Wow, been feeding all my other blogs, and overlooking this one. Well ya know, if the President would just shape up, I wouldn't be so busy with all the other blogs. Enough about that, see my other blogs for stuff like that. Here is where I try to post family stuff. Which is not to say that the war deeply affects our family, but once in a while, I gotta take a light break.....it's such serious business, the war, the troops, Iraq, our country.
So Lance, the cat, has made himself at home, is doing real well, adapting well and has rather taken charge of the house. Now Jake, on the other hand, is just still pouting over the whole business. We put a pillow and the food dish for Lance on top of the freezer on the porch. He likes that cause he jumps up there and can lord it over Jake, who looks at me with those sad eyes and an expression of "Why, Why, why me, what did I ever do to you?".
When I take ol' Jakers for a walk or better yet a drive, he is all excited once again and knows I love him best. Lance doesn't seem to know though, that Jake comes first, he thinks he comes first. Now Lance follows me around everywhere, including when I walk Jake...what kind of cat follows you around like a dog does? But no car rides for Lance. That is special only for Jakers.
Our small village entertainment: We threw old bread out for the birds, well, okay, the crows then. There are a lot of crows that live around here and they won't let the smaller birds get to the bread. We threw out three loaves, not torn up. So Jake goes over and sniffs them and decides they are not edible for him. But he somehow thinks they are his, so he sits down in the road and stands guard. The crows won't come down with Jake sitting right there. We are watching out the windows, and it's getting pretty amusing as Jake takes his job of guarding the bread loaves very seriously, it seems.
Along come some of the other dogs that live on our street, sniff the bread and decide it's not for them either, and walk off. Jake continues guarding the loaves. The crows hover all around but won't fly down to snatch the bread. After a while, another stranger dog (means doesn't live around here) came along, sniffed the bread, decided it was for him and picked it up in his mouth and walked off with it. Well Jake is seriously offended and puzzled and looks at the stranger dog and then back at the loaves and is confused about what to do. If he leaves his guard spot the crows will fly down, but he also wants to retreive the bread loaf from the stranger dog.
In his confusion, he decides to get up and go after the stranger dog, and the crows start circling downward. The stranger dog drops the loaf about 50 feet down the road, decides he doesn't want it after all. Jake, meanwhile has drifted over to the neighbor's place across the street as one of them has come out of the building and Jake knows they give him real and fun food treats. While he is over there begging for a goodie, the crows then spot the loaf the stranger dog dropped and see that Jake is occupied, so they swoop down and start having a feast. We are watching out the windows, laughing and being thoroughly entertained, wondering what Jake will do when he turns around and sees the crows are at the bread loaf.
Sure enough, Jake turns, sees the crows, dashes after them and chases them off, picks up the bread loaf and isn't sure what to do with it. He wanders back to the other two loaves, wanders back to the neighbors with the loaf in his mouth, wanders back home, just carrying that loaf of bread and not sure what to do with it. He decides then, that the best thing to do is to bury it. So he digs a hole and buries one loaf. Meanwhile the other two loaves are sitting on the road and the crows are still hovering, waiting. We are by this time laughing as we watch from the windows as this drama of nature unfolds. Lance has taken an interest by now and has been running from window to window trying to keep up with the birds.
It had all the markings of being a long afternoon's entertainment for us dull, boring people in our dull, boring village. The neighbors decided to take a walk, and Jake usually accompanies them, so he was delighted to go for a walk, and after all that careful sentry work guarding the bread loaves from the crows, he just walked off as if it never happened, and the crows then were free to feast. But no, two more stranger dogs came along, sniffed and decided to eat the two remaining loaves which they proceeded to do in short order, leaving nothing for the crows.
And that is life in the Village.
Now, about me and my blogs. I have, let's see now, 8 blogs at blogger, and 6 blogs here at blog-drive, 1 blog at live journal, 1 blog at blog city, another blog at bloglines, another at msn spaces, so that is 18 blogs. Plus I have also a few websites that I have built. And I have a list of about 6 more places where I could build other blogs. So ...... that is tooo many blogs, for sure, and I have to feed them all. That is why I call them my online neopets, cause I have to feed them and some get fed every day and some don't get fed for weeks at a time and lately, some don't get fed at all.
Lastly, let me recommend 2 movies for ya to watch. 1) Open Waters, it's an independent film and very unusual...different and we enjoyed watching it. 2) The Village, M. Night Shymalan which we enjoyed watching this one because the ending surprised us and it's nice to be surprised. There wasn't much in the way of clues along the movie to tell us what to expect for the ending, which is why it was a surprise. We liked it. Now, if you watch these two movies, let me know what you think, ok?
Till next time.............this is Gram offering up a gem.......
Thursday, January 27, 2005
It's another anniversary for us today, Jan 27 and I'm including a photo of me from our last year anniversary get away retreat, to a tree house in Cannon Beach, Oregon. It was so serene, peaceful and quiet. Of course January is not the high tourist season in Oregon, so it tends to be quieter in the winter months anyway. This year we are not spending $$ on get away locally, we are starting a special account to save for an anniversary trip to Europe! I'm excited. Daughter and her husband have been to Europe couple of times now, Son has been and another daughter with her family lives in Germany now. Europe, here we come!
