Sticks and stones . . .

Since when did it become illegal for students, or anyone in the U.S. for that matter, to voice their disagreement/disapproval/displeasure with anyone else whether it be a private or public forum? Ten students from the University of Southern California are on trial for expressing themselves during a speech made on campus. Because of that, they are facing possible jail time, probation and more. This is far from news for that university and many, many others. University students were among the loudest protestors during the Vietnam era. Students around the country invaded and camped out in administrative buildings to protest the war, the draft and military recruiting on campus. In other words, student protests are nothing new. I suspect the difference in this case is that the students are Muslims and spoke out during a university-sponsored speech by Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the U.S. Yes, it was rude to interrupt a guest speaker; but unlawful? No! Besides, I'm sure Ambassador Oren expected and was prepared for some "feedback" from his audience. Yes, the university was embarrassed by the unsolicited input from the students. I hardly think that punishing the Muslim Student Union is an appropriate reaction. Would the results have been the same had a member of an Evangelical Christian organization spoken up? Allowing free speech means accepting that speakers may pipe up in situations that might be embarrassing. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed that it is lawful for hate-filled, so-called Christians to picket military funerals causing extreme anguish for families and friends of the fallen. By comparison uttering "It's a shame this university has sponsored a mass murderer like yourself" to an Israeli official is pretty tame.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

Dad would have loved it. . .

This morning I heard what sounded like some sort of road paving machine. But then I realized it had a great rythm going and went to check it out. Above was about all I could see from our balcony, but the intricate drumming patterns were clear and got me thinking about my late Dad. In high school, he was a state drumming champion (Iowa) and always had great rythm. Far too infrequently, he would round up a brass incense burner, a porcelain lamp, the piano bench and any other handy hard surface and give a drumming concert. For an uptight, sober Norwegian, he had a drummer's soul. The event for which the red-coated drummers came, along with the rest of the band is going on right now. Don't know if I should stand for the National Anthem because of I'm not there, but. . . . . . . I'm back. Just couldn't sit through such a moving rendition! Now they're playing a fast, Spanish sounding piece. They're also competing with jets from National airport flying directly overhead -- those an ambulance siren and a cursed leaf blower. Anyway, hope everyone is having a nice Monday! I'm going back out to the freeby concert! Update: I should have known from the bright red blouses and white trousers that these guys were the U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. They put on a great, jazzy concert!

Love That Nitrous Oxide!

Went in for a two hour dental appointment this morning from which I exited in a righteously mellow mood. So what if the right side of my face has fallen and not gotten up -- yet. And so what if my lips are rubber and I can't drink liquids without them dribbling out of my mouth. I wasn't a basket case in the dentist's chair! Since childhood, I've been neurotic about dentists. [Long, ugly story I'll leave to your fertile imagination]. Even though I went through eight -- count 'em EIGHT years of orthodontia, I'm still terrified of needles and drills doing anything anywhere near my mouth. Until I found a dentist who uses numbing gel before she stabs me with the humongous Novocain needle, I avoided it. When I could no longer "gut-out" dental work, I basically stopped going. I'm paying for it now. I'm sure "laughing gas" has been around longer than I've been seeing dentists so the question begs: why the hell didn't I get any before now?! Knowing that I have several more appointments, I no longer have to suffer sleepless nights and shear terror upon entering the dentist's office. Good ole N.O. will be there for me! Happy weekend, y'all!

Magnificent Cold Front

For the first time in what seems like years, it's actually chilly outside. I'm lovin' it!! When the cold front came through, it brought brief showers and lots of wind.

To the west was a spectacular sunset and to the east,

what looked like a pink rainbow.

Go, Betsy, GO!!

The above came to mind the moment I heard that Elizabeth Warren is running for the Democratic Nomination in the Massachusetts senatorial race. With absolutely no insult or disrespect intended, I'll repeat myself -- GO BETSY, GO!

Not only is she incredibly intelligent, competent and qualified for a senate seat and just about any other high-level leadership position -- she's a WOMAN -- my age!

