Me,at 56. Yes (sigh), I'm showing my age. What a bummer. I never smoked, never drank much at all (having just enough American Indian in me to fall asleep after one SIP), and STILL I end up looking like a well-scrubbed bag-lady. Well, I never WAS much to look at, so at least I haven't LOST anything there. No, I don't color my hair---yet. There's more gray every week, it seems, but nothing major so far. Haven't developed arthritis, or diabetes (athough I'm so absent-minded I have to wonder about Alzheimer's, which a neighbor of mine once mispronounced as "old-timer's"), and my blood pressure's still good, even though my cholesterol tends to act up now and then. If ever industry needs a major manufacturer of cholesterol, I'd be happy to oblige, as I have more than I need and can spare a TON. That goes for FAT as well. Need a "spare tire", anyone? Used to be that the fat people were rich and the poor were skinny, but times change, I guess. I'll NEVER be fashionable, it seems. Now if only some famous celebrity would say "You can never be too ZOFTIG." Where is Kate Smith, now that I really need her? Or Gertrude Berg? Or Sophie Tucker? What happened to those wonderful commercials for "full-figured" women? And why the hell does AARP Magazine put anorexic actresses on their cover? An aging boomer "Barbie Doll" I'm not! Besides, I couldn't AFFORD to replace my wardrobe (athough I probably COULD have TWO outfits made from every one I have now). Then again, who wants two of the same outfit? C'mon, you "giant economy size" boomers, stop feeling like such failures! It took a helluva lotta WORK to get our bodies so sleek and virtually wrinkle-free. The SKINNIES are gonna wrinkle first, nyah, nyah. We might keel over from cardio-vascular disease, BUT---we'll be damn good-looking CORPSES, I tell ya. So let's hear it for ZOFTIGEIT!
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
It's Me Again...
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Are We A "Chosen" Nation?
One of the things I find rather disquieting about political conservatives here in the U.S. is their insistence that we have somehow been "chosen" by God to---(and here any number of ideas can be inserted, depending on the individual). It's that "to" that bothers me, because it seems to suggest we OUGHT to rule the world, that we are morally superior by reason of God's "grace" (again, depending on the individual, the word "grace" can be replaced by anything up to and including the idea of "design"), and that we seem to have the RIGHT to impose our will on others because, as God's "chosen", we can do no wrong. Of course I realize that many of you may be rolling your eyes right now, thinking this blogger must be nuts, or a sore loser over Bush's re-election, but hear me out.
I have received many a campaign flyer in the mail saying that this country has a "special relationship with God", going all the way back to my misguided days as a Reaganite, and I can assure you that the message in those flyers was quite specific as to our "duties from God". In fact, it was just this kind of messianic political message that made me switch back to the Democrats. Certain circles in the Republican Right Wing evidently believe God has ordered a religious CRUSADE, and they have been chosen as His Scourge. No, I'm not exaggerating, nor am I making this up. Would it were so. Unfortunately, these basically good, God-fearing Republicans see themselves as besieged by the Forces of Evil, which seem to include Liberals and anyone who criticizes Bush. I'm NOT going to suggest that EVERY Republican feels this way, as I know there are many Republicans out there as worried by this as I am. But when I listen to callers on C-Span describe Liberals and other critics of Bush as "self-hating Americans", or "atheists" (as if only Republicans can be said to believe in God), and WORSE, I tend to get anxious about my Constitutional rights.
Alexis deTocqueville spoke of our tendency to enshrine majority rule into an almost ruthless repression of minority opinion in his 18th century classic "DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA", and it still holds true today. He titled it "the tyranny of the majority", and described American public opinion as being so thoroughly self-righteous in its assumption to squelch dissent that he feared our democratic strength might yet become our worst nightmare. This was written WELL before the emergence of todays political parties, as I believe the book was published during THE ERA OF GOOD FEELING, some few years after John Quincy Adams (correct me if I'm wrong) was president. It was felt that "factions", as political parties were considered then, might even make democracy unworkable altogether, and that might NOT have been such a wrong idea---in the light of the kind of vicious partisanship we're seeing now. But this "tyranny of the majority" seems to be gathering steam, as the Right Wing professes a religious fervor about politics that could very well serve to deprive critics of any right to dissent. When a president announces that he believes God "wanted him elected", and Right Wing conservatives proclaim themselves as "defenders of Judeo-Christian morality", should we NOT worry that politics will become so identified with a particular religion that those of us who hold different beliefs will be stigmatized?
