The failed presidency

By reenee, Santa Maria

Wowsers! It's been a while since I've been here. Looks like everyone else has taken a powder as well, huh? I've been doing most of my ranting, raving and angst filled posting on a site I maintain with my sister/co-blogger. I don't have to be quite as polite over there. The added bonus is that I can blame her for quite a few things. We finally decided that important conversations about deeply held opinions go a lot better when you conduct them outside your own head, hence, the birth of the blog.

So where was I? Oh yeah, the failed presidency. A 29 percent approval rating for the White House occupant. Yanno, if more people had listened to my rantings before the 2000 elections, none of this would be happening right now. This new rating reflects a seven point drop since April. Why did it take six years for people in the country to wake up to the fact that this president is terrifyingly moronic? Could it be because there is no real plan in Iraq? Could it be because those pesky Mexicans are showing themselves too loudly? Good thing my grandparents didn't hear that one. Could it be that gasoline is now close to $3.50+ a gallon? Could it be that people have noticed that nothing has been done to secure health insurance for the huddled masses? Could it be that the country is waking up to the fact that there is no real leadership in our government? Quoting Randy Alcorn, in today's Santa Barbara News-Press: "Given the people that Americans have allowed to take leadership positions in our society, one has to wonder if the average quotient of common sense in America is in severe decline. No matter what your political affiliation, an empirical examination of the state of American political leadership reveals dreadful mediocrity, and even outright incompetence." I must also agree with him when he says, "I don't want to belabor the deficiencies of the Bush administration, but these people couldn't lead ants to a picnic." If you subscribe to the News-Press then you can register online for free, and if you don't, then you might want to, it's better than being stuck with the local rag. Anyways, whatever the reason, only one quarter of Americans agree that the country is headed in the right direction. Worse yet is that less than half of Republicans say that things are headed in the right direction.

Congress fared even worse, they have an 18 percent approval rating. No one is getting any breaks there. The Republicans are rated 20 percent positive and 76 percent negative while the Democrats who have been either passive or comatose got a rating of 23 percent positive and 72 percent negative. In an effort to save themselves, Republicans are trying to distance themselves from Dubya on several different fronts. The latest sign of rebellion is their move to break with the administration's position that the enrollment deadline for the Medicare perscription plan and late penalty should remain. There's a 10% per 12 month period penalty for late enrollment of Part B Medicare already, so what's a few more dollars for the financially strapped seniors? Oh wait! It's an election year! Now I get it.

Oh well, at least the dutiful wife is supporting her husband. She says that she doesn't believe the polls that show such a low approval rating. I suppose I'd not believe it either if I lived in the Lalaland of denial. Added to that, her audiences are hand picked for her. Most of the people that will trip over themselves because they want to personally meet her and shake her hand are not the kind of people that will look her in the eye and say that her husband is a loser.

Political operatives that prepare each locale in advance are worth their weight in gold.

Oh yeah, Happy Mother's Day!

Socrates said that the hallmark of wisdom is knowing what you don't know.

By reenee, Santa Maria

Way back in the Dark Ages when I was a kid in school, there was never a good reason for students to get up from their desks and wander around at will. Permission was required to even scratch our noses, so if we did get up, we'd better be on fire. If the teachers were scary and humorless nuns, we'd have willingly burned sitting at our desks, it would have been a less painful death than to cross them. Most all of us students would simply sit there and do what we were told. If we didn't study, we were given a failing grade. If we failed to learn, we flunked. Ah yes, memories of accountability.

These days however, there's an experiment going on in Rochester, Minnesota, where kids are allowed to stand, sit or lie on the floor. The last time I actually saw a student on the floor was during a tantrum. One of the goals in this classroom is to get kids to move around. In a study that might even combat childhood obesity which in itself has become a big problem, researchers are trying to figure out the reasons for the general slippage of what is learned by students in twelve years of school. This classroom allows children to walk around, balance on big exercise balls, or even lie down on mats. In addition to being allowed to move around, they have access to laptop computers, a wireless network and iPods.

