Occupy Wallstreet is Brilliant

Not having a spokesperson is so bloomin smart. I know the talking heads are focusing on this as the movements weakness. But it is in fact brilliant. The media are frothing at the mouth to find the "head" of the movement. They need this person so they can systematically discount them as well as the movement. They would destroy this person's homelife, sociallife, professional life, and character, if ONLY THEY COULD FIND THEM!!
The other most impressive strategy of the movement is the insistance on General Assembly. It prevents infiltration from individuals intent upon razing the movement. It is difficult to get past the whole group, with a suspicious agenda. It also makes it difficult to sabotage the inner workings of the occupation.
BUT the most brilliant of the Occupy Wallstreet foresight, was the multi message, multi activist, multi unionist, diversity in the "messages". I absolutely LOVE it when the Media Kings say, "What do these people want?" or "they don't have a message..." It makes them look pitifully ignorant. Its like a big puzzle, and they honestly believe that their viewers are as confused as they want them to be. Well, good luck with that guys!
This movement is growing. It is remaining true to the nature of at it's core. 99% of the nation has a beef with corporate political rapists and plunderers. The particular instances will be diverse and individually important. But the movement itself is not fractured at all. The movement is cohesive, coherent, committed and consolidated. It will prevail. It is spreading around the globe. It has allies in all sorts of invaluable places. The only portion of the 99% that doesn't agree with, understand or at least empathize with this movement will never be able to. They aren't capable of independent thinking. They don't even know how lucky the are to have this growing voice crying out for change, for them.

Growing Old Growing Up

First of all, doing anything with dignity requires maintaining a positive attitude. I think that is what makes aging so difficult. I'm not sure if the aging process itself creates the pessimism that adorns so many elderly. Bogged down with aches and pains, remorse, regrets, failing memory, uncertainty about what problem may come next, not to mention that leaky bladder they've been trying to keep a secret. I have watched my own parents wade through the tricky marshes of growing old, and can tell you, it can get ugly. But inevitably the guy with the best attitude takes the prize.
At his best my father was the consummate party goer, at his worst he was a chain smoking alcoholic. We started warning him in his 60s about the havoc he was wreaking upon his body, and the consequences. He'd laugh, and babble on about life not being worth living if he couldn't do what he wanted. We'd smirk and tell him that he had never been lucky enough in life so far, to just up and die of his antics. NO, we told him he would live with failing lungs and dialysis, stewing in his own juices for years before he'd be allowed to check out! We were right. It sucked, and worse than we predicted. He suffered for 5 years, hardly able to walk, with cellulitis in both his legs from poor circulation caused by advanced emphysema. He suffered constantly with anemia, constipation, and congestive heart failure, before he turned 75. It was hard, but his sense of humor made it possible. His laughter and self deprecation, intrigued all his medical attendants. His sense of irony and hilarity carried him through it to the very end. In as much as it was insanely hard on him, his attitude made easier on us all.
And now, mother is showing the signs of dignity forfeiture! The antithesis of our Dad, she never drank, partied or smoked, opting for the more sedate life of kneelers, rosary beads, and baby showers. Likewise, she has cruised fairly smoothly through her 70s, with the one exception, she abhors physical exercise. This would not prove to be such a problem were it not for the expensive luxury diet she follows. As she ages she is less impressed with her cooking skills, that and the fact that she lets her fresh food rot before she remembers to cook it. A regular diet of real buttered salted vegetables and deep fried foods, have left her home gruel a bit lacking to say the least. Even I can't tolerate most of her home cooking these days. She spends an abundance of her paycheck on eating out, and take out foods. She has put on at least 20 pounds in the past year, although she will not confess this, not ever. She is starting to hobble noticeably as she walks, the poor arthritic knee can't take the extra burden. The higher fat diet has thrown her diabetes into a tailspin, the high sugars causing her to be irritable, foggy, and sometimes confused. She has prevailed without injury, her 2 car collisions, 3 fender benders, and her several episodes of being baffled about how to get the car to start. We're still baffled about that too. To our good fortune she has been able to laugh at herself and her antics up till now. As her behavior declines her attitude seems to follow.
So now here we are. With Dad, his declining health dictated how we should proceed to care for him. But with Mom, it's alien territory. We need to take her car keys away. But losing that independence will wreck her self esteem. We need to curtail her debilitating diet, even though she says she eats healthy. We need to institute an exercise program that she can enjoy, other than pushing her cart through the grocery store, or vacuuming to music. All of these things could be accomplished were we to place her into the local retirement center.
I even found one that was founded by the Sisters of Charity, and has chapel every morning, transportation to any place they want to go, weekend lunches to any restaurant in town, wii bowling, bunco Tuesdays, and movie nights. She wouldn't speak to me for 2 days after I got us an appointment to tour the place. She hates the small rooms, she hates giving up her stuff, the food wasn't that good, everybody there has a walker, no one will want to come visit her in a place like that....and on and on and on. The sense of humor we enjoyed through the worst of Dad's aging, is sadly missing at times with mother. Holy crap, it is one thousand times easier to just leave her alone.
Easier yes, better, no. Transition is hard for all of us, especially the old. I keep reminding myself of that. It's difficult, especially since she has called me since I started this post, to tell me she backed into her garage door, and doesn't know what to do. It doesn't help that she had my 9 year old in the back seat when it happened. It doesn't help having a brother and sister that live more than 4 hours away, unable to share the responsibility of "watching after" the destructive little gal. Inevitably it will be on my shoulders to decide what to do about her. How do I keep mother from throwing away her dignity? How do you convince the irrational to do anything? I suppose I should remind myself that I'm getting older too, and perhaps it is me that could use a little humor injection see it through. A little attitude adjustment that says look for the positive here...I've been wanting a new Van. "Hey mom, here, take my car up to the Burger Chef, will ya? We could use a bacon double cheese triple meat burger don't ya think? ...biggie everything!"

