VETERANS PAST AND PRESENT.

Last night, I watched the PBS program honoring American Veterans. It was a good program, the vets who spoke, Ritter, Whittacre,  and a young woman who searched endlessly for a father she never met, all brought home the sacrifice and service our military members provide. They remind us  how much we owe these valiant men and women of the military for our safety and security.

And, while I can’t put my finger on what it was, I felt something was missing. It vexes me. There was something flat about the program. I will probably never know what engendered that feeling. Today, I wanted to say something about veterans I’ve personally known, that added to the impact and importance of veterans.
 One of my uncles came home with “Shell Shock” from Korean War, and it destroyed his life. They now call that PTS and it is treatable. My husband, his brothers and my current companion, all vets. A brother, a brother-in-law, a sister, several uncles, two nieces from our current war, all vets. I have many choices.
 As a journalist, in the 1980′s, I wrote about a WW I Nurse who served during the war only to die of the horrible flu epidemic of that time. Her family contacted me and I know how proud they were of her generations later.

Maybe it is because I am anti-war that I have a difficult time coming to grips with this subject. I know I’m fumbling here, but I decided to see how many wars brought women into service and I was stunned at what I learned.

THE CIVIL WAR Thousands of women joined volunteer brigades as nurses during the Civil war. Some even dressed as men and served as spies and took up arms.

WORLD WAR I   Army nurses numbered 21,480 served in military hospitals overseas. The army recruited 233 multi-lingual switchboard operators and 50 stenographers that served overseas.  And thousands of women were drafted into the Civilian Work Force, here and abroad.  The first regular women enlisted service of 13,000 women trained as Navy and Marines were given equal pay of $28.75 a month. One woman, Frances Gullick was awarded a citation for valor and courage under fire in France. The enlistees were quickly demobilized after the war.

WORLD WAR II  Instigated by women, in 1942 a Women’s Auxiliary Corps was formed. They did complete military training, four weeks of basic, physical, uniform and all. 150,000 of them served as radio operators, dispatchers, delivery drivers, first aid workers, all within the boundaries of the United States. All volunteer, they served without pay.

Also in WWII, the WASPS, a group of  women pilots was formed, trained and dispatched for military service. They could only fly in the U.S. boundaries. They flew new planes to airfields, flew personnel all over the country, carried cargo. They flew over 60 million miles so male pilots could be put into battle.

KOREAN WAR. 22,000 women served in Korea, 7,000 of them as battlefield nurses. The rest rigged parachutes, served as pharmacists, radio operators, drivers and other stateside applications.
And, of course today, we have many more women in the military today. I read one figure of 2.5 million women served in the military. That figure was from 1980 and may have included all the WACS, WAFS, and so on from earlier wars. In any case, for everyone’s service the words we hear and see so often today are:  ALL GAVE SOME. SOME GAVE ALL.

Whatever our personal beliefs about war, WE SALUTE YOU AND THANK YOU.

MY PRIUS IS A CHAMP.

I guess a day is never really lost if  you learn a lot, and I did. On my way to pre-register at the hospital, my 2001 Prius’s check engine light went on.  I managed to round-up alternative transportation to the hospital. When I returned, I had it towed to the Toyota Dealership in Modesto.



The next day, at Toyota, the head mechanic turned me loose with no charge after resetting the engine light computer. “We can’t find a thing wrong with this engine and we checked everything.” I took off and 30 minutes down the road, the check engine light went on again. I returned to Toyota. They were really terrific and fast-tracked me through since I came from so far away. This time he concluded that my main battery pack is beginning to fail and will need replacement sometime soon. The battery was guaranteed for eight years and 100,000 miles. I’ve far exceeded that. But, since it is still running…hmmm! Should I wait until it just quits?

Jim, in the meantime, did research on-line about battery life and the great engines Toyota is famous for. He sent me reams of information and we came to the conclusion that $2200 to replace the pack with a battery recycle credit, gives me another run at 150,000 miles. Much cheaper than a new car. Plus, the new battery technology is better than the old. Yes, I learned a lot about a car I love. Especially since I get 44.5 per gallon in winter, 47.5 in the summer, and 52.7 when I’m out of the mountains. That mileage has never diminished in the 11 years I’ve owned my Prius.



It was after 2:00 and I stopped for lunch and a brew in Oakdale.


