Do you believe in guardian angels? Do you think a dead relative hovers over you to protect you from harm? Do you pray to this person? If you do believe in this what proof do you have that this is true, or is it wishful thinking?
According to an an article from USA Today "a new survey of the USA's religious beliefs and practices finds 55% of all adults — including one in five of those who say they have no religion — believe they have been protected from harm by a guardian angel."
What's interesting is the poll that accompanies this article where most people responding to it claim that they in fact do believe this!
Are you as dumbfounded as I am? In the 21st century in the age of computers and iPhones people still believe they have a spirit protecting them from harm. Wow.
Funny thing is we have just experienced a horrific hurricane in our area and I have been hearing stories about people being "blessed" and "watched over" by dead relatives. One neighbor revealed to me that her dead father-in-law watches over the whole family and she prays to him every night. I was speechless, which was a good thing, because responding to something as crazy as how this sounded would not have been very neighborly or positive.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Aftermath of Hurricane Ike
We finally got phone service so I'm able to write about our hurricane experience.
It started last Friday night with the wind picking up. Thick clouds rolled around with little spits of rain. I took the dog for a walk that night wondering if we were going to get any rain out of this system at all.
We fell asleep late as the wind continued to howl and the rain beginning to fall. The power grid was tested by the winds several times before it completely failed. Each interruption lasted anywhere from a few seconds to perhaps 2 minutes, the final one at around 3 am. Plunged into darkness with flashes from lightening or transformers exploding as our only light we knew it was going to be bad.
As one can imagine, sleep didn't come easily. Our alarm system finally let us know around 5 am that it didn't like being on the battery that long. It beeped continuously until we disconnected it from it's power source. That's when we heard another sound: the whine of the water detector in the attic. Sure enough we had water trickling in from wind blown rain which landed in the AC pan. This detector was very loud and had to be disconnected from it's power source too.
By this time it's past 6 am and the wind has switched directions. The eye of the storm had passed us. Unfortunately the tall cedar tree in the front yard couldn't handle the new direction of the wind and was about to be ripped from the ground. In the driving rain my husband and I tied the tree in place from 3 different directions and hopefully saved it. It was just beginning to get light around that time and we could see the amount of abuse the trees were taking from the wind. It was both awesome and terrifying!
With all the rain we had taken in we decided to start the sump pump to prevent the backyard from flooding. Fortunately we bought a generator a couple of years ago just for this reason. We did get water up to the house but nothing inside. The pump helped.
As the storm was fading from our area we started cleaning up. I wanted to get as much out of the driveway as possible so the water from the yard could drain to the street. I next moved to the pool and scooped out over 50 pounds of leaves and branches. It was gross. I hoped that we would get power soon so the pool wouldn't get to far out of control.
So we spent most of the day cleaning the yard and talking to neighbors. My husband helped a few of our neighbors clear out large branches and broken trees from yards and streets. I offered our freezer space to some friends and ended up storing a few things for them. Everyone had minor damage, mostly trees, branches and fences, but nothing major.
The next day we woke up to another storm which dropped over 5 inches of rain in less than 3 hours. As it turned out, as Ike made it's way north through the country, a stray feeder band came back around to trouble us some more. This was worse than the storm itself and we had to man the sump pump again and keep the drains in the backyard free of debris. It was scary to have to live through it again so soon!
After that storm left the area, we resumed cleaning up the yard. We had hopes that the power in our neighborhood would be restore that day but as the day went on it looked like our chances were receding. Even in the mists of a wild rumor circulating throughout our neighborhood that the power company was there our hopes became dashed as the day wore on. Perhaps on Monday we'd have power again we all hoped.
As the day progressed and as people came out to help, several of us organized a party at the club house to get rid of food that wouldn't make it another day without power. I showed up around 5:30 and was immediately given a cup of wine. It was great sharing horror stories with friends and finding out just how much damage there was and how we mostly escaped unharmed. I wasn't there long when we discovered the power had been restored! It was as if we all had been given the greatest Christmas gift all at the same time. It was such a relief to all of us and we celebrated with a song. It was one of the nicest experiences I've ever had.
