Friday, May 11, 2012
A Letter to My Mother
I wrote this about fifteen years ago for an online publication. Every word of it is still true.
Mom,
Of all things that are certain and all things doubtful, that I am your daughter is the former. I will be your daughter when I am fifty. I will be your daughter when you have left this world. I will be your daughter when I join you in the Afterlife. And our relationship will forevermore be characterized by this union.
How can I delve into the mysteries of this creative power you were given? How can I fully explain the depths of my feelings about you as my mother? My innermost recollections and emotions can only be served up on the platter of a reincarnated repetition—for in becoming Mother I know my mother; in evolving into a creator I have become like my creator and my Creator.
Fleeting visions—sounds, smells and tastes; meld together into a reclining ladder that leads to our meeting place. The place of understanding and forgiveness and ultimately, Peace.
My senses come alive at the memories of childhood. The familiar clangs of spatula against pot, beaters against bowl, and plates against table as you prepared my food. The sound of a new crayon box; opened by your hands, and the swish of an encyclopedia being pulled from the bookshelf as you encouraged me to expand my mind and soul. The hot, moist smell of mashed potatoes and the sight of a steamed-up kitchen window. The firm softness of your voice as you explained a difficult concept to me so that my heart would not become hardened. The warmth of your hand as you consoled me in my inexplicable sorrow.
Such awkward years before I Left for Greater Things—how intelligent and powerful I thought I was! You were outdated—I was progressive. You were obstinate—I was tolerant. You were emotional—I was stable. You didn't understand—I was all-knowing. You were Mom--always in the background and often taken for granted. I was consumed with my needs and my wants and my dreams. I thought of your presence as an obstacle to overcome.
Into adulthood, the obstacle turned into baggage—deliberately carried in spite of plenty of time and space to relinquish it. Why couldn't she have done it this way? Why didn't she say it that way? It's because of her I feel so…
It's because of her I feel. I Feel.
Life. You gave me life. The power of God's creative ability was manifested into your being. You Lived and you Loved by giving birth. You toiled and prayed and accomplished the task at hand. There was suffering. There were regrets. But surely, on my part, there was room for gratitude at the very least. Surely I could move on.
So I moved on. And in moving on I, too, carried Life and brought it forth with the same Creative power that you held. I gave my Life and my All to my child with Love, and the journey continues—a journey not of my own making, but of yours and God's. For I am merely a rung on that ladder which started at the beginning of the Ages, culminated with your grandmother and her daughter, and continues with my daughter and me.
The continuance of praying and toiling and accomplishing the most daunting duty ever created now occasionally makes me suffer. I have regrets and worries and all I can do is hope that my child will thrive. And in this realization comes more than simple gratitude for your perseverance. What comes is celebration—a joyous song of thanksgiving for all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will be. For in forging ahead I have come to understand the years behind us. I am humbled and exalted at the same time.
Will my daughter revel in the sound of a new crayon box? Will she ever understand how, despite her protests and rolling eyes, some things that I tell her are only to help keep her heart from becoming hardened? Can the wafting scent of freshly-cooked something stir in her a simple fondness for the good things? When she is overcome with fear or anger or disappointment, will my comfort envelop her and give her renewed strength? Will the remembrance of that comfort remain in her heart forever?
Before she decides to Get Out of This House, will she contemplate that I, too, am fragile beyond understanding and that my deepest desire is her well-being? When she moves on to try and discover who she is and where she is going, will she carry my memory as a weighty burden or will she lift it off with careless glee as we walk the rest of our Pilgrimage together?
My only salvation that keeps me from wandering into a dark abyss of fear and "what-ifs" is the Present. The conversation that you and I had just the other day; sharing health concerns and baby stories and hopes for a better tomorrow: the notion that we are all just trudging our way through these valleys and plains and mountains with the very same tools the women before us also used. Gut instinct, a miraculous Mother Sense, and an intense, innate desire to protect those whom we've co-created from harm.
You still perform this Mother Work. You still utter your praises to me and offer assistance. Only this time you first ask what my needs are. You trust that I have found my own way, and your Mothering has grown and changed.
I use the gifts you gave me and also the ones I developed on my own, but still it is not enough. It is not perfect. Only in the realm of God will we come to know if our efforts were truly fruitful. There we will be shown how our Love gave Life and how our Lives gave Love. There we will meet all of our maternal ancestors and be reunited with the Creative Essence that enabled us to extend the ladder; to eternally give of ourselves in the most profound way that no other can possibly possess or even comprehend.
You nurtured, pruned, and tore your hair out. I am nurturing, pruning, and tearing my hair out. I am you. You were me. We accept the past for what it was—a process, a learning; an infinitesimal speck and at the same time a bonding beyond measure to the turning universe.
And so, my dear mother, we peacefully, painstakingly, move on. We lift our legs one rung at a time, climbing Life with no looking back—only holding on. For if we've made it this far, we can surely make it to the top. Just like they did.
Love,
Your Daughter
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Bullying Curriculum...For Teachers?
The story of Akian, a 10 year old boy from New Jersey with autism, has become a YouTube sensation. Stories of bullying teachers are indeed out there, but this one in particular has created much more publicity than usual because of audio recordings that offer proof that it was indeed occurring. And these kinds of stories are going to become more commonplace because parents are utilizing technology to gain justice for their children.