Unlike Sara and Michele, Elizabeth doesn't blurt-out nonsense whenever given the chance. She knows what she's talking about. She'll fight tooth and nail for what's right and just and she can easily argue-down anyone who tries to distort her meaning. I LIKE that!

Realistically, she might go mad trying to deal with the foot-dragging, double-speaking members of Congress. Nevertheless, she is precisely what the Senate needs to goose some activity out of the good ole boys.

Yes, I acknowledge that there are already some outstanding female Senators, but Elizabeth carries a whip! [No, not literally, but she knows how to hold her own in debates without losing her footing or dignity.] One more woman in the Senate can only improve the odds that something good will get done.

As much as I love D.C., I might be tempted to move to Massachusetts so that I could vote for Elizabeth Warren.

Can you tell I'm a fan?

Untold Stories

My first instinct when the 9/11 commemoration hype became more and more pervasive was to try to avoid the whole thing. On that day ten years ago, I was three weeks out from a radical hysterectomy that wasn't healing right and three months out from the first of two breast cancer surgeries that year. I was already pretty much a basket case when Spouse broke the news that a plane had hit one of the Towers in NYC.

But then today, reading a story in the Washington Post Style section (of all places) forced me to change my mind. It was about two Air Force pilots stationed at Andrews AFB, just outside of the District. For ten years they kept their incredible mission from the general public. Steve Hendrix wrote their story.

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Within minutes of the hit on the Pentagon, then Lt. Heather "Lucky" Penney and her commander, Col. George Degnon, received orders to stop Flight 93 before it could get to D.C.

Taking off they were sure they would not be returning. There wasn't time to arm their F16s. They would have to crash their planes into a commercial jet, filled with innocent passengers. They would not have come home if the passengers on 93 hadn't taken the situation into their own hands.

Learning about this started me thinking about the thousands of untold/unheard stories of survivors and rescuers. Some may never become public because the participants cannot bring themselves to remember. Others died before they could to tell their stories.

Sunday is a significant anniversary for every American and many more around the world. The terrorists won nothing. Just as the perpetrators of other attacks on American, they simply earned our disdain and awakened our patriotism.

Rather than relive my and others' terrifying experiences of ten years ago, I'll take time on Sunday to think about all those who couldn't tell their stories. I will also remember the comforting sound of our own fighter jets flying high over the city -- day and night for months -- protecting us.

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Living in Washington, D.C. is sometimes like living in a giant bullseye. Having said that, I feel safer today than I did ten years ago. It's my home and where I belong.

Note: I changed the title of this post because I thought it was too glib. I offer apologies to anyone I might have offended.

Very, very lucky

Spouse and I count ourselves extremely lucky. Irene breezed through D.C. and didn't leave a mark on us. I know several thousands more will be without power for a few more days and they have my sympathy. My youngest sister and her family live in Lusby, Maryland, on the edge of the Chesapeake Bay. Irene left many scars in that area. Schools are closed and it will take several more days before power and phone service are restored. Three trees came down on their property. One was a "gift" from a neighbors yard -- a big oak that crushed my nephew's truck. Two more narrowly missed hitting their house and several more, broken and leaning trees will have to be removed. My Mom stayed with my sister and her family through the hurricane because several of her Midwestern kids were concerned her little cottage, close to the Patuxent River would be in danger. As it turned out, she lost a few roofing shingles, but nothing else. Her retirement community lost power briefly during the night, so Mom's feeling very lucky, too. It was an exciting night at my sister's house. Mom/Grammy was glad to be there to help comfort 11 year old Alex who was still unsettled following the earthquake last Tuesday. The two of them decided they were having quite an adventure. As soon after the power went off, they all headed to bed. Alex slept between his mother and grandmother while his Dad and big brother made do in the living room. Several years ago, bro-in-law, Bill, installed a generator, so their refrigerator is still running along with a couple of lights and their neighbor is grateful for a long extension cord running between their houses, providng them with some power. I'm afraid the sound of chain saws and generators will outplay the cicadas for several more days. This hurricane could have been so much worse. Perhaps Mother Nature took pity on us because as Irene made landfall in several places, she weakened. I hope New Yorkers realize how lucky they are to have dodged a bullet this time. Towns and cities farther inland and on up into Maine and Canada were inundated and some may never recover. I thank God for sparing Spouse and me and pray that those who lost loved ones can find peace. Many, many more lost homes and personal belongings that cannot be replaced. I'm taking a lesson from that and gathering photos, letters and other irreplacable possessions into one package that I can grab and run with if necessary. It took an earthquake and hurricane all in one week to finally convince me that life is too precious to waste on stupid stuff like envy, regret, jealousy or pride. It won't be easy, but I'm going to try my best to remember that.

