Same-Sex Marriage Legalized in Vermont | News | Advocate.com

I have to tell you, I really did not think this was going to happen.  But, it is the first time a state legislature has approved gay marriage, and by a super majority vote to boot.  It actually brings tears to my eyes when I think about it.

Of course, the right wing has already started in on Vermont.  Where formerly they complained endlessly about activist courts, now they are saying that gay marriage should not be approved by those courts or legislatures either.  It should only be approved by a vote of the people.  And the rules just keep on changing to fit their one track minds.

Like we need another vote of “the people” to know that we are unpopular.  That is why Madison designed our three branches of government, in order to protect unpopular causes or groups from the tyranny of the majority.  If you took a poll and asked most Americans where Iraq was on the map, most couldn’t even find it.  Ask them about the Constitution and they know even less.  Yea, I want these folks voting on my life.

Our job now is to keep the ball rolling, at least in New England.  We shall see what happens next.  Stay tuned…

Same-Sex Marriage Legalized in Vermont  | News | Advocate.com

Iowa high court strikes down same-sex marriage ban - CNN.com

Now why can’t the California Supreme Court use the same logic and say that their ban violates the equal protection clause of their constitution as well?  And this was a unanimous vote in Iowa.  A proudly open-minded mid-western state.  God I hope this sticks.

Iowa high court strikes down same-sex marriage ban - CNN.com

Vermont House OKs gay marriage | News Story on 365gay.com

I know they needed 100 votes to get a veto proof majority, and they only got 95.  But some members of the state house said they would vote in favor of same sex marriage if it came down to getting it past the governor’s veto.

And how did Vermont end up with a Republican governor when the dems have such a large majority in both state houses?  And if they had to have a Republican governor, you think being from Vermont he would at least be a moderate.

It should be very interesting to see how this turns out.

Vermont House OKs gay marriage | News Story on 365gay.com

On Making it to the Promised Land

Well folks, I finally made it to retirement.  As of last Thursday, I am a free man.  No more having to get up in the morning, having to be someplace every single day.  I am so happy to have that burden lifted off my shoulders.

Now I get to start living what I like to call my real life.  That would include facing the fact that my dog was just diagnosed with diabetes.  Feeding her and medicating her on a regular schedule will now be my new full time job.  I also have many, many projects to start inside my house, and when Spring actually arrives (it is currently snowing outside), I have even more projects to work on outside.

So, what joy is this you say?  Going from one plate full of responsibilities to another?  Well, just knowing that my responsibilities are only going to be about me and my household seems to make it all worthwhile.  I know that some day I will be able to travel and take it easy, but right now I just want to get my house in order and take it from there.

As I watch the local and national news I have to wonder about the world that I've retired into.  I know that nothing in life is guaranteed (not even another tomorrow), but I still want to give it all my best shot.  So here's hoping for a brighter tomorrow for all of us.

How Many Ways to be Gay???

I tried to follow the Ted Haggard story last week, but I got lost somewhere in the middle of Oprah. Ted says he is a heterosexual man with homosexual attachments. He states that he is not gay. It all made me think of some of the other famous cases of this type. Larry Craig for example. He also proclaimed loudly that he was not gay.

The gays are attacking saying "come out of the closet", the straights are saying he needs to seek help and forgiveness. Me, I find myself somewhere in the middle, dazed and confused.

Kinsey and his Scale tell us that most of us fall somewhere in between totally straight and totally gay. That sexuality is fluid and can change over time. I have to say that that sounds closest to the truth of anything I have heard. I do believe that some men can be physically attracted to other men, but find it impossible to even consider a romantic attachment. The attraction is strictly physical, they see it as their dirty little secret, rather like wanting to be spanked. Not something that defines them outside of the bedroom.

As to how these men ended up this way, there are many roads they may have followed. The most common road seems to be when they are brought up in a very strict religious household. As they become adults they do not see through all they have been taught, but rather buy into it with great alacrity. What better way to hide than to join the enemy camp. This is how we get our Larry Craigs and Ted Haggards. Fear can be a powerful tool for development. Even on Generation X and Y, it still seems to be working that way. How incredibly sad.

