While we finally have equal marriage rights in the US (it’s about time) we still don’t truly have “equal justice under law”- the words etched on the outside of the Supreme Court building.
African American males have been targeted for DECADES and questioned, suspected, beat, abused, and gunned down execution style by some policemen in this country, solely based on their skin color. This has been tolerated for decades by police departments, cities, and even sometimes the very people who are supposed to ensure, these crimes don’t happen. This isn’t “equal justice for all.”
Woman of all ethnicities are still paid on average 25% less for doing the same job as men, in the USA. Minority women fare worse than their white counterparts and are paid about 54% less than a man doing the same job. This is the average in ALL professions. This isn’t “equal justice for all.”
The Supreme Court ruling today, ensuring all people can marry, is a step closer, and it is a great step. While not discounting the progress made, it’s hard to not think about all those who really don’t have “equal justice under law” in our country- even after centuries. African American men are being MURDERED from these injustices. Families are burying their sons, fathers, and brothers. This is a gross injustice that has gone on for way too long. It has to change and it has to change now.
While women aren’t losing their lives over gender equality, the fact remains that women are discriminated against for their gender. This affects their livelihoods, and many times the livelihoods of their children, if they are raising children without the father’s support.
I’m not a hugely political person- but I am a mother who hopes the day is coming soon, when I can see, and my children really can see “equal justice under law” for ALL- no matter a person’s skin color, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.
I hope the momentum from today’s Supreme Court ruling, will continue so every one in the United States of America, can have “equal justice under law.”
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if police stopped targeting African Americans and killing them with no basis other than that of their skin color?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the laws allowed the police who do violate these laws, to be held accountable for their crimes?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if employers started paying women the same as men in their professions for doing the same job?
This may sound idealistic, but in the past, more than one person asked,
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if gay and lesbian marriage were legal?”
When we ask, we imagine, when we imagine- as we saw today- anything is possible.
I am not very involved in politics, and am happy, not paying attention to every last political debate and issue. But one issue that I’ve been watching and have concerned about for years is the safety of GMO’s.
There are multiple issues surrounding GMO’s, but I’m going highlight two of the main concerns I have especially as a mother and a cancer survivor, concerned with my health and the health of my two growing boys, ages 10 and 8.
The first issue is I am concerned about with GMO’s, is they have never been, and are not currently tested for effects (short term and long term) on humans, by the FDA before human consumption. How can something lab created, which has never been consumed by humans before, be put in our food supply, with absolutely no testing on their safety?
We are told by the FDA and the companies that create them, that GMO’s are safe with no harmful side effects, but how is this proven? Where is the proof that after 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, GMO’s won’t harm infants, children, or adults? We are told they are safe, but scientists developing them have to wear protective suits, to even distribute the chemicals on their GMO crops, they say are safe for us to eat. What kind of science is that? Why aren’t studies done first to test this food before telling consumers it is safe, and using it in production of our food? You may have seen this floating around from time to time in regards to GMO’s and I think it sums up this concern perfectly.
A second issue of concern I have are GMO’s are not produced by local farmers, or farmer co-ops, experimenting with crops, at a local level, like in the past, but by billion dollar chemical companies. The largest GMO producer is Monsanto, the producer of toxic herbicide, Round Up. Yes, the chemical that annihilates weeds- that is the corporation who is producing close to 90% of the GMO seeds in the WORLD.
Montsanto’s GMO’s are not designed to increase food production. The world has always been able to produce enough crops. Many experts agree, hunger is an economic and food distribution problem. There is not conclusive evidence showing that GMO’s solves the issues of hunger or poverty.
But GMO’s do make Montsanto an enormous amount of profit. How? Montsanto sells their pricey seeds to farmers, who are required to sign contracts to keep buying seeds year after year. As the crops become more herbicide resistant, Montsanto profits by having more farmers who have to buy more chemicals- namely Round Up. Meanwhile the farmer is caught in a vicious cycle now.
These GMO’s can be easily spread and interbred with other organisms, which can’t be undone. This can include cross pollination with other crops, and PropToxins that are used in GMO’s to make them resistant, have shown up in humans and in unborn fetuses. I live on the border of Boulder County, CO which has banned GMO crops, as has Burlington, VT. North Dakota, Montana, and Vermont also bans GMO wheat for some of these reasons.
