Heat and Sleep

The lack of posts this last week or so is a direct result of an infection that will not leave me alone. It started the weekend before when I awoke with a sore throat and slept most of the weekend. I dragged myself to work all week but by Friday my voice was totally gone and I had to leave early and again slept all this weekend. I've got a bit of a voice this morning but no telling whether it will last. Our temperatures are hitting close to 100 with our humidity right up there. The heat on top of the fever has produced some very weird dreams.

I spent a little time on the web yesterday and saw a lead story on AOL on a minister who lost 1,000 members because he wouldn't tie his church to the Conservative Republican cause preferring to keep church and state separate. What struck me about the article is the hysteria of the press about the members who left and ignoring the 4,000 who stayed and the new members who joined.

It reminds me of a sociology professor I had in college who told us that statistics can be skewered any way you want to prove or disprove anything you want. That is so true. It is the same about the hysteria regarding abuse in the Catholic Church where the vast majority of priests are NOT abusers but the press focuses on the minority who are.

When I was in high school I was on the school's champion debate team. We had to be able to argue both sides of the question in the meets. It taught me to look at both sides of a situation and that things are not just black and white. You need to see the whole picture before you can really decide where you as a person are in a given situation. I don't believe in blind obedience. My choices are made because I choose my position. No one chooses for me.

The picture is called "Meeting Number One" and is based on the classic show "The Prisoner." It reminds me of the famous saying "we have met the enemy and they are ourselves."

 

Question.....Answers?

"Human nature is disposed to do good, just as water flows downward. There is no man that does not show the tendency to goodness." Mencius

A very interesting quote I think however it does raise a lot of questions. Babies don't start out in life as evil. They are babies who want to eat and have their diapers changed when they mess. They like to be held and sleep much of the time. Where does the change come that would turn an innocent baby into an adult killer?

The Bible talks about original sin. That would mean that man is as predisposed to evil as he is to good. What causes a man to decide to choose evil instead of good? Is it really as simplistic as the nature versus nurture argument? How can one family have all really good children and one turns out rotten? They are all raised in the same way why was the one "born bad?"

If a person knows they have a mental and emotional problem that medicine will keep under control and if they choose to go off their medicine should they be held responsible if they do something wrong while being of unsound mind because they aren’t on the medicine that would help them? If a person is mentally ill and you know they are ill and you leave your children in their care any way even though you fear they will come to harm at that person's hand don't you bear a part of the burden of guilt if they are killed? Where is your responsibility towards your children?

So many fanatics use God as an excuse for their actions yet the writings of the religion they claim to be following, be they the Bible or Koran, does not call for “holy wars” so are they doing the work of the devil instead?

At what point do you say enough is enough you are responsible for your actions, not society, not your parents, not your doctor, not your religious leader. You are responsible. If we do evil it is because we choose to do it. If we do good it is because we choose to do it.

If as the Bible says we are made in God’s image then we are made in the image of goodness. If we allow that goodness to be corrupted by evil then we need to do something to turn our lives around. Bad things don’t happen because God allows them to happen. Nature is volatile and that is not God’s fault. If someone decides to kill that is not God’s fault. The fault lies with the killer. We have free will and we are free to choose either the path of goodness or the path of evil. We lift our own feet to walk upon the path we choose. No one can do it for us.

Expectations

“People become what they expect themselves to become.” Mahatma Gandhi

 

“The most important thing is for each of us to have some freedom in our heart, some stability in our heart, some peace in our heart. Only then will we be able to relieve the suffering around us.” Thich Nhat Hanh

 

A couple of very good quotes from my Oriental Wisdom Calendar. There is a lot to think about in those two quotes.

 

I have many times heard people complain that they will never be able to accomplish anything in life. They are doomed because _______ fill in the blank with any standard excuse. The excuses usually attach blame to something or someone other them themselves. People don’t understand them. They are discriminated against because of their weight. These people have doomed themselves to failure because they don’t really want to change. They are comfortable in their little niche and are afraid to try. They have low expectations for themselves and they will settle for what they have rather then dream further and work for those dreams.  

 

One of the songs from my childhood was “I Never Promised You A Rose Garden.”  Along with the sunshine there must be a little rain sometimes. If you have the unrealistic expectation that life is always going to be wonderful then you are not going to be able to live a happy life because life can be cruel sometimes. There are things that are not in your control. Natural disasters occurs. Katrina comes and devastates one of our most famous cities. New Orleans is still struggling to overcome the devastation of a year ago. People are killed that are an important part of our life.