Anniversary Getaway Photo
It's another anniversary for us today, Jan 27 and I'm including a photo of me from our last year anniversary get away retreat, to a tree house in Cannon Beach, Oregon. It was so serene, peaceful and quiet. Of course January is not the high tourist season in Oregon, so it tends to be quieter in the winter months anyway. This year we are not spending $$ on get away locally, we are starting a special account to save for an anniversary trip to Europe! I'm excited. Daughter and her husband have been to Europe couple of times now, Son has been and another daughter with her family lives in Germany now. Europe, here we come!
by Lietta Ruger
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
U.S. Rep Schakowsky; "It is time for our soldiers to start the journey home." Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Nadeam Elshami
January 24, 2005 202/226-6903 or 703/869-9020 (Cell Phone)
Schakowsky on U.S. Troops in Iraq :
"It is time for our soldiers to start the journey home."
CHICAGO , IL - U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today released the following statement on U.S. soldiers deployed in Iraq :
"The time has come for the United States to withdraw our troops from the battlefield of a war that should never have been waged. There was no real justification for sending our brave young men a women to fight in Iraq, and there is even less reason to keep them there now to die in ever increasing numbers.
"Under false pretenses, the Bush Administration took our nation to war against a country that did not pose imminent threat to our security. In Iraq today, over 1,300 U.S. soldiers and an estimated 100,000 civilians are dead. This war is costing an average of $1.6 billion taxpayer dollars every week, while the mission remains vague, the troops overstretched and under-armored, friendly Iraqis chafe at our presence and unfriendly Iraqis bomb our convoys and enclaves. Neither democracy in Iraq nor security at home has been achieved. Instead, Iraq has become, in a gruesome self-fulfilling prophecy, the ground zero for terrorism that it was not when President Bush chose to invade.
"There are those who argue that the U.S. is obligated to 'fix' Iraq now that we have broken it. Unfortunately, the Administration has left us with no good options whatsoever. The worst choice, however, would be to continue to do more of the same, and watch the body count grow. It is clear that for stability to replace chaos, a political and not a military resolution is required.
"A political process has begun, admittedly fragile, and it is time for the United States to leave. Once the January 30 elections are concluded, the new Iraqi government takes responsibility for forging its own path toward stability and democracy. The U.S. should provide financial and material assistance for that effort and encourage the international community to help.
"The results may not be what the President envisioned or anyone wanted. Some experts warn of civil war. Many worry for the Christian community and for the women. These are very real concerns that, sadly, weren't even considered when the U.S. invaded, and even after 'mission accomplished' was declared by President Bush. We should do what we can diplomatically to address vulnerable populations, yet, as long as U.S. forces are on the ground, a lasting peace and stable Iraq cannot be achieved. All of us care deeply about our brave soldiers who are doing the very best they can under near impossible conditions. It is time to bring them home."
###
Leslie Combs
District Director
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky
5533 N. Broadway, Chicago IL 60640
phone: 773-506-7100 fax: 773-506-9202
**********************************
Provided by Military Families Speak Out
Dear Military Families,
Below is a press release issued on January 24, 2005 by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky from Chicago, Illinois titled "It Is Time For Our Soldiers To Start The Journey Home." Feel free to share this with your family, friends, community and with your local, state and federal elected officials.
In Peace and Solidarity,
Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson
for Military Families Speak Out
Saturday, January 22, 2005
He's going back to Iraq, 2nd Deployment + Stop Loss
I had hoped to retire this blog, it served it's function at the time, yet, I have not lived easily knowing that the potential for another Bush administration was a possibility. While with every fiber of my soul and being, I worked against such an outcome, knowing it would mean more war in Iraq, more war in other countries, it looks like we have four more years with Bush at the controls. My kids, who already served in Iraq, will be sent again, I feared, and this blog has not yet seen it's end time.
I left it, rather unattended, to serve as a placemark and prayed never have to pick it up again and resume entries into this blog. It is a tragedy that I have to keep it going, as my loved ones are being sent back to Iraq for 2nd deployments.
My dear son-in-law, the mainstay and backbone of his family which are my daughter and their three children, my grandchildren....he's just received orders for redeployment to Iraq. On top of a second deployment, he also now is under Stop Loss orders. He was due to have his enlistment completed in 2005 and now with Stop Loss he would not be able to get out of military as scheduled. He has already served in Iraq 2003-2004 in a 15 month tour, 1st Armored, and was caught up as was all of the 1st Armored troops in a last-minute extension in April 04, at exactly the time he was scheduled to come home. NOT. Another three months in Iraq.
His cousin, my nephew, is awaiting orders now and is himself a husband, a father and they are expecting their second child. He also served 15 months in Iraq, 1st Armored, and was extended at same time as my son-in-law. He has served previously in Bosnia. He is awaitng his own orders for a 2nd tour in Iraq. Another tour in Iraq, and this is more war and combat than a young person should have to see or bear.
Both will do their mission, and I do not speak for them but I do speak up on their behalf and not necessarily with their permission yet they do know I have been doing all in my limited power as a military family, a mother, a civilian, to do what I can to halt the carnage and destruction that are the features of collateral damage, words used so impersonally to describe the stink and death of war.
