Progressive Mirror

11-1-11

2011-11-01T21:40:00.000-04:00

When we turn our heads and refuse to acknowledge the issues that surround us, we refuse to take responsibility for creating them. Do we resist injustice, or do we allow those who do not represent the will of the people to continue their oppression? It has been and always will be our choice.

Hang ‘em High (02/02/2011)

2011-09-21T21:50:00.004-04:00

The issue inevitably comes up. We choose a side; we either support it, or we condemn it. Supporters cite phrases like “an eye for an eye,” and those who are against remind us that humans are fallible, and innocent people have been killed. This is the quandary of state sanctioned murder – the death penalty – the ultimate punishment!

35 of our states still have the death penalty. Since 1976, 1234 people have been murdered by the state, and 3,261 are waiting to meet their demise. Inmates typically spend more than 10 years on death row before execution; some have been waiting more than 20 years.

Texas shows no mercy when it comes to killing the convicted. It has executed 464 persons since 1976, the highest number in the country. Additionally, Texas has another 337 waiting in the wings. Even though Texas has the ability to sentence those found guilty of murder to life without parole, they often choose to execute them, even going so far as to lethally inject individuals who do not physically commit a murder.

What about here in the Peach State? Georgia ranks among the top six states with a total of 48 executions since 1976, two this past year, and we have another 106 prisoners waiting on death row. But Georgia pales in comparison to Texas. Have we here in Georgia become timid in dispensing justice? Are we trying to prevent Georgia on My Mind from taking on an entirely new meaning?

The application of the death penalty is atrociously biased, most notably along racial lines. Out of 261 instances of interracial murders, 15 white defendants were executed when the victim was black, while 246 black defendants were executed when the victim was white. In 2001 researchers at the University of North Carolina found that in their state the chances of receiving the death penalty rose 3.5 times among black defendants when the victim was white.

Thanks to advances in DNA and other types of forensic evidence, the innocent are being exonerated of murder convictions, some of whom were merely one step away from death. Would it not serve us better to admit that we make mistakes, and there’s always a chance of killing the innocent? Or have we become so inhumane that we believe it is acceptable to kill an innocent person occasionally in order to continuing killing the guilty?

With the recent shooting of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, along with deaths of six others, the right-wing conservatives are already calling for Jared Loughner to be executed, with one particular radio personality going so far as to say Loughner does not even deserve to be examined for mental competency. Do any of us believe Loughner is sane? The shootings were heinous and Lounghner should be punished if found guilty by a court of law, but killing him does not accomplishes this goal.

Loungher’s execution would bring none of those murdered back to life, nor would it compensate the injured. The lengthy appeals process involved in executing him would cost the taxpayer more than it would to simply lock him up and throw away key. As for Loughner’s execution being a deterrent against future acts, allow me to share what Albert Camus said about deterrence.

In Camus’ Reflections on the Guillotine, he wrote that if we as a society believe the death penalty truly deters people from taking another’s life, then we should be performing these executions in public view. He tells us that the death penalty cannot possibly be a deterrent if no one actually sees it administered.

Today, we hide the procedure in small, secluded rooms, tucked deep within the confines of a prison, with only a small group of people present to witness the deed. We have even made it less nauseating, doing away with messy gas chambers and those crackling, popping electric chairs. Now, we quietly inject chemicals into the condemned’s body. (This is after the truly curious act of swabbing their arm with alcohol before inserting the needle.) Then, we let the poisons flow until the person is dead. The entire process is nice and clean.

Capital punishment is nothing more than an emotionally charged blood-feast born of a vigilante mindset. It is time for us to move forward and admit that state sponsored murder is the epitome of cruel and unusual punishment, and that the wrong person could very well be killed for a crime he or she did not commit.

© 2011 Don Lovell
© 2011 The West Georgian

The #TroyDavis Case Proves Our Inhumanity

2011-09-21T19:38:00.000-04:00

From Albert Camus' Reflections on the Guillotine:

"Capital punishment is the most premeditated of murders, to which no criminal’s deed, however calculated, can be compared. For there to be an equivalency, the death penalty would have to punish a criminal who had warned his victim of the date on which he would inflict a horrible death on him and who, from that moment onward, had confined him at his mercy for months. Such a monster is not to be encountered in private life."

Alleged Fake CIA Vaccination Campaign Undermines Medical Care | Doctors Without Borders

2011-08-15T13:05:00.004-04:00

(MSF link) Alleged Fake CIA Vaccination Campaign Undermines Medical Care | Doctors Without Borders

NEW YORK, JULY 14, 2011—The United States government’s alleged misuse of a vaccination campaign in Pakistan for counter-terrorism purposes constitutes a dangerous abuse of medical care, which threatens the trust essential for health agencies and humanitarian aid workers to provide lifesaving medical services, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said today.

continued...

Haiti Remix - 6/19/2011

2011-06-19T13:23:00.003-04:00

After 9 hours of airport & flight time, a TSA snafu because of my netbook, and a 4 hour drive across Haiti's southern mountains, Brent and I have settled into Shelters International Disaster Response (SIDR) in Jacmel, Haiti. The weather is hot and humid as one might imagine, but our host has helped to make us feel quite at home.

Tomorrow, we begin working in the shelter fabrication workshop, building trusses and wall sections to be delivered and erected into living structures in Petit-Goâve, a small coastal village 68km west of Port-au-Prince. Brent and I will be in the thick of it, cutting and nailing the components, as well as working on possible ways to improve production flow, quality control, and safety. It should be a rich and rewarding project. This particular project should last 2 weeks.

The program NGO we are collaborating with is a German group, Welthungerhilfe, one of the largest NGOs in Germany. Welthungerhilfe has partnered with the United Nations rebuilding effort to deliver housing structures for the displaced families living in the more rural areas of Haiti. The project is one of the post-earthquake initiatives funded and directed by the United Nations Stabilisation Mission In Haiti (MINUSTAH). The Haiti director for Welthungerhilfe, Herbert, dropped by the house this morning for coffee, a good man to know.

More later... and thanks for being on our team!

Haiti Remix - 2011

2011-06-16T23:41:00.006-04:00

One year ago today, I penned a private journal entry while I was living and working in Haiti. The gist of it was that I had never witnessed such a tragic and seemingly hopeless situation. As most of us remember, the devastating earthquake rocked the small island nation on January 12, 2010. Over 230,000 of its citizens died, and more than 1,500,000 became homeless in a matter of seconds. It was a tragedy the likes of which the world has not experienced in decades.

The journal entry I wrote set the scene as I was walking along Delmas 31, one of several busy and congested traffic routes in Port-Au-Prince. From the vantage point I had, most of what I saw was nothing more than piles rubble left from collapsed buildings. And considering it was more than 5 months after the quake, I was quickly taken aback by the lack of effort to remove it.

Sure, there were Cash-for-Work teams breaking up the rubble by hand and hauling it off in small, single-axle dump trucks, well… when the trucks were available. The program is a good one, in that it gives local workers an opportunity to help their community without simply being another handout. The sites are managed by Catholic Relief Services, an awesome group completely dedicated to helping others. But this program was nowhere near the answer to a disaster of this magnitude.

So, why am I ranting about Haiti’s plight a year later? It is because nothing has really changed. It is an example of the kind of incompetence the international NGO community displays in situations like these, and this one is keeping Haiti from moving herself into a better situation. If the same thing were happening here in the US, we would be up in arms and demanding action!

Last summer was not my first time in a developing country, nor was it my first time to be amidst the kind of widespread poverty and squalid living conditions like that which exist in Haiti. However, I was not prepared for the indifference displayed by those who had the power to improve conditions, and ultimately the lives of the Haitian people.

Huffington Post recently published an article written by Dr. Mark Schuller which can be read here. The article digs deeply into the current state of Haiti’s rebuilding effort, and explains in part why Haiti cannot get moving along, even in spite of the billions of aid dollars coming to her.

Hopefully, after reading this piece, you will then be able to better understand my frustration with the state of affairs in Haiti, a country populated by some of the most wonderful and resilient people I have ever had the privilege to meet.

----------------------------------

Brent Cole and I leave for Haiti tomorrow morning, more on our project later. My request to you is to just check-in with us from time to time, follow our posts, and keep those good vibes flowing our way. And as always, thank you for being on our team!

Schadenfreude and Gluckschmerz

2011-04-27T00:15:00.005-04:00

How do we feel when someone else gets the short end of the stick? Do we enjoy seeing old Bubba get what’s coming to him? Do we laugh when someone in a different socioeconomic class than ourselves takes a beating, either physically, financially, or emotionally? Well, welcome to the world of schadenfreude.

German speakers might recognize this word as meaning the phenomenon of taking pleasure in another’s suffering. It has no common, English equivalent, though there is one English word, "epicaricacy," which is similar but less luciferous than schadenfreude.

I admit I once thought it was pretty cool when military planes flew over their respective targets and blew the hell out of them, knowing full well there were people dying. Some of my friends tended to get pumped, too, when they saw the guns and bombs raining down on a city thousands of miles away. Of course there are those who get all warm and fuzzy when watching the nightly news of a serial killer being executed. These individuals are all experiencing schadenfreude in its quintessential state.

There is another German word somewhat tangential to schadenfreude, gluckschmerz. Gluckschmerz means the unhappiness one feels due to the success of others. We move from enjoying the suffering of others to the loathsome feelings we have for ourselves when others succeed.

An example of gluckschmerz which comes to mind almost immediately is what I like to call the “beauty queen syndrome.” A pretty girl wins some beauty pageant, and then the BBW cry, “Oh Lord, why can’t I look like her.” They cannot seem to find a way to be happy for the girl who won the most recent meaningless judging criteria pageant, but instead, it makes them unhappy to see the other girl win.

We found it necessary to concoct such words for these phenomena; should we not ask why? Is it some sort of survival mechanism? Did it help our ancestors cope better with the rigors of their environment thereby giving the gene supporting it some sort of preference in its selection? Is it something that is handed down culturally to our offspring? Or, is it a pathological response to certain stimuli and thus an unhealthy reaction on the part of sufferers?

There is surely some middle-ground somewhere between loving it and dreading it, but finding it is another story altogether. Regardless, rather than allowing another’s good or bad fortune to affect our happiness or let it make us sad in the first place, maybe we should direct that energy somewhere else, like finding a way to accept ourselves and others simply for who we are.

Someone once said the English language did not have as much panache as other languages. I would agree with that statement to an extent. But I must admit, English offers the means by which to express ourselves if we are not too slothful to learn it.

