WHAT KIND OF LEADERSHIP FOR 2015?

The disrespect shown by the New York City Police to the City's elected Mayor was disquieting to people around the country.  It was a visual pantomime of how we view personal and professional responsibility toward each other, the nation, and the communities in which we live.




When the police, attending the funeral for Officer Rafael Ramos turned their back on their Mayor, it took the quiet, sober, experienced  voice of the New York police Commissioner William J. Bratton to say, "it was very inappropriate." 


Referring to how African Americans perceive the police,
Mr. Bratton said, " their perception is the reality we have to deal with, " and saying, "the issues go far beyond race relations in this City."


Would that this kind of strong, honest leadership prevail in every American City in 2015.

NO MR. CHENEY, 9/11 WAS NOT TORTURE!

In a recent interview, Dick Cheney said, "Torture is what the Al Qaeda terrorists did to 3000 Americans on nine-eleven."


 No Mr. Cheney, nine eleven was not torture! On that awful day in September, 3000 innocent men and women were killed, and an untold number of people were disabled for life. It was an act by a group of murderers who wanted to terrorize this country.


The murderers hoped they could change our way of life and our values. Unfortunately Mr. Cheney, they did! At the time, we were over whelmed by horror and fear. Newspapers and citizens around the world proclaimed, "We Are Americans too!" They and citizens here looked to you and other& officials to give us a sense of how to express our anger, our collective grief and to still maintain the sense of who we are.


Unfortunately Mr. Cheney, we learn now that you believed, and may still believe, we as Americans can become like our murderers and still maintain our value for all human life and law. Even after so many young lives were lost, misdirected at the hands of profiteers and questionable policies, still you seem ready to discount and deny the truth.


Mr. Cheney, when a powerful nation like America fails to admit that it has made mistakes or erred in judgment, it weakens our resolve as citizens to uphold our laws and respect our government.


Mr. Cheney, history has proven the strength of ordinary men and women to defend this land in time of war and adversity but history also warns us against political cover up and misplaced trust in those who would deceive us.


Please Mr. Cheney, no more excuses! Let's move forward knowing we must vow never to forget what happened when we became less than the Americans we are.


Have a good holiday and Happy New Year, Mr. Cheney.

THANKSGIVING 2014



THANKSGIVING 2014

THANKSGIVING IS WHO WE ARE AS A NATION.

GATHERED AROUND OUR NATIONAL TABLE ARE FACES OF MANY COLORS

OF MANY DIFFERENT CULTURES, FAITHS AND STORIES.

YET, AS ONE WE ARE THANKFUL FOR THIS OUR LAND

LET US SO REMEMBER,  AS WE REMEMBER THOSE NOT HERE.

BEVERLY D. REHFELD

DOROTHY, WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Dorothy, auntie Em, uncle Henry and all of America are glad that you and Toto survived the tornado.


We know that with the help of Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion you found and followed the yellow brick road to bring you back home.


We know too that while you made your way on the yellow brick road you encountered many fast-talking pundits, and brightly colored signs known as commercials that were rigged to scream the wrong directions as you tried to figure which way to go.


There were even signs that called safe roads unsafe and ones that said the opposite. Yet, you did not let lies or wild monkeys or witches deter you from getting back to Auntie Em.


It was a long journey during which you heard and saw things that made no sense. You pushed on looking for a right way to get out of the strange mess you were in and hoping to find the City of Oz.


And boy, when you saw the City of Oz it was glistening, and sparkling. It was way up high on a hill that looked like a mountain. You were sure you would find the Wizard who had all true answers.


As pretty as it all was and as excited as you were, you were still scared but forged ahead.


When you entered the great City of Oz, Toto leapt from your arms and ran in the direction of the sound of a voice that boomed and ricocheted off billowing clouds of smoke.


Then Toto grabbed hold of the curtain, pulled it back and revealed an old man pulling lots of levers behind all the smoke and mirrors. When you saw all this, you remembered all that Auntie Em and Uncle Henry had done to try to keep you safe.


They told you to always stay out of the way of storms and to always use your good sense even as the tornado upended all that you loved.


So Dorothy we celebrate the safe return of you and Toto but now we need your help.




We are about to have a mid-term election. In it we need to have people vote for candidates who tell us the truth as did your Auntie Em and Uncle Henry.



We know we are at a disadvantage. We do not have red slippers to click and take us to more equitable places.



Some of the candidates running for office will not do right by all the people and are as weak kneed as was Lion before he found his courage.




Some of the candidates tell us that gun control, registration and regulation are bad. We know that is not so. What they have to say sounds like it is coming from Scarecrow before he got his brain.




