the right to live- and die- the life we are given

my husband and i subscribe to netflix- and while we do grab the occasional movie or two- we mainly catch up on television shows we think we might like. neither of us enjoy the extended commercials on network and cable. in fact, there can be much cursing heard in the betmo home when i am watching tv- especially when i flip the channel only to find more ads. but i digress…

we have caught up on several shows that actually are pretty good- battlestar galactica, the shield, deadwood- and most recently, we started season 3 of dexter. for those unfamiliar with dexter, the show is on showtime and season 4 is starting september 27th. dexter is a sociopath and serial killer and the show follows his life as he interacts- and kills- in the world around him. based on a novel as many of the good cinema is.

my point is going to euthanasia. in the most recent episode i watched, dexter assists one of his family friends with dying. she has terminal lung cancer and was placed in hospice struggling to breath and losing her body functions- and then her tumors slowed and the doctors gave her another month or more to ‘live.’ being catholic, she explains to dexter that she couldn’t assist her husband- who had died a year earlier of lung cancer- and she couldn’t kill herself because both were mortal sins. they would go straight to hell. but…. dexter wasn’t catholic…. she said as she looked him straight in the eyes…

which brings me to my point- i find it extremely ironic that the right to lifers- christians, catholics, jews, muslims, etc., -think nothing of killing strong, vibrant, young folks on the cusp of their lives in pointless wars for profit- but will fight tooth and nail to force folks who are terminally ill and suffering beyond belief to live. teri schiavo comes to mind. i also find it extremely ironic that most folks- if you ask- say that they would never want to live in that kind of condition. i mean, what kind of life quality is that? and then turn around and vote for a pro life candidate to represent them.

there are complex end of life issues that should be talked about in a real and honest discussion- but they get pushed aside by the never ending babble about abortion. what is more important- discussing a life that hasn’t developed yet- or discussing the wishes of a human being who has lived their life and wants to end with a bit of dignity? seriously. these issues need to be separated and they need open minds and hearts. in a so called modern and civilized culture, i find it repugnant that we still allow the backwards retreads to a different era to dominate our debates.

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the peace movement

hmmmm…. yeah. i guess i wonder where it’s moving. can someone check its pulse? that’s my second cuppa snark this morning. there are many folks in this country who want peace- no doubt. and there are some who actually engage with the rest of humanity on a quest to get it. but there is a biiiiigggg obstacle to peace in this country- and no it isn’t just the neocons and obstructionist dems- americans themselves don’t really want peace. not really.

how else to explain the abysmal way we treat each other? most folks have heard by now of fellow americans being tased to death- i think we may be getting closer to 3 digits every time i post- and we have heard of police beatings of people who weren’t resisting and of the huge ice roundups that just herd everyone together to sort out later (and detain indefinitely). but what about our daily lives? looking at how we treat each other or talk about each other- and those around the world- it’s indicative of where we really are at.

i read a piece in national geographic about iran. what struck me was the people. the government actually sounds like ours but the people- they have this sense of identity and stubborn will to be who they are despite millennia of invasions- it’s incredible. and yet, americans would be content to bomb them and their beautiful country to smithereens for oil. without taking a moment to think about the humanity lost and the thousands of years of world history. these folks speak farsi and are fairly anti-arab. they have their own identity and they aren’t terribly interested in america- except for the fact we keep threatening to annihilate them. anyhoo- i thought while reading- what an exceptional people and what an ally they would have made if we hadn’t fucked things up with our greedy foreign policy. sigh.

anyhoo- read the article- and really take a look at the people. we didn’t bother to do that with iraq or anywhere else in the world actually. the world isn’t our oyster and we don’t have the right to take what isn’t ours’. we need to take a hard look at our own culture and see it for what it is and isn’t. people who can be so callous as to let a man die after ignoring him for 22 hours or people who can stand by while a pet dies- and say that it’s only an animal get another- well, that gives me pause. these are everyday people- neighbors, family members, friends, co-workers- americans. if this is the real face of who we are- it is not only disillusioning- it’s frightening.

