Live, From Memphis

Thoughts to myself:

Look to the inner substance.  Don't be fooled by outward appearances. 
Inner beauty reveals itself through compassionate, mindful actions and purposeful living.  Kindness matters.
I will not define myself by my material possessions or work.
I will treat others with respect and dignity because we all have inherent value as creations of the Almighty.
I will do what I can to help and inspire others to reach towards their dreams.

May I live in such a way that I have something to share with those who suffer due to violence, ignorance or lack. 

In spite of whatever circumstances currently prevail in my life, I will focus my thoughts on that which is purposeful and beneficial to myself and others.  I will act responsibly and with awareness of how my actions impact myself and those around me.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others,
Sister Cat

Like most of you, I've been thinking about the proposed bailout.  I've been thinking about it a lot.  These are my feelings.  You may disagree with me, but please do so with the same respect you would want for yourself.  To anybody who disrespects my space, your comments will be deleted and any TOS violations will be reported.  

My Friends and Visitors, I find myself wondering why should middle class America bear any responsibility to pay for the end of a 10 year drunken frat party of greed and corruption?  With that happy thought in mind, let me take this opportunity to formally protest the proposed taxpayer bailout of  the white collar criminals responsible for America's current financial crisis.  I protest the hostile takeover of America by the criminal CEO's, banks and the corporate greed machines.  Where is the accountability?  Why are those responsible not investigated and charged as the criminals they are.  These unethical individuals and companies are far more dangerous than drug dealers or terrorists.  The criminal behavior of corporate CEO's and lending institutions now holds America hostage far better than any terrorist ever could.  You don't have to have a gun or a plane to commit an act of terrorism, just a blatant disregard for the concept of personal responsibility and business ethics.

A certain segment of America's wealthy power brokers have become the biggest entitlement wh*res in this country, period.  You know who you are.  Your name is legion.  After ten years your crooked, drunken, frat party finally came to an end, and you now expect the middle class to pay for it.  Let me take a moment and absorb all of this.  Really?  You expect us to pay for your gambling losses?  Wow, that's pretty mindblowing given the utter contempt you show working class people on any given day.  I'm sure most of America is at least as outraged as I am.  I guarantee you that I will use whatever tools I can to fight this insanity.  What if middle class America simply refused to pay for the biggest proposed rip-off in history?  A final word to the corporate greed machine:  Middle class America is taking names and remembering all of this when it comes time to vote, spend or invest.  The clock is ticking and your time is running out.

This is a reminder that voter registration deadlines are coming up.  The power of We, the People can make a positive difference in our communities, in our nation, and in our world.  My dear Friends, if you have not already done so, please register to vote in the upcoming election!  Educate yourself on the candidates and their positions and gather your information from several reliable, respected sources.  If, for whatever reason, you are unable to participate in the voting process, please find a place within your community where you can make a positive contribution of some kind.  I pray that each one of us will find that place in life where our unique light may shine its brightest.

Voter Registration Information:
http://www.eac.gov/voter/Register%20to%20Vote
      

I found out that Otis Redding and I were both born on September 9.  Somehow that makes me feel a little cooler.   Otis is one of my all time favorite musicians.  His vocal magic helped put Stax and Volt Records of Memphis on the map.  Save me a place on the Soul side of heaven, please!

Otis Redding September 9, 1941 - December 10, 1967

Five of my fave Otis songs:

"Mr. Pitiful", 1964
"I've Been Loving You too Long", 1965
"A Change is Gonna Come", 1965
"Try a Little Tenderness", 1967
"Sitting on the Dock of the Bay", 1968 (Released Posthumously)

Check out more about Otis Redding:

•     Otis Redding at Wikipedia
  
•     Official Otis Redding Site
•     Stax Museum of American Soul Music

Yet another anti-Obama urban legend is getting passed around.  This time it's a false statement tacked onto a McCain story that is essentially true, which makes the urban legend all the more dangerous since many people don't take time to verify all statements and information.  I have included the e-mail I received(in italics) below with my respose(in boldface) immediately following.  By the way, I purchased a copy of June 4th's New York Times so I could have a memento of the landmark day in America's history.  I hope that everybody will take time to become an informed voter and exercise the right to vote in the coming election.           
            
Letter I received today in italics:
            
            John McCain's Sons


            Talk about putting your most valuable where your mouth is! Apparently this
            was not 'newsworthy' enough for the media to comment about. Can either of the other presidential candidates truthfully come close to this? Just a question for each of us to seek an answer, and not a statement.
            
            You see, character is what's shown when the public is not looking. There were no cameras or press invited to what you are about to read about, and the story comes from one person in New Hampshire.
            
            One evening last July, Senator John McCain of Arizona arrived at the New Hampshire home of Erin Flanagan for sandwiches, chocolate-chip cookies and a heartfelt talk about Iraq. They had met at a presidential debate, when she asked the candidates what they would do to bring home American soldiers - soldiers like her brother, who had been killed in action a few months earlier.

            Mr. McCain did not bring cameras or press. Instead, he brought his youngest son, James McCain, 19, then a private first class in the Marine Corps about to leave for Iraq. Father and son sat down to hear more about Ms. Flanagan's brother Michael Cleary, a 24-year-old Army First Lieutenant killed by an ambush - a roadside bomb.

            No one mentioned the obvious: In just days, Jimmy McCain could face similar perils. 'I can't imagine what it must have been like for them as they were coming to meet with a family that…' Ms. Flanagan recalled, choking up. 'We lost a dear one,' she finished.

            Mr. McCain, now the presumptive Republican nominee, has staked his candidacy on the promise that American troops can bring stability to Iraq. What he almost never says is that one of them is his own son, who spent seven months patrolling Anbar Province and learned of his father's New Hampshire victory in January while he was digging a stuck military vehicle out of the mud.

            Two of Jimmy's three older brothers went into the military. Doug McCain, 48, was a Navy pilot. Jack McCain, 21, is to graduate from the Naval Academy next year, raising the chances that his father, if elected, could become the first president since Dwight D. Eisenhower with a son at war.

            I chose to share this with those who I believe will pass it on, to others who will pass it on. We hear so much inflated trash out there. How about a simple act of kindness and dedication to others placed above oneself?

            Has anybody heard if Barack Hussein Obama has served in The American Armed
            Services?

            This is for all you Barack voters.

            From Barack's book, Audacity of Hope:

            'I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.'

            HE DID NOT SAY STAND WITH AMERICANS!
            
My response to the e-mail in boldface:

Dear Friend:

I love quotations, so I take time to verify them whenever possible in the event I want to use them in my writing.  The actual quote from the book is from page 261 and is as follows: "Of course, not all my conversations in immigrant communities follow this easy pattern. In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging. They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly; they need specific reassurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."

The quotation included in the forward was not correct and does not have the same meaning as what you read above.  As is my habit, I have responded to you as an individual and not replied to all.  I want you to know I respect you as a person, value your continued friendship and do not want to start a petty war over a political candidate.

Vote as your conscience dictates in the coming election.

With kindest thoughts,

Cat