Other candidates tell us that health plans intended to help all of us in time of turmoil are not possible. Or that fair wages that go to people like Auntie Em and Uncle Henry are unfeasible. We know that even Tin Man's new heart would fail him with such lies.




So Dorothy we need your help to get people to recognize the importance of the 2014 mid-term election.




We need people to come out and vote. We need people to use their heads and figure out that neither government, nor unions, nor education, nor science, are witches. They are there to help us.




Dorothy, can we count on you to help us?  We need to get people to vote for level headed candidates with the newly found courage of Lion, the newly discovered brain of Scare Crow and the brand new heart of Tin Man.


You see Dorothy, we need you to show us the real road to the future!

WHAT DO THE PEOPLE OF FERGUSON WANT?

All across this Country in places like Chicago, in San Francisco, Philadelphia, in Atlanta and along the Bayou people will no longer be denied this Country's promise of equal opportunity under law.




As we now know, neither state mottos, nor public relations campaigns, nor apologies which come too late, will quiet the outrage of people who have been denied their humanity.




Nor will people turn the other cheek when Federal Laws are disregarded for some while other citizens are held accountable for their actions or penalized for contrived offenses.




In the Fergusons across this great Nation, self-interest has been revealed for the corruption it nourishes.




No longer is it acceptable to offer less than worthy education in one public school while others  thrive.


No longer is it acceptable to look the other way when sensibl gun control laws are killed as killings go on daily in schools, on our streets  and in all public places.


No longer is it acceptable to allow great disparity between wages earned for a day's work and wages,
calculated on sophisticated, often little understood formulas for financial gain.


The people of Ferguson seek recognition of their humanity by the police, by the courts and by Law.
They are along with others marching across this nation for the justice we all speak about and now wish to claim.


No longer is it acceptable to obstruct the right to vote with political manipulation of wards, districts, zip codes or with arbitrary borders.


They and we will reclaim fair and just representation by voting for those who do and those who will represent us honestly and fairly to improve the quality of our lives and the lives of those who follow.


This then, is what people across this country will vote to do in midterm elections.

WELCOME TO MISS0URI ERIC HOLDER!

Welcome to Missouri Eric Holder!  I write as a citizen of the United States of America and a resident of Missouri.


When you came here a few weeks ago I was impressed with your bravery in the face of disorder and in the way you listened to our concerns.  Now, I am gratified with the direction you have taken to sort out the events here and in other Fergusons throughout the country.


Here in Missouri, our legislature will reconvene in just a few days. At this meting our elected representatives will attempt to overturn the Governor's vetoes of questionable Bills passed by the legislature that appeared to be unconstitutional.






I know that as a voter, my responsibility is to contact my legislators to uphold the Governor's vetoes which I have done. But in light of what we have witnessed in the Fergusons throughout our country, I wondered how we can so easily explain away the disregard for Federal Law by our legislators?



I know that the task in front of you and us  is not an easy one. It is not easy to realize that each of us, voters, elected officials communities, and nations alike make mistakes or have prejudices, much less to try to overcome and correct them fairly.


I still believe in the vast majority of the people in this country and in the state of Missouri. I believe in the pride and quest for opportunity that each of us have even as we are embarrassed by revelations that we are less than we would like to be. I believe in you, Eric Holder and Justice.


I wish you and the men and women who represent you here and around the country well. May we come to know each other in better times.

"IF WE CAN MAKE IT IN CAMDEN, WE CAN...."

After reading the account of what has happened in Camden, New Jersey by Kate Zernike in the New York Times (September 1), I was encouraged that America's Fergusons can be turned around.


I last passed through Camden about five years ago on my way to the shore. It was not a place that one stopped to ask directions.Properties and the overall city had fallen into total disrepair.


Camden is located on the banks of the Delaware River directly across from Philadelphia. At one time it was the headquarters for some of America's largest industries, RCA Victor being one.


Its down town boasted long standing, well known shops and a few chain stores. Ferries brought workers to work from downtown Philadelphia. On Sundays, families came there with cars filled with children who were thrilled because the cars were able to drive onto the Ferry and  take them across  the Delaware River.


The Walt Whitman Hotel stood as a proud mark of the importance the City gave to the partnership between education, business and the poetry of the famous writer. Much of what I have just described was obliterated in the late 60s.


Camden became over run with crime, drugs, murder, and prostitution about which corrupt politicians and the police did little. Efforts were made to revitalize the City by bringing in entertainment venues but only a small handful of citizens were really participating in the political process.


