Guest Contributor Old Marine - Sometimes History Needs a Push

I'm pleased to turn the page over to an old friend today, I say old because he calls himself Old Marine although I doubt he's much older than I am and can probably do far more push ups in a single session than I can do in a week.


I wrote yesterday about fear being one of the primary causes of our anger and Old Marine sent along this post which he thought was a good companion piece to what I had written. I agree. I don't always agree with Gunny but I do in this particular case and whether we agree on an issue, he always does his homework. If he quotes a fact....you can take it to the bank as truthful.


It's what I most admire about him. He not only believes in things like truth, duty and honour; he lives them every day. He loves his country and always takes the time to research and consider issues before he reacts or responds. I admire that about him as well. Whether you agree with his opinions or not, you could learn much from his approach to issues......we all could.



Sometimes – History Needs a Push

Caution to readers, this editorial may offend some, not for language, but because it will hopefully make you think, and as the saying goes, “Thinking hurts”. All remarks and/ or opinions expressed are mine and are not that of Rebuilding Freedom or other administrators. Now, if you are still me, let’s take a journey to the weird side.

A trend began in the late 1960’s, a trend that has developed into an almost overwhelming distrust of the federal government. Now, let’s get this up front, has our government done some under handed things? YES. Has our government lied to the American people? YES. Has distrust been earned, perhaps nurtured it? MAYBE people in and out of the government have nurtured this distrust; if so is there an ulterior motive? Have the American people become so distrustful they will believe anything they hear / see / read on the radio, on  T.V. or on the internet. Has this distrust become so overwhelming that people have suspended / lost commonsense. Unfortunately, for some, I have to say yes and I feel that these people are inadvertently aiding our enemies in bringing on the downfall of America.

I could begin with some of the early examples of the distrust in the government, the JFK assassination, U.F.O’s , 9-11 and many more, but time and space will not allow it. I would like to stay more in the present.

I would like to begin with the current controversy with the current Defense Authorization Act. For some reason, the web and twitter went crazy how Americans will be detained without trial if “suspected” of being


“or part of, al-Qaeda or an associated force that acts in coordination with or pursuant to the direction of al-Qaeda; and (B) to have participated in the course of planning or carrying out an attack or attempted attack against the United States or its coalition partners.”

Now, I fully understand that this could be interpreted as a violation of our Constitution, and people should be outraged if it were,  but it seems that no one on T.V., radio and the Web wants to read any further. 

In the same section for all to see and read, if they have a mind to is the statement,


“The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States and (2) LAWFUL RESIDENT ALIENS. The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to a lawful resident alien of the United States on the basis of conduct taking place within the United States, except to the extent permitted by the Constitution of the United States.” 

Why do people seem to want to omit these particular statements in their postings or discussions? Is there a possibility of abuse, definitely, just as there is a possibility of abuse of the Constitution (Commerce clause as an example), but you have to ask yourself why this statement concerning the Constitution is not mentioned? Is it too inadvertently to further distrust in our government? Is it to gain viewers / listeners / readers? Is it part of an agenda to actually create more distrust in our government? Or an agenda by the administration, the ACLU and Amnesty International  , who are opposed to this bill in order to, I believe, bring prisoners here to American soil for trial? 

I had a friend say to me, “If the ACLU, Administration, Amnesty International is against it, then I’m for it.”  Well, I’m not it that camp; I want to look at it more closely. Something, I feel too many people aren’t willing to do.

Needless to say, following closely on this came “Obama’s Plans to Imprison 500,000 Americans”. Now, this goes into the “FEMA Camps” and the site even gives a “nice”,  if not colorful map about locations of  said camps. A little more on FEMA Camps later. As one reads this “article”, the author cites and builds on the "The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act” of 2007. Strange, the author does not cite any references to this act or even a link where people can read it for themselves. A point to remember, there is nothing done in the Critter corral that does not go into the Federal Record, except security briefings, and even then with the proper clearance they are accessible. Did the writer take the American people for stupid, naïve’ or both? 

Now with a few keystrokes, a search engine we can discover what actually happen to this bill. Like the very simple question, “Did it pass? Was it signed into law?” Was the writer just trying to “make a name for himself” (take a look at the writer’s name) or was it to foster more distrust of the government. Well, I did what any clear thinking person should do. I read, dissected the article and then checked the “status” of the bill. 

To begin with, YES it was introduced in the House in 2007, remember, Obama was a junior senator at the time. Now, here is the most important thing, WHAT happened to this “bill”, seems the author of the article bothered to say, and no one took a few minutes to check it out before spreading the rumor or engaging in fear mongering. This bill went to house committee and passed the house then it DIED! . Now, look at the party who introduced it and remember what party was in control of congress in 2007 and why wasn’t it brought up in the senate? Then ask yourself, how Obama could use a law that wasn’t even passed to violate the people’s rights. Yes, he could attempt to use Executive Orders (EO’s), but hopefully that would be challenged. Why would someone want to develop further distrust in the government? To what purpose?