And near home, I caught this beautiful rainbow. I guess that is a good omen! I think my Prius is a champ and will get a new battery pack.

MAKING PROGRESS.

These months of confinement have been painful and frustrating, in big part because I’m separated from Jim. I watch him visiting places I would have seen with him, all the arts in Santa Fe and Taos. Now, the West Texas territory of Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings and other greats we listen to all the time in the Motor Home.We have never before been apart this long since we met.

This week I’ve been able to walk beyond my mailbox with minimal pain and get out in the fresh air and see some fall color.


Just looking at the leaves in the sun brings me joy.


This picture was not taken on my walk, but outside the eye doctors office. Maybe not as spectacular as the Eastern fall, but still a lovely color.


I don’t know the name of this fall bloomer, but it grows on a neighbors driveway.
I’m able to resume, (cautiously), my yoga that I’ve been addicted to for 12 years, another Hooray! And, best of all, I have a surgery date of Nov. 14th.


After much stressful delay, I’m finally beginning to see around the corner. I’ll be out of community, but the change was necessary. I must travel to St. Josephs in Stockton, over an hour distance from my home.  But, After Thanksgiving, I’ll be able to concentrate on accident related issues.  And, now that the election is over, I can quit ranting. Hah! says my son.


One compensation for being home so long, is catching up with old friends and trying new restaurants that opened since the last time I was home. My quilting friend, Kendra and I tried the new Magnolias restaurant in Murphys and were both impressed with the quality of the food. It is strictly lunch, but delish.

HYBRID VEHICLE NEWS.

I’m re-posting Gas 2.0. his blog entry for today. The no reply window does not allow me to ask in advance. So credit is not mine.  I’ve spread the word about this awesome blog before. As a hybrid vehicle owner, I love supporting the industry that will help us curb carbon emissions.

Sales Of Alt-Fuel/Hybrid Vehicles Soar In U.S
Posted: 07 Nov 2012 12:00 PM PST

Is 2012 the year that alternative fuel vehicles finally come into their own? It’s starting to look like that after a particularly strong October saw alt-fuel and hybrid car sales set a sales record for the third consecutive month. All told, more than 46,000 alt-fuel vehicles were sold in the U.S. in October, putting sales on track to break 500,000 alt-fuel sales for the year.

Leading the sales charge was Toyota, accounting for more than half of October alt-fuel sales with over 24,000 units sold. 16,774 of those sales came from the Prius family of hybrids, including nearly 1,900 Prius Plug-In models.

Those are good sales no doubt, but the Chevy Volt still leads the plug-in hybrid market, selling 2,961 Volts in October. The Nissan Leaf also performed admirably thanks to a new $199 month lease deal that helped move 1,579 Leaf EVs off of lots. Even Ford had good news to celebrate, including 118 sales of the Ford Focus Electric.

As already noted, the Ford C-Max Hybrid started off strong with over 3,000 units sold in its first full month on the market. Diesel vehicles also had cause to celebrate, with Volkswagen seeing a 43% increase in diesel sales over October of 2011, selling 8,235 units.
All tallied together, alt-fuel vehicle sales in the U.S. have already reached 446,000 units. With another couple of months like October, sales should break the 500,000 mark for the first time ever in the U.S. It looks like the tide might finally be turning against gasoline.

KALOO, KALAY, NO WORK TODAY.

IT’S OVER.
 
“The time has come,” the pundits said,
“To talk of other things
Of moving forward, work together
No privileged class of kings
And while the mood is boiling hot
And politics has wings
Kaloo Kalay lets rest  today
The freedom bell still rings.

ELECTION DAY HUZZAH!

The days of campaigning with a parade, red, white and blue bunting and a megaphone on the corner are gone.

I’ve worked the polls off and on most of my life. The very first house my husband and I bought, became the neighborhood polling place for the 10 years  we owned it.  The judge from that polling place always brought her “election cake” made with persimmons. It was her family tradition we enjoyed. What I remember most about those days, was friendly neighbors, most of whom I registered while pulling my first child along in a wagon from house to house.

Since being on the road with Jim,  one thing I miss is the great food we brought to the polling place in Murphys.  A veritable feast of a potluck is the tradition here. And, I miss meeting and greeting old friends I may only see once a year at the polling place.

