Bloodied, but Unbowed

"Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole
I thank whatever Gods might be for my unconquerable soul".

My high school Psychology teacher required the memorization of "Invictus" and its recitation as one of the exams he put us through during the term. I've never forgotten it, and our present political situation brings it to mind.

There are real opportunities for change here in the United States in this November's election. It remains to be seen whether the "swifty" that the Republicans pulled in nominating Sarah Palin for vice president will bear the strange fruit for which the RNC hopes.

One of the great opportunities spawned by this misbegotten selection is for thinking people to band together. I attended a discussion group last night where we talked about the insidiousness of nominating a woman whose primary qualification for her post is that she's a good foot soldier for the Repugnant, I mean Republican, party. Gods, guns and gays uber alles, right? Oh, and according to Donny Deutsch, she's the kind of woman a man wants at his side - she's pretty, and the kind he'd want to wake up next to every day. What tripe!

There is still discrimination in this country for everyone who is NOT a white male. And unlike wolves, we're not declaring open season on white males and shooting them from helicopters, are we Ms. Palin?

And what about Bristol Palin? We can certainly see how well "abstinence only" works in a "strong family" with "values" right? And while Levi is not the marrying kind, when your mother-in-law to be can pop timberwolves from a helicopter with a custom-made Austrian rifle, then your philosophy changes, doesn't it?

What's good for the American people will be what's good for ALL American people. We can't have programs just for people with money, or influence or luck. This country was founded on the notion that hard work and guts will elevate men and women to the place where the can enjoy the fruit of their labors. There shouldn't need to be a have-not class for the haves to feel good about themselves.

America - START THINKING! Vote YOUR issues, don't vote for Old and Pretty. Vote for Smart and Experienced.

Forgive me Reader, it's been 30 days since my last post

Could everyone just get along? Sometimes it's difficult to keep your head when everyone around you seems to have taken their Grouchy Pills. What's up with THAT?

There's so much beauty in the world - it's atypical August weather here in NJ. This means low humidity and temperatures in the mid to upper 70's. Yeah, I'll take it!

There's a lot of hope for what's happening in November. I'm educating myself on the people who will be our choices, all of the people, and where they stand on my issues. The Internet gives us unprecedented information at lightning speed. Use it, and let's make some change together we can all appreciate.

Be well

Who Knew?!

I have just recently completed the largest Art Show I've ever done. Modestly sized, there were about 14 artists there, but easily 5 or 6 of us are photographers. Luckily the competitive aspect was not really there as one photographer was a locally noted portrait artist, another specialized in landscapes, etc. My work is pretty eclectic and while I have elements of some of those, I don't fit neatly into a category.

I took an intentionally limited inventory as the show is on an island you can only reach by ferry and no one drives. In this section of the island, you can't have a vehicle (not even a bicycle!) unless you are emergency personnel. It's also not *that* but, but I didn't want to port too much in. That was smart as when we took the show down, indoors though it was, it was raining buckets outside.

Too late for long story short, but I had a successful outing and I'm sufficiently encouraged to go on. Many thanks to dear friends Tom B, Benn, Matt, sister Deb, partner Bonnie, other twin Susan and the great staff where my prints are made. I feel like I'm truly Sharing Vision.