Let's Call a Turk A Spade

The passing of a resolution formally declaring the deaths of approximately l million Armenians by Turkish troops in l9l5, on October ll, at the urging of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made the Turks mad (if we thought they weren't already). It has also angered the commander of U.S military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. What is it about speaking the truth that offends people, especially the guilty? Oh, I get it, when evil can be utilized in our behalf it is no longer evil. We must close our eyes and pretend. But where does the truth lie in all this? Everyone knows about the Armenian Genocide, so we're not allowed to talk about it? How will we ever learn from past mistakes if we can't at least acknowledge the mistakes?

After getting wind of the resolution, the Turks have threatened violence and withdrawal of their help in the Iraqi war. Gee, this is a trusted ally if I've ever seen one. Adm William Fallon claimed that the timing could not have been worse. When is a good time for the truth? War is just the desire and the ability to kill for an agenda with those with common agendas uniting. Who knows, if we ever find Osama it's quite possible we might find a common ground or enemy to be allied at this rate. I guess we can't yet comment that the Emporer hasn't got a darn thing on.

Ellen's Snatch

There is a strange occurence in human nature when one gets a little authority. It's called abuse of power. A moral amnesia happens that is rationalized with delusion. This is what happened this week, when Marina Baktis claimed to want to interview the new parents of the pup and instead called the police in to facilitate the snatch. It was dishonest, inappropriate and quite disconcerting to the adopted pup.

Animal rescue volunteers, of which my daughter is one, truly love animals. It is about the animal and not the volunteer's ego; what is best for the dog. Just like foster children, there's alot of stress going from home to home and an interruption in the bonding. How was it beneficial to remove a happy dog from a happy home? Isn't that the ultimate goal? Or is it to satisfy one's ego that they were instrumental in chosing the home? I guess in this case, it's the latter. To add insult to injury, the $25,000 check offered to Baktis' rescue group as incentive to return the dog was turned down. Please inform me how someone who lives to help animals can explain this one. Think of all the dogs that would escape death in the shelters and could be fed from this, and for how long.

Maybe every once in a while, we should all clarify our agendas in life to make sure we are all on the right track in the work that we do. Are we all following rules blindly regardless of the results? Rules that were made to do some good in the first place.

Pondering the Feminine

Something big is going down. It's the emergence of the feminine. At least we're getting everyone's attention. There's recognition for Mother Earth whether you believe global warming is urgent or eventual, there's the awakening of the spiritual in everyday speak, literature, advertising, television, etc. A woman speaker of the House and finally a woman with a slipper on the White House trail. Questioning, yes, that's it and while we're at it, questioning where this man's world is taking us.

This man's world that I've been living in poisoned with the brain washed women, no different than some of the women without wanting more rights in Muslim cultures. We perpetuate it here too. I'm going down memory lane and I can remember so vividly my hospital stay after the birth of my second child, Jacqueline. I had given birth 20 months prior to my eldest, Nola. This time, I shared a room with a woman who was ecstatic after giving birth to her first child, a son. Her room was filled with relatives most of the time and I sensed something sinister to me but I couldn't figure out what it was. They became awfully quiet as I walked int the room and I could have sworn I caught a look of pity. Then the conversations I heard were all about being so lucky to have a boy. How "I'm off the hook to have another in a hurry" cause I had a boy right away. I didn't get it, what was she talking about. Yes, my husband wanted a son eventually, but his love of his daughters could never be more powerful. I couldn't believe how blessed I was to have two daughters, boy I hit the jackpot. (especially since, after that particularly painful labor, I wasn't even contemplating having another) I was on top of the world.

Next, comes the candlelight dinner the evening before leaving the hospital. The first time, as a couple you can treasure and celebrate this beautiful birth together. A fancy meal is prepared and rolled in while you enjoy it with your baby watching in a bassinette. Our dinner arrives, we start on our first course, all smiles. My roommate's baby is cranky. They really can't enjoy their meal trying to quiet him down. We begin our second course while our daughter Jacqueline (previoursly Gabrielle, for a day) sleeps sweetly and contented. Frustrated roomate shifts baby from mom to dad trying to get the screaming infant to settle down. Sort of a comedy of errors. I tried not to stare but felt very smug as I enjoyed my meal. On the other hand, my husband, Marty laughed out loud being well aware of their attitude.

I always wondered if that roomate ever had another and if she was blessed with a girl as I have been. I remember thinking of this 4 and a half years later in that same room when I gave birth to my son, Grant. Now, I was blessed with a boy, but I still embraced the feminine in that I found out 20 years later that he embraced his.