Europe has had a great deal of experience with "religion as politics", which is why it hews strictly to the side of secularism. Republicans, especially those of the Rumsfeld/Ashcroft stripe, view this with disdain, and routinely dismiss our allies as "tepid" at best, and at worst, as having no "backbone", etc. But Europe KNOWS the terrible price that "crusades" can cost in human lives, having waged religious wars that spanned decades and solved nothing in the end. Europe KNOWS the terrible cost of war, period. After all, were not World Wars I and II fought there? Except for the Civil War, we here in America have suffered NOTHING comparable---not even 9/11 came anywhere NEAR to the carnage and utter destruction of the two greatest wars of living memory. We SHOULD be listening to Europe, really, as we seem to feel war is something that "can't happen here", for some strange reason. Mixing religion with politics, especially in the defense of a particular religious "truth", often makes war simply a matter of time. When one's opponent becomes demonized as an "evil-doer" in the religious sense, it's but a short step to rationalizing that God requires retribution. Witness the assassination of Yitshak Rabin.
It's not God, or religion, however, that ultimately bears the blame for this (although religious fanaticism started with the bible, sad to say), but our penchant for using God and religion as a convenient excuse for doing what we want to do, lending our base desires and outright greed a kind of saintly "altruistic" sheen. As I said before, these Republicans are good people who honestly believe God wants certain things of us, but the shrill, condemnatory rhetoric of this "True Believer" Conservatism is dangerous, for it gives rise to an equally shrill and uncompromising rhetoric from those who feel threatened by it, and if neither side will stop long enough to LISTEN to the reasons WHY their opponents feel as they do, nor be willing enough to put rhetoric aside to HONESTLY discuss their differences, then I fear we may see a far less democratic America in the next four years. Certainly NOT a war, but what has been called a "chilling effect" on dissent and non-Christian beliefs---unless the more MODERATE wing of the Republican party can wrest back control. Frankly, they'd better hurry. When even a celebrated conservative as BILL BUCKLEY can wonder about where this next term may be taking us, it's time to stop marching mindlessly along with the parade and start figuring out where we, as a country, OUGHT to go. If God TRULY "wants" us to "spread liberty", then let's wait until he comes down to TELL us that, in person. No book has been so mis-quoted throughout history as the bible, and rabbis say many passages in it STILL cannot be adequately translated due to the fact that the Hebrew language has no fixed vowels, and the generally accepted Masoretic version is only one of MANY possible translations. Unfortunately, religious fanatics believe God PERSONALLY wrote the bible, so I doubt if they'd listen to THAT. Nevertheless, we CAN get through this next term if we only remember that, as Professor Zemo told my American Govt. class back at Cal State in 1970, "The right to extend your fist ends at the jurisdiction of my nose." Your fist isn't God's, and my nose isn't Satan's, either.
I have received many a campaign flyer in the mail saying that this country has a "special relationship with God", going all the way back to my misguided days as a Reaganite, and I can assure you that the message in those flyers was quite specific as to our "duties from God". In fact, it was just this kind of messianic political message that made me switch back to the Democrats. Certain circles in the Republican Right Wing evidently believe God has ordered a religious CRUSADE, and they have been chosen as His Scourge. No, I'm not exaggerating, nor am I making this up. Would it were so. Unfortunately, these basically good, God-fearing Republicans see themselves as besieged by the Forces of Evil, which seem to include Liberals and anyone who criticizes Bush. I'm NOT going to suggest that EVERY Republican feels this way, as I know there are many Republicans out there as worried by this as I am. But when I listen to callers on C-Span describe Liberals and other critics of Bush as "self-hating Americans", or "atheists" (as if only Republicans can be said to believe in God), and WORSE, I tend to get anxious about my Constitutional rights.
