Siren's Song

It begins with a garden. A beautiful iris garden. One I gazed with wonder as a child from the comfort of a moving car.

Brilliant explosions of blue and yellow, purple and pink, and colors I am not sure they have found names to describe its beauty.

Every time we'd drive West Ox. Whether we went to fair oaks or some other destination beyond, that garden, seen from the road, was always the highlight of my trip.

Many years pass. I move away and return. And that garden, though stored lovingly on the dusty shelves of my mind, remains a permanent memory.

Only now do I finally learn the history of this place that teased my imagination, and it turns out I was not alone.

This heaven on earth did belong to someone, a woman. Though hers, she did not greedily keep it only for herself. All were welcome to come and linger in the beauty and color. Artists came to paint it, and photograph it, in desperate attempts to capture one moment in time.

For 46 years that garden grew. Each year luring poets of brush and pen, like a siren's call. Till that song fell quiet this year. With the passing of Margaret Thomas, a shadow was cast on that garden that now lays bare of the color and is overgrown with weeds.

With its guardian gone, the future of this influential spot is in danger of being assimilated into the generica of our everyday world, where before it was 5 acre heaven, its sole purpose to transport you out of the harsh realities of the now and abrasive walls we call "real" life.

How many lives had she changed by simply allowing this haven to exist. Now I, like so many others, might never step on the fertile soil where Margaret's garden grew.

She wanted the land preserved as park land, so more lives would change, and her labor of love would continue firing the imaginations of those who graced its path. If only those who govern would hear. She calls them still, do not let this niche of Beauty that I carved out for the world be swallowed never to be seen again. Do not let the siren's song cease.

The Champion who Became a Bully

I have always been a supporter of Israel. For one thing, I have family there, and I am Jewish by birth. I always felt, that for the most part, they were in the right. They were just defending themselves. I have never been scared about the destruction of Israel…until now.

In previous years we have seen Israel fight off invading forces. Not always pretty, but understandable. The fact is, there needs to be a Jewish state. The history of the world is nothing but the banishing and killing of Jews. There is almost no other country where they are safe from that sort of persecution.

Because it was started by those who experienced the Holocaust, or knew someone who had, they are always on alert and ready to strike. Never again will they be defenseless against their own demise. It also does not help that every country surrounding this itsy bitsy country wants to blow it off the map.

Today, I AM scared for them. The government has been taken over by hawks, when they need more dovelike politicians. Somewhere in between would be nice. They were the champions for the Jewish people, but now they have become the bully.

What scares me, other than some of their over the top reactions, is they are succeeding in angering the entire world. In the past, there was dislike from some countries, but the US remained a solid supporter. This is not the case anymore. If they lose the relationship with the US, they will lose all credibility from the rest of the planet. They are lighting the fuse of the bomb that will decimate the entire country.

There are minute details of these internal political matters, that I cannot understand, but there has to be a smarter way. The Israeli leaders are smart men, but they are NOT using their brain. It is like the entire government is run by individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder, always ready to react in the instinctual way of a wounded animal. This kind of response will destroy them.

Because I share some of their background, I can understand why they respond this way, but logically speaking, they cannot afford to. They have to find another method, they need to use logic and those big brains of theirs, or the haven they have built will transform into a new holocaust of their own making.

So Sorry....New Post coming soon

Keep a watch out, because a new rant is coming your way soon...

A Return to Common Sense

I know it has been ages since I have written anything, and everyone says that, so I take it back. It is a hollow apology. Deal with it, I was busy.

You may wonder what inspired me to dust off the pen once more, despite my breakneck schedule? It is a subject I feel very passionately about. Not because it is something I deal with directly, but because it flies in the face of some of the strongest ideals that should sculpt this country. The ones that should be our torch, our beacon. To what am I referring? Gay marriage of course.

Finally an article was printed in Newsweek (See the article at: http://www.newsweek.com/id/229957), someone has seen reason & logic. The fact that that person happens to be a major Republican lawyer surprised and thrilled me. What made me even more gleeful was that his argument was one I had been expostulating for YEARS!

You take any person against gay marriage, and ask for their reasons, they cannot give ONE logical reason they oppose it. The most common arguments are that marriage is traditionally between a man & a woman, but that argument really makes no sense. Lots of laws and situations changed traditions over the years, and usually for the best. How about women winning the right to vote? Equal rights for all races? These changed traditional laws here in the United States, but these were all positive changes that helped move us towards being the free country we value.

The other common argument is that it is unnatural under religious law. I will not dignify that one with a paragraph (OK, I changed my mind), as we know that the government is not supposed to rule this country based on the teachings of one religion. Some claim that thou shalt not kill is one we use every day, but not hurting or killing another being is a value not exclusive to the bible, and two men, or women coming together in marriage would hardly be classified as killing or hurting another person. This argument is fallacious.

As much as the moral aspect of this argument is enough for me, there are other aspects of discussion to make same sex marriage even more beneficial to this country. Two words: The economy. With millions of GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Trans-gendered) individuals out there, I am unable to imagine how many want to tie the knot, but I bet I could not count them all on two hands. The money these ceremonies and events could contribute back into our economy would be enormous, and that, I think liberals and conservatives can be happy about.

