Monday, January 30, 2012

Losing Control of the Keyboard

Hi. My name is Mocha Java, Mom and Dad’s new kitty. I came to my new forever home in mid July and am trying to learn to type. It’s not that easy when you have five toes with claws. I kepp hitting the rongg keys.

Did you see my spots? The vet says I’m a patches tabby, but I'm a fawn-colored Ocecat. That’s a cross between a tabby and an ocelot. Mom says I can be anything I want as long as I’m her kitty.

I thought I’d take over today, because Mom is recovering from a death threat one of her FB “fiends” sent her after her last post. That is not a typo. I meant fiends, not friends. The man wrote her a private message through FB, whatever that is, and called her a Satanist. He said if he didn’t kill her, he hoped someone else would.*

I read the post. I didn’t understood much of it since it wasn’t about mousies or chipmunks or head noogies. Why people would want to hurt my Mom just because of something she wrote?

Mom laughed about the threat, before she unfriended the fiend. She’s going to take a few days off from her blog, since she doesn’t want to upset too many more people.

She was silly and left the computer on last nite. It’s not eazy standing on a ball on my back leggs. I don’t know what else to write. Maybe I’ll crawl into my hooch and sleep. Or, stick my head out and keep an eye on Mom. I need to proteck her.

I hope you like my first post. I want to be a better riter, so I’ll try and come back.

* Mocha writes the truth about the death threat. I didn’t take it seriously, because my proselytizing post led to several amazing conversations – and one idiot who ruined my week.,/p>

Monday, January 23, 2012

Spare Me Your Proselytizing

Not everyone will agree with this post. I understand. I know I'll be stepping on toes, but I'm not going to stop writing it.

Please, do not to use "Christian" in every sentence. Listen to our politicians who say each is the only true Christian in the Republican race. Rick Santorum calls himself a true evangelical Christian. Newt Gingrich calls himself the only true conservative--read "Christian"-- who can get elected. Mitt Romney avoids any discussion of religion, because too many do not understand Mormonism. And Ron Paul just avoids the whole sticky mess.

It's not just the politicians. I was at three different lunch meetings recently where people were introduced as true Christians. Yes, these were secular luncheons. One speaker talked about how the Constitution established the U.S. as a Christian nation. Not true. Not in the Constitution, but that one myth impossible to erase.

Don't get me wrong. I respect your beliefs, even when or if they don't mirror mine. What I dislike intensely is the overuse of the word "Christian" or crediting God with everything. My friends who have different beliefs feel marginalized when they hear such statements. No one says, that's really Jewish of her. Or, she acts like a good Muslim. What about, his behavior represents his Buddhist beliefs.

You wouldn't like it, I bet. I don't like it when you push your beliefs on me. And it's not just being a Christian. People have the audacity to ask me what church I belong to, if they don't see me at their church. There is a reason that the Constitution separated Church and State, did not define our country by any one religion, and protected our rights to worship/believe as each citizen saw fit.

It can really be a minor action that irritates. My former auto mechanic wrote "Jesus loves you" on the back of my annual inspection sticker. A local bookstore owner subjects all patrons to a sermon on her beliefs. Alas, I no longer shop at the only indie bookstore in a 25-mile radius. It goes on and on.

I feel judged negatively if I don't respond in kind with validation of someone's Christian values. I have strong values. I am very spiritual I don't push my values on anyone. For me, it's enough to live them, not brag about them.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Politics of the Absurd

If you want to watch what happens when all bodies of government are controlled by a single party, doesn't matter which one, just watch Virginia. It's a microcosm of politics of the absurd.

Our governor, Bob McDonnell, gave his state of the state address last week where he called on the legislature to work together for the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia. He asked the state senate, which is evenly split between two parties, to put aside their differences and work to move our state forward. 'Course, he may be running for Vice President...

Wonderful words, but meaningless. Our lieutenant governor, Bill Bolling, wasn't paying any attention when he approved Republicans to head every major committee. Yes, there is a 50-50 split, but Bolling casts the tiebreaker. He started the session by putting his brand of Republicans in charge of the major committees, even though there were many Democrats with seniority and half the seats.

Don't forget the attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli, who hates everything Democratic and everything Obama.

So if you think there is anyway this divided country can work together for the benefit of the country, think again. Just watch Virginia. You won't need MapQuest to see where this road leads.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Five Flakes

Last week I was excited to see five flakes roaming around. No two were alike, although all wanted to get to the same place. All were white. All were untouchable. We've had no snow yet this winter, so the appearance of the flakes was out of character.

Wait a minute. Did you think I was writing about the Republication candidates? Well, if the metaphor fits, so be it.

We are without much cold weather where I live in southwestern Virginia. We've only had the fireplace burning a couple of nights. The furnace itself doesn't run much either. Keeps the heating bills under control, but I miss some of the nicer aspects of cold weather. Is this part of global warming? No, it can't be. Republications don't believe in global warming.

Let's look at global warming in light of the campaign in New Hampshire. The candidates threw heated missles at each other in two debates. Some hit their marks. Others missed. Some candidates haven't figured out that the Granite state isn't soft and squishy with its questions like Iowa was. Voters lobbed tough questions and too often received talking points in return.

While no two snowflakes are alike, they have several things in common. They are cold. They melt on contact with the ground. While no two candidates are alike, they have several things in common. They want to be president. They tell us they will be very different from President Obama. They don't tell us how they will be different. They don't tell us what they will do to bring jobs to the unemployed. They don't tell us how they will balance the budget, but it will be better. Just trust us.

I trust snowflakes to be cold. The last Republican who asked us to trust him was Richard Nixon just before Watergate. We all know the end of THAT story.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Donner, Party of Six

If we studied US history, we should remember the Donner Party, that doomed group of travelers who found themselves trapped in the deep snows of what is now Donner Pass. We all know what happened.

The same thing happened yesterday in the Iowa caucuses (or should that be caw-cuses?). Six went in. Three were strong. One was clinging by a thread. Two were the walking dead. The one clinging by a thread broke Ronald Reagan's cardinal rule: never speak ill of your fellow Republicans.

It was bound to happen, since Iowa is a winnowing process. With Tuesday giving the voters a chance to speak, much was on the line, according to the politicos and the pundits. Early in the day, Mean Newt showed up and called Romney a liar. Twice. He just couldn't help himself.

ABM candidate Santorum had a very strong showing, scaring the sh** out of Romney, who beat him by eight votes. Not percent. Votes.

So, Mitt and ABM Santorum came away in a virtual tie with 25% each. Ron Paul came in second with 21%, showing that his message continues to meet approval of many voters. Mean Newt should be embarrassed with 13%, although his spin doctors will say he wasn't "really" campaigning in Iowa. And the walking dead? Perry and Bachman should drop out, although that would leave us with no one to laugh at. Until Mean Newt opens his mouth today.

If this were a restaurant, we'd hear Donner, Party of Six. Donner, Party of Five.

Can't wait to see what happens next.