Sixty two countries around the world, including the entire European Union, China, Japan, Australia, (to name a few) have banned GMO’s or require labeling. The United States is the only developed country in the world that does not require labeling of GMO foods.
Montsanto also produces (but later sold to a division of Eli Lilly) the rBGH dairy growth hormone that has been banned and pledged by suppliers not to use on their cows, because of concerns of safety. It’s not banned by the FDA (why is that not surprising either?), but consumers have largely rejected this, and many retailers like Kroger, Safeway, Costco, others and even Wal-Mart ban and prohibit it from their suppliers. If you looked at your milk right now, in the fridge it says something like “Produced without artificial growth hormone rBST.” This message is brought to you courtesy of Montsanto, and their pushing an unproven chemical with the FDA’s approval, into our milk supply.
Did you notice though, because the consumers rejected this from Montsanto, it never became the standard for injecting cows that produce our milk with this hormone? In fact, producers are now eager to tell us their milk doesn’t contain rBST. I mention this to show the history of Montsanto and the FDA has not been to produce safe chemicals, to boost the world’s food supply, but to get their untested, and questionable at best, chemicals out to the market place, to make more and more money. Hard to believe! (insert sarcasm). It also shows that we, the consumers, have a huge voice and say, in how our food gets produced, and presented to us!
I am not a scientist by any means, but with this history and background it doesn’t take a scientist to know that the FDA or businesses do not always look out for the consumer’s best interests. Companies like Montsanto are not looking out for our health- they are looking out for their bottom line, with no regard to our health or farming. Montsanto’s profit in 2013 was 2.4 billion dollars!
I’m not opposed at all to a company making money, as long as they are not harming people and putting our health in jeopardy. It seems to me that Montsanto does everything to make a profit BUT take our health or possible health risks into account with their GMO’s. That is what I have an issue with. Our health should not be sacrificed or even be put in the slightest risk, so a corporation can make another billion dollars. All while fighting regulation to label their GMO’s, while the FDA does not require safety tests, before GMO’s are in our food supply. It leaves more questions than answers in my mind, such as, why does every other major country in the world ban GMO’s or require labeling if they are so “safe?”
A toxic chemical billion dollar company, altering and manipulating plant genes, producing food, never studied on humans, but touted to the public consumer as safe? No thank you. I personally don’t trust it, feel it is safe, and neither does the majority of the developed world. I think there should be labeling of GMO’s as a very basic standard, so people can choose for themselves what kind of food they are eating.
That brings me to the next part of this post, in Colorado on our November ballot, we will have a chance to vote on Colorado Mandatory Labeling of GMOs Initiative, Proposition 105. The measure would require any “prepackaged, processed food or raw agricultural commodity that has been produced using genetic modification” to include the label: “Produced with genetic engineering.” If approved, the law would be put into effect by January 1, 2016.
Obviously, I think labeling of GMO’s are needed. I want to know if the food I am eating and feeding to my children contain GMO’s. Organic food in the United States, should not contain any GMO’s at all, according to standards, or it can’t be labeled organic. But eating 100% organic food all the time, is not realistic or practical. Some conventional foods are not produced with GMO’s, and I feel we should have the knowledge and choice by labeling GMO’s to decide for ourselves and our families.
Millions of dollars are being spent in Colorado and Oregon (where it is on the ballot in November as well, as Measure 92) to defeat this from becoming law. Why? If GMO’s are so safe, then why are companies like Monsanto, who produce the majority of GMO’s and deem them safe for us all, are spending millions to defeat these ballot initiatives? In fact, Montsanto has spent almost 10 million dollars in Colorado and Washington, just in this election season, trying to defeat these from becoming law. They have spent millions more in previous elections in other states, with similar ballot initiatives. How much food could 10 million plus dollars buy for the world’s hungry? Yet, they feel this money should be spent keeping consumers in the dark, if our food contains their GMO’s. Why?
If you scroll down on the Colorado Mandatory Labeling link I posted a few paragraphs above, they list companies that support and oppose Proposition 105. But you probably can guess what companies are on this list, and what companies aren’t, without even looking. Hint- local, organic, smaller farmers, grocery chains and businesses who support it; big businesses, and big farming corporations, who oppose it (funded with Monsanto’s millions).
