Apparently, I'm in the mood to gripe today

Destroyed Torture Tapes

I am so sick of Bush talking about this stuff -- I'm not sure if I feel pity for him or just ashamed. It almost always sounds like he doesn't know what he's talking about -- and he tries to dance around too much. He knows what is being done is illegal, and so do those who destroyed the tapes. He talks about protecting American people yet they've used the "State Secrets" defense more than any other administration. They are also violating our rights and say that they're doing it in order to "protect us" -- how can you justify fighting for our freedoms when you're taking them away? We're not any safer just because we have to wait in line an extra 2 hours at the airport while everything is supposedly searched (I made it through security with a lighter in my purse still and would have been able to take it on the plane had I not remembered that I had it (I had to use it to heat up my key when my locks froze on my car lol) and disposed of it); and we're not any safer just b/c they decide to detain thousands of people for "questioning" -- if anything they've strapped their resources which is more detrimental to our safety b/c people are so caught up in searching everyone that they can't focus more attention on what actually seems threatening. They knew about 9/11 before it happened but said they didn't have the resources available to investigate the information properly. We're more likely to be victimized by domestic criminals than by foreign terrorists so why don't you focus a bit of energy into that? And while we're looking into the criminal justice system, why don't we look at all the social injustices that are leading many towards prisons -- at least in prison they get food and shelter and work. I could rant on about so much of this -- including Gitmo and the threats to habeus corpus -- and about how much of all of that is a crock of crap and mostly unnecessary... *takes a deep breath* -- I think I'm PMS'ing... time to go do some yoga and chill. lol

War Operations vs. Education, Health, and other Domestic Programs

Yet another budget battle...

A snippet from the article: The White House on Saturday threatened to veto a massive spending bill being assembled by congressional Democrats, saying it's unacceptable to add billions of dollars to domestic programs.

The White House has not seen details of the $500 billion-plus measure — which senior Democrats are constructing behind closed doors — but reacted to it based on media accounts.

The bill contains $11 billion above President Bush's February budget, awarding the money to domestic programs such as EDUCATION and health research. It also may contain several billion dollars in "emergency" funding for border security, foreign aid, drought relief and a food program for women and children.

So this is the kinda crap that bothers me, and this is the reason why I say education needs to be made a top priority for this country. Bush requested $196 BILLION to add to the war operations in Afghanistan and Iraq; yet, he calls trying to request $11 billion for additional programs in the States fiscally irresponsible. The war is costing us something like $12 billion A MONTH, which is $1 billion more than what was requested for the whole year for several domestic programs.

Seriously.... is anyone else bothered by this in the least? I'm in favor of taking care of those who are at war overseas, but we shouldn't neglect the domestic needs of our nation either. Education, health care, food programs -- these sound like things that can benefit the entire population in some way or another. I'm really tired of all this petty fighting and bickering and people using power to secure their best interests for when they're not in power anymore while forgetting about most of their constituents. We need to find, support, and elect more humanistic leaders. This selfish capitalism has gone way too far; it can' really be described as capitalism anymore either; it's just greedy materialism. :o\ And as much as I think we can benefit from having a member of "minority" status as President, please, please please, please, PLEASE don't vote for someone just because they are a minority. Research the candidates and read about what they stand for -- you might be surprised at what you find.

I guess I just hate the thought of knowing that there are so many people out there suffering needlessly (not just here but in other countries as well). The whole thing is just seriously out of balance.

Entry #12 -- I have no freaking clue... but I know I'll get there

And with a broken wing
She still sings
She keeps an eye on the sky
With a broken wing
She carries her dreams
Man you ought to see her fly

The first step on my journey was overcoming obstacles I experienced in my past so that I could work towards my future. I enrolled in college so that I could be better "educated" so I could become more "qualified" to help empower others so that they can learn to overcome things for which they had no control (and even things they may have had some control over) and to empower them in realizing they have more power than they were previously aware of having.