The total amount of time without power was about 40 hours. Much of Houston is still without so we are fortunate.
Today I finished cleaning out the pool. Right now it's a beautiful blue color with no debris. I knew it wouldn't take long. I'm also sweeping out the house of the leaves we brought in from the yard, and also sweeping the decking around the pool. I've called many of my friends and everyone got though with minimal damage. Many of my friends have property in Galveston, which was hardest hit. It doesn't look good for them.
Anyway, it's hard getting around the city since there isn't power everywhere. There's very little gas and few grocery stories are open. Tomorrow will be a better day and things will progress as the week goes by. My tennis leagues have all been canceled which is good. We all need to stay home and not be a burden on the infrastructure of the city.
It started last Friday night with the wind picking up. Thick clouds rolled around with little spits of rain. I took the dog for a walk that night wondering if we were going to get any rain out of this system at all.
We fell asleep late as the wind continued to howl and the rain beginning to fall. The power grid was tested by the winds several times before it completely failed. Each interruption lasted anywhere from a few seconds to perhaps 2 minutes, the final one at around 3 am. Plunged into darkness with flashes from lightening or transformers exploding as our only light we knew it was going to be bad.
As one can imagine, sleep didn't come easily. Our alarm system finally let us know around 5 am that it didn't like being on the battery that long. It beeped continuously until we disconnected it from it's power source. That's when we heard another sound: the whine of the water detector in the attic. Sure enough we had water trickling in from wind blown rain which landed in the AC pan. This detector was very loud and had to be disconnected from it's power source too.
By this time it's past 6 am and the wind has switched directions. The eye of the storm had passed us. Unfortunately the tall cedar tree in the front yard couldn't handle the new direction of the wind and was about to be ripped from the ground. In the driving rain my husband and I tied the tree in place from 3 different directions and hopefully saved it. It was just beginning to get light around that time and we could see the amount of abuse the trees were taking from the wind. It was both awesome and terrifying!
With all the rain we had taken in we decided to start the sump pump to prevent the backyard from flooding. Fortunately we bought a generator a couple of years ago just for this reason. We did get water up to the house but nothing inside. The pump helped.
As the storm was fading from our area we started cleaning up. I wanted to get as much out of the driveway as possible so the water from the yard could drain to the street. I next moved to the pool and scooped out over 50 pounds of leaves and branches. It was gross. I hoped that we would get power soon so the pool wouldn't get to far out of control.
So we spent most of the day cleaning the yard and talking to neighbors. My husband helped a few of our neighbors clear out large branches and broken trees from yards and streets. I offered our freezer space to some friends and ended up storing a few things for them. Everyone had minor damage, mostly trees, branches and fences, but nothing major.
The next day we woke up to another storm which dropped over 5 inches of rain in less than 3 hours. As it turned out, as Ike made it's way north through the country, a stray feeder band came back around to trouble us some more. This was worse than the storm itself and we had to man the sump pump again and keep the drains in the backyard free of debris. It was scary to have to live through it again so soon!
After that storm left the area, we resumed cleaning up the yard. We had hopes that the power in our neighborhood would be restore that day but as the day went on it looked like our chances were receding. Even in the mists of a wild rumor circulating throughout our neighborhood that the power company was there our hopes became dashed as the day wore on. Perhaps on Monday we'd have power again we all hoped.
As the day progressed and as people came out to help, several of us organized a party at the club house to get rid of food that wouldn't make it another day without power. I showed up around 5:30 and was immediately given a cup of wine. It was great sharing horror stories with friends and finding out just how much damage there was and how we mostly escaped unharmed. I wasn't there long when we discovered the power had been restored! It was as if we all had been given the greatest Christmas gift all at the same time. It was such a relief to all of us and we celebrated with a song. It was one of the nicest experiences I've ever had.
