Tag Archives: Yes we can

And so it goes – a review of the First Days of 2012

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2012 was an incredibly eventful year. For better or for worse, here are the first posts from each month on Compost Happens.

January 1st: Last year’s retrospective, looking back at a very eventful 2011. Read ahead for links to the first of each month in 2012. One year from now, you’ll be reviewing 2013. That thought is both frightening and exciting.

February 1st: In a year fraught with conflict, I wrote many letters. Some were real and landed on desks in Madison and Washington, D.C., and others landed in cyberspace on Compost Happens.

March 1st: Writing is therapeutic. Blogging and email fit the category, too. Last March I reminisced and quietly rejoiced in my new-found state of normal.

April 1st: I didn’t post on April 1st, and April 2nd featured pictures of my cubicle (cute, but not exactly thrilling content). Instead, I give you March 30: the power of refusal and the word No.

May 1st: The strength of grass-roots organizing – the 4 by 10 method.

June 1st: 2012 was an eventful year in the political realm. As we geared up for a gubernatorial recall election in Wisconsin, I spent a little volunteer time as a Holder of the Lights on a local overpass.

July 1st: Why my life would make a lousy reality show.

August 1st: Perspectives on trees and pondering fortune cookies; the two are related. Trust me.

September 1st: What does a progressive blogger post during the Republican National Convention? Analysis, that’s what. Here’s a brief analysis of some of the worst prime time moments of the RNC’s gathering.

October 1st: Busy? Did I say busy? October is typically a wild month here at the O.K. Chorale, and this year was busier than most.

November 1st: Encore posts can come in handy. On November 1st of 2012, I was experiencing scary symptoms of a possible stroke. I set this encore to post so the blog wouldn’t be empty. November 2nd explained what happened at the hospital as I lay on the gurney hooked up to all kinds of beeping machines thinking “Thank goodness I voted early!”

December 1st: Sandwiched between a rant about the Clinic That Shall Not Be Named and pictures of construction vehicles in the front yard, I pulled up an encore post to remember how much my young ones have grown and matured.

Here’s hoping 2013 has more achievements and happy occasions and fewer tragedies than 2012.

 

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Captured talk – and Acts of Kindness

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Captured Talk: a collection of statements, overheard or quoted from sources in random fashion.

Sometimes, captured talk makes no sense at all. Sometimes, it actually makes more sense out of context. Once in a while, I can pull together a few lines of captured talk and fill in with connections of my own, and the end result – well, you be the judge. Readers, if I borrowed one of your lines in my Captured Talk, feel free to comment. Just remember, they’re all quoted in random fashion, out of context. 

It’s very hard for me to be patient about this. We’re stunned, sickened, and angry. The second amendment was written in the days of muzzle loaders and not stealth, automatic killing machines. Obviously, a wacko with a semiautomatic rifle is a far more effective killing machine than someone with a knife. (Wacko? Is this word appropriate from a syndicated columnist?) 

I agree that we also need to address mental illness, but let’s not oversimplify the situation. Panaceas don’t exist, and it’s lying to claim otherwise. 

No matter what, better access to mental health care is crucial…as well as providing resources and being more effective in identifying those with violent backgrounds and tendencies. At this time, many struggle against a court system that makes it almost impossible to make someone get help until it’s too late.  

Much like the heated discussions over gun control, any change in our existing mental health system must make sure our efforts don’t serve to further stigmatize mental illness. Both sides need to lay down their swords. 

Meanwhile, if your way of grieving is giving, consider donating to others in memory of the Sandy Hook victims. Pay it forward. Work toward change for the better whether in Connecticut or closer to home.

My words or captured talk? Can you tell? Whether or not you can distinguish Daisy’s own words from those of others, the last piece is that most important. Let’s work toward change, positive change.

One way to make a positive impact is to participate in the 26 Acts of Kindness started by Ann Curry of NBC. 

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Flu – You can prevent this misery.

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My dear friend’s husband is sick: sicker than ever, it seems. He suffered through a cold followed by a sinus infection and now is down for the count with (did you guess?) influenza. He’s not a complainer. He’s more likely to take care of himself and tough his way through these things. But this time, his wife is out of town, his kiddo is a teenager – a good, responsible teenager, but still a teen – and the man is miserably ill. A few of his updates will help describe the situation:

OK, a month of cold/sinus infection, just think I am over it and BOOM!!! hit with a full body aching influenza! Shoot me now. That might hurt less.