Speaking of EO’s, which Obama is completely out of control on their use and Congress does nothing, they seem to be the basis of the ever popular FEMA camps fear campaign. as they were during the Bush administration.

The first thing when someone says something about FEMA camps, a person should ask, “Does the government REALLY believe that 500,000 Americans will go peacefully into the night?” If the answer is yes, thenAmerica is in a bigger trouble then I feel we are. Now, let’s use one particular site, where a page titled “American Concentration Camps”.

The page has some interesting photos and video clips, particularly the one at the top of the page. It appears to be a perimeter defense, complete with guard towers, however there is no caption, no information, BUT people will believe that this is a FEMA camp. Why, because the distrust of our government has been so imbedded into people’s minds and sadly, basic commonsense has disappeared. There is also a very interesting video, that uses  the idea of a U.S. Army unit serving as U.N. peacekeepers in Kosovo and later working with allied troops, German and French (who happen to be NATO allies), in Arkansas. People, please stop and think, the U.S. has worked with and trained our ally troops here in Americaand overseas for years, I’ve personally worked with British, Australian, Korean, Japanese and others.  Now, just because the video shows Urban combat training, why the assumption of  the worst, based solely on a video clip(s)?

Now, what about the “Executive Orders associated with FEMA that would suspend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These Executive Orders have been on record for nearly 30 years and could be enacted by the stroke of a Presidential pen:…”

EO 10990 – “allows the government to take over all modes of transportation and control of highways and seaports.” This was signed in February, 1962, At the height of the Cold War. A side note, FEMA was not even around during this period. FEMA was established in 1979 by Carter, another Democrat. This EO was eventually revoked by EO 12196.

EO 10995 – “allows the government to seize and control the communication media.” Again, during the Cold War, it was REVOKED by 11556 in September, 1970.

EO 10997 through 11005 – These cover various functions, again all concerns that the President and the nation had during the height of the Cold War. They were all revoked by EO 11490,October 28, 1969.

I could most likely go through and research all of the EO’s featured on the page, however, I feel I have shown that eleven of the fifteen EO’s mentioned had been established BEFORE FEMA was created, roughly 17 years before, during the height of the Cold War (and those who live through that period remember it well) and there were later revoked.

To get this information, it only took a few keystrokes to check these Executive Orders out. I have to ask, “Why haven’t others? Why are people so quick to believe in the worst of our government? Why do people insist on spreading “rumors” an evoking fear of our government?”

The final “headline” that seemed to make its way around Twitter and the net that I’m going to discuss is “Obama Declare War on Iran (Plans to Attack Iran) Declare Martial Law and Suspend Elections” (I apologize, but I lost the links to this and believe it has been scrubbed), seems funny I believe I heard this before. Like “Bush to AttackIran, Suspend Elections, and Declare Martial Law???” from July, 2008. I guess if it fostered fear and distrust back then, why not use it again?

I can not in good conscience say that we are not in danger, particularly with what has been going on within our country, the world and even the government over the past thirty plus years? However, I will continue to attempt to look for a reason or reasons that people will start and push these various conspiracy theories. I will also look for reasons why some people will continue to believe and spread these theories even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

As to the latter, why people will believe in and continue to spread rumors, there are as a many reasons as there are people, I can list a number of them, but I am conscience of people’s feelings and will not do that.

Now, as to the former, Lenin said, “Sometimes – History needs a push” and I feel that IF enough distrust in the federal government is developed, maybe, just possibly, someone on the very extreme left or right, will take action and attempt to do something about it. How many times has a person seen or read something about a “new” revolution? Not at the ballot box, but in the streets. But please remember this, though our form of government may be flawed, so far it is the best one and does anyone want to take a chance on something else.

Now, who has everything to gain if there is an attempt to change our form of government? The list is fairly long. Is there a person, a group who benefits from the building and fostering of distrust in our government? Please remember what Sun Tzu said, “Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent’s fate.” and fear can make even rational people do strange things.

Or it could be as simple as someone wants attention, wants to make money (I see nothing wrong with that, hey that’s the American way) or maybe they are just good storytellers who are counting “there is one born every minute”. Maybe it’s all three. I just wish people, would take the time to think, use some commonsense and most importantly check things out.

What are your thoughts?

Semper Fi,

OM

© 2012 Old Marine / Maggie's Bear

all rights reserved

The content of this article is the sole property of Maggie's Bear but a link to it may be shared by those who think it may be of interest to others

After The Storm - A Rainbow's Rant

There is a dirty little secret about abuse and the damage it does. There are too many victims but not everyone is content to remain a victim. Some, sometimes with help, sometimes alone, overcome the gift that keeps on giving. The truly brave ones bring it out into the light, not in a search for sympathy, but to expose to the light the darkness thrust on them by someone else.