What is appalling besides everything about how the troops needs are under-met, and how badly they are being exploited is that his choices now look like this:
Re-enlist in March. No, you don't want to re-enlist? Well you already have orders to redeploy to Iraq and you are already under Stop Loss orders so you won't be getting out any time soon anyway. If you don't re-enlist, you'll be serving anyway and in Iraq, while the rest of the guys get their bonus for re-enlisting, you won't be getting yours and will be serving beside them anyway.
What limited choices are these and does our public know that the all-volunteer military has fallen through trickery and deceit, misleading to even false information into an entrapment. They can't get out! That, friends, is a long way from "volunteer".
The troops cannot be recycled over and over again to Iraq without grotesque expense to themselves and their families which seemingly, if I am to judge by the civilian response in our country, is just fine so long as no one else in our country but the military families and troops have to bear the burden. That argument, "well they volunteered didn't they" doesn't carry water anymore. It may have started out that way, but so much has changed along the course, that this is a long, long way from anything resembling an "all volunteer military".
Not unlike the Iraqis themselves, our troops are trapped in a war-torn country in a war ordered and sustained by our own government and seemingly a majority of this country's citizens. Please, please tell me, WHAT is the reason now?
Having lived through almost 3 years of lies and deception spouted by the administration, I have endured listening to the citizens catch hold of propaganda and repeat it ad-nauseum with little thought to the words they are gleefully repeating . I have seen our mainstream news turn itself away from it's origins as news reporting to become more of the propaganda, lies, deception and treachery which keeps our kids (and our old men hauled back into active duty) in Iraq. But one by one the lies have come to light, yet our citizenry champions the newest and latest excuses for why we are there and why the troops must stay.
I had hoped to retire this blog when my son-in-law and nephew came home from Iraq. I built it only to give them a record to look at when they returned. Now they will be returning to Iraq in second deployments, in large part, thanks to the deliberate ignorance and willfulness of our own citizenry, my fellow countrymen, my neighbors. I do not thank you or excuse you for your part in casting the death warrant vote but I also know the singular accountability and responsibility lies at the hands of our own President and Commander-in-Chief, George W. Bush.
So picking up where this blog left off, I will be recording again the conditions in our country, in our politics, in our citizen mindset, as our two loved ones are marched back to Iraq. To those so willing for this war, and the wars yet coming, as promised by the President in his Inauguration speech, I say, send your own if you are so committed to this man you cheer as your President, and bring mine home.
I left it, rather unattended, to serve as a placemark and prayed never have to pick it up again and resume entries into this blog. It is a tragedy that I have to keep it going, as my loved ones are being sent back to Iraq for 2nd deployments.
My dear son-in-law, the mainstay and backbone of his family which are my daughter and their three children, my grandchildren....he's just received orders for redeployment to Iraq. On top of a second deployment, he also now is under Stop Loss orders. He was due to have his enlistment completed in 2005 and now with Stop Loss he would not be able to get out of military as scheduled. He has already served in Iraq 2003-2004 in a 15 month tour, 1st Armored, and was caught up as was all of the 1st Armored troops in a last-minute extension in April 04, at exactly the time he was scheduled to come home. NOT. Another three months in Iraq.
His cousin, my nephew, is awaiting orders now and is himself a husband, a father and they are expecting their second child. He also served 15 months in Iraq, 1st Armored, and was extended at same time as my son-in-law. He has served previously in Bosnia. He is awaitng his own orders for a 2nd tour in Iraq. Another tour in Iraq, and this is more war and combat than a young person should have to see or bear.
Both will do their mission, and I do not speak for them but I do speak up on their behalf and not necessarily with their permission yet they do know I have been doing all in my limited power as a military family, a mother, a civilian, to do what I can to halt the carnage and destruction that are the features of collateral damage, words used so impersonally to describe the stink and death of war.
What is appalling besides everything about how the troops needs are under-met, and how badly they are being exploited is that his choices now look like this:
Re-enlist in March. No, you don't want to re-enlist? Well you already have orders to redeploy to Iraq and you are already under Stop Loss orders so you won't be getting out any time soon anyway. If you don't re-enlist, you'll be serving anyway and in Iraq, while the rest of the guys get their bonus for re-enlisting, you won't be getting yours and will be serving beside them anyway.
What limited choices are these and does our public know that the all-volunteer military has fallen through trickery and deceit, misleading to even false information into an entrapment. They can't get out! That, friends, is a long way from "volunteer".
The troops cannot be recycled over and over again to Iraq without grotesque expense to themselves and their families which seemingly, if I am to judge by the civilian response in our country, is just fine so long as no one else in our country but the military families and troops have to bear the burden. That argument, "well they volunteered didn't they" doesn't carry water anymore. It may have started out that way, but so much has changed along the course, that this is a long, long way from anything resembling an "all volunteer military".
Not unlike the Iraqis themselves, our troops are trapped in a war-torn country in a war ordered and sustained by our own government and seemingly a majority of this country's citizens. Please, please tell me, WHAT is the reason now?
