World Trade Center
I didn't want to see it.
At all.
But, I went and saw Oliver Stone's World Trade Center and was - amazed. It was phenomenal; see it!
It got me thinking, though. And then my roomie came home tonight with an Op-Ed article that was questioning (imagine!) the government. Or, more directly, Herr - er, VP Cheney. So - this is going to be a slight ramble into a couple rather deep things.
Ready?
I read an article on war that says that the reason that America doesn't just go in countries and blow them off the face of the map is because we are too (paraphrasing!) "" sorry, or regretful of all the killings that we are responsible for "" - and this was compared to how White people will continue to feel bad that Black people used to be slaves. (what?!)
Mull that one over in your head and get back to me.
(Because, really, doesn't that just explain Vietnam and Korea? What was the DEAL there??)
Anyway - this Op-Ed article ( "Big Talk, Little Will" ~ Thomas L. Friedman) continued with this question (I Loved It), "... Fight the Iraq war with the Rumsfeld Doctrine, just enough troops to lose, and not the Powell Doctrine of overwhelming force to create the necessary foundation of any democracy building project, which is security?"
DUH!!!!
This reminded me of Mayor Rudy's words before the UN in October of 2001:
"Freedom from Fear is a basic human right. We need to need to reassert our right to live free from fear with greater confidence and determination than ever before.... With one clear voice, unanimously, we need to say that we will not give in to terrorism. Surrounded by our friends of every faith, we know that this is not a clash of civilizations; it is a conflict between murderers and humanity. This is not a question of retaliation or revenge. It is a matter of justice leading to peace. The only acceptable result is the complete and total eradication of terrorism."
Abraham Lincoln taught us that, "Those that deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves."
have we totally eradicated terrorism?
um. Apparently not, no.
(let me reiterate: NO!)
All people seem to want to do is TALK. I am thinking right now of the "cease fire" between Israel and Lebanon. Let me AGAIN refer back Giuliani, "Remember PM Neville Chamerberlain, who - armed only with good intentions negotiated and emerged hopeful that the he had achieved peace in his time. Hitler's wave of terror was only encouraged by these attempts at appeasement. At the cost of millions of lives, we learnd that words - thought important - are not enough to guarantee peace. It is action alone that counts."
We (and by "we" I mean America) don't go into other countries to take over and stay. We don't colonize, we don't subject other peoples to our government (randomly). HOWEVER, we will stand up to defend ourselves AND if that means that we are going to come into your country to clean house a little, we will. AND if that means that we are going to be re-organizing your government to HELP YOU ~ again, we WILL.
IF law is the strongest link between man and freedom; and you want the freedom, THEN you need the CORRECT principles behind the laws. Tony Blair has stated that, "all nations that are free value that freedom, will defend it absolutely but have no wish to trample on the freedom of others."
America, believe it or not is "... Fighting for the inalienable right of humankind--black or white; Christian or not; left, right or merely indifferent--to be free--free to raise a family in love and hope, free to earn a living and be rewarded by your own efforts, free not to bend your knee to any man in fear, free to be you, so long as being you does not impair the freedom of others."
Having said that, what the FUDGE are we doing in Iraq? What is THAT?? I get that Saddam was a, what? what can I say here? Psychotic despot?! He was terrible, and YES he was supportive of things Anti-American; but I don't understand how we ended up in Iraq without necessary plans, forces or... Anything, really. Who does that?
YES! We understood 5 years ago that this was going to be hard, long and drawn out. That it would take sacrifice and effort on our part - but really? I am not seeing any ~ ANY! ~ effects proving that the cause (there) was "right."
Now - some might argue that because the UN passed the Terrorist resolution and that we needed to:
"hold accountable any country that supports or condones terrorism,"
"ostracize any nation that supports terrorism," and
"isolate any nation that remains neutral in the fight against terrorism"
but that was the UN --- we were busy (I believe, anyway) in AFGHANISTAN -- oh, and we were watching China, North Korea, the Kurds etc. etc.
And now that I think about it -- Syria and Lebanon?! (hello!) And then Lebanon (under Syrian pressure, okay) harasses Israel. (which I believe I've talked about) -
Well, I still believe, " The best long term deterrent to terrorism ... Is the spread of our principles of freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human life." Remember, "because destiny put us in this place in history, in this moment in time - the task is ours to do."
Steak and Kool-Aid
A friend of mine received an article talking about
Google Trends; it's focus on Salt Lake and how that great place leads the world on searches for things like geneology, Pride and Prejudice, jello recipes and 72 Hour Kits. Kidding about the jello recipes.
And that got me thinking - what does Omaha lead in? Steak and Kool-Aid!! Now, it had to be the Kool-Aid with the dash; St. Louis led the way for "Kool Aid," they also had a good showing (3rd) for NAMBLA. Agh!
