Your Consideration Requested

Not too long ago, in May and in another forum, I wrote a message to an acquaintance, a person I've long respected asking for input on a question that was and remains of concern to me.   The person I asked is a person who, over the years, has regularly written about honoring and respecting people's innate humanity and has been a well regarded voice of wisdom and compassion in a broader community.  Yet I received no reply.  Finally, a few days short of two months I broke down prodded said respected person about an answer to that question. 

A few moments after that prodding, I received an answer that I'd waited two months on.  It was along the lines of "I've learned not to comment on XYZ topic."  All right.  It's an answer.  It's basic, short honest answer.  My reply to that acquaintance was that I can accept that, but what I can't understand is leaving me to think my question was unworthy of any reply.  Thinking on it more, I still don't get it.

How hard is it to reply within 24-48 hours of getting a message asking a question?  I can understand unavoidable delays and circumstances.  But making a person wait and wait?  Where is the common courtesy in that? 

There is also a set of non-verbal messages that gets conveyed when someone ignores another person's questions and includes things like:  You don't matter.  You're not valuable.  Your concerns are (choose as many as fits the bill):
A. Worthless
B.  Unfounded
C.  Controversial
D.  Pointless
E.  blah, blah, blah. 

I don't regret the asking. 




 

Resistance

http://billmoyers.com/2014/02/21/henry-giroux-on-resisting-the-neoliberal-revolution/

The Music He Writes Isn't A Give-Away

I came across this story at Digital Music News about a musical artist, NJ White, who told a British producer "No, I won't give you my property for free."

Read it and celebrate:  http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2013/11/06/whitey

Per the closing line, I'm re-blogging this story to make sure it gets spread far and wide. 

A New Low In NM: Rape and Medical Torture Under Badge of Authority

Here is the story:  http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S3209305.shtml?cat=500#.  UnmEg3CsjAn and it included the court filings from the victim's attorneys. 

Here is what I wrote in an email to Gila Regional Medical Center: 

"This is to express my outraged disapproval over your hospital's participation in the rape and medical torture under color of authority of David Eckert and then having the gall to bill him for the acts committed against him against his consent.  What your institution has done, along with the doctors and other medical staff, was beyond immoral.    Medical misconduct like this should remain in the history books, telling about the Nazi's forced medical experimentation or the excesses of Argentine army doctors in the 70's participating in the torture and execution of dissidents and their family members.  This should not be happening in a New Mexican hospital in the United States of America.  That man was raped.  How dare you fail to stand up for Mr. Eckert and his welfare!?!? 

Every doctor, nurse and technician in your institution personally involved in this debacle should be stripped of their licenses for life!  Your ethical review panel should all resign their positions.  Your legal counsel should be disbarred.  Your institution is a disgrace and will forever known for the crimes committed against Mr. Eckert.  Whatever fines and settlements you may bestow on him later, it will never excuse the egregious abuse inflicted on that man by your institution.

With the deepest anger and contempt,

[My name
My former military rank, branch and years served ]"

I'm really pissed off about this.  The police were doing everything they could to try and construct a drug case out of thin air against this man!  And they raped him - caused him to be raped by medical doctors - to further that end and used an invalid warrant to do so!  This is disgusting.  Eckert was raped and tortured.  Here in the U.S.  In 2013.  This happened here.  I have no good will for the doctors involved in this as my letter to Gila Regional Medical Center can attest.  The police... oh, gods, they need to be investigated, taken before a grand jury, and sent to trial for their abuses of Mr. Eckert.   Fuck the war on drugs.  It has been lost and innocent people like Eckert have been brutalized for far too long for no good reason.  This is unacceptable and un-American conduct against our citizens.  It is wrong. 

They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 by Milton Mayer, an excerpt

This is a timely read today, dear friends.   

They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 by Milton Mayer, an excerpt

Really, Rupert?

In regard to the ongoing News of The World scandal, "Murdoch told them: "We're talking about payments for news tips from cops: that's been going on a hundred years."

Really, Rupert?  You don't get that it is still corrupt whether it's been going on a century or just started an hour ago?  Silly old man.