If GMO’s are safe, pose no health risks, and labeling is already required in all the other countries these corporations do business in, then what is the big deal if a few states in the United States, make GMO labeling mandatory? Is this really worth spending millions of dollars to defeat in Colorado and Washington? Obviously that answer is resounding yes, from the very companies and producers of GMO’s themselves. And again, I ask why?
I hope if you are undecided on this issue, you will look into it more before you vote, if you live in Colorado or Washington. I think it is important we hold these companies and the FDA accountable. There should be a very basic standard on all food produced, and that is to label what is in the food for the consumer. We are all capable of deciding for ourselves if we are willing to gamble with our health, by being guinea pigs to billion dollar chemical corporations’ “safe” GMO’s. We all have a right to know what is in our food.
I will be voting YES for GMO’s to be labeled in Colorado. I’m not willing to risk my health or the health of my children, by just taking a “good ole” billion dollar chemical company’s word that GMO’s are safe. I want to know what is in my food I’m buying for my family. It matters how our food is produced. Evidently, Monsanto and the big corporations think so too- otherwise they would not be spending millions of dollars opposing the measure, giving consumers the choice to decide. Actions speak louder than words.
I’ve not written about running for a while. I still run- several miles a week, but I’ve not been running races or training for a specific race or distance.
The past few years I’ve loved keeping up with the Boston Marathon- I loved watching the winners and following the people I know locally or my running friends I’ve made on Daily Mile, and I’ve always had tabs on a few people who were running it. Last night I saw a few friends give out their bib numbers, so I texted in, to receive their updates by text, and it was fun to be able to see their progress today via text messages.
I was really happy for my friends, to see they finished in the 3 hour ranges- that isn’t an easy feat to do at all, and I was sure they would be happy with their performances! My son is home sick today, and we have a snowstorm in Colorado. I was working at home, and checked the weather to see how much snow we were supposed to get. I saw the red banner on the top of the news site: 2 Bomb Explosions at the Finish Line at the Boston Marathon. It almost seemed like a prank- another unimaginable act of violence, that was now real.
I knew my friends had finished, when this happened, and I heard later they were safe. But after seeing the pictures, the videos, and hearing the accounts, there are many people who weren’t safe. There are those who died- actually died- by either just going out and running, or supporting someone who was. Hundreds of others injured, including loss of limbs.
Anyone who runs, knows what kind of devotion, training, and dedication it takes, to run a marathon. To know some of these runners who lost their lives, or who may never be able to run again- it is just heartbreaking.
Running really helped me get my life back on track after cancer. It kept the focus of my being “sick” and helped me focus on what I could do- not what I couldn’t. It played a key part in my recovery- physically and emotionally. I vowed one day, I wanted to run a marathon, and one day I would run the Boston Marathon. Even though I’ve not been able to do that- yet- it is still a goal- often in the back of my mind, when I run.
After today, it seems like we have lost another piece of innocence- another thing that will never be quite the same. We run, we train, we try our best, to be the best we can be, and now- we are not safe when we want to have that day, that race- to give it our all, and see what we we can really do, under the highest stress and when we push our hardest.
But the biggest surprise I think we saw today, is what we are made of, shone through in the chaos, smoke, and blood. When bystanders, police, fire fighters, medics, doctors, race officials, parents, friends, family members, runners, and strangers ran not away from the smoke, and chaos, but into it- to help. It showed, we don’t need a race to be the best we can be. After all these awful acts of violence- no one knows for sure what is coming next- people still didn’t hesitate, and put their lives on the line to help. How many lives or limbs saved, from these unselfish acts from others today? We may never know, but we know among the horrific events, we saw the best of the human spirit rise up today.
I came across this quote years ago- when I was in the midst of my cancer recovery. It inspired me then, and now when I run. I hope by sharing it- it helps, all of us- runners and non- runners. As we saw today, all we really have- when it counts- is each other.
“I run because I can. When I get tired, I remember those who can’t run, what they’d give to have this simple gift I take for granted, and I run harder for them. I know they would do the same for me.” – Anonymous
Five years ago, my sister, Mara, sent me an email about her second grade students, in an impoverished school. She sent some of their letters they had written to Santa. The letters were heartbreaking- kids were asking not for phones, X-Boxes, or video games. They wanted coats, food, jobs for their parents, and the one request that went straight to my heart from the little boy, who only asked for “socks with no holes in them.”