Akian’s father was able to record teachers humiliating his son, repeatedly yelling at him to “shut up” and calling the child a “bastard.” What’s more disheartening is the result of the father’s complaints even after proof of the bullying. The aid was fired; the teacher was merely transferred to another school. Akian’s father maintains that the teacher was there in the room and did nothing to reprimand the aids who were abusing his son; the school claims that they can’t prove the teacher was in the room, in spite of hearing several female voices on the recording.
A father and mother in Washington are outraged after their 5-year-old son was sent home from school, and forced to carry a package of human feces. Attached to the bag was the note: “This little turd was on the floor in my room.” The result of this inappropriate behavior: teacher “reprimanded.”
A school teacher in Washburn, Missouri refused to let a kindergartner go to the restroom, and then forced her to sit in her own feces for fifteen minutes. The teacher asked students to go to the bathroom before a math test, and then refused to let the little girl leave during the test. The six-year-old, who tended to get nervous around test times, was unable to keep herself from evacuating her bowels, but was told to remain seated until test time was over. She nervous girl was covered from hip to foot in diarrhea. Result: teacher “instructed in sensitivity.”
Five- year old Gabriel of Indiana suffered verbal abuse at the hands of his teachers. After months of complaining by his parents with no action being taken, they sent their son in with a hidden digital recorder. They obtained proof that the teacher berated him in front of the class, asking if the class wanted him in the room, telling him even his friends don’t want him around. This went on for 149 days. Result: teacher put on paid administrative leave.
Parents of Cheyenne of Ohio sent in a recorder with their 14 year old special needs child for four days. This is what they heard: “You are such a liar. It’s no wonder you don’t have any friends, no wonder nobody likes you. You need to do something to get rid of that belly. You don’t do enough at home but sit and watch TV all night and all weekend. Get you parents and go for a walk…I know you failed that test, I don’t even need to grade it, just keep it.” Result: teacher’s aid was fired, teacher on unpaid suspension.
Also from New Jersey at a special education center: fifteen-year old Julio was subjected to this: “nobody gives a f*** about you, you tard. I will kick your a** from here to kingdom come ‘til I’m 80 years old!”
There are no “two sides to every story” in these cases. The audio recordings go on for hours and hours, and it is clear that these teachers are, quite simply, horrible human beings. They should be fired and never allowed to teach again. Tenure and “special” circumstances make no difference. No child should have to be subjected to this kind of treatment.
On that note, as a mother of six, I have never had any time that I believed a teacher was bullying my child. We are very blessed in our area to have many qualified and compassionate teachers.
However, Stuart Twemlow, a psychiatrist who directs the Peaceful Schools and Communities Project at the Menninger Clinic in Houston, says that the problem is much more prevalent than we believe.
According to his new study, published in The International Journal of Social Psychiatry, more than 70% of teachers believed that bullying by teachers was isolated. But 45% admitted to having bullied a student. Some teachers (of the 116 in the study) became extremely angry simply because Twemlow had the nerve to ask the question.
Twemlow, a former high school teacher, says he’s not out to bash teachers. "There are a few bad apples, but the vast majority of teachers go beyond the call of duty. They're very committed and altruistic."
A study in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 2005 showed “correlation” between teachers who bully and the success (or, in this case, lake thereof) of its students.
No kidding?
With all of the “bullying” programs in schools, perhaps it’s time to offer such a program for teachers.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
False Outrage At Its Finest
The Trayvon Martin case has brought out the usual suspects of African American “leaders” who cry racism at every turn. The Reverends Jackson and Sharpton, using the same rhetoric of the Rodney King and Tawana Brawley cases, claim to be representing the black population.
But not all black leaders agree with their tactics.
Southern Baptist leader Richard Land has put his two cents in.
“Jesse Jackson says blacks are under attack. Louis Farrakhan vows retaliation. Rev. Al Sharpton organized massive protests demanding Mr. Zimmerman be arrested and sent to jail. [But the facts of the case will] be vetted in court, not in a mob mentality that's been juiced up by Al Sharpton who is a provocateur and racial ambulance chaser of the first order aided and abetted by Jesse Jackson.”
Rev. C.L. Bryant, once the chapter president of the Garland, Texas NAACP, said Martin’s family “should be outraged at the fact that they’re using this child as the bait to inflame racial passions.” He called Jackson and Sharpton “race hustlers” who are “acting as though they are buzzards circling the carcass of this young boy.”
And Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr., says she hopes Americans will see through it all. “[They] hype this so much to a point and make all these big demonstrations. Of course, there should be an outrage and there should be an outcry. But, remember: There are many other young people who are at risk and many young people getting killed in violent situations…I would believe that, by stirring up all of the emotions and reactions, I want to encourage them to remember the man that they say that they followed, to remember that his message (MLK’s) was nonviolence and very loving.” The likes of Jackson and Sharpton should “talk about nonviolence and not incite people with that race card that they are very good at playing.”
Her point of “many young people getting killed in violence situations” should not be underscored. The United States Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that 93% of blacks killed each year are killed by other blacks. Black on black violence is the Elephant in the Room that “leaders” like Sharpton and Jackson refused to acknowledge. While blacks are at about 12.5% of our population, nearly 50% of all homicide victims are black.
Why don’t these civil rights “leaders” work on that? Where are their demonstrations, their outcries, and their demands for justice for the 41 people, mostly African-American, who were shot and killed in Chicago alone in just three days this year?