They say the only constant is change and for many people exercising their right to vote can be complicated. Election Protection is a nonpartisan coalition of 150 organizations dedicated to making sure everyone can exercise their right to vote. If you have a problem at the polls on Election Day, or if you just need to find your polling place or have a question, you can call 1-866-687-8683, or download their smart phone app at the links below:

• Google Polling Place Locator
• Revolution Messaging’s text message polling place locator
• Election Protection’s smart phone app: Download from iTunes or from the Google Play Store

It is time for a bit of levity. There is a siite filled with political humor, lampooning both Obama and Romney; Showing funny political signs and cartoons. It’s  a riot. Check it out.
http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/bl-funny-pictures.htm

There are probably a dozen of these political humor sites. I only looked at one. My sign would read, I’M GLAD THIS ELECTION IS OVER.
Cheers to all.

FOR WOMEN!

I am sooooo tired of the campaign, the calls, the negative ads, and all that rush, rush stuff. This song from the 1960′s is a message song that was remade for today:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2012/10/22/1960s-teen-idol-lesley-gore-leads-charge-in-you-dont-own-me-video/

Check it out.

ROMNEY MORALITY

The Bible never teaches that women should have a choice about sex.  The Bible makes a clear distinction between forcible stranger rape and other forms of nonconsensual sex, condemning the former while  sanctioning the latter  in many, many circumstances. The fact that conservative Christians – or politicians who are pandering to a Conservative Christian base–keep fumbling with these distinctions is no accident. According to the commands of Yahweh, a man can give his daughters in marriage, keep concubines, have sex with his wife’s servants, or claim a desirable war captive as his own sexual property after a series of rituals to purify her. In no case, including in the New Testament, is the woman’s consent required for sexual contact.

Male female relationships in the Bible are determined by a property ethic.  The punishments for rape have to do not with compassion or trauma to the woman herself but with honor, tribal purity, and a sense that a used woman is damaged goods. A woman herself may be  killed for voluntarily giving up her purity. A rapist can be forced, essentially,  to buy her . In the Ten Commandments, the prohibition against coveting a neighbor’s wife is part of a broader prohibition against coveting property that belongs to another man: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17NIV).
Romney quote:  “The war that’s coming to kill all the Jews —–our church believes that.”
Angrily and somewhat haltingly, Romney explains the LDS Church’s end-times theology, and how parts of its apocalyptic Second Coming theology aligns with evangelical teachings. While all of the video is worth viewing , the part in question begins at the 1:30 mark, in which Romney says:

Christ appears – it’s throughout the Bible – Christ appears in Jerusalem, splits the Mount of Olives to stop the war that’s coming in to kill all the Jews. Our church believes that. That’s where the coming and glory of Christ occurs. We also believe that over the 1000 years that follows, the millennium, he will reign from two places, that the law will come forward from one place (from Missouri), and the other will be in Jerusalem.

http://www.alternet.org/speakeasy/tikkundaily/romney-war-thats-coming-kill-all-jews-our-church-believes

One big difference between capitalist democracy (as in contemporary Germany and France) and capitalist dictatorship is the willingness of the business classes to play by the rules of democratic elections, to allow a free, fair and transparent contest, to acknowledge the rights of unions, and to respect the universal franchise. Businessmen in such a society share a civic ethic that sees these goods as necessary for a well ordered society, and therefore as ultimately good for business. They may also be afraid of the social disruptions (as in France) that would attend any attempt to whittle away workers’ rights. Attempts to limit the franchise, to ban unions, and to manipulate the electorate with bald-faced lies are all signs of a barracuda business class that secretly seeks its class interests above all others in society, and which is not afraid of workers and middle classes because the latter are apolitical, apathetic and disorganized.
Since the New York Times shamelessly allowed Romney operatives to write their op eds, I shamelessly copied all of the information above from an alternative on-line “newspaper” called Alternet. The link is below:

http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/5-disturbing-signs-romney-would-steer-us-towards-capitalist-dictatorship?akid=9647.661062.yW2veg&rd=1&src=newsletter738395&t=4

WHY REPUBLICANS SHOULD VOTE BLUE.

The Citizens United ruling has given control of our elections to giant corporations and the super-rich.
Super PACs and other outside groups are spending spectacular sums. Karl Rove’s Crossroads over $300 million. The Koch Brothers gave $400 million. And the U.S. Chamber of Commerce $100 million. The Chamber has determined to put friendly judges in place with their money over the last 10 years.