 

If we don’t have the peace in our hearts that the second quote talks about then we are dooming ourselves to failure. You can’t help yourself or others if you are harboring hatred in your heart. If you can not find peace and love in your heart you can not show it to others. Bitterness in our hearts is represented by bitterness towards others. You have to have peace inside your soul.

 

The picture is called “Hunter” and again is from The Prisoner show. You have a choice in life,  you can embrace goodness in your heart and fight evil or you can just run away. The man has chosen to fight.

 

Playing Through Pain

A great deal has been made of the fact that Tiger Woods broke down into tears after winning the British Open yesterday and that runner-up Chris DeMarco was also playing while in pain. Both had suffered the tragic lost of parents. Tiger lost his Dad a couple of months ago to cancer and Chris lost his Mom earlier this month to a heart attack. Both of them felt that their parent was with them throughout the tournament. It was heartbreaking to see Tiger break down into tears after the win knowing that his Dad wasn't there to see him take the cup.

What amazes me is the press with their cameras in his face catching the tears and the speculating before the event started that Tiger wouldn't have the mental toughness to play again with his normal vigor. It is as if they forgot the athlete he has always been and when they find themselves caught off guard to find out that he was human after all. They built up the image of Tiger as a golf swinging machine and forgot the man.

Both Tiger and Chris felt the pain that losing a parent beings. I know even after all this time I grieve for my Dad and wish he were here to show the new art work to and get his opinions on the stories. There is a hurt inside from a loss of a parent that will never be filled. All you can do is soldier on the way Tiger and Chris did and know that your parent is there in spirit. The hard part comes in not being able to hug that spirit afterwards.

Shelter

We have had a couple of good rain storms in the last 24 hours. It has broken the heat from the high 90s to the mid 80s. Still warm and humid but not quite as bad as it has been.

I was playing around with my art program and wanted to see what the preset for rain would do. In doing so I came up with the accompanying picture called "Shelter From the Storm." I also started thinking about the various shelters there are in life both physical and mental.

My mother works the 3 PM to 11 PM shift at the hospital. I wasn't feeling well on Friday night and was having trouble sleeping. I kept watching the clock and listening for Mom's return. Hearing her come in has always been an emotional shelter for me. She is home and safe and still alive. I watched the clock as it went past eleven, then twelve, and crept towards one AM. The later it got the more worried I became. We had the parade for the County Fair that evening and the start of the fair means more people on the road who have had too much to drink. I sat on the bed facing the window that would allow me to see her car's lights when she turned into the driveway and I prayed. That is another important shelter in my life, the shelter of my God's arms around me keeping me safe. At one I called over to the hospital to be told Mom was just getting ready to leave. A half hour later she was home and I was hugging her and we were in the shelter of each other's arms.

This morning the headache that had plagued me all day yesterday manifested itself into a full blown illness. I spent the entire day sleeping. The shelter of the bed and sleep were there to help  me try and overcome the illness. Sleep shelters us from the worries of the days and dreams help us to unravel the cares. Sometimes I could use a better scriptwriter for my dreams.

We have a small storage shed that is attached to the outside of the house by the carport. It is unlocked because nothing of real value is in it. A small black female cat has taken it as a shelter to give birth to her four kittens, three black and one light gray one. It has been a shelter from other animals because there is so much stuff in there that the kittens can be hidden from sight. The kittens are now weaned and I'm trying to find someone that can safely take her and the three black kittens and find them a shelter of a home. I want a place that will not  put the cats to death if a home isn't found right away. I want a place that will keep looking until homes are found. They are sheltered now and I want them to have a real shelter for the rest of their natural lives.

The gray kitten you ask? Mother, my brother and I are planning to give the little gray one a shelter inside our own home.

Heat

"A virtuous person sleeps well." Thai proverb

That of course works unless the air conditioner is on the Fritz and it is still in the 90s outside. I know the sun hasn't gone nova on us but it sure feels like it. The cat is hot because he can't find the hidden zipper to take the fur coat off and he is miserable and why should I sleep if he can't.

I have noticed at work that the heat seems to be bringing the crankiness out of the people that I have to deal with. It is hard to breath sometimes and the heat is driving my asthma crazy. I think everyone is finding that this excess of sun and humidity is affecting their ability to feel really good.

We are supposed to be getting a cool spell tomorrow. It will only get up to 84. It reminds me of a patient I was talking to on my old job who was freezing because it was only 78. I was north of Chicago and I told him I could make him feel really warm. Our current temperature was 23 degrees below zero and our high that day was going to be minus ten. He started laughing and singing "Heat Wave."