Until these “leaders” address those injustices, their words of outrage are indeed just plain false.
But not all black leaders agree with their tactics.
Southern Baptist leader Richard Land has put his two cents in.
“Jesse Jackson says blacks are under attack. Louis Farrakhan vows retaliation. Rev. Al Sharpton organized massive protests demanding Mr. Zimmerman be arrested and sent to jail. [But the facts of the case will] be vetted in court, not in a mob mentality that's been juiced up by Al Sharpton who is a provocateur and racial ambulance chaser of the first order aided and abetted by Jesse Jackson.”
Rev. C.L. Bryant, once the chapter president of the Garland, Texas NAACP, said Martin’s family “should be outraged at the fact that they’re using this child as the bait to inflame racial passions.” He called Jackson and Sharpton “race hustlers” who are “acting as though they are buzzards circling the carcass of this young boy.”
And Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr., says she hopes Americans will see through it all. “[They] hype this so much to a point and make all these big demonstrations. Of course, there should be an outrage and there should be an outcry. But, remember: There are many other young people who are at risk and many young people getting killed in violent situations…I would believe that, by stirring up all of the emotions and reactions, I want to encourage them to remember the man that they say that they followed, to remember that his message (MLK’s) was nonviolence and very loving.” The likes of Jackson and Sharpton should “talk about nonviolence and not incite people with that race card that they are very good at playing.”
Her point of “many young people getting killed in violence situations” should not be underscored. The United States Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that 93% of blacks killed each year are killed by other blacks. Black on black violence is the Elephant in the Room that “leaders” like Sharpton and Jackson refused to acknowledge. While blacks are at about 12.5% of our population, nearly 50% of all homicide victims are black.
Why don’t these civil rights “leaders” work on that? Where are their demonstrations, their outcries, and their demands for justice for the 41 people, mostly African-American, who were shot and killed in Chicago alone in just three days this year?
Until these “leaders” address those injustices, their words of outrage are indeed just plain false.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
It Sends the Global Warming Theorists Into Fits of Rage
If you are of the “intellectual” class and wear sandals in winter, WARNING: this might offend you. You can choose not to read it or you can do what most of your kind do when hearing information you don’t like…plug your ears and sing “Not hearing you,” call me names, call these scientists fools and then call me names, or…just cry like babies.
Climate change takes place when the earth’s temperatures suddenly rise.
Fact.
It’s happening right now and we are causing it.
Not so much.
Apparently a team of scientists at Syracuse University has discovered that global warming occurred 500 to 1000 years ago. Dubbed the “Medieval Warm Period” and thought to have been confined to Europe, the researchers now know that it extended all the way to Antarctica.
A rare mineral called ikaite has crystals which are only stable under cold conditions and melt at room temperature. The water that holds the crystal structure together actually traps “information” about temperatures present when the crystals formed.
And the information given to the geochemists was that there was a surge in temperature followed by a mini ice age.
This is interesting because I didn’t know there were cars or trains or industrial pollutants to increase the CO2 emissions. I had no idea that even back then we human beings were mucking up the environment and causing global crises because of our wasteful and contaminating lifestyles.
Tongue in cheek aside, these guys at Syracuse are proving what most scientists have hypothesized for decades. That climate change has occurred since the dawn of the Earth and will continue to do so throughout the ages.
There is no amount of green technology, recycling, or population control that could make the slightest iota of a difference in our vast, complex, and eons-old geo-thermal system.
I don’t want to hear anymore whining from the tree-huggers. You’re just wrong and have been all along.
Now I’m going to go and turn on every light on my house, turn on my car and let it idle, and refuse to compost my vegetable trimmings.
‘Cause I can.
Climate change takes place when the earth’s temperatures suddenly rise.
Fact.
It’s happening right now and we are causing it.
Not so much.
Apparently a team of scientists at Syracuse University has discovered that global warming occurred 500 to 1000 years ago. Dubbed the “Medieval Warm Period” and thought to have been confined to Europe, the researchers now know that it extended all the way to Antarctica.
A rare mineral called ikaite has crystals which are only stable under cold conditions and melt at room temperature. The water that holds the crystal structure together actually traps “information” about temperatures present when the crystals formed.
And the information given to the geochemists was that there was a surge in temperature followed by a mini ice age.
This is interesting because I didn’t know there were cars or trains or industrial pollutants to increase the CO2 emissions. I had no idea that even back then we human beings were mucking up the environment and causing global crises because of our wasteful and contaminating lifestyles.
Tongue in cheek aside, these guys at Syracuse are proving what most scientists have hypothesized for decades. That climate change has occurred since the dawn of the Earth and will continue to do so throughout the ages.
There is no amount of green technology, recycling, or population control that could make the slightest iota of a difference in our vast, complex, and eons-old geo-thermal system.
I don’t want to hear anymore whining from the tree-huggers. You’re just wrong and have been all along.
Now I’m going to go and turn on every light on my house, turn on my car and let it idle, and refuse to compost my vegetable trimmings.
‘Cause I can.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Ask A Simple Question, Get Called Names
It’s amazing how asking one question can send people into a tizzy.
What brings on such convulsions of anger? Not wanting to answer the question? Having no answer? Having to lie?
I really don’t know.
I only know that this is how I got treated when I asked one very simple question.
................