What's it all about, Alfie?

These peaceful, flag-waving, chanting marchers came by a few minutes ago. That's the State Department building in the background, so I figure they were trying to send a message there.

It took maybe twenty minutes for several hundred people to pass by, some banging drums and shouting.

I couldn't make out what they were chanting and it looked like their yellow flags had De-List Mex written on them. Guess I'll have to wait until CNN picks-up on them to figure out what they are trying to get across. Glad they came out before Irene visits this weekend. Her anticipated wrath was enough to postpone the dedication of the new Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial scheduled for Sunday morning.

To my cherished, few, readers who live in Irene's path: Batten down the hatches!!

Yesterday I asked What Gives? . . . today I found out.

The ground gave during a 5.9 earthquake centered 80 miles southwest of the District. I had just returned home from taking an elderly friend to the grocery store. What, at first felt like a very heavy truck driving by quickly became intense shaking.

My first thought was that some terrible structural problem was going to bring down our high rise apartment building. I heard things falling but didn't bother looking for them and went to the metal door frame of our bathroom.

Having never experienced an actual earthquake I started quaking. Grabbing my purse, I headed down the hall to collect a neighbor and took the stairs to get outside. Stuttering and knees quaking, I asked some college students with cellphones what they were hearing. That's when I heard it was an actual earthquake in Virginia.

It's been about one and a half hours since we rumbled and I'm somewhat anxious about after shocks, but since there's nothing I can do about it, I'm ready to evacuate again, if need be.

However, I can't get a troubling memory out of my mind. When the plane hit the Pentagon a few miles from us on September 11 the sensation felt very similar.

What Gives?

For the past month or so guys have been cutting and digging trenches down each side of our street. During the really hot weather, they worked at night. I could appreciate the need to wait til it was cooler, but the huge grinding blade they used to cut the pavement was really off-putting. It also caught people who normally park on the street by surprise.

Being a curious type, I have checked on their progress from time to time and am still puzzled as to what their mission was/is.

After cutting through the pavement, the debris was removed, leaving a neatly cut foot-wide trench. What looked like reinforcing bars were installed then dirt was packed in to street level. [I've never saw any pipes, cables or anything else installed.] Not long after, the crew returned, dug-up the compacted dirt and poured in paving material. The same is being repeated on the opposite side of the street right now.

Our street isn't what I'd call heavily-travelled and there are usually few potholes at the end of winter, so why all the digging and filling? Surely D.C. isn't into "make-work" projects for contractors . . . Anybody know what's going on?

My Turn to Gripe

GIVE THE MAN A BREAK! President Obama deserves a vacation and where he chooses to take it is his business [OK, and the Secret Service's,too]. He needs to get out the demented atmosphere of political Washington. I'm glad he's out there riding his bike with his family, breathing air untainted by politics.

GIVE KATE A BREAK! Where do fashionistas get off scolding Princess Kate for wearing the same outfit twice? I admire her practicality. She's sending a good message of making do with what she has. Besides, some outfits just make a woman feel good, so why not wear it often. As for those who criticize her make-up -- Oh, please! She's clearly lovely and loved by her husband.

SEPTEMBER 11 -- As the infamous anniversary date approaches please, let's remember it's nine/eleven, not nine/one/one. Even network talking heads get it wrong. Remembering the day is cringe-inducing enough without corrupting the date.

PLEASE. In the name of all that is good why can't television muckety-mucks put an end to reality shows? For the life of me, I cannot figure out why young women, who clearly have personality problems, would invite a camera to follow them through hissy-fits and childish though profane tirades while planning their special day. How could any male with even half a brain want to marry such a creature?! That's just one type of reality show. I admit I've watched very few. It's too embarrassing to watch people in what should be private situations.