Been up four times last night. Muscles ache, head hurts feverish….. yep, still have the flu! Booooo!!!

Auughhhh! So tired of….(cough cough) being sick….<Achoo>. Sigh.

I have fought the good fight today but the plague is winning. Time for at least a two hour nap!

We offered the poor guy some help because we only live a few blocks away. He told me he’s well stocked with juice, soup, white soda, NyQuil, and pain meds. I hope he can rest enough to recover.

I don’t know, however, if he had a chance to get the flu shot. If he had, he might have had a less serious case of influenza or even fought it off completely. I know, I know, I hear you — “Time! No one has time!” Folks, it takes less time to get immunized than it does to be sick, and it’s a lot less painful.

The Center for Disease Control asked me to publicize this one more time: flu shots are still available! It’s not too late! Seasonal flu is off to an early start. With the exception of H1N1, which hit throughout the summer and fall, this is the earliest start to the annual spread of influenza since 2002.

If you, like me, are a reader and a researcher, you can visit the flu page published by the CDC. They have basic information and links to more specific subtopics. But first, I mean it. Get the influenza vaccine. I got mine at a local pharmacy. So did my adult children, with almost no prompting from me. Get the flu shot, and then you can stock up on white soda, soup, juice, and anti-inflammatory meds. You can always share your supplies with those who do get sick.

This is not a sponsored post. A representative from the CDC contacted me and asked if I would post a reminder that it’s not too late to get the vaccine. If you have any doubts, readers, call your doctor. Between the two of you, you’ll be able to make an educated decision and get the shot quickly and efficiently. 

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Grandma Daisy thinks back to Election Day 2012

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Readers, I think this might be the last Voter’s Voice for a while. I’m enjoying President Obama’s victory, Tammy Baldwin’s successful run for Senate, and the feeling that I may have contributed in a tiny way to the campaign. Meanwhile, let’s look ahead in time and listen to Grandma Daisy as she reminisces about women’s rights and the election of 2012.

Grandchildren, dear, did you say your history teacher asked about 2012? About the way women suddenly came to the forefront again? Oh, I remember it well – the idiocies and the intelligence, the outrage, the voter turnout, and more.

I was worried, children. If President Obama had lost his bid for re-election, we were facing some very difficult times. Many, many women were getting more and more worried. I saw protesters carrying signs saying “Didn’t we protest this s*** already?” and they weren’t kidding. If the other guy won, Mitt Romney was his name, we were looking at a serious loss of rights as women. His VP running mate was even worse in the way he looked down on women — but that’s another post.

That brings me to the idiocies of the campaign. One of the old, white guys in Congress was running for Senate in Missouri, a fairly conservative Southern state. In response to a question on abortion in cases of rape of incest, he claimed that in cases of “legitimate rape” women had ways to “shut that whole thing down.” I would have laughed, too, honey, except that he was serious. Seriously stupid, that is. Later on a candidate from Indianapolis tried to tell women that if they got pregnant from being raped it was “God’s will.”

Both of these dinosaurs were defeated. Women voters decided it was God’s will that we shut their whole thing down. 

Now Mitt had some women problems of his own. He sidestepped a question about the Lily Ledbetter Act – equal pay for equal work, sweetie, it’s in your history book – by claiming he’d made efforts to seek out qualified women for his state cabinet. He had supposedly asked women’s groups for referrals, and they gave him “…binders full of women!” Binders full of resumes, that is. The outrage came from people who said, “Hey, Mitt, it was already the 21st Century. You didn’t know any qualified women in 2003?” and worse, the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus came forward and said, “Mitt did not come to us. We went to Mitt. After he won, we gave him resumes of many potential candidates.” Oops. Twice bad, Mitt. Twice bad. 

So – we were dealing with old farts who didn’t know their basic reproductive science, and potential leaders who thought women were second class citizens not worthy of the same rights as men. There were bright moments, though. 