In the 80s small communities near Camden like Pennsauken rallied citizens to help bridge the services of stable suburban communities with the needs of City residents. Much of this effort was began by volunteers and religious congregations and a new Chief of Police who ordered his police force out of police cars and onto bicycles and to "walk" the neighborhoods.


I do not know the full, current story of Camden, New Jersey. I do know that without the commitment and leadership of citizens, elected officials and public servants living in and around Camden the turn around would have been impossible.


Whether or not these changes will last is anybody's guess. But the changes already made in Camden gives me hope for the future of many of America's Fergusons because of the how successful people and police and laws can be in bringing stability to a dispirited community.

FERGUSON: DO WE "GET IT" ?

Less than a month since the protests began in Ferguson, there is some good news.  People of different faiths, colors and economies are extending their interest and assistance in building bridges between them and people in the Ferguson Community.


Yet, there are many of us who still don't get it! We are still reluctant to understand what really happened in Ferguson, Missouri and other cities across the country.


We still talk past each other instead of listening to each other.  We want quick answers! We are not ready to pickup our responsibility as voters to do the work of maintaining and furthering government that reflects and respects all people.


We are still ready to accept and elect, or worse yet not vote at all, officials who refer to us as great blubs like "the poor," or "the unemployed," or the "disabled or the elderly," while short changing many of us on opportunities for education, health services, or to earn fair wages.


We are still listening to and supporting local and national figures who attribute real, everyday problems to "political correctness," or some other scary" ism.  We still believe that what happens   "elsewhere" cannot happen in the suburb or city or region or place where we live.


We are still fearful of looking each other in the eye, much less of greeting strangers. We are still knit-picking at accounts of where and how Ferguson took place. Was it on a street or a highway?  Should the National Guard have been sent for instead of according the state trooper credit for bringing order to an unimaginable civil uprising.


Yes, Ferguson is beginning to show that many of us do "get it," but until we begin to exert our power in conversations with each other, or take the time to write to our newspapers or to tweet or  to vote at the ballot box, we will have "lost" it.

IS AMERICA FERGUSON?

On August 8 I celebrated my 85th birthday in the well-appointed Florida home of my brother and sister-in-law. I was toasted with good food, and music performed by my children, daughter-in-law grandchildren and nieces and nephews and their spouses.


I spent several days catching up on family news and family myths and stories.  I marveled at how much children had grown and listened to what they wanted to do next.


That light-hearted atmosphere lasted until my grandchildren used their tweeters to tell us the news of the shooting of Michael Brown gunned down on a small street in Ferguson.  We left Florida on August 13 and I returned to my apartment in University City, about seven miles from Ferguson.




My apartment is in a retirement community  where my neighbors include people who live independently and those who require daily care givers to assist them.  I have become friendly with many of these care givers and my building's staff who live in and around Ferguson and I was anxious to talk with them.




Because I respect their intelligence and the understanding and kindness they show the people they
serve I asked them to tell me what they could about Ferguson.  I learned that the problems in Ferguson have been festering for a long time.


From our conversations I gathered a lack of accountability by public servant and office holder was a given, a part of  daily life.  When I asked them if they wanted to give me some examples of what they meant, this is what they told me.




" I nail the windows in my house shut for safety."  "I had a grandchild killed by a stray bullet while he was playing."  "Looting is not who we are."  "I've raised my son who is now a pastor in our Church and is a bus driver." "I wish the noise would just stop and everybody would go home." "My community is more stable because we are home owners not apartment dwellers."


From these general conversations with people, I found that there is a protectiveness about St. Louis, this State and our country. People seem to find it difficult to speak of problems. We attribute threats to our safety to the fault of others, to "outsiders", to "the press" while we do little to decry the dangerous break down of law and order we witness.


We accept arrogance by local, state and national elected officials when they flaunt federal laws or make a mockery of this country and of the decency that has been a part of it and ourselves for so long.


We accept the fact that militaryvehicles are now used with zeal to patrol our streets.We accept the fact that guns once thought to be used in the "wild west" are now "must have"" items in our homes.


  What has happened to us as a people that we elect and accept the appointment of officials that allow the body of a young man to lay in his own blood on a public street for hours as if he were on a battle field of war?


What has happened to us as a people when we are lulled into a false sense of security against "enemies" rather than recognize the greed and power that eats away at our lives?


What has happened to my country when we believe that what has happened in Ferguson Missouri
is the result of "outsiders", or the press or tweeters?


It is time to stop pointing fingers and recognize that what is happening in Ferguson Missouri is happening to each of us.


We are Ferguson!

"FINAL SOLUTION!" AGAIN?

