I had a vision of Dad a couple weeks ago.  That is, I suddenly became aware of  an image of Dad standing in front of "the light."  And I knew then that he was waiting there for me, and presumable for my whole family.  This happened during the day, while I was getting in or out of the car.  That night I dreamed about him.  He was standing near me, I went over, told him I loved him, and hugged him.  He hugged me back and told me, "Always remember to do this.  Take my word for it."

My Dad died last week.  It sounds so strange... even surreal...  My Dad died...  I have many moments when I get a feeling of unreality.  Dying is not something that my Dad does, so it doesn't make sense to me that he's done it now.  Not that it was something he did.  A disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis killed him.  It's a lung disease that is still a mystery to the doctors and researchers, though it kills as many people in the U.S. each year as breast cancer.  Usually a person declines over the course of several years, but sometimes it progresses quickly, like with Dad, though even his doctor was shocked.  He'd had a bad cough last winter and into the spring.  In June he was diagnosed and put on oxygen right away.  He was able to go dancing, just a little bit, a week before he died.  Wednesday he went into the hospital.  Thursday his doctor felt he was doing better.  But Friday his breathing got worse until it just stopped late that night.  I'm really glad I was able to be with him and I hope that my actions and words gave him some comfort.
 Life will never "get back to normal,"  because he isn't here.  So I guess my family and I just have to get used to living with a sense of wrongness.  Often when I think of him being gone I get this feeling like, "that can't be right."
He was very good at giving advice and helping solve a problem... I won't be able to get his help again.  I will never be able to sit with him, watch TV, and help with his crossword puzzle.  He wanted me to make plum jam this year...  And what will Thanksgiving be like without his quiet presence?

We've planned a service to honor him this Saturday, the 13th at 2 p.m. at Forest Lawn Funeral Home in west Seattle
For more information of this awful disease   http://www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org/

Social Politics in 2012

I used to think that mudslinging referred to politicians making extraordinary accusations about their adversaries in order to sway public opinion.  Now I'm wondering how long we, the People, have been participating in this ill-conceived strategy.  Emails and postings on social networks that are political in nature and unapologetically  libelous make inflammatory accusations about public officials, but without any proof or source of information whatsoever.  We see this from both sides of the political arena, posted not by candidates this time, but by everyday citizens.  I choose to believe these citizens misguidedly think  that they are informing their friends and associates of  important facts about the politicians which make them unacceptable to serve in the office for which they have been nominated.  The alternative is unconscionable: that they do it just to get people worked up about some apparently detestable action.  Unsubstantiated rumors and innuendos  have done as much to divide our People as the events of  9/11, maybe more, since they have come from within our ranks.  
The greatest part of our system of government is our Freedom.  One of which is the freedom to speak out, make our opinions known, and try to sway others to see our perspective.  Most of us would agree that the media has been abusing their freedom of press for years... decades:  sensationalizing events to a point beyond exaggerating, allowing private interests to dictate whether certain things can be published or not.  Why?  Money.  Or the love of money.   Make the news horrendous, appalling, outrageous; never mind the truth as long as we get the readers- subscriptions!  advertisers!  sales! 
So when did the average Joe start imitating the media?  And why would anyone aspire to be like them anyway???   A person can speak out, and protest, and debate without flinging insults and accusations, can't they?   Have we lost all respect for anyone who doesn't believe the same things we do?  And if so, how can we get that back?  I once heard someone say that there's always time for courtesy.  I think there's also time for kindness and respect.   Is that really too much to ask?

A Solemn Day and a Turning Point

September 11, 2011

Washington's reaction to 9/11 damaged our country as much as the attacks themselves.

Tens of millions of people will soon observe the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. In New York City, the names of the nearly 3,000 people who died on that day will be read out loud and presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama will join the families of the victims to unveil a new memorial. Obama will also visit the Pentagon and both he and Vice President Joe Biden will visit the Pennsylvania site where a jetliner crashed after passengers overpowered terrorist hijackers. There will be television specials, opportunities to volunteer, speeches by politicians and expressions of deep personal grief of those whose loved ones died.

On this anniversary we'll be mourning the people who died in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. We'll also be mourning the tens of thousands of others around the world who have died since then in the wars our country launched in response to the 9/11 attacks. As we mourn the death and destruction that this violence has caused, we renew our work for peace.

Was was not the answer 10 years ago. It is still not today. On the anniversary of those attacks, we need to ask if the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the kidnappings on foreign soil that violate international law, the restrictions on civil liberties, the suspicion and distrust of Muslims in many parts of the country, and the torture allegedly carried out by the CIA and U.S. government contractors in the name of a broad global war on terror have made our country safer. We believe that they have undermined our security instead.

Washington's reaction to 9/11 damaged our country as much as the attacks themselves. Today, our nation is waging a permanent war that's taking the lives of our soldiers and draining our treasury. Ten years later, our leaders need the courage to change course. We know that this war without end won't provide comfort to those of us who experienced 9/11. And, it won't make our country safer.

A decade after 9/11, few people are confident that the current U.S. war strategy in Afghanistan will produce a stable nation. In Iraq, after agreeing to leave by the end of 2011, the U.S. military is now arguing that maybe they need to stay a little longer. And in the other countries such as Yemen and Somalia where the United States is waging an undeclared war, U.S. military actions are helping extremists recruit new fighters.

Finally, as the world knows today, the man behind attacks on 9/11 wasn't found in any of the countries the United States has invaded. Eventually, U.S. forces located and killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. The Saudi-born terrorist lived his final years in reasonable comfort in a large house near the capital city of one of the closest U.S. allies in the region.

So what should we do?

One place to begin would be for Congress to repeal the authorization for the use of military force that was used to launch the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and has served as the justification for torture, kidnappings on foreign soil, and covert wars in Yemen and other countries.

Another step would be to insist that the United States complete the withdrawal of U.S. military troops from Iraq and articulate a strategy that will lead to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Congress should pass three bills from Rep. Barbara Lee. The California Democrat has sponsored legislation that would cut off all funding for the war in Afghanistan except that needed to pull out U.S. troops. She has introduced a bill that would require the last U.S. soldier to leave Iraq on schedule on December 31, 2011. Last year, she also introduced a bill to repeal the authorization for the use of military force.

The biggest step for the United States is to rethink our approach to foreign policy. We can reduce our reliance on the military for solving global conflicts. We can prevent deadly conflict and the seeds of terrorism through peaceful diplomacy, development, and international cooperation.

September 11 is a solemn day. A day to declare War Is Not the Answer.

http://fcnl.org/september11/are_we_safer/

Rescued elephant, Ned, arrives at Sanctuary!