I invited today's guest contributor to share her story, not the petty details but the dark side the abused go through in order to find the life we were meant to have. She kindly consented and I admire her for the courage it takes to expose yourself to the world without reservation or apology.

She has a real name but I met her as Rainbow Woman and she will remain Rainbow Woman to me. She exemplifies what life can be like after the storm and I admire her courage and for the optimism she reclaimed in her life.

The Rainbow Woman

Not long ago I visited a Shaman for the usual reasons; life was seriously messed up and it seemed like something someone more qualified should take care of.  During the wondrously kooky session Bandana Shaman referred to me as “a great she-bear protecting her family.”  Perhaps it is from this element of myself this piece is written for A Bear’s Rant.   The weekly words for this blog come from a passionate and aware human and mine are in an effort to bring 3D light to his tireless effort to make people look at what’s under the wrapping paper.

     As a child I could have been described as Chicken Little warning villagers.

     “The sky is falling!”

     “I am being kicked, punched, demeaned and molested!”

     Shhhhh.  It’s a secret.

Mayhem swirled around the wee girl while no one spoke or offered a hand, leaving her to search for those who would show great courage.  Grandma Lupe stood at the door of her run down castle in East Los Angeles, smelling of bacon grease and roses offering comfort when there was none.  

A middle school teacher, Mr. Curtis showed there are safe and kind males mentoring other people’s leftovers.  Junior year, Mrs. Paulsen impersonated Miss Haversham from Great Expectations, presenting a book world full of truth and hope to a young girl with nothing left to lose.  

Later, my husband stood still and didn’t run when the tidal wave of childhood haunted every aspect of life, threatening to consume all light.  Gabrielle rode the wave alongside, listening to ugly words about pain and horror, showering me with friendship.  Dr. D. the wise sage heard stories no one should have to hear and held the hand of a human enduring the agony of review.

Heroes are those who see and act.  They don’t sit behind a reefer hiding from truth or ignore what’s happening in the neighborhood because things could get messy if someone got involved.  Those two teachers provided hope of possibility and for that to happen it was nurtured inside them against the onslaught of adult reality.  

Grandma stood at the door of a ramshackle house after a lifetime of abuse, decades picking vegetables for farmers or working a factory line while raising six kids unassisted by church or government, accompanied by a drunken gambler.  Yet standing before a broken child her spirit managed to well forth sprinkling the hope of possibility.  

The man I married couldn’t possibly have imagined the putrid stew which lay hidden under the white dress as I walked toward him at the altar.  When mayhem reactivated, he faced it with eyes wide open holding my hand, asking me to hang onto hope and possibility.  Gabrielle and Dr. D. didn’t shy from what emerged before them, each took time and care to scrape what was left of me from the bottom of my shoe, all while encouraging to look for hope and possibility.  

     Each person in this story took a risk.  It is difficult to stand in vomit and not want to take a shower or cover the smell.  Under the illusion of the “pursuit of happiness”, life is being missed while people bathe reality away.

     “Does facing reality destroy the pursuit of happiness?”

Yes, because it is the carrot on the stick dangled in front of a tired half dead animal dragging a gaggle of tourists through dirty city streets.  Put the reefer, illusion, the pursuit down and stand in the vomit.  Hiding eyes in the middle of a horror movie doesn’t make the sounds go away or action stop, it merely saves the nightmare for bedtime.

As a child I searched for heroes, people to step out of the fray and give me a reason not to quit.  Life is ridiculously hard and surprisingly beautiful.  Each layer of flesh laboriously debrided brought healing.  It is difficult to fathom the importance of healing when it is considered under the downy comfort of delusion.  Hope and possibility are not about happiness, the wrong words were put together all those years ago or our interpretation is flawed.  A wounded people arrived in America to heal from subjugation and create something from nothing.  The forefathers came from pain and over the centuries all people have continued to create more in a pointless pursuit which is killing the possibility for hope.  

Ignoring mayhem doesn’t make it go away, the nightmare unfolds without ceasing.  Careful, thoughtful agonizing debridement lights a path towards healing.  Beat up, fucked up and lost, people reached out and wiped the blood from my knees.  

Today, I am called Rainbow Woman.  I believe in the bridge between horror and healing.  The vibrant colorful arc is called awareness.  Bear is a hero standing in the vomit pointing out truth, humans need to put on the hip waders and start cleaning up the mess.