Alexis deTocqueville spoke of our tendency to enshrine majority rule into an almost ruthless repression of minority opinion in his 18th century classic "DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA", and it still holds true today. He titled it "the tyranny of the majority", and described American public opinion as being so thoroughly self-righteous in its assumption to squelch dissent that he feared our democratic strength might yet become our worst nightmare. This was written WELL before the emergence of todays political parties, as I believe the book was published during THE ERA OF GOOD FEELING, some few years after John Quincy Adams (correct me if I'm wrong) was president. It was felt that "factions", as political parties were considered then, might even make democracy unworkable altogether, and that might NOT have been such a wrong idea---in the light of the kind of vicious partisanship we're seeing now. But this "tyranny of the majority" seems to be gathering steam, as the Right Wing professes a religious fervor about politics that could very well serve to deprive critics of any right to dissent. When a president announces that he believes God "wanted him elected", and Right Wing conservatives proclaim themselves as "defenders of Judeo-Christian morality", should we NOT worry that politics will become so identified with a particular religion that those of us who hold different beliefs will be stigmatized?
Europe has had a great deal of experience with "religion as politics", which is why it hews strictly to the side of secularism. Republicans, especially those of the Rumsfeld/Ashcroft stripe, view this with disdain, and routinely dismiss our allies as "tepid" at best, and at worst, as having no "backbone", etc. But Europe KNOWS the terrible price that "crusades" can cost in human lives, having waged religious wars that spanned decades and solved nothing in the end. Europe KNOWS the terrible cost of war, period. After all, were not World Wars I and II fought there? Except for the Civil War, we here in America have suffered NOTHING comparable---not even 9/11 came anywhere NEAR to the carnage and utter destruction of the two greatest wars of living memory. We SHOULD be listening to Europe, really, as we seem to feel war is something that "can't happen here", for some strange reason. Mixing religion with politics, especially in the defense of a particular religious "truth", often makes war simply a matter of time. When one's opponent becomes demonized as an "evil-doer" in the religious sense, it's but a short step to rationalizing that God requires retribution. Witness the assassination of Yitshak Rabin.
It's not God, or religion, however, that ultimately bears the blame for this (although religious fanaticism started with the bible, sad to say), but our penchant for using God and religion as a convenient excuse for doing what we want to do, lending our base desires and outright greed a kind of saintly "altruistic" sheen. As I said before, these Republicans are good people who honestly believe God wants certain things of us, but the shrill, condemnatory rhetoric of this "True Believer" Conservatism is dangerous, for it gives rise to an equally shrill and uncompromising rhetoric from those who feel threatened by it, and if neither side will stop long enough to LISTEN to the reasons WHY their opponents feel as they do, nor be willing enough to put rhetoric aside to HONESTLY discuss their differences, then I fear we may see a far less democratic America in the next four years. Certainly NOT a war, but what has been called a "chilling effect" on dissent and non-Christian beliefs---unless the more MODERATE wing of the Republican party can wrest back control. Frankly, they'd better hurry. When even a celebrated conservative as BILL BUCKLEY can wonder about where this next term may be taking us, it's time to stop marching mindlessly along with the parade and start figuring out where we, as a country, OUGHT to go. If God TRULY "wants" us to "spread liberty", then let's wait until he comes down to TELL us that, in person. No book has been so mis-quoted throughout history as the bible, and rabbis say many passages in it STILL cannot be adequately translated due to the fact that the Hebrew language has no fixed vowels, and the generally accepted Masoretic version is only one of MANY possible translations. Unfortunately, religious fanatics believe God PERSONALLY wrote the bible, so I doubt if they'd listen to THAT. Nevertheless, we CAN get through this next term if we only remember that, as Professor Zemo told my American Govt. class back at Cal State in 1970, "The right to extend your fist ends at the jurisdiction of my nose." Your fist isn't God's, and my nose isn't Satan's, either.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
NOT An Idle Pastime...