As a matter of fact, at this time of the year a lot of us catch ourselves looking to the English language for words to fill the lines of all those heinous assignments coming due for college students around the country. To those who still have some to write, as well as a few who still have some to read, well, I must admit I am feeling a touch of schadenfreude for you.

© 2011 Don Lovell
© 2011 The West Georgian

Social Cyanide

2011-04-15T20:45:00.003-04:00

I was surfing around Facebook the other evening and going through the whole 6 degrees of separation thing. That is where I first go to a page that belongs to one of my friends. Then, I see a post by one of their friends who happens to not be one of my friends. I leave my friends page and then go to my friend’s, friend’s page. Follow me? Anyway, if this goes on a few more times, one could theoretically link everyone on the planet, or at least in this case, everyone on Facebook.

I was on my second level of the 6 degrees thing, and I noticed myself going through a particular individual’s page. I looked at the groups the person belonged to, groups like I Lost My Cell - Need Numbers; I think everyone belongs to that group. I looked at the person’s friends, a few of their 1698 some odd friends. Does anyone really know that many people well enough to call them friends, maybe acquaintances, but friends? I looked at this person’s causes, Save the Seals, 1,000,000 Freaks for Jesus, Don’t Bogart…, and so on.

Then, I went to the pictures. Going through someone’s pictures on Facebook is like going through someone’s closet. It’s just too intimate. I’m looking at this person’s photos from a family birthday party for Grandma, the high school prom pictures, the college photos, and then the party photos. My god... beer bottles, margaritas, clothes coming off. Where does it end?

I’ve never had stalking thought in my life, but what if someone who has some sort of sick demented psychosis starts feeling like they really know the face there on Facebook?

I recently talked to a private eye friend of mine, and he tells me with Facebook everyone’s risk is increased. Identity theft is possible, but stalking is the most serious threat. All someone has to do is start following someone else’s posts and updates. They can discover where that person attends school, where they work, where they party, and of course, where they live.

Several deaths have already been tied to the social sites. Singles are most at risk, but it could also be just as bad if you’re married. There is a chance an employer could see our pictures, and just like the Atlanta woman who got fired because the employer did not feel that she fit the profile of a respectable employee, we could also find ourselves out of a job.

I don’t know if there’s any way to control it. The entire online social scene is too pervasive and entrenched in our collective psyches now, as are instant photos, instant messages, instant news, instant pudding, and instant everything else. Paul Virilio talks about how our culture, not our American culture, but our collective world culture is changing at such an incredibly fast pace that the wheels are about to fly off, and when they do the world will face a technological meltdown.

I have also heard that Facebook is run by the CIA or the Illuminati. (Anyone need to borrow a tin foil hat?) But the fact still remains that if someone wants to know all about us, that individual only needs to do a little searching on Facebook, Google, or the like, and it is all there for the taking.

We can be found. Our friends can be found. A lot of information about everyone can be found online. The problem is that those who are prone to stalk or steal could very well be violent individuals. We need to be careful what we share.

© 2011 Don Lovell
© 2011 The West Georgian

Amerika - Part 2

2011-03-23T22:36:00.002-04:00

I have been through security checkpoints in Europe, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. These areas do not use full body x-ray machines or near physical assault in screening for safety, nor do they need to. They use a simple and non-invasive method of questioning along with type of profiling to flush-out prospective problems.

When one enters the security areas in Kuwait for example, the individual is casually questioned. If the questioning reveals suspicions which demand more screening, the traveler is then screened further.

In some of the most dangerous places on the planet, they do not subject children, the elderly, and the infirmed to inhumane searches. In Middle Eastern countries, they do not remove prosthesis or grope one’s “package.” In most of Europe, they do not subject 15 year old girls and boys to lewd body scanner viewing by government-employed security personnel. Sure, the US has more passenger volume than the Middle East or Europe, but we can overcome challenges if it means keeping our freedoms intact.

These outlandish procedures are unnecessary, and we can adequately protect our citizenry without invading privacy or subjecting ourselves to humiliation by simply following the example of other countries. The problem here lies in the fact that there is a lot of money to be made in the utilization of body scanners. The invasive measures we are facing now have been created not for our safety, but instead, they are the product of greed.

Michael Chertoff is the former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. He was appointed to the post during the Bush administration. This is the same guy that wanted to build a fence along the border we share with Mexico, another absurd use of taxpayer money. But he has some deeply rooted financial interests in airport security measures, and we should look at these.

Chertoff owns a security consulting firm. He is also one of the most virulent supporters of the full body scanner. It might be because he is in the employ of the companies which build them. So, here we have the one time chief of American Homeland Security in bed with the companies who possess the same technology that is currently installed in our airports. See a pattern here? Put the numbers together and one immediately understands why we are losing our liberties.

This seems to be the American way, doesn’t it? Someone gets a position in the government, and when the job is completed, the individual gets a new job selling something back to the government, and to the department where the individual once worked, and where that same individual created a mandate which was implemented during their watch requiring that a product be purchased, the same product in which they now have a vested monetary interest.

Am I the only person who believes this should be illegal? Well, it is not illegal. It’s the way our system works. Is this conduct immoral, unethical, and a perfect example of what is wrong with us? Of course it is. Are we willing to do something about it? I doubt we can, because there is too much money at stake.

The reality is that this type of patent corruption exists throughout our entire system of government, and to change it would literally take an act of Congress, but Congress is playing the same game.

What about legal action? A report was recently released that told us judges say it is not in their best interest to buck the system that pays their salaries. Do not look for the ACLU to help either. Only a few weeks ago, the ACLU was found to be conspiring with the US Department of Justice in dealing with Arizona’s new immigration laws.

Do we have a chance of preserving our liberties? Considering that those employed by our government including our elected representatives have almost completely abandoned the principals which founded this nation, and groups like the ACLU who were once staunch defenders of the Constitution are now committing acts of collusion, the prospects are grim.

What can we do? We can learn. We can study the histories and philosophies that are the nexus of our cherished freedoms. We can secure jobs that count, ones which make a difference in the lives of the people we serve.

We only have a few chances left to return this nation to its professed original luster, but there is always hope. Let’s not lose it.

© 2011 Don Lovell
© 2011 The West Georgian

Blue Moon of Kentucky

2011-03-19T22:39:00.003-04:00

Bluegrass music legend Bill Monroe wrote the song Blue Moon of Kentucky in 1946. 65 years later, an eclectic band of individuals from Georgia arrived at its namesake to look for it, well… at least one of them did. I never saw the celebrated celestial body, but from the information I learned on my trip up until the relaxing ride home, the entire event was magnificent.

There were the inevitable family issues which became minor ordeals, but they were resolved fairly quickly. There were the challenging assignments, those which also seemed to challenge our surroundings at times. But the fact of the matter is that when it was time to leave, and again following my meal at The Colonel’s, I was ready to just turn around and go back to the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky.

One of my favorite experiences was getting to know our chauffeur Gary. He is a noble man, and I feel certain everyone who is truly vested in our experimental class believes this. Gary was looking for someone to have breakfast with the next morning, and I had heard through the grapevine that he was. I was on the lookout for him. He and I caught up with each other Monday evening in the family room of the East Family residence. We decided on a time, and then he headed off to his room for the night. I headed elsewhere, but that story is much too weighty to try and convey in such a brief writing as this and would possibly require being addressed on its own merits. But I digress.

The next morning, Gary and I met outside our quarters and strolled down to the Trustees’ House for a quick meal. The restaurant served biscuits the size of a half dollar and muffins just a tad larger than a quarter, and I suppose it is also worth noting that the meal was not a highlight of the morning. What made this morning special was that we had a chance to talk and visit on the walks to and fro, and an impromptu friendship sprang to life. As I had watched Gary work during the trip, I realized there had never been a safer driver with whom I had ever traveled. We were blessed to have had him in charge of our safety, and now I have a new friend to boot.

Another special time on the trip, though possibly only to me and not those around me, was catching a quick nap in the Kentucky sunshine. Oh yes, stretch me out on a piece of God’s green earth, add a little sunshine, and I will be asleep in less time than it takes to skin a rabbit, as they say in Butcher Holler. So it was when I disturbed the meditation period in which those who were with me were participating. The consensus of the family seemed to be amusement, but I must admit that I was a tad embarrassed for inadvertently snoring as I drifted away from my cares. I simply could not hold myself back from enjoying the beautiful setting, perfect temperature, seemingly slowed time, and caring family who encircled me, so at peace that I dosed right off and began my cadence.

Maybe more than anyone else in our group, I understood the enormous amount of labor and materials it had taken to build the structures at Pleasant Hill. I also knew that maintaining it for posterity’s sake was neither an easy nor an inexpensive endeavor. I hope my Shaker kindred can read from the great beyond, because I wrote them a note thanking them for creating the space I so thoroughly enjoyed. I wanted them to know how impressed I was by their efforts to build a version of heaven on earth. Were I to try and create my own, I would mold it to reflect some of Pleasant Hill’s vision.

When one is able to integrate education and friendship into a common thread, it is possible to weave a beautiful tapestry from it, such as one to be cherished for a lifetime by all who were part of its creation. Experiences like the one I enjoyed at Pleasant Hill come so seldomly that we can easily miss them, especially if we fail to remain vigilant. Fortunately for me, I was looking for a unique experience when this one came to my attention. On this trip I set out to see, feel, and hear that which the Shakers sensed, and I did, even if only in a small way.

The next bus headed for Pleasant Hill leaves at what time?

© Don Lovell 2011

Amerika – Part 1

2011-03-17T17:23:00.001-04:00

I was talking with a friend of mine a few days ago who lives and works in Caracas, Venezuela. He tells me that he has more freedom and better opportunities there than we do here. Is that hard to believe? It might be, but things sure seem to be getting out of hand here in the land of the free and the home of the brave. How free are we? Just how good is it here?

Well, this week and next we will take a look at a situation where our government is taking away one of our most fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. It is absolutely unbelievable, because it strips us not only of our rights, but of our dignity.

In the wake of 9/11 our government began to implement new security measures at the nation’s airports. At one time security personnel were even confiscating fingernail clippers, yet policies like that changed. We now comply with the 3 ounce toiletry rule and the clear zip lock bag that hold trial sized containers, but I can dash into a Walgreen’s in any town and pick up a stick of deodorant. So, it really is no big deal. As for packing scissors in my carry-on, since my last pair was confiscated in the ATL a few years after twin towers, I just leave them at home.