Imagine having your heart pull you one way, and your sex drive pull you another. How sad for you, and for the family you create. More often than not, the wife is the husband's fiercest defender. She too becomes victim to this battle between how he sees himself, and who he really is.

For men of the baby boom generation, I think it is too late to try and save them from themselves. They have spent 50 or 60 years seeing themselves as a flawed heterosexual, rather than as a gay or bisexual man. Trying to redefine yourself at that age requires great strength of character, strength that most men don't possess. Especially not after they have built a life around this duality.

This looks like one of those issues that will never resolve itself. We can only hope that this type of behavior will diminish as the generations pass, and society becomes more enlightened. I want to believe in a tomorrow where kids can grow up to be themselves, so long as what they are does not harm anyone (Jeffery Dahmer needed to be a little less himself). Here's hoping for fewer Teds and Larrys in our future.

We're On Our Way

I am writing this from very early in the first Obama administration. All hopes that he can get us out of all the messes we are in are still high. His wish to rid ourselves of the partisan rancor we have lived with since Reagan is still a possibility. That is, unless you listen to the right-wing radio commentators. They would surely go out of business if we all started to move to the middle and didn't want to hear their extreme views any more.

I know there will always be ideologues, and that is a good thing. They help us to change and to grow. That is until their new ideas become old ones, and they still have not been accepted. Trouble is, they never seem to know when that is. Living in their own little bubble doesn't give them any kind of perspective at all. Like Bush and Cheney leaving office and telling us that every thing they did was fine (especially Cheney). I can't wait to see what history has to say about them. Already they are saying that Cheney was pulling all the strings in the first term. It wasn't until Cheney's henchmen went to visit AG Ashcroft in the hospital that Bush found out what was going on behind his back.

Enough of the past. We must now look to the future, to the promise of another day. We can end the wars in the middle-east. We can find a middle ground with North Korea. We may even be able to find a way to trade fairly with China. Obama is right, in that he can not do this alone. He will need all of us, all of our support, to get through these tough times. And he does have a plan, which is more than I can say for Bush/Cheney.

So, as this new administration begins the difficult tasks ahead, let's keep them all in our hearts and minds, and in our prayers. Yes we can...

Brave New World

It seems that, once again, America has become the land of possibilities. Anyone can succeed, no matter how great the odds. So long as they try.

Along with the tidal wave of change that came in on November 4, 2008, a setback was dealt to gay people all over the country. What a mixed message gays and lesbians recieved. We Shall Overcome, but not you people.

The most ironic thing in all this was Prop 8 in California. It turns out that Blacks and Hispanics, who turned out big time for Obama, voted overwhelmingly for Prop 8. Among Blacks it was 69%for the proposition that all men aren't created equal, and you people just aren't as equal as the rest of us. The oppressed, who you think would understand the power of predjudice, became the oppressor. Let's hope this is the not the Brave New World we will be living in.

Once I get past the four states that voted to keep gays as second or third class citizens, I start thinking of all the changes that will be taking place in Washington. The Contitution will be coming back into favor, the Supreme Court may be set right (by that I mean more moderates), and we may even get some of our civil liberties back. I still have to pinch myself to make sure it is all real.

Congratulations America, we have made it into a new era. There is still hope that we will be the dominant power on earth in the 21st century, just as we were in the 20th.

Finally, Crunch Time

So, here we are, just over two weeks from election day, and things are tightening up in the polls.  I have to admit that this presidential race has been way too long (twenty months).  I hope they don't start the next election cycle next year.  They need to keep it focused on the election year itself.

It has been an unusual race this time.  I think thanks to both McCain and Obama, the culture wars are on the sidelines.  Not much has been made of this in the media, and that is such a relief.  Especially when you consider the gay marriage votes coming up in California and Mass.  This leaves us free to focus more on the economy.  Or in McCain's case, anything from Bill Ayers to Joe the Plumber.  For all the talk about tactics versus strategy, McCain keeps changing his tactics with the wind (suspending his campaign, attack ads, Joe) without really having any strategy.  I only hope he maintains this lack of strategy until November 4th.