Having lived through almost 3 years of lies and deception spouted by the administration, I have endured listening to the citizens catch hold of propaganda and repeat it ad-nauseum with little thought to the words they are gleefully repeating . I have seen our mainstream news turn itself away from it's origins as news reporting to become more of the propaganda, lies, deception and treachery which keeps our kids (and our old men hauled back into active duty) in Iraq. But one by one the lies have come to light, yet our citizenry champions the newest and latest excuses for why we are there and why the troops must stay.
I had hoped to retire this blog when my son-in-law and nephew came home from Iraq. I built it only to give them a record to look at when they returned. Now they will be returning to Iraq in second deployments, in large part, thanks to the deliberate ignorance and willfulness of our own citizenry, my fellow countrymen, my neighbors. I do not thank you or excuse you for your part in casting the death warrant vote but I also know the singular accountability and responsibility lies at the hands of our own President and Commander-in-Chief, George W. Bush.
So picking up where this blog left off, I will be recording again the conditions in our country, in our politics, in our citizen mindset, as our two loved ones are marched back to Iraq. To those so willing for this war, and the wars yet coming, as promised by the President in his Inauguration speech, I say, send your own if you are so committed to this man you cheer as your President, and bring mine home.
Dying to Preserve the Lies: The Quiet Dignity of Dissent
Watching the Inauguration as broadcast by an incredibly classless and toadying media - ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, led by our national broadcast embarrassment FoxNews - I have found the best source of news and recovery to be our blogosphere.
Not all the blog voices are national or well-known.
Not all the blog voices scream headlines and fire off rhetorical torpedoes.
Some come from quiet backwater Amercian homes and powerfully demonstrate the quiet dignity of dissent. One such is blogger, Wonderwander whose postings consistently reflect that very dignity and legitimacy that Right Wing hacks fear the most and attack with a most outrageous and terrified irrationality.
Wonderwander has yet to make the attack list and because she quietly insists on maintaining an occasional honest and truthful commentary amid the more frequent copy and pasting of pertinent articles, may never be known outside a small circle. It's that quietness that penetrates her writing and touches the conscience within.
She wrote the following 3 days after the election:
-------
I feel like voters just signed the death warrant for our kids
He's going back to Iraq, 2nd Deployment + Stop Loss
I had hoped to retire this blog, it served it's function at the time, yet, I have not lived easily knowing that the potential for another Bush administration was a possibility. While with every fiber of my soul and being, I worked against such an outcome, knowing it would mean more war in Iraq, more war in other countries, it looks like we have four more years with Bush at the controls. My kids, who already served in Iraq, will be sent again, I feared, and this blog has not yet seen it's end time.
I left it, rather unattended, to serve as a placemark and prayed never have to pick it up again and resume entries into this blog. It is a tragedy that I have to keep it going, as my loved ones are being sent back to Iraq for 2nd deployments.
My dear son-in-law, the mainstay and backbone of his family which are my daughter and their three children, my grandchildren....he's just received orders for redeployment to Iraq. On top of a second deployment, he also now is under Stop Loss orders. He was due to have his enlistment completed in 2005 and now with Stop Loss he would not be able to get out of military as scheduled. He has already served in Iraq 2003-2004 in a 15 month tour, 1st Armored, and was caught up as was all of the 1st Armored troops in a last-minute extension in April 04, at exactly the time he was scheduled to come home. NOT. Another three months in Iraq.
His cousin, my nephew, is awaiting orders now and is himself a husband, a father and they are expecting their second child. He also served 15 months in Iraq, 1st Armored, and was extended at same time as my son-in-law. He has served previously in Bosnia. He is awaitng his own orders for a 2nd tour in Iraq. Another tour in Iraq, and this is more war and combat than a young person should have to see or bear.
Both will do their mission, and I do not speak for them but I do speak up on their behalf and not necessarily with their permission yet they do know I have been doing all in my limited power as a military family, a mother, a civilian, to do what I can to halt the carnage and destruction that are the features of collateral damage, words used so impersonally to describe the stink and death of war.
What is appalling besides everything about how the troops needs are under-met, and how badly they are being exploited is that his choices now look like this:
Re-enlist in March. No, you don't want to re-enlist? Well you already have orders to redeploy to Iraq and you are already under Stop Loss orders so you won't be getting out any time soon anyway. If you don't re-enlist, you'll be serving anyway and in Iraq, while the rest of the guys get their bonus for re-enlisting, you won't be getting yours and will be serving beside them anyway.
What limited choices are these and does our public know that the all-volunteer military has fallen through trickery and deceit, misleading to even false information into an entrapment. They can't get out! That, friends, is a long way from "volunteer".
The troops cannot be recycled over and over again to Iraq without grotesque expense to themselves and their families which seemingly, if I am to judge by the civilian response in our country, is just fine so long as no one else in our country but the military families and troops have to bear the burden. That argument, "well they volunteered didn't they" doesn't carry water anymore. It may have started out that way, but so much has changed along the course, that this is a long, long way from anything resembling an "all volunteer military".
Not unlike the Iraqis themselves, our troops are trapped in a war-torn country in a war ordered and sustained by our own government and seemingly a majority of this country's citizens. Please, please tell me, WHAT is the reason now?
