“I’m feeling flabby and unattractive this evening.”
“Well you don’t look flabby and unattractive.”
“That may be so, but I feel flabby and unattractive.”
“What are you going to trust, how you feel or what I see?”
“Did you know you’re wearing two different color socks?”

I have had, for as long as I can remember, a pacifist view on life.

I accepted the need for self-defense, but to me there was nothing that was so important that it justified violence on my part. One of my life long heroes has been Martin Luther King. Someone who felt so strongly about his beliefs that he was willing to sacrifice everything for them. In light of that, who was I to say that there was any cause for which I should resort to violence? What is my life compared to anyone else’s life? I’m just one individual who is no more or less important than any other person.

I grew up in a democracy, and was raised with the belief that in America we stood for justice and freedom. Our ancestors fought and died for these things, and through their suffering and work they achieved peace. They created a country where all people could be free and equal. Sure there was injustice, but I always saw that injustice as something that was (at lease eventually) opposed: Senator Welch brought an end to McCarthyism with his plaintive question “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?” LBJ signed civil rights legislation that worked to achieve equality for all people.

From this I learned that although injustices occur, they can be overcome through the political or legal system.

But then something changed.

I’m not sure whether it happened gradually or suddenly, but I realized that there are things that worth fighting for: Freedom. Justice. Democracy.

Possibly this change stemmed from the strife I have seen in this country over war. I felt that the war in Afghanistan was justified, but the war in Iraq was not. I never consciously thought about why I felt this way, but I suppose I’ve been mulling over it in the back of my mind.

I really looked at American history. Maybe there was no injustice when and where I was, but it was out there, and has been out there all along.

It seemed to me that these ideals I was raised to believe belonged to all Americans were under attack, or never existed in the first place.

Then I realized that someone has to fight for these things, and what if no one else wants to do it? I’ve been content up to now to accept that injustice was something that happened elsewhere, but that no longer seems true.

“We have to give up some rights if we want to be safe.” This idea astounds me, and I absolutely cannot comprehend it. Those rights are the things that make us safe.

Those rights are what make us American.

Those rights are what I have grown up believing in. Yet we are just willing to throw them away for some illusory sense of security? In this country we have a constitutional right to: Free speech. Freedom of Religion. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms. The Right to be Secure Against Unreasonable Searches and Seizures.

If these things are not worth defending, then what is?

Don’t get me wrong. I haven’t changed completely. I’m still unwilling to see violence as the answer to all or even most problems, but I’ve begun to worry that perhaps I, like countless before me, will stand by and do nothing when the rights of those around me are violated.

And I don’t want to be that person.

This post is for Lenny and Dee, who I wish were around to talk about this with me. They are the ones who showed me that you have to be willing to listen if you want to understand what the other side is saying, and if you don’t try to understand what the other side is saying, you’ll never be able to reach an agreement.

Veterans Day

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the11th month.

Please Remember those who gave their health and their lives for our country.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Day Home Page

The Origins of Veterans Day from the VFW.

The Great War

WWII Memorial

Korean War Memorial

Vietnam War Memorial

Digital Memorial for those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq

Data on Veterans from the US Census Bureau

“A man’s country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle; and patriotism is loyalty to that principle.”
— George William Curtis

“It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.”
— John Philpot Curran Speech upon the Right of Election (1790)

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.
–Aldous Huxley

Two weeks ago BBC’s The World did a series on Iran. I’m not that fond of the world, because it preempted All Things Considered from 6 to 7, but it is a good program, and this series was excellent.

Most fascinating to me was part one, on the 1953 coup.

I’ve known for years that the US interfered in Iranian politics, and I knew that the US had held up the Shaw as a puppet regeime prior to the Iranian revolution. What I didn’t know was that Iranians (and most of the middle east to be honest) had good reason to be angry with the US, and to not trust the US, and that stems from the 1953 coup.

During WWII, the British and the Russians overthrew Shaw Raza Kahn because they feared he was supportive of Germany, and placed his son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi on the throne.

The during the 1950s, Mohammed Mossadegh rose to become primer minister in Iran, and started arguing for Iranian independence. What happened next is, at least to me, absolutely stunning (But you really should read the whole thing).

He slipped clandestinely across the border and in a period of just three weeks, really through his own wits, Kermit Roosevelt organized the overthrow of the government of Iran. He was truly a real life James Bond.