To read more from Rainbow Woman:  http://20gurusandadog.com

© 2012 Maggie's Bear

all rights reserved

The content of this article is the sole property of Maggie's Bear but a link to it may be shared by those who think it may be of interest to others

Guest Contributor: Rogue Operator Rips Apart The Global Warming Myth

Why the Greens are Bluffing on Manmade Global Warming
by Rogue Operator

Time to call the enviro-commies’ bluff.  I’m going all in on a monster.

The manmade climate change debate has centered around the question of whether or not man contributes to climate change. To answer this question shortly: Yes, man does.

But the debate really needs to center around three interrelated questions.

How much does man contribute to the greenhouse effect?

If the answer is ‘significantly,’ what if anything can man do to offset any rising temperatures caused by carbon dioxide emissions?

Fundamentally, would it be wise or far-sighted for man to attempt to change the climate (thereby changing the climate once again)?

Let’s lay out the facts first.  Then we’ll carve the watermelon.

1. According to figures taken from the Department of Energy, the following shows man’s contribution to global greenhouse gases.

Water vapor is 95% of the greenhouse effect, and 99.999% of water vapor in the atmosphere is naturally occurring.

• Carbon dioxide contributes 3.618% to the greenhouse effect.
• Man contributes about 3.207% to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• Man thus contributes .28% to the greenhouse effect. Put in terms of a ratio, man contributes 1/357.14 to the greenhouse effect.

This scientifically verifiable answer should be interpreted to mean that man does not contribute significantly to the greenhouse effect, which is not even the only factor in global warming. Solar fluctuations also play a role.

2. But, if man should shrug off these facts and decide to stop producing carbon dioxide altogether, what effect would it have?

In raw terms, man contributes yearly about 2 parts per million (ppm) carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

There is currently about 380ppm total carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

According to scientific projections, man could stop producing carbon dioxide altogether, including by going into extinction, and this would drop global temperatures by .1  degree Celsius.

In fifty years.

3. Finally, if man should decide to go ahead anyway and do everything short of complete extinction to prevent climate cataclysm, what effect would it have? This answer is a bit more prosaic.

Civilization rose along with global warming since the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago. The idea that man can single-handedly reverse the course of “climate change” is not only Sysiphean in its absurdity, it is self-defeating.

Who is to say the moment we take action in the name of affecting the climate, for example, stripping our industrial base and inhibiting development in third world nations, that the world would not be hit by another ice age the likes of the Little Ice Age that began in the sixteenth century? Wouldn’t our actions taken in the name of climate justice have been self-defeating?

A closing question.  Should the sheer fact that man contributes in some miniscule fashion to climate change give the government carte blanche to regulate all aspects of human life? Is such control justified by some vague appeal to a “dirty hands” argument? Only in the mind of a totalitarian politician or a cloistered bureaucrat would this be the case, and neither tend to have any appreciable respect for individual rights or the market. But that’s kind of the point, isn’t it?

So you green grifters thought you were going to be ushered into power on the BIG LIE that man is responsible for catastrophic climate change? Think again.  Hundreds of millions of people are catching on to the environmentalist myths, and the truth-sayers are gaining ground on the professional liars every day.

For more from Rogue Operator
http://rogueoperator.wordpress.com/

© 2012 rogueoperator

all rights reserved

As The Gunny Sees It - The 2012 Election Will Not Turn America Around

The following post is from someone I met on Twitter who calls himself "Old Marine". As we started sending messages back and forth, he reminded me of my father although I'm pretty sure that Old Marine and I are probably pretty close in age now. My dad was ex-military and as I have written before, I grew up in a military environment and knew many men just like him and like Old Marine.

They're opinionated and not too shy about sharing their opinions but I have always found them to be fair and prepared to listen to the opinions of others. They tend to embrace old-fashioned values like honour, duty and service and they also tend to be fiercely loyal to their country and its people.

I'm pretty sure that Old Marine and I are not going to agree on everything but I respect him and I asked him to share his post on my blog. I asked him because it is not a rant against the left particularly (although his conservative nature does show just a touch). I asked him to post today because I believe he has hit the nail on the head in identifying the true problem we face today. It's something I've written about and something more and  more are speaking up about. It's the unwarranted sense of entitlement held by too many that has led to a serious erosion of our values and our work ethic. 

Here's what Old Marine  has to say about it.

The 2012 Election Will Not Turn America Around

by Old Marine

Welcome to the kick off of the periodical rants of an old Marine Gunny. If you are expecting political correctness, you might as well go back to your basement or hide your head back in the sand. I will not suffer those who are intellectually lazy or are not willing to take a good look at themselves or refuse to listen to another point of view. I will ensure that my rants will have verifiable facts and links. I will not engage in internet rumor or conspiracy theories except in the attempt to disprove them. I will accept and expect those who have different points of view to comment, to engage in a discussion but be prepared to be challenged, be prepared to back up any comments, arguments with facts. Final warning, any comments, remarks are strictly mine and do not reflect the views or options of Rebuilding Freedom or its administration.

