redstatebluegirl
redstatebluegirl's JournalPeace
As nasty and confrontational as this place can be, it is full of people who deeply care about America and the world. I hope all of of you have a wonderful holiday no matter which one you are celebrating, even if you are celebrating none of them, I wish you Peace and a happy and prosperous New Year.
Peace to the world, now and in the future.
Has anyone found this to be true since President Obama was elected?
I am a white mid western girl transplanted to Oklahoma. I have been a diversity trainer, on the side, for almost 20 years. I openly admit that from time to time even I make what might be called cultural mistakes, but they are not made with anger, they are made due to ignorance of the feelings and life experience of others.
We were raised to respect all people, Mom would not tolerate injustice, always expected us to treat people as we would want to be treated.
The past 6 years since President Obama was elected, the serious racists have come out from under their rocks to attack all Black people. Disrespect abounds, no Black person is safe from their hatred and intolerance. What has been interesting to me is that I have found that Black friends of mine, many who I have had for years, some since undergrad, have become so angry with the system that they are looking at every white person with the same hatred, no exceptions.
I find I am afraid to talk with them about anything of substance for fear of offending them and have them accuse me of being intolerant. It really hurts me to lose some friends I have loved for so long. We have sat in my living and argued about tons of things, including race relations over the years, but still came away friends. I don't sense that is possible any longer and it makes me sad.
I taught a diversity class last week that came close to blows. It was a group who all work together and have for some time. According to their boss, the racial dynamics have been getting worse by the day for the past 6 years. I can tell you I have never led a group like that one. The minute I brought up white privilege the place was up for grabs, screaming and hollering at each other, talking, no screaming about Ferguson and Wilson being set up and treated unfairly. One young Black woman in the back of the room held her own in the "discussion" but it escalated to the point that one older Black lady asked if she could be excused because she was "fearful".
Once I got control again, we went on to other exercises but the room was full of tension. I suggested to the owner of the business that he may want to bring in a professional mediator to try and help the situation.
The divisions are worse than I have ever seen, I said a few years ago I felt a civil war was very possible and was pretty much shut down here on DU, how do you feel now? Have any of your opinions regarding race changed?
Does anyone have any thoughts about NIH and NSF funding with the Republicans in charge?
We aren't buying much this year and you can blame the Republicans for it. Since the anti science contingent won the Senate we are terrified my husband's NIH grant will not be renewed and his biomedical research will come to a screeching halt. It has been said that only research that is applicable to homeland security or the military will get funded, we hope that is a rumor, but it makes sense with the neocons in control. Without it, we do not have any summer salary, it will cost us a quarter of our income. We have heard all kinds of rumors, his NIH and NSF both are up for renewal in 2015.
The graduate students who work in his lab will not have a salary either. Not enough summer teaching next summer to make up for it. We are terrified, only spending what we have to. He is looking at some corporate and private support just in case, but it is like living on thin ice. He has written 4 grants in the last 6 months to various agencies, he works so hard, he worries about his students as much as worrying about us, I've never been so frightened.
I don't know why anyone would be an academic in a hard science these days. He loves teaching and he loves his research, he does lots of outreach to high schools but it is a challenge to pay the student loans and keep moving.
If you have had a fusion is it a given that you will have another one?
I had a fairly good outcome from my fusion of L5 S1 about 4 years ago. Yes I still have some pain, but I manage it with PT and meds. Going in I needed two canes to walk, now I don't need a cane most of the time, I know I am blessed.
Lately, I have been having more pain above the fusion, I was warned that this was possible at some point. I have spondilolithesis (sp) so I know the drill. But I am terrified of another fusion, even with the good outcome it did me in, forced me to quit a job I really liked and I don't want to go through it again.
Have any of you, had a second fusion? How long after the first one did you have the second? My husband flips out anytime I have a bad day saying "here we go, another fusion"....
Any experience you could share would be appreciated.
Saw something truly amazing this morning while voting.
I live in a VERY red state, Oklahoma, in a VERY red precinct. This morning while I was waiting to vote I overheard an elderly man ask an election judge how you "split the ticket". He went on to tell her he had always voted a straight republican ticket and had no idea how to vote otherwise. She explained to him how to go down the ballot and vote for each race individually. He smiled, took his ballot and was behind the little boxed in area for quite a while. He then came out with his walker and deposited his ballot in the machine.
I was done voting and followed him out. I asked him if I could ask a question and he said yes, I asked him why he was changing the way he voted and he told me he had "had enough", whatever that means. I can only hope he voted against Mary Fallin for governor and against the nut we have for a state representative, but I'll never know.
With all of my canvassing this year and now this, I have at least a glimmer of hope that things may change. If it can change in this area it can change anywhere.
I am going to have carpal tunnel from hittingnhe mute button.
These ads are all the same, all they say is they hate Obama, they hate Washingon and their opponent loves them both.
I always find it odd that they hate Washington but if we have a huge tornado here Washington is on speed dial.
Hurry up Tuesday!
Eating out and open carry.
My husband and I were at our favorite steak house the other night for dinner. We went after a movie so it was a late dinner and the steakhouse was not busy. We sat in our favorite section with our favorite waiter. We ordered dinner, got our glasses of wine and then noticed a very intoxicated man at the bar. He had a large gun in a holster at his hip. He kept patting it like a security blanket. The waiter told us it was a Glock (sp).