And of course we were like kids with a new toy and were looking up everything we could think of (Paris Hilton? Melbourne, Australia or "YUM!" Louisville, KY)
Being a College Student - a Reiver - I was interested. How many people not only know what a Reiver IS; but have searched for it? London, Chi, NY respectively. No Iowa. Bizarre.
Googling "meghan" leads me to Cambridge, MA - and last name alone? Stuttgart, Germany. Changing your name? LA, Irvine and San Diego. (Really Californians?) Baby Names? India- then Salt Lake. (again) (random!) And, if not my name, how about someone else? Suri Cruise had Australia, Toronto and NY -
Then I was curious about traits. "Leadership" netted me Washington D.C., and "bravery," Irvine, CA. "Fear" landed in San Diego and "hope," Raleigh, NC. "Megalicious" didn't show up.
and just to leave you wondering -- the most people searching for "elephants" live in Portland, OR.
have fun, kids!
I'm armed!
So, this story begins about.. oh, years ago. I was preparing to enter the
Army and had decided that I wanted to bike around the city as a last "hurrah!"
As I came up on the last leg of my trip I was passing
Benson High School, it was about 3 - 3:30. In the afternoon. On a spring day.
I was biking when I felt a peculiar, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I looked around; nothing. I felt it again, stronger. I looked back and saw a red, boxy car approaching. Hm, well, it is a street!
Suddenly, I heard someone say, "Stop!" And, so, I stopped. As I did so the passenger in this car shot at me. Luckily, I had stopped in time that one of the bullets only grazed my arm - and didn't do too much damage.
Perhaps you are wondering why I am sharing this story with you.
The
Omaha City Council recently
okay'd the carrying of concealed weapons. You have to have a permit, be trained and etc. Okay - whatever. But you would not BELIEVE the brouhaha this has caused!
They nay-sayers are Screaming about Dangerous Criminals having guns.
Right - did you catch that? Dangerous Criminals having guns. Imagine.
My concern isn't that responsible citizens of Omaha will be able to carry arms;
it's that they won't cause enough pain when they go to defend themselves.
When that guy shot me my very first thought was, "What the hell? He missed!" I had been shooting in JROTC for four years and was (and still am) fairly certain that I could hit a target the size of a human being that
wasn't even moving. What a dork!
I support the citizens who choose to bear arms; go for it! Be careful! Teach your kids to be responsible - my father had guns in our home the whole time I was growing up and I sure did manage to not shoot (or be shot) at home. Amazing! Now, I probably won't carry a gun; but you never know.
You just never know.
Dear Beloved,
So, I was talking today with a friend of mine who made the comment that they liked someone who lived out of state; and, woe! what to do?
And I thought about this - from school, home and as I was drifting off (I took a nap. yum!). Suddenly! Inspiration struck! Write a letter. Not an email, not a txtmssg - but an honest-to-goodness letter.
Why?
To begin with it's always nice to get something in the mail. Always. (Unless it's from a stalker.)
Then, you have the choice whether or not to admit that you received it. This can prevent ill-will and odd moments of discomfort.
"A letter? No, not recently. Sorry." as opposed to "An email? no, not recently." and you're left thinking, "Liar!!" When really, they were just trying to protect your feelings.
AND!
this is my favorite part
IF you keep a letter and write back, then they write you again, etc. and you DO start seeing each other -- suddenly you have Love Letters! Amazing how that works, no?
You might be thinking, "Are you on crack? You can't just write to someone randomly!" But I propose that you can, indeed, write to someone. Now, it can't be some unknown person you just pull up on myspace.com ( how would you mail a stranger a letter?!) BUT if it's someone you've known in the past, or are just friends with -- listen:
(* names have been changed!)
Ben* ~
I was looking through some of my mementos from New York last night when I found this fantastic little card that you sent me! I remembered that we had met in Penn Station as you were leaving for Germany; but wasn't able to connect with you after that.
How are you? How are things going? ...?
Write soon!
Meghan
(NOW! this is important! include an email that they may write back quickly but ALWAYS send snail mail, too. I use a wax sealer, also, it's fun to play with fire.)
See? That was simple! Say hello! Tell them what brought them to mind; I'd recommend NOT saying, "You were hot and I wanted to know if you were still single." Establish a foundation - memories, similar goals, etc. THEN inquire as to how they are, blah blah blah. Give them a reason to write back.
(I sincerely hope you noticed that this is Exactly Like having a Conversation on a Date. You just have to wait for a response, thus heightening the anticipation. Sweeeeeeeet.)
You can have very wonderful relationships with people out of town. You just have to work at it.
AND BY THE WAY! This works for people in various stages of any kind of relationship, too. If you have a co-worker, spouse, dog sitter who you REALLY appreciate or is just generally super fantastic writing an actual note saying, "Hey, you're great," or "thanks," or "I love you to eternity and back*" (* not for the co-worker) is So Freaking Phenomenal. Try it. It works. I promise.