Every Conservative, Republican and a number of those in between have been talking, some with great authority, on how after the defeat of Obama in November, 2012 America will turn around. Some believe that America will return to the principles that lead to the greatness of America. The greatness before the socialists / progressives gained control. Unfortunately, it is this Gunny’s opinion that maybe, just maybe, the government will be turned around, BUT, the government is not America.  America is the people and it’s the people that need to turn around America.

Under the best circumstances, even with a change in the House, Senate and of course the White House, and the implementation of real government reform, accompanied by massive rollbacks in government spending, I feel that things will not improve. There will still be that segment of American society who have been so indoctrinated (brainwashed) with the entitlement mentality that no matter what the government does to try to change it will not be enough. There will always remain those who will continue to use brainwashing in the form of “education” to continue their onslaught to bring America down.

This entitlement mentality has been so ingrained into various segments of society, which in my opinion, has caused the breakdown of social norms. All one has to do to see this breakdown is look at the news to see this crosses all segments of society.

photo: 

thetelluwhat.blogspot.com

Let’s look at Occupy Wall Street and it’s associated off shoots. Where in a civilized society, is it acceptable to have sex in public? Just where is it acceptable to interfere with other Americans who go about their normal everyday life, earning a living and providing for their families. I know, this has been discussed by many “talking heads” and the reason(s) for these various activities, but the main theme behind these Occupy movements is the sense of entitlement. They feel they are entitled to anything and everything, including, but not limited a college education, a home, and even a guaranteed job. How will changing “leadership” in D.C. change this entitlement mentality? How will this election change the number of organizations that are behind these “useful idiots”?

How will changing the “leadership” do anything about Hispanics who will riot over of something as simple as ‘displaying American flags as well as the wearing of “blatantly patriotic” jewelry and clothing’. How will changing the “leadership” do anything about an organization like La Raza Unida (“the Unified Race”), which is also known as the La Raza Unida Party. This organization that has been around since the 1960’s, and believe that they are entitled to that land that has been part of the United States since the 1800’s and now figure that this land belongs to them. Will a change in Washington, change this organization’s sense of entitlement?

photo: digitaltrends.com

How many times have people seen on the various news outlets reports about the “riots” that take place on “Black Fridays”? How many people who were just doing their jobs have been injured, or maybe even died? How many thousands of dollars in property damage or retail items have been incurred? Why?

It is it to get the latest electronic gizmo, latest fashion or the latest named tennis shoes? If so, why not do what civilized people do, stand in line, wait your turn and accept the fact, that maybe there wasn’t enough stock ordered or someone got there before you. Instead, there are “mad” and sometimes violent rushes into the stores, maybe injuring people. In one known case a woman used pepper spray on other customers just to get an electronic game console. What will happen to her? Will she be charged with a misdemeanor? Slapped on the wrist, hell we may never know. What would have happened if a police officer used pepper spray to disperse a crowd? Oh, wait a minute, it did happen and remember the outrage? Did this woman think / feel that she was entitled to that game console or was it just the mob mentality, the breakdown of accepted social behavior? Will changing the people in D.C. change this?

Look at the recent Air Jordan tennis shoe release. The police were called to shopping centers in Indiana, Florida, Texas and Virginia and many other states to control crowds of hundreds lining up for the shoes. It some places the doors were torn off their hinges (see video in link); in other cases the police had to use pepper spray and call in riot squads. Most Americans may ask, “Why?” Is it because as one Houston resident said, “These shoes have always had a place of value in Black life” and they feel entitled to do whatever they need to do to get these shoes?

photo: slamxhype.com

Needless to say, right on cue, the enablers, the so call activists come on the scene and blame Nike, Michael Jordan, the store and everyone else except Bush or the people themselves. One of these activists, Quanell X, “demanded” that Nike and Michael Jordon “lower the price of the shoes and meet customer demand.” The question that should have been asked is, “Why? What makes these activists “entitled” to demanding the setting of any price?” Do they feel “entitled” to determine how an industry does business? What will changing the leadership in Washington do? Will they pass laws saying that Nike and Michael Jordon have to lower prices or increase supply? Is this what our Founding Fathers intended for the government to do?