Roosevelt started by tapping into the intelligence networks the British and Americans had built up inside Iran. A few key Iranians proved willing to do his bidding. They unleashed a ferocious propaganda campaign against Mossadegh. They bribed newspapers to print slander; they paid clerics to denounce him at Friday prayers. They hired thugs to organize mobs and riots. Meanwhile, Kermit Roosevelt had to persuade Iran’s young Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, to participate in the coup.
…
So Roosevelt set about stage-managing that confrontation. He had copies of the decree dismissing the prime minister plastered around town. And he went back to the Iranians he was working with and had them organize fresh mobs says Stephen Kinzer.

Kinzer: He would have them surge through the streets of Tehran, break windows, beat up people, shoot their guns into mosques and shout “we love Mossadegh. Up with Mossadegh and communism. And as if that wasn’t enough he then hired another mob to attack this mob to show that Tehran was in such chaos that anarchy was threatening and that just to bring Iran back to a measure of stability, Mossadegh had to be overthrown.

The strategy worked. The demonstrations escalated. Clashes broke out between opposing military factions. On August 19, 1953, anti-Mossadegh forces seized power and Mossadegh went into hiding. An army general was installed as prime minister. The Shah made a triumphant return home. Mark Gasiorowski says the US action changed the course of Iranian history.

It is astounding to me that the US overthrew an elected prime minister and, then was shocked (shocked!) when Iran resented what had happened the threw the US out of the country.

Stephen Kinzer, who is quoted in this article, wrote a book called “All the Shaw’s Men” which I have not read, as well as a book, “Crescent & Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds”, which I have read and very much liked.

But regarding Iran, I strongly recommend that you read or listen to the series, while I go put “All the Shaw’s Men” on my wish list.

(I also enjoyed Elaine Sciolino’s book “Persian Mirrors The Ilusive Face of Iran”, which I read several years ago.)

Anyone interested in buying a WV school? There’s one up for sale on E-Bay.

(via S)

There are times in politics when you must be in the right side, and lose.
–John Kenneth Galbraith

Does anyone have a good sweet potato pie receipe? The last one I tried I didn’t like, so I’m looking for a tried and true suggestion.

Bad Day.

But one good thing from this weekend. We ordered tickets for Cirque du Soleil when it comes to Pittsburgh with VAREKAI. Susan will be coming in from Cincinatti for the show. We’ll be going with my her, my parents, and whoever wants to buy the extra two tickets we have, for my brother and sister-in-law decided they don’t want to go.

Fools.

I am really excited about getting to see another Cirque show. Tres fantastic!

Elsewhere on the home front, I cooked down two pumpkins for pies and other baked goods this winter, and made a batch of chili, which means I’ll be making cornbread to go with it. Yum. Was going to bake something, but coulsn’t decide what I wanted to make, so ended up making nothing. I’ve got apples, and I’ve got lemons, so apparently I had too many choices.

Of course I also just don’t feel very hungry. Something about the current state of politics has made me just slighly sick to my stomach.

“I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just”
–Thomas Jefferson

Seeing as how I’m supposed to be reading for school and not for fun, it took me the better part of the semester to read this anthology. But that was a okay, as it allowed me to enjoy it for longer, and going back to look at some of the stories as I wrote this, it was like reading them all over again.

The Faery Reel edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

Any time I see a fantasy anthology edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, I’ll often as not pick it up, because I know that it’s going to be good. Usually very good.

Read More about The Faery Reel

As I said previously, there is a lot out there right now about “what went wrong.” There are also lots of suggestions about what to do about it, including the “blue states” seceding from the “red states”. To which I reply: Excuse me? My state just elected a Democratic governor by the biggest margin EVER, and sends Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller to the Senate. Two of our three representatives are Democrats. Our state legislate is dominated by Democrats and local politics are dominated by Democrats.

Did you think that maybe, just maybe, the fault lies in the national party more than it does in the populations of the states that voted for Bush?

But this post isn’t about laying blame. It doesn’t matter who was at fault, if anyone. What matters is what were going to do about it in the future.

Lots of people are talking about activism and getting out there and “doing something.” Well, that’s great to hear, but I’ll be more impressed if I’m still hearing that in six months, and I’ll be really impressed if I actually see people out there doing things.

So it boils down to what exactly should we be doing? I’ve seen lots of comments about giving money to the Democratic party, and even people suggesting that we need to get out and help people. Something that I’ve been saying for awhile, and I’m glad to hear. But it seems to me that many of the same people who complain about the “ignorance” of the voters have their own blind spots.

So what do I think people should do?

Pay attention to what’s going on in our own backyards. People are (justifiably) upset over the way companies like Nike have treated their workers. But few people seem to pay any attention to the way that workers are treated in the US.