So far, the classroom teacher, Phil Rynearson and Superintendent Jerry Williams say that these fourth and fifth grade students are more focused on the subjects being taught than their peers in a comparison group in an ordinary classroom. Plus, there are fewer distractions than in the traditional setup, where a lot of time is spent trying to get children to sit still. Interesting. To be sure, something has to be done, now that children are advanced to the next level whether they learn or not. If you check out the average high school kid, you will see quite a few deficits in their abilities. I'm talking about the average kid here, not the ones that remain focused on their studies either out of an innate ability to do so, or because they are encouraged and helped by their parents.

Let's face it, not enough parents are invested in their child's education. There are some that feel that getting their children to school every morning ends their participation and responsibility. You know the ones, they blame the schools when their child fails to learn. I certainly do not have all of the answers, but I spent ten years in the school system working with parents of fifth and sixth grade students, trying to get them involved, and I made one important discovery: You cannot fix stupid. I have seen college educated parents who remain clueless and disinterested about their children or their education, and I have seen high school dropouts who are extremely involved in their children's education, because they desire something better for them.

This study is at least a good start into how they learn, or at the very least, why they don't. The added plus is combating obesity. My humble opinion on that of course is the fast food available in an age where both parents are required to have jobs just to keep their heads above water, along with the technology that allows kids to remain in one spot all day long. Nothing like a good bag of chips or a hamburger and a Gameboy to deaden the brain. Ah yes, gaming, now that's a good skill to have to enable a student to go to college and then someday get a good paying job, huh?

Extremists and Terrorists

By reenee, Santa Maria

Reading about the riots over caricatures of Mohammed I got to thinking about what exactly defines an extremist, or a terrorist. Extremism is of course going to great or exaggerated lengths, exceeding the ordinary, usual, or expected to make a point, while terrorism is the systematic use of terror as a means of coercion. Which of these defines the individuals rioting in the Middle East? People have been rioting, fire bombing and burning buildings in those countries for weeks now over what they percieve as blasphemy, and instead of lessening over time, they seem to be gaining momentum. It was almost laughable to hear Condo Rice say that the rioters "might spin out of control." These people are already angry, so to hear her also suggest that "they ought to organize peacefully" was not helpful. These are people that gather by the millions for the annual hajj. They all believe that each one of them, at least once in their lives, must take part in the pilgrimage. At the stoning of the devil ritual, the massive crowd is so out of control that hundreds end up dying in a stampede, yet they all attend the following year. Anyone saying that they should gather peacefully to protest is seriously out of touch. These people take their religion and their prophet very seriously. Does anyone wonder why the rioters are now targeting the west? We don't have to agree with this behavior to try to understand it enough to quit making bizarre suggestions.

As I continued reading the news, the nine church bombings in Alabama and Mississippi since February 2nd, reminded me that we have our own terrorists and extremists in this country. Who could be bombing those churches? Perhaps extremists, terrorists, idiots? Some of these churches have black members, some have white members. I guess that the person or persons responsible for this dabble in equal opportunity hatred and intolerance. Whoever is doing this surely feels justified in some way. Apparently, believing that you have a one-way ticket to the hereafter where you'll be fed peeled grapes by seven virgins is not a requirement to be a terrorist. When and if we ever find out the reasons for destroying these churches, will it make a difference in stopping this kind of behavior? Probably not. We cannot control thoughts, despite the last general election results. We can have gun control laws, but people will still rampage through post offices, other places of business and schools. We can prosecute vigorously any and all hate crimes, but people will still seek out some ethnic group to bully, attack or kill. People will simply continue to think and do things that they feel justified in thinking or doing to others that do not fit their idea of "what is right" in their minds. So, while we might discover that organized terrorists or extremists are bombing churches, we might also discover that these "terrorists" are idiots with too much time on their hands.