The total amount of time without power was about 40 hours. Much of Houston is still without so we are fortunate.
Today I finished cleaning out the pool. Right now it's a beautiful blue color with no debris. I knew it wouldn't take long. I'm also sweeping out the house of the leaves we brought in from the yard, and also sweeping the decking around the pool. I've called many of my friends and everyone got though with minimal damage. Many of my friends have property in Galveston, which was hardest hit. It doesn't look good for them.
Anyway, it's hard getting around the city since there isn't power everywhere. There's very little gas and few grocery stories are open. Tomorrow will be a better day and things will progress as the week goes by. My tennis leagues have all been canceled which is good. We all need to stay home and not be a burden on the infrastructure of the city.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Hurricane Ike and Sarah Palin
Here's a hurricane update from the west side of Houston. We are currently preparing the house for lots of rain and wind. All patio furniture is either in the house or secured outside. The husband is getting the sump pump and generator ready just in case we get downpours that our drainage system can't handle. I had the opportunity to talk to many of my neighbors as I walked the dog this morning and most are staying at home or with other neighbors/family.
The evacuation of the low lying areas in and near Galveston has been going smoothly, mostly because of lessons learned three years ago from Rita and Katrina. Even though this storm will be a major impact on property the city governments have been doing a great job protecting people and keeping them out of harm's way. It's up to those individuals to do what they feel is right for them.
Now back to politics. The more I read about Sarah Palin and John McCain the more I feel they must not be voted into office. She stated in a recent interview with Charles Gibson:
So that makes her qualified to be an expert on foreign policy? I understand that Republican standards are pretty low, but this is absurdly bottom of the barrel. I still haven't read anywhere that she's actually been to Russia or met their leaders in any capacity.
Another thing that worries me about McCain's choice for VP is how she feels about sex education. While I know that education is a state issue, the fact that she advocates for abstinence only sex education and at the same time her 17 year old daughter becomes pregnant on her watch should inform her that this way of teaching doesn't work. She is letting her religious dogma cloud her reason and her ability to think this problem though. This is not a quality I want a leader of this country to have. We need a leader that can think out of the box. She has proven incapable of doing so.
Her position on her particular brand of Christian dogmatic morality on women is not in our (women's) best interest. It is not reasonable to criminalize abortion and burden our overtaxed justice system with the job of sending poor women to prison for taking control of their lives. Abortions are a terrible thing but making it a crime will not solve this problem. Responsible sex-ed for teenagers is the answer and not the kind Palin thinks we should have. Sex happens and we should be teaching our children responsibility, not religious dogma.
And what's this about a possibility of a war with Russia? Is she insane? We can't even afford the wars we're in right now. We owe so much money to China they practically own us. Do we want to further cripple our country and our economy? I believe McCain feels that war is the answer. Our involvement in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. (I can't name them all) should be enough evidence to prove that it isn't always the answer. (WWII was an exception.)
Please, please think about these issues and the long range consequences they have for our children and grandchildren. I cannot vote for 4 more years of business as usual. I hope you can't either.
Constructive comments are encouraged and welcome.
The evacuation of the low lying areas in and near Galveston has been going smoothly, mostly because of lessons learned three years ago from Rita and Katrina. Even though this storm will be a major impact on property the city governments have been doing a great job protecting people and keeping them out of harm's way. It's up to those individuals to do what they feel is right for them.
Now back to politics. The more I read about Sarah Palin and John McCain the more I feel they must not be voted into office. She stated in a recent interview with Charles Gibson:
"They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska."
So that makes her qualified to be an expert on foreign policy? I understand that Republican standards are pretty low, but this is absurdly bottom of the barrel. I still haven't read anywhere that she's actually been to Russia or met their leaders in any capacity.