Having lived through almost 3 years of lies and deception spouted by the administration, I have endured listening to the citizens catch hold of propaganda and repeat it ad-nauseum with little thought to the words they are gleefully repeating . I have seen our mainstream news turn itself away from it's origins as news reporting to become more of the propaganda, lies, deception and treachery which keeps our kids (and our old men hauled back into active duty) in Iraq. But one by one the lies have come to light, yet our citizenry champions the newest and latest excuses for why we are there and why the troops must stay.
I had hoped to retire this blog when my son-in-law and nephew came home from Iraq. I built it only to give them a record to look at when they returned. Now they will be returning to Iraq in second deployments, in large part, thanks to the deliberate ignorance and willfulness of our own citizenry, my fellow countrymen, my neighbors. I do not thank you or excuse you for your part in casting the death warrant vote but I also know the singular accountability and responsibility lies at the hands of our own President and Commander-in-Chief, George W. Bush.
So picking up where this blog left off, I will be recording again the conditions in our country, in our politics, in our citizen mindset, as our two loved ones are marched back to Iraq. To those so willing for this war, and the wars yet coming, as promised by the President in his Inauguration speech, I say, send your own if you are so committed to this man you cheer as your President, and bring mine home.
written by Lietta Ruger
I left it, rather unattended, to serve as a placemark and prayed never have to pick it up again and resume entries into this blog. It is a tragedy that I have to keep it going, as my loved ones are being sent back to Iraq for 2nd deployments.
My dear son-in-law, the mainstay and backbone of his family which are my daughter and their three children, my grandchildren....he's just received orders for redeployment to Iraq. On top of a second deployment, he also now is under Stop Loss orders. He was due to have his enlistment completed in 2005 and now with Stop Loss he would not be able to get out of military as scheduled. He has already served in Iraq 2003-2004 in a 15 month tour, 1st Armored, and was caught up as was all of the 1st Armored troops in a last-minute extension in April 04, at exactly the time he was scheduled to come home. NOT. Another three months in Iraq.
His cousin, my nephew, is awaiting orders now and is himself a husband, a father and they are expecting their second child. He also served 15 months in Iraq, 1st Armored, and was extended at same time as my son-in-law. He has served previously in Bosnia. He is awaitng his own orders for a 2nd tour in Iraq. Another tour in Iraq, and this is more war and combat than a young person should have to see or bear.
Both will do their mission, and I do not speak for them but I do speak up on their behalf and not necessarily with their permission yet they do know I have been doing all in my limited power as a military family, a mother, a civilian, to do what I can to halt the carnage and destruction that are the features of collateral damage, words used so impersonally to describe the stink and death of war.
What is appalling besides everything about how the troops needs are under-met, and how badly they are being exploited is that his choices now look like this:
Re-enlist in March. No, you don't want to re-enlist? Well you already have orders to redeploy to Iraq and you are already under Stop Loss orders so you won't be getting out any time soon anyway. If you don't re-enlist, you'll be serving anyway and in Iraq, while the rest of the guys get their bonus for re-enlisting, you won't be getting yours and will be serving beside them anyway.
What limited choices are these and does our public know that the all-volunteer military has fallen through trickery and deceit, misleading to even false information into an entrapment. They can't get out! That, friends, is a long way from "volunteer".
The troops cannot be recycled over and over again to Iraq without grotesque expense to themselves and their families which seemingly, if I am to judge by the civilian response in our country, is just fine so long as no one else in our country but the military families and troops have to bear the burden. That argument, "well they volunteered didn't they" doesn't carry water anymore. It may have started out that way, but so much has changed along the course, that this is a long, long way from anything resembling an "all volunteer military".
Not unlike the Iraqis themselves, our troops are trapped in a war-torn country in a war ordered and sustained by our own government and seemingly a majority of this country's citizens. Please, please tell me, WHAT is the reason now?
Having lived through almost 3 years of lies and deception spouted by the administration, I have endured listening to the citizens catch hold of propaganda and repeat it ad-nauseum with little thought to the words they are gleefully repeating . I have seen our mainstream news turn itself away from it's origins as news reporting to become more of the propaganda, lies, deception and treachery which keeps our kids (and our old men hauled back into active duty) in Iraq. But one by one the lies have come to light, yet our citizenry champions the newest and latest excuses for why we are there and why the troops must stay.
I had hoped to retire this blog when my son-in-law and nephew came home from Iraq. I built it only to give them a record to look at when they returned. Now they will be returning to Iraq in second deployments, in large part, thanks to the deliberate ignorance and willfulness of our own citizenry, my fellow countrymen, my neighbors. I do not thank you or excuse you for your part in casting the death warrant vote but I also know the singular accountability and responsibility lies at the hands of our own President and Commander-in-Chief, George W. Bush.
So picking up where this blog left off, I will be recording again the conditions in our country, in our politics, in our citizen mindset, as our two loved ones are marched back to Iraq. To those so willing for this war, and the wars yet coming, as promised by the President in his Inauguration speech, I say, send your own if you are so committed to this man you cheer as your President, and bring mine home.
written by Lietta Ruger
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Our very own This ol' House
Our ol' house in a small village off the beaten path. Built 1892 originally in saltbox style and modified by the different owners over the years. Photo taken by daughter, a bit of a photography buff, she worked it in sepia tones.