Another excellent yet disturbing example of home grown extremism/terrorism is the Westboro Baptist Church. These people do not toss bombs at churches, nor do they shoot at people, that we know of. They are however extremists and terrorists. They like to stand outside of churches with signs that advertise hatred, intolerance and ignorance. Yep, this shining example is Fred Phelps. The Reverend Phelps is the leader of the virulently homophobic Westboro Baptist Church, in Topeka, Kansas. His church has about 100 members, and of those, at least 90 of them are related to him through blood or marriage. This scary guy has a website that claims to have staged "20,000" protests across the nation and around the world in the last decade. At the funeral of murder victim Matthew Shepard, they held up signs reading "No Fags in Heaven" and "God Hates Fags." He not only told the mourners that Matthew went to Hell, but that they would be there to join him when they died. It's obvious that hatred and intolerance motivates this guy. His church website is: Godhatesfags.com. He also has a website named: Godhatesamerica.com, where he contends that the United States is "doomed" because it supports gays. According to Fred Phelps, "God invented the Internet for us to preach on." They also demonstrated at the funerals of the miners killed at the Sago Mine. They held signs that said these men were killed because our government tolerates homosexuals. These people call themselves Christians. Hey Fred, what would Jesus do? Lest you think I'm making this stuff up, go here.

How about someone like Eric Robert Rudolph? Rudolph is described as an American Christian terrorist who committed a series of bombings across the southern United States, murdering three people and injuring at least 150 others. Yep, he was the Olympic Bomber. Rudolph declared his bombings as part of a guerrilla campaign against abortion, "the homosexual agenda" and perceived support for them from the United States government. Rudolph purports to have committed his crimes for religious reasons.

Then there's Timothy McVeigh. Would he qualify? Well maybe, the FBI describes him as an "American domestic terrorist." He did blow up a building that 167 people died in, children, men and women. How does anyone get to that point? People from all walks of life say that there is no room in a civilized nation for terrorism, yet here we are. We have our own versions of extremists and terrorists here, yet when people think of terrorists or extremists, they look to September 11th, or the USS Cole or the rioters in the Middle East.

Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.

As a society, there are so many things that we could try to be better at. Extending our kindnesses would be one. We could begin with kindness towards ourselves and then extend that kindness towards others. As we learn to be kind, one of the more important things that we could try to improve with simple kindness would be how we as a society treat our elders. We have a tendency to stumble here. We're too busy skipping through life as if we will never get old, and then, when we do, we’re shocked. Let me tell you, it's a sobering moment when you look in the mirror and see gray hair and wrinkles. For being such a civilized and accomplished nation, we fail to adequately recognize this reality and as a result fall short when it comes to the senior population. How sad for us since we'll all be there, sooner than later.

It’s important for us to remember than even in this youth oriented society; we’re ALL going to get old. It’s amazing how many people never think about this. I know I never thought about it. I thought I was still in my 30s when I realized I was closing in on the half century mark with the speed of light. It's not important how long ago that dose of reality slapped me around. Granted, some of us will age faster than others, but we’re all headed down that road eventually, if we’re lucky. As we sit around rubbing our bad knees while we age, we ought to be looking around at those who surround us and perhaps think about how they will treat us if anything like frailty or dementia visits us. Unless you’re Blanche DuBois you cannot sit back and depend upon the kindness of strangers. As for myself, I happen to believe in Karma. If you do good things, good things will happen to you - if you do bad things, bad things will happen to you. In other words, what we give is what we’ll get in return. If we treat our elders or elderly parents like second class citizens that have nothing left to offer, then our own children will learn from us, and this is how they will care for us. Frightening, isn’t it?

