Fire and Ice (Poem)

Fire Parent

protective of their mind and body

anger at what can't be fixed or controlled

battling for every step forward

pushing for every right, every privilege

Ice Parent

mourns what can never be

wishes quietly on the star for what could be

hides tears and fakes laughter

sometimes quits for just a moment

Fire Child

Fights the noise and lights and pain

knows the different but desires the same

Anger at what they just don't understand

pushing for a norm that can handle them

Ice Child

hurts but can't tell anyone

is alone in a crowd but crowded out even alone

wishes to know how to laugh and cry

sometimes quits for just a moment

Fire Family

Marches against the odds

stomps on the preconceived notions

together overcoming the moments that make each day

pushes for and sometimes reaching a balance

Ice Family

treasures the quiet victories

makes smiles from moments others don't understand

deals and learns to make it work

knows the value of together, family, little moments

Faces Of The Updated American Revolution

"People shouldn't be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." ~ V

I occupy Detroit everyday. I am part of the 99%, the 53% and even part of the 100%. I am the 100% American person who is scared of where our nation is heading, the direction the world is turning, and the future my children face. I am an Updated American Revolutionist.

I love to listen to people bicker about things that come down to the same fix point or to the same outcome. I laugh, cry and shake my head at how we all seem to want the same thing but can't figure out how to get along long enough to see it come through.

The funniest thing (not ha-ha funny but gee you people are nuts funny) about our country right now is that most of us see that there is something VERY wrong with it but we are spending so much time arguing about methods that the people with power are continuing to do the damage they want so they can have more power.... AND YOU ALL ARE LETTING THEM.

WHY? Because I am different than you, he went to a local college and you went to Harvard, their need for disability must mean they are too lazy to be aware of the world. Stupid. We may not agree with how the other people are doing things to get their message out but if we were to look a little closer we may find common desires. And if we could stop pointing fingers and work on common ground and proven solutions, we may find that we hold the answers to getting things done. BUT if we don't do something and soon, we will only see more and more freedoms lost, government control of our thoughts, and world we wouldn't want cockroaches let alone children living in.

FACES:

Have you seen the pictures of people holding up a paper with their story and ending with "I am the 99%" or something like it? I have read many of them and can honestly say that I understand them, have been there, and have had friends who have been there. I have also had friends pick apart these stories and say that the people on the other side of the paper are solely responsible for their lives. 

I think that while we are responsible for our own choices and how we deal with life, there are many things beyond our control. Would the auto workers have chosen to out source their jobs to a foreign country? Should they have to work for a wage that is less then what is livable in our modern country to keep those jobs here? Is it only their wages that made it to costly for their employers to stay here? I mean is it really that hard to see that that there is no simple cause and effect scenario? Take Detroit teachers. Unions screwed them, the city stomped on them and the kids try to shoot them. They had no real voice in the end and they are still blamed for the outcome. 

Then there are the 53% folks who have their own stories. They talk about being down but working to get back up. They tend to be above the 99%-ers but really tell similar tales. They call the other folks names and say how they are just lazy hippy types. But some of them went to school beside these same people, have the same bills to pay and the same struggles. They just lay the blame more on a political party than on the wealthy class. They are often the class we used to call the middle class. We are seeing them become more and more like the poor-working class everyday. Soon enough they will have that one emergency that makes them more of the 99% then they will like.

Both Percents complain about the freedoms, the jobs, the cost of things, the way American is changing and the over all state of politics. The main differences between the two is their ideas on who's to blame and how to fix it. The main problem between them is that they are too busy finger pointing and complaining that they aren't making the changes that need to be made. And the methods they use when they do try to make changes only adds to the unrest without making a dent in the way things are going.

Then there are those who aren't worried about anything. They have more than enough. They just want to see things continue to go their way. BUT they might be behind the politician that can further what they think is a good for them idea but that the others are against. They might agree with the others that something the government is passing may be harmful. So there is common ground in every area.

"No group is as good as the best example or as bad as the worst."

We need to come together on the primary point: That things can not go on this way! We are losing our rights a day at a time. They hide them in fluff so we won't notice until it is too late. We are losing our way of life, the chance to reach for and achieve the American Dream. We are becoming nothing more than a living example of a scary futuristic novel. While none of the sides can be totally wrong, they can also not be totally right. We need to figure out the common ground and build there. Compromise where we can. Here is an easy one: You can carry a legal gun and I can choose to not carry a life. See, it really isn't that hard.

We also need to figure out the common enemy. I know that is a bit harder but even Charles Dickens knew that poverty and ignorance were bad things. We can agree that things aren't going as we need them to so who is keeping it that way? 

Corporations are both good and bad so they can't all be our enemy. Find the bad and keep them from repeating those same mess ups. Keep the good and reward them for their good actions so they repeat them. Simple really, as long as you look to find out what the real issue is. Checks and balances. 

Unions and Governments have their own issues and the statement I made about the corporations can apply to them. They need to me put in their places and brought back to the good they were intended to be. We the people need to remember that we hired them and we should be able to fire them.

And about that... You really need to watch your local governing folks carefully because they are sneaking things in while you are looking at DC and Wall Street. Here is one little example. The Governor of MI reworded the law that says he can can take over a city that is in financial trouble and hand it over to a city Emergency Manager that used to be a Emergency Financial Manager.

"If you don’t feel like sugar-coating it, the emergency manager—Pontiac is one of three Michigan cities currently run by one—is an admission that democracy occasionally doesn’t work. Michigan introduced an emergency “financial” manager law in 1990, as a way to straitjacket cities that were failing. Schimmel made his reputation running turnarounds in the small, benighted cities limning Detroit. He succeeded, largely, but he was frustrated by limits."

Be Aware of what they are doing because on all level of governments and all areas of your life, they are trying to limit your freedoms. If they have their way they will even limit this medium of communication.

SHOUT OUT:

I am getting by day to day so things can be tough for us around here. My tip jar doesn't get much so I don't give it much thought. (It's up there on the right if you feel the need to take a look) but recently Santa stopped by and left me a few gifts that blew my mind. 

Thank You goes to my dear sister who drove over 10 hours to give me a 97 Voyager, as well as to make sure my kids each had at least one gift from their Santa list. (she did far more)

Thank You goes to a dear friend who made a special gift for my girls and sent me some words that made my heart sing.

And a Special Thank You to a loyal and supportive reader who made sure I could feed my family this week and next. He doesn't know how much his tip jar gift meant to me and to the kids.

Thanks to everyone who supports me in any way they can. When you read my posts, send me words of support, and are just part of my world... you make it better.

Know Peace but fight for what's right!