Where are the JOBS??? Rally

At 10:00 AM on August 10th, 2011, I traveled to Old Lyme, CT with my pal Janet to attend Move On's Where are the JOBS??? Rally, which was starting in a parking lot in front of the Big Y market. Arriving a few minutes late, we joined a group of a dozen people already in progress, with Steve Danenberg reading Move On's Contract for the American Dream. We cheered at some of the bullet points, such as ending the wars.

Jan and I carpooled with Steve up to Congressman Joe Courtney's office in Norwich, Connecticut. It was a beautiful day, but traffic was busy as we crossed Water Street to Joe's office, where we were expected. In all, there were 8 of us to see Joe that morning. Alas, Joe was on vacation, but we already knew he wasn't going to be in the office. We were greeted by Ms. Jenny Contois, the District Director, who was expecting us. I began to snap photos, and Ms. Contois, asked if there were any press. I replied, that no, there was no press. We were served water, and Steve made polite conversation with Ms. Contois and pressed his Contract for the American Dream on the staff, while we all signed in at the reception desk. Steve really wanted to plan an event with Joe, whom Move On supports.

Jan signed up to meet with Joe during one of his "Schedule a Meeting" swings through CT. She has two part time jobs, neither of which give her benefits.

Interestingly, I discovered upon returning home that Joe Courtney voted for the Final debt deal, which is voting against Democratic party lines. Here is a link to an article that explains Joe's vote. I guess we'll have to save that question for another time.

Moonshadow and Spice: our rescue cats

You may remember Moonshine. Well, the hubs never did like that name so we agreed on a new name, Moonshadow [as in "I'm being followed by a..."]. But, Moonshadow was lonely and so we sought out a new rescue cat to be her friend. We went back to Forgotten Felines, but they wanted a cat who would live in a house and sleep with us. Moonshadow lives in our heated 5,000 sq foot metal building where hubs has his office and spends 8 hours a day. NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR THEM! We looked elsewhere.

We found Spice living in a one room cattery with 8 feline friends and a caged outdoor run. All the cats were previously from a part feral existence and while used to other cats, they were not so used to human beings. That was great for us!

We chose her because all of the cats she was living with seemed to like being near her and we thought that that would be good for Moonshadow too. Right!

They do not get along at all! But I’ve owned cats before and I know it takes time. So each cat has 2,500 sq ft of space and their own cat box and feeding station. Both cats are eating and doing well. Every now and then we have a hissing match but at least there is interaction without a fight. Spice seems to like exploring her new large space quite a bit! Today I pet her for the first time.

Isn’t she pretty?

Moonshadow is as relaxed as ever under the heat lamp this cold morning.

Spice also has a heat lamp, but never uses it.

$$ for JOBS! NOT WAR! Rally & March: New Haven Green

Even as the US began to bomb Libya, I gathered with my brothers and sisters in peace at the New Haven Green to protest: MONEY FOR JOBS AND EDUCATION!!! NOT FOR WAR!

It was wonderful weather for a protest! This one was called by ANSWER CT (Act Not to Stop War and End Racism) and endorsed by New Haven Against Police Brutality, March Forward, Unidad Latina en Acción, Party for Socialism and Liberation – CT, New Haven Workers Association, ISO New Haven, and more.

The 6 or so speakers were very moving. They represented various topics such as the teachers and unions in strife and under attack in Wisconsin, crimes against women during wars, the influence of megacorporations and big oil during conflicts in the Middle-East, and how Barack should stand with Unions in Wisconsin instead of bombing Libya. It was also noted that Connecticut’s piece of the war pie adds up to 84 million tax dollars, which would help balance the state’s budget deficit if left here in the state.

Then the march began and so did the chanting. It really took me back to the old days of protesting against Viet Nam. I don’t understand why more people didn’t come out to protest. People we passed on the streets just gawked at us like we were some freaks. What will it take to get people off their duffs and out into the streets? How many more young men must die? How many more people need to be raped? How many more people need to be fired? How many more people need to become homeless? How many more people need to go on foodstamps? How many nations do we need to bomb into smithereens? WAKE UP PEOPLE! NO ONE CAN MAKE PEACE HAPPEN BUT US! We did it for Viet Nam and we can do it again!

A National Money for Jobs & Education! Not War! March and Rally is planned for Noon, Saturday, April 9 at Union Square, 14th Street in New York City. The contact information is at the United National AntiWar Committee: 860 478 5300, UNACpeace@gmail.com, www.UNACpeace.org.

I am sad

Because sometime during the winter, my pond froze totally over and killed all my koi, some of which I have had for over 20 years. I know it doesn’t compare to the devastation of the tsunami in Japan, but still I feel bummed.

As the ice melts, I net them off the pond and throw them in the trash can.

On a happier note, today I cleaned out the blue bird boxes!

Rally to Save the American Dream

Saturday at noon I attended the Rally to Save the American Dream with two of my friends at the Connecticut capital in Hartford that was run by MoveOn.org. We were protesting in solidarity with union workers in Wisconsin who are under attack by Governor Scott Walker and the Republican members of the House. There were about 500 protesters in attendance.

Speakers included Chris Donovan, the Democratic current Speaker of the State House of Connecticut, Laura Donnelly, Ed Vargas, the former President of the AFL-CIO for Hartford, and Bob Kingsley, UE Director. Other speakers not pictured were Debra Emmelman, David Berg, Ed Masterson, and Olia Yelner.

The protest was well-organized but could have been better publicized. I got a tremendous feeling of solidarity from being there and from hearing the speakers and chanting. Especially since my single parent mother was a teacher and raised three of us kids and put us through college, all on her salary. We did need to take out loans. But at that time, college loans were very available. All three of us grew up to have successful careers, my brother in computer science, my sister as a biomedical engineer, and me in the pharmaceutical industry. She was able to do that because she was a Union member. That is the American Dream, and what the protest was all about trying to protect. That is what Gov. Scott Walker is trying to crush in Wisconsin.

But the speakers told stories of a more global nature such as how the states’ and country’s deficits and money woes were not of labor or the Unions’ doing. How the greedy large corporations were responsible instead. How the rich and large corporations needed to be taxed more to fix the problem. It is not the workers who are responsible. Yet, workers are ready to make sacrifices to help out. But workers will not give up collective bargaining; which is the backbone of the unions.