I watched John and Barack at the Al Smith Memorial Dinner in NYC last Thursday.  McCain was clearly the winner there, being both funny and touching.  When he started talking about Barack's place in history, etc. he had me tearing  up.  That is the classy John McCain I remember from years past.  The one who spoke from his heart and did what he really thought was right.  If that man had been visible during the debates, the race would be much tighter now.

Barack did a good job too, he just didn't knock it out of the park like McCain did.  And this was all in front of a group of Manhattan Democrats.  It was nice to see a different side of both of them.

If Senator Obama does win, to me anyway, it will be a sign that the country has turned a corner.  That the years of racism and division are going to be behind us, and that we can look to a brighter future where we can all work together to become one America again.

From Russia, With Love

So those dirty commies are at it again. But I thought Ronald Reagan saved us from all that? Didn't he tell someone they needed to tear down that wall. He was sooo forceful.

I can't believe even Bush did not see this coming. Putin is so clearly KGB 2.0 that he could play a commie in a comic book. As for the "President" of Russia, well he could play a nice business executive type, in a Nancy Drew mystery. Of course when Bush heard they invaded Georgia, he probably asked if Atlanta was burning.

Barack didn't handle this too well either. He needs to get a little more forceful when it comes to something this clear cut. He is just handing the whole Georgian thing over to McBush. It's nice to look all friendly and presidential with our allies, but you gotta kick some bad-guy butt sometimes too (at least verbally).

I hope Georgia makes it back in one piece. We need their pipelines and their fossil fuels (and their ports). I'm surprised Bush hasn't at least sent some ships into the Black Sea. I'm sure they would fit through the straits and the Sea of Marmara (some of them). We need to let the Russians know that they are being watched. Their arrogance cannot go unchecked. Now is a good time to actually use some cowboy diplomacy, not when you are attacking a small nation run by a two-bit dictator.

Enough ranting, I'm sure most Americans are as fed-up as I am. We all thought we were past the cold war, and now, here it is again. What other messes can Mr. Bush bring our way in his last few months in office. When I think of what the world was like eight years ago, and what a mess it is now, I could just spit (if it wasn't so messy). Lord have mercy on the Georgians and deliver us from this fool soon.

Becoming An Obama Nation

I know we haven't really talked much about the current political situation as regards the presidential race. I was for Hillary, and I am now switching over to Obama. It is not that I ever disliked him, it's just that there is so much covert racism in the country, that he steps out of the box with that burden tied to his leg.

I did enjoy watching him overseas this past week. He went toe-to-toe with world leaders and came out looking like a rock star. Not too bad for the junior senator from Illinois. Pissed McCain off to no end. He couldn't even get six people to come together to hear him speak at a German restaurant in Columbus. It is not that he is a bad guy, it is just that the independent John McCain we all loved died when he began running for president. He had to cater to his base, and that just turned me off right there. As John Stewart put it, he has gone over to the dark side.

I came up with a great idea for an ad from MoveOn.org. They could show the past eight years worth of political and international blunders from the Bush White House, then show the future with another Republican in the White House. Then call that twelve year period the McBush presidency. Then say, don't vote for more McBush, vote for a change in leadership, vote Obama. Someone has proably already thought of this and I just haven't been paying attention. I am trying to keep up.

I see the price of gas is staying below $4 a gallon this week. At least here in southeast Michigan. I hope this continues for a while. The whole country (and the world) could use a break right now. I know that China and India subsidize the price of gasoline in their countries, so the price of oil hasn't really hit the common folk there yet. But everywhere else in the world, it is getting increasingly more difficult to live. In Europe, the price of gasoline is twice what it is here. Not that that is new, but $9 a gallon for gas makes me feel like I'm getting a bargain over here. They do pay a lot more in tax per gallon than we do, but boy-oh-boy, that's a lot of money for a gallon of gas.

We have less than 100 days until the election and I'm sure it is going to be a roller coaster ride all the way.

The State of the Nation

I just can't believe that we have come to this. $4.25 for gallon of gas, groceries and even staple items up 20%, floods and wildfires everywhere. In 2000, before we elected King George II, could any of us have imagined the world we live in today?

