Skunks, Hurricanes and Politics

Here I am back at the blog.  It's late and I'm tired and ready to go to sleep.  A skunk just sprayed my yard and with the windows open the atmosphere is not so good.  I looked out and saw him and yelled "bad skunk, no no no"  and he ran under the shed.  I really didn't want to scare him, but I really didn't want to smell skunk spray either.  Maybe it will rain and wash away the spray.

I've also been watching the weather forecasts about Hurricane Isaac.  He's making mischief in FL where my daughter lives.  It's also the site for the Republican convention, but I sort of hope a hurricane hits them.  Not nice, I know, but I get so frustrated with the narrow minded thinking, and their hostility toward women.  They want to control women and have a blast for themselves.  I don't like that and I don't like them.  Ooops can you guess that I'm a liberal??  I think we need some major changes in the way our government works.   For example we should get rid of the electoral college and the idea that one vote can carry a whole state such as FL where they're so incompetent that they can't even count the votes right.   Another change is that the House of  Rep. needs to be watched.  On Sixty Minutes they explained their health program (totally free), their lifetime parking places even if they only serve one term.  And that they have some kind of special pension plan that they receive even if they end up in jail for crimes like taking bribes.  Sure they suffer embarrassment, but the pension eases the pain considerably.  Of course there are more examples, but the point is that as long as the inmates (ie congresssmen) can control stuff like that they have no incentive to do things right.  The senators and the reps. also receive full salary even if they miss more than half of the sessions.  Of course none of this is new, but it does bother me.   I wonder how many people in America actually know that George Bush Jr. lost the popular vote, meaning that more people voted for Al Gore than for Bush, but because of the electoral college he lost the election.  Admittedly that doesn't happen very often, but once is too much in a country that considers itself a democracy where voting is  a sacred privilege and a responsibility.  The reason  for the Electoral College  no longer exists.  It should be eliminated.  The points and the winner take all should only apply to the votes, not to carrying the state.  And if you don't know what this is all about as you read this, you should take the time to study it, online is easiest, but the libraries have the info too.  I hope we can have a fair election this time.

Faith, Trust and Fear

After the recent shooting in a Colorado movie theater there have been 2 more.  Fewer people died in the last 2 so there was less media coverage, but it still seems sad and depressing that one is safe no where.  In the past 10 years or so there have been shootings at shopping malls, on military bases, fast food places and schools.  It does seem that the world is crazy, and those of us who are sane will be slaughtered by the maniacs or end up hiding for the rest of our lives .  Maybe that's extreme, and I'm not totally serious about it, but sometimes it feels that way.  I have never been personally involved in any kind of violent crime - victim or observer (small things like a billfold stolen or my car scratched and once my purse was stolen right from my kitchen).  I don't know how I'd handle it, but I like to think that along with the terror one feels automatically, I would also try to help anyone near me.  Of course I'm not a hero, and I wouldn't want to lose my life trying to be one.  But it's the stories of previous shootings and examples of many good  people who helped  others that inspire me and make me wonder if I could do the right thing.  I hope I would be able to help rather than freeze.  As a nurse and mother and grandmother I can (and frequently have) put other's needs ahead of my own, but could I do it when someone is shooting at me?  I really don't know, but I think it's good to think about this topic when things are calm and even formulate a plan such as hide, call 911 or play dead.  And in keeping with my own superstition about bad things i.e. as long as one is prepared for an emergency or crisis it never happens to that person I am trying to consider this subject and be prepared.   This  seems to work for me to the extent that even my daughter believes in that philosophy.  But we have never had our lives threatened, and though I
pray that never happens I still don't really know how I would react.  I wonder if anyone does.
I do know one thing.  The world we live in requires vigilance, strength, moral behavior, awareness of our surroundings and more.  We also need to be brave and protect anyone who needs it if possible but most importantly children, elderly and handicapped.   We all know this instinctively, but we need to think about it and formulate a plan - at least in our minds.  I've been thinking about this subject a lot recently; unfortunately I can't seem to stop thinking about it.  Though I don't believe in organized religion, I do believe in God, and it is also my hope that when needed He will be there to guide us out of harms way.  Or is that a guardian angel?  However my observations cause me to think that doesn't actually happen.  If I survive and the woman next to me dies, and if she is a close friend or relative what does all that mean.  Was he there or not?  Why does one live and one die for no apparent reason?  How do we prevent this from happening?  A lot of people seem to have opinions, but few answers.