 

Reflections on Faith

I am really proud of my baby brother. He has handled the unwarranted attack on him with a cool grace that I really envy. I have a tendency to blow up when pushed or when someone I love is being hurt. The attacks ranged from the rapacious ego of the author to obscene, hypocritical, you bullies, ad-nausea from her followers. All this because she has no sense of humor. I have worked with some very big, and some big only in their own mind, stars. The ones with real talent don’t feel they have to be worshiped. It is only the mediocre that crave that adulation.

 

This whole mess has made me examine my feelings about hypocrisy especially when it is wrapped in religion. One of the things I learned to dislike the most about those who claim they are “born again” is that their are too many of them who feel that it gives them a moral superiority that is actually a thinly veiled prejudice towards others who do not have their same beliefs. I believe everyone has the right to worship God however they see him/her. As long as they don’t try and stifle my right to worship God the way I want to or use their religion as a device to harm others then I’m okay with other religions. As I told someone who was pushing me about being born again sorry I don’t need to be born again because it took the first time.

 

Part of my lack of tolerance stems from my ex-husband who made a great deal about being born again and how religious he was. The reality of the situation was that he used it as an excuse for cruelty. When religion is used as a cudgel then it has ceased to become a worship of the true God that embraces us all.

 

I was born and raised a Catholic and while I don’t always agree with the Church on everything I find that when I do attend Church it is at a Catholic Mass. I do find a comfort in the ritual that makes up the Mass. I am most grateful to the Church for giving my mother strength to face the death of my Dad. I sometimes wish I had the strength of faith that she does. I have the faith in God but I don’t have the strong attachment to the Church that she does. I still call myself Catholic and I’m sure if I find a Church that I feel as comfortable in as I did in my last one when I lived in California I will probably be a more regular church goer. In the meantime I do pray daily and I do love God.

 

It is my belief that gives me the strength to fight for what I believe is right. My model is Jesus who threw the money lenders out of the temple. The lesson I learned was that God wants us to fight things that are evil. He doesn’t expect me to be a milquetoast and to lay down and let people walk all over me even if I know they are wrong. I am a red-headed, Irish, Aries woman and take it or leave it I have a temper and a strong sense of justice. I am who I am. I learned through six years of Hell that capitulation of self does not bring peace. If you are so afraid that you can’t speak up against intolerance and hatred then you are existing, you are not living.

 

The picture is called “Wind Beneath My Wings.” I dedicate it to you baby brother.

 

 

Childhood's End

One of my favorite books is Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End. For me and for many childhood was a time of safety and isolation from the evil of the world. I was lucky enough to have two loving, nurturing parents who protected me from the evil in the outside world until they had given me the strong moral foundation and hopefully the wisdom of their own experiences to allow me to survive in the jungle we know as real life

 

I have been tied up writing wise the last couple of days on other blogs. My emotional and intellectual energy has been spent on defending my baby brother. As I mentioned in my first post my brother Jerry, or Diecast Dude as he is better known, got me into blogging.  I’m sure there are some people who will immediately flee over to his blogs and ask “did you have to?”

 

When Jerry was born I was at the age where I was a little mother to my three younger brothers. I still have a picture of the three of them in the Nehru shirts I had made them. While this child of the sixties and her conservative baby brother may not see eye to eye on politics there is something we will always agree on and that is our love for God and each other.

 

Jerry is a first class writer. He has a wonderful way with words. He has an off the wall sense of humor and more then once I’ve looked for something to throw at him after one of his wise cracks. I don’t always agree with his political writings but he doesn’t agree with mine either. We respect each other enough to agree to disagree. His writings that move me the most are when he let’s down the public showman and gives a glimpse of his heart. When her writes about our Dad being a soldier or visiting the grave of Kenny Irwin Jr. it brings tears to me eyes. The  beauty of his soul shines through. That is the real Jerry. Beneath the wise cracks lies a beautiful soul.

 

In the last couple of days a fourth rate romance novelist named Pamela Britton has invaded my brother’s blog dedicated to the book he is writing about the Christian music world. A world he as a musician, promoter, and writer knows so well. She took a wise crack from a NASCAR blog that everyone knew was humor and has tried to turn it into a personal attack. She and her coven of harpies have left obscene vitriol on his Christian blog. She follows him on to his other blogs with her unbridled hatred.

