Arms Merchant or Peace Merchant

     I was happy when I heard that President Obama wasn't going to let our involvement in Libya turn into another Iraq. Yesterday I heard a snip of one of his speeches on the radio and was disturbed to hear him say we might supply the rebels with weapons. We don't know who these rebels are or their background. If you look at our history , our government doesn't have a great record of who we support. We trained and armed Osama Bin Laden. we supported the Sha of Iran and the list goes on.
     Why do we have to be the arms merchant and police force of the world?  I say we need a new mission, a new direction. We need to be the merchant of peace. We need to start being the merchant of education, of seeds and trees. In this age and time dictators run their course and eventually a new crowd comes along and throws that dictator out. The only way to break the cycle is for the people to want our way of life. All the bombs in the world didn't bring down Communism. It was the desire of the people to want our way of life. That's what the people of Mexico want that are coming over here illegally. A better way of life. why not instead of building walls and fences we spend that money on education and helping the people build better lives in their own countries. Why don't we build bridges instead of fences? Why don't we export peace instead of weapons?    

"Monsanto" is the devil and corn is the devil's diet

Or at least that’s what these three video’s I just watched would make you believe.
        I just watched: “King Corn”
                                “Food Inc”
                                 “The Future of Food”
       Very eye opening. Working in the food industry, I knew of some of these things but these videos really bring to light and make you think about how our food and farms, like all other areas of our lives are being corporatized and manipulated by big business. "Monsanto" is going after small farmers whose crops have been pollinated with their genetically engineered seeds by the wind for patent infringement. While our government is subsidizing large corporate farms to grow just one crop, mainly corn. Its pushing the small family farm out. While they put corn syrup in EVERYTHING , even batteries giving us cheap unhealthy food that is making us fat and sickly. The facts these videos give about the diabetes rate and the obesity rate and the time table at which it all coincides with the corn syrup entering the food supply is a real eye opener. I know from my own experience of trying to get high fructose corn syrup out of my diet,  it is almost impossible. Next time you go to the grocery store read some labels on the stuff you are buying. Its crazy, even bread and yogurt.
      Then there is the possibility of crop failure, all those millions of acres of corn gone, farmers losing their farms. Can you picture something worse then the “Great Potato Blight” of Ireland, it could happen, I really don’t know the chances, maybe they are small, but its still a chance.
      I suggest supporting your local food co-op, supporting your local farmers market, buying from your local farms when ever possible. Buying grass fed beef, free range chicken, naturally raised and wild meats when ever possible. READ the labels on the products you buy from the store. Look for brands that don’t have corn syrup or sucrose. Support “Farm Aide”
    Watch these videos
      

A Law I Can Get Behind

“In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”
        From the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy
     I love that! What if everyone and all nations lived by that?
I’ve been using “Seventh Generation” products for some time now. I just love that whole philosophy.
     Consider this: If every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of 112 sheet virgin fiber paper towels with a 100% recycled product we could save:
                                                                                            568,000 trees
                                                                                             205 million gallons of water, a years supply for over 1,600 families of four
                                                                                             1.4 million cubic feet of landfill space, equal to over 2100 full garbage trucks.
        This is not hard to accomplish folks. The recycled is not any more expensive then the virgin fiber. We just need to be mindful of what we are buying and what we can accomplish by what we buy.
                                                                                          

"Tao of willie"

        I just finished a wonderful little book called the “Tao of Willie”, a guide to the happiness in your heart. Now, I don’t want you to think I’m a gushing fan of Willie Nelson. I have listened to his music since the 70"s and have seen him in concert a couple of times, I admire what he his trying to do for the small family farms but I’ve never been a huge fan and the only thing I knew about him was when he got in trouble with the IRS and his pot bust.
        This book is surprisingly filled with a mix of ancient Chinese wisdom, home spun cowboy wisdom, bad jokes and a look into having a wonderful happy life. In many ways it mirrors the way I feel about life and if I ever wrote a book on the same topics, much of it would be the same. 
     It’s a GREAT read!!!!

Riots in Cairo vs American Idol

    On 2/10/11 I stopped into the local bar and restaurant for a drink and a salad. There weren't many people there maybe ten or so. They have two televisions behind the bar. One was tuned to a news channel which was showing the latest happenings in Egypt. The other was tuned to "American Idol".
     I don't watch much TV  but I do know that something big is happening in Egypt. Something that could have a big effect on all of us, especially if  radical Muslims took over the nation. The crazy thing is that everybody was totally glued to "American Idol". I personally was astounded. Are people so disengaged about whats going on in the world? Are they so distracted by shiny baubles to be caught up in something that doesn't amount to a hill of beans. I have always been amazed at how the news media treats "American Idol" like its the biggest news sensation there is but this is just  crazy.

Taxi Drivers as Cops????????

    It was reported over the public radio that the police in Denver Colorado are seeking cab drivers to report suspicious activity and now I hear that the Government is seeking to continue some of the "Patriot Act". Specifically the part that makes it easy for the government to place wire taps and spy on business.
   I have a real problem with this. Do we really have to spy on each other? What constitutes "Suspicious activity"?  Does this not hark back to the days of communist Russia? Is our society so morally corrupt that we need  to constantly watch out for the other guy and report everything to the authorities?  Does this not seem like right out of George Orwell's 1984 or V for Vendetta?
   Where will it end? With Secret Police and check points on our road ways?
I consider myself a patriot but I don't think there is anything patriotic about the "Patriot Act" and the more laws that are made that invade our personal freedoms, the more we all will become criminals. This Shit is important! you need to lend your voice and your opinion in any way possible.

    I received this in an email and its such a good list. I think the world might be better off if we all lived by it.
THIS IS SO AWESOME....READ IT EVERY WEEK!!!    AMAZING...

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The
Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written . My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:"
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a ha ppy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple..
24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".
26. Always choose life.
27. Forgive everyone everything.
28. What other people think of you is none of your business.
29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
32. Believe in miracles.
33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
36. Your children get only one childhood.
37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
41. The best is yet to come.
42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
43. Yield.
44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

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