I grew up in a family who discussed current events at the dinner table.  Differences of opinions were expressed sometimes with passion and sometimes with supporting text from newspaper writers, authors, friends, and the experience of grandparents and older generations..


The images and sounds from those dinner table exchanges remain with me still.  Two words  in particular could evoke  fear in me and still do.  Those words , "final solution" produced a clammy chilly feeling along with nightmares.


Today, when I hear or see the word "solution" applied to complex issues or programs like gun control, or disputes between people or nations or political parties, I am still uneasy. In 2014, issues around the world and domestically need much more than quick "solutions" to be understood.


We dare not be afraid to ask hard questions as we seek remedies. Nor can we be frightened  by having our allegiance to fairness tested as we look at history.


Two columns in The New York Times (8-13-2014) helped me better understand the surge of
anti-Semitism and how the war between Israel and Hamas could be won.  The first "Why Americans See Israel the Way They Do" by Roger Cohen, and "How This War Ends" by Thomas L. Friedman gave me much to think about.


If we begin to listen, respect and seek out differences of opinions and experiences maybe we can begin to work with people around the globe toward a quieter time when children can sleep peacefully
and safely without worrying about "final solutions." 

VOTE! BUT READ THE FINE PRINT!.

Midterm state elections may not appear as exciting as national congressional ones, but it is at the state level that voters are tested for the ability to govern themselves wisely. If we are less than well informed about the issues, we may find ourselves voting for and encouraging short term, quick fixes for complex issues.


Whether health care, or gun control, or agriculture, or education or environmental regulations or privacy and abortion rights, we need to sort out deceptive advertising from real planning.


A case in point.


We need better public transportation to get to work, to school, to medical facilities or just to be able to move about freely. We need to fix and maintain our bridges, roads, streets, infrastructure. We need to give men and women jobs to do these things, through the taxes we pay.


  Put all these words together on a ballot here in Missouri, and ask voters to vote "yes" on "Proposition 7" which promises to do all that. Yet, in small print on the same ballot is the
 following:


 "Provisions in Amendment to Prioritize Projects and Prevent Other Taxes"
Groceries, prescription drugs, rent and utilities will be exempt from this sales tax increase;
Priority will be given to repairing the most unsafe roads and bridges;
Increases in the gas tax will be prohibited;
Funding can not be diverted for other uses.




Sound good? You betcha, until we start to ask questions.



Why these exceptions? Short term for sure, long term economically questionable. Why have a sales tax at all on the necessities listed? Who determines priority and for what reason? Why not tax gasoline which is needed by commercial and private vehicles which do not use public transportation? And what if there is a dire need to take funding from this Appropriation and use it for something like a disaster? Why not use it?




Sometimes, in midterm elections it's easy to push a voter's buttons by mentioning those things we dislike the most or by cleverly playing one need off against another. As citizens we need to be aware of those "buttons" and turn them off and vote for issues and candidates concerned with improving the quality of life for all citizens in our communities.


So in this midterm election go to the Polls and vote but be armed with information and questions before you pull that lever or check that box!

MORE ON THE DELIGHTS OF WALKING

Here in St. Louis we have been experiencing glorious weather as much of the country suffers through horrific storms, flooding and draught.  Even so, we are grateful for the cool, bright mornings and warmth which creeps in later in the day.


The weather is more "Fall-like" and walkers make the best of it on trails and in parks.  I live near one trail, really more a path  that runs about two miles in one direction but continues on for miles.


The trail near me has wild foliage on one side, while the other side skirts an area of commercial shops  and homes.  The walkers hail from St. Louis, Russia, Asia, South America, Europe and Mexico.


As I pass them I am treated to the lyrical sounds of their native languages mixed in with  broad Midwestern drawls. No matter the spoken greeting, we "converse" with a smile, wave of the hand and a "good morning", and I feel we bring the world a little bit closer.


People walk alone  or in pairs.  Some walk with pets.  Some ride bicycles with children.  All smile easily and when the weather is good, gesture, "what a day!"


Our trail is inhabited by song birds. squirrels, and families of rabbits.  Some walkers stop to pull a berry or two from a wild bush and one is growing his own herb garden in a discarded paint can.


The path is used by people of all ages.  Two walkers in particular, who I guess are in their 80s or 90s
always walk together.  One is half the size of the other.  They move in unison and seem to roll from side to side with each stride.


The gentle breezes, the cumulous clouds and blue skies remind me of the seashore, but as the humidity begins to build, walkers will leave the delightful trail and head for the Mall.  There,
bird calls will come through speakers, the air will be cool and dry but we will still be walking.