Some of the best and the brightest moments in 2012 were women who skipped the binders and went straight for the ballot. Claire McCaskill of Missouri. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. Oh, Tammy! I was so excited when she decided to run for Senate. I was even more excited when I, a lowly campaign volunteer, got to meet her. She was articulate, smart, and very personable. She listened more than she talked, and when she talked, she gained our attention and our respect. When Baldwin’s victory came, the headlines were all “First openly gay senator elected in Wisconsin!” And we said, “Oh, yeah, we knew that.” But her being gay didn’t matter one way or the other. We Wisconsin voters, gay or straight, female or male, elected Tammy Baldwin to the Senate because of her skills, her intellect, and her record in her fourteen years in Congress. 

So, young ones, there’s more to say on the mood of the election. I could go on longer – the battleground states, they way Mitt and his VP didn’t even carry their own states in the end, the closeness of the popular vote, the issues of birth control and more. Voter suppression attempts, early voter turnout, oh, my the list goes on.

I was looking forward to hearing and saying “Senator Baldwin.” It was like hearing “President Obama” for the first time. And now that Obama had won his re-election, I could look forward to saying President Obama for another four years.

Well, my dears, that’s the main thrust of the story of women’s rights and the 2012 election. Now I’m going to make a pot of coffee. Does your mother still have a package of Obama Blend Coffee in the cupboard? It’s a blend of Hawaiian, Kenyan, and Indonesian beans, and it’s as delicious as it is clever. I’ll have some in my Born in the USA mug.

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On election day – in others’ words

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We share a vision of an America where, no matter who you are or where you’re from, you should have a fair shot at the American dream. And like you, I don’t want to see that vision fade on Election Night. — Michelle Obama

I’m with you, Michelle. The American dream includes everyone paying their fair share. It includes affordable health care for anyone. Most of all, the American dream needs a strong and vibrant middle class in order to continue. – Daisy

I’ve been fighting for women’s rights my whole career — in the United Nations and as Secretary of State — and in all those years, I’ve never seen a Republican Party and Republican presidential ticket as extreme as this one. — Madeline Albright

Madeline, I am SO with you! I remember writing a report on Anne Hutchinson, an early colonial advocate for religious freedom, and finding so little information I nearly failed the assignment. It was a wake-up call in which I learned that women have played backup to the guys for much too long. Today we risk going backwards, moving back toward that kind of attitude where women were considered worth less than men. -Daisy, still an activist and feminist

A woman voting Republican is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders. — source unknown

I might add – with the attitudes they hold, the R-R Republican ticket is like Doc Hopper trying to appeal to Kermit the Frog. The trouble is, some frogs have blinders over their eyes. If too many frogs vote for Doc Hopper, there may be too many little frogs on little crutches.

Never mind.

There is no greater gift we can give our children than the opportunity to learn. -Dr. Jill Biden

This is so, so true. Supporting public education for all and funding that education well is a necessity, not a luxury. -Daisy, public school teacher

If we want four more years of a president dedicated to protecting the air we breathe and the water we drink, and who is committed to addressing climate change, we have to do more than vote….I’ve been fighting for the environment for more than 40 years, and I’ve never lived through an election so critical to its fate — not just for the next four years, but for the next 40. — Carole King

Just call out my name – and I’ll do the best I can, too. – Daisy, environmentalist and volunteer

Let’s end with another from the former secretary of state.

Perhaps the Republican Party thinks that it’s better for women to have their decisions made for them. I happen to think that women want to take care of themselves — and control their own bodies and personal health. Women deserve the ability to fight for a fair wage, and to speak out in support of legislation like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. This shouldn’t be a lot to ask — aren’t we in the 21st century? — Madeline Albright

Amen, sister. Now let the choir vote.

 

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Vital Signs for Teen Drivers

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Did you know that close to one million high school students drank alcohol and got behind the wheel last year?  When teenagers drink any alcohol at all, not only is it illegal for them to drive, but it puts them at extremely high risk for a dangerous crash. Zero tolerance for underage drinking and driving is the law, but some teens still ignore the danger in favor of behavior they think is “cool”.

The “cool factor” isn’t what teens might think. My local school district conducted surveys and then asked students to create posters sharing the results, and the results might surprise some.

 78.6% of 9th Graders have not had an alcoholic drink in the last 30 days. You don’t need a drink to have a party.

88.2% of 9th graders have NOT smoked cigarettes, 86.6% have NOT smoked marijuana.