----- Original Message -----
From: Amy Mik
To: officemanager@infoblvd.net
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 9:13 AM
Subject: RE: ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE
Dear June Pieklo & Staff:
Good day.
I have gleaned information from a very reliable source that the masks/signs of Hogan were ordered and purchased by Hornell Partners for Growth
I appreciate the cleverness and loyalty displayed by those who "represented" our mayor at the parade. But if this is true it is a highly inappropriate use of the funds of hard-working Hornell businesses.
This "story" is making rounds in town, as you can expect, and I am hoping you could give me some information on this so that the rumors don't get out of hand.
Thanks,
Amy Mikolajczyk
From: ‘Shawn D. Hogan’
To: 'Amy Mik'
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 11:46 AM
Subject: Mayors Pictures
I paid for the pictures of me in the parade and I have personally paid for a lot of things in that parade over the years, why are you such a small minded individual, what have I ever done to you, for you to be so bitter, that parade is a fun event and a community event and you just made me sick to my stomach through your petty nonsense.
Thanks,
----- Original Message -----
From: Amy Mik
To ‘Shawn D. Hogan’
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 1:20 PM
Subject: Re: Mayors Pictures
There was nothing petty or small minded about a simple question.
As I said, I heard it from someone directly involved.
I thought you should be aware of it, so that you could offensively nip the rumors in the bud.
I am not the one spreading the rumors, I just heard it yesterday afternoon and emailed June this morning.
It's never surprising that you resort to name-calling. As for your sick stomach, that is of your own doing, not mine.
Amy
................................
But I'm bitter. Wow.
What brings on such convulsions of anger? Not wanting to answer the question? Having no answer? Having to lie?
I really don’t know.
I only know that this is how I got treated when I asked one very simple question.
................
----- Original Message -----
From: Amy Mik
To: officemanager@infoblvd.net
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 9:13 AM
Subject: RE: ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE
Dear June Pieklo & Staff:
Good day.
I have gleaned information from a very reliable source that the masks/signs of Hogan were ordered and purchased by Hornell Partners for Growth
I appreciate the cleverness and loyalty displayed by those who "represented" our mayor at the parade. But if this is true it is a highly inappropriate use of the funds of hard-working Hornell businesses.
This "story" is making rounds in town, as you can expect, and I am hoping you could give me some information on this so that the rumors don't get out of hand.
Thanks,
Amy Mikolajczyk
From: ‘Shawn D. Hogan’
To: 'Amy Mik'
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 11:46 AM
Subject: Mayors Pictures
I paid for the pictures of me in the parade and I have personally paid for a lot of things in that parade over the years, why are you such a small minded individual, what have I ever done to you, for you to be so bitter, that parade is a fun event and a community event and you just made me sick to my stomach through your petty nonsense.
Thanks,
----- Original Message -----
From: Amy Mik
To ‘Shawn D. Hogan’
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 1:20 PM
Subject: Re: Mayors Pictures
There was nothing petty or small minded about a simple question.
As I said, I heard it from someone directly involved.
I thought you should be aware of it, so that you could offensively nip the rumors in the bud.
I am not the one spreading the rumors, I just heard it yesterday afternoon and emailed June this morning.
It's never surprising that you resort to name-calling. As for your sick stomach, that is of your own doing, not mine.
Amy
................................
But I'm bitter. Wow.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Who's REALLY “Turning Back the Clocks” on Women’s Rights?
Who is really “turning back the clocks” on women’s rights?
Feminism was originally about equality, justice, and getting the government out of the way. Today’s feminism is not about women’s empowerment, it is about being a “certain” type of woman. The kind of woman who is wiling to give up religious freedom and relinquish her life to the state.
A liberal woman. There is no other, apparently.
Women like MSNBC Political Analyst Karen Finney. Regarding Santorum’s wins on Super Tuesday, she cannot comprehend why women would vote for a conservative:
“This woman vote really hurts me, I got to say. You heard me say that…It’s a little painful because I’m wondering if those women really heard the full message that, yes, there’s the economy, but if you’ve got to worry about your basic healthcare, how are you then going to be able to do what you need to do in terms of having a job, paying your rent, taking care of your kids?”
She is stunned that we could be so stupid. She implies that we think economic issues are more important than what she sees is a “health care” issue. Wrong, sweetheart. Most women just see that forcing Catholic institutions to pay for your birth control is a “freedom of religion” issue.
Hillary Clinton is that “certain” kind of woman, too:
“Why extremists always focus on women remains a mystery to me. But they all seem to. It doesn‘t matter what country they’re in or what religion they claim. They all want to control women.”
Because women do vote conservative, and Hillary knows this, she is saying that women are extremists who want to control women. Makes no sense, right?
Senator Bernard Sanders uses this seemingly inclusive and universal word, “women,” as well:
"If the Senate had 83 women and 17 men instead of 83 men and 17 women, my strong guess is a bill like this would never make it to the floor," he said, referring to the Republican amendment to circumvent a rule requiring employers to provide contraceptives.
Don’t put me in a box, Bernie. You don’t speak for me. You don’t speak for women. You speak for the minority. You speak for the Liberal Woman.
Then Nancy Pelosi really blew it.
"Five men are testifying on women's health," she said. "Where are the women? Imagine having a panel on women's health and they don't have any women on the panel."
She paused, and then added, "Duh!"
Apparently she was, um…mistaken.
