I read an article March 23 in the Washington Post about the upcoming primary in Pennsylvania, where I was born and raised. I feel one man interviewed pretty much summed up things in that state by suggesting that “Some of these people still believe the woman should be home taking care of the baby, and they are not going to vote for a black.” So, who are these democrats going to vote for in November?
Will they vote for McCain, the Republican, instead of the Democratic nominee because they can’t bear to vote for a black or a woman? Will their prejudices overshadow their core values and beliefs in health care, the economy, the environment and the Iraq war – in other words, the issues? Will they decide voting for someone because of their race or gender is more important than a candidate’s platform?
If registered Democrats don’t elect McCain, the Democratic Party, Obama, Clinton and their campaigns may. McCain is off and running his campaign gathering momentum, strength and support each day while Clinton and Obama continue to squabble and attack each other. McCain doesn’t have to conduct a negative campaign; the democratic candidates are doing that for him. He can just sit back and reap the benefits.
What was up with Florida and Michigan breaking the primary rules? What did they think they were accomplishing by having their primaries so early and now they have to pay the consequences – their delegations won’t be seated at the Democratic Convention. Will the residents of these 2 states become disenfranchised voters?
And what about those superdelegates? Who are they going to support, when, and more, important, who should they support? Will they wait until the Democratic Convention to decide or will they commit earlier. Democratic strategist Bill Carrick believes that "Either the superdelegates end it in June or Democrats will self-destruct in August in Denver."
When the Democrats finally have a candidate for the upcoming presidential election, will it be too late to assemble campaign teams and garner the support and resources necessary to win the election? Will Democrats be so bitter and demoralized after their National Convention, that they won’t support the Democratic nominee?
The question du jour seems to be which Democratic candidate has the better chance of defeating McCain and by the sentiment illustrated above and the topsy, turvy status of the Democratic Party, it may be neither.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Why do Animals Need to Suffer?
I am an advocate of animal rights and it pains me to read again and again about animals being abused, tortured or killed especially when it’s done to entertain people. It even pains me more knowing that some of this suffering could be prevented and that the abuser/killer receives no punishment and is free to abuse, torture, kill repeatedly at his/her leisure.
The world of dogfighting was brought to light when authorities raided Michael Vick’s property and found 66 dogs, a dog-fighting pit, bloodstained carpets and equipment. Vick was, thankfully, convicted of running a dogfighting operation so grisly the losers either died in the pit or sometimes were electrocuted, drowned, hanged or shot. Unfortunately, the sad truth, as stated by John Goodwin, the deputy manager of the Animal Cruelty Campaign for The Humane Society is that "dogfighting is on the upswing….and I believe that certain elements of the pop culture have glamorized dogfighting and glamorized big, tough pit bulls." Michael Vick got what was coming to him but so many other people participating in dogfighting continue this inhumane behavior because they feel they will never get caught or punished.
This is where the government, local, state and federal, only aids & abets in the suffering of animals. There are either no laws protecting animals or what laws that do exist are arcane or only give abusers a slap on the wrist.
Why do puppy mills still exist where dogs live their entire lives in cages and are continually bred for years. These dogs receive little or no veterinary care and never see a bed, a treat or a toy. After their fertility wanes, breeding animals are commonly killed, abandoned or sold to another mill. Nice life! What possibly could be the reason to makes mills illegal? Money and greed. People are making money, and are successfully influencing legislators, at the expense of the welfare of animals. Who cares about an animal's life when there is a buck to be made. We do not need puppy mills as each year in the U.S. millions and millions of unwanted, abandoned dogs, and cats, are killed daily in shelters. If you do get a pet, please get it at your local shelter or rescue group, not at a pet store or puppy mill. Read more on Puppy Mills.
As far as arcane laws go, governments again fail us. In a recent case in Pennsylvania, a panel of Superior Court judges ruled that it is legal in for a person to kill a healthy, fit dog by shooting it. What? This case began when Randy Miller, pummeled his girlfriend's pit bull-chow mix five or six times with a shovel before shooting it to death. He also told a kid, who witnessed this ghastly scene that he would kill him if he told anyone. Can you imagine? The state said the local county judge erred when he told jurors in his instructions that shooting it is illegal. So now Mr. Miller is free to torture and kill his other pets (Miller lives with Wendy Kneller and told Miller to kill the dog. Her estranged husband, John, said "Kneller took the dog when they separated and kept it in the house where she and Miller, both unemployed, lived with her five children, ages 4 to 14, and 16 dogs, including a pit bull with 11 puppies.") and there is no law to prevent this. This is one law, along with so many others, that needs to be changed.
Animal abuse takes place every day, every where. Read about these at Pet-Abuse.com. If we do not lend our support to protect animals, government will continue to do nothing and allow people to abuse and kill animals and the undue suffering and abuse of animals will continue. Visit the Humane Society of the United States’ website to take part in their campaigns to end abuse.