When asked, students often overestimate the percentage of their peers who use alcohol and other drugs. When they overestimate, they justify use by their peers and are more likely to use themselves. Our goal is to challenge and to correct students’ incorrect perceptions of peer alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and to consistently provide a ‘no use’ message to students. Seeing statistics like this helps debunk the “Everybody does it!” mythology.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asked bloggers to pass on these sites for parents and teen drivers alike.

Vital Signs; Teen Drinking and Driving

Vital Signs Social Media

Parents are the Key; a website devoted to safe teen driving in general

 

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Campaign, As seen online

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Between Hurricane Sandy and the upcoming election, the Interwebs are stirring up a storm – or two. Or three. Let’s browse.

From Twitter:

Conservatives to women: Stop whining about your rights! Get over it! from Daisy: Then stop making ridiculous laws that take my rights away! Remember, I am woman, and I vote. 

 Looking forward to actual bailout of Wall Street. from Daisy: LOL! Grab a bucket!

Really respect Clinton for taking POTUS’ campaign so he can monitor storm & aftermath. from Daisy: Are you sure he’s not just looking for those binders full of women? 

Ann Romney: We Need To ‘Throw Out’ The Public Education System. Daisy: Ann, get real. I dare you to say that to a few parents of special needs kids – you won’t be standing when they’re done.  

As seen on Plurk: 

Apparently I’m not even allowed to schedule committee meetings without administrative approval… Daisy replies: remember, a zebra is a horse designed by committee. 

Today In History 1966 – National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded Daisy: today, history in the making, we need the NOW as much as we ever did.

From a Plurk friend in London: when is the US election over with? Daisy answers: early voting has already started. Official election day is November 6. When will it be over? That depends. If it’s like 2000, it’ll be over in December – if the Supreme Court says so.

From Friends on Facebook: 

I am continually baffled that anyone with a working brain can vote for this guy. Daisy adds: I’m with you. (walks away humming “If I only had a brain”)
Seriously, how can they say they are for us, the American people, and yet they buy foreign?? Unbelievable!!!! Daisy: I’ve seen photos like this that were photoshopped. I’m not ready to accuse the Romney campaign of buying their goods overseas – but I’ll sure talk about how that’s where the jobs have gone!
I won’t touch the long and emotionally loaded conversations that are going on right now courtesy of my college classmates. We liberal arts grads know how to argue and support our positions, and our Facebook posts show it. I’ll close with yet another reminder of the potential danger of letting the Tea Party Conservatives pass their dream laws: 

‘Nuff said.

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Sights around the campaign office

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Back in my little corner of the offices, there was a small area set up for canvassing school. Our trainers will train anyone who volunteers. Folks who usually train were busy doing other work this time. I was entering data from a recent phone bank.

Many were busy handling the crowds that had lined up at the door and around the streetcorner for tickets to President Obama’s upcoming appearance. Our campaign coordinators knew what they were doing. They had one door for an entrance, lines on the floor in blue tape, and volunteers at every bend in the line.

line for tickets

The line was diverse. Men, women, black, white, Hispanic, old, young, and —

Service Dogs for Obama

— furry and four legged fans. Support for the President crosses all boundaries. It’s too bad intelligent dogs like this one can’t vote.

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BYOB – Bring Your Own Binder, Mitt.

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Dear Mitt;

The “Binders full of women” comment continues to eat away at me. It’s more than just a Twitter hashtag. The Binder bit brought you to a new low.

You see, Mitt, we women are intelligent, capable, competent people. We’re not a separate race. We feel, we love, we care, and we worry. We worry a lot. When a candidate for the highest office in the land thinks he’s being fabulous by claiming he found “binders full of (qualified) women” for professional positions, we worry and we wonder.

We wonder —

  • Why did you know of no qualified women until the Binders showed up on your desk?
  • Why did women’s groups have to push you to hire women – in 2003?!
  • When did you realize that you slipped (another case of Romnesia, no doubt) by claiming you’d sought out qualified women to hire? Did you not know the very women you’d mentioned would handle their own fact checking? Did you not care?
  • Why are we still fighting these battles?
  • How did it happen that banning birth control is even on the table for legislation? Isn’t this ridiculous? No, don’t answer that second one.

