Coming Attractions

I warned I would be spotty this week. We're out of town and I've lost my routine. Anyway, that's my excuse.

And I'm missing out on some dynamic news. Ford disses the Iraq war. Bush snubs Ford's funeral. Forget soap operas. Washington politics has more drama.

And then there's Saddam. Isn't hanging outlawed in the U.S.? Isn't it cruel and unusual? I know, Saddam's not an American--though he did work closely with the U.S. governmeny for several years. And he was a dictator, but Iraq was much more peaceful back in the day. I'm no fan of the guy, but I don't understand the intense hatred for him here in this country. And I become concerned when people anticipate someone's death with glee.

So I missed all that news, and more. But I have something exciting coming to this place.'

Sometime next week I plan to take off on a road trip. I have a rough itinerary, but I hope for (good) surprises--not flat tires or anything like that. I'll be writing from the road. Happy trails!

On the Road

I didn't post yesterday because I completely forgot it was Monday. I don't celebrate Christmas, but the holiday threw everything off just the same.

I'm writing tonight (okay, early this morning) from St. Louis. I'm at my mother's house on my first stop of my road trip. My mother and I plan to do some exploring in warmer climes.

We'll take off next week. I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, forgive me if my posts are spotty.

Fair and Just

Newly-elected congressman, Keith Ellison, plans to take the oath of office by swearing on the Qur'an, not the Bible. Some have raised an uproar over this. I'm not talking about the general public. I'm talking about the leaders. They're missing some important points.

1. The United States is not a Christian nation. The founding fathers, many of whom were not Christians but Theists, took pains to create a secular state. Therefore, the Bible is not the official holy book of this country. There is no official religion and no official holy book.

2. The voters of Minnesota chose Ellison to represent them and they knew he was a Muslim. We should respect the choice of the voters.

3. The Bible doesn't have a strong intrinsic meaning to Muslims. The Qur'an does. So if someone is being asked to uphold his duties, shouldn't he swear by that which is important to him? No one is asking a Christian congressman to swear on the Qur'an. That would be nonsense. So why should a Muslim congressman swear on the Bible? It's only fair.

I would like to recognize a small victory for justice. Soldiers responsible for the Haritha massacre will be punished.

My only question is, When will we punish the person who started this whole mess in the first place?

What's the point?

Will there be 3000 American dead in Iraq by the end of 2006? Not likely, but it's possible.

Meanwhile, more troops are being sent. Why? To deepen the chaos and increase the number of deaths? I don't see any other reason. Unless it's a misguided attempt to save a war which cannot and should not be saved. But I think it's a little late for that.

I was one of those standing on the street corner in the weeks before the invasion of Iraq. Some honked. Many cursed. When The Decider began the war, in spite of all conventional wisdom, I lost hope. Not entirely. But it seemed pointless to stand outside in the cold and voice your opposition to a war which would begin no matter what you, or anyone else, said because that's what the dictator, er president, has decided.

Americans spoke at the polling places last month. Soon the new Congress will be seated. And if they continue with the same old mistakes, the same old lies, I will know it has all been pointless.

But hope is good. Without it, what is there?

Sanity

Crime rates increase.

Civil war spreads.

Children exploited.

Rage consumes "civilization." It seems to grow hotter every day, every year. A global warming more threatening than the melting of icecaps.

Yet we must remain peaceful and sane. Surrender is not an option.

We search for peace. In creation and the Creator.

We have to have something to get us through the day.

Searching

I'm not sure what to write about tonight. Have any ideas?

The top two stories are the search for the two remaining hikers on Mt. Hood and the Pentagon's agreement that things need to change in Iraq.

One group searching for safety. The other searching for a way to save themselves from the monster they created.

Snow. War. The world is full of danger.

But the snowstorm couldn't have been avoided. The War in Iraq could have. And should have. Second guessing when thousands are dead doesn't cut it.

Chemical Killers

A major news item tonight is that breast cancer rates are continuing to fall. The decline is being attributed to discontinuation of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) which usually began when a woman approached menopause. The removal of that one factor is said to be significant.