She asked me if I could post her request for donations on my blog, so she could help give these kids some sort of a Christmas. It was the least I could do.
A few weeks later, Mara, told me excitedly that one of the officers, Seargent Alex, at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, CO had read my blog post regarding her school, responded to the call, and the officers and their families in his unit, were “adopting” her classroom, to bring these students gifts. Mara didn’t originally get the first message he left for her at the school. It was a bad connection and she couldn’t make out the number he had left. I wrote another post, asking if Seargent Alex was still reading my blog, to please call Mara again- she needed the help. He ended up seeing the post, and contacted her again. He put in effort to make this happen.
I remember feeling amazed, happy, and proud, that the few minutes I took to post her request on my blog- someone who wanted to help, reached out and helped children who otherwise would not have a Christmas- have a day they would never forget.
It was a particularly bright moment for me, because at the time, my marriage was crumbling, for a variety of reasons. I remember telling my now ex-husband about Mara’s room, the gifts, about Seargent Alex finding my blog, and all the help his unit was giving Mara’s classroom. He looked at me and said, “Who would ever want to read your blog? Don’t they have anything better to do in the Air Force?” Anyone who writes, knows you put a lot of yourself into your writing, and it hurt to hear that. But, I was determined to stay focused on the positive-someone had read the post, and wanted to help. I knew Seargent Alex had read my blog-of course he had better things to do, but this was important to him, as it was to me.
Over the years, I’ve helped Mara shop for the kids, posted the blog story again and again, help her with the drive, answer emails- anything she asked me, I tried to help out with the best I could. I have helped her do everything but actually show up on the day. I was always working. I wanted to take Ryan and Cole with me, but they were always in school.
This year, Ryan and Cole’s school was out a few days before Mara’s gift drive for her kids. I decided to just make it happen. I asked Mara what else her class needed and she said pencil sharpeners. Her kids only have 1 or 2 pencils, and if the lead breaks at home, they don’t do their homework. When she has given them mechanical pencils, their older siblings take them, because they don’t have pencils. So Ryan, Cole, and I got on Amazon, and picked out a bulk package of pencil sharpeners. It came to a whole $6. Ryan and Cole split the cost, and paid for them out of their allowance.
Yesterday, we finally got to Mara’s room for the gift drive. Ryan and Cole started handing out the sharpeners. We had enough to give each student 3. The kids were squealing and saying, “These are so cool,” like they were receiving something much more than a small pencil sharpener. They started changing the lids around to make a “Bronco” sharpener- blue and orange. Ryan came over to whisper to me, “they are so happy, Mom, over a pencil sharpener.” I told him yes, and he helped make them happy.
Ryan playing Santa
The four officers from Buckley Air Force, who came that first year, with Seargent Alex, with gifts for my sister’s class, has grown since that first year in 2008. Yesterday there were more than 30 Air Force Officers, at the school for gifts for the ENTIRE second grade. They had coats, mittens, toys, food, smiles, hugs, and love for these kids. I never would have imagined that afternoon; a simple blog post could have grown into something that it has.
I found out from Mara too, that Seargent Alex is no longer in active duty. I was sad to hear that, and sad I was never able to meet him. But then she said, “But he’s here today. He comes every year, and still helps out. He’s here with his wife and toddler son.”
For the first time yesterday, I met Seargent Alex. He said he had been looking for a way to help, people who really needed it, and it was actually difficult to do so! He said he had checked with various organizations, and they all asked him to just drop off a check. But he wanted to actually do something. He said he came across my blog then, and knew he had to call Mara. I thanked him, for all of this over the years, and he thanked me for writing the post.
Sargent Alex and I, 12.20.12
For me, it has come full circle. I set out to help Mara five years ago- never expecting anything to come from it like this, it has ended up helping me. Just always knowing one person like the “Seargent Alex’s” of the world are out there, willing, able, and lovingly ready to help. When people tell you what you do, will never make a difference, Mara’s gift drive for her second grade students, the people like Seargent Alex, and all the people from family, to friends, to strangers, who help, proves that wrong, every year. It keeps growing, and the generosity keeps growing every year too.