Let’s look at the corruption of what started off as a fairly benign and in some cases goofy activities, “flash mobs”.  This corruption has according to a survey of 129 retailers conducted by the National Retail Foundation; nearly 95 percent said they were victimized by organized criminal activities in the past year and 85% in the past three years. I could go through a list of the various flash robberies but I will leave it to the reader to check these out. Why the “up tick’ in the past three years? Has the current leadership in Washington fostered this “entitlement mentality”? Will changing the “leadership” change something that has been taught and ingrained in the youth through society?

photo: CNN

So as the Gunny sees it, even if Conservatives / Republicans do take over the House, the Senate and Obama is defeated, no matter which way the 2012 election goes, America will not turn around.  Does anyone seriously believe that something that has been put in place over the past 60+ years will be changed by one election? Does anyone really believe that those who feel entitled will just quietly stand by or go quietly “into the night” and allow their entitlements to be taken away? Does anyone think that when “challenged” or criticized that they will not defend themselves? After all we have seen their “probing actions”, they have seen just what the authorities and the members of American society will do. Their enablers, the media and the left “talking heads” and politicians, will defend them and even resort to name calling, “racist”, the “Haves”, the “one percenters” or any other number of names.

Yet, this Gunny does see hope on the horizon, number of patriotic Americans are waking up and taking a closer look at what has and is happening to our great country. Yes, changing leadership in D.C. is a damn good start, but it will not solve the problems and it definitely will not bring America back to its “first principles”. To do this, it needs to begin in the home. The parents have to challenge the schools, the teachers, the books and most importantly the unions. The parents have to teach their children about the greatness of America. They have to show their children, lead by example, and the value of the freedoms that America has granted to them. Just as it has taken 60+ years for America to get to where we are today, I afraid it will take as long if not longer to get back to where we know America should be, and Glenn Beck has said, “there will be some tough times ahead” and I’m afraid that there may be some violent times ahead as well.

That’s how the Gunny sees it, how about you.

Semper Fi

If you have written an article and would like to have it considered as a guest post on A Bear's Rant, drop me a note. Your article doesn't have to agree with any of the issues raised in others posted here, although they can. All that is required is that they be factual, polite and relate to the type of content featured in this blog. All requests will be considered from both the left and the right of the political divide.

You can read more by Old Marine at http://rebuildingfreedom.org/ or follow him on Twitter @oldmarine

Sometimes You Discover Who You Are In Unusual Ways

Every now and then I invite a writer I respect to post an article on my blog. I do it because I think their work is worth reading and because I see my blog as a forum for the sharing of experiences and ideas. Sometimes the posts are political, sometimes they're social.


Today, I've asked Lisa Duggan of The Motherhood Blog to share a life changing moment with me and she didn't disappoint. This is a great piece of writing about a very personal epiphany in her life.


YOUR CHARITABLE FOOTPRINT by Lisa Duggan

 “You have to be tough, like this city,” counseled my ‘assistant,’ a homeless veteran named Gregg Sloan, as he continued sorting through mounds of donated coats.  “You can’t let anything, or anyone, get to you.” It was early December 1995 and pretty cold even though we were both deep inside the 14th Street Armory, the staging area for New York Care’s annual used-coat drive.

If you live in New York City, you’ve seen the posters and TV ads for this campaign, which feature a shivering Statue of Liberty.  At sixteen years it’s one of the longest running ad campaigns in history and one of the most successful coat drives in the country, collecting nearly 70,000 coats each winter. (The drive runs until December 31.)

Beginning in 1993 I worked for the organization helping to plan New York Care’s Day, their largest volunteer and fundraising event.  In the winter of 1995 I was put in charge of the coat drive.

photo: New York Cares

My job was to coordinate the receipt and sorting of the “gently-used” coats collected from spots throughout the city. The armory was one of Gregg’s daily haunts, and he became my right-hand man through equal parts charm and persistence.  Day after day he would show up offering to sort coats in exchange for lunch and the relative warmth of the armory.

I had taken a job in the non-profit sector after being dumped from a cushy corporate job in IT when my employer, Orion Pictures, went bankrupt.  That winter, my boyfriend of five years had also dumped me. I was devastated and didn’t hesitate to bitch about it on a daily basis to Gregg.

The military still used the building for some administrative offices but the artillery and vehicles once stored there had long since been moved.  Enormous, floor-to-ceiling fences created convenient, individual “cages,” where we could separate the men’s, women’s and children’s coats and lock them up securely at night.

I was knee deep in the men’s cage, and self-pity, when Gregg delivered his pep talk over a mound of coats. I catalogued the many injustices of my life, using the phrase ‘unfair’ repeatedly, and without irony. Like, how my non-profit salary forced me to move out of Manhattan—to an apartment share! In Brooklyn! And how Valentine’s Day was coming and now, thanks to Mr. Bad Timing, I’d be without a date for the first time in—forever!

As Gregg nodded and listened patiently he pulled a turkey sandwich from his jacket, motioning for me to take half.  I hesitated. “Go on,” he said, “It’s fresh. I got it today at the deli on sixth.”

A couple of thoughts were going through my head at that moment. I wasn’t worried about how recently the sandwich had been purchased, or if Gregg’s pocket was the cleanest place to be storing food. It was the realization that this man—who lived day to day, in the cold, hard landscape of Manhattan, without knowing where he would sleep next, or where his next meal would come from—was, in that moment, offering me half of all he had. And more, he was offering me his hard-won knowledge on how to survive loss and misfortune—without the slightest hint of judgment or contempt, which in hindsight I know I richly deserved.