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT believe everything campaigning politicians tell you. August 17th was not Elvis Presley's birthday and, no she won't be able to swish her magic wand to bring gas prices down to $2.00 a gallon if elected president. As for Rick Perry: OMG!! Yes, he's good lookin' but man, oh, man he's dense! Grippin' and Grinnin' ain't gonna win no races. Griping about the status quo won't win friends or influence voters, either. Pull out before you make a total ass of yourself.

FRACKING may sound like something frat-boys do to new pledges, but it's far scarier. Oil companies are proudly announcing the promise of huge supplies of natural gas and oil just waiting to be tapped thousands of feet deep in the Earth. They add that we'll have many more years of fossil fuel to fill our gas tanks, warm our homes and keep America competitive with other oil producing nations. You betcha! What about the dangers of fracking? Fracking accidents have already contaminated ground water and released toxic gases. Injecting massive amounts of water and chemicals under high pressure into the material containing all the oil makes me wonder about geophysical damages, too. If you want to know more, check this out: Fracking - SourceWatch.

Stevie T.

He could have been the inspiration for Charlie Brown: guileless innocence and earnest curiosity.

Stevie, his younger sister and parents lived in a garage apartment behind us when I was very young. Another young family occupied the upstairs apartment and all of us kids were of similar ages.

Stevie's father was a massive guy and in the Coast Guard. He was the only person who could approach his scary German Shepherd who, it seemed, spent his entire life chained to a post on their back porch. Mr. T. was domineering and not particularly fond of his only son. Mrs. T. was a tiny little woman, intimidated by her husband.

Stevie was a little awkward and shy, but he worked hard at trying to insert himself into others' lives. He might have been a little slow mentally but I never saw him get angry. We went through school together then lost track of each other after graduating from high school. I went off to college and Stevie went off to work.

He died about this time last year. The cause was not mentioned but the abundant appreciation and love of his many friends was staggering. I felt ashamed for not making more of an effort to befriend him when I had the chance.

The moral of this story is that each of us has the potential to be a significant force for good in others' lives. Stevie's legacy is one worth remembering. His kindness and acceptance of others' faults and failings earned him respect and love.I wish I'd been smart enough to recognize and appreciate those qualities when I was four.

[left to right: Stevie, me, my big brother]

What the &%#*?!

Decorum is a useful tool in just about any given situation. It helps to maintain the dignity of all parties as well as discouraging bad or dangerous behavior.

The Congress of the United States of America used to be a bastion of decorum.

It has been infuriating as well as hideously embarrassing to watch the country's elected representatives bicker, name-call and generally grouse about not getting their way on various issues. They exhibited more slapstick than a serious debate on the future financial and social standing of our beloved country.

I can't help but attribute this to the so-called Tea Party. They were elected because of their hyperbole and ranting about issues near and dear to every American. They told "the people" what they wanted to hear though not the full story. Reality never entered their minds.

Sure; taxes are a bane to everyone, but they quite literally keep many of us alive and sheltered. Think about people you know who are just barely hanging on trying to live on Social Security or other federal benefits. Then think about many other Americans living high off the hog from wealth they earned AND collecting Social Security. That monthly government check probably amounts to a drop in the bucket in their overall income. Is that fair?!

Also, is anyone thinking about the fact that, even after all the years you paid into the Social Security pot you draw all of it within the first two or three years you start collecting benefits?

Of course there are flaws in all federal programs, some of them so heavily entrenched that it will take years to put them on a more practical footing. It has to start somewhere and Congress seems determined not to touch any entitlements or tax measures. Both houses are deadlocked and pretty useless. President Obama must be frustrated out of his mind by their game-playing. I know I am.

Playing "Chicken" with people's lives and finances is not the answer. And the stock market is the biggest bunch of chickens yet! Now is the time to invest in our country, not hold back.

Remember: you can't take it with you!

For No Particular Reason

Flowers from my sister's back deck.