Remembering

Ten years ago this morning the phone rang. My then-fiancé knew the news would not be good, as phone calls at 6am never are. It was my best friend urging me to turn on my TV. Her words didn’t really register, but the images on the television told the story. On that day, this day was unimaginable. On that day, I witnessed my now-husband’s fury unleashed as his sense of having been personally attacked came …

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Bellatrix is Back

My 12 year old god-daughter, Ariel, was diagnosed with cancer over 3 years ago. No run of the mill cancer for her, she got a very rare, very deadly form called rhabdo-myosarcoma. After an 11 month course of treatment, she was given the pronouncement “no evidence of disease”. Cancer families know that to say “cure” or “remission” is to tempt fate. NED is the moniker that is most meaningful in the initial post-treatment years. Ari …

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Gabrielle Giffords: It’s Personal To Me

Gabrielle Giffords is still in critical condition, although there are some reports that she has regained consciousness.. A crazy young man shot her and 17 other people, killing at least 5 of them last time I checked. One of the dead is a 9 year old girl. I have been listening to this story unfold. I can’t look away from it. I am horrified that this congresswoman was shot at close range, in her home …

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Hello 2010

Welcome 2010. You with your fresh promise, your mid-term elections, continued economic recovery and hope for full equality. Welcome to new challenges, old friends and new beginnings. This year, I will be trying to find a voice and rhythm for this blog. Expect postings that are personal, political and just plain random. Up to now I’ve managed only a handful of posts in just over two years. I’ve tried to keep my thoughts at a …

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Wow

President-elect Obama. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. I can’t say that I never thought I would see this day. I’m not sure if I ever really entertained the notion at all, but not because I had given the matter any thought. It’s possible that I never entertained the notion because it was so far-fetched. It’s possible that I never entertained the notion because I never dreamed of being president myself…and for me, I don’t think …

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Election Day

Today is a day of emotion. You can feel the buzz of it all around as people engage in our democracy deeply and personally. I spent my BART ride into work reading about all the propositions that haven’t been widely in the news. It is fascinating what these pieces of legislation say about us as a society – particularly the three California initiatives that revolve around the criminal justice system. I am heartened that we …

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Tribal Politics

With election season coming to a rapid and dramatic close, it seems like a good opportunity to let everyone know that they suck. Have you noticed that this election has become tribal in its vindictiveness? People are just making things up because they can’t stand the other team. I am as horrified by the people who say “I’ve never voted Republican in my life” as if to say that they never stopped to consider the …

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you get what you pay for

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how it is we spend billions of dollars on war and continue to cut spending on education and social programs. The rhetoric of “tax increases” to reinstate spending on these programs is mind blowing. That congress is actually arguing about whether or not to find a way to offset Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) relief is astonishing. Do we really think that our country can function without those billions …

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On Religion, Part One

I’ve been doing a lot of reading about religion lately. I was raised Catholic and at some point in high school really keyed into the hypocrisy of the Church, from Papal indulgences on down the line. Also, there is a part of the mass right before the sacrament of the Eucharist, that’s communion for the uninitiated, where the congregation says: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I …

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The Primaries Keep Rollin’ On

I have some disjointed complaining to do about the primaries so please bear with me. I’m ready for all of this nonsense to be over. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really glad that people in states that haven’t voted yet still get to feel like their votes matter. It’s about time we were all engaged in the future of the country and the democratic process. I don’t mind the contest, I don’t mind that there …

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