Blogging, evidently, can be dangerous if you reside in a country which frowns upon free speech---and that includes FRANCE, it seems. The banner is from a blog here which lists those bloggers who are or have been arrested for posting views that their governments find "objectionable". It's not surprising to find countries like China, Iran, etc. listed, but I was rather shocked to find that France ALSO harrassed a blogger recently. Makes you wonder if ANY of us are safe. At any rate, I'm not too good at linking websites, unfortunately, but if you search Blogger.com you should find it. They are trying to get non-profit status at the moment, which I asume means being allowed to collect funds as a recognized charity. It looks pretty good, and we can certainly use this kind of information. After all, who knows if any of US might be next, as many of us here reside in various foreign countries. I'm not expecting to be jailed anytime soon---unless Bush REALLY goes off the deep end concerning criticism. He probably won't, though. So far, the Bill of Rights has kept paranoid types like Richard Nixon from rounding us Liberals up, and I expect it will continue to do so a while longer. Check this blog out, though. Just in case...
Friday, December 24, 2004
Bah Humbug! or Fear & Loathing On Santa Claus Lane
I'm sorry, but I've HAD it with this buying frenzy I see all around me. Is THIS what Chanukah will become? God, I hope NOT. Already, in cities like NYC it's starting to happen. I saw the very beginnings of it back in the late 70's, when I still lived there. You know, those huge plastic menorahs next to the Christmas trees in the store windows? So far, we haven't caught up to our frenetic and frazzled Christian neighbors, but not from lack of trying. Retailers are moaning that they haven't had a "record season" this year, and that it means THE END. Nonsense. Still, I'm sooo glad I'm not a Christian, or married to one. Pity the poor Jews, Muslims, Buddhists who ARE married to Christian spouses, and who must slog along as their loved ones dash madly from store to store, buying all kinds of stupid gifts nobody really wants but everybody must have. Why? Because it's EXPECTED, they'll say. Heaven forfend someone might not get SOME idiotic "stocking-stuffer", or the world will come to an end! Sure, right, and I think I'll just hide somewhere till all this idiocy is over.
The sweet story of "no room at the inn" has been bastardized into a gift-giving extravaganza that passes all commonsense. Okay, so HE was poor, yet why do people with loads of stuff they'll never use and won't need stuff themselves with MORE junk? Why not give to the POOR instead? After all, are your kids REALLY going to appreciate all those things you squandered your precious time and money getting? Yeah, for maybe the first five minutes. After that, they'll get bored, and about ten minutes after THAT it'll get broken, or they won't like it and you'll have to return it on the 26th. Was it Wilder who said "Nothing succeeds like excess"? Well, folks, it DOESN'T, not when a wonderful holiday is turned into a "gimmee" slash-&-rip exhibition. All you're teaching your kids is how to be greedy, and that they're ENTITLED to whatever they covet---no matter HOW outrageous or expensive. Is THAT the meaning of your religion? And do you actually ENJOY the holiday? Fat chance, after all that running around! I go to the mall just to watch you scramble insanely through store after store, and I thank God I'm a Jew, because Chanukah is NOT our major holiday and the rabbis always discouraged excess. I feel sorry for you, too---yanking behind you a screaming toddler who needs a nap while, wild-eyed, you stumble blindly on, oblivious to the purse you just left behind on that bench. I've seen women sobbing hysterically, still yanking the same screaming toddler along, when they suddenly realize they've lost all their money and credit cards, and can't remember where. This isn't necessary. And yet it goes on, year after year. One thing we Jews have learned is that NO holiday is, has, or ever WILL be "perfect". Then again, we have enough of them that, should one turn out rotten, there's always hope for the next, and we don't have to wait a whole YEAR for another one, either.
You know, there ARE more holidays in the Christian religion, and not just Easter. Take a look at an old English calendar, for instance, or ANY old European calendar, for that matter. It's NOT the end if Christmas goes awry, believe me. You've just been brainwashed, that's all. Stop, take a deep breath, and exhale slowly. Now repeat after me: "NObody's perfect, and I have a RIGHT to relax, dammit!" Feel better? Good, now go and enjoy yourself, sloooowly. And don't forget to thank God for all you have, too. Be well.
