The Sloth

The Sloth

Sometimes this very silent sloth,
Can look a lot like old green cloth.

Jungle rains fall from the sky,
And turn its fur to green–Oh, my!

It spends its life high in the trees,
And seldom crawls upon its knees.

When it moves along the ground,
It drags itself without a sound.

The sloth hangs mostly upside down,
Which makes its smile look like a frown.

Upside down? That’s just not so.
The sloth has this for you to know.

“According to my point of view,
What’s really

UPSIDE DOWN

is

YOU!”

A Day in the Life of a Woman in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan

January 14, 2012

When I spoke with her, she told me, “There is almost no food.” Those words were repeated over and over again. ALMOST NO FOOD!
“We have one small meal a day.”
“We walk three hours to find water.”
“The fear of the bombs and missiles causes us to have miscarriages.”
“My friend gave birth by the stream. We cut the umbilical cord with a sharp rock.”

These are just a few of the things the woman I talked with today told me. The shortage of food is caused by the bombs and missiles being dropped on their villages by the government of Sudan and the impending drought. The roads into the villages are blocked by the government. No food or humanitarian aid is allowed to come through. Stark terror and starvation rule. I cannot, no matter how hard I try, imagine what life is like for these women and their children. How can we watch and continue to say, “Not on my watch”?

When the bombs are dropped and the missiles come down, the people flee. They run taking nothing with them. No extra clothes, no shoes, no food, no water, NOTHING! There is no time to gather possessions or supplies. Run! Run, as fast as you can. Look for a place of safety. There is none. Run. Run. Terror rules the day.

I hear a lot about soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. I wonder how many of these people suffer the same thing. I remember a refugee telling me once that the daytime was fine, and he had no problems. It was the night that bothered him, when he slept and the nightmares woke him. Tears streamed down his cheeks when he told me that. Why can’t we all live in peace?

This week the US government has taken steps to demand that humanitarian aid be allowed into the towns and villages of the Nuba Mountain area of Sudan. Will it happen? Will we continue to just watch? Will something finally be done to alleviate this nightmare and horror? I hope so, I hope so.

The 12 Days of Christmas – Campaign Style

The Twelve Days of Christmas 2012 Campaign Style

On the first day of Christmas, the Republicans gave to us,

NO bills for jobs.

On the second day of Christmas, the Republicans gave to us

two more debates,

And NO bills for jobs.

On the third day of Christmas, the Republicans gave to us,

three candidates lying,

two more debates,

And NO bills for jobs.

On the fourth day of Christmas, the Republicans gave to us,

44 bills on abortion.

three candidates lying,

two more debates,

And NO bills for jobs.

On the fifth day of Christmas, the Republicans gave to us,

Cain’s infamous flings,

44 bills on abortion.

three candidates lying,

two more debates,

And NO bills for jobs.

On the sixth day of Christmas, the Republicans gave to us

36 bills on marriage,

Cain’s infamous flings,

44 bills on abortion.

three candidates lying,

two more debates,

And NO bills for jobs..

On the seventh day of Christmas, the Republicans gave to us,

71 bills on family relationships.

36 bills on marriage,

Cain’s infamous flings,

44 bills on abortion.

three candidates lying,

two more debates,

And NO bills for jobs..

On the eighth day of Christmas, the Republicans gave to us,

67 bills on guns,

71 bills on family relationships.

36 bills on marriage,

Cain’s infamous flings,

44 bills on abortion.

three candidates lying,

two more debates,

And NO bills for jobs.

On the ninth day of Christmas, the Republicans gave to us,

99 bills on religion.

67 bills on guns,

71 bills on family relationships.

36 bills on marriage,

Cain’s infamous flings,

44 bills on abortion.

three candidates lying,

two more debates,

And NO bills for jobs.

On the tenth day of Christmas, the Republicans gave to us,

522 bills on taxation.

99 bills on religion.

67 bills on guns,

71 bills on family relationships.

36 bills on marriage,

Cain’s infamous flings,

44 bills on abortion.

three candidates lying,

two more debates,

And NO bills for jobs.

On the eleventh day of Christmas the Republicans gave to us,

445 bills for government investigations.

522 bills on taxation.

99 bills on religion.

67 bills on guns,

71 bills on family relationships.

36 bills on marriage,

Cain’s infamous flings,

44 bills on abortion.

three candidates lying,

two more debates,

And NO bills for jobs.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, the Republicans told us all,

they wanted government out of our lives,

445 bills for government investigations.

522 bills on taxation.

99 bills on religion.

67 bills on guns,

71 bills on family relationships.