Winter Breezes
Here in my quaint old fashioned home, in the Village, as I wander from room to room going about my daily business (whatever that might be on any given day), I am continually struck by how this house was put together. There are windows everywhere, in great part, due to the continually remodelling and upgrades over the years.
We didn't do the alterations, we bought the house as is, so to speak. I can look outside everywhere I wander in this great ol' house. It never ceases to catch my breath. I open windows and doors to let in the winter breezes and love the feeling of fresh air on my face, letting the outside in. I feel like I'm in the control center of our little neighborhood when I'm in my house, as I can see outside in every direction and know what is going on out there.
It's taken a couple of years to get the house put together in a satisfactory way that accomodates our furnishings and our lifestyle. What that means is that I've rearranged the rooms in this house so many times now, it's taken on it's own life since we moved in a little over 2 years ago. I can now remember when this particular room housed the grandchildren, and before that it was my painting studio room, and before that it was a guest room. It goes like that for each room in the house.
Today the winter winds are blowing, and I've got Tim Janis CD playing as I type, life is a good as it can get in this moment. Those are the small wonders I am trying to look for now in a world gone over to the dark side.
We didn't do the alterations, we bought the house as is, so to speak. I can look outside everywhere I wander in this great ol' house. It never ceases to catch my breath. I open windows and doors to let in the winter breezes and love the feeling of fresh air on my face, letting the outside in. I feel like I'm in the control center of our little neighborhood when I'm in my house, as I can see outside in every direction and know what is going on out there.
It's taken a couple of years to get the house put together in a satisfactory way that accomodates our furnishings and our lifestyle. What that means is that I've rearranged the rooms in this house so many times now, it's taken on it's own life since we moved in a little over 2 years ago. I can now remember when this particular room housed the grandchildren, and before that it was my painting studio room, and before that it was a guest room. It goes like that for each room in the house.
Today the winter winds are blowing, and I've got Tim Janis CD playing as I type, life is a good as it can get in this moment. Those are the small wonders I am trying to look for now in a world gone over to the dark side.
Our very own "This Old House."
Our ol' house in a small village off the beaten path. Built 1892 originally in saltbox style and modified by the different owners over the years. Photo taken by daughter, a bit of a photography buff, she worked it in sepia tones.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT
DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT
poem by Dylan Thomas
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
poem by Dylan Thomas
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Jesus on the Family.org, The Christian Minority Coalition
My dear husband found this website and shared it with me by email with the below intro:
And I read several of the articles, and found them compelling, so I thought I would share the wealth; Here are a few of her articles. The entire website, however, is a wealth of information and exactly hits on how we experience our Christian spirituality. It surely seems that those of us who share similar views on the teachings and messages of Jesus have become a minority. Somehow, I don't really believe we are a minority, rather, I think the so called Christian majority just have aggressively loud voices and are intent on outshouting even Jesus. Enjoy, I am sure you will.
Articles by Dr. Teresa Whitehurst at Jesus on the Family.org
Author of Jesus on Parenting
coauhor of The Nonviolent Christian Parent
The Christian Minority Coalition
From Belts to Bombs, America's
Passion for Punishment
Let's Not Pretend We Didn't Know
Should Americans of Conscience
Go on Strike?
Dreams of Nonviolent Resistance
The "Christian Nation" Bombs:
A Call to Resist the Perversion of Our Faith
"Why Are Some American Christians So Bloodthirsty?"
Understanding Prowar Christians'
Indifference to Civilian Deaths
see more at Jesus on The Family
Jesus on the Family
JESUSONTHEFAMILY.ORG In a world of escalating violence, war and greed, parents want to protect their children and keep their families strong.
Learn how Jesus taught nonviolence and inspired spiritual growth, without forcing his faith on anyone.
The Christian Minority Coalition Many Christians from conservative churches have written to me, to describe that backlash they've had to endure from churchgoers and family members whenever they've dared to stand up for Jesus' teachings...particularly those that are inconvenient to certain political agendas.
For activist leaders of the radical religious right, the Bible isn't so much a spiritual guide as an ammunitions storehouse. Verses are handpicked from here and there (carefully ignoring those scriptures that might get in the way of their own "godly" image and political ambitions) to justify whatever they want to do.And since there are commands in various parts of the Bible to do terrible things that Jesus never condoned--like stoning your rebellious children to death, or stoning gay people, or killing everyone in an enemy's village except the young virginal girls...well clearly, there's something for everyone, no matter how cruel, no matter how vile.
The sites described and linked above are precisely those kinds of Christian advocacies most needed for these times. These are the sites Mr. Dobson and Mr. Falwell should have built long ago - long before Americans would be required to vote based on real moral values. Since such a high moral action was beyond messers Dobson, Falwell, Robertson, LaHaye, Land, and the many others of the same ilk. We are left do deal with them in their firmest and bloodiest mantle - the same mantle as the Pharisees of old. I truly wish that I had been a part of the founding of Jesus On The Family and The Christian Minority Coalition. - Arthur Ruger - Publisher, The American Choice.