A lot of things have changed since the 9/11 attacks. We now have the Patriot Act legislation (to possibly be renewed this year) that allows our government to snoop on us and to do so without probable cause. We have the continuing effort by the federal government to require all of us to carry a National ID card. There are the continuing prejudices against people of the Islamic faith. Actually, one does not even have to be Muslim to be looked upon with suspicion; just ask some of my friends from Bangladesh. But I digress.

The most pressing civil liberty issue in the country today is with the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA). Under the direction of The Department of Homeland Security the TSA has been responsible for the most callous infringement of our Fourth Amendment rights protecting us against illegal search and seizure. If one has the need to fly and has not yet experienced the new security procedures, there is a big surprise waiting at your local airport, and yes, be sure that rail and bus travel will soon follow.

At many airports, we now have two choices when dealing with security. First, we can choose to be screened by full-body x-ray scanners. The aptly named “porno-scanners” expose us to unknown radiation risks, and TSA agents can even “adjust the intensity” of the scan. These contraptions project semi-nude pictures of the human body on to a view screen, ones that TSA officials can keep in their files.

Our second choice is what the TSA calls an “enhanced physical pat-down." Essentially, we are groped by strangers. If we choose to submit to this procedure, one’s entire body will be patted down and the genital area will be checked. In a few reported cases, breasts have actually been completely exposed for other passengers to see. We also have documented reports which include prosthetic devices being removed from bras.

Special education teacher Thomas Sawyer, a bladder cancer survivor, wears a urostomy bag. This is a bag that collects urine through an opening in the abdomen. Thanks to the ignorance and callousness of the TSA agents performing his screening, they managed to rupture Sawyer’s seal causing urine to spill all over him and his clothes. The agents did not offer an apology, nor did they help provide Sawyer a way of cleaning himself up.

Sawyer told The Christian Science Monitor, “I am a good American and I want safety for all passengers as much as the next person. But if this country is going to sacrifice treating people like human beings in the name of safety, then we have already lost the war.” He’s right; we have lost it.

This all sounds insane, doesn’t it? But Sawyer is only one of thousands who have been humiliated and made to forego their own self-respect in the name of passenger safety. The fact is, however, that these policies do not make us any safer, but they definitely do some others things, as we shall see next week.

© 2011 Don Lovell
© 2011 The West Georgian

GM - Not Just a Car

2011-02-23T21:40:00.001-05:00

Got Milk? Did we check to see if ours contains rBGH, better known as “Bovine Growth Hormone? Ate a Snickers bar lately? Those yummy peanuts covered with all that delicious nougat have been genetically modified to protect them from pesticides; they’re what their creators call “Roundup Ready.” How about fried salmon patties? The FDA may soon approve genetically modified salmon that are almost twice the size of the species found in the wild and grow to that size in half the time.

Let’s not forget our favorite aves either. KFC and Mickey D’s have been hiding this little tidbit of information. Genetically selected chickens which are fed genetically modified food containing growth additives go from hatchling to roughly six pounds in 42 days. If we grew that fast, we would weigh 345 pounds by the time we were two years old!

Genetically modified (GM) foods provide fantastic yields for growers. They are highly resistant to both disease and pests alike. Genetically selective breeding of food animals gives us astounding rates of growth, too. Both make our little tummies happy. But what might be the real cost from this manipulation of Mother Nature?

Humans have been genetically modifying foods for centuries. Livestock which grew bigger and stronger were selected for breeding, in order to provide more robust offspring. Seeds from cereals and other crops that grew heartier and produced better yields were selected for replanting. But what is happening today is much more sinister and might even cause catastrophic effects to our health and our environment.

We are now extracting the genetic material from one species and inserting it into another, different species. The trouble with all of this advancement is that we do not really know if the resulting produce is safe for human consumption. Just because something is said to show no scientific evidence of harm does not mean that it is safe to eat.

Another problem with GM foods is the effect they have on our environment. Cornell University published findings that the Monarch Butterfly is threatened by GM maize (corn) pollen. Researchers found that 50% of the Monarchs died when exposed to the pollen of GM maize, and the other half grew to only 50% of their normal size. The problem lies not only in the fact that the pollen showed a detrimental effect to butterflies, but rather, since pollen can travel vast distances, non-GM crops could easily be contaminated by genetically modified pollen and possibly threaten many other insect populations.

Dr. Jonas Salk, the medical researcher and virologist credited with the discovery and development of the polio vaccine warned us that if the insects were to disappear, within 50 years all life on Earth would end. The question is, then, how will these Frankenstein foods affect our world? The truth is… no one knows! We are now experimenting not in a laboratory, but in our own environment, one heavily dependent on the interconnectedness of all life. Without more research we will never know what hit us if the system becomes pathological.

70% of processed food contains ingredients derived from GM crops, and labeling loopholes mean that almost none of it is disclosed. Are we willing to trust corporations like Monsanto and Archer Daniels Midland with protecting our planet’s ecosystem, or for that matter, with our own health and safety, when we know that the objective of these companies is to maximize profits regardless of all other considerations? (Business ethics is an oxymoron of the first degree. Read the Ford “Pinto” Memo or about the Bhopal Disaster for examples of applied business ethics.)

We are in a seriously precarious situation today. We are consuming foods that have not been thoroughly tested for their health effects on people or the environmental effects to our planet. We have a government that will certainly not address the issue, because those who are charged to protect us are indebted to the companies which produce these genetically modified foods. Furthermore, we have an economic system that seemingly always places profits before people. So, what do we do if those whose job it is to protect us are too busy lining their pockets?

We must become involved in the fight for food safety. The Center for Food Safety, Food & Water Watch, and Friends of the Earth each has good information and ways we can get involved. They all have a presence on the social networks, too.
It really is up to us to save ourselves.

© 2011 Don Lovell
© 2011 The West Georgian

No Such Thing

2011-02-20T20:17:00.002-05:00

The last line of the Flintstones theme song is, “We’ll have a gay old time!” Let’s face it, gay just does not come to mind as synonym for merry these days. There is also the phrase “She’s the bee’s knees.” It once meant that the object of the statement was probably smokin’ hot. Now, it sounds more like some sort of genetic experiment gone awry.

One I always thought really strange was “Cool beans.” Did a customer at a French bistro shout out “Cool beans!” to the chef thinking the green beans should have cooked a bit longer before they were served? “The best thing since sliced bread;” now, this is my favorite. Actually, most of the bread on the market today is sliced. We’ve had the technology for a few years. Who says sliced bread really the best anyway? I kind of like tearing a big hunk of sourdough right off the loaf. We may never know the ugly truth behind these spellbinding and mysterious phrases entrenched so deeply in our vernacular, but some of them are pretty darn funny.

However, there is one particular phrase at which we should not be laughing. The phrase "illegitimate child" is one I never want to hear again. It should be purged from our vocabulary, banished forever to the depths of linguistic hell. The expression infers that one child is somehow worth less than another, as well as a suspiciously curious contradiction of terms.

How could any child be illegitimate? If the child is breathing, crying, eating, and going through a package of Pampers each week, chances are pretty good that he or she is about as legitimate as any human being can be. Furthermore, who saddled us with the edict that it is wrong to have a child out of marriage? Organized religion did, of course. Even if it was wrong, though I have yet to be convinced it is, why would the child be saddled with the blame?

I have heard the comment that there are no illegitimate children only illegitimate parents, but that is just another fallacy, too. How can parents be illegitimate? They either create a child, or they do not. Or did I miss something in Biology of Human Reproduction 1011?

I have often wondered who in our past decided to call a child illegitimate. Did it originate with a physician who needed an adjective to describe the child’s lineage on his or her medical chart? Was it a social worker who had to make sure the system knew the child’s parents were unmarried? Was it a preacher who felt let by the spirit to describe to his congregation how certain sins result in children born out of wedlock, and that children conceived in this manner are not as legitimate as those born to church wed parents? One thing is for certain; whoever tagged the first child with the label illegitimate should have found better word, because illegitimate children have never existed.

If we are indeed using this phrase to describe a child that is born out of the holy bonds of matrimony, well then my dear and faithful reader, I fit that prejudicial and repugnant description. My biological mother was unmarried when she became pregnant with me, and remained so for years after I was born. Am I illegitimate? I don’t feel illegitimate, and I certainly don’t think I radiate illegitimacy.

I actually feel quite superior at times, and I don’t mind showing it, especially with people who use phrases like the one in question to oppress me and others like me or to shackle us to some insular moral agenda. I feel about as normal as any of my classmates. For those who know me, I think they would agree that I’m what most would consider plain vanilla normal and boringly legitimate.

Labeling a child illegitimate is offensive, just as certain other words are to my African-American, Asian, Latino, Indian or other “ethnic” brothers and sisters. There is nothing illegitimate about any of us, regardless of our birth or parenting histories. There is only the miracle of life, the one which we all share.

The next question is, then, how do we move beyond the use of such bigoted and derogatory labels? One way is to acknowledge the inherent worth of each and every person. Another way is to actually think before we speak.

Think before speaking… now that’s a novel thought, isn’t it?

© 2011 Don Lovell
© 2011 The West Georgian

I ♥ You

2011-02-11T15:16:00.006-05:00

It happened this morning after I got out of bed, just before I started my ritual of washing, brushing, applying, and zipping, all those things we do in the morning before we walk out the door to meet the world. It’s that time of day when many of us sit down in front of a computer screen, sometimes still in our boxers or PJs to check and see if the myUWG email portal is working or not, dropping in on Course Den, or just finding out what is going on around the world.

I was looking over a news blog that I read every morning. It is a great site. It helps keep me up to date with the war on terror, the war on drugs, the war on poverty, and even the war for our minds. I can check on the latest celebrity to go into drug rehab. The scores from the previous night’s NCAA BBall game are posted, and there’s always an interesting news story. One such story this morning was about Valentine’s Day candy.

It seems as though a 12-year-old California girl found something special in her bag of Conversation Hearts this year. The Brach’s brand heart shaped candy has sayings like “UR FINE,” “HUG ME,” or “BE MINE” printed on them. But it just so happened that this girl found one in her bag that read “NICE ----,” a not so nice reference to women’s breasts. Granted, for most of us here at school, it would have given us a big laugh, then we would have eaten the candy and forgotten about it, but this story made the newswires.

Well, I was curious enough that it motivated me to do some investigative reporting, a little confectionery sleuthing concerning this misplaced candy complement, one obviously targeted for a more mature audience. I believe I solved the mystery, too.

Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. in Minnesota owns and manufactures the brand name Brach’s, as well as Trolli, Now & Later, Super Bubble, and other candies. But what was really interesting was when Farley’s & Sathers “Purchase Online” link sent me to CandyFavorites.com. This company offered a product called Conversation Hearts Risqué, and curiously enough they had just been discontinued. The product description reads, “Shocking Delicious Conversation Hearts with Risqué Messages.” They are packaged in the same size and style box as Brach’s hearts, and have the same basic brand name, Conversation Hearts.

A quick check on this product and I discovered that it is licensed to Candyprints.com, a company that specializes in adult party treats, including Conversation Hearts Risqué and Conversation Hearts X-Rated, both of which can be purchased in boxes, as well as in heat sealed bags, the kind produced in state of the art factories and not by some small, online retailer.

After jumping through a few more hoops and a covertly placed phone call, I believe I solved the vulgar Valentine riddle. Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. also manufactures a line of adult themed candies through a special contract sales program. This sideline business of Farley’s & Sathers helps to keep the candy heart production line running and generating sales all year long, rather than only during the Valentine’s Day season.

Imagine a machine that dispenses little candy hearts into boxes or bags that has a small recess inside one of the dispensing chutes. During a production run of the hearts intended for adult party animals, one gets lodged in this recess. When the regular Valentine’s Day production begins, those intended for kids of all ages, that same heart is jostled loose and winds up in a bag headed for a dollar store in California. The bag is then purchased by the parents of a 12-year-old girl who later finds the evocatively labeled treat.

So, it looks as though Farley’s & Sathers will obviously have to implement stricter quality control measures in order to prevent this type of bawdy incident from happening again.

As for the rest of us, if we have a little brother, sister, niece, or nephew, we will have to be extra careful what kind of Valentine candy we give them this year. Even the stuff bought at the dollar store might not be suitable for kids any more, or maybe even for some adults!

Just think of the massive hysteria that would have erupted if the message on the heart had read “LET’S ----”

© 2011 Don Lovell
© 2011 The West Georgian

FIRE!

2011-01-12T19:13:00.003-05:00

The rhetoric is bitterly divisive. The voices are excruciatingly loud. The politicians and media personalities are drawing lines in the proverbial sand. They are blaming everyone, everyone except themselves.

“It’s not our fault! We didn’t pull the trigger! We have a Constitutional right to express our opinions! It’s the conservatives! It’s the liberals!”

Six people died in the Arizona shootings, Judge John Roll, 9 year old Christina Green, and four others who the media giants apparently do not deem important enough to name in most of their reports, but I do, and I will. Gabe Zimmerman, 30, former social worker and Giffords staffer; Dorwan Stoddard, 76, Church of Christ pastor; Dorothy Morris, 76, homemaker and retired secretary, and Phyllis Schneck, 79, homemaker and church volunteer were also killed.

Representative Gabrielle Giffords survived, and thankfully we are receiving reports that even though she is still in critical condition, she is responsive, and her prognosis for recovery is good. The outpouring of support for her has been phenomenal, and we can only trust she will be up and about, taking care of the people’s business.

Why did this happen? What motivated Jared Lee Loughner to walk into a peaceful political assembly and begin shooting? We know very little about Loughner, but we suspect he is a deranged psychopath, one who had contacted Giffords before.

But if the shooter is simply a mentally disturbed individual and not a political extremist, why the nasty finger pointing by politicians and political media hacks whose voices we seem to hear everywhere, the ones telling us how we should think? Why are the individuals who have been ratcheting up the political hate-speech over the past few years suddenly rushing forward and telling us the shooting is not their fault? Is it the reaction of a guilty conscience, or is it simply an effort to cover their backsides?

True, we all are entitled to our opinions, and we are constitutionally guaranteed free speech. But when someone yells “Fire!” in a crowded theater, there had damn well better be a fire, and if there is no fire, someone has moved beyond that which is acceptable as free speech. It is becoming quite obvious that our culture has now moved beyond that point.

Our politicians talk about “targeting” opponents or getting them in their “sights,” and we cheer with approval. We put “crosshairs” over the faces of those we want to see defeated in political races, as Sarah Palin did on her SarahPac campaign ads, including the one “aimed” at Rep. Giffords. (Incidentally, Palin removed the graphic from her website immediately following the shootings; this was after a Palin staffer stated they were not crosshairs but surveyor's marks!) Then, there was the insidious Palin ad saying “Don’t Retreat - Reload!”

That’s not all. Nevada Republican Sharron Angle recommended using “Second Amendment remedies” to gain political control. Rep. Giffords’ Tea Party opponent in the recent House race asked his supporters to join him and “Get on Target for Victory in November. Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office. Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly.”

As Whoopie Goldberg said on The View, this is the same type of vitriolic language that whipped crowds into a frenzy and incited them to lynch people. Are we willing to continue supporting candidates or media personalities who insinuate that violence is an acceptable way to effect political change? If we are, where does that lead us, not only as a nation, but as individuals? Could we become killers, too?

This is not a right-wing or left-wing problem. This is not a radio or television talk-show problem. For that matter, this is not even a politician's problem. This is our problem. We are responsible for the violence we see around us. Insane persons like Loughner will always be with us, but some of the blame for the deaths and injuries in Arizona fall upon us all.

We have created a culture that breeds violence. We continually feed our rapacious appetite for violent entertainment. We teach our students an ethos of dog-eat-dog. We blithely accept the exorbitant amount of financial resources our military consumes, because we love guns and bombs. And then we wonder how something like this tragedy could happen.

The blood is on our hands. Until we are willing to accept responsibility for the actions of the culture we have created and become brave enough to change it, the bloodshed will never cease.

© 2011 Don Lovell
© 2011 The West Georgian

Why Do We Fight?

2010-10-30T14:38:00.006-04:00

Why do we fight? Why do we continue to expand our military presence around the globe? Why do we invade sovereign nations like Iraq and Afghanistan? Why do we have forces stationed in areas where there is no threat to America? Follow the money. If profits are to be made from war, rest assured America will be making them.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower knew about war, having served as the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II. He warned us as he was leaving office in 1961 of a threat to our way of life. The military industrial complex, as he called it, is the combination of a massive military establishment and the corporations who furnish the tools of war. Eisenhower said that such a combination was new to the American experience, and though required during the Cold War era, left unchecked it would endanger our liberties and the democratic process.

A costly and over-extended military was one reason for the fall of the Roman Empire. It looks as though the same may be happening to us. According to Chalmers Johnson, we were operating 737 military bases in other countries in 2005. We spend more than 3 times the amount that China and Russia combined spend on their militaries. For fiscal year 2010 the United States will spend 58 percent of its discretionary budget on the military. As a comparison, primary and secondary education budgets will receive 4 percent in 2010.

Defense spending remains unchecked, and sadly, we no longer care. Almost half of us do not even vote, having turned out less than 57% in the 2008 presidential election. Of course we need a strong defense, but this is not about that. This is about money.

We went to war in Iraq based on President Bush’s claim that Saddam was somehow involved with 9/11, and the blatant lie that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Bush, Cheney, and Rice tricked us, and the US Congress failed us by authorizing the war based on falsified intelligence claims and pressure from the White House. The reason seems obvious now that the move was to control Iraq’s oil, and allow the individuals who supply the tools of war to profit immensely.

The escalation of operations in Afghanistan is another example of how out of touch we are as a nation. The Taliban rebels are estimated to number no more than 25,000. CIA director Leon Panetta reports that there are only 50 to 100 Al Qaeda operatives left in the country. Allied troops already outnumber the Taliban 12 to 1. Yet, we need to send more soldiers?

The Afghanistan war is not about the spread of democracy or protection from terrorists. It is, instead, about gaining control of the estimated $1 trillion worth of its natural resources, and of course, for pumping billions of dollars into the coffers of US defense contractors. The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan tells us that conditions for women and children are actually worse since we invaded Afghanistan more than nine years ago. The rhetoric of spreading democracy is proving to not be true.

Why should we be concerned? We are sacrificing the lives of our loved ones to line the pockets of the profiteers. My heart goes out to the families who lost family and friends in these wars. I recently lost family in Afghanistan, too. These brave citizens volunteered to serve their country and have served it honorably. But something here has gone terribly wrong. We have become that which we denounce.

The US attitude toward human rights and killing is becoming cavalier, just like it did to the Romans. The evidence is clear, as in the recently leaked footage where in 2007 US troops killed 12 civilians and maimed two children in Iraq, all the while laughing and seemingly making a sport out of the entire slaughter. We claim to be above than this type of sadistic behavior, but the same lack of reverence for life reared its ugly head at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, too.

The propaganda is thick when it comes to why we fight. The makers of war have convinced us that a permanent state of war is the new peace. Regretfully, Eisenhower was right. The war machine is jeopardizing the stability of our republic. The Roman’s made the journey, and unless we take back the reins of our government, the United States will follow the same path to ruin.

© 2010 Don Lovell
© 2010 The West Georgian

Zero Tolerence = Zero Common Sense

2010-10-15T01:00:00.001-04:00

In an effort to solve some of the problems in our public schools or at least make them a bit safer to attend, we now have Zero Tolerance policies in Georgia and around the country. Parents and students alike find many of the rules ridiculous. The following instances made me laugh, but they also help to reinforce the belief that our government is still treating the symptoms of violence and not the causes. Here are just a few examples of our system gone awry.

A 12-year-old in El Paso, Texas stuck his tongue out at a girl who rejected his invitation to be his girlfriend. The school administrators called it “sexual harassment” and suspended the boy for three days.

A first grader in Youngstown, Ohio was suspended for ten days for bringing a plastic knife home from the cafeteria. He wanted to show his mother that he had learned how to spread peanut butter on a slice of bread.

A third grader in Mobile, Alabama was suspended for five days after being turned-in for taking a purple pill. No, it wasn’t Ecstasy, LSD, or an opiate. It was a multivitamin he takes with his lunch every day. Now, after all of this drama he will probably need Xanax.

Kindergartners are not immune from the keen eye of school administrators either. In Sayreville, New Jersey four of the little tykes were suspended for playing a game of cops and robbers during recess. Apparently, making believe one’s finger is a gun is tantamount to actually possessing one.

In Haverstraw, New York a 14-year-old student government member, former altar boy, and proud Catholic was suspended for wearing rosary beads. The principal claimed that the beads could be used to show gang affiliation. I’m not sure what kind of gang the principal was thinking about, maybe a bunch of thugs attending a praise and worship service?

A few weeks ago and a lot closer to home, Ashley Smith, an 11-year-old middle school student in Cobb County was suspended for ten days after it was discovered that she was in possession of a weapon. This was no ordinary weapon either. Little Ashley was brandishing a chain. The dangerous 2” chain was the same one that attached her Tweety Bird key ring to her Tweety Bird wallet. The ACLU is now representing the poor little deviant, but hopefully the Cobb County school system will prevail in keeping these sorts of heinous weapons out of its hallowed halls of academia.