Congressman Darrell Issa’s spokeswoman Becca Glover Watkins stated, "Rep. Pelosi is either ill informed or arrogantly dismissive of women who don’t share her views. Today’s hearing does in fact include two women, Dr. Allison Garrett of Oklahoma Christian University and Dr. Laura Champion of Calvin College Health Services," she said.
DUH, back atchya, Nancy.
Women literally don’t count unless they are liberals. They may as well not even exist.
It’s simple, “ladies” and “gentleman:”
We real women don’t want the government to pay our rent. We don’t want the government to provide us with a job or give us free birth control. We want the government to get the Hell out of our lives. We do not consider ourselves a weak sub-species that needs to be taken care of. We do not drink the kool-aid of the Pelosis and Clintons and Finneys. We’d rather be like Susan B. Anthony:
“There is not the woman born who desires to eat the bread of dependence, no matter whether it be from the hand of father, husband, or brother; for any one who does so eat her bread places herself in the power of the person from whom she takes it. Independence is happiness.”
The only “women” who are turning back the clock on women’s rights are the unhappy, dependent, and liberal ones.
Feminism was originally about equality, justice, and getting the government out of the way. Today’s feminism is not about women’s empowerment, it is about being a “certain” type of woman. The kind of woman who is wiling to give up religious freedom and relinquish her life to the state.
A liberal woman. There is no other, apparently.
Women like MSNBC Political Analyst Karen Finney. Regarding Santorum’s wins on Super Tuesday, she cannot comprehend why women would vote for a conservative:
“This woman vote really hurts me, I got to say. You heard me say that…It’s a little painful because I’m wondering if those women really heard the full message that, yes, there’s the economy, but if you’ve got to worry about your basic healthcare, how are you then going to be able to do what you need to do in terms of having a job, paying your rent, taking care of your kids?”
She is stunned that we could be so stupid. She implies that we think economic issues are more important than what she sees is a “health care” issue. Wrong, sweetheart. Most women just see that forcing Catholic institutions to pay for your birth control is a “freedom of religion” issue.
Hillary Clinton is that “certain” kind of woman, too:
“Why extremists always focus on women remains a mystery to me. But they all seem to. It doesn‘t matter what country they’re in or what religion they claim. They all want to control women.”
Because women do vote conservative, and Hillary knows this, she is saying that women are extremists who want to control women. Makes no sense, right?
Senator Bernard Sanders uses this seemingly inclusive and universal word, “women,” as well:
"If the Senate had 83 women and 17 men instead of 83 men and 17 women, my strong guess is a bill like this would never make it to the floor," he said, referring to the Republican amendment to circumvent a rule requiring employers to provide contraceptives.
Don’t put me in a box, Bernie. You don’t speak for me. You don’t speak for women. You speak for the minority. You speak for the Liberal Woman.
Then Nancy Pelosi really blew it.
"Five men are testifying on women's health," she said. "Where are the women? Imagine having a panel on women's health and they don't have any women on the panel."
She paused, and then added, "Duh!"
Apparently she was, um…mistaken.
Congressman Darrell Issa’s spokeswoman Becca Glover Watkins stated, "Rep. Pelosi is either ill informed or arrogantly dismissive of women who don’t share her views. Today’s hearing does in fact include two women, Dr. Allison Garrett of Oklahoma Christian University and Dr. Laura Champion of Calvin College Health Services," she said.
DUH, back atchya, Nancy.
Women literally don’t count unless they are liberals. They may as well not even exist.
It’s simple, “ladies” and “gentleman:”
We real women don’t want the government to pay our rent. We don’t want the government to provide us with a job or give us free birth control. We want the government to get the Hell out of our lives. We do not consider ourselves a weak sub-species that needs to be taken care of. We do not drink the kool-aid of the Pelosis and Clintons and Finneys. We’d rather be like Susan B. Anthony:
“There is not the woman born who desires to eat the bread of dependence, no matter whether it be from the hand of father, husband, or brother; for any one who does so eat her bread places herself in the power of the person from whom she takes it. Independence is happiness.”
The only “women” who are turning back the clock on women’s rights are the unhappy, dependent, and liberal ones.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Happy St. Patrick's Day
Since before the American Revolution, St. Patrick’s Day has been observed as a day for wearing green, a celebration of all things Irish, and a day to imbibe large amounts of food an alcohol. But it above all is supposed to celebrate St. Patrick, the captive turned rescuer, the humble priest turned iconic saint.
After converting hundreds and thousands at each town he ministered to, St. Patrick would issue a blessing upon the people. Here it is, with a specific edit courtesy yours truly.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!
A blessing on the Hornell people —
Men, youths, and women;
A blessing on the land
That yields them fruit.
A blessing on every treasure
That shall be produced on their plains,
Without any one being in want of help,
God's blessing be on Hornell.
A blessing on their peaks,
On their bare flagstones,
A blessing on their glens,
A blessing on their ridges.
Like the sand of the sea under ships,
Be the number in their hearths;
On slopes, on plains,
On mountains, on hills, a blessing.
After converting hundreds and thousands at each town he ministered to, St. Patrick would issue a blessing upon the people. Here it is, with a specific edit courtesy yours truly.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!
A blessing on the Hornell people —
Men, youths, and women;
A blessing on the land
That yields them fruit.
A blessing on every treasure
That shall be produced on their plains,
Without any one being in want of help,
God's blessing be on Hornell.