Tears were brought to my eyes yesterday, as I was standing by the cutest little girl, Joselyn. She opened her box with a coat, gloves, and a hat. She hugged her box. She smiled. Then she asked if we could wrap it back up for her, so she could have something to open on Christmas Day. Ryan and Cole heard this, and their eyes grew wide. I told her “of course, sweetie.” Ryan took the box from her, Mara got the wrapping paper, and Cole got the tape. Ryan, Cole, and I, rewrapped that present with probably more love, than I have ever wrapped a present before. The boys found a candy cane for her, and helped me tape it to the box. Ryan told me, “Now she will have a candy cane on Christmas morning too.” Ryan and Cole both walked the gift back to her, and she was smiling from ear to ear. Just doing that simple thing- made a difference for her.
All Smiles from Joselyn!
We all have struggles, problems, things we wish were different in our life circumstances, but a lot of us have a coat, and our kids have coats. We don’t worry where our next meal is coming from. We can put gifts under the tree for our kids. It might not be the iMac Pro Laptop Ryan wanted, but he doesn’t have one present he has to rewrap to open again.
It did all of our hearts good, and definitely opened Ryan and Cole’s eyes to different circumstances people live with. What they saw and witnessed yesterday- is the real meaning of Christmas. Not what you get, but what you can do for others, and how you make them feel.
Thank you Mara, for letting us be a part of this, and thank you to everyone who helps out every year.
And, thank you Seargent Alex- your kindness and actions have helped more than just second graders. The world definitely is a lot brighter for us this Christmas.
Merry Christmas to all my readers and their families!
I have barely read any of the developments on Sandy Hook. I can’t. It’s too horrific for me to digest right now. I know the basic details, but wish I didn’t.
Ryan and Cole were with their father this weekend, but Ryan asked me over the phone on Friday night, if I had heard what happened, and I was saddened he knew about this. Tonight, when we got home, Ryan asked me what would happen if that happened at his school-what if someone comes in and does that? I could see the uncertainty in his eyes.
I told him everything I had read you are “supposed” to tell kids, but the words sounded hollow, as they came out of my mouth. Reassurances didn’t sound very convincing either, because something like this should have never happened, but it did. What can be more gruesome, disturbing, and evil than the countless mass murder of innocent little children, in their classrooms?
I told my sons things like this are very, very, rare. But something inside of me felt like I needed to tell them more- not just “everything will be fine”, and they will always be safe, because what just happened in our country on Friday, in small town-America, in one of our schools, where the inconceivable became conceivable, then yes, it is possible it can happen again. I know we all pray, wish, hope, and talk about change, to prevent it again, but it is our reality now.
I took a deep breath and felt my world, and the world of my boys’ change forever- another piece of innocence gone. I hugged Ryan and Cole as tight as I could and I told them,
“If someone ever comes in your school, or class, to hurt you, you think. Listen to your teacher, but also be smart. If your teacher is gone, try to hide, if you can’t and someone is right there to hurt you with a gun, lie down on the floor. Get under a desk, close your eyes and play dead. If you look like you are dead, sometimes people who do this, leave you alone. If you see someone in your school that doesn’t belong, or scares you, tell a grown-up you know right away. Most people do not want to hurt children and teachers, but it is OK for us to talk about this, and OK for you to keep telling me your thoughts. We will talk about it, and work on it so you guys feel safe.”
And then I hugged them again. And they hugged me back.
Was that the “right” thing to say to them? I don’t know. I never, never, never, in a million years thought when I was holding my newborn babies, and looking in their little eyes, and holding their little hands, I’d ever have to have a conversation like this, with them. They don’t exactly cover having to talk to your kids about something of this magnitude in parenting magazines. But I want to keep them safe. I would rather them know a few things they could do- maybe they would have half a chance-maybe not. When these madmen are bent on taking lives, they usually succeed.
But as we found out on Friday, and as we all try to figure this out, one thing I know for us, is pretending things like this don’t happen, aren’t an option anymore.
(The picture at the top of this post is by Gamma from Gamma Gallery– an artist in Longmont, Colorado- where we used to live. I saw this, and I think it speaks the words, no one can really find to say).