Actually, it is not funny, ridiculous for sure, but definitely not funny. Ashley Smith may very well need psychological counseling because of the abuse inflicted on her by the Cobb County school system. She might also be saddled with a record of the so-called offense that will scar her for life. I hope not. I hope her case brings the school board to its senses.

What is ironic about Smith’s case is that Governor Purdue signed Senate Bill 299 on May 25 of this year. The “Zero Out Zero Tolerance” bill was intended to help mitigate abuses caused by the enforcement of overly stringent discipline policies in Georgia’s schools. The measure gives local school systems and local judges more discretion in dealing with Zero Tolerance cases.

The Tweety Bird caper actually occurred after the state measure was signed into law. However, Cobb County has its own Zero Tolerance policy, and therein lays the problem. Is Cobb County particularly frightened of its middle school students, especially ones with cartoon characters pictured on their fashion accessories? Why else would it expel a little girl for a 2” toy keychain when the laws mandating such a ridiculous punishment had been legally changed to reflect a more contextual framework, that being one of intent?

I would venture a guess that Cobb County is behaving like this because its middle to upper-middle class residents are pressuring school administrators to get tough in the schools. We know this type of rhetoric really translates into getting tough on poor kids, but it backfired. It has instead subjected all of Cobb’s children to cruel and oppressive regulations.

There are deeply rooted social and political issues at work in these miscarriages of justice. But maybe if we stop running our schools like prisons and treating our kids like criminals, we might see our public schools flourish again. If not, I am sure we will continue to see unfair, reactionary policies from school administrators who obviously have no common sense.

© 2010 Don Lovell
© 2010 The West Georgian

The Butterfly Effect

2010-10-08T21:22:00.001-04:00

A beautiful yellow and black butterfly flaps its wings in a freshly thinned Georgia pine forest. The tiny change in the atmosphere produced by the flapping multiplies exponentially until it creates enough disturbances to alter the trajectory of a F5 tornado in rural southwest Oklahoma. The tornado violently rips through a small farming town killing 19 people, and it did because a butterfly flapped its wings.

The scenario is one based on a central tenet of chaos theory. The Butterfly Effect is when seemingly insignificant changes in conditions at the onset of an event produce dramatic differences in the resulting outcome.

What about us? Do our own trivial and harmless actions create lasting and dramatic effects? Case in point: A student who is socially awkward wants to enjoy his college experience, but the other students in his dorm ridicule and reject him. The young man turns to drugs and alcohol to ease the pain of being ostracized. Later in life he walks into an elementary school cafeteria with a gun, and we all know what happens next. Another case: An international student from a predominantly Muslim country is relentlessly mocked, all because she wants to honor her family’s religious tradition by wearing a hijab. Her intent was to return to her country after completing medical school and provide more than palliative care for her impoverished people. Instead, she becomes jaded by the cruelty. She returns home without ever realizing her dream, and her people continue to suffer.

Dr. King said he dreamt that one day his children would “Live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Do we share his dream? Did we ever believe it was really obtainable? Do we see others through eyes of compassion or through a lens of prejudice? Were we are forced to stand and defend our beliefs, would they hold together because they are bonded with truth and justice, or instead unravel because they are laced with intolerance and bigotry? Do we even care enough to consider our answers?

No long ago, I had the opportunity to come face to face with someone affected by my actions. A few years earlier, I was introduced to a man who wanted to take his GED exam. The friend who introduced us asked if I would help him reach his goal. We worked through the study manual. I cannot even begin to explain how difficult it was to help bring someone from an essentially primary level math and reading competency to a level of reasoning that can garner a GED. It was tough. But a few months ago I saw the man. He now works as a supervisor in a manufacturing plant. Between his salary and his wife’s, they earn enough to support their family quite nicely. Without his GED he might never have been hired. When I was asked to help, what if I had said no?

Gandhi said “Be the change in the world you want to see.” I’m sure many of my readers give back to the community. There are many opportunities right here in Carrollton, as well. Last week we published an article about the opportunities at Carrollton’s branch of the Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta. The Carroll County schools need mentors and its after-school programs are looking for assistants, too. Even the medical center has volunteer opportunities. One’s place of worship is a great place to also get involved.

We only need to be pro-active, to use a catchphrase from back in the day in order to find a way to help others. We might be surprised of the rewarding opportunities that are available if we simply take the initiative to be a agent of change.

It is impossible to judge how every action we take will affect those around us. We may never know if our actions have helped or hurt someone. But one thing is certain. If we do not at least try to better understand one another and be willing to lend a compassionate hand, we will suffer the inevitable repercussions. Because in the end, no matter how small or insignificant I believe my actions may be, what I do today has lasting and irreversible consequences tomorrow. I hope we all remember that every time we see a butterfly flapping its wings.

© 2010 Don Lovell
© 2010 The West Georgian

Literacy for a Dollar

2010-09-15T15:52:00.001-04:00

I was bored yesterday and felt like doing something exciting. Spending money seemed exciting, so I headed over to the neighborhood dollar store. I buy lots of stuff I don't need, and this was one of those times I thought it fitting to do so. Maybe it’s a type of neurosis, especially considering I already have more stuff than I know what to do with. But I imagine that I’m not the only one at UWG who suffers this malady. On with the tale…

The scented candles were $3 for the 11oz and $5 for the 24oz. I decided I should probably go with a big candle, after all, size matters, right? As I’m standing there allowing my olfactory glands to absorb the various scent concoctions like Banana Nut Bread, Vanilla Cupcake, and one called Pineapple-Cilantro that smelled like a Hawaiian burrito, I began to eavesdrop on a conversation nearby.

When I first walked into the store, I noticed a buggy full of summer close-out items. There was a plastic kid’s chair, a little hibachi, a badminton set, and some other, outdoor summer stuff. The sign on the buggy read: $1.00 Donation. Now, this didn't strike me as too unusual. It seems as though everyone is raising money for a good cause these days, and why wouldn’t the dollar store be doing its part, too? But as I continue to listen, I realized the importance of this particular conversation.

"Where does the money for the stuff in the buggy go?" asked a shopper.
"It's for literacy," the clerk replied.
The shopper asked, "What's literacy?"

I almost dropped the Fannie's Famous Fried Apple Fritter candle I was enjoying. I wanted so badly to shout back "EXACTLY!" It was all I could do to bite my tongue. I could have displayed my witty prowess and extensive vocabulary. Or, rather, I could have made some snide but veiled remark that the shopper would have never caught, especially considering that the word literacy didn’t register with him. But I kept my cool, and I didn’t insult him. Later that afternoon though, I realized just how profoundly the shopper’s question had affected me.

I’ve put a lot of effort into my education, not to mention a substantial sum of money. But it struck me that learning is not simply a concerted effort or a monetary investment, but, rather, it really is a labor of love. I try to keep up with my classes. I try to keep up with the abundance of assigned reading I seem to be blessed with lately. I also try to learn a new word each day. And no, not Spanish curse words either, but words like mollify which means to soothe, or rapine which means to plunder. It helps me to be a better writer and a better communicator. Not to mention, I find it satisfying to know that my day has been productive, and I can often gain that satisfaction by discovering a new piece of information.

The lesson here, if I may be so bold as to offer one, is that we should never become too complacent in the development of our minds. Our bodies, our environment, and our relationships respond in direct proportion to the complexity of our thoughts and our understanding of the world around us. What we think, we become. What we understand, we can help to improve. In being able to actively build on the cognitive foundation nature provided us, our brains become a type of evolution we can experience in the here and now.

As we go through multiple years of school, we will have absorbed a plethora of information, some of it utterly useless and some of it wonderfully priceless, the latter being that which will help us in our chosen fields of service. The amount of information we absorb also affects how much money we can earn and determines how far up corporate or political ladders we climb. However, taking the time to learn is not only a way to excel professionally, but it’s also the way we improve our society, an improvement on which I’m sure we can all agree is desperately needed.

Now, thanks to some scented candles and a little old fashioned nosiness, I have a vivid and unforgettable experience that reminds me of a profound paradox – When it comes to my mind, if I don’t use it, I’ll lose it.

© 2010 Don Lovell
© 2010 The West Georgian

9-11 Remix

2010-09-11T16:07:00.003-04:00

It is estimated that approximately 58 non-conspiratorial Muslims died in the 9-11 World Trade Center attacks. These people were not part of the nefarious plot nor were they on a quest for virgins or eternal glory. They were either in the twin towers earning a living to help support their families or passengers in the planes. For that reason alone, how could it possibly be disrespectful to the victims of 9-11 in building an Islamic cultural center two blocks from Ground Zero, when those who are now being denied their property rights lost members of their own community in the attacks?

As the blood rushes to the heads of those who suffer from a certain type of nationalistic fanaticism, let me describe an incident that happened last week. We were discussing this issue at school when one of my co-majors suddenly blurts out, “Islam IS a violent religion!” I began laughing, but then it hit me. The individual was verbalizing the same attitude of intolerance and privilege that permeates the mostly white, Christian, European-American culture. There is another issue at play, too. My co-major’s statement demonstrates a certain type of historical amnesia.

Islam does indeed have violent factions. Almost every religion that has existed throughout history has had its share of extremists. Take Christianity as an example. According to D. H. Ubelaker, an anthropologist with the Smithsonian Museum, an estimated 73% of the American Indians alive at the time of conquests, possibly upwards of 1,400,000 were killed by those who claimed the Americas for Christ. A God-given right to own “non-humans” was cited as justification for the American slave-trade, and according to Seymour Drescher, 4,000,000 Africans died "as a direct result of enslavement." Furthermore, in The War Between the States, lest we ever ferget, 620,000 of our own countrymen were slaughtered and all while both sides claiming Christ’s providence. The Inquisition, the Crusades, and even the Viet Nam Conflict had the branding of Christ stamped all over them.

To say Islam is a violent religion is tantamount to saying Christianity is a religion of peace. Both statements are patently false. Religion is in and of itself neither violent nor peaceful. Its individual followers determine how a particular sect within a specific system of faith behaves. As an example of this illogicality, the Jewish deity Yahweh, the Christian deity God, and the Islamic deity Allah are one in the same. Does that come as a surprise? The only differences are the languages, Hebrew, English, and Arabic. Therefore, one could make an argument that if Allah is encouraging his followers to violently besiege America, then God and Yahweh might be in support of it, too. I know it’s confusing. It usually is when religion is cited as the justification for political actions. But humans created this paradox, not the gods.