It was a turning point in my life and, despite being on my own from the age of 19, the beginning of my true adult-hood. That day I began seeing myself as part of humanity—no better and no worse than any one else—instead of a person impervious to misfortune because I was smarter? better educated? from a better family? than other people. The realization hit me that Gregg and I were only separated by the lottery of circumstance: at that moment I possessed my mental health, and a paycheck. Gregg had lost both. Tomorrow’s winner was anybody’s guess.

Thereafter I began to sort the various employees at New York Cares, and people elsewhere, into two categories. Those who gave of themselves because they were “lucky” and “wanted to give back”, a group that naturally included lots of trust-fund babies, and those who shared my new viewpoint; who dedicated their work or their free time to helping others because they knew, “There but for the Grace of God, go I”.  In the end I decided that the underlying reasons people gave coats, or of themselves, did not matter as long as they gave, and my righteous sorting was merely a new form of feeling superior.

I was not completely transformed that day. My growth as a human being continues. I tried to stay in touch with Gregg and did for a while, making contact with his sister in Pennsylvania, but eventually the current of my own life prevailed. The last time I saw him was in 2002; he was hailing cabs for happy customers outside Balthazar’s on Spring Street. He didn’t remember me.

But I’m happy to say that after my brief hesitation, on that day in 1995, I sat atop the burgeoning mountain of coats and broke bread with my friend. We discussed the merits of brown vs. yellow mustard and our shared hatred of onions on any sandwich.

The Motherhood Blog

http://themotherhoodblog.com/

The Best (Worst) Christmas Present Ever

We get so caught up in our days and our own concerns that we often take for granted the freedoms and the democracy we share and enjoy. We think of our own issues as a great struggle at times, overlookng the real struggle others have lived through to achieve the same democratic freedoms we have and live, sometimes carelessly. 

Camelia Miron Skiba is the author of Hidden Heart and a former citizen of Romania now living in the United States. Ms Skiba lived under the communist rule of Nicolae  Ceauşescu and through the transition of Romania to a democracy, a transition symbolized by Christmas 1989. For her, that Christmas brought both the best and the worst present and she writes about it here.

I remember that event from news stories then. Ms Skiba remembers it from living through it and I found her memory of it to be very powerful.

BEST (WORST) CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER

by Camelia Miron Skiba

Someone asked me what was the best present I ever got for Christmas and for several seconds, I rummaged through my mind’s boxes filled with dusted memories until this one surfaced, vividly, powerful, overwhelming. With no doubt in my mind this is the best present I ever got for Christmas, but the worst as well. Let me explain.

The best present I ever got for Christmas is the freedom of our country back in December 1989. Starting December 15th until December 25th 1989 Romanians fought for their freedom, taking back their country from the tyrant Ceausescu and the odious communists that for generations manipulated, deprived and starved the country. After ten bloody days Ceausescu and his wife were prosecuted and sentenced to death for crimes against the nation.

I remember sitting in the living room with my family, watching the trial live on TV. Looking back, the trial had been a rushed and forced joke—not that he didn’t deserve to die—but at that time it seemed the only solution to end the streets deadly clashes between regular individuals and Ceausescu’s dogs (the communists’ nickname).

Ceauşescu and his wife were
executed on Christmas Day 1989

The execution of Ceausescu and his wife was televised. I hated them for the hunger, the cold, and the brainwashing I’ve been forced to live through my entire life, yet I couldn’t watch them die. I remember hiding in the bathroom and crying, not because I felt sorry for them, but because in our hurry to get our country and freedom back, we became killers, staining our hands with blood on the holy day of Christmas. We couldn’t wait another day to get rid of Ceausescu and the communists. It had to be Christmas day.

Since then, nothing had been the same. Romania is now a democratic country, a free nation. We still struggle with corruption, poor economy and even poorer choices when it comes to elect our leaders. But one thing that we got back when Ceausescu died and his regime disappeared was hope. Hope for a better day, for a better life. 22 years later hope is still alive… And sometimes that’s all we have.

Camelia Miron Skiba

http://cameliamironskiba.wordpress.com

What I Saw At The Pseudo-revolution - by guest writer Jim Bellano

Today you get a break from the Bear's usual rant. After reading an article written by Jim Bellano who recently visited the OWS camp in Zuccoti Park for ctpost.com, I invited Professor Bellano to repost his article here and he was kind enough to agree. 

As a dedicated professional teaching political science at Western Connecticut State University, I felt it was incumbent upon me to observe the Occupy Wall Street movement and give my students a first-hand account of the phenomenon that, recently, has dominated the headlines. That, and I had to be in New York City that weekend for a friend's 50th birthday party.