I always believed that cancer was caused when something unnatural was introduced into the body. I have cancer now and I still believe that. In fact, I've spent months searching for a cause for my leukemia. I've never smoked (except for that one experiment back when I was in college), I've never drunk alcohol (except for communion wine in church before I became a Muslim), and for the last twenty years my diet has been fairly healthy. I knew there had to be a cause. And I've found it.

Benzene is a chemical derived from petroleum. It is present in many things, including perfumes. I have been allergic to perfume, and scents in general, since 1986. I've tried to avoid them, but it has been increasingly difficult. Muslims generally wear scents--often quite heavily--and so I was exposed reguarly when I taught in an Islamic school. I became increasingly sick--new symptoms appearing every couple of years--but I kept trudging on. Finally, in January, I accidentally walked into an aerosol spray of air freshener and w as stopped dead in my tracks.

Benzene doesn't just activate allergic responses in me and others. It can cause leukemia. I'm convinced that's what made me sick. The chemicals actually alter genetic structures. When I Googled benzene earlier today, the first listing was a law firm which helps those who have been exposed. Their site confirmed what I already knew. Benzene causes leukemia. Think about it.

Think about it when you plug in that air freshener. When you pour on the scented shampoo, soap up with jasmine or rose and put on your scented anti-perspirant. When you put on the clothes which were washing in scented detergent and dried with scented dryer sheets. When you spray air fresheners. When you pour on perfume, cologne or aftershave. Think about it.

The rate of leukemia is rising. The kind I have used to be for old people, but the patients are getting younger. And more children are getting leukemia.

Do you wonder when we spend so much time trying to create artificial scents? Of course we don't want to smell bad. But we don't need to overdo it. As the commercial said back in the 60s, "A little dab'll do ya."

Chemicals are killing us. They're in our medicines. In our food. In our water. And in the air we breathe. We need to demand a change before it's too late.

Slow and Steady Wins

"The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get." I saw that on a poster in the 70s and it has become a mantra for me. I recite it when I'm rushing to finish and realize I'm only slowing myself down in the process. So I take a deep breath and perform the tasks at my own steady pace. I'm much faster when I'm slow. And more effective.

I'm not the only one who doesn't like to be rushed. The Decider says he will not be rushed into a decision about Iraq. I know it's already been said, but I wish he had felt that way four years ago.

Rushing to run errands. Rushing to war. Different, yet similar in their inefficiency. When I rush I am more likely to drop something, break something, forget something. When the Decider rushes, he destroys a country and kills thousands.

But there are times when speed is called for. If my child is hurt, slow and steady flies out the window. Our nation is dying. Don't you think somebody had better do something about it. ASAP!

Name-calling

I saw an interesting, and discouraging, video on CNN.com today. It addressed the problem some people have with Barak Obama. Some get Obama confused with Osama. Others point out that his middle name is Hussein, which is the last name of Saddam Hussein. Therefore, because Barak Obama is so similar to Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein he will have trouble getting elected.

What?

When I was four or five I thought all people named Johnson, Smith, Jones, etc., were related. As a Kolocotronis, that was very credible to me because I am related, in some way or another, to all others named Kolocotronis. (Though many of them, I'm sure, would like to disown the member of their family who chose to follow the same religion as those "dirty Moslem Turks." I think that's how my great uncle put it.) However, some Americans seem to believe that all Muslims who share the same names have the same (evil) intentions.

For all of my fellow Americans who still don't know where Iraq is even though they can recite every known fact about Britney Spears and company, I have a few factual reminders:

1. Obama is not Osama.

2. There are thousands, possibly millions of men named Osama--or, alternatively, Osamah or Usama. Do you really believe they are all evil?

3. There are probably millions of men named Hussein, after the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

4. There are over one billion Muslims in the world. If we really wanted to destroy non-Muslims, we would have done it by now. All we want is to live peacefully and be allowed to raise our families and practice our faith.

5. Islam has no more kooks than Christianity does--or any other religious or ethnic group.

6. As Will Rogers said, "Don't believe everything you read in the papers." (Will Rogers was an American humorist of the 1920s, for those of you who don't know much about history.)

Is that it? I think it will do for now.