We fail to consider details when the hair on the back of our necks begins to rise. We are too busy drawing nationalistic and religious lines in the sand to look into the subtleties of the issues at play. It’s a battle of ideologies. And since it’s not profitable for the media houses to explain these intricacies, we are left to understand the complex dynamics involved in globally polarizing issues via our own due diligence. The trouble is that most people never do their research and choose instead to simply follow the herd.

The only reason to deny a religious group the right to build something like our example here is intolerance and ignorance. Sadly, many in America seem to have been blessed with an abundance of both. Furthermore, private property ownership is a bedrock value of American society. So when a particular group is denied the right to exercise a freedom guaranteed by our laws, we are building a prison and consenting to lock ourselves up inside it. Then who wins? Why the terrorists do, of course.

9-11 was not an attack on the United States by Islam. It was an attack on the United States by religious extremists who claimed the Islamic faith as justification for their heinous acts. Once we accept the dichotomy of this truth, stop drinking the war machine’s Kool-Aid, and stop picking scabs off old wounds we might experience some semblance of healing. In so doing, we can focus on finding answers to questions that still plague our world, and be able to improve the plight of our race, the human race.

© 2010 Don Lovell
© 2010 The West Georgian

Shave Yo' Legs

2010-09-02T15:48:00.001-04:00

I was catching-up on homework last night for one of those classes in which I always seem to be behind. Though I usually listen to our very own WOLF, last night I was streaming the blues from 1.FM. A tune by Keb Mo began playing. The hook is “Go ahead be wild and free, you don’t have to shave yo’ legs for me.” It’s one of those songs in which it’s easy to get lost. Google the lyrics; granted, it’s not Tennyson, and more than likely no one will get an A in freshman English by writing a paper about it, but it’s poetry to me all the same.

In America it’s a hygienic faux pas for women to go too long without the blade. In Europe and other parts of the world, people care less about a little fuzz. Besides, it’s kind of a double standard, isn’t it? I mean, it’s really not fair to the ladies. Most guys except for bodybuilders and swimmers never consider shaving their legs, but women pull out their razor every couple of days and go to it. Add that to the fact that American females also feel it necessary to shave under their arms, and that’s one or two hours of preening that could be better spent on more productive activities, important stuff like texting or napping.

Maybe it’s a conspiracy, one crafted by Gillette so women will continue buying those pink disposable razors. Or worse, it’s the blatant oppression of women by a patriarchal society. But think about it, what would happen if women actually stopped buying pink disposable razors? The pink razor factories would close. The companies that produce the pink plastic and the stainless steel for the blades would go bankrupt. The entire pink razor industry would collapse. Thousands of people would lose their jobs, and worse, women couldn’t shave!

Well now… there’s nothing I like better than a good conspiracy theory, or for that matter exploring the subjugation of women, but I’m chasin’ rabbits. Let’s talk about the latent theme running throughout Keb’s song, that being the one of sex. I know it’s an obscure topic, but stay with me a bit longer.

The pleasure in sex was an evolutionary solution to a biological problem. Our species has a primal and innate desire to survive. So, in order to facilitate such survival, nature provided us with an incentive; it made sex insanely fun. The result is that Homo sapiens have not only evolved an efficient process of producing offspring, but they have discovered a way of entertaining themselves at the same time. Sex reduces stress, releases opiate-like feel-good neurotransmitters (endorphins), and promotes a sense of well-being that lasts for more than 24 hours. That being the case, I imagine a good prescription would be to have sex at least once a day. Sounds about right, doesn’t it?

Science notwithstanding, sex is either an amazingly beautiful experience or blight on humanity that will send its unmarried and same-sex participants eternally to hell. Well, I don’t believe anyone is about to be divinely disciplined for acting on their biological programming, and since I’m not shackled to any particular religious dogma, or God forbid sworn to a vow of chastity, I’m free to enjoy sex, too. However, if my reader believes sex is just downright naughty and that we shouldn’t discuss it, take pleasure in it, or much less openly celebrate it, I’ll be sure to pray for you.

There’s nothing like a good innuendo. The hook in Shave Yo’ Legs suggests that if I’m about to take the plunge, I don’t care if I get a little roughed-up by the one I love. Heck, it might even add a tad more excitement to the experience. There’s another great line in the song, too; “I love you just the way you are, hope you don’t mind my beat up car.” I don’t know about anyone else, but both themes speak volumes to me as to what true love is really all about.

It takes a bluesman to get to the heart of a matter, and Keb nailed it with this song. I’m downloading it tonight; it might come in handy the next time I need to create a mood. “You don’t have to shave yo’ legs for me.” Yeah… that’s right baby.

© 2010 Don Lovell
© 2010 The West Georgian

Wrong Time – Wrong Color

2010-08-26T13:15:00.006-04:00

“Miss, your driver’s license and proof of citizenship please.” the trooper says.
“Here’s my driver’s license officer, but I don’t have anything else.” Maria says.
“Please step out of the car Miss Gonzales.”

Maria Gonzales spends the night in a filthy Georgia jail until our overzealous public servant admits his mistake the next morning. She’s not here illegally. She was born in Canton, Georgia in 1990. She’s a junior at Georgia State University and a second generation American. She just happens to be on a Georgia highway at the wrong time, driving with a blown turn signal bulb, and caught-up in the same anti-immigrant hysteria that our state has seen before. The most telling evidence against her, however, is that she has the wrong skin color.

Senate Bill 529 was recently introduced into the Georgia House after passage in the Georgia Senate. It mirrors the newly enacted Arizona law (SB1070), though portions of the Arizona law were recently ruled unconstitutional by a US federal judge. Nathan Deal, the Republican candidate for governor is in favor of the Georgia initiative. As the Republican candidate it comes as little surprise that Deal is supporting an anti-ethnic / anti-immigrant proposal. However, Roy Barnes’ position is a surprise. Barnes, the Democratic candidate has also come out in favor of the immigration statute.

Barnes is the one term Georgia governor who was defeated by Sonny Purdue in 2002. He fought to change the Georgia flag and remove a state-sanctioned symbol of hatred. His flag didn’t last very long, and neither did he, but he’s made his way back to try and reclaim the governor’s mansion. Why is Barnes suddenly siding with the deportation zealots and acting suspiciously Republican? It’s simple; he needs some of the good old boy / good old girl vote. Barnes can’t get elected without the conservative base of the Democratic Party and the at least part of the Republican Party’s moderate base.

The real tragedy is that Deal and Barnes are both misrepresenting the truth. Are the people of Georgia so naïve as to believe the politicians, those who tell us jobs will be saved if we deport immigrants? Sadly, we fail to understand that if there were no jobs for immigrants, illegal or not, immigrants would not be coming to Georgia. To say it another way, if we didn’t have work that was available for immigrants to take and work that no one else in this state seems to want, they would not be here.

Immigration hysteria is nothing new to the United States. It was rampant in the late 1800s with the banning of Chinese immigration. The Italians, Irish, Germans and Eastern European peoples were also treated to similar forms of discrimination. And please, do I really need to go into the history of discrimination and its effect on the African American community? We all know that African Americans suffered more than any ethnic group in the history of race relations, and in many areas of life are still suffering the effects of discrimination.

If SB529 is passed into law it will unleash a rash of unconstitutional racial profiling the likes of which has not been seen since the 1960s. It gives authority to law enforcement to make immigration investigation choices based on reasonable suspicion. Skin color is the first and foremost indicator of racial heritage, and we can rest assured it will be the standard by which reasonable suspicion is evoked on the Mexican and Latin American communities.

What further effects will Georgia's bill have? It will incarcerate innocent people. It will further strain an already overburdened court system. It will make our state and our country look even more obtuse in the eyes of the world. In the end though, the most tragic outcome will be that it will egregiously hurt people.

The most equitable solution to illegal immigration is a law that allows for guest worker status and grants amnesty to those already here who are eligible for such a status. It is harmonious with the US Constitution’s Bill of Rights; it honors the humanity of the individual, and it harms no one.

Georgia could seize this opportunity to lead the country in immigration reform. I doubt that it will, though. More than likely a shotgun armed redneck posse at the state line is inevitable.

© 2010 Don Lovell
© 2010 The West Georgian

Haiti Relief Effort

2010-07-01T13:22:00.007-04:00

Hey! I have been so busy that I haven't taken the time to post an update. Now, I only have two weeks left. Where does the time go?

I am in Petionville, a relatively posh suburb of Port-Au-Prince, and I have been to some other spots in Haiti, as well. I helped set up a new power generation and distribution system for Sean Penn's camp at the Petionville Club - home to 45,000+ Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs). I completed a systems assessment for Notre Dame's St. Croix field hospital in Leogane. I lived with the Architects for Humanity folks and worked with them in and around the area. Soon, I'll be in Port-Au-Prince proper for the last part of my stay in Haiti working on a geodesic dome project, just like the ones Buckminster Fuller patented and made so famous.

I drove Spike Lee and his son through Sean Penn's camp in a "Mule" ATV, all the while talking with Spike about the plight of the IDPs, and with him telling me that he wanted his son to see people who were not as fortunate as others. I had dinner and drinks at a cool Lebanese restaurant with Sean and his Haitian chief of security, even helped figure the tip on the check for Sean who's eyesight isn't as good as it once was. I met tragically poor Haitians literally living in the mud, sinfully corrupt wealthy Haitians, Russian mobsters, malnourished children, charlatans, guys wanted on criminal charges in the US who came to hideout in Haiti, and saw primary and collateral damage from the earthquake the likes of which most will never see.

What I've taken from all this, so far anyway, is that this is one seriously screwed-up nation. If it ever finds stability and prosperity it will be in spite of itself; in other words, it will take leadership, the kind its never had. Conditions were bad before the earthquake, and now they're exponentially worse. We can throw all the money we want at Haiti's problems and send all the UN and NGO "experts" there are, but as long as Haiti's elite continue to live by the creed of greed, and the common people are subjugated to live in poverty, with no political voice and essentially no choices, Haiti will continue to be the dysfunctional failed state that its always been.

Granted, there are some wonderfully sincere and compassionate people here, both Haitian nationals and international ex-pats, but we should not fool ourselves into thinking a miracle is just around the corner. If Haiti is to ever improve it will be after a catharsis of sorts, and I do not see that happening anytime in the near or distant future. At this moment in time, Haiti is a problem without a solution.

The entire trip has been a truly surreal experience. Thanks for reading!