Yes, I know the terrorists changed a lot of our world, but it was our blunder in Iraq, our taking our eye off the ball and away from the terrorists, that has lead to some of this mess (see high oil prices, food prices). Then there is global warming, which the Bush White House has only recently acknowledged as being real, that has caused other problems. Then, what is left of our dear old Constitution, after this president promised to preserve, protect and defend it. When will we get America back?

Worst housing slump since World War II!?!? Something even my parents could never have imagined in their lifetime. We thought that America was past all this, that things could only get better. Then we put a moron in the White House, and he brought in some less than talented cronies, and here we are, almost eight years later. What a mess.

They only good news I have seen lately is the marriage thing in California, and now maybe even Mass. will allow out of state folks to marry. That sounds like a nice summer vacation, drive to Boston, get married, visit New England. Of course I could just go across the river to Windsor and get married, but I guess I prefer an American license over a Canadian one.

I hope I didn't rant too long. Some days I just wake up and cannot believe the mess we are in. I keep looking for Alice in this crazy, upside-down world.

I think this photo may illustrate how we are all feeling lately, like we've been kissed by a bus.

On Getting On

No, this is not a picture of me. Not even twenty years ago. I just wanted to get everyone's attention. I hope it worked.

I was thinking (that happens every now and then) about this whole aging thing. It hit me when I turned forty, then really hit me when I turned fifty. Now that I have had so many friends and loved ones die of cancer and other diseases, it has knocked me for a loop. These people were all around my age. I always thought they would be around forever (just like me-I hope). Now I have to go on without them. It all leaves me feeling totally confused and kind of empty inside.

I see my parents, who are both turning 83 this year, talking about having to go to so many funerals all the time. Yet, they never seem to lose their enthusiasm for tomorrow. I don't know how they can look at a news story about what may happen in the next ten years, and not think that they may not be here then. I can only hope that I will be that way when I am their age. I know that worrying about tomorrow can become a full time job for some seniors, and I don't want to be one of them. Besides, it does absolutely no good to worry about it. We all need to plan for the future, but not obsess about our own mortality.

Now if I can only live by these words, not just say them. If I can just keep singing a song from the Rent soundtrack, No Day But Today. If I can stay focused on today, just getting through, maybe I will make it to a happy retirement (260 days and counting).

Here I Am Again

Let me reintroduce myself.  It has been a while since my last post.

How to make myself sound interesting, and not bitter. That is my first goal. It is a tough job, but I think I can do it.

I am a man born in the middle of the baby boom years, looking forward to retirement and all the peace and quiet that I hope it will bring. I don't have any illusions that it will really be the golden years, but I have hopes of days spent only doing things that I like to do. What a concept.

I also want to do more with my life. I find the greatest joy and fulfillment I get is when I do something for other people. Maybe it is the strong Lutheran upbringing that makes me want to give back to society. Maybe it is being a child of the sixties. That was an era when all right-thinking men and women wanted to do nothing but make the world a better place (and maybe get high).

I don't necessarily expect to do great things, but I would like to do good things (or good works as they are sometimes called). Now I just have to decide what these good things should be. If you have any ideas for me, feel free to post them in the comments section.

I can't save the world in a day, but I can sure try to do my little bit every day. Maybe I'll volunteer at a shelter or at the Salvation Army? Maybe I will work at the local community center??? Maybe I could even work on one of the presidential campaigns? So many choices.

Maybe I can decide all this tomorrow. That sounds like my best idea yet!

 

(I had to update from black text so this could be read with the new Blogger template)

No Words of Comfort

I have been feeling better of late, not as depressed as I had been in the past. Usually winter is the worst time of the year for me, but somehow I don't feel the gloom right now.

I do feel sad, however. Sad at the loss of two members of the same family in one week. Sad at two funerals I had to attend. Sad at the loss of one so talented as Heath Ledger, gone much too soon.

As I stood in the funeral home, I kept thinking, I wish I knew what to say. What words of comfort could I possibly give to anyone who has just lost her husband and her mother, his father and his grandmother... and to all the others who loved them? It is at times like this that we are most at a loss for words. Maybe it is because we cannot even fathom all that we are seeing.