Blergh

For the last few weeks, I've been doing really well keeping to my changed diet which has bumped up complex carbs (veggies and some fruit), protein and that kind of thing.  No simple carbs.  So today while doing chores, I got it in my head that I wanted some eggs, canadian bacon and toast as a late lunch.  So I made them the way I usually have since I was a kid.  Looked good and tasted fine.  But now, I just feel kinda blergh...  I guess that meal will suffice for lunch/dinner.  Maybe later tonight, I'll snack on some sliced cucumbers, hummus and a few olives. 

My newer recipes for chickpeas and pan grilled chicken

So good!

 

 

 

This was meant to be a semi-fast meal amid a needed dietary change up in our lives.  It proved tasty and delightful.

Chickpea salad

2 cans cooked, salt free chickpeas drained and rinsed.
8 cherry/grape tomatoes cut in half
1/4 fresh yellow onion, chopped fine
1/4 orange bell pepper
2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Sea salt

Dressing
1/2 Tsp Tumeric
1./2 Tsp red pepper flakes
Juice of one lime
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
pinch of Cumin
1/8th Tsp of fresh ground black pepper


Mix the first five ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. 

Make the dressing:

Squeeze the juice of a lime into a bowl until you have about 2-3 tablespoons of liquid.  Add the olive oil, and whisk into the lime juice with a fork or whisk.  Add turmeric, cumin, the red and black peppers and whisk together til well blended.
 
Assemble:   Pour the dressing over the chickpea salad and stir to coat well.  Add a pinch* or two of sea salt to taste and stir again.  Cover with bowl with a tight lid or wrap and put in the fridge and let sit over night.  Stir or turn and shake intermittently to make sure the whole salad is nicely seasoned with the dressing.  (*I used a salt grinder and did three twists.)

Lime Grilled Chicken*

Juice of one lime
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
pinch Cumin
1/2 Tsp Durkee Roasted Garlic seasoning
1/2 Tsp red pepper flakes
two small chicken breasts.

Mix the first five ingredients in a shallow bowl or baking dish.  Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat well.   Cover and refrigerate for an hour. 

Heat up a grill pan and spray lightly with olive oil.  Grill chicken in the pan for about 4 to 5 minutes per side (remember, this recipe is using a small portion, so cooking time will be faster). 

Serve with a 50/50 salad mix of spring greens and spinach and little vinaigrette dressing.

*I deliberately made this with no extra salt and found that none was needed.  (The Durkee Roasted Garlic seasoning has some added salt and sugar, but very little (80mg) on a per serving basis.  See: http://www.spiceplace.com/durkee-roasted-garlic-seasoning.php for ingredient breakdown).

A Reply To An Anonymous Apple Executive on What They Owe America

 http://www.alternet.org/economy/4-big-ways-insatiable-corporate-hunger-profits-has-devastated-american-life-and-world-along


To the Apple exec who was recently quoted as saying,  "We don't have an obligation to solve America's problems." Yes, you do.  Your company started here.  It has been helped along through the good graces of American citizens who paid into the tax system from which you benefitted indirectly and directly - with researchers, programmers, tax funds for development and building and so, so much more.  We American consumers helped nurture you as a nascent company when we bought your products for tens of thousands of dollars to put in our work places, public and private, because we recognized their intrinsic value and usefulness.  So yes, you do owe an obligation to us to help solve our nation's problems.  You do owe us a duty to try and work with us, rather than stockpile money off shore to fuel lives of conspicuous consumption and waste.  Your founder was a clever man and smart, but you're not him.  We're not paying for you to be neo-feudal princes where he only differences between you and them are that they did their own killing and that they knew what noblesse oblige and honor were. 

What Duties?

The NRA has had their little love fest over in Texas and they're all about their rights and how they gotta protect themselves from all they fear. I've been listening to the NRA, gun clubs, gun manufacturers for years now and I still haven't heard them speak of the public and moral duties that go along with having rights.   I guess they believe they're don't have a duty to anything other than themselves.  So the carnage continues and the rivers of blood flow deeper and deeper under their indifferent, self absorbed gazes.