Another thing that worries me about McCain's choice for VP is how she feels about sex education. While I know that education is a state issue, the fact that she advocates for abstinence only sex education and at the same time her 17 year old daughter becomes pregnant on her watch should inform her that this way of teaching doesn't work. She is letting her religious dogma cloud her reason and her ability to think this problem though. This is not a quality I want a leader of this country to have. We need a leader that can think out of the box. She has proven incapable of doing so.
Her position on her particular brand of Christian dogmatic morality on women is not in our (women's) best interest. It is not reasonable to criminalize abortion and burden our overtaxed justice system with the job of sending poor women to prison for taking control of their lives. Abortions are a terrible thing but making it a crime will not solve this problem. Responsible sex-ed for teenagers is the answer and not the kind Palin thinks we should have. Sex happens and we should be teaching our children responsibility, not religious dogma.
And what's this about a possibility of a war with Russia? Is she insane? We can't even afford the wars we're in right now. We owe so much money to China they practically own us. Do we want to further cripple our country and our economy? I believe McCain feels that war is the answer. Our involvement in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. (I can't name them all) should be enough evidence to prove that it isn't always the answer. (WWII was an exception.)
Please, please think about these issues and the long range consequences they have for our children and grandchildren. I cannot vote for 4 more years of business as usual. I hope you can't either.
Constructive comments are encouraged and welcome.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Back and ready to go
We got back from a week long vacation in Cabo San Lucas with Mr. Squirrel's side of the family. It was nice. Only problem was that Mr. Squirrel had a collision with granddaughter number 2 and severely injured his left knee. He feels he'll need surgery but I hope all he needs is a long recuperation.
Even though both sides of our families are very religious, this time I was at ease and had fun. There was no hidden feeling of a shark attack waiting to happen. One of the huge glaring differences is my family is Southern Baptist and Mr. Squirrel's family is Episcopal. In other words, one is conservative and the other is more liberal and tolerant.
Yes, I was much more relaxed on this vacation.
If you ever find yourself in Cabo San Lucas I must recommend seeing the dolphins at Cabo Dolphins. All six of us got to swim and play with Jennie, one of the dolphins at the center, for over 30 minutes. It was the most wonderful experience ever and one that our granddaughters will never forget. It was one of those experiences that will forever bring a tear of happiness to my eyes.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Am I angry?
I went back and read some of my most recent posts and it seems that I'm angry about something. Not that anyone has pointed that out to me or anything but I do recognize that I am angry and frustrated and have been for a long time.
The anger comes from being constantly misunderstood.
I need to clarify something here. I'm not a lonely, depressed, fearful person. I'm cheerful, positive, and friendly. In the various different social groups I participate in I'm well liked and popular. The anger isn't something I feel all the time. It just seems to rear it's ugly head when the subject of my immediate family comes up or I have to deal with them on an intimate level.
Back to the subject of being misunderstood. It's frustrating trying to get close to a person when they immediately throw up barriers based on a preconceived idea of who you are, whether it is true or not. When it comes to family, they seem to be more judgmental about my atheism than my friends and acquiescences. But are they being judgmental about my lack of belief or it is something else?
My immediate family has always shown some sort of contempt for me, even in my late teens when I left home. Because of this fact I figured it can't be my atheism that is the cause of this estrangement because I've only been a self described atheist for about four years. On the other hand, a relative told me four years ago that she's always known I was an atheist, so perhaps it's something that is intrinsic about me that I've only recently discovered through education.
So it seems that this behavior towards me is a result of my non-acceptance of Christianity. Honestly, it may seem to be the case, but I think it's more than that and my frustration and anger is a response to not knowing why I'm treated this way by my immediate family.
OK, now to get past the anger and to let go.
This may come as a surprise, but I've actually let go of a lot of "stuff" that drove my anger. My SO has noticed I don't talk about the craziness of my family as often as I used to. In fact, it's been close to zero. Unfortunately I've also made some mistakes along the way. Like going to Kansas and subjecting myself to seven days of torture at the willing hands of my unforgiving family.
