Seven.Caged.Tigers

Well, I have this nutto neighbor. Actually I hesitate to call her a neighbor because she doesn’t live in the house.  She and her probably equally insane hubby buy homes to “flip” and then just plant crap on every surface and in every nook and cranny.  There is junk everywhere.  Lots of ancient garage sale finds and the like.  JT and I have these bizarre conversations with her.  She has no clue about anything.  My mother swears she must be a mentally ill hoarder.  I concur.

In any case, about a year ago a big ol’ doberman showed up on the property so as to protect her empire of shit from being stolen.  It barks day and night and nobody really takes care of it.  This morning when I headed out the back door I was immediately barked at.  The dog was in my back yard, tied to the usual run but in my back yard.  Nice, eh?  Me, with Zack in the stroller and the only thing between us and the mean dog was the fact it had wrapped itself around a bush sometime in the night.

Crazy lady has already been threatened by both the township and animal control in regards to this property.  The township made her clean up her empire (she sort of did so–at least the El Camino disappeared).  The animal control already investigated the case and the dog had food and water.  Well, I got the animal control out and they took the dog away.  Apparently they already knew her.  The same lady who investigated earlier was the one who picked the dog up.  She’s also the person who adopted the dog out to crazy lady a year or so ago.  The dog has NEVER been anywhere but on that property.  It is there to protect the empire of shit–nothing else.

In any case, I feel bad because I don’t want the dog to die or anything but I’m pleased as pudding that it disappeared from the property.  My other neighbor will be genuinely happy also as he was the one who had animal control called last time.

No offense to those of you who are religious out there (and I know a whole bunch of my readers are), but I am overjoyed that “Intelligent Design” (aka, calling creationism something else) has been banned form a Pennsylvania school. It has laid the groundwork for more court cases and more rulings to come down saying that the seperation of church and state should continue. This is very important to me because the fact is that I don’t want to have to counteract religious propaganda (aka, the wolf in sheep’s clothing) taught in school in my future unborn children. It is up to my kids to decide what they will and will not believe and it is by no means a school district’s job to teach anything but the closest thing we have to science.

My favorite passages from the AP story linked above are as follows:

The complexity of life implies an intelligent designer, they assert. Most of the movement’s public spokesmen take care not to publicly say whether the designer they have in mind is equivalent to the God of the Bible. On that basis, they argue that their theory is a scientific one, not religious.

and…

The school district will not appeal the ruling, said Patricia Dapp, who was elected to the Dover board earlier this year. The supporters of intelligent design were voted out of office in that election, she said.

Statements by the board members that they had only secular purposes in mind — to improve science teaching and foster open debate — were a “sham,” and a “pretext for the board’s real purpose, which was to promote religion in the public school classroom,” Jones said in his ruling.

Intelligent design (or “ID” as the supporters call it) is simply Christianity and creationism by another name. I’m offended that ANYBODY would try to pass it off as science. This is America and we are all entitled to believe as we see fit.

Am I supposed to feel like my life is in danger? Am I supposed to feel threatened? The only thing I really feel threatened by in Michigan is the economy. Run by the auto industry and discarded by the auto industry, Michigan is suffering the brunt of the recession. It’s poor, depressing, and job-less. It’s easy to criticize folks for not finding employment. Come on, get off your butts and work why don’t you! The truth is that there are no jobs. People who spent their lives working for GM or Ford or Chrysler or Delphi or Visteon or wherever are now being tossed aside as though they are less than human. It’s a sad state of affairs.

To add insult to injury, the annual “most dangerous cities” list is out. Detroit is second most dangerous while Flint is fourth. Since I live smack between Flint, Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Lansing I guess I’m supposed to be afraid. I am not. It is a sad state of affairs in Michigan and the crime is certainly a reflection of our sour economy. People are poor, people are angry, people are desperate.

In any case, I hate what these lists do to my state. The same people who read and misunderstand the list are those that say “you’ve been in downtown DETROIT?” Well of course I have. Just like any big city there are places to avoid, but there are also lovely places to visit. I saw a Van Gogh exhibit down there a few years ago. I’ve been to the orchestra. I’ve watched the Tigers. I’ve been to concerts. Detroit may be depressing, but it’s also not going to kill you the moment you drive through the borders.

As for Flint, well, that city has definitely suffered the most from the auto industry. GM fled years ago and left people without jobs. People who lived, breathed, and believed in their employment. People like those in my family who had worked there for three generations. Flint is a strange, disillusioned place. It hurts to look at it. There are places where you can see people once had money but now there is none. The roads are barren, business buildings are empty, homes are abandoned. This isn’t always the case, but it is often. If you want to know what happened there, all you really need to do is watch Roger & Me (Michael Moore) and realize that it is now 15 years later and things have gotten worse–not better.