The minimum wage is only $5.15 and has not been raised since 1996. If you’ve never worked a minimum wage job, tried to live on minimum wages, I don’t think you can really understand how little money that actually is. So one place to start is to fight to raise the minimum wage, to make it a living wage.

Then go and actually look at the places that pay minimum wage. Look at how they treat their employees. And go read Eric Schlosser‘s Fast Food Nation. See if you can find out what chain restaurants in your area offer benefits to their employees. (Certainties in this area are Eat ‘n’ Park and Ruby Tuesdays.) Find out what places treat their employees decently.

Then: STOP GOING TO PLACES THAT DON’T TREAT THEIR EMPLOYEES DECENTLY.

It’s not difficult. Stop going to McDonald’s and other fast food places. When you go out to eat, avoid chains that don’t offer benefits to their employees. It’s work, finding out what places offer benefits and what places don’t, but it seems to me that if we truly believe in social justice it’s our duty to do this.

Then take a look at other things you buy. Do you know why your food prices are so low? (Again, see Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation.) When people ask me why I don’t eat mammals, they really don’t want to know the answer. It is disturbing not only the way that animals are treated by our big food corporations, but that these places don’t treat humans any better. Again, I recommend Eric Schlosser, especially Chapter 8 The Most Dangerous Job.

If we insist on paying artificially low prices for our food, then those involved in food production are going to be taken advantage of more and more.

And the same goes for other products. Americans, it seems to me, are unwilling to pay in any way, shape, or form, to make sure that their fellow Americans have decent living conditions. We don’t want to pay higher prices to guarantee that workers have benefits, while at the same time we refuse to provide health care to those who work yet have no health insurance.

We cannot have it both ways.

So what I would ask my fellow Democrats who are in despair and wondering what to do, is to put their money where their mouth is. Stop going to places like McDonald’s and Wal Mart that have a history of treating their employees badly. Start buying products that are environmentally responsible, which means buying organic, buying sustainable, and buying from places that treat their employees well.

Will it change the political process? Not really. But it may make life better for our fellow Americans, and maybe next time we’ll have a better understanding of those who we are so willing right now to label “ignorant” and “fools.”

Last night’s Ethics and Law class was very interesting. We discussed human rights and poverty.

Did you know that the majority of welfare recipients are white women with children? Or that women on welfare have fewer children than the average American? Or that: “(o)f black women considered ‘highly dependent,’ that is, on welfare for more than seven years, 81 percent of their daughters grow up to live productive lives off the welfare rolls.”

Did you know that in the US the fastest growing group in poverty is children?

from:
Weston, Anthony. “A 21st Century Ethical Toolbox” (2001) Oxford University Press, New York.

But at least our corporate welfare system is working well.

It seems like half the places I like to read are asking “what went wrong” and “what’s wrong with the Democratic party”?

Lots of ideas, but nothing concrete, and nothing that strikes me as particularly helpful useful.

My thoughts are this: I wasn’t pleased when Kerry was nominated. I had nothing personal against him, but I felt that he wasn’t the best candidate–that he wasn’t going to appeal to the voters needed to win the election.

That led me to wonder if perhaps something is wrong with our primary process. Which led me to this question:

How much of a say do the swing states–those states where the election was close (or should have been)–have in the nomination process? I know that personally I’m rather frustrated by the fact that I have never had a say in the nomination process–our primary is in May. This year the primary was essentially over in the beginning of March.

Sure, the first two states to hold primaries are Iowa and New Hampshire–major swing states. But do Iowa and New Hampshire reflect the rest of the country?

Here is a list of state that held their primaries after 9 March, and the number of electorial vores for each of those states:

Kansas 6
Illinois 21
Alaska 3
Wyoming 3
Colorado 9
North Carolina 15
Pennsylvania 21
Indiana 11
Nebraska 5
West Virginia 5
Arkansas 6
Kentucky 8
Oregon 7
Idaho 4
Alabama 9
New Mexico 5
South Dakota 3
Montana 3
New Jersey 15

In bold are the states with elections that were relatively close
In italics are state that went for Kerry

19 states, all but four of which went for Bush. States with 159 Electorial votes had no say in the primary process.

Does all this mean anything? I don’t know. But I do know that I’ve felt frustrated by my lack of say in the primary process, and felt it difficult to rally behind a candidate I felt only half-hearted about.

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/primaries/pages/scorecard/
http://www.cspan.org/
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/

ADDENDUM the First: Here’s the table I complied.