He got very loud and seemed very agitated. I became more and more uncomfortable. Finally I told my husband I couldn't sit there any longer. We left our waiter 20 dollars, left enough for our meal which had not yet arrived and left. The owner stopped us at the door and asked what was wrong, we told him. He told us there was nothing he could do that would not make the situation worse. He said he if got any louder he would call the police to deal with him. My husband told him we would not be back.
I'm sure our business doesn't mean much, this guy was very well dressed and identified himself as working for a large company that pretty much owns OKC. It does annoy me that at some point we will be staying home, locked inside afraid to go out.
I really don't get it. Was there more we could have done? The law here says they can open carry.
A Story to renew your faith in the wealthy folks in US.
I live in a college town. A friend of mine lost her mother after a long illness in January of 2013. Her house was a lovely 3 bedroom home close to campus. She and her husband worked hard to keep their home up to date, original hardwood floors, new bathrooms and kitchen, new windows and doors etc.
When Polly put the house on the market after her mother died she did not anticipate it taking forever to sell. When it did not sell after 7 months on the market they decided to rent it and then put it back on the market when the economy improved. She tried to screen the applicants as best she could.
A nice young woman, a student and her twin sister, both Seniors in their last year, came with their mother and dad to look at the house. It seemed like a great fit, they were going to rent it with another friend each would have their own room. Mom and Dad signed the lease along with the girls as insurance that the property would be maintained. Mom and Dad drove up in a new S class Mercedes, daughters in new BMW's if you get the idea.
The girls graduated this summer and moved out a week ago, never late with rent, yard always taken care of no outward sign of damage. Polly called me the day after they moved in tears, the place was trashed. The bathrooms and kitchen had not been cleaned in forever, the floors in both bathrooms and the kitchen were beyond being cleaned. Food had been left in the fridge already rotten before they moved. Stains all over the walls, the hardwood floor in the dining room was ruined by what looked like a keg that had been left to leak all over the floor.
She didn't know what to do, the cell phone the girls had given her on the lease no longer was in service. I told her since Mom and Dad were listed on the lease call them. She did, the Mom asked for pictures, she sent them electronically. Not more than 10 minutes later Mom called Polly in tears. She was mortified that her kids would do that to someone's property. She said not to touch a thing, they would drive up from Texas that evening when her husband got home.
They arrived with all three girls in tow. Girls did NOT look like they had a great trip back to campus. Dad asked for keys, said they would be there a couple of days making things right. We thought they would pay to have it fixed, no, they told those girls to roll up their sleeves and get busy. Neighbors said those girls worked like dogs for 3 days to fix that place, they painted, they helped their Dad replace the floors, Mom and Dad bought a new fridge and dishwasher (both were beyond being cleaned), they even washed all of the windows inside and out. The last day Dad and Mom came by with the keys and the girls. The girls apologized to Polly and asked to see a picture of her parents who had lived there, then they began to cry. Mom and Dad handed Polly and envelope and left. Inside the envelope was a nice card and $1500 dollars (she had already kept their 500 deposit).
I thought it was important to share this since we do tend to trash the rich here on DU, rightfully in many cases. I looked up the Dad on the net, he is the President of a fairly large oil exploration company, but he is self made, nothing was left to him. I bet those girls will not forget this any time soon. They are young women but I think Mom and Dad felt they needed this last life lesson.
Garvin County Oklahoma GOP fundraiser includes a reference to the KKK
From KFOR television in OKC
"The Governor’s name headlines the flyer for the local party’s “Bean Feed” fundraiser, complete with a dancing bean in the top corner wearing a sombrero.
On the agenda the flyer says, “things that you may not know about the NRA, Planned Parenthood, Ku Klux Klan and other organizations.”
The state’s Democratic Party was shocked.
The Chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, Wallace Collins says, “I thought this can’t be real, but it is. It really is. I think they were trying to energize their base, the tea party base, the right wing nuts whatever you want to call them. In other words throw some red meat, raise some money.”
The head of the Garvin County GOP Allie Burgin confirmed the flyer is the real deal, but says it’s not what you think.
Burgin said "yes, “I feel like the GOP gets a bad rap.”
Burgin says the Republican Party wanted to debunk any perceived link between the GOP and the Ku Klux Klan by giving historical background on the controversial organization.
“That’s part of our party’s mission is to get information out to people,” says Burgin.
The Governor’s office has denied any involvement with the “Bean Feed” and even said her attendance was never confirmed.
But in a Facebook post from Tuesday afternoon, the head of the Garvin County GOP says… “I have been assured that Governor Fallin will be at the Garvin County GOP bean feed ‘with bells on’ along with her tour bus and entourage of staff.”"
Gardening in Oklahoma
I have lived in Oklahoma for over 12 years. Before that I thought of myself as a pretty good gardener, not a master but ok. Since we moved here, I have used raised beds with compost, maintain a compost pile for continuing to enrich the bad soil here to no avail. I have not had a decent tomato or green bean.
Does anyone have any tips for growing here? What am I doing wrong 
?
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Member since: Tue Aug 14, 2012, 06:29 PM
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