According to Heather Aeschleman, in an article for the Elder Law Journal, by 2050, the minorities make up less than 20% of the senior population. However, the Hispanic/Latino population will increase from 1.9 million to 13.8 million. Asians will increase from 783,000 to 5 million, while African Americans will increase from 2.8 million to 7.6 million. That’s a lot of multi-generational households. She goes on to say that these minorities face many barriers in accessing nursing homes. Overt discrimination by nursing home operators is one problem. Another is the high cost of nursing care. Yet another is the inability to purchase long term care insurances. These are all viable arguments for the existing disparity that is seen in nursing homes, but she fails to address the reluctance of so many minorities to access these services. There are some very valid reasons for this.

Keeping family together is very important to many minority cultures. In the Hispanic/Latino community care of the elderly is provided by the family and extended family, often residing in the same home. These families are not likely to seek long term care from outside sources, choosing instead to take on this responsibility themselves. Elders are respected, obeyed and looked upon as sources of wisdom by all family members. In my own family, my grandfather lived with us when we were young, and then with one of my aunts until he became so frail that my mother brought him to her house and cared for him until he died. My grandmother was in her own house until she became ill, and then, once again, my mother, as the eldest daughter, brought her into her home. As a result, we all have a healthy respect for the elderly. This is not unusual in our culture. This is also very often the case in African American families who in addition to family, often include a network of friends who are considered family. Native Americans and Asian groups, including Japanese, Chinese and Filipino, treat their elders in a similar way, also choosing to take on the responsibility rather than going outside the home. In these cultures, it’s very important to “care for their own.”

In this country, most of these minority cultures revere their elders, doing everything that they can to keep them in their own homes. When the time comes that this is no longer possible, the sons or daughters, or in some cases, the grandchildren, will bring them into their homes to care for, or they will move in with them. It never occurs to the greater majority of these minority cultures to move them out to a skilled nursing facility, more commonly known as “rest homes or nursing homes.” Yes, there are times when these families will place their elders in a nursing home, but these instances are the exception.

Interestingly, the result is that nursing homes remain overwhelmingly white, despite the changes that have made this country more ethnically diverse. Despite the fact that minorities make up 16% of the 65 and older in this country, they make up only 7% of the nursing home residents. Yes, there are income barriers, discrimination and lack of insurance, but the desire to keep the family together is a bigger reason for many families.

For the past several years I’ve had the pleasure of working with the elderly in a variety of different ways. From assisting them with Medicare issues to arranging transportation and in some instances transporting them when there were no other options available to them. While spending time with them either talking with them, laughing with them or simply listening to their reminiscences of times past, and more recently, dancing with them, I’ve discovered and appreciated everything that they have to offer. The lucky ones are still part of a family surrounded by loving and caring relatives. Others are in nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities because they have no other place to live and no family to help care for them.

It is in settings where the seniors are no longer in their own homes that we could extend our kindnesses more often. If we open our eyes it’s not all that difficult for us to look down the road and place ourselves in their shoes. What would it cost each one of us to go to any one of the several nursing homes in the area and talk to the Nursing staff or Activity Director to find out who never gets visits from friends or family? Let’s face it, most people believe that they do not have time to volunteer, but most everyone can spare an hour a week to give back to the elders in the community. It’s a lot more rewarding than spreading their derrieres in the easy chair and gripping the remote control. Try it, you might find that you like it. Take your children if they have no grandparents, what they stand to gain from this experience far outweighs what they’ll lose by spending an hour or two in front of the television or computer.

Happy New Year! ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

By reenee, Santa Maria

Ah yes, another year is here. A time to look forward to all of the wonderful things you might accomplish this coming year. An exciting new year with no mistakes in it yet. Looking forward is always better than looking back at our bonehead mistakes in the past, don't you think? Some of us never learn from our mistakes anyway, so it's best to just let them go. Why focus on our mistakes when we all have that one special someone who is always ready, willing and able to remind us?

January 1st is after all the time for resolutions and a new beginning for most of us. On my own blog, I suggested that people go easy on themselves with their resolutions, unless they have the tenacity to go through with them. Some of us have a tendency to overreach what we're capable of, especially when prodded by others that want us to do something or make a change for them. When we fail we end up feeling guilty over not following through.