A blessing on their peaks,
On their bare flagstones,
A blessing on their glens,
A blessing on their ridges.
Like the sand of the sea under ships,
Be the number in their hearths;
On slopes, on plains,
On mountains, on hills, a blessing.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Right Attitude, Wrongful Birth
Recently on various social networks a campaign has been in full swing to educate the public about updates, photos, and jokes regarding those with mental or physical disabilities. “Spread the Word to End the Word” (referring to the “R” word), has generated a well-spring of positive, life-affirming activism that crosses the lines of race, creed, and age. In addition, the Arizona State legislature is ready to pass a law preventing “Wrongful Birth” lawsuits, adding themselves to Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Utah.
It seems we are growing as a culture.
Science has also made us more aware of the fact that none of us is qualified to judge what a life is “worth.” The life expectancy for a child with Downs Syndrome, for example, was age 9 in 1910, age of 25 in 1983, and is age 60 today.
Still, this change in attitude cannot possibly compete with the millions of dollars lawyers can make in “Wrongful Birth” lawsuits.
Go ahead, Google it. Check out all the ads. Rather disgusting if you ask me
Last week a jury awarded a nice chunk of change to a Portland-area couple whose daughter was born with Down Syndrome even though a prenatal test (tests purported to have an 80% false positive rate) found she didn't have the chromosomal abnormality. Taking less than six hours before reaching a verdict, Legacy Health System was ordered to pay Ariel and Deborah Levy nearly three million dollars.
While it’s predicted that a dozen states will have bans on “Wrongful Birth” lawsuits by the end of 2012, Oregon appears to be behind the times, moral and scientifically. And our great state of New York? We allow “Wrongful Life” suits, brought by our children.
Heaven help us.
The first “Wrongful Birth” lawsuit was New Jersey’s Gleitman v. Cosgrove in 1966. Told by her doctors that her rubella would not affect her child, a mother sued the medical staff because the child was born with various congenital abnormalities. The court rejected the case as illegitimate, stating:
“It is basic to the human condition to seek life and hold onto it, however heavily burdened….The right to life is inalienable in our society. A court cannot say what defect should prevent an embryo from being allowed life…The sanctity of a single human life is the decisive factor in this suit in tort. Eugenic considerations are not controlling…We firmly believe the right of the child to live is greater than and precludes their right not to endure emotional and financial distress.”
Such sentiment has become nearly obsolete now, as “Wrongful Birth” lawsuits became the norm once abortion was legalized in 1973.
Campaigns against the “R” word need to be followed up with an end to “WBLS.”
It seems we are growing as a culture.
Science has also made us more aware of the fact that none of us is qualified to judge what a life is “worth.” The life expectancy for a child with Downs Syndrome, for example, was age 9 in 1910, age of 25 in 1983, and is age 60 today.
Still, this change in attitude cannot possibly compete with the millions of dollars lawyers can make in “Wrongful Birth” lawsuits.
Go ahead, Google it. Check out all the ads. Rather disgusting if you ask me
Last week a jury awarded a nice chunk of change to a Portland-area couple whose daughter was born with Down Syndrome even though a prenatal test (tests purported to have an 80% false positive rate) found she didn't have the chromosomal abnormality. Taking less than six hours before reaching a verdict, Legacy Health System was ordered to pay Ariel and Deborah Levy nearly three million dollars.
While it’s predicted that a dozen states will have bans on “Wrongful Birth” lawsuits by the end of 2012, Oregon appears to be behind the times, moral and scientifically. And our great state of New York? We allow “Wrongful Life” suits, brought by our children.
Heaven help us.
The first “Wrongful Birth” lawsuit was New Jersey’s Gleitman v. Cosgrove in 1966. Told by her doctors that her rubella would not affect her child, a mother sued the medical staff because the child was born with various congenital abnormalities. The court rejected the case as illegitimate, stating:
“It is basic to the human condition to seek life and hold onto it, however heavily burdened….The right to life is inalienable in our society. A court cannot say what defect should prevent an embryo from being allowed life…The sanctity of a single human life is the decisive factor in this suit in tort. Eugenic considerations are not controlling…We firmly believe the right of the child to live is greater than and precludes their right not to endure emotional and financial distress.”
Such sentiment has become nearly obsolete now, as “Wrongful Birth” lawsuits became the norm once abortion was legalized in 1973.
Campaigns against the “R” word need to be followed up with an end to “WBLS.”
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Who’s to Blame for the Closing of Catholic Schools?
(Full disclosure: my husband is Chair of Our Lady of the Valley’s Finance Committee)
Television crews interview the teachers and children. Local newspapers run front page stories; social networks are abuzz with a “Save Our School” campaign.
The projected closing of St. Ann School in Hornell has awakened a sleeping giant. Time will tell if the miracle many are praying for will come to fruition.
Time will also tell if the gossip, slander, anger and enmity will be quelled by understanding and forgiveness.
What? Gossip? Anger? In a church?
Well, yeah.
It seems that those who recommended closing the school (strictly for financial reasons) are Public Enemy Number 1. Or I suppose in this case they’d be called Private Enemy Number 1. They are just selfish and evil. And those who want to keep the school open are noble and blameless.
It’s all black and white, you see.
The blame game runs the gamut from the Bishop to the Pastor to Council members to parishioners.
“They are bad. We are good.”