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it’s our world- but we need to share

i wondered what i would post about my first real day back online after summertime company. i have managed to squeeze a few moments here and there to read ‘mindful politics‘ and various blogs and sundry online while my outlaws were here- and friends- and the combination of all of these things has been swirling about in my brain. i am reading news headlines that highlight the greed, violence, fear, hatred, etc. of the human race at large- the wars, famines, prejudices that grace our planet and i have been reading ideas on how to counteract those forces in order to bring peace to myself and hopefully, transfer some to the world around me. i have been reading about forgiveness versus reconciliation and how to reconnect (or perhaps first time connect) with myself and my feelings and how to work through them. and i have been thinking about the world as a whole and how people treat others who are different- and how self righteous and puritanical and full of fear and loathing we are as a species. and then, i read other bloggers and i am amazed at myself for having the good luck to come into contact with actual thinking beings in a world ruled by base emotions.

the free slave is an especial favorite of mine because he puts out real thinking posts. i can’t do that consistently- and i really admire someone who can. i have some back reading over there to do- as i have been offline- but the latest post is a follow up to a previous one written about whether or not animals should have basic rights. so, of course that got me thinking about all of the other reading i have done about buddhism- and how buddhists believe that other living beings have basic rights that we need to honor. maxjulian makes the point:

“Animals are not exactly like humans, but humans are animals. We are more alike than different. And if you truly look at the nature of so-called human atrocities, their root is in the human atrocities we have visited on animals. And first, in our brains, the divisions we’ve created between ourselves and each other. And animals.”

and, i think that point is essential. animals communicate with each other- and with human beings. we are the ones who are unable to understand. we do that with anyone or anything that is different than we are- whether the break down is language, religion, skin color, culture, etc.,- it makes no difference. ‘english only’ that is reverberating around america comes to mind- or the whole debacle that is the ‘obama is muslim’ campaign strategy also comes to mind. that particular one ‘kills two birds with one stone’ so to speak because it slurs people of color and muslims.

anyhoo- please do check out his post. it is my belief that we need to wipe away the veil from our eyes and really see things as they are- and not as we want them to be. human beings are not the superior species. there are many species out there that take in orphans and most don’t go to war with each other. they respect each other’s territories and communicate that quite well. we could learn much from other species. and the reality is- humans do eat each other up- we also spit each other back out. what a waste.

Children are called the future of an adult world
They are born with spirits so innocent
Til we teach them how to hate
Add to the world’s confusion
We teach our kids rules
That we don’t adhere to ourselves
Right or wrong
What example can they take
The people we learn from
Forge the ideas we become

Living in a world they didn’t make
Living in a world that’s filled with hate
Living in a world where grown-ups break the rules
Living in a world they didn’t make
Paying for a lot of adult mistakes
How much of this madness can they take
Our children

Children grow to become our young adults
Problems of the world
They must learn how to confront
Doing drugs and joining gangs to rebel
Colors show they belong
To the social override
Cause they’re living in a space
They feel out of place

Living in a world they didn’t make
Living in a world that’s filled with hate
Living in a world where grown-ups break the rules
Living in a world they didn’t make
Paying for a lot of adult mistakes
How much of this madness can they take
Our children

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a standing ovation for california

“Social change takes time, but it does not mean we have to wait for hearts and minds to change. Given the naked racism we’ve seen this election cycle, you best believe that anti-miscegenation laws would still be on the books in some states if we were going to wait until everyone was on board with interracial marriage. And that will be the case for same-sex marriage.

We have to lead, not follow; we have to educate allies — and push the civil rights envelope through legal channels. Both are necessary. It’s why it’s important to parse the statements of the presidential candidates in reaction to yesterday’s ruling — will they lead, or follow?”

pam, at pam’s house blend

do you think rosie will move to cali?

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one of the best posts i have read

the weakest link- the invisible woman