And I read several of the articles, and found them compelling, so I thought I would share the wealth; Here are a few of her articles. The entire website, however, is a wealth of information and exactly hits on how we experience our Christian spirituality. It surely seems that those of us who share similar views on the teachings and messages of Jesus have become a minority. Somehow, I don't really believe we are a minority, rather, I think the so called Christian majority just have aggressively loud voices and are intent on outshouting even Jesus. Enjoy, I am sure you will.
Articles by Dr. Teresa Whitehurst at Jesus on the Family.org
Author of Jesus on Parenting
coauhor of The Nonviolent Christian Parent
The Christian Minority Coalition
From Belts to Bombs, America's
Passion for Punishment
Let's Not Pretend We Didn't Know
Should Americans of Conscience
Go on Strike?
Dreams of Nonviolent Resistance
The "Christian Nation" Bombs:
A Call to Resist the Perversion of Our Faith
"Why Are Some American Christians So Bloodthirsty?"
Understanding Prowar Christians'
Indifference to Civilian Deaths
see more at Jesus on The Family
Jesus on the Family
Wonderwander has changed it's look and theme..
I've been giving my blogs a work-over and updating or otherwise improving their look and Wonderwander is the last of my blogs to get a new look. I have a fondness for Wonderwander, as it was my first entry into blogging, so my first blog. I didn't have a clue what I was doing really, and didn't start to get a clue until I'd made several blogs.
Life went on, the two in our family were deployed to Iraq for 15 months, and my life altered considerably. I felt pulled in different directions as being opposed to the war from the beginning, knowing my daughter and her 3 children would be alone to fend for themselves, and the nature of my employment with the State required a neutral position on politics, well at least, nothing that could be spoken aloud one way or the other. I did not feel I could keep all the balls in the air and the feelings of disconnect were powerful for me from the beginning. I left my career employment, devoted myself to being the support for my daughter's family, and finding outlets where I could indeed find expression for my feelings against the war.
Being a military family now, with 2 loved ones deployed, and being a military brat, I knew the culture of military life is to keep silence regarding policies and public statements of the Commander-in-Chief. Yet, I felt from the beginning that his CIC did not have the high value, respect and dignity of the code of military troops and would not be an ally to them once he deployed them. How unfortunate that my early gut was so correct along the progression of the last 2 + years in what we have seen in Iraq.
I found Military Families Speak Out and a place to exercise my unique voice in calling attention to the un-met needs of the troops deployed, the wrongness of the war in Iraq particularly, and the incredible impact the devastation and carnage would have on our own troops as well as untold civilian families in Iraq. I spent all of the early 18 months of Iraq in speaking out which brought us to the campaign for Presidential election. I watched along, with the rest of the country with intense interest as to who would best handle the deterioration of Iraq, knowing Bush could not or would not, leaving Kerry as the more likely alternative.
Towards the end of the election though, I came to find that while I had some unsureness about John F. Kerry, I well remembered his courage in the 1960s, upon his return from Vietnam. I heard what he had to say and came to admire his courage even more. I threw myself into helping in the campaigning for John Kerry and believed without question that he
received more votes and would be our new President and Commander-in-Chief. Till that evening when something shifted, rather suddenly, and rather surprisingly. I saw the look on Bush's face earlier in the day and I knew he knew ... it was over. Yet by late afternoon, evening, he was holding an unprecedented and surprise press release in the White House with his family gathered around. I knew at that moment, in my heart, that something behind the scenes was going on, something we would likely never really get to know about, and the election had been tampered with in ways we could only imagine and guess at, but my heart sank in recognition that Bush was not leaving. Iraq would continue, as would the carnage and devastation as would the young troops continue to be in combat without leadership, without a leader who had their heart as his own.
I worked after the elections for the long 7 weeks, morning till late into the night, in the blogging communities, on what was coming to light in voter disenfranchisement, voter suppression, and election fraud. Representative Conyers held the Congressional Hearings and I waited for the electoral vote to be presented in Congress, knowing there would be a challenge to the Ohio vote. Representative Tubbs-Jones and this time One Senator, Sen. Barbara Boxer did go on record with a challenge/contest to the Ohio elector vote. It will now be part of the Congressional Record, part of our country's shame, but there for the young and future generations to view and make of it what they will regarding this period in our history as a nation.
The two in our family who have already served extended tour (15 months) in Iraq, have heard they will be re-deployed now for second tours in Iraq. I have never felt so utterly helpless to have some impact in helping my loved ones, and I did everything in my limited power that I could do these past 2 + years to not have to come to this day, where our two young ones have to face the reality of second tours in Iraq in seriously worsened and even more dangerous conditions. I feel "old", very "old" suddenly. The immediate future is in the hands of the citizens of this country, and those of us who cried out loudly and went unheard for the most part, can't do it without the rest of our countrymen.
I've organized my blogs to take care of differings aspects for how to get along now in a 2nd Bush term as he goes about cannibalizing what is left of our country for reasons no one but he seems to know for there is no rationalizing or explaining away his decisions or policies. Blue Tones will be my blog then for political wanderings. Emerald City will be my blog for living life with a broken heart and that sick feeling in the soul of my being, as each day will pass no matter my broken heart or the nature of my soul. Dying to Preserve the Lies, will continue to try to advocate for the troops, for ending this war, for getting them home, and then truly, God only knows now how or if Iraq will be put back together having suffered so much damage for no reason anyone can now point to specifically. God, how I hate what our country has become.