What does is mean to see that body lying in the casket? Is that the person we knew and loved? Perhaps it is just the vessel that tied them to this place, and to us? How can we reach out and help others with things we can't even comprehend ourselves?

As I sat and listened to the words the preacher had to say, I tried my best to keep my emotions in check. Tried to show a comforting face to those around me, those in mourning. In the end, I think that's all we can offer them. Our presence, there, in that time and place. Perhaps the grieving take solace in the presence of all those who knew and loved the one they lost. Take comfort in knowing that they are not alone in this, no matter how empty they may feel inside.

The circle of life is all I can see right now. I see his son standing before us, looking so much like him. I see my friend living on through him. That is all I can comprehend. That is all I know that is real and understandable.

Happy Holidays

So the holidays are almost here. Cable is filled with Christmas classic (and not so classic) movies. CNN talks of nothing but the next election (this one started way too early), and I have only a few days left before my Christmas break.

Big snow storm predicted for southeast Michigan this weekend. They predicted a big snow and ice storm for last weekend. That never happened here. Ended up further south in the plain states. I hope this weekend's storm stays away until next weekend. Then I won't have to worry about driving to work.

I tried watching the debates in Iowa this week. I am just so weary of this campaign. By the time the conventions are here I am sure I will be comatose. It is good to see that America still sees the Republicans for what they are. Mostly hypocrites who have turned to their base and forgotten everyone else. An entire generation has grown up thinking that the word Christian means: fundamentalist, evangelical, right wing kook. Could be why many kids today aren't that interested in religion.

I am hoping that the Democrats will bring some real Christians into their campaigns. Those who care about those less fortunate and want to help the helpless. Much like Jesus did. These Christians aren't obsessed with gays and politics. Imagine that.

It is at this festive time of year that we are most concerned about those in need. It has been this way for hundreds of years. Now is the time of year when we should most live our faith. If we see ourselves as an extension of God, than we should help all that we can. I don't know of anything that can bring greater joy than helping others.

I wish you and yours all the best, no matter what holiday you may be celebrating this time of year.

The Never Ending Story

So now Mr. Bush has decided that he will do whatever the generals in the field tell him to do. Why wasn't he listening in 2003 when they all said they needed more troops to keep the peace than to fight the war? Or when they have told him that every year since then? Now he is hiding behind the generals because his failed policies have no chance of succeeding.

What we really need is a political surge, on many fronts. There is no way that this struggle can be won completely by military means alone. We must talk to all sides, we must talk to other countries in the region. Everyone must have a stake in this or it will never succeed.

Mr. Bush played right into Osama's hands when he brought our troops over there. Bush helped not only to get the Arabs to hate us, but much of the rest of the world as well. When I think back to all the good will that was generated around the 9/11 tragedy, and to see now that most of the world hates us more than they have at any time in our 231 year history as a nation, it makes me sick at heart. It will take us a long time to get back to where we were before the Bush debacle.

The other thing that really angered me this week was when Team Bush announced that yes, we would reduce the number of troops by 30,000 by next spring. So what if it just happens to be the same number of troops we sent over last spring for the surge. Why does everyone act like this is some great change of course that is being announced? We will end up where we started, with some minute progress in a few key areas.

Then we get to General Betray-us. According the the right-wing, he could walk on water. But when even he was asked if the fight there is making us safer at home, he replied that he didn't know if it was. That is as close to straight-shooting as he got all week. It just worries me that our military men are now an arm of the political machine. We need an open and honest military that will not take sides in any political debate, but give us the facts on the ground. We also need political leaders who will listen to the advice of those who are fighting the battle, and not only when it suits them (see above).

What a mess Mr. Bush will be leaving to the next president, no matter what party they come from. That will be his legacy, even a hundred years from now.

The Party of Hypocrisy

How many times will we have to see a holier-than-thou Republican get caught with his pants down (or heading in that direction)? If they are not frequenting call girls, then they are writing lewd emails to pages, or hiring male prostitutes for a massage (and some drugs).

