Speechless

A fable:

Imagine there are terrorists who want to kill you and take over your state. 300 of them walk into a mega-mall where there are thousands of holiday shoppers. From various locations they randomly shoot rockets into the surrounding area. The police, surrounding the mall, engage in what they call "targeted bombing" by determining where they believe the terrorists are headquartered and then dropping bombs on those locations. They kill terrorists but they also kill shoppers. By the fourth day food and supplies are scarce and the shoppers are desperate. The few medical personnel among them are tending those who have been injured by the police bombs using the limited supplies originally designed for first aid. The targeted bombing has killed 15 terrorists, but it's also killed over one hundred shoppers and injured scores more. The terrorists have killed three in the community.

Outside, trucks with medical supplies, food and medical volunteers have arrived. The volunteers are willing to risk entering the mall to help the hundreds of injured and dying shoppers. Then the word comes from the police..."The mall is sealed. Nothing and no one goes in or comes out." The media receives cell phone calls from shoppers begging for food and medical help. But the police refuse to change their minds and ban further cell phone contact.

Reality:

Think this couldn't happen? Well it was happening in Gaza. As of this posting a ceasefire

has been declared but no one believes there will be lasting peace since both Hamas and the Israelis refuse to accept each other's legitimacy. I've never lived in fear that I couldn't walk down the street without being bombed so I don't know how the Israeli or Palestinian people feel. But bombing and killing innocent people when you have overwhelming power has got to be wrong.

 

Israel claims it only seeks to secure its safety but anyone who looks at a map of Palestine in 1947 when Israel was founded and compares it to now can see the shocking shrinking of Palestine. Not only has Palestine shrunk, but huge areas of it have Israeli settlements in them. The disingenuousness of Israel is obvious. Why do you take over territory if you only want to protect yourself? A trapped person fights back. What do the Israelis expect?

 

I always say I was raised Catholic in a Jewish neighborhood. I have family and close friends who are Jewish. The Judaism I know is a religion of compassion and acceptance. It's a religion of fighting for the rights of others. The Civil Rights movement and Jews are inextricably linked in my mind. I wonder, how can Jews do this? My heart breaks as I watch and wonder how such a good and noble people could sink to this horror. I look for explanations but only see the same political tripe. Gandhi was said to have remarked, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and we'll all be blind and toothless." And if Israel is any indication, heartless.

Don't Tell Me I'm Too Old!

I love my girlfriends. I love the fun I have with them and I love how much they love me. But what I don't love are those stupid cartoons they send me, the ones of the old lady pointing out that we're old, our breasts sag, our stockings bag and our eyes can't see. Excuse me?

What's wrong with women that we feel the need to point out our individual flaws not only to our significant others, but to the world at large? "Oh look, I'm 50, see how my ass has suddenly fallen?" Is it an excuse not to pay attention to the way we look, to health, to our well-being? I've heard women say, "I'm (50, 60, 70), I'm so happy I don't have to worry about those things anymore." Wrong-O. You do. Not for others, but for yourself. Chances are you'll live into your 80s or 90s. Don't you want to be healthy and vigorous as long as possible? Don't you want your mind to be alive and to face life with eager curiosity? Or do you want to only be able to sit in a chair someplace and just stare?

It's all about mindset and I think many of us need to change ours. People at work tell me they have employees (usually women) who say they can't learn some new system. "They're close to retirement and just don't seem invested." So retire and clear the way for those who are invested. Can't? Then you better change that mindset and learn because, in these troubled economic times, don't expect anyone to be invested in you even after years of service. Act active, be active and you're a valuable resource. Whine you're too old to learn and you're dead wood. 

Too old? Tell that to my father. He's into his 91st year and within the past ten years he's learned how to use a cell phone and computer. He emails, checks his stocks online and has sent me pictures that he's "bundled." He uses "google" as a verb and scolded me that I "really should" download GoogleEarth. (I did!) Last month, after seeing the Chuck Berry film he said, "I think I'm starting to like rock 'n roll!" Oh, and this lifelong Republican acknowledges Hillary Clinton as smart and said Barack Obama seems to be making appointments based on skill and not party. These actions and comments indicate a man who is still learning, thinking and growing. And, he's always dressed to the nines. 

It's all about mindset. For 2009 I'd like to invite all women "of a certain age" to adopt Obama's theme: Yes we can! Yes we can look fantastic. Yes we can be healthy and fit. Yes we can learn new technologies and processes. Yes we can look in the mirror and exclaim, "Damn woman, you sure are fine!" Old? That's so 2008.