COMMON SENSE DISARMS NRA & LEGISLATORS

The photograph of a tall man standing by the check-out counter of a store wearing a shotgun slung over his shoulder caught my attention. Below the photograph was a small article.

The article said that a new "trend" seemed to be happening in the battle for gun control.  Chain stores, churches, malls, theaters and other public places are beginning to post signs that say "no guns," even in states that have carry laws.


When I read this, I wondered why would this be happening?


Why would this be happening in states and areas that have welcomed the gun business? Maybe it is because retailers, sales people and consumers do not want to shop in the middle of a shoot-out.


Why would the Clergy post "no gun" signs outside houses of worship? Maybe because Clergy know it is going to take more than  faith and a "good person with a gun to stop an irrational person with a gun" from entering their sanctuary and killing people.


Why would legislators and the NRA need to blame lack of community mental health programs for the daily murders and massive atrocities committed in our neighborhoods?  Maybe it is to keep us busy hunting for the needle in a haystack while the business of gun and ammunition sales soar.


Why would the NRA and legislators  support laws to encourage parents to use shooting ranges and  other devices to teach their children how to use guns "safely?" Maybe it is because the NRA and legislators want to lower the current age limit for the sale of guns to sell more guns to minors.


Why would public school administrators defy the NRA and legislators by not allowing teachers and students to bring guns to the classroom?  Maybe because administrators and parents know that student and teacher safety is best assured by trained, accountable police forces.


There is much to celebrate in this country.  There is much to be grateful for too in the concept of  laws to guide us toward justice and fairness and for government which provides the opportunity to
learn, to speak our mind and to elect people who we believe will hold our well-being as a priority.


The NRA holds much power but it is not absolute power.  We need to remind legislators that even in the "good old days" of the wild West, people posted "no gun signs" at the town's limits and elected a Sheriff to restore law and order and get rid of vigilantes.


2014 is the year to disarm the NRA by using common sense.  2014 is the year to elect legislators who will use their common sense to stop the sale and distribution of unregistered guns and ammunition that are killing innocent people and disrupting our way of life.


 Common sense is a strong, old fashioned American virtue.  We need to use it now.

JULY FOURTH & THE SUPREME COURT

The Supreme Court is the last bastion on the ship of Government to which citizens look for legal interpretation of The United States Constitution.  We do so when we believe we have been unfairly denied opportunities to participate in our communities.


The Supreme Court is where we seek legal understanding to pursue equal opportunity for education,
or the freedom to choose our own life style, faith or privacy, or to ensure that laws, rather than instruments of violence and vigilantes, protect us and our communities.


When decisions are made by the Supreme Court that tend to steer us away from the shores of equality and justice it is disillusioning at best and disquieting in the extreme.


As we celebrate the Fourth of July 2014 we need to ask legislators, our Courts and elected officials toward what shore are you steering us?

HAWKEYE PIERCE AND SCIENCE

So what was Hawkeye Pierce, star of the television series *M*A*S*H, sitting with a helmet ringed with wires on his head?  I came upon him, also known as Alan Alda when I saw the television show "Scientific American Frontiers."  He was about to have his brain waves charted by a machine.






Alan Alda, film and television star, slim, handsome and looking younger than his 75 plus years, sat on a swivel chair, serving as an eager research subject about to learn how his brain worked.  Then he wanted to explain it so that the information was understood by the public.




With his sense of humor and profound respect for science Alda wanted to teach scientists to become
capable communicators. He wanted to use the techniques he had learned from acting, directing and writing to inspire a greater interest in science.


He took what he called "a crazy idea" to universities around the country but found no interest except  at Stony Brook University in New York. There he developed his ideas for a Center which became known as the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science.




 Perhaps plain English and Alan Alda's "crazy idea" may be just what the doctor ordered to help people be less fearful of  learning and science.












 

TAP DANCING AROUND TAXES

It's that time again!  State and Congressional offices slow down and legislators go home.


Back home, elected officials try to win over voters by tap dancing around the quick sand of taxes, and budgets as they try to explain why they voted as they did.


This is what happened here in Missouri.


On the last day of their Session, the men and women we elected to office passed a Budget which voters will now pay for dearly.  The Governor called the Budget a "grab-bag of giveaways!"


Missouri State Senator Paul LeVota from Independence explained that his vote to exempt the sales tax from membership fees to the Sprint Center in Kansas City was because those taxes were not being collected anyway.  Now, if that does not sound like tap dancing, I don't know what does.


 In the meantime,  a new movement is underway here in the Show Me State .  This one proposes to do away with all income tax and replace it with sales taxes just like they have in Las Vegas. Buy that one and there is a Bridge I want to sell you!