I have used public restrooms all my life, but I have never tapped my foot in the next stall, or even responded to a toe tapper. How anyone can cruise restrooms for sex, while someone in the next stall is taking a dump, is beyond me. I guess it is one of only a few outlets left for the closeted, usually married, gay man.

Of course, it all depends on how you define gay. Senator Craig may not really be gay, as I might define it. He may only want sex with men, but can't imagine any kind of romantic or emotional relationship with another man. What I like to call, half a gay man.

I hope it is a generational thing, happening to men who came of age before the gay liberation movement took hold. Or maybe it happens to someone who grew up in a backward state (for example Idaho) and never really felt the freedom that gay liberation can bring. I guess it just makes me sad to think that in 2007, there are so many men who can't live free and open lives. What damaged psyches and souls they must all have.

I don't think you can live this kind of life for long without it taking a toll on your mind and body. Living a dual life must result in raised stress levels, perhaps resulting in depression or at least some form of neurosis. Fighting something that basic to your very being may even lead to suicide.

How long will we have to wait before all gay teenagers will feel totally safe in every part of the country? I hear more and more stories about kids coming out at 12 and 15, but that usually only happens in larger metropolitan areas. Oh for the day when we are all treated as equals in this country. The rest of the world in another matter.

I know I am talking pie-in-the-sky, but I truly hoped this would all happen in my lifetime. I know we have made great progress in the last 40 years, but we still have so far to go. Sometimes I get discouraged, but then I try to lean toward the glass being half full. That seems to happen on most days.

Senator Craig grew up in a different era and in a less than progressive state. He bought all that was sold to him, and did not follow his own path. He followed the path that was expected of him. The path of least resistance. Could we have expected anything more from a man from his time and place?

So, let us all hope for a better day, and a better time, where we are not judged by something so intractable as our sexuality, but by what we do while we are here on this earth.

China, The Red Menace

So here we all are, shocked that China would be sending us intentionally poisoned or defective products. This from a country that pays their workers an average of 17 cents an hour. Talk about cutting corners. I don't have time to repeat all the shortcuts that I have heard Chinese companies make to get their product to market at the lowest price.

Who might be China's number one customer (and I don't mean what country - we all know it is the US of A)? That might be WalMart. This company has done more to run small and medium sized manufacturing jobs out of this country than anyone else. This is after they single–handedly destroyed small town America.

Here's another news flash. WalMart's profits were not as high as expected in the last month. Why, you may ask? Because their customers don't have enough money, until payday, to buy their products.

So WalMart destroys good paying American jobs, then wonders why their new, lower-paid, customers can't afford to buy their products. If they had only looked at history, maybe Henry Ford and the $5 work day, they would see that if you don't pay people enough to buy your products, your sales may go down.

It is not just WalMart that is to blame. It seems that in the Bush era, what is good for the corporations is good for America. And low paying overseas jobs are great for corporate America's bottom line. At what point in our history did the well-being of one's employees become of so little consequence? When did America's companies become only international companies, with no thought to what may happen to the home market, which is the engine of the world economy.

I live in Michigan where this dilemma has hit the hardest. If you cut everyone's pay, sometimes by half (see Delphi Corporation), who is going to buy your products? Will we go back to the 19th century where the chasm between rich and poor was horrifyingly large? It wasn't until Henry Ford and his concept of paying workers a livable wage, so they could afford his product, that the large middle class in this country was created. Look at the rates of poverty in the late 19th century, across all age groups. Compare that to today's. The change is remarkable.

It is ironic that in the first decade of the 20th century Teddy Roosevelt went after large corporations and monopolies and in the first decade of the 21st century, George Bush is doing his best to reverse all that. And those corporations are crying that it is unfair to business to not let them hire illegal aliens at half the wages of the locals. It hurts their bottom line, they say. They can't compete.

It is hard to feel sorry for the people who are destroying the middle class of America (OMG - I'm Lou Dobbs). Now even our houses, which most Americans counted as their single most valuable asset, are losing value. And Wall Street just noticed this last week. Oh my... when will they pick up on the China connection???