I won’t get started on the fact that maybe, just maybe, this kind of attitude from a significant minority in our parish is not exactly the best marketing strategy. Rather let’s look at what I believe is the singly valid and provable cause for Catholic schools closing not just in our area but across the entire country.
Tithing.
And the fact that Catholics just don’t do it.
Christian churches across the country don’t do it either. They average 2.2% of their income. Catholics average half that.
Well, you might say, times are tough. The economy’s poor. People have so many bills to pay, you know.
Anyone who believes that the average Catholic in the Canisteo Valley can’t give more than 1.1% to the Church that ministers to them is in full-fledge denial.
How much money do we spend on dining out for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a coffee? To get our manicure or pedicure? To buy drinks on Friday after work? For that trip to the mall to buy clothes?
Then we scramble for the spare change at the Mass’ Collection. We pull out the dollar bills and coins that remain after we’ve purchased all of our “necessities.”
Wow.
Sorry, God. Catch ya later.
The fact is that a lot of American Catholics have slid into the dark arena of worshipping Secular Consumerism.
It’s all about the stuff, you know.
This sentiment was echoed by the College of Cardinals last month, where it was stated: “[The] challenge of secularism…tends to marginalize religion from social life in the West.” Pope Benedict XVI addressed a similar theme: “The need for an authentic renewal of catechesis…against what has been defined as 'religious illiteracy.’”
Literacy such as Canon 222. §1: “Christ's faithful have the obligation to provide for the needs of the Church, so that the Church has available to it those things which are necessary for divine worship, for apostolic and charitable work and for the worthy support of its ministers.”
The worthy support of its ministers.
Not the leftovers we discover in our pockets while sitting in the pews.
Ironically, if more of our generation had gone to Catholic Schools, this obligation would be more well-known.
Otherwise, if you really want to know why Catholic Schools close, think about your wallet size; think about your priorities.
And then take a good long look in the mirror.
Television crews interview the teachers and children. Local newspapers run front page stories; social networks are abuzz with a “Save Our School” campaign.
The projected closing of St. Ann School in Hornell has awakened a sleeping giant. Time will tell if the miracle many are praying for will come to fruition.
Time will also tell if the gossip, slander, anger and enmity will be quelled by understanding and forgiveness.
What? Gossip? Anger? In a church?
Well, yeah.
It seems that those who recommended closing the school (strictly for financial reasons) are Public Enemy Number 1. Or I suppose in this case they’d be called Private Enemy Number 1. They are just selfish and evil. And those who want to keep the school open are noble and blameless.
It’s all black and white, you see.
The blame game runs the gamut from the Bishop to the Pastor to Council members to parishioners.
“They are bad. We are good.”
I won’t get started on the fact that maybe, just maybe, this kind of attitude from a significant minority in our parish is not exactly the best marketing strategy. Rather let’s look at what I believe is the singly valid and provable cause for Catholic schools closing not just in our area but across the entire country.
Tithing.
And the fact that Catholics just don’t do it.
Christian churches across the country don’t do it either. They average 2.2% of their income. Catholics average half that.
Well, you might say, times are tough. The economy’s poor. People have so many bills to pay, you know.
Anyone who believes that the average Catholic in the Canisteo Valley can’t give more than 1.1% to the Church that ministers to them is in full-fledge denial.
How much money do we spend on dining out for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a coffee? To get our manicure or pedicure? To buy drinks on Friday after work? For that trip to the mall to buy clothes?
Then we scramble for the spare change at the Mass’ Collection. We pull out the dollar bills and coins that remain after we’ve purchased all of our “necessities.”
Wow.
Sorry, God. Catch ya later.
The fact is that a lot of American Catholics have slid into the dark arena of worshipping Secular Consumerism.
It’s all about the stuff, you know.
This sentiment was echoed by the College of Cardinals last month, where it was stated: “[The] challenge of secularism…tends to marginalize religion from social life in the West.” Pope Benedict XVI addressed a similar theme: “The need for an authentic renewal of catechesis…against what has been defined as 'religious illiteracy.’”
Literacy such as Canon 222. §1: “Christ's faithful have the obligation to provide for the needs of the Church, so that the Church has available to it those things which are necessary for divine worship, for apostolic and charitable work and for the worthy support of its ministers.”
The worthy support of its ministers.
Not the leftovers we discover in our pockets while sitting in the pews.
Ironically, if more of our generation had gone to Catholic Schools, this obligation would be more well-known.
Otherwise, if you really want to know why Catholic Schools close, think about your wallet size; think about your priorities.
And then take a good long look in the mirror.
Friday, March 2, 2012
F.O.I.L. Concluded...For Now
The NYS Committee on Open Government finally responded to my appeal. Here are some of the salient points:
"Based on the conflicting information given to you by the clerk and that reported in the newspaper, and our general understanding that municipal accounting is largely performed with reliance on electronic databases, it may be that the City maintains the records that you seek in electronic format and that a discussion to clarify the information that you seek is in order..."
"In consideration of the foregoing, we believe that the City’s request for clarification was appropriate, and that if further clarification is necessary, such should be communicated to you. In our view, based on the provision quoted above, the records access officer must ensure that City staff provide information concerning the means by which the records of your interest are maintained or retrieved in order to enable you, if necessary, to “reasonably describe” the records as required by law..."