Yeah, I'm angry at myself for allowing that bullshit to happen. In my defense I did want to give myself and my family another chance, knowing full well that the percentage for success would be quite low. And yes, a week was too long. I could've figured this out in less than two days.
The anger will subside and be replaced with apathy. I've already stopped reading most of my extended families email and I find I am much more at peace with myself.
The anger comes from being constantly misunderstood.
I need to clarify something here. I'm not a lonely, depressed, fearful person. I'm cheerful, positive, and friendly. In the various different social groups I participate in I'm well liked and popular. The anger isn't something I feel all the time. It just seems to rear it's ugly head when the subject of my immediate family comes up or I have to deal with them on an intimate level.
Back to the subject of being misunderstood. It's frustrating trying to get close to a person when they immediately throw up barriers based on a preconceived idea of who you are, whether it is true or not. When it comes to family, they seem to be more judgmental about my atheism than my friends and acquiescences. But are they being judgmental about my lack of belief or it is something else?
My immediate family has always shown some sort of contempt for me, even in my late teens when I left home. Because of this fact I figured it can't be my atheism that is the cause of this estrangement because I've only been a self described atheist for about four years. On the other hand, a relative told me four years ago that she's always known I was an atheist, so perhaps it's something that is intrinsic about me that I've only recently discovered through education.
So it seems that this behavior towards me is a result of my non-acceptance of Christianity. Honestly, it may seem to be the case, but I think it's more than that and my frustration and anger is a response to not knowing why I'm treated this way by my immediate family.
OK, now to get past the anger and to let go.
This may come as a surprise, but I've actually let go of a lot of "stuff" that drove my anger. My SO has noticed I don't talk about the craziness of my family as often as I used to. In fact, it's been close to zero. Unfortunately I've also made some mistakes along the way. Like going to Kansas and subjecting myself to seven days of torture at the willing hands of my unforgiving family.
Yeah, I'm angry at myself for allowing that bullshit to happen. In my defense I did want to give myself and my family another chance, knowing full well that the percentage for success would be quite low. And yes, a week was too long. I could've figured this out in less than two days.
The anger will subside and be replaced with apathy. I've already stopped reading most of my extended families email and I find I am much more at peace with myself.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Deleted a post
A few days ago I deleted an old post which I wrote about Tony Snow. The subject was how arrogant I found his claims of being blessed by God when others who suffered from cancer didn't get the same treatment as he claimed to have gotten from his god. The post gained a tremendous amount of attention from Christians who made outrageous statements about my atheism and how I really believed in God but was just angry, sad, pissed off, wanted to be immoral, etc. It was amazing how stupid the comments were getting. I exercised my free will and deleted the offending post. Good riddance, I say.
At this point in time in my atheism I'm not interested in finding God anymore. I've spent a large amount of time searching and he still hasn't turned up so I want to focus my attention to other things. I'm very interested in my Freethought groups here in the Houston area and have gotten to know a lot of wonderful atheists. I also am involved the the Humanists of Houston and want to be more active in my community on a secular level. So far my activism has been to educate my friends what an atheist is and that they have been playing tennis with one for many years. The response has been positive.
To the Christians out there who think atheists are mad at God and that's why we don't believe, you are so wrong it's not even funny. We don't believe because there is no evidence. Nothing, nada, zilch, zero. Accept it and move on. Let's talk about other things like abortion rights and poverty. How about the Iraqi war and the economy? I want to talk about things that matter in this life right here and right now.
I'm still frustrated about my trip to Kansas and how I didn't seem to get anywhere with my family. Not that I expected anything, but I had hoped that things would go better. My mother and I have never had a connection which I now see on so many levels that, even though I gave up on her long ago, there is still no chance we will ever find common ground. At one time I had hoped that my sister and I could be friends but, for many of the same reasons, I don't ever see that ever happening. Both women are too judgmental, too sensitive, and too defensive for me to want to be around them for any length of time.
Funny thought: I wonder what they think of me?
I think I already know....