A Christmas Wish

2009-12-09T19:55:00.010-05:00

“Put that back. Santa’s coming in a few days.” whispers an older, grey-haired woman to a little blonde girl. Not surprisingly, I overhear this conversation at the superstore store where I find myself shopping tonight. There is no doubt its almost time for the fat man to eat our cookies. UL listed candlesticks, reindeer shaped frames wound in rope-light, and big red fuzzy bows tied on big green plastic wreaths mark the approach of that fateful day. The sights remind me of making popcorn garland with a sewing needle and thread, digging out scissors and “invisible” Scotch tape, wrapping presents with embossed gold paper, Norelco razors, the smell of spruce, and listening to Johnny Mathis sing carols on the radio. Hey! It’s almost Christmas. Peace on earth, goodwill toward men, right?

I love this time of year. It brings back the sweet memories of my childhood. I think back of trips to Gatlinburg, Tennessee with my parents. We would leave the city behind for a few days. Daddy would drive Mom and me deep into the Smoky Mountains. One trip I remember very well. A thick wet snow was falling on the afternoon we drove into town. The budding Swiss-themed village was a winter wonderland. As a kid who did not see much snow growing up, what could be more special than a white Christmas?

Mom and I built a snowman together that year. He stood contentedly frozen in front of the motel room where we were staying. Back in the day, before Gatlinburg became a corporate-sponsored caricature of itself, little mom and pop motels dotted the main street. And on this particular Christmas, everyone who braved a walk in the ice and snow and passed by our motel, was privileged to see the sculpture Mom and I had created. I still remember waving goodbye to my frozen friend the morning we left. In my innocent childhood memory, I remember he waved goodbye to me, too.

On Christmas, scientists can measure fluctuations in our planet’s collective energy field, all because of a unified yet simple remembrance of the day the Christ child was born. On Christmas, crime rates drop, wars pause, and love finds its way across ethnic and racial divides. On Christmas, many celebrate the birth of Jesus. The child born in a stable over two thousand years ago taught that we should love, respect, and help our neighbors. Whether or not Christianity is one’s religious preference, the simple and profound teaching of Christ is needed today more than ever.

In times past I got lost in the hustle. I rushed to get to parties on time, made the stressful rounds to see all the family, and spent too much money on presents. But now, when I prepare for the holiday, I try to work toward a different goal. I make an effort to help others. I do my best to show compassion and give assistance all during the year; but at Christmastime my efforts become more focused. I know firsthand its tough finding the extra money to help those who are less fortunate. I realize it can be difficult to find the extra time, too. But what's really unique is I know I can't keep that which I'm not willing to give away. It’s one of life’s paradoxes... albeit a very efficient one.

My life is abundantly full of stuff. I have enough stuff to last me through this lifetime and on into the next. In my humble opinion, all my friends have plenty of stuff, too. So I don’t buy presents for friends at Christmas. When I shop for Christmas, I shop for folks I’ve never met. I shop for people who need clothes and sometimes, tragically, food. Like a bright-eyed college student, I think I can make a difference in the world. Who knows, I might be the catalyst to break the cycle of despair and poverty in someone’s life.

My wish this Christmas is for us to all make a difference in someone’s life. Why not do something special this year? Convince one of your friends to enter a partnership with you. The mission statement of this partnership could read: “We choose to not buy gifts for each other this year. We choose instead to buy gifts for people who need our help.”

I’ll even make it easy, too. The following agencies can help you find someone to sponsor this Christmas:

Covenant House Georgia, 404-589-0163
Georgia Department of Family and Children Services, Director, 404-657-7660
Salvation Army, Southern Territory, 404-728-1300
Toys for Tots, Atlanta Metro, 404-841-7022
Your local School Board, Church, Mosque, Synagogue or Temple

Please help those who often had no choice in their plight.

© Don Lovell 2009

2009-08-11T19:44:00.013-04:00

Call it what you will, but it is nothing short of violence. I live in Georgia where 18,000+ students are physically assaulted by their educators each year. Violence as a form of punishment is archaic; it has no place in the modern world.

If you will take the time to read this story published in the August 10, 2009 edition of the NY Times, you will find that the developmentally disabled are being subjected to violence by those who claim to be educating our most precious resource - our children. Help spread the word that this outrageous behavior must be halted!

2009-07-19T10:24:00.009-04:00

It is remarkable how poverty may be changing. Watch this TED talk by Hans Rosling to learn more about this positive trend.

MSF / Doctors Without Borders

2009-07-08T20:46:00.008-04:00

The mind is everything...

2009-06-19T22:29:00.004-04:00

The mind is everything. What you think you become.
~ Gautama Buddha

Fallen Soldier's Family Mourns

2009-06-14T20:57:00.016-04:00

Hi all. This young man was my cousin. I would like to ask that you please keep the Jordan and Lambert families in your thoughts and prayers.

Fallen Soldier's Family Mourns - 11Alive - Atlanta, GA

ROME, GA - With tears in their eyes, Specialist Jeffrey Jordan's two brothers talk about the last time they saw him. He came home from Afghanistan for a few days in early April. There's a picture of the three of them, each holding their young boys.

Continued @ 11Alive...

2009-06-13T12:22:00.007-04:00

From Frying Pan to Fire for the Rohingya

Date Published: 10/06/2009 03:02

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) / Doctors Without Borders moves to assist Rohingya living in unacceptable humanitarian conditions in yet another makeshift camp in Bangladesh.

Kutupalong makeshift camp. May 2009 Photo by MSF

Recently, MSF was alerted to a growing health crisis in the Kutupalong area of Bangladesh, where thousands of Rohingya (a Muslim ethnic minority originating from the northern Rakhine state of Myanmar) are struggling to survive unassisted in a makeshift camp.

The MSF team in Bangladesh immediately arranged an assessment of the area which revealed an unacceptable humanitarian situation.

An estimated 20,000 people were found to be living in foul conditions, with little safe drinking water or sanitation.

“In the Kutupalong unofficial camp the water and sanitation situation is appalling and needs to be addressed urgently. Faeces and polluted waste water can be found throughout the camp presenting a significant health risk. There are insufficient water points and those that are available are very poorly protected,” said one MSF water and sanitation expert.

Continued at www.msf.org.uk

2009-05-22T13:46:00.022-04:00

Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan

Take time today and look at the news
FOX, CNN, and ABC will not report.

(My beautiful Bangladeshi friend Tanjina, a student at GA State University in Atlanta, made me aware of the wonderful work done by this organization.)

Gratitude

2009-02-28T11:43:00.007-05:00

Ever had one of “those” days? With the emails, telephone calls, and text messages which seem to communicate only complications to an already hectic day, out of nowhere, I suddenly remembered a focused point of energy from early this morning - my gratitude writing for today. My gratitude topic for today was for my car. Yes, I am grateful for my four-wheeled, fossil-fuel-burning machine, invented over a century ago, though mine was manufactured in a considerably more recent year. I am also grateful for things a bit more emotionally sensitive and romantic, but on this particular day it was my car. Please allow me to explain.

When I see my car in the morning it’s like I’m meeting an old friend for breakfast. Stains from the occasional coffee-spill or the discovery of a dried, French fried potato round under the seat provide evidence that we’ve had breakfast together on numerous occasions. Of course, like an old friend who has a few miles on them, it has a quirk or two. It makes odd noises, it pulls to the right, and it hiccups once in a while. Of course, after a long night in Buckhead I do, too. But I truly enjoy my dependable red car. It’s not pretentious, but it does have a sexy kind of attitude. Above all, I’m sincerely grateful for my car’s CD player. Be it an airy mystical number, Haydn’s Seasons, a house beat, or just some raw Delta blues, I’ve always been serenaded ever so sweetly while in the confines of my mobile concert hall.

The phrase “gratitude is the best attitude” was spoken ages ago. How very true it remains. I try to always make it a point to give thanks for something every day. I do this because I know that my ability to help others and the quality of my contribution to society depends upon my awareness of gratitude. I give thanks for the gifts with which I’ve been entrusted. I give thanks for the abundant lifestyle I enjoy while so many others go without. I give thanks for the people whom I love and hold dear. I even give thanks for the challenges I encounter because they teach me so much and help my spirit to grow.

William Arthur Ward said, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” Isn’t that an awesome and powerful image? I always try to express my gratitude: I try to always thank my friends who tolerate my eccentricities and my verbosity. I thank the cashier at the supermarket for being there to help me with my purchase on that temperamental self-checkout machine. I thank those with whom I work for helping me find my center when I get discouraged. I thank the ones who teach me time and again that every day is a precious gift. I thank my family for loving me in spite of the fact that sometimes I may not be so lovable. I try to remember to thank myself for being me.

Gratitude is a foundational concept of most religious practices. The absence of gratitude has been proven to cause serious health problems, mental stress and social dysfunctions. We can all train ourselves to have more gratitude energy in our lives. Psychological studies have shown that those who keep a record, in a systematic way, of things for which they are grateful enjoy a heightened sense of well-being. For more on these studies visit: Michael E. McCullough, Ph.D., University of Miami.

Here’s a daily exercise you could do to improve your personal experience of gratitude: Pick-up a pack of 3x5 index cards made from recycled paper and a box of your liking. The box may be as ornate as you wish or as simple as an old, dusty, tattered shoebox. This box will store your gratitude cards. Each day, during the time you set aside for your meditation or for the spiritual practice in which you participate, take a minute or two and on one side of one card write out something for which you are grateful. Put that card in the box and give it back to the universe. When you’ve used up all of your new cards, go back and write another item of thanks on the back of each card. When you’re doing this, be sure to read again the side first written. Continue this simple acknowledgment of gratitude until you’re ready for another pack of cards and then start all over. If your experience is like mine, this practice will increase the energy of your gratitude and bless you immensely.

It really is all about how we view our life. If we view our life as deficient, it will unfold so. However, if we view our life from the perspective of how enormously blessed we are, life inevitably draws into itself more blessing. It is simply a decision to see the bounty rather that the shortage.

© Don Lovell 2009

Tricky

2008-09-07T08:51:00.004-04:00

I take further evidence.
I seem to need a reference to get residence
A reference to your preference to say,
I'm a good neighbor, I trudge,
So judge me for my labor,
Lobotomy ensures my good behavior
The constant struggle ensures my insanity.
Passing the indifference ensures the struggle for my family
We're hungry, beware of our appetite.
Distant drums bring the news of a kill tonight.
The kill which I share with my passengers.
We take our fill, take our fill, take a feel.

Hell Is Round The Corner
Maxinquaye

One answer to suffering.