In a throwback to a time past, I have also Back in The Days, everything 1950's and 1960's as I was a child/teen during those eras and despite the travesties of a difficult life in a family making poor choices, I have fond memories of some of the things that brought me comfort in those eras. Although the 1960's brought me my young husband, drafted and sent to Vietnam, I was still young enough to be naively aware (if that makes any sense). And with Wonderwander then I will go back to where I started with this blog, which is just to mark the daily wonders when I find them.
Life went on, the two in our family were deployed to Iraq for 15 months, and my life altered considerably. I felt pulled in different directions as being opposed to the war from the beginning, knowing my daughter and her 3 children would be alone to fend for themselves, and the nature of my employment with the State required a neutral position on politics, well at least, nothing that could be spoken aloud one way or the other. I did not feel I could keep all the balls in the air and the feelings of disconnect were powerful for me from the beginning. I left my career employment, devoted myself to being the support for my daughter's family, and finding outlets where I could indeed find expression for my feelings against the war.
Being a military family now, with 2 loved ones deployed, and being a military brat, I knew the culture of military life is to keep silence regarding policies and public statements of the Commander-in-Chief. Yet, I felt from the beginning that his CIC did not have the high value, respect and dignity of the code of military troops and would not be an ally to them once he deployed them. How unfortunate that my early gut was so correct along the progression of the last 2 + years in what we have seen in Iraq.
I found Military Families Speak Out and a place to exercise my unique voice in calling attention to the un-met needs of the troops deployed, the wrongness of the war in Iraq particularly, and the incredible impact the devastation and carnage would have on our own troops as well as untold civilian families in Iraq. I spent all of the early 18 months of Iraq in speaking out which brought us to the campaign for Presidential election. I watched along, with the rest of the country with intense interest as to who would best handle the deterioration of Iraq, knowing Bush could not or would not, leaving Kerry as the more likely alternative.
Towards the end of the election though, I came to find that while I had some unsureness about John F. Kerry, I well remembered his courage in the 1960s, upon his return from Vietnam. I heard what he had to say and came to admire his courage even more. I threw myself into helping in the campaigning for John Kerry and believed without question that he
received more votes and would be our new President and Commander-in-Chief. Till that evening when something shifted, rather suddenly, and rather surprisingly. I saw the look on Bush's face earlier in the day and I knew he knew ... it was over. Yet by late afternoon, evening, he was holding an unprecedented and surprise press release in the White House with his family gathered around. I knew at that moment, in my heart, that something behind the scenes was going on, something we would likely never really get to know about, and the election had been tampered with in ways we could only imagine and guess at, but my heart sank in recognition that Bush was not leaving. Iraq would continue, as would the carnage and devastation as would the young troops continue to be in combat without leadership, without a leader who had their heart as his own.
I worked after the elections for the long 7 weeks, morning till late into the night, in the blogging communities, on what was coming to light in voter disenfranchisement, voter suppression, and election fraud. Representative Conyers held the Congressional Hearings and I waited for the electoral vote to be presented in Congress, knowing there would be a challenge to the Ohio vote. Representative Tubbs-Jones and this time One Senator, Sen. Barbara Boxer did go on record with a challenge/contest to the Ohio elector vote. It will now be part of the Congressional Record, part of our country's shame, but there for the young and future generations to view and make of it what they will regarding this period in our history as a nation.
The two in our family who have already served extended tour (15 months) in Iraq, have heard they will be re-deployed now for second tours in Iraq. I have never felt so utterly helpless to have some impact in helping my loved ones, and I did everything in my limited power that I could do these past 2 + years to not have to come to this day, where our two young ones have to face the reality of second tours in Iraq in seriously worsened and even more dangerous conditions. I feel "old", very "old" suddenly. The immediate future is in the hands of the citizens of this country, and those of us who cried out loudly and went unheard for the most part, can't do it without the rest of our countrymen.
I've organized my blogs to take care of differings aspects for how to get along now in a 2nd Bush term as he goes about cannibalizing what is left of our country for reasons no one but he seems to know for there is no rationalizing or explaining away his decisions or policies. Blue Tones will be my blog then for political wanderings. Emerald City will be my blog for living life with a broken heart and that sick feeling in the soul of my being, as each day will pass no matter my broken heart or the nature of my soul. Dying to Preserve the Lies, will continue to try to advocate for the troops, for ending this war, for getting them home, and then truly, God only knows now how or if Iraq will be put back together having suffered so much damage for no reason anyone can now point to specifically. God, how I hate what our country has become.
In a throwback to a time past, I have also Back in The Days, everything 1950's and 1960's as I was a child/teen during those eras and despite the travesties of a difficult life in a family making poor choices, I have fond memories of some of the things that brought me comfort in those eras. Although the 1960's brought me my young husband, drafted and sent to Vietnam, I was still young enough to be naively aware (if that makes any sense). And with Wonderwander then I will go back to where I started with this blog, which is just to mark the daily wonders when I find them.
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