Did I hear tap dancing?
 


  

VERY SHORT MYSTERY STORY

There is a lot of brain  and money power here in Missouri, the show me State. Some of that power is used constructively to improve the stability of communities and the quality of life for citizens.   Some of the intellect and money is used on ideas that have failed elsewhere and  destroyed stable economies and the well being of people.






One day,  not too long ago, as people awaited the coming of Spring, New Jersey's embattled Governor was reported to have flown into The St. Louis International Airport. When he got out of the airplane  he drove to downtown St. Louis. There, in the Shadow of the Busch Baseball Stadium, at a small cafe, the Governor from New Jersey had a quick tete-a-tete with the billionaire from Missouri. Then the Governor returned to the plane and went back home to New Jersey alone.











The reason for the meeting remains a mystery.

WHAT DOES MEMORIAL DAY 2014 MEAN?

Memorial Day  more than any other American holiday represents the men, women and even children who sacrificed their lives, and sustained life-long injuries for our country. These were and are people who came from small towns, big cities and from America's farm land. They are strangers to many of us.


We know them only by their military designation, soldier, sailor or marine. Yet their cultural, religious and family traditions and values are very much part of them. We glean something about the strangers we honor through speeches and stories.


Special events planned for Memorial Day also reflect traditions and cultures from which these strangers may have come, adding to the rich diversity of our Country. Festivals of Greek, Italian, Irish, African, Spanish, and Puerto Rican foods and customs, among others, can be found at exhibits and fairs held to commemorate the day.


Cemeteries are awash with graveside flags and flowers.  Re-enactors from wars, foreign and our own, which took the lives of those we remember are part of the historical montage and sometimes include boy scouts, police and fire men along with local dignitaries.


Memorial Day is a quiet, reflective holiday even though it often symbolizes the opening of beaches and amusement parks that are filled with noisy fun-loving crowds.


Memorial Day reminds neighbors and family and this Nation to put political and geographic differences aside and to remember those who have sacrificed so much for all of us and the diversity they honored and symbolize.

CAR SAFETY: BUYER BEWARE! WHY?

Since the first of the year, 11.3 million vehicles in America were recalled. Of these, it is not known how many of the almost two million used and rental cars and trucks on the road have been recalled for safety deficiencies.


There are no state or federal laws or regulations requiring the repair of a vehicle's safety problems before it is sold or rented.Nor is there any law or regulation that require sellers or rental companies to disclose this information to the public.


Laws that would address this problem are stalled in Congress and in State Capitals. WHY? Because state and federal law and safety regulations could give consumers the ability to sue if safety information is with held and this would cut into a business profit.


WHY SHOULD WE CARE? Many of us, our children, grandchildren and friends share the same streets, roads and highways side by side with other vehicles that are safety hazards or accident prone.
BYER BEWARE the motto of the automobile and rental industries is not good enough anymore.


Note: The information contained in this post was carried in the May 5 Edition of the New York Times in an article by Rachael Abrams and Christopher Jensen along with the web site http://www.safercar.gov for more information. The opinion is mine.

TREAT THE ILLNESS! TRACE THE GUNS!

The Fort Hood killings, and  the daily number of innocent men, women and children killed in rural and urban areas across this country should cry out to all of us that we need to hold our elected officials accountable for keeping us less than safe.

We are being hood winked by one of this country's largest profit-making industries and businesses  when we are told to look into mental health illness and poor security as reasons for allowing military weapons and ammunition to be available at open unregulated markets and flea markets. 

When we are told the best way to protect out schools, our public places, our homes is to shoot to kill, we are being referred to the wrong "book" for guidance.  When we are told to arm ourselves against a possible invasion of aliens, fascists or the government itself, we are nurturing the very environment that produces chaos.

Yes, we do need more mental health programs to better understand ourselves and others, but that  cannot replace the hard scrutiny by legislators of the profit-making gun and ammunition industry which roams freely across this land without rules and regulations.

It's time to hold our elected officials and their voting records accountable for the loss of so many innocent lives, not only the mental health system or even powerful lobbies. We need to elect men and women who will begin to write laws that will enable us to trace where guns and military like weapons and ammunition are keep in our communities and why. 

HANG IN THERE BRIDGET ANNE KELLY!

Whatever the facts are about the infamous New Jersey bridge closing my message to Ms. Kelly is hang in there!

When someone as powerful as the Governor of New Jersey needs to resort to character assassination to make his "case" you can be sure there is a lot more to investigate beside the character of his staff.