The sweet story of "no room at the inn" has been bastardized into a gift-giving extravaganza that passes all commonsense. Okay, so HE was poor, yet why do people with loads of stuff they'll never use and won't need stuff themselves with MORE junk? Why not give to the POOR instead? After all, are your kids REALLY going to appreciate all those things you squandered your precious time and money getting? Yeah, for maybe the first five minutes. After that, they'll get bored, and about ten minutes after THAT it'll get broken, or they won't like it and you'll have to return it on the 26th. Was it Wilder who said "Nothing succeeds like excess"? Well, folks, it DOESN'T, not when a wonderful holiday is turned into a "gimmee" slash-&-rip exhibition. All you're teaching your kids is how to be greedy, and that they're ENTITLED to whatever they covet---no matter HOW outrageous or expensive. Is THAT the meaning of your religion? And do you actually ENJOY the holiday? Fat chance, after all that running around! I go to the mall just to watch you scramble insanely through store after store, and I thank God I'm a Jew, because Chanukah is NOT our major holiday and the rabbis always discouraged excess. I feel sorry for you, too---yanking behind you a screaming toddler who needs a nap while, wild-eyed, you stumble blindly on, oblivious to the purse you just left behind on that bench. I've seen women sobbing hysterically, still yanking the same screaming toddler along, when they suddenly realize they've lost all their money and credit cards, and can't remember where. This isn't necessary. And yet it goes on, year after year. One thing we Jews have learned is that NO holiday is, has, or ever WILL be "perfect". Then again, we have enough of them that, should one turn out rotten, there's always hope for the next, and we don't have to wait a whole YEAR for another one, either.
You know, there ARE more holidays in the Christian religion, and not just Easter. Take a look at an old English calendar, for instance, or ANY old European calendar, for that matter. It's NOT the end if Christmas goes awry, believe me. You've just been brainwashed, that's all. Stop, take a deep breath, and exhale slowly. Now repeat after me: "NObody's perfect, and I have a RIGHT to relax, dammit!" Feel better? Good, now go and enjoy yourself, sloooowly. And don't forget to thank God for all you have, too. Be well.
Friday, December 10, 2004
Uncle Bill
I have been informed that I'm "too obsessed with" politics, and I suppose I am. It's just that, having lived through Watergate, Whitewater-gate, Lewinsky-gate, and Dubya-gate (I'm STILL hoping we'll impeach him), I tend to be rather under-whelmed with politicians---especially Republicans. This is to show all of you that I'm not biased, and I wish Clinton had kept his pants ZIPPED so we wouldn't have to be going through all this "God is my co-pilot" nonsense from the Right at the moment. I have nothing against Dubya believing in God, mind you, but when I hear pronouncements such as "I believe God wants me to be president", it kind of reminds me of similar delusionary beliefs whose "originators" came to learn weren't true---the hard way (remember Joan of Arc?).
Having said that, I promise to keep my rants to a minimum from now on (although I'll still include satiric photos of these bozos), so we can all enjoy eachother's blogs without feeling harangued (too much). It's Chanukah, after all, when we Jews can escape the insanity of THE SEASON for eight short days, and we NEED a time-out from "reality" (especially in Ohio, where the recount runs on like a bad sitcom) before Dubya announces the SECOND COMING at his inaugeration next month (look for a bearded, long-haired guy in sandals and a toga, and watch as the cops arrest him as an Al Qaida opperative). In this era of Homeland Security, any "messiah" had better come dressed in a three-piece business suit, or else. I'm JOKING, okay?
At any rate, let's all stop screaming at one another and realize the world WON'T end if every Liberal isn't silenced. And those on the LEFT should stop crying like babies, too. Remember the story of the Maccabees? So they DIDN'T really "do it all" in eight days, so what? They kept plugging away, hitting the enemy's weak spots, and finally won. Thank God, Republicans are NOT "the enemy", we can agree to disagree, and still have a Congress that works (at least MOST of the time). America is still a great country, for all our faults and shortcomings, and I'm certainly not moving to Canada any time soon, if ever. Just wanted to let you know that, however deeply I may distrust Republicans, I don't hate them. They're poor, misguided souls, but I'm confident they'll learn fast. Nothing changes so drastically as politics; a generation ago, we rebelled against "fascist" parents, and here our kids are rebelling against us "commie-pinko ex-hippies"! The world turns, folks. As they say "Man tracht und Gott lacht". Man plans and God laughs.