In my mind’s eye, I keep seeing Mel Gibson in the movie What Women Want. Mel had to get struck by lightning in order to really hear what women were thinking and saying. Mitt, you don’t need a lightning strike. You simply need to listen. Listen, that is, with an open mind.

Instead of telling us females what we need, ask us. Ask us why birth control matters. Ask us why we think it’s utterly insulting to imply we’re incapable of making our own health care decisions. Ask us why we’d like to be considered qualified professionals. Consider why we might rather fill offices than fill three-ring binders. Put yourself in our shoes.

Maybe that’s the crux of it, Mitt. You seem to be incapable of empathy for anyone born female. You don’t know how to wear our shoes.

Frankly, Mitt, leave me out of your binder. Since you consider me a lesser being, I’ll stick to my own professional networks. I don’t need a lightning strike to show me that your Binders full of Women are just another token. I get it. I do.

When will you get it, Mitt?

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Let’s move beyond Awareness.

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Breast Cancer Awareness is all over the networks – at least it’s all over ESPN, NFL Network, NBC, CBS, and Fox Sports. Guess it yet? The NFL is blowing the horn to the tune of Pink – massive pinkness in the most macho of arenas.

Pink Gatorade towels. Pink shoe covers. Pink wristbands. Pink cleats, chin straps, and ribbon decals. Pink whistles for the (real) referees, for heaven’s sake. And why?

The purpose of all this pink on the turf is supposed to make all NFL football fans think about breast cancer. Be Aware. Know it’s there.

I can’t help it. My inner cynic is screaming “Enough with the pinky dances already!” My inner cynic, for those who don’t know, is very tuned in to breast cancer in the realm of early detection through mammograms. I’m more than aware of radiation studies, chemo, reconstruction – you name it, friends and family in real life have lived it. Yes, Mom, my latest mammogram was once again normal.

Before readers denounce me as a Bah Humbug, my inner cynic must look into its own wardrobe for two (at least two) pink t-shirts designed by an art teacher who was raising money for the Avon Walk in Chicago. I also own a pink polo shirt with the Green Bay Packers logo on it and the famous pink Packers baseball cap pioneered by Deanna Favre. Both of these items sold out quickly, and not just for Deanna. We still liked Brett back then, but we who bought pink knew a significant portion of our purchase money would go toward breast cancer research.

Well, readers, you might recognize my tone already. I have contributed to breast cancer research through purchases of t-shirts, baseball caps, and just simply by donating to sponsor my amazing friends who walked the walks. So why, why would I complain about the wealthy NFL putting its pink on parade to bring attention to breast cancer for Breast Cancer Awareness?

I complain because awareness is the lowest form of knowledge. Awareness means we know it exists. Awareness means, hey, look at that guy, he’s man enough to put on pink wristbands. This pink thing must be important. What does the pink stand for again?

Awareness doesn’t mean understanding, public support, private support, or personal support. The biggest anticlimax is that all that pink doesn’t mean financial support.

I’ll pose a few questions.

The NFL plans to auction off pink gear to raise money. How much will they raise? How much do they hope to sell? What percentage of the proceeds will actually become donations? And to whom will those donations go?

How much did Gatorade spend on those towels? I’d venture a guess that it could have funded many mammograms for women who don’t have medical coverage. Those dollars might have made up for some of the bucks that Susan B. Komen foundation tried to pull from Planned Parenthood – money that funded just that.

How about those pink whistles? Cute, huh? Cute, however, doesn’t pay the bills when a woman is recuperating from reconstructive surgery. Putting the bucks directly into a fund for follow-up care would go much further than the whistle-stop campaign.

The hot pink shoes, wow, they really show up well on TV hoofin’ their way toward the end zone or during a dramatic kickoff or punt return. But again, at what cost? How much good could that money do if it were used for research toward saving lives?

Okay, NFL, you know I’m a fan. I’m a true blue green and gold cheesehead shareholder type. I’ll keep watching games, pink or no pink. The token pink, though, still irritates me.

Let’s see the teams and their officials and their coaching staff wear the regular colors and have the organization instead make a more-than-token donation to breast cancer research. Maybe when public groups like football teams move beyond the pink ribbons and towels we as a society can admit that research and treatment will gain more from a sizable infusion of cash than from muscular young men sporting hot pink shoelaces.

Until then, maybe I’ll stick to listening to my beloved Packers on the radio for the rest of October.

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