Wilbur, the Broken Bunny

The other night I was in my basement doing laundry, when I heard something crawling through a pile of face plates. I saw it emerging from the pile and kept hoping it was not a mouse. No, it turned out to be a baby bat. Wings spread wide, crawling along as best it could. I happened to have the dryer lint trap in my hand, so I put it on top of the bat and looked for something to carry it out in. I ended up finding a box and took the bat outside and put it in the backyard. I have no idea why its wings stayed wide open as it walked, but I have to assume it was able to signal its mother for help.

One hour later I let my dog out in the front yard, and decided to go out on the porch and keep an eye on her. I don't know why, I usually just let her out and wait for her to come back to the front door. I knew we had a rabbit warren in the middle of our front yard, so I made sure she did not get near that. A few minutes later I saw her dig her snout into the lawn and come up with some creature in her mouth. I screamed at her to drop it, and she did. I saw a small creature scamper away, but I could see that it was wounded.

It ran into the street, so I went to find something to pick it up with. Turns out it was a baby bunny, and something was wrong with its hind legs. I got it to crawl up on a piece of cardboard and I took it back to the warren in the middle of my lawn. I could tell it was exhausted from trying to get away as it just laid there and did not move. My hope was that the mother would come back and take care of it, as I made a point of not touching it with my hand. I know that sometimes a human touch can put off the mother.

The next morning the bunny was still lying there, so my other half picked it up and put it in a small box. We called our vet and asked what we should do. He said to bring it in and he would take a look. Turns out that the bunny's right leg had been recently broken and could not be set. The vet said that our dog had not done this just by picking it up for a few seconds. It had probably been pounced on by a cat or something. He told us it was a boy and that it would not be able to survive long in the wild with a broken leg. He recommended that we have him put to sleep.

Of course you know we could not do that. So we brought him home, bought him a cage and named him Wilbur. He doesn't really have any teeth yet, so we bought some baby food (mushed carrots, of course) and shredded some whole carrots as well. We also bring him dandelion leaves and tall grass to eat as well. The doctor had given us a hypodermic needle full of pain killer, and we were told to give him two drops by mouth every 12 hours.

During those first few days he would not eat much. Once the painkiller ran out, his appetite returned. He now eats like a swine and poops like a champ. He seems to be moving around a lot better, though he still drags his broken leg behind him. I know of several friends who are willing to take him, but we want to make sure his leg has healed enough so that he is not in any pain.

We take him out of his cage every day and try to get him some exercise. He seems to be getting used to us and is no longer frightened as we hold him near our hearts. He will even let us watch him eat, with his tiny little mouth.

I know we did the right thing. I just could not let nature take its course and let him die in the wild. I only hope that we can find him a rabbit's life that is worth living. Pampered, but in a caged world.

Making it Through

Is life always a struggle? When you watch TV you think either everyone is a murderer, or living very happily somewhere. It does not seem to reflect the people I know, or have known. There are some good movies out there that try to show the mundane complexities of life, but they are mostly independent films.

I know it is called the entertainment industry for a reason, but I think people might want to see themselves reflected on screen occasionally. Even if it is only so they don't feel so alone, or so out of place. Not that my life story would make an interesting film, but I know that most people out there struggle to live, on many levels.

Half the people I know are on anti-depressants, and many people I know, especially here in Michigan, are struggling financially. I have lived here all my life, and I have never seen the middle class so challenged by the economy. Don't even get me started on the housing market. That has been a sure thing since the '50's, and now even that is tanking. And not just in Michigan. That was the one asset everyone had that would make money over the long term. When you retired, you could sell your house, buy a smaller place, and still live well. Those days are fast disappearing.

The Bushies will tell you that the economy is doing well, and it is, if you are a large corporation or already rich. If you are like most people, struggling to stay in the middle class, many of your jobs are being shipped overseas. Which, again, makes more money for the corporations, but leaves those of us still here struggling to find a decent wage job.

I hope that America wakes up in 2008 like they did in 2006 and sees that only the Democrats have the middle class at their core. Not to mention the poor and working class people too. This divided government thing does not seem to be working in Congress or in our state government. No one is willing to find a middle ground anymore. So, I say, let's give the Dem's total control for a while and see what they can do. It worked well in the last decade, they even worked well with a Republican controlled Congress.