I hope that Miss Kelly realizes that men and women across New Jersey and this Country understand what abuse of power means, even when a powerful person is able to coerce another to commit questionable acts.

So Bridget Anne Kelly, even as hard as it is, we support you and will not be mislead by still more bullying.  Hang in there sister!

DOES THE HUMAN SPECIES RESPECT NATURE?

People are missing and killed from a massive mud slide in Oso, Washington State.  Families, children, and animals buried beneath the land which once held their community. 

The community nestled on land below a lovely expense of rolling hills and trees.  Land that environmental and energy management reports and geographical maps clearly showed the dangers for development.

Reports that went as far back as 1967 were obtained from the Army Corp of Engineers by the Seattle Times said the area posed  "a significant risk to human lives and private property."

Some survivors, stunned and angry asked why they were not warned of the dangers.  Some thought  deforestation by commercial interests may have left the land with the inability to absorb and withstand the heavy rain. All prayed and dug hoping to unearth loved ones.

So who was derelict? 

Did people not respect the reports because they were wary of scientific findings?  Did the Army Corp of Engineers withhold information that should have been made public?

Or is the human species destined to carry forward an inability to recognize and respect nature?

MALAYSIA: THANKS! BUT NO THANKS! WHY?

The disappearance of  Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is a mystery. Intriguing also is the "Malaysian authorities refusal to accept large-scale American assistance."*

When America's arsenal of military and scientific expertise is refused because of nationalistic or political interests it indicates little regard for the lives of people.

The Malaysian refusal reminds me of American politicians and pundits who do not want  federal laws and regulations for health programs, the environment or gun control because of "state's rights."

When we say, no thanks to federal laws and regulations about people's health, our environment and gun control, do we not have the same narrow regard for people and country as do the Malaysians in not seeking help?

* Michael S. Schmidt and Scott Shane New York Times, 3-17-14.

PETE SEEGER REMEMBERED

Pete Seeger musician, folk singer, philosopher, activist died on
January 27, 2014 at the age of 94.  He lived a life committed to
fairness and justice.

He used a 12 string guitar, and a five-string banjo to pluck out melody.
With lyrics that spoke to all people, he told the story of the
power of people working together to overcome injustice, intolerance
and inequality.

Activist since the age of 17, he lived through nearly 100 years of
America's individual and communal violence at the same time
inspiring many to believe in their power to overcome intolerable
conditions. His dignity and personal simplicity was inspired by his
love of people and nature.

Whether marching with "Occupy Wall Street", or recognizing the
need for labor unions, or refusing to swear that he was not a communist
before a US Senate Committe, Seeger swore allegiance to America's
promise to lift humanity beyond the narrow confines of bigotry.

At an age when many people resist change, when many seniors refuse
to read or hear or learn about other regions of the world, Pete Seeger
was still marching with young and old for social causes and urging
people to "think globally and act locally."

Pete Seeger will be missed but his music and lyrics will still, and always
call us to values of fairness and respect for each other and our country
and America will be the better for it.

SOUNDS OF THE FUTURE?

Just about kick off time at the Super Bowl, Missouri as well as states
North, East and South of us heard a strange, loud sound. 

Here in St. Louis the noise reached us at dinner time and than it was
repeated before our lights went out leaving us in total darkness for a
short time.  The sound was described variously by people as a sonic
boom, a late afternoon truck delivery or a big highway accident, or
something being dropped on the roof.

According to Andrew Long researcher at the University of Toronto
Scarborough Climate Laboratory it was a "frost quake"  produced
by the zero and below degree climate we have been experiencing
since the first of the year. These temperatures cause the earth's plates
to move about and crash into each other creating odd sounds.

"Frost quake" or no, our lights came back on quickly, we went on with
our dinner and I was left with the strong feeling that this will not be the
last time we experience these "noises" and occurrences in the future.

C O R R E C T I O N

In my January  20 post, "LABADIE ANOTHER KANAWHA?"

 the Missouri River was improperly identified. 

The River runs next to Ameren's Labadie plant where plans for a landfill

 are being contested by the Labadie Environmental Organization.

KIEV: CONNECTING THE DOTS!

My grandparents often spoke of Kiev.  They referred to it as a City
in Russia close to where they lived.  They spoke of it fondly while
describing how threatened they were by Russian authorities.

They came to America because of fear of the Russian military and
because their 15-year old son was participating in efforts that today
we might call an uprising.

It is only recently after reading about the uprising in the Ukraine
that I realized that the Kiev my grandparents spoke of was indeed
the Ukainian Capital and not a Russian  city. 