In lieu of my depressing discussion here today, I want to share a lovely fall picture of mums. I know we’re a month or two past this seasonal stage…

Dewey is a terrorist. He’s not a run-of-the-mill mild annoyance–he’s graduated into full-blown Jihad. Of course I’m pretty certain that my cat doesn’t have a religion (outside of a borderline fanatical dedication to food) but that doesn’t stop the fact that he is truly and completely a suicide bomber in fat cat’s skin waiting to crack.

It is easy to dismiss his intentions based on his innocent looking face, his sluggish movements, and his preoccupation with sleep. Don’t let those things obscure his severe case of cat-insanity. I’m really not sure what the real signals for terrorism are (if Bush were to have his way the only prerequisite would be a Middle Eastern background), but I’ll take a shot at it.

I’ve already mentioned his fanatical obsession with food–to that I must add that he requires a great deal of attention. When he does not get his requisite petting he begins to push. Considering he’s no small fry, the pushing is very noticable. I guess this goes in line with what a terrorist might do. He also likes to hide. He waits for the perfect opportunity to pounce on unsuspecting animate and inanimate objects. Dewey may as well have strapped a vest of dynamite on his body. Finally and most disturbingly he is incredible at spreading his own version of gospel. He pokes us, claw exposed, to get attention. Guess what? The other two little peons have started to do the same thing. Clearly Dewey is an influential personality.

Now, of course, on to the incident(s) that percipated my declaration that my cat is a terrorist. Dewey wants love, Dewey wants touching, Dewey doesn’t care what time of day it is. I’m accustomed to him bugging JT in the night. However, the big fat cat has now come up with a new plan. Instead of actually sleeping close to us, he is fixated on our window that is directly next to our bed. He sits atop either the headboard or the blanket chest. In either case, he then progresses to mew pitifully and scratch the trim and window (the glass part of course) incessantly. I’ve never, ever encountered something that so reeked of terrorist activity in my life. He has kept JT and I up all night for the past week with this insanity.

Dewey. Must. Die. Okay, not die, but SLEEP. We’ve tried to keep him awake all day. We’ve tried to give him more attention. We’ve tried to distract him with food just prior to going to bed. We’ve tried to shut the door. None of it works. Last night, JT got serious and filled up the water bottle. One squirt to Dewey’s rump and he disappeared for two whole hours. We may have found a solution.

Maybe that’s what Bush needs to do with his “terrorists.” He just needs an industrial sized water bottle. In the meantime, I’ll continue my anti-terrorism tests on my cat.

Here his is…plotting his revenge:

OK. Not really. I’m actually pleased as puddin’ to have rain falling. It’s been a good month since Michigan got any good precipitation and our grass, trees, and flowers are definitely feeling the wrath of the drought. With that said, I am still too much in a hurry to grab my umbrella to shield my coif as I dash from the car to my building. I guess the old hair-do really isn’t that important.

Speaking of rain and storms and floods, did everybody see Bush’s speech last night? I think he did a fine enough job and it was nice that he was in New Orleans to actually talk to the nation. However, whilst giving a somber speech thou shalt not smile. Bush was choking back a grin the whole time. People have died, houses have been washed away, and livelihoods are shattered. The ape-man somehow couldn’t help but crack a smile over and over again. I had problems watching him.

Then again, I ALWAYS have issues watching Bush. He screwed up so massively that he has no choice but to accept blame. He tried to pretend that all was well and good in New Orleans and Biloxi and everywhere else until there was no denying the truth. Bravo to the media for showing the world that people were hungry, thirsty, sick, and dying before even our own government would admit it.

It seems clear that one thing is true of Michigan–our gas prices are inflated. As far as I can tell they are among the highest right now. Prices seem to range at the low end from $3.20 a gallon to $3.50 or so at the high end. It is ridiculous. Every time I am down by just 3-4 gallons I fill up. There’s no telling HOW high it will get over the holiday weekend.

JT and I are headed to Mackinaw City for Labor Day weekend. I’m curious to see how many people bail just because of the price of gas. I figure it will cost us somewhere around $150 total to travel there and back. That’s fine–we haven’t taken a vacation this year, not that I want this annual camping trip to qualify. It will be interesting I’m sure, and I’m particularly worried that when we get there because of its remote location and “fudgie” status it’s going to already be hovering around $4.00 a gallon. Wow. Boy does Michigan like gouging during these times…

When I was in high school, there was little in this world that I could see less use for than selfishness. I thought that selfish people were the worst of all–we should be charitable when we could, we should be open-armed when we could, we should watch out for our neighbor whenever possible. And while all these things are still true today, I’ve also learned to be honest with myself and I’ve grown some girl-balls.

I am selfish. We as human beings are selfish. If not for this trait we would not have survived. It is selfish to lock our doors at night and not let people without homes have a roof–selfish, but smart. It is selfish to take vacations to the ends of the earth instead of donating that money to a charity–selfish, but relaxing. It is certainly selfish to buy that $300 bag when the money could be better put toward making somebody else’s life better–selfish, but rewarding (though not for me). It is selfish to buy the gas-guzzling SUV that clearly depleats our natural resources–selfish, but quite possibly handy.