At this point in time in my atheism I'm not interested in finding God anymore. I've spent a large amount of time searching and he still hasn't turned up so I want to focus my attention to other things. I'm very interested in my Freethought groups here in the Houston area and have gotten to know a lot of wonderful atheists. I also am involved the the Humanists of Houston and want to be more active in my community on a secular level. So far my activism has been to educate my friends what an atheist is and that they have been playing tennis with one for many years. The response has been positive.
To the Christians out there who think atheists are mad at God and that's why we don't believe, you are so wrong it's not even funny. We don't believe because there is no evidence. Nothing, nada, zilch, zero. Accept it and move on. Let's talk about other things like abortion rights and poverty. How about the Iraqi war and the economy? I want to talk about things that matter in this life right here and right now.
I'm still frustrated about my trip to Kansas and how I didn't seem to get anywhere with my family. Not that I expected anything, but I had hoped that things would go better. My mother and I have never had a connection which I now see on so many levels that, even though I gave up on her long ago, there is still no chance we will ever find common ground. At one time I had hoped that my sister and I could be friends but, for many of the same reasons, I don't ever see that ever happening. Both women are too judgmental, too sensitive, and too defensive for me to want to be around them for any length of time.
Funny thought: I wonder what they think of me?
I think I already know....
Friday, July 25, 2008
Back from Kansas
Yesterday I got back from visiting my mother and her husband in a god forsaken place called Goddard, Kansas. It's just west of Wichita on Highway 54. I don't think I'll be going back.
One strange thing I noticed was the political/religious signs that some families posted on the edge of their sprawling wheat fields. Mostly about their disdain for murdering babies, opps, I mean legalized abortion. I wanted to take a picture of a particularly amusing one but my religious and highly moral sister (who was driving) refused to pull over. The reason? She didn't want me to make fun of these people and their views on the Internet. So I figured I'd do it anyway sans picture.
It was funny to see signs condemning legalized abortion and condemning contraception. Yep, you saw that right - signs condemning contraception. Just squirt those Catholic babies out as fast as you can conceive 'em.
So there, I didn't need a goddamn picture to make fun of stupid views based on stupid dogma.
More on the rest of the trip later.....
One strange thing I noticed was the political/religious signs that some families posted on the edge of their sprawling wheat fields. Mostly about their disdain for murdering babies, opps, I mean legalized abortion. I wanted to take a picture of a particularly amusing one but my religious and highly moral sister (who was driving) refused to pull over. The reason? She didn't want me to make fun of these people and their views on the Internet. So I figured I'd do it anyway sans picture.
It was funny to see signs condemning legalized abortion and condemning contraception. Yep, you saw that right - signs condemning contraception. Just squirt those Catholic babies out as fast as you can conceive 'em.
So there, I didn't need a goddamn picture to make fun of stupid views based on stupid dogma.
More on the rest of the trip later.....
Monday, July 14, 2008
How to respond to a friend
I got a goddy email from a friend. It was in good taste and not at all over the top. She's a good friend and has a reputation of being a sweet and thoughtful person so I sent this in response:
I sent an email with similar wording to an aunt who sent me a goddy email. Her response was that she loved me anyway and that my differing views didn't matter. I wrote her back letting her know that I appreciated her feelings.
There's hope for my family after all!
Hi Judy, thanks for the video and the message. It was nice.
Did you know that I'm an atheist? Have been for a very long time. Emails like this are no big deal, I just thought I'd let you know.
Love and hugs,
Summer
I sent an email with similar wording to an aunt who sent me a goddy email. Her response was that she loved me anyway and that my differing views didn't matter. I wrote her back letting her know that I appreciated her feelings.
There's hope for my family after all!
Trip to visit fundy family
Starting July 17th thru July 24 I'll be in Kansas visiting my mother and her new husband's family. I'll be going by car with my religious sister and atheist brother, along with a nephew and niece. Several months ago when my sister brought it up I thought it sounded like a good idea, now I'm having some reservations.