 

In my life I have had the pleasure of working with and knowing some of the top writers in the world especially in the field of science fiction and fantasy. Some who have crossed my life are Ray Bradbury, Theodore Sturgeon, Alan Dean Foster, Robert Heinlein, Harlan Ellison, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Robert Silverberg, Carolyn Hart and many others who have been blessed with an abundance of talent. Some like Harlan have egos but he at least has the talent to back it up. Some like Ray and Theodore had the most beautiful gentle souls that made them a joy to be around. Marion had an intriguing mysticism and a sly sense of humor. She cared about her fellow writers and helped the new ones every chance she got. She is missed by those of us who knew her and loved her.

 

People with real talent don’t have to descend into the morass of vindictive personal attacks to try and get ahead. Ms. Britton will never have the talent to rise even in her own field of Romance novels. While Romance novels are not to my taste I am more then aware that many people do enjoy them. They are an important part of the literary scene. I have nothing against them but you will excuse me if I go back to reading Dean Koontz’s Forever Odd.

 

Ms. Britton would be well off to read Oscar Wilde’s The Portrait of Dorian Gray. From the pictures I have seen of her the over abundance of makeup she wears is a cover that she uses to mask her real self. The mask is crumbling and by her vicious attacks she is revealing the portrait underneath and it is a very ugly picture.

 

The picture is called Childhood’s End.

 

Charity

My mother still isn't feeling well from her heart incident on Sunday and I am very worried about her. She has a sinus and bladder infection on top of everything else. All she has wanted to do for the last few days is sleep which is the best thing for her. I've been listening for her getting up and won't feel easy in my mind until I do. The phone rang twice this morning and I got it before it could ring a third time. Normally Mom will answer so either she was in deep sleep or figured I would get it.

My niece was on the phone and told me her mother had been in an auto accident and suffered a broken leg and severe bruising of the chest. I let my brother know and he immediately started criticizing his ex-wife. I didn't want to argue with him and wake up our mother but a little charity is in order here. I don't care if you dislike a person when they have suffered through no fault of their own they at least deserve a little sympathy.

Charity is easy to do when the recipient is unknown to you. I give to a missionary group that works with poor people all over the world. My Mom contributes to the Franciscan Order who also work in the poor parts of the world as well as to a soup kitchen in the town her sister lives in. Her sister will often help out in the soup kitchen.

Charity becomes more difficult if the person is known to us and we don't like the person for whatever reason. My ex-sister-in-law is not my favorite person in the world but I would not wish the pain and suffering she is going through on her. I would hope that I would feel the same way if something were to happen to my ex-husband. As much as I suffered at his hands I do not wish him ill.

Charity is defined as 1) benevolence or generosity toward others or toward humanity,  2) indulgence or forbearance in judging others, and 3) the virtue defined as love directed first toward God but also toward oneself and one's neighbors as objects of God's love. The first part is not that difficult to do. Part two is where we as humans have problems. Man has a tendency to be very judgmental. Where we have all heard part 3 how many of us actually listened to what we were taught? Charity in thought as well as deed is something that I know I can work on improving and I'm sure many of us can also work a little harder at. I do wish my ex-sister-in-law a speedy recovery and she is in my prayers.

The picture is called "The Gift 2". The original picture is one of a couple where I lost all but a small version of the picture in a hard drive crash. I am very pleased with how it came out.

Cold Fear

What should have been a good weekend took on the mantle of a nightmare instead. My mother was off this weekend and Saturday I did her shopping as usual. When I got back and put things away she asked me to accompany her to church. During Mass I saw her get into her purse and get a nitroglycerine tablet. I knew she was having sharp chest pains. A few minutes later she got a second tablet. I really started getting scared at that point because she was obviously in an extreme amount of pain. I asked her if I needed to get her home but she wanted to stay until after communion. At that point I got her outside and she asked me to drive because her vision had gotten all blurry. I wanted to take her to the hospital but she refused. I got her home and in bed where she stayed the entire weekend. We cancelled our planned trip to her sister's house because she was still too weak and shaky.

There is nothing that is more frustrating then being in a helpless situation where there is nothing you can do to help someone in distress. All I could do all weekend was to hover near her in case she needed me. I spent the weekend in a state of fear and anxiety over her.