Passing of the King

Sad ending for a tragic life. I enjoyed his music, but his life was a train wreck. Odd and spectacular, constantly eyebrow raising, you couldn't help but watch it. Like a Kubrick flick, enthralling and repulsive. There is no way the world will ever know the real MJ. It is apparent that he didn't really know him either. That his kids loved him, well, John Wayne Gacy's children loved him too. That's just the way it works. I think basically MJ was a gentle soul, thrown into a viscious profession at a tender age. I think he was fascinated at the way the public devoured his persona, and spent his life experimenting with and manipulating the press. I think he was obsessed with childhood, having lost his own to his career. I think the child in him sought out other children to share his wonderland, but the man he had become was warped and misguided. We will never know for certain, whether he was truly pedophilic, or just a damaged needy child in a grown up world. Whichever, the successes of his life time will forever be marred by the accusations of child abuse that accompanied them.

Rick Perry - Just Plain Scary

Yes, Mr. Perry, we understand you want to have the GOP behind you for your 2012 run for President. But it will be a little late for Texas, by the time you get there. You refuse stimulus money, because you don't like HAVING to spend it on Education and Healthcare, two of the things that are most abominable about Texas. Oh, I know, we have Houston and some incredible Medical Professionals raising the bar there daily. But GOD help you if you live in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, or San Angelo, or Brownsville. And as for education, the TAKS tests are administered like concentration camps. It is hideous what we are putting our kids through, not to mention what we are demanding of our teachers. Texas could be so much greater, if we had a smart, conscientious person at the helm. I think we've had way to many swaggering egomaniacs running the state. I myself will proudly wear my IMPEACH PERRY Tshirts everytime I volunteer at the school, and everytime I wait for my Doctors appointments....as a reminder to all about the funds you turned down for your own personal crusade. Better be careful, there are so very many disenchanted, out of work, (NRA)Texans now with alot of idle time to think about your antics.

Feel Good about being Human

This video made me feel good about being human. With the horrors we are shown on the news daily, It is nice to be reminded that most people are good.

Return

My big return. I don't know why I've not been posting. I think that I was basking in the Obama afterglow or something. You can't help but smile everytime you turn on the political machines. The republicans look like crazy monkeys. I think this loss really damaged their minds. I kind of like watching them now. Hmph.

A Light in the Window

Finally a story you can wrap your arms around! If we could see more stories like this I think it would bring out the best in all of us, rather than the beasts that have been lurking around every news team. Enjoy!