The world of dogfighting was brought to light when authorities raided Michael Vick’s property and found 66 dogs, a dog-fighting pit, bloodstained carpets and equipment. Vick was, thankfully, convicted of running a dogfighting operation so grisly the losers either died in the pit or sometimes were electrocuted, drowned, hanged or shot. Unfortunately, the sad truth, as stated by John Goodwin, the deputy manager of the Animal Cruelty Campaign for The Humane Society is that "dogfighting is on the upswing….and I believe that certain elements of the pop culture have glamorized dogfighting and glamorized big, tough pit bulls." Michael Vick got what was coming to him but so many other people participating in dogfighting continue this inhumane behavior because they feel they will never get caught or punished.
This is where the government, local, state and federal, only aids & abets in the suffering of animals. There are either no laws protecting animals or what laws that do exist are arcane or only give abusers a slap on the wrist.
Why do puppy mills still exist where dogs live their entire lives in cages and are continually bred for years. These dogs receive little or no veterinary care and never see a bed, a treat or a toy. After their fertility wanes, breeding animals are commonly killed, abandoned or sold to another mill. Nice life! What possibly could be the reason to makes mills illegal? Money and greed. People are making money, and are successfully influencing legislators, at the expense of the welfare of animals. Who cares about an animal's life when there is a buck to be made. We do not need puppy mills as each year in the U.S. millions and millions of unwanted, abandoned dogs, and cats, are killed daily in shelters. If you do get a pet, please get it at your local shelter or rescue group, not at a pet store or puppy mill. Read more on Puppy Mills.
As far as arcane laws go, governments again fail us. In a recent case in Pennsylvania, a panel of Superior Court judges ruled that it is legal in for a person to kill a healthy, fit dog by shooting it. What? This case began when Randy Miller, pummeled his girlfriend's pit bull-chow mix five or six times with a shovel before shooting it to death. He also told a kid, who witnessed this ghastly scene that he would kill him if he told anyone. Can you imagine? The state said the local county judge erred when he told jurors in his instructions that shooting it is illegal. So now Mr. Miller is free to torture and kill his other pets (Miller lives with Wendy Kneller and told Miller to kill the dog. Her estranged husband, John, said "Kneller took the dog when they separated and kept it in the house where she and Miller, both unemployed, lived with her five children, ages 4 to 14, and 16 dogs, including a pit bull with 11 puppies.") and there is no law to prevent this. This is one law, along with so many others, that needs to be changed.
Animal abuse takes place every day, every where. Read about these at Pet-Abuse.com. If we do not lend our support to protect animals, government will continue to do nothing and allow people to abuse and kill animals and the undue suffering and abuse of animals will continue. Visit the Humane Society of the United States’ website to take part in their campaigns to end abuse.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
I Can See My Knee
It's been almost 8 weeks since I tore my ACL and I can finally see the outline of my knee. To date, that area has been swollen although I have been icing my knee twice daily. It basically looked like one, big rounded area that someone inflated. It's so nice to see, and feel, the knobby areas making their spring debut in perfect timing with the tulips popping up in my yard.
I still have problems going up and down (mostly down) steps and other things that involve bending the knee. As spring, and the warm weather, approaches, I wonder if I will be able to get in a few miles running before the heat of the summer arrives. And, when the time comes when I am able to run, will my knee hold up or will I need surgery.
From what I’ve been reading, the majority of folks with torn ACL’s get knee surgery. Also, from what I’ve been reading – I don’t want knee surgery. But since I want to run, do yoga, walk normally, climb and hike, etc., the only solution to a knee giving out doing these activities is surgery.
Since my injury, I’ve noticed other people limping, on crutches, in wheelchairs, etc. Pre-injury I would have passed by these people and not even thought about what happened. Also, as if a societal voice was saying, “you don’t have it that bad”, I came across a man with no legs in a wheelchair trying to get on a bus. The wheelchair ramp on the first bus that came did not work. The bus driver said that he was sorry and then man basically said that’s okay. That’s okay! It was bone chilling cold out and this man had enough barriers to face let alone a malfunctioning apparatus. I then watched as he skillfully maneuvered his way onto another bus. I felt a great deal of respect for this man and was in awe at his fortitude. I thought what would I do if I were in his position. What would my life be like? Would I be able to do it? What about you?
I still have problems going up and down (mostly down) steps and other things that involve bending the knee. As spring, and the warm weather, approaches, I wonder if I will be able to get in a few miles running before the heat of the summer arrives. And, when the time comes when I am able to run, will my knee hold up or will I need surgery.
From what I’ve been reading, the majority of folks with torn ACL’s get knee surgery. Also, from what I’ve been reading – I don’t want knee surgery. But since I want to run, do yoga, walk normally, climb and hike, etc., the only solution to a knee giving out doing these activities is surgery.
Since my injury, I’ve noticed other people limping, on crutches, in wheelchairs, etc. Pre-injury I would have passed by these people and not even thought about what happened. Also, as if a societal voice was saying, “you don’t have it that bad”, I came across a man with no legs in a wheelchair trying to get on a bus. The wheelchair ramp on the first bus that came did not work. The bus driver said that he was sorry and then man basically said that’s okay. That’s okay! It was bone chilling cold out and this man had enough barriers to face let alone a malfunctioning apparatus. I then watched as he skillfully maneuvered his way onto another bus. I felt a great deal of respect for this man and was in awe at his fortitude. I thought what would I do if I were in his position. What would my life be like? Would I be able to do it? What about you?
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