We are ALL selfish human beings. Sure, “selfishness is what is wrong with the world” sounds good, but I dare you to be unselfish in everything you do. Try it. Heck, there is even the argument that feeling good is selfish. Why? Well, can’t you spread that (free) joy to others who aren’t so happy?

I invite everybody to think about the topic of selfishness for a moment. I know folks who don’t think they are selfish, but in the end they are even more than I am. Why? Because they THINK they are not and they can’t see selfishness for what it really is. Selfishness is a part of human nature–natural selection is selfish, survival of the fittest is selfish, grilling on your BBQ outside is selfish.

Next.

I am not a soldier for many reasons, not the least of which that I’m not physically up to their standards. Of course there is also my incredible need for self-preservation. I’m selfish like that, but I understand why people go into the military and why they support their country. It is a good, strong, brave thing to do. I however also feel for those same people right now–to be in Iraq and to be fighting for their lives.

G-Town is a small, small place. It’s where I was born and raised among the cows, lakes, and Amish there are some good people I suppose. I don’t like to think about it much because I get a bit weepy for home. Funny that–I hated it when I was there but now as an adult can see the good parts of it also. Sure diversity doesn’t exist, art is something to be made fun of, and fashion consists of Carhartt’s and shit kickers but it’s also a place where you can literally play in the streets on Sunday without fear of being run over. I feel fortunate to have grown up that way. I am still I small town girl despite my big-town yuppie exterior and address.

In any case, JT calls me this morning with a story he heard on the radio (WRIF–go Detroit!) about two soldiers killed in Iraq. One, he said, was from G-Town. He didn’t remember the kid’s name, but that sent me immediately to the Free Press where I learned his name and that it happened in a convoy on Friday. A road-side bomb or something… I didn’t know him as he was in Elementary school when I graduated, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t understand the impact that something like this can have on a very small community. It’s devastating.

From what I’ve read, he spent most all of April at home with his family, wife, daughter, etc. He was apparently very reluctant to go back to Iraq for reasons which now seem all that more important. He can’t have known he’d die a month later, but having come from that environment one can only expect that these young soldiers learn that death is definitely a possibility. I don’t remember anybody from G-Town dying at war before. I don’t think anybody from my town has died in that way since Vietnam. A press conference was held at the local newspaper, my old principal even issued a press release. It truly is surreal.

I am definitely a peace-nik. I’m anti-war, and specifically anti-THIS WAR. However, for just a moment I feel myself stepping aside and putting my hand to my forehead in a salute.

I grew up in a very small town in the wilds of nothern Michigan. My idea of diversity was eating strawberry instead of blue moon ice cream. Everybody looked the same, acted similarly, and had similar aspirations. “Outsiders” were looked down upon (maybe that’s why two of them are still my friends today) and our shopping was limited to roughly three stores. That meant the rich kids dressed like the poor kids. There weren’t enough options to have it any other way. Fortunately, I always knew I would leave G-Town. It was comfortable and safe, but there were no opportunities outside of getting pregnant.

Over the past ten years (it has been that long–that, my friends, is frightening) I’ve lived in three other places in Michigan. I’ve lived in Sault Ste. Marie (upper peninsula), Lansing (and East Lansing), and now in Hartland (which is halfway between Detroit, Flint, Ann Arbor, and Lansing–literally in the heart of the state). Livingston County is a strange place. People own fancy cars, fancy houses, and are usually “upper middle class” as far as tax labels go. None of this would indicate the outrageous amount of racism and sexism and homophobia that goes on here. It is getting better (the KKK no longer rallies in nearby Howell) but I still can’t quite understand what all the hate and paranoia are about. As a small town girl born and raised, I am much more open-minded that most people in my county. That doesn’t make any sense either.

Back to Howell. There are apparently flags up at the school representing the diversity of the students. I don’t know which flags are displayed, but it is the LGTB rainbow one that has people panties in a bunch. Take the letter quoted below as evidence of a common sentiment around this area that sickens me…

Take down the rainbow flag

I was very upset when I saw the rainbow flag at Howell High School. I think it sticks out like a sore thumb. I think it is totally wrong. It has nothing to do with diversity but everything to do with gays. I am sick of it.

The only flag that needs to be there is the United States flag. That represents everyone.

Both my children graduated from Howell High, and I told them if they ever have children never to put them in public schools, only put them in Christian schools. I think public schools are going down the drain, fast!

It is a very sad day for the Howell Public Schools. I am just sick and tired of these people pushing it in our faces. Just because these people choose to change their morals, doesn’t mean we have to.

Wendy ******

The best is the part about Christian schools. It’s no secret that I’m an atheist. However, my mother is a teacher in a Catholic school (funny how things like that happen). Is this ignorant woman suggesting that gay people don’t go to Christian schools? If so, I do think she’s got a major surprise coming. I also am sickened by her reference to “these people.” Does she not realize we are one people regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation? Sometimes people truly frighten me.