2008-08-12T21:23:00.008-04:00

A student friend asked what they could do about the suffering in the world. Here was my reply:

The first of the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism states that 'Life is suffering.' Life begins with the pain of childbirth, and it ends with suffering the loss of our loved ones. But for shadow to exist, there must be light. Death only exists in relation to birth. For me, my response to the suffering proliferating everything around me is to give myself to something bigger than myself, to create my own subjective meaning in life. There are thousands of ways to make this a better place for all to live. Study law and empower the powerless. Study social work and fight for social justice. Study medicine and improve the physical quality of life. Love! Dance!

Oh yeah... You wrote, 'How does the rest of the world go about daily life seeming undeterred by all of these things?' Most people never ask the tough questions - they pretty much go through life with their head up their arse! It's folks like us who ask "why" and then say "prove it" that change the world.

A question for the day...

2008-08-08T21:43:00.002-04:00

Is the music to which I am dancing playing only for me? Or, rather, am I moving in unison as an indistinguishable part of the herd?

Sir Ken on TED

2008-07-01T23:36:00.004-04:00

If you don't do anything else today, take twenty minutes and watch this video. Sir Ken will have you laughing and examining the priorities on which our systems of education should really focus.

Sunday Morning Coming Down

2008-04-20T09:18:00.009-04:00

On the Sunday morning sidewalk,
Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned.
'Cos there's something in a Sunday,
Makes a body feel alone.
And there's nothin' short of dyin',
Half as lonesome as the sound,
On the sleepin' city sidewalks:
Sunday mornin' comin' down.

No, I'm not hungover. It's just the same old Sunday morning routine, lonely and bored. There's a lot to be said for solitude, but it gets old. I guess there may even be something to be said for boredom. Anyway, the line above was penned by Kris Kristofferson. It's my gift of nostalgia to the blog today. Maybe this retro 70s mode I've been in is the reason for my melancholy. The 70s were a big part of my life, and sometimes I miss them. Oh well. Life goes on...

A selection from: Ephemeral Creation by Albert Camus

2007-11-07T19:50:00.000-05:00

"All that remains is a fate whose outcome alone is fatal. Outside of that single fatality of death, everything, joy or happiness, is liberty. A world remains of which man is the sole master. What bound him was the illusion of another world. The outcome of his thought, ceasing to be renunciatory, flowers in images. It frolics---in myths, to be sure, but myths with no other depth than that of human suffering and, like it, inexhaustible. Not the divine fable that amuses and blinds, but the terrestrial face, gesture, and drama in which are summed up a difficult wisdom and an ephemeral passion."

---Albert Camus

Doctor's Appointment

2007-10-25T08:30:00.002-04:00

Due to a nasty virus, I am off to the doctor's office this morning. I have a outstanding health insurance program, as well. The office visit will cost $20.00 and the prescription (I'm is dire shape, I need drugs!) will run me another $4.00. Quite a bargain, huh?

Here is the problem. According to the American College of Physicians (ACP), 16.3% of Americans are uninsured - 44,300,000 people. ACP has found that uninsured Americans generally postpone medical care. However, what is tragic, is that the uninsured experience a higher mortality-rate than the insured segment of the population.

Who pays for the health care of the uninsured? I think we can all agree, the taxpayer. In paying for a national health care program, the taxpayer would ultimately pick up any shortfall, as well. With responsibility for funding acknowledged, the financial ramifications of a national health care program should not hinder our society in addressing the unnecessary suffering and early death of the uninsured.

National health care is not simply a monetary issue, it is a social and humanitarian obligation.

A Word of Thanks

2007-10-23T06:58:00.002-04:00

Many people have been instrumental in helping me focus my commitment to touch the lives of others. I would be a stumbling and empty person were it not for the individuals who challenge me, who point out my inconsistencies, who tolerate the aloof and arrogant attitude I sometimes exhibit, and who love me despite my faults. Today, because of the guidance and sacrifice others have made on my behalf, both directly and indirectly, my life is full and breathtakingly beautiful.

Aldous Huxley said, "I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself." The challenge, I believe, is to allow our spirits to grow unfettered by the demands of a seemingly hostile world. I believe we can make a difference, and as Mr. Huxley alluded to, it begins within each one of us. Thank you all.

Affirmative Action: NOW and the Fallacy

2007-10-20T22:22:00.004-04:00

The National Organization for Women (NOW) contends a ballot measure banning many affirmative action initiatives in Michigan was a tacit scheme by conservatives to deceive voters. NOW asserts the scheme’s purpose was veiled by the measure’s name, the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI). Acknowledging voters do not usually read the lengthy wording of a ballot referendum, NOW claims voters misunderstood MCRI. Voters believed they were supporting pro-civil rights legislation. NOW states by passing the initiative, “there can no longer be outreach programs for girls and students of color… scholarships for women and people of color, women’s health care programs, women’s studies.” NOW argues that the measure, promoted by the same group of business interests and conservatives instrumental in passing similar legislation in other states, restricts affirmative action initiatives designed to level the playing field for women and minorities.

The concept of affirmative action has caused confusion by its presumed equivalence to equal employment opportunity policy. Though related, they are entirely different concepts. Equal employment opportunity policy legally insures non-discriminatory employment practices. Affirmative action gives preferential treatment to groups who have historically suffered discrimination and strives to right the discrimination wrongs of the past. NOW claims ending affirmative action is an end to equal employment opportunity policy. Though most individuals and organizations correctly differentiate the two concepts, NOW has wrongly fused them.

Affirmative action is intended to advance social justice. Opponents of affirmative action have long considered the policy as a violation of the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law. Furthermore, opponents of affirmative action contend social justice in the workplace is not achieved by selecting or promoting based on minority status. Instead, performance and qualification are championed as the principal criteria for hiring and advancement. Though affirmative action is a cherished value of many professional social workers, its detractors view the policy as a social injustice and as government-sanctioned reverse-discrimination.

Affirmative action is meritorious in its underlying philosophy of equality and as a vehicle of compensation for decades of unfair employment practices. However, I believe it has failed to eliminate discrimination in the workplace. It has also failed to vicariously compensate injured parties of past injustice. Instead, it has added insult to the injuries of the past and created the very discrimination it was intended to abolish. For forty-eight tumultuous years, affirmative action has generated racial polarization, hindered superior performance, and communicated a perception of unearned success. Affirmative action has denied its beneficiaries the satisfaction of achievement earned by competency, commitment and drive. Though I zealously champion the 14th Amendment, civil rights protection, and equal employment opportunity law, I do not support affirmative action nor believe it has served the individuals it was intended to empower.

Equal employment opportunity is not the same as affirmative action. While NOW promulgates a fallacious argument – asserting that the loss of affirmative action policy is tantamount to losing equal employment opportunity protection under the law – ways to combat discrimination remain unaddressed by the article. Rather, NOW has chosen in this article to use a conspicuously biased tone to provoke emotion and add to the misunderstanding and controversy surrounding affirmative action.

American History

2007-10-20T21:55:00.004-04:00

Mark Twain said, “The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice.” Twain offers an accurate description of the incomplete history which has been taught in our public schools. It is a history which Howard Zinn has skillfully addressed in his book A People's History of the United States. Zinn offers compelling evidence of the prejudice with which our mainstream history was written and an awakening, alternative perspective to it.

The history that is taught in our public school systems presents the founding fathers as sacrificing patriots, America’s colonization of the new world as divine destiny, and the export of America’s brand of democracy as the only hope of human happiness. Zinn provides numerous examples of the not-so-honorable motivations the founding fathers had for coming to this land, as well as why America rebelled against the British. Zinn additionally reinforces the point that values like freedom and justice are not inherently American, at least not in the way many Americans view them. If they were truly American Values, would they not be applicable to all? It seems evident from Zinn’s account of colonial history that freedom was available only to those born into it. He is also clear that justice could be had, but only if one could pay the price.

We as a nation have yet to deal with what is essentially an American caste system, one remarkably similar to what is practiced in the so-called developing countries. We have programs in America that are intended to address poverty, yet they actually entrap in poverty the people who should benefit. We have a minimum wage policy which is advantageous to all but the wage earner. We have a system of government where officials are elected in direction relation to the amount of money they raise; vis-à-vis, we have elected officials who are bought by and indebted to the highest bidder.

Agreed, in our country we have some opportunities which are non-existent elsewhere in the world. The progress America has made over the decades toward gender equality and racial harmony is clearly evident. However, we are still a nation of haves and have-nots. The poor are getting poorer. Prejudice still exists, and we still hate what we do not understand. Only by shifting the prevailing social paradigm will America be able to address the problems that are stalling genuine and enduring progress.

© Don Lovell 2007

What are American values?

2007-10-20T21:16:00.003-04:00

The concept of “American Values” is a myth. When we speak of values, are we not truly discussing universal, human values? Or, on this forum, are we asserting a personal, albeit political agenda by referring to our subjective judgment of values as American? Indeed, there are many values one could label as American, though labels lose their tack after time. I intend to briefly show how several values considered American actually exist cross-culturally and may even be non-American.

Let us first look at industry, considered a bedrock value of Americans since the sixteenth century. Industry, in my context here, is hard-work or diligence. I would venture to say this value is actually a result of human intention. Are the Japanese not industrious? How about the Chinese? My adoptive mother’s great-grandfather was German. His life was surrounded by industry, not as a result of his immigrating to America and becoming a citizen, but from his personal value system – his choice.

From another perspective, is a value considered American because Americans as a majority subscribe to its worth? This position would then support that the racism many so vehemently held in our violent and bigoted past would be touted as an American value. The racists were only protecting their families, right? In our current state of political affairs, the Latino community is discovering the insult of racial bias. It is an absurd argument that racism would be considered an American value. So, values do not seem to be a product of social consensus.

We are a mixture of races, cultures, traditions, and philosophies. In the beginning we were all immigrants, with the exception of the Native American, another case in point. Do we consider this indigenous population’s view when speaking of American values? I would be more inclined to acknowledge this group as the one holding true American values - perhaps freedom and conservation. This is, of course, prior to the resettlement imposed on these people after the European Christians arrived, after which the Native American's values were physically repressed. Values seem to have a transitory character, don't they?

No, I do not believe America has proprietary values. There is no value clearinghouse in Dallas, New York, Omaha, or San Diego. There is no official Office of American Value Assessments in Washington, D.C. There are, however, political handlers and media types who have spun enough rhetoric to promulgate the myth of American values. We, as a nation, have largely bought into this myth, as well. I believe many have lost the understanding that values are personal, human, cross-cultural, and subjective. We are, indeed, a nation of many values; but they exist in the heart of the individual, not in the unity of a nation.