The conflicting emotions of this hippi chick celebrating Bin Laden's death

I know, I know... I'm not supposed to feel this way. I am supposed to be beyond blatantly celebrating the death of another human being. What is the point of all those hours reading Buddhist books about loving your enemy and even more hours meditating on compassion? I am against killing, against war, against our military fighting for the rights of corporations to control foreign governments. I fly the colors of peace and condemn all acts of aggression.

And yet here I am on this beautiful monday morning, celebrating the fact that Osama Bin Laden is dead.

Happiness isn't the word. Elation is a better description. There are butterflies in my belly and my chest feels tingly. I want to run outside and high-five a stranger on the street and giggle madly at the vision of Bin Laden being shot in the head.

Where is this blood-thristy, vengeance seeking, kick-the-terrorists-in-the-nut-sack feeling coming from? It is so not me! Right? I'm not like this... am I?

Many of my friends condemn the celebrations over Bin Laden's death, saying we should not celebrate the death of anyone. Doing so puts us at the same level of Bin Laden and his followers. And they caution us about the retribution that will surely come now that every wanna-be terrorist and actual al-Qaeda operative will seek revenge for Bin Laden. Scenes of New Yorkers dancing joyfully in the streets, reminiscent of armed militias in Afghanistan celebrating when the Twin Towers fell,  only fuels the hatred and will lead to more bloodshed. I know they're right. I know that I should not revel in another human being's death, no matter how much I may think he deserved it.

But I'm sorry, I can't help it. I am so happy that SOB is dead I want to cry.

I am glad Osama Bin Laden is dead and I am glad we killed him. There, I said it. I'll probably lose some friends over that statement and a few of you will stop following my blog, but that is honestly how I feel. I know I "shouldn't" feel this way, instead I should reflect on his death and think of the people he harmed, in the hopes that they will find some measure of peace. But I can't. I'm happy he's gone. I have no intention of flying an American Flag and praising God for Bin Laden's death, but neither will I bury my emotions and pretend I don't feel the way I do. And I imagine there are a lot of people who call themselves progressive, peace-loving, liberals who feel exactly the same way.

Bin Laden brings out the worst in people, even in death.

It's the one year anniversary of the Gulf oil spill: How can I help?

image from Salon.com

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the BP Gulf oil spill, an environmental disaster that is still being felt by the people who live and work along the Gulf coast. To say it was a catastrophe is an understatement.

When the spill happened, I was horrified by the deaths, the incompetence, and the pictures showing the destruction from the oil that continued to pump into the Gulf for months. I felt that I had to do something, but what? I couldn't go to Louisiana to help clean up, and I couldn't stop driving my car or heating my home. Our nation relies on oil; it's in everything, including some of the food we eat (I know. Gross). The Gulf spill seemed like a wake up call, though, something we all needed to listen to and act upon.

But how?

I decided to start with my shampoo. Looking at the things I buy, I realized that I could reduce my reliance on petroleum products, and thus the need for increased drilling, by eliminating the things I buy that use petroleum for no good reason. Why should oil be in shampoo? Or face cream, lotion, make up and sunscreen? What purpose does it serve, other than as a "cheap" filler. Is it really that cheap when oil drilling is so expensive? When our sons and daughters are sent over seas to die for oil companies, just so we can all buy "cheap" shampoo?

We all need to drive our cars, so getting rid of the car isn't realistic. We all use plastic containers, elastic in our clothing, computers, take medications and watch movies on DVD's, all of which use a lot of oil. Petroleum should be saved for those things that need it, like medicine and airplanes.  There is absolutely no logical reason to put oil into beauty products.

For the last year, I've stopped buying beauty products that use petroleum in their ingredients. Yes, I pay a little more money than I used to, but remember, that cost is a tiny percentage of the real cost of oil.  Finding a new shampoo was easy (I now use Giovanni Root 66. Smells great and makes thin hair full and bouncy). There are lots of great shampoos out there that are surprisingly inexpensive. But when I had to switch my face cream, that's when I ran into trouble.

I've used Oil of Olay since I was in high school, some twenty-mumble-mumble years. I love it because it has sunscreen and it doesn't make my skin break out. To say I have extremely sensitive skin is an understatement. Just looking at a rose makes me itchy. And here was the ironic part: I'm not allergic to chemicals. Pour on the petroleum distillates and solvents and my skin stays calm. Add some aloe or primrose oil and I'm itching like a 6 year old with chicken-pocks. Even so called skin soothers like chamomile make me break out. The last thing I wanted to do was put something on my face that would turn it red and flakey.

But I was determined to give up petroleum in my face cream, so I turned to a girl's best friend: her esthetician. I'm lucky because I have a friend who is a fabulous skin care specialist who happens to specialize in sensitive skin (I've been her guinea pig for years. If she can find something that doesn't make me break out, then she's pretty certain it won't irritate other sensitive types). She gave me some suggestions, but a lot of natural skin care products use Vitamin C as a preservative, which makes my skin peel off like a bad sunburn. Eventually, she turned me on to Grateful Body, a skin care line that makes a moisturizer my skin could tolerate, and one that feels great. Occasionally it isn't quite enough moisture for my aging skin, so about three times a week I rub a small amount of Avocado oil on my face at night (food grade, pure Avocado oil. cheap). Works great. I spend more for my face cream now, but I use less at a time, so I think it's actually working out about the same cost per month.

Unfortunately, Grateful Body doesn't put sunscreen in their face cream, so I had to find some type of sun protection. Enter Bare Minerals, a mineral powder makeup that provides spf 15, plus it makes your skin look fabulous. I'm still playing with this makeup, but so far, I really like it. For extra sunscreen I use Mexitan's Tropical Sands SPF 30, which I also lavish on Queen Teen. I first tried this product last year when she and I went to Disneyland and neither of us burned while we were under that extra-hot Southern California sun. And it doesn't make us break out.