Most of the time, I'm not really sure where I'm going to end up, but I try to stay optimistic by using post-its of inspirational quotes (and songs/song lyrics) like those to the side of my blog... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

So, I guess the next step of my journey isn't exactly entirely planned out yet; it will probably come as I am taking it just as so many other things in my life. I know I take steps to reach out to people... especially younger people. I do plan to continue my education of course... both in and out of school. I want to get more political and democratic experience as well -- become more familiar with it so maybe I can help others navigate through it and help them realize their democratic powers as well. We can do so much, but everyone else tells us otherwise so often that we've forgotten... or, worse, don't believe it.

As I said in class though... and as England wrote... it's a continual process -- I don't ever plan to be "finished" with anything because so many steps exist on my journey. I don't quite know where I'm going or how I'm going to get there, but I've guided myself along pretty well so far -- especially when I consider where I was -- so I know I'll get there. Even if I take a few detours, I'm sure I'll do it b/c I had the opportunity to change something along the way.

She loved him like he was
The last man on Earth
Gave him everything she ever had
He'd break her spirit down
Then come lovin' up to her
Give a little, then take it back

I think I just want to help people realize that no matter from where they came, the things they didn't really have control over, the mistakes they made, the opportunities they don't think they have, the people who tell them they will never be good enough or will never be able to do anything... no matter any of the things they've experienced that they see as negative... they don't have to be defined by it/them for the rest of their lives. They don't have to let those things control who they become and what they do. They can take responsibility (and accountability) for themselves -- and they need to in order to do what's best for them. I want to help them see the strengths they have because of what they've experienced and because of who they are as an individual.

She'd tell him about her dreams
He'd just shoot 'em down
Lord he loved to make her cry
"You're crazy for believin'
You'll ever leave the ground"
He said, "Only angels know how to fly"

I overcame an abusive past, an alcoholic and neglectful parent, etc.... I overcame many other things... the point is I overcame... I didn't let them defeat me -- whatever it was. Yes, there were times when I thought they might... and yes, there may have been times when part of me thought I wanted them to, but I always had a bit of hope... and that hope helped me to overcome. I guess that's the path I want to continue on... the path of hope -- not just for me but for other people I come across, and not just in work or in school but in general. Hope doesn't have any boundaries... it's not confined to spaces -- it can exist anywhere and everywhere. Maybe that sounds naive and optimistic to you, but with some of the things I've gone through (and others who have overcome similar and worse things), I think it's kind of a "right of passage" so to speak to allow myself to be...

We are all shaped by everything in our lives, especially the people we meet. That's why I try to offer kind words and smiles that are honest, sincere, and genuine. Sometimes all it takes is one word or one smile... England talks about the need for action... with which I do agree... but if people exercise their freedom of speech -- sometimes that's all it takes to put words into actions. Sometimes people (especially children) will say things but may not be able to act on them -- that's where we come in. I think we should be more humanistic and caring, in general. We shouldn't continue, as West said, to be so caught up in our daily lives that we don't care about anything else. And, as we read this week in our article... recognize the importance in not only focusing on the things we can't immediately control or change, but also focus on the things we can immediately control and change -- without losing sight of the bigger picture.

"We hold the hope of children in our hearts and in our hands. (England, p. 128)"

Hopefully I can inspire others to think... hopefully I can inspire them to act... hopefully I can inspire them to live. Hopefully, I can just inspire and empower...

How will I do this? With time, energy, a positive attitude and positive regard, and a sincere and genuine concern for the person as an individual.

I am also boycotting anything standardized... including SOOT surveys.

And with a broken wing
She still sings
She keeps an eye on the sky
With a broken wing
She carries her dreams
Man you ought to see her FLY...

(Just kidding... I did the SOOT earlier today)

I know we didn't have to post a link, but I thought this video was interesting. It's contains snippets of interviews from random people "on the street" talking about the importance of education and whether it is important and maybe what can be done to make it better...



Song Lyrics: "Broken Wing" Martina McBride