I am amazed by the willful, ignorance-bred denial of those who maintain that climate change is NOT a “real issue”. Amazed and wryly amused.
As is par for the course, the entire debate has brought the right-wing conspiracy-theorists out from beneath every rock and Bush. I have been told that global warming is a fantasy that is promulgated by the dreaded Socialists: apparently by insisting that the environment is fragile and resources finite, these tree-hugging, “bleeding heart Liberals” hope to topple Capitalism once and for all. Riiiight….
They (the Denialists - for lack of a better title) have yet to explain the correlation between energy conservation/species protection and the death of the Free World (aka the USA). When asked, one is likely to have a raft of ranting articles thrust at one or some pithy quote from the Guru of Celebratory Stupidity, Rush Limbaugh.
Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion for there is, sadly, no laws against idiocy…but, please, try to at least use a modicum of logic. Failing that, I respectfully suggest that these froth-mouthed, paranoid and bizarre people keep their heads firmly stuck where the temperature remains constant. (That would serve to both muffle the tirades - and allow them to more easily kiss their own ass goodbye).
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
after three glasses of a goodly cabernet
Angry...right now I am angry. I have, once again, dared to voice an opinion in public and been told (in that traditional knee-jerk, ignorant fashion) to "go home". Let's get this straight, people...
I loved both my mother and my father equally. They were vastly difference from one another in temperament and interests but I would have, had it been required of me, died in defense of either of them. My parents were happily married until their deaths but even had they lived apart, my love for them would have been boundless.
And so it is, within the heart of many immigrants: we will always be profoundly tied to our country of origin and yet able to embrace and proudly defend our adopted land. We are the children of, often, disparate cultures and yet fully able to expand our hearts to include our old and new homes. Indeed, some of the most fervently loyal are the converts.
Patriotism is an inherent element of the American way of life – as it is in most countries – and thus many newcomers assume that their allegiance to their own homelands will be understood and lauded. Forgive us if we sometimes wax poetic about our native lands even as we seek to become citizens of this nation: pride is bred in the bone elsewhere, as it is here.
The immigration process is a grueling, costly and often heartrending one. It involves a certain level of fear, loss of privacy, physical pain (repeated inoculations) and, in my case, emotional agony. I’d not known that once I officially entered The System, I would be prohibited from returning “home” for the duration of it. I found myself in the unimaginable position of having to terminate life-support for my father (as per his legal request) over the telephone – and then being refused the right to fly home for his funeral. The nightmare then repeated itself with my mother. Two beloved parents passed away alone because I had chosen to live in America and to follow the Rules.
I write this not to elicit sympathy but to try to explain the situation of countless immigrants. Please, understand that many of us are undergoing interminable battles to make our home among you – and what is fought for with tears and uncertainty is prized and protected beyond measure. If we query the “system”, mannerisms or beliefs here, do not take offense for we are simply attempting to more fully understand the gestalt of America. If a new arrival to this country speaks glowingly of their homeland, please do not respond with a terse “go home, then”. By our very presence our choice is announced -but allow us our abiding love of our own nations as our allegiance to this one is nurtured.
I loved both my mother and my father equally. They were vastly difference from one another in temperament and interests but I would have, had it been required of me, died in defense of either of them. My parents were happily married until their deaths but even had they lived apart, my love for them would have been boundless.
And so it is, within the heart of many immigrants: we will always be profoundly tied to our country of origin and yet able to embrace and proudly defend our adopted land. We are the children of, often, disparate cultures and yet fully able to expand our hearts to include our old and new homes. Indeed, some of the most fervently loyal are the converts.
Patriotism is an inherent element of the American way of life – as it is in most countries – and thus many newcomers assume that their allegiance to their own homelands will be understood and lauded. Forgive us if we sometimes wax poetic about our native lands even as we seek to become citizens of this nation: pride is bred in the bone elsewhere, as it is here.
The immigration process is a grueling, costly and often heartrending one. It involves a certain level of fear, loss of privacy, physical pain (repeated inoculations) and, in my case, emotional agony. I’d not known that once I officially entered The System, I would be prohibited from returning “home” for the duration of it. I found myself in the unimaginable position of having to terminate life-support for my father (as per his legal request) over the telephone – and then being refused the right to fly home for his funeral. The nightmare then repeated itself with my mother. Two beloved parents passed away alone because I had chosen to live in America and to follow the Rules.
I write this not to elicit sympathy but to try to explain the situation of countless immigrants. Please, understand that many of us are undergoing interminable battles to make our home among you – and what is fought for with tears and uncertainty is prized and protected beyond measure. If we query the “system”, mannerisms or beliefs here, do not take offense for we are simply attempting to more fully understand the gestalt of America. If a new arrival to this country speaks glowingly of their homeland, please do not respond with a terse “go home, then”. By our very presence our choice is announced -but allow us our abiding love of our own nations as our allegiance to this one is nurtured.
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