The room where I have the computer is right over Mom's bedroom and I spent the weekend there so I could hear her call if she needed me. I put together a scrapbook of pictures from my niece's wedding for her to look at. I also went though my pictures to see which ones I did not have the models for. I have pictures that I can print off of in most cases but I don't have models for about a dozen of them in case I want to go larger prints. One of the ones I lost completely in the drive crash was "Chicago Winter Dreams" of which only a very small version still exists. That was the one I worked on last night. I have recreated it and like the new version better then the old.

 

Art

I'm glad I have my art. Being able to create really does calm me down when I'm feeling upset. My boss took off for her Hawaiian vacation and didn't even have the courtesy to reply to my email asking about the review and raise that is close to a year past due. She wouldn't even look at me yesterday. It is very unprofessional and I am not a happy camper.

Then my brother informs me his car has broken down and he needs $7,000.00 for a new engine that Mom of course has to pay for. That is just way out of line. So I am now checking to see if we can buy a used car in his area for less then that. That kind of money put into a nine year old car is not acceptable. More stress for Mom and myself.

To relieve the strain I spent the last couple of days working on a new picture. I love unicorns and this picture idea came to me. I had to make changes in my original concept because I was unable to come up with a realistic human baby for the lady to hold. Last night after being very frustrated I thought "what about a baby unicorn" and this morning I finished the picture. I am pleased with it. It is called "Protector."

The rest of the weekend is devoted to Mom. I'm going to download and Photoshop wedding pictures for her, do her shopping, take her to church and take her up to see her sister. I'll also try and find time to fix those pants for her. She does so much for everyone in the family that I don't mind taking care of her.

Glad It Is Friday

"Though one defeats a million men in battle, one who overcomes the self alone is in fact the highest victor." Buddha

"A man who has a beautiful soul always has some beautiful things to say, but a man who says beautiful things does not necessarily have a beautiful soul." Confucius

I really love my Oriental Wisdom calendar. It often has quotes that are just what I need on bad days. I am more then a little irritated right now. I have been at my current job for almost two years without a review and raise however people who have come after me have gotten their raises and back pay. I am overworked and underpaid. I am trying real hard to overcome the temper that is threatening to flare up at work. I have never felt so overwhelmed as I do in this job. My little department gets dumped on constantly. We are supposed to be on the phone trying to make payment arrangements but the paperwork is non stop and everyone dumps all the problems on our desks.

I am glad today is Friday and I have two days off to recuperate from the insanity of work. I'm going to work on some new artwork and maybe work on the stories. One of the two days we will spend going to see my 90 year old Aunt. She is such a joy to be around because she is truly one of the most beautiful souls on this planet. Her house is always crowded with family and love. She is one of my favorite people in the world.

I'm tempted to sneak this fellow into the office and set him to work on the stack of paperwork that has been dumped on my desk. He is "Guardian of the Fire."

 

Happy 80th Birthday

My mother marks a milestone today as it is her 80th birthday. With her bad heart it is amazing that she is here to see this day. I am giving her the latest Dean Koontz novel since she loves his books. I also made a "newsletter" to celebrate this day. The big news story on the day she was born was about a patent being given for a humane beaver trap. As much as she loves animals that is a fitting story for the day. The Cubs actually won on this day 80 years ago. I have greetings from family and my friends from around the world in the "Letters to the Editor."

It is amazing to realize how much she has seen in these 80 years. She saw World War II, went through the anxiety as a young bride waiting for her husband to return from his tour of duty in the Far East. She went through the great depression. She has seen the world of technology explode from just radio in her day to television and the Internet. She now uses a computer, something that she never dreamed of when she was a child.

She has seen a lot of heartache. She has buried both parents and all but one of her siblings. She has coped with the loss of the only man she ever loved, my Dad.

She has also known a lot of joy in her life. She has five children, one grandchild, and three great-grandchildren. She has rejoiced in our triumphs and been there to wipe the tears when things have gone wrong.

So here's to you mother. Have the greatest of birthdays today. Today as in all days I want you to know I love you with all my heart.

The picture is called "Call of the Wild" and I use it today because mother loves this picture.

 

Finally Some Quiet

"Close the language-door, and open the love-window. The moon won't use the door, only the window." Djlal ad-Din Rumi

Oh boy those fireworks were noisy last night. The park is right behind the house and fireworks were going off almost until midnight. Poor Merlin was a wreck. I briefly thought about going to watch them but the bugs are eating me alive now.

I spent the whole day on the computer yesterday. I backed the Journal up on my PC in case AOL goes blooey and loses it for some reason. Having had them lose my website before I don't exactly trust them not to mess up. I also updated my website. I really must do that more then once every six months. What a chore! But it looks good and I have all my art up finally. It is at http://members.aol.com/michelewln/ if you are interested.