And on that note....it's time to bentschlicht. Shabbat Shalom and Chanukah Sameach!
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
HAPPY CHANUKAH!
No ranting today. This photo comes from StockxChange, a free photo-hosting site where some very talented photographers post, and MOST of them allow anyone to download their photos with little or no restrictions on use. The photographer's name is Al-ex (I hope I spelled it right), who has posted many fine images concerning Isreal and Jewish life there, and I urge you to check out his stuff, plus all the others---because these images are NOT snapped casually, but done quite professionally, and are usually high resolution to boot! I THINK the url is http://sxc.hu, but I'm not absolutely sure. If you google it you'll have no trouble. Now I MUST get over there myself to tell Al-ex how I used his photo, as it's only right. Be well and enjoy the holiday!
Monday, November 29, 2004
Mrs.D---A Closeup
I loooove using PhotoPhiltre! It's a free photo-enhancing program that doesn't hog memory or resources, as so many of them do, and just does such wonderful effects. You'll remember this as part of a larger photo posted here previously as "Mrs.D, May You...", but I wanted to do just a portrait of her. Yes, I made her look a TRIFLE younger here; still, I think I've managed to be truthful without overdoing it. I only wish I had photos of all my other teachers and friends. Sigh. This is what happens when you're a frustrated artist!
My novel is coming along----sloooooooooowly. Unfortunately, my laptop isn't behaving very well and I'm looking to replace the damn thing BEFORE the hard drive poops out again. The volunteers at Comcast Forum are the most wonderful, patient (well, not FRED, at least) people you could hope to find ANYWHERE on earth, when it comes to explaining what SHOULD be common-sense computer practices to us am ha-aretzim (dummies). I'm soooo ignorant I often can't explain what's wrong in an intelligent manner, and end up sounding like a five-year-old making up words as I go along. Poor Fred was reduced to titling one of his replies "...what the f*** are you talking about?" the other day, when I described how bad my hard drive was messed up. For those of you old enough to remember that MY FAVORITE MARTIAN show on TV back in the early 60s, my explanations must have sounded like "Uncle Martin's" when he described his ship to Bill Bixby, the actor who went on to become THE INCREDIBLE HULK.
At any rate, I'd advise AGAINST installing XPsp2----unless you've cleaned out your drive and updated everything BEFORE adding it. I THOUGHT I had, but probably I forgot to do something, as usual. As for those FBI and CIA files, I've been told by several computer technicians they ARE exactly that. Nothing earth-shattering, of course, but it IS annoying. I still can't rule out the possibility that those programs, automated or not, had something to do with my laptop problems. Like I'm gonna go sue the government. Hmmm, I wonder if suing the government would be one of those three cases where the Supreme Court has original jurisdiciton? Mrs. D, who taught us government (and those three cases, which I can't remember) would most likely roll her eyes at this point. Well, I never WAS focused. That's ADD for you.
One good thing about Blogger, though, is I can't lose what I've posted here. I've been burning CDs like crazy, trying to save all my applications, photos, files, etc before THE CRASH happens. For some reason, screwing my hard drive seemed to have enabled my burner to work again. Go figure. Hope you've all had a good Thanksgiving. I spent most of mine doing back-to-back craft fairs, and I'll be going full tilt until December 11, too. After that, I'll "rest" for about a month, doing a couple fairs here and there until May, when the whole crazy cycle starts again. For a "booming economy", however, I have to say I've never seen a slower season. Frankly, I think the economy went "boom", all right. IMPLODED might be a better word, for all the sales I've had since this election. Oh well, that's the chance you take when you start a business. Haven't gone bust yet, kinenahora. And there's always next season.
On that note, this luftmensch will close. Take care and be well.
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