If you think of the money that goes into making a wedding, and honeymoon, and the broad area of business this touches, it is really staggering. We are talking clothing retail, caterers and food, location renting, travel services on many levels, not to mention general retail that will be affected by wedding present and shower shopping purposes. With marriage also brings home sales for the new couples. The sky is the limit.... Can you imagine!?

So where I always say, that all people in this country should share equal rights, there is a multitude of facets not yet touched on. So as Valentines day tip toes closer and closer, we as a country need to realize that everyone needs love, and the right to have that love recognized as valid by the country they calls home is a necessity.

What Does God Really Want?

In many a philosophical conversations with people about religion and the Bible's view of animals, I hear many interesting arguments on various sides. The one view point that amuses and angers me the most is the idea that an entity, known as God, put everything on this planet for us to do with as we wish.

The plants and animals are ours to manipulate and utilize however we see fit, without worry or recrimination on the method in which we choose to use. Now, understand this, I am a moderate person, I try not to force my lifestyle beliefs on anyone, because I would not want that done to me, but let us look at this argument objectively.

If you believe in this theory as it states in the bible, do you really believe that God meant for his creations, yes animals would classify as his children too, to live and die in pain and agony? Victims of the numerous cruel animal industries across the world?

Why is the pain and suffering of non-humans so irrelevant to us? Whether you eat meat or not, suffering should not be a plight that is ignored. Once we separate ourselves from another being for any reason, whether for species, religious, cultural, racial, or geographical reasons, we set ourselves on a path of "dehumanizing" them. This path can lead to many things, including genocide.

Maybe "dehumanizing" is an outdated word, because it seems that the compassion we should feel for our fellow man and woman, we should also extend to all species on this planet that share our same fate in the world.

We are all connected, once we see that, the world as we know it will forever be changed. I hope to see that day before my eyes fade, and I move forth from this existence.

Voting for change is not something we only do during elections, but steps we take everyday in our lives to improve the world that nurtured us. A friend said to me today, that the only person who was not 99% self-centered, was Mother Theresa. I disagree with that statement.

Indeed Mother Theresa was a selfless individual. She was most likely not a perfect being, none of us are. She made a choice to see what good she could be to the world. In fact, we all have our Mother Theresa's inside of us. We choose to silence her, because the path is not always easy, or fun, or lead to personal gain as we understand it.

The process to true understanding takes lifetimes, and we are all in different places in our journeys. Enlightenment occurs once we are aware of our place in the journey. Where are you?

Alright MAC, we get it already!

OK, I get it! Mac is better than PC. If there is any point those annoying Mac ads have drilled into our skulls, it is that. The simple fact is, it may be a better machine, but they still price themselves out of the average person’s budget. Let us also not forget that there are numerous compatibility issues with Macs.

But the main focus of this rant is those ads. I wants to smack the freakish smirk off that pompous twit’s , Mac’s, face. The little twerp is arrogant, and mocking most of the American public.

Recently there was an ad where PC travels into the future to see if he still sucks. All they focus on is that PC still does not work as preferred. No one mentions the fact that PC has the ability to traverse the space time continuum. HELLO??

Mac may have less trouble, but hell, PC has performed a miracle! So, screw you Mac!?

OK, maybe I should not have had that 12^th latte. :-p

Universal Harmonics

If you put forth positive energy it is returned to you. Sometimes small, sometimes not. I personally love those smaller return moments. There is something intimate and gleefully personal in the experience, whether it is you on the returning or the receiving end. For a small moment in time, you have truly connected with another being. Just one, maybe two, but that moment can affect you in the most profound way.

Let me explain based on my own experience. Now please understand, I am NOT discussing this to toot my proverbial horn. I simply wish to share with you the experience. These types of events can happen to anyone at anytime. The trick is to be conscious of those little, yet significant, gifts we receive in life’s unmarked wrapping paper.

One day, I was going to meet a friend at Tysons Corner Mall. I was parked and heading for the mall entrance when I saw these two older ladies inching their way towards the mall and looking about to find a way to get to the appropriate level of the garage.

One of these women was supporting the other who was moving very slowly and with great difficulty. I stopped and asked them where they were heading, and I was informed that indeed the mall was their desired destination. Considering the labored gate of the one woman, I knew the stairs were definitely out of the question, and I could not remember where there was an elevator.

I requested that they wait until I could fetch my car, which was parked only a few paces away from where we were standing. I could drive them right to the overpass from the garage to Macys. From there I could contact the customer service desk and have a cart brought directly to her. After making the call, we waited. Several minutes passed and I asked her to have a seat on the stairs while I kept watch for their arrival.

We spoke while we waited, and it turned out that it was her birthday, and for her birthday, she wanted to go to Tysons Corner mall. They were sweet ladies. During our conversation, I also gleaned that the one woman with limited mobility had suffered a stroke, and that was the cause of her impaired movement and speech. I was late meeting my friend, but it was well worth the delay.

This may be a corny message, but it a message that needs to be shared. The key to fulfillment is not something you will find just in yourself. For this is a universe of balance. No act of kindness is insignificant. To the individual(s) you bestow that kindness, you are a hero.

Positive energy is like a cloak of protection you wrap around yourself, and you will discover that the universe finds a way to send some of that compassion back to you. It is not cosmic payback, but simply balance and harmony working as it should, like an intoxicating dance. I extend my hand. Care to take a spin about the room?