I find it odd to read about and watch men and women in the heart
of Ukraine's political crisis without wondering could they be my kin?

I have always believed the world is small and that as a species
we humans are related, somehow.  The Ukarinian upheaval
connects the dots to the oppression felt by my grandparents
to me in a very personal way, and there too am I.

ONE PICTURE = 10,000 WORDS!

Weather forecasters have been diligent about warning people about
on coming blizzards, road and school closings, and projected
sub zero temperatures.

People walking on the way to work and others stranded
on an impassable road were interviewed. 

In the midst of storms we listened as everyone, pundits and comics alike
projected when the weather will change for the better.

At times we have pleaded and cajoled mother nature to change her
ugly mood, to no avail. 

But just when we were fully exasperated one picture of a street sign
almost hidden by a huge snow bank amidst swirling gusts of snow
sent a message to the queen of all seasons

The message was a simple STOP sign!

LABADIE ANOTHER KANAWHA?

Because of the recent chemical spill in West Virginia and because my
blog is sent to former colleagues, friends,  family and environmental
activists here and across the country, I share this story with you.

A few years ago I facilitated a course on the environment for the
Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) of Washington University in St. Louis.
LLI offers classes for people 55 years old and older.

Halfway through the semester some of the people told me of their effort
to stop a proposed landfill very near the Missouri River.  The landfill
was proposed by Ameren, Missouri's  Electric company to expand the
boundaries of the company's Labadie plant.

Labadie is a sparsely populated hamlet about 40 miles West of St. Louis
by a creek that runs off into the Missouri River. It has a general store
which serves as grocery, bakery, butcher shop, automotive center and
coffee shop.  One of the clerks said she was born and raised in Labadie.

I asked if she knew anything about Ameren's plan to build a landfill
nearby.  She told me she did.  She was "worried about making a landfill
out of bottom land."  She knew some people were trying to stop the
landfill.  I bought coffee and a donut and she directed me to the house
I wanted.

I came into a large, well appointed living room with a
picture window and a view of  a small creek running alongside
three Labadie smoke stacks.  Fifteen people were introduced
as members of the Labadie Environmental Organization (LEO).

Many of the people were born and raised in  Labadie while others
had moved to the area as adults.  All were knowledgeable about the
environmental value of the land and the importance of the little creek
that runs off into the Missouri River where Labadie wants to build its
landfill.

I thought about the people in my class and in Labadie and about Ameren
as I read about Kanawha County, West Virginia  where  hundreds of
thousands of  people are without water  because of a leak in a tank
which held toxic chemicals that seeped into the nearby Elk River.

The Company which owned the tanks is now under investigation and
many public questions still remain.

Was there an absence of governmental regulation?  Did people who
lived near the tanks question their proximity to the Elk River?  Were
community concerns looked into by elected officials?  Will the River
carry its toxic water into Charleston, West Virginia?

While here in Missouri,  The Labadie Environmental Organization
formed by a tireless leader and a small group of citizens have been
working since 2009 to stop Ameren Electric Company from
placing a landfill near a small creek that flows into the Missouri River.

So far they have gained some community support and are consulting with
environmental and legal authorities because they believe Ameren's
landfill could contaminate the small creek nearby. Will they succeed?
We don't know. 

What I do know is that because of this delay, a small band of citizens
in Labadie, Missouri are providing all of us with the time and
opportunity to question even corporate behemoths like Ameren and help
keep all of us from the fate of Kanawha County, West Virginia.

BLIZZARD OF 2014

Warnings of record breaking snow storms send us all to the Supermarket.

Once there, all neighborly interaction ceases.
 It's everyone for them self.  Shoppers run up and down the isles
plucking things of the shelves as if the item is the last one to be found.
Often it is.

Because we have become urban creatures, we expect our basic needs
to be found in Supermarkets. We no longer have the luxury of growing
our own vegetables and produce and canning them.

Nor are we near a small corner store that somehow stayed opened
through storms because the owner lived "upstairs." 

 We no longer have to trudge across wind swept fields to reach our barns.  Instead we push carts that get stuck in the middle of a jammed parking lot.  Roads are a menace to car and truck divers. Our view out the window is that of a fine, white mist.  Snow piles up and even plows are having a difficult time.

With it all, children are bundled up and go sledding and sliding up and down the nearest hills shouting with glee as they build snow forts to make "virtual" war.   Policemen, firemen, doctors, nurses, those who care for others somehow go about their business.

We relish the quietness of snow, the chance  to read, to cook, and maybe even give a nod to nature who seems to have the ability to equalize all in her wake, while thinking of those less fortunate needing to deal with the blizzard.