Therefore, save yourself from really serious resolutions! You'll no doubt be needed for more important tasks throughout the year. You might be called upon to settle an argument, or perhaps to start one. You might be the one responsible for putting together the family reunion, or a big birthday bash for a close friend. You might be the only one who knows how to prune the roses! Or, you might be the only male in your family who asks for driving directions or reads instructions! You'll need all of your faculties for a number of things throughout the year, so it's best to not get bogged down with petty little issues that are beyond your abilities or interests.

Yes, we all must make an attempt to recognize our own limitations. After all, isn't that what Harry Callahan told us? To give you an example, I would never take on my mother's suggestion that I resolve to visit my extended family more often this coming year. I never visit family. There's a reason for this. I know already that it never pans out. I recognize that I cannot keep my mouth shut. I usually express my honest opinions to those that would prefer to remain in denial. Therefore, I'm never a good guest to have around for "small talk." Come to think of it, that might be why I never made it into politics, or into the diplomatic arts.

So, for your entertainment, here are some resolutions that you might be interested in to get you started.

1. Gain weight. At least 30 pounds.
2. Stop exercising. Waste of time.
3. Read less. Makes you think.
4. Watch more TV. You might be missing some good stuff.
5. Procrastinate more. Starting tomorrow.
6. Don't date Paris Hilton or Colin Farrell.
7. Take a vacation to someplace important; like to see the largest ball of twine.
8. Don't have eight children at once.
9. Start being superstitious.
10. Set a personal goal to bring back disco.
11. Don't wrestle with The Rock.
12. Don't bet for or against the Minnesota Vikings.
13. Buy an '83 Eldorado and invest in a really loud stereo system. Tint the windows. Buy fur for the dash.
14. Speak in a monotone voice and only use monosyllabicwords.
15. Only wear jeans that are 2 sizes too small and use a chain or rope for a belt.
16. Don't eat cloned meat.
17. Create loose ends.
18. Get more toys.
19. Get further into debt.
20. Believe all politicians.
21. Break at least one traffic law.
22. Don't drive a motorized vehicle across thin ice.
23. Avoid airplanes that spontaneously drop 1000 feet.
24. Stay off the MIR space station.
25. Don't worry that mad cow disease will cause the end of the world.
26. Don't swim with piranhas or sharks.
27. Wear a cheerleading outfit to work and talk about Bill O'Reilly. Pretend you don't think he's an idiot.
28. Spread out priorities beyond any ability to keep track of them.
29. Wait around for opportunity.
30. Focus on the faults of others.
31. Mope about your own faults.
32. Drive on sidewalks when you're in a hurry.
33. Keep your back to the wall and knives out of the hands of others.
34. Believe everything you read in the National Enquirer.
35. Put your dog, cat, self on a diet...someday.
36. If you cannot be a role model for someone, at least serve as a good warning.
37. Never suffer in silence when you can moan, whimper, and complain.
38. Don't hate yourself in the morning. Sleep till noon.
39. Become even more self absorbed.
40. Find someone to blame before you begin that new project.
41. If at first you don't succeed, lower your standards.
42. Never read the fine print. There ain't no way you're going to like it.
43. Resolve to only read books that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
44. Quit wasting time reliving the past; spend it worrying about the future.
45. Be spontaneous, as long as you have a good plan.
46. Assume full responsibility for your actions, except for those that are someone else's fault.
47. Do not sit in the living room all day in your underwear. Instead, move your computer into the bedroom.
48. Honor and express all facets of your being, regardless of state and local laws.
49. Learn Pig Latin and use it at work.
50. Sing in full elevators.
51. Learn to graze in the produce sections of grocery stores.
52. Rent a Seinfeld episode and learn the "Elaine Dance."
53. Write to "Dear Abby" for advice instead of using your head.
54. Speak in clichés once a week.
55. Never make New Year's resolutions again.
56. Learn about how New Year's resolutions got started and why.