By cutting oil from my beauty products, I've also inadvertently cut chemicals, some of which can make us sick (why is it in our children's bubble bath, then?). I know it's not a lot... I mean, how can switching shampoo to a petroleum free one reduce our dependence on oil? It's such a tiny drop in the oil bucket. But it's a start. Imagine if every family in America did that! That would be a lot of drops, adding up to gallons of oil saved every year.

Plus, by making some sacrifices of my own, even in small ways, I am taking responsibility for my part in the Gulf spill disaster. My demand for oil has contributed to the disaster along the Gulf coast and the fisherman who are now out of work. In a small way, this is how I can help. 

Protests Rock California State Capitol

This morning, I received this update from the CDCAN mailing list. It made me very, very happy.

I couldn't go to Sacramento to protest, but I want to send my thanks to all for fighting so hard for my child and others with disabilities.



Protests Rock State Capitol

OVER 2,000 MARCH AGAINST DISABLED CUTS HUNDREDS JAM HEARING ROOMS & HALLWAYS

Protestors Demonstrate on Capitol Sidewalk – Focus Against Cuts to Regional Centers, IHSS, Mental Health, SSI/SSP, Medi-Cal – Lawsuit To Stop IHSS Worker Wage State Funding Cut Announced During Protest

SACRAMENTO, CA (CDCAN) [Updated 04/22/09 10:30 PM (Pacific Time) ] - Over 2,000 marched from the Sacramento Convention Center to the State Capitol protesting against budget cuts to persons with disabilities, mental health needs, seniors, community organizations and workers who provide services Wednesday late morning in a loud demonstration that later filled the Capitol hearing rooms and hallways. Some estimates of the crowd exceeded well over 2,500 at its height around 12 noon, with the entire L street sidewalk and parts of the State Capitol grounds filled with people protesting and chanting “No More Cuts” for two solid city blocks. [CDCAN Note: all photos by Stephen Dale]

The protest march and sidewalk demonstration in front of the State Capitol drew a crowd larger than expected was linked to an Assembly Budget Subcommittee hearing on regional center and mental health budget cuts that was held at 1:30 PM. The protest was also linked to a Senate Budget Subcommittee #3 on Health and Human Services hearing on Medi-Cal budget cuts scheduled for Thursday morning (April 23) at 09:30 AM in the State Capitol in Room 4203 (the hearing could be delayed if the Senate floor session does not end by 09:30 AM).

The crowds that packed Wednesday’s Assembly budget subcommittee hearing rooms and hallways were easily the largest to date at the Capitol in the past year.

Persons marching and demonstrating came from all parts of California, and covered the range of persons with disabilities, mental health needs, seniors, families, IHSS and other support workers, community organizations including providers, regional centers, independent living centers and others.

The march began from the west entrance of the Sacramento Convention Center four blocks away from the State Capitol and ended with a sidewalk demonstration in front of the Capitol grounds. Earlier hundreds of the marchers had lined both sides of J Street near 13th Street holding signs protesting cuts to the disabled, blind, mental health and seniors and chanting “No More Cuts!”

Hundreds of regional center funded community-based providers and organizations, their workers, persons with developmental disabilities and their families and workers were on hand, many fearful of the impact of cuts already passed – and what many believe will be new massive cuts coming in late May or June.

Protestors demanded that cuts to In-Home Supportive Services, Medi-Cal optional benefits, SSI/SSP grants, CalWORKS grants, regional center services and other programs be rescinded and funding restored, chanting “find another way”.

The protest march and demonstration was organized by CDCAN working with other organizations and groups.

Capitol Security Concerned About Sheer Numbers of Protestors

Sacramento City Police and the California Highway Patrol were on both sides of the sidewalk to keep protestors off the street and off the Capitol grounds. The California Highway Patrol officers – including those mounted on horses, expressed concern about the sheer numbers of persons jammed on the sidewalk chanting.

One California Highway Patrol officer guarding the Capitol grounds warned that people could be subject to arrest if they entered the Capitol grounds holding any signs or chanting any slogan – a warning that was immediately retracted by his superior officer and other officers who came down to the sidewalk area.

Later around 12:30 PM, hundreds of persons protesting on the sidewalk began entering without incident, the Capitol grounds to enter the State Capitol building to attend the 1:30 PM hearing.

Lawsuit To Block State Funding Cut For IHSS Worker Wages Announced During Protest – Details Will Come Soon

During the protest on the sidewalk in front of the State Capitol. Lynn Carmen of the Medicaid Defense Fund, told the crowd that a federal lawsuit would be filed soon to block the budget cut passed in February and scheduled to take effect July 1, 2009 that would reduce the state’s portion of funding for In-Home Supportive Services worker wages to a maximum of $9.50 per hour (that cost is shared by the state, federal government and the counties).

The news by Carman was greeted by loud cheers from the huge crowd, who promised further details soon regarding the lawsuit. See CDCAN website soon for details on the lawsuit at www.cdcan.us

Stealing from the Blind

Ashlee's Mom, at the blog Pipecleaner Dreams, posted a link to this article by ABC News about how people react when they see a clerk at a store rip off blind customers. Overall very interesting, especially the fact that people react differently when it is a woman who is blind being stolen from rather than a man who is blind.

What Would You Do? Customers Speak Up When Clerk Shortchanges Blind Person.

There's also a video.

Thanks Ashlee's Mom for letting us know about this article.