Led by casino magnate and billionaire-25-times-over Sheldon Adelson, the top 100 individual contributors account for almost three-quarters of all the money raised by Super PACs. An even smaller group  of super rich tycoons is powering the outside groups that do not disclose their donors.

Wall Street and the financial sector is pouring far more money into the 2012 elections than any other industry; the industry has spent almost twice as much on the presidential race as any other. This, to rescind the rather mild Dodd-Franklin regulations on their industry. They want to change the rules to give them a permanent advantage forever over the middle class worker and investor.

The candidate with the most money doesn’t always win, but the spending negatively affects election outcomes. In 2010,  outside groups backed the winning candidate in 60 of the 75 congressional races in which power changed hands. But the impact is even worse.  The hidden money speakers define the tone of the campaigns, often establish the terms of debate, and affect the entire national race in other ways. It forces grass-roots, small local candidates to spend more money. They have to court the ultra wealthy and spend less time with regular people. Then, they end up accountable to donors before their constituents.  We KNOW this is true.

And, no matter who wins, the big money spenders obtain massively enhanced power to take helpful and popular measures off the table and put candidates friendly to them in office. Chevron has spent $1.2 million on a local political committee to back three city council candidates in Richmond, California, where the company operates a large oil refinery plagued by safety violations. That is the kind of “democracy” we get from rogue money.

If we care about our country, we simply can’t let this go on. Dark Money flowing into the elections is unhealthy and unbalanced. I don’t believe Republicans want to see a money war for our countries ideas and ideals anymore than Democrats. Most Republicans are not super rich. But, right now, Republican wealth is crippling all of us. Obama may not be the best president we have ever had, but he certainly has a more balanced approach to leading us than Romney. Don’t let the money influence your vote. Help save this country from a disgracefully contentious political atmosphere. Help our congress by electing people with vision and solid plans. Don’t fall for attack ads fueled by who knows who?

We need to accomplish some big things.  We need public financing of our public elections. And we need a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and restore democracy to the people. And, it won’t happen with Romney as president. He has made that very clear.

MONEY INTERESTS COME FIRST.

I had a brain scan yesterday.  A result of the May 27th accident has left me with continual headaches and some balance problems.  So, while slogging along with medical problems It seems I have nothing better to concentrate on than the election. And, glad to know my brain is still there.  So wrap your brain around this: A Romney/Ryan presidency might look something like this:

Mitt Romney’s running mate, called the Cayman Islands “the place where you hide your money,” arguing that the United States needs to slash tax rates below those of other countries in order to make this country “the haven for capital formation.” But in a previously unnoticed exchange in an interview with American Business Magazine in August 2011, Ryan went even further on the same topic, saying “let’s make this country a tax shelter for other countries instead of having other countries be a tax shelter for America.”

A very corporate vision for America. Kind of leaves a huge percentage of us out in the cold.

And from the Weis investment newsletter, one writer, Mike Larsen, practically chortles over the wonderful investment opportunities to be made out of  his (and his cohorts)  predicted next depression.

An historic, world-changing event
is about to permanently alter your life!
This monumental event will plunge vast numbers of families into the nightmare of poverty, homelessness and hunger. In the worst case scenario, you will see soaring crime, the confiscation of property, the suspension of civil rights, and even martial law enforcement by the U.S. military …
But while the vast majority of Americans will suffer, a select handful will use this crisis to build substantial wealth. If you act on the easy-to-follow recommendations I’ll give you in this presentation, you could be one of them.

Oh, boy. I can’t wait to get rich on the backs of the suffering middle class. A world in turmoil is just another investment opportunity for the 1%.

And, the California Proposition 30 is looking like it won’t make it. It should, though. I had a hard time understanding it until I heard the League of Women’s voters presentation on the complexity of it. Safety officers? Mixed with education? Billions here and billions there. But, do we want to stay at the bottom of the education ladder?  The taxes are  on those making 250,000 as singles, or 500,000 dollars a couple and will last seven years.  We will have a slightly increased sales tax for four years. And, we’ll begin paying down our bond debt which will help with California’s enormous deficit. I couldn’t find the video I watched on the subject. The written explanation isn’t as thorough, but, you can check it out online at:
http://ca.lwv.org/election/2012/november/ballot-measure/proposition-30