(write to me and tell me how it goes.)
You've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard....
"At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
Ready?
i) I just quit my job today. I took three calls; was insulted to the point of crying on the third and walked out.
ii) Went on a meandering walk with someone a week ago and JUST NOW realized that they probably didn't enjoy it very much, except he was bored so.. and now I think, "Why am I wasting time on this person?" (* he's great, but not for me.)
iii) Realized about 4 hours ago that there is someone who I DO like to spend time with but won't be able to because the various roles I play. Figures.
iv) My heart is broken for Israel and Lebanon. I do NOT understand why people have to make thing bad for others; then the government gets involved to "fix" the problem and, OH! It gets worse.
(see: foxnews.com: "Fighting in Lebanon increases sharply as both Israel and Hezbollah seek to inflict maximum damage before U.N. cease-fire." Great guys, make it worse!)
v) Shout out to
Glennboy & Glo; I was high on
coke, low on sleep and seriously incoherent but they still let me comment on Floyd Landis - can someone PLEASE explain to me why he was doing drugs? He wasn't even placing - don't you think he'd would have REALIZED that it would seem just a might bit suspicious? ugh.
vi) As I hypertexted in "coke.com" I had to pick 1) my continent, 2) my country and finally my language. My question is: The US doesn't have an "official" language, and they only offered English and Spanish (ha ha, I almost typed "spanglish,") but French *is* an official language in Louisiana. But coke.com doesn't offer it. Why not?
vii) I've decided that being a realist is detrimental to your health; being a hopeless romantic, however, kills you faster. I suppose the best thing to be is a simple optimist - completely naive (if possible).
well, what do you think?
Chain of command; Guarantee of fair treatment
I have been so blessed in my life to work for some really, truly phenomenal people.
From my very first jobs as a babysitter working for families that more that adequately paid me to my current job at
Marriott. The general rule of thumb from the playground on up was, "treat others as you would like to be treated." It seems like a great idea, no?
Well, there comes a day when (rather abruptly, I might add) you realize that the world does NOT play by the same rules.
(( BY THE WAY, ANYONE can make COMMENTS on my bloggernacle now! ))I feel bad for people who either 1) haven't realized this and are in a position to,* 2) are in the process of realizing it or 3) just finished reeling from the backlash of feeling it. To those who live in a sweet, kind gentle world I encourage to stay in the coma. It's safe there.
(* you know who you are!)I realized this sitting across the desk from a woman I had for almost 3 months considered the spawn of Satan - but had diligently slaved under. It was liberating to see her, months later, suffering the backlash from poor treatment of her underlings.
Earlier I was talking to a friend who is on the brink of the same situation and I want to share with you what I shared with him:
"There is no finish line when you work for people who do not appreciate you. The harder you work the higher the bar is raised, thus making it impossible to reach; therefore you "aren't accomplishing the goals set," and quite possibly, "aren't a team player," and you get fired."It's terrible; I've seen the most incredible people fired for rumors, for lies and for out and out scheming by underhanded scoundrels. It's insane.
There was a time when I gave into and believe in the "Chain of Command" theory. I worked for a rather fantastic place (and by fantastic I mean it was recently and involved, um, study). The Chain of command bit me in the rear, then had the nerve (audacity?) to come around and smile at me. Really? Other than ROTC, excuse me,
JROTC; I have YET to see the Chain of Command kick in when it's supposed to.
Marriott has a PHENOMENAL plan called their "guarantee of fair treatment," which actually (and I've seen it!) work. It's amazing; part of the structure though is the idea that we are all in this to make it easier for everyone. No one "wins," or "loses," when in a situation. It was very well organized and planned out.
So - I'd like to send a profound and grateful thank you to those who work hard, show their appreciation to there peers
and their underlings as well as work for the good of the team, not themselves alone.
My dad tells me I'm naive, I prefer hopeful. I was told earlier that I "see the cup as half empty," and I hope that I am more of a "realist with a shot of romance" than a "straight up pessimist (on the rocks)."
Three Strikes!
So, I love baseball.
I especially love baseball analogies in reference to anything, "Man, he got to third base last night!" "swing batta, batta" and, of course, "Three strikes (of anything)."
So, as I was driving about yesterday I decided that I needed to find a way to weed out the over-populated highways and biways of Omaha and Council Bluffs.
Three strikes... hm.
Suddenly, inspiration struck! Well, literally, - it
almost struck me!
Blue plates.
Blue hair.
Blue Tag hanging from the rearview mirror.
1, 2, 3 and you ARE out!
I drive a 15 passanger van for the
school and it's HUGE, I am still at a loss as to how she missed it. (Rather, didn't see it and
then missed hitting it!)
I'm not a patient person to begin with and like I told (my mom?) I live on my second strike, anyway, but people come on! If you didn't three strikes God wouldn't give them to you!