I am intrigued by today's quote on my Oriental Wisdom calendar. A couple of days ago I finished a picture called "Dream Catcher" that featured a moon and a Native American dream catcher. I have always been impressed by the spirituality of the Native American beliefs and their understanding and reverence for the earth. This fragile planet of ours is a gift from God and we really do need to do a better job of caring for this gift of ours.

 

Radical Thoughts

“Ours will only then be a truly spiritual nation when we shall show more truth then gold, greater fearlessness than pomp of power and wealth, greater charity than love of self.”  Mahatma Gandhi

A group of long haired, weirdly dressed people got together to protest some things they didn’t like about their government. They certainly fit the common definition of radical: One who advocates fundamental or revolutionary changes in current practices, conditions, or institutions. Among the things that ticked them off were obstructing the naturalization of foreigners, making the military independent and superior to civilian power, and deprivation of trial by jury and trials in foreign lands. A complete list of these rabble rousers is below. So before you fire up the grill and watch the fireworks take a moment to read what these radicals had to say in this document called “The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies.” On this of all days we should know and understand what the battle for freedom was really about. The picture is called “Cosmic Celebration.”

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

 

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

 

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

 

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

 

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

 

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

 

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

 

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

 

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the Stateremaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

 

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

 

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

 

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

 

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

 

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.

 

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

 

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

 

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

 

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

 

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

 

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

 

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

 

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

 

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

 

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

 

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

 

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

 

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

 

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

 

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

 

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

 

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms:

Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

 

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

 

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Rightought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

 

The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:

New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

 

Unexpected

I have mentioned before that a particularly nasty troll has been plaguing one on my favorite newsgroups for close to three years. He has turned what was once a fun and mentally challenging group into an ordeal. A friend just posted a message that the ISP that this troll posts from has decided that because of the abuse they are going to monitor all of the messages that come from their ISP to our newsgroup. Finally an ISP that is going to take some responsibility for their members. While I support freedom of speech I also feel that there has to be responsibility taken for what is said. You can't yell fire in a crowded theatre for example. For too long the Internet has been a place where anonymous people feel that they can hide behind made up names and attack and slander whomever they wish. It is good to see an ISP finally realize that freedom of speech does not give a person the right to trample the rights of others. Freedom has responsibilities that go along with it. Our forefathers knew that and they were prepared to give their lives if necessary to see that our freedoms were guaranteed at a time when they were being trampled on.

I was in a rather strange mood the other evening and had been talking to friends on the Prisoner newsgroup. This picture popped into my head. Where do the clones and the Rovers come from I wondered? I figured that there had to be a nursery for them. Nursery is what I decided to call the picture.

 

Exploration

I have been revisiting some of my old art in an effort to see how my art has evolved in this journay of mine to be an artist. I took a look at the first picture that I had done called Alien Moon and redid it to reflect some of the things I have learned since 1998 when I embarked into the field of graphic art. One of the things I have learned is how to alter the shapes of terrains. I no longer have to go with the spikes. I have learned to smooth out the shapes and apply the erode and other controls to get a shape more in line with what I was envisioning. Ah yes techno geek. I also learned how to position the planets in the sky so that they came behind the atmosphere of the planet or moon I was based on. With these tools at hand I have an Alien Moon 2 that I really like. I will keep the first version because it too has a place in my art.

Life changes and I am able to do things now that I wasn't able to do when I was younger. Life should be a learning process where we can change and learn something new all the time. I can not imagine a life that is stagnant. We have senses that should be used to the fullest.

Take food for an example there are so many different tastes out in the world in regards to food. I am a person who likes to experiment when it comes to food. I like to use spices. I like to explore different ethnic types of cooking. I find that I enjoy Chinese, Italian, and Tex-Mex food a lot. A lot of the recipes I created have those themes in them. I enjoy cooking and creating new recipes.

My writing tends to go towards the science fiction and fantasy genres because that is where I truly feel at home. I have been reading it since I was 8 years old. I like the wild expanse of imagination it takes to create strange new worlds. It is a way I can let my imagination go free.

My art also explores the themes of space and fantasy. Again I can let my imagination go wild. I don't have to restrict myself to this one little planet. I can explore. That is what my life is all about. Exploration. Sometimes my exploration can venture in the silly. I look at Alien Moon 2 and see a rocky road ice cream mountain sitting in a pool of chocolate with a cherry planet in the sky.