is a constant companion. Having talked to some of the medics, I can say that these men and women are risking more than their physical selves, they are risking PTSD. Imagine if you will, facing an armed force who has made a habit of beatings, sprayings and physical intimidation. An armed force that has dislocated shoulders, intentionally caused nerve damage in wrists, caused head trauma. Don't believe me? Do a search on youtube for "occupy police brutality". Bring a bucket, because the videos are pretty sickening. These medics know all this and run toward the sound of whichever side calls "MEDIC!!!" Would you? I don't know that I would. They do it over and over again. Why? Because they believe that we are worth it, that we deserve a better world, a world where people matter, again. Where big business cannot donate to Super PACs without disclosure (do some research on that little goodie.) Where our elected officials are not bought and paid for by the highest contributor, but are beholden to us, the voters. Where our voices are at least as loud as the corporations.
What do they ask in return? Nothing. No benefits, not GI loans to restart their lives after their time of service, no pay to make a nest egg, nothing. Do you think we can as Americans take the lessons of the past and apply them to these folks? I am asking you to reach out to an Occupier, a protester, a patriot and have a kind word, maybe a honk of a horn. If that is too much, how about just not saying "Get a job!" or telling someone you hear running the Occupiers down that you think they at least deserve a modicum of respect whatever their politics. Thank you for listening and I hope you can do this for me
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)