"Due to the breadth of the definition, insofar as the Bank maintains or prepares records for the City, we believe that such records (bank signature cards) are City records that fall within the coverage of the Freedom of Information Law. If, however, the Bank’s records are maintained for its own business purposes and not for the City, the Freedom of Information Law would not apply [see United Food v. City of Schenectady IDA, 204 AD2d 887(1994)]..."
"Accordingly, it is our opinion, that when an agency such as the City of Hornell has the ability to receive and respond to requests via email, it is required do so. Further clarification requested and received via email, in our opinion would be entirely appropriate." [This was in response to the Clerk's contention that no further email communication would occur)
In other words...
I was right. Mostly. The Bank signature card request gets gray, but in lieu of the support I got from C.O.O.G. regarding the other issues, I am willing to let that part of my request go.
For now.
My next F.O.I.L was for ELECTRONIC documents as follows: Credit Summary Reports for Ambulance Account, monthly Revenue and Expenditure reports for Ambulance Account(each from from about April 2010 to January 2011), and copies of all BILLABLE Ambulance bills for the month of October 2011. I asked for all of the items to be sent to me electronically, except for the ambulance bills, which I had been told AD NAUSEUM could not be sent electronically because "information had to be blackened out by hand." Fine.
Their response was immediate for the electronic files, I received all of them in .PDF format. Yes, they have scanners at city hall and fancy-schmancy software to generate electronic files out of paper ones and equally smart programs to EMAIL electronic files. Who knew?
Then I received an email stating that if I remit the copying cost of $59.60, the ambulance bills would be provided. Check promptly sent, followed by an email a week or so later telling me they were ready.
The Deputy Clerk was kind enough to drop them off to my house on her way home. Easily the nicest thing anyone at City Hall has ever done for me. Sincerely.
I eagerly opened the packet of ambulance bills, expecting to find paper copies with large swaths of black marker wiping out any identifying information. I mean, that's what I was told would have to be done.
Nope.
Apparently all that had to be done was to CUT OFF the top portion of the bill.
Wait, I thought...
Nevermind.
Anyways I have indeed gleaned some very interesting information and will continue looking into some of the serious concerns that I have been asked to investigate. Could be nothing...or not.
Regarding the city's prompt response to my request this time around? Well, it's either because I dumbed it down to such an extent that they had no choice but to acquiesce, or it's because no one likes the State to come down and say, "Uh-oh, oooh duys did mate a boo-boo."
Whatever.
"Based on the conflicting information given to you by the clerk and that reported in the newspaper, and our general understanding that municipal accounting is largely performed with reliance on electronic databases, it may be that the City maintains the records that you seek in electronic format and that a discussion to clarify the information that you seek is in order..."
"In consideration of the foregoing, we believe that the City’s request for clarification was appropriate, and that if further clarification is necessary, such should be communicated to you. In our view, based on the provision quoted above, the records access officer must ensure that City staff provide information concerning the means by which the records of your interest are maintained or retrieved in order to enable you, if necessary, to “reasonably describe” the records as required by law..."
"Due to the breadth of the definition, insofar as the Bank maintains or prepares records for the City, we believe that such records (bank signature cards) are City records that fall within the coverage of the Freedom of Information Law. If, however, the Bank’s records are maintained for its own business purposes and not for the City, the Freedom of Information Law would not apply [see United Food v. City of Schenectady IDA, 204 AD2d 887(1994)]..."
"Accordingly, it is our opinion, that when an agency such as the City of Hornell has the ability to receive and respond to requests via email, it is required do so. Further clarification requested and received via email, in our opinion would be entirely appropriate." [This was in response to the Clerk's contention that no further email communication would occur)
In other words...
I was right. Mostly. The Bank signature card request gets gray, but in lieu of the support I got from C.O.O.G. regarding the other issues, I am willing to let that part of my request go.
For now.
My next F.O.I.L was for ELECTRONIC documents as follows: Credit Summary Reports for Ambulance Account, monthly Revenue and Expenditure reports for Ambulance Account(each from from about April 2010 to January 2011), and copies of all BILLABLE Ambulance bills for the month of October 2011. I asked for all of the items to be sent to me electronically, except for the ambulance bills, which I had been told AD NAUSEUM could not be sent electronically because "information had to be blackened out by hand." Fine.
Their response was immediate for the electronic files, I received all of them in .PDF format. Yes, they have scanners at city hall and fancy-schmancy software to generate electronic files out of paper ones and equally smart programs to EMAIL electronic files. Who knew?
Then I received an email stating that if I remit the copying cost of $59.60, the ambulance bills would be provided. Check promptly sent, followed by an email a week or so later telling me they were ready.
The Deputy Clerk was kind enough to drop them off to my house on her way home. Easily the nicest thing anyone at City Hall has ever done for me. Sincerely.
I eagerly opened the packet of ambulance bills, expecting to find paper copies with large swaths of black marker wiping out any identifying information. I mean, that's what I was told would have to be done.
Nope.
Apparently all that had to be done was to CUT OFF the top portion of the bill.
Wait, I thought...
Nevermind.
Anyways I have indeed gleaned some very interesting information and will continue looking into some of the serious concerns that I have been asked to investigate. Could be nothing...or not.
Regarding the city's prompt response to my request this time around? Well, it's either because I dumbed it down to such an extent that they had no choice but to acquiesce, or it's because no one likes the State to come down and say, "Uh-oh, oooh duys did mate a boo-boo."
Whatever.
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