At first I thought I was feeling anxious because, not only do I not know that side of my extended family; they are conservative Catholics and I'm sure they know I'm an atheist. I don't know how religious or how conservative they are, but if I use their acceptance of my mother as a guide, I would guess very religious and very conservative.
With more thought about my situation I realize it's not the people I'm nervous about. I will be away from the comfort of my home for 7 days around people I don't know. Yeah, I get anxious about going away on vacation, but at least I know I'll have my own bathroom and the privacy I value. Going away for over 3 days to a place I'm not sure of is scary and upsetting to me and I'm big enough to admit it.
Now I've got to work on "getting so over it!"
At first I thought I was feeling anxious because, not only do I not know that side of my extended family; they are conservative Catholics and I'm sure they know I'm an atheist. I don't know how religious or how conservative they are, but if I use their acceptance of my mother as a guide, I would guess very religious and very conservative.
With more thought about my situation I realize it's not the people I'm nervous about. I will be away from the comfort of my home for 7 days around people I don't know. Yeah, I get anxious about going away on vacation, but at least I know I'll have my own bathroom and the privacy I value. Going away for over 3 days to a place I'm not sure of is scary and upsetting to me and I'm big enough to admit it.
Now I've got to work on "getting so over it!"
Monday, July 7, 2008
Email about Mrs. Obama
I received an email from a cousin about Mrs. Obama not being as good a person as Mrs. McCain. It stated some great things that Mrs. McCain as done for children as a result of being very wealthy. Something I wish I could do. The last line of the email then attacked Mrs. Obama because she hasn't done these wonderful things.
It pissed me off so I wrote my cousin and told her why that email was wrong on many levels. Apparently I wasn't the only one. Her email today stated that we'll all just have to agree to disagree and that she wasn't going to write anymore about politics.
Fine, but that pissed me off too. Here the letter I wrote back in response:
It pissed me off so I wrote my cousin and told her why that email was wrong on many levels. Apparently I wasn't the only one. Her email today stated that we'll all just have to agree to disagree and that she wasn't going to write anymore about politics.
Fine, but that pissed me off too. Here the letter I wrote back in response:
Just some thoughts about the mantra "let's just agree to disagree." Sometimes it's good to back off and let things go; we are all different and we have different opinions. Fair enough. I find this mantra to be a show stopper for the wrong reasons and I'll explain.
The majority of the email about Mrs. McCain was interesting and informative. If someone was interested in her it would give them the motivation to either confirm or disprove the subject or just learn more about her. The last part of that email implied that Mrs. Obama was not as noble because she hasn't done as much as the wealthy Mrs. McCain. I don't know how many people commented on this email but my only problem was the attack on Mrs. Obama. It was underhanded and immoral. If we have to agree to disagree on this then there is a serious problem with some people's moral compass. We need to call attention to this kind of back stabbing if we are to have a civil presidential election.
I also think that the mantra "let's just agree to disagree" causes some to disregard important opinions and information. For example: a few years ago I was for the death penalty. As a Texan and a Republican, I felt if someone killed another person in an especially horrific way they deserved to die. I got into a respectable debate with someone on the Internet about it and he had some interesting things to say. Instead of shoving my fists in my ears and saying, "I do not agree and we'll have to leave it at that," I listened. I heard things that made me uncomfortable so I checked it out. Now for many reasons and science based evidence, I'm strongly against the death penalty. Same for the Iraq War. I got into a discussion with a friend and she said a few things that got me to think and to research. I have changed my mind. In fact, I've changed my mind a few times about this but now I'm in favor of stopping this war ASAP and convinced the public was lied to for reasons we may never know.
In conclusion I say let it all hang out, but be prepared to take the heat for it. Keep an open mind and perhaps you just might learn a thing or two. BTW, I love it when people disagree with me! I learn much from the experience and one of the things I've learned is that I'm not always right. Good life lesson....
Peace!
Summer
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