In any event, after my sojourn to Zuccotti Park, I came to the conclusion that most media accounts have it wrong and Occupy Wall Street could be summed up in one word -- unimpressive.

Conservative media has painted the protest as some kind of modern day Sodom and Gomorrah.To the contrary, the protesters were polite, organized and extremely well behaved.

The park was relatively clean and there was a concerted effort among the protesters to keep it that way. There was no evidence of any of the "shuns" that I had been hearing about. No urina-tion, fornica-tion or defeca-tion as far as I could see.

Conversely, the liberal media has been portraying Occupy Wall Street as a grand movement, perhaps, the ideological counterweight to the Tea Party. Not likely.

While Zuccotti Park evidenced all of the trappings of the hyped-up protest I'd been reading about -- acoustic guitars, a woman breastfeeding, a large Che Guevara flag -- at the end of my visit to the protest, I couldn't help feeling that the gathering was nothing more than a cliche.

Like any good protest though, there were plenty of signs.

Protesters generally expressed two messages: one, anti-war ("End This Endless War," and "U.S. End the Occupation of (pick one) Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya or Palestine;" the other, articulating anger at Wall Street ("The road to hell is paved with stocks and bonds," "Human needs not corporate greed").

Some, more creative types, managed to incorporate both onto one placard: "How do we end the deficit? End the war, tax the rich," and "Wall Street bankers are the enemy, not Iran."

Some signs were contradictory.

One man wanted to "Arrest the Banks." Close by, another professed that "Corporations are not people," a statement, that if true, would put the kibosh on his fellow protester's initiative to incarcerate financial institutions.

The People's Library bore an entrance sign that read "Books Not Bombs."

Yawn.

One major criticism of the Occupiers is that they do not have a coherent message. After interviewing about a dozen people, I found nothing to rebut that assertion.

Among the protesters I spoke with was Terry, a Hula Hoop-wielding Bennington College student. Her biggest concern was her educational debt and the prospects for getting a job after graduation. I asked what she was studying.

"Social Practices In Art," she replied. According to the Bennington website, tuition, room and board for 2011-12 is approximately $54,000. If I were her parents, I'd be concerned too.

Then, there was Tommy, a Teamster who was carrying a "Stop the War on Workers" sign. But rather than lamenting the loss of American manufacturing jobs to the global economy, Tommy's issue was personal.

The Professional Art Handlers of Local 814 have been in a labor dispute with Sotheby's over salaries and pensions. Recently, the vaunted auction house locked out the union, trying to save on the cost of moving around Monets and Picassos by replacing union rank and file with temporary workers

Of all those I observed and interviewed, I had the most empathy for Tommy. His expressions of "angst" and "loss of pride" over being "squeezed" by Sotheby's -- a group of unsympathetic one-percenters if there ever was one -- were the most concrete and real.

I also met with Bill Dobbs, one of the Occupy organizers.

Dobbs had all of the relevant facts on the cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, hedge fund manager bonuses, and income disparity in the U.S. at his fingertips.

He characterized the atmosphere at Occupy Wall Street as one of "fun and anger," but "with a positive message."

He spoke in terms of "achieving economic justice" through "policy change," but was adamant that he "didn't want the movement to be co-opted by politicians."

It's not that Dobbs wasn't sincere. I could see he was passionate about his cause. But beyond his oxymoronic rhetoric lies the problem at the heart of Occupy Wall Street.

While Dobbs sees it as a "mass movement," most of the occupiers -- like Terry and Tommy -- were there for parochial reasons.

We all should be ticked off about the bank bailouts and absence of Justice Department prosecutions. But neither Local 814's dispute with Sotheby's nor Terry's job situation will be resolved by singing "Kumbaya" at a park in lower Manhattan.

Equally vapid as their signs were the protesters' chants. "All day all week, occupy Wall Street" and "the whole world is watching" had the creativity and relevance of a high school pep rally.

All of the individuals I spoke with proudly made comparisons with the protests of the 1960s.

In the end, maybe that's what the Occupy protest is all about.

From what I observed, Occupy Wall Street was more of a "happening" than a "movement."

Zuccotti Park was filled with Baby Boomers seeking to recapture their Parsley, Sage Rosemary and Thyme memories of a by-gone era and idealistic twenty-somethings trying to stake out their own version of the 60s, so that years from now, and after they retire from a career in corporate America, they can pass the stories on to their grandchildren.

James V. Bellano teaches political science at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury. Professor Bellano also writes a blog at http://letspeeltheonion.blogspot.com/

 © 2011 Maggie's Bear

all rights reserved

The content of this article is the sole property of Maggie's Bear but a link to it may be shared by those who think it may be of interest to others