36 bills on marriage,

Cain’s infamous flings,

44 bills on abortion.

three candidates lying,

two more debates,

And  still NO bills for jobs.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Not Easy Growing Old

It’s not easy growing old,
And losing so many ordinary things.
It’s hard to bear the pain it brings.
I’ve lost the knees that used to work,
And body I had that didn’t hurt.
Ears that used to hear, and eyes that used to see.
I mourn the things I’ll never see, and the person that I’ll never be.
The grandkids’ weddings I’ll surely miss,
And their children’s births another miss.
And even if I am still here,
Will I even know I’m here?
No, it’s not easy growing old,
And losing so many ordinary things.
Make sure you see all there is to see,
And be the person you want to be.
Allow me to say in a voice so bold,
Do it now before you’re old!
Before you begin to lose those ordinary things,
And feel the pain of loss it brings.
Faster and faster the years fly by,
Youth is fleeing, old age is neigh,
Savor each moment that you’re in,
It will not come this way again.
Now remember what you’ve been told.
It isn’t easy growing old.

P. B. Cooper

Education Cuts

I am horrified that so many people want to cut funding for education.  So, I sent the following letter to the Dallas Morning News.  I doubt it will ever get published, so I am posting it here.  “I am a volunteer with DISD and help teach refugee kids English.  The other day I was at an event and one of my students was there.  He came running over to me, gave me a giant hug, and said, “Teach me something, now!”  I replied, “Well, what do you want to learn?”  He replied, “EVERYTHING!”  This child wants to learn as much as he can.  He is not the only one.  And there are people out there who want to cut funding to education.   There are no words in the English language that can even come close to describing the utter and colossal  stupidity of cutting funds for education.”

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas 2010

The Night Before Christmas 2010
With Apologies to Clement Clarke Moore

T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the White House,
All the creatures were stirring including each mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that a congress with ethics soon would be there;
The lobbyists were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of a bought congress danced in their heads;
And Michelle in her kerchief, and Obama in his cap,
Had just settled down for a brief winter’s nap,
When out in the Rose Garden there arose such a clatter,
Obama sprang from his bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window he flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up aghast.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to his wondering eyes should appear,
But a congress controlled by Republicans, I fear.
With a majority intact, but not lively nor quick,
The Democrats’ plans just did not stick.
More rapid than eagles the Republicans they came,
And Boehner whistled and shouted and called them by name;
On McCain, on Kyle, now Hutchison and Cornyn.
On Brown! On Sessions! on McConnell and Graham.
To the top of the Capitol! To the top of the Mall.
Now take the cash, take the cash, take the cash now,
‘Cause the Supreme Court says we can take it all!
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the House-top the Republicans they flew,
With their pockets full of lobbyists and corporations too.
The Supreme Court ruling just one more proof,
That secret corporate giving just went through the roof!
As Obama drew in his head and was turning around,
Down the chimney John Boehner came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with tanning lotion and soot.
A big bundle of earmarks he had flung on his back,
He was the consummate peddler just selling his pack.
His eyes—how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks so tanned, and his nose so merry.
His sneering little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the tears from his eyes gushed into the snow.
If Nancy and Hillary cried that many tears,
They’d been run out of town by laughter and jeers!
The latest election showed folks did not hear,
And voters preferred failed policies of old yesteryear.
Don’t Ask and Don’t Tell is now off the shelf,
Obama should be very proud of himself.
A wink of an eye, and a twist of a head,
Soon gave us to know we had much to dread;
They spoke a few words and went straight to their work,
And the Dream Act was killed by more than one jerk.
And laying a finger aside of his nose,
“Up yours,” Boehner said with tears as he rose;
But Obama had hope and to his team gave a whistle,
“We’ve lots to do and we’re tougher than gristle.”
And we heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”

The Dream Act

The Dream Act is not defeated. One person will make a difference. One person will make sure that The Dream Act rises again and will become law. One person in Texas will become the galvanizing force to unite the Hispanic vote in Texas and bring about the defeat of the two Texas senators who are against this measure. If only I were younger and spoke Spanish, I would volunteer for the mission. Who will be my substitute?
Who will be the one person who will make the difference? Will it be you? The Dream Act is not defeated, only postponed while it awaits the one person who will make the difference.

Perry is so scary

There once was a governor named Perry.
Whose views on the environment were scary,
When asked for a solution,
He replied, “What pollution?”
And that should make us all wary.

The Bear in Her Lair

The Bear in Her Lair

There once was a grizzly bear.
Who protected her cubs with great care.

But when she heard Sarah speak,
The bear began to freak,

And she and her cubs never again left their lair.

Clueless

There once was an ex-governor named Palin,
Who was constantly ranting and railin.

She had no clue,
About what to do,

So she ran around flailin and wailin’.

Fun with Words

I love words. We were at the airport not so long ago, and I watched some passengers “pre-board.” I was amused by the term “pre-board,” and wondered how on earth one could possibly get on board before you got on board. I’m still wondering. Next time I fly, I hope I get to “pre-board.” Should be an interesting experience.

Which brings me to another phrase, “stationary front.” If the front is truly stationary, all our weather would be the same all the time because that darned old front just isn’t going anywhere ’cause it’s STATIONARY! But wait a moment, the front has moved on and the weather has changed. Think I’d better pre-board my flight of fancy before that stationary front moves on. You just gotta love words!