Thursday, October 30, 2014

Sometimes, it's not good to be nice

Sometimes, it's just not good to be nice or all positive or upbeat. Republicans have been running ads here in Arizona that are full of outright lies, are really childish, attack opponents with innuendo, accuse opponents of things the GOP has done themselves, etc.  And to be upfront, Democrats have done some attack ads, too, but the majority of the attack ads are run by the GOP and funded by tons of money from outside the state, the "dark money whores," those who do the bribing.

What I'm referring to are the ads that make no sense, pairing the candidate with issues that have nothing to do with the workings of the office.  The blatant lies, the mudslinging, the amount of ads.... all make me sick.  Thank goodness for the mute button.

The few positive ads I've seen have been run by Democrats.  They consist of telling the viewer what the candidate believes, why the candidate believes it, what the candidate has done about the issues and what the candidate will do for the people on the issues.  Not a word about their opponents.

The nasty ads have taken over the airwaves so much that I'm at the point where I'd like to see Democrats come out swinging and pointing with both barrels.  But, alas, we're not that nasty.  We've been brought up right.  We have more compassion, we embrace everyone, we look out for "the people," we try to do what's right for all our citizens, not just the rich, the White and the powerful.  We're just not cut out to do "slash and slice" like the GOP does.

But sometime down the road, the GOP will pay dearly for their contempt for "others." And when they do, I'll be cheering, laughing and dancing, even though it might seem that I'd be stomping on their graves.  It can't happen fast enough for me and the majority of my fellow citizens..... the 98%.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

A parent's heart

This is the time of year when Jewish people observe a very intense period of ten days: those between Rosh Hashanah-the Days of Awe and Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement.  It is our time to celebrate the "birth" of the universe, our New Year, if you will.  It is a time for reflection about what the past year has been like for us, what we have done during that year and then decide how we can do better, be better, be kinder, more humane, endeavor to try to help make the world a better place.

During the ten days, we reflect on our interactions with others, the good, the not so good and we realize we have to make changes in our interactions with others. At the beginning of the Days of Awe, it is said that Gd opens the Book of Life.  At the close of the Day of Atonement, the Book of Life is sealed and our "fate" for the next year is determined.

And it is customary to wish our friends and family the following:  L'Shanah Tovah or Happy New Year and "May you be inscribed in the Book of Life."  We wish all our friends and family a healthy, happy, prosperous and joyous year.

For years my husband and I have always offered this wish for our sons who, over the years, have had some medical issues.  Our wishes for their good health have not really been heard.  With a chuckle in their voices they've even asked us to skip the "good health" wish and just stay with the "Happy New Year!"

This year, I've spent sleepless nights talking to myself, wondering why things are not getting much better for the boys.  And then I found myself praying (something I rarely do) for their problems to become mine if only they would feel good and be completely healthy again.  A mother's heart (and a dad's heart, too) gets easily broken when their children are hurting.  Maybe this year we'll have a breakthrough with answers that can give them the good health they deserve.  Then maybe our hearts will feel better and we can once again wish them a Happy and Health New Year.  We always wish that they may be inscribed in the Book of Life.  We fervently hope our words are "heard," not only for our sons but for all our family and friends.  Good health is the only thing that matters.  With that, everything else will fall into place.

If you're reading this, I wish that you all may be inscribed in the Book of Life.