I believe Barak Obama is a very capable man who would make a fine president. I also believe he will not be elected. And it's not just because of his name--in fact, I think this whole name thing is an intentional diversion. He will probably never be president of the United States because he is black and America is not ready for a black president. I don't know if we ever will be.

* * *

Footnote--Have you noticed that America is far behind countries such as Pakistan, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, which have already had women leaders. And we are far behind South Africa, where a mixed race society elected a black leader. So much for progress.

Power and Responsibility

"The U.S. has given the world an example of a democracy in which everyone, including the most powerful, is subject to legal restraint. Its current moment of world supremacy gives it a priceless opportunity to entrench the same principles at the global level. "

In his farewell address, delivered in my home state of Missouri, Kofi Annan reminded Americans that power and responsibility cannot be separated. In a democratic society, those who have authority cannot forget their obligations to those who placed them in positions of authority. Or, as this nation's founders wrote:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. . ."

It's a theory as old as the Renaissance--older than that actually because it goes back to Prophet Muhammad (S). Leaders are accountable to the people they rule. Those who forget this are often doomed to failure and a rapid fall from power. If you don't believe me, read your history. Pick an empire--Babylonian, Persian, Roman. American, History students enjoy learning about the inept and the corrupt. It's not much fun, though, when you're living through it.

Annan also quoted from Harry Truman, which I think detracted from his speech. My fellow Missourian remains the only human being to order the dropping of a nuclear weapon upon a civilian population. Twice. That fact tarnishes any appreciation I have for the man's plain speaking. But the blame has to rest somewhere. Even Harry Truman knew that much.

Bucking the Trend

It's finally becoming popular to oppose the policies of the Bush White House.

It's even popular now to oppose the Iraq War.

I can foresee a time when doubting the official 9/11 story will be popular too.

But why do we have to wait until everyone else accepts a truth just so we can jump on the bandwagon?

Why do we have to learn things the hard way?

And if everyone was a non-conformist, would that be conformity?

"You're right. . ."

Not always, but occasionally my husband realizes I was right when I told him. . .I'm sorry, I can't think of any examples right now. But it happens often enough that sometimes when I know I'm right, before the final decision is made, I kindly remind him of these moments of hindsight.

So we both make mistakes, my husband and me. But our mistakes don't cost lives.

This morning I woke up to the face of President Bush as he spoke with Iraq study group. It took me a while to figure out what was going on.

He's finally admitting he could possibly have been wrong about Iraq. With hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead, nearly 3000 dead American solders, and a country in shambles.

Hindsight isn't good enough.

Lost Boys

The saddest story I read tonight was about the 12-year old whose mother called police because the boy had opened, and taken, one of the presents under the Christmas tree. Police charged the boy with petty larceny.

Of course what the boy did was wrong. But will giving him a police record at the age of 12 improve his chances for a successful life? Or will it ensure he's in prison by the time he's 18?

The family has many challenges. The mother is 27 and single--her son was obviously born when she was just a teen. With a young mother and no father, how will a child learn?

Twelve-year old boys are particularly difficult. I've raised five of them, and I have one more to go. They are self-centered and short-sighted. Hormones are raging and they don't know what to do with all their energy. They must be carefully nourished, constantly guided, and frequently reassured.

Gone are the days when Ward Cleaver sat down with Beaver and patiently taught him about life. Too often young boys and their stressed-out mothers are left to struggle without support.

What can you do about that?

Drugs kill

Not just the illegal kind. The legal ones also. The ones which are advertised during the national news. They promise a new life, except for side effects which could include a plethora of maladies such as blindness or death.

Over 100,000 Americans die each year from prescription drugs. More are sickened or disabled. The newest culprit is a cholesterol-lowering drug which was meant to prevent the risk of heart attacks. The disheartening news is that this drug, like others, can be a killer.

I'm not sure when Americans began to rely heavily on chemical cures. I only know that those cures, once so promising, are now turning against us. And we must find other options.

I'm seeking natural alternatives for my family. Drinking water. Sleeping eight hours a day. Eating nutritious meals without additives and preservatives. Enjoying fresh air in the summer and opening the curtains to sunlight whenever possible.

I don't believe the human body was meant to consume and absorb chemicals from the food and air. Once we realize that, we will all be healthier.