Can I be your Yoko Ono?

“In France, reform appears to be against our nature; only revolution seems capable of overcoming inertia and impossible renewal.” Dominique de Villepin, France’s prime minister. In the recent special issue of The Economist, I read an article about the protests occurring in France over the next year’s elections. I find it so amazing that it takes such constant mass protests and such action from a people to affect notice. It’s not necessarily affecting change, but merely the notice of discontent. We have governments, we elect, we have control over, in place to represent our ideals, to create laws which are supposed to benefit us, keep us secure, and to provide for our social welfare, educate us, and maintain our infrastructure. The taxes which we pay to our governments are supposed to insure that these things happen, that the level of public education is to be of a certain quality, that our infrastructure is efficient and modern, that our basic rights not be infringed upon. But as Americans, we are more concerned with who might win “American Idol” than we are with our government spying on us , interfering with our civil liberties, waging an unjust war, based on false information, allowing genocide in other nations to occur, taking away our civil liberties, using our tax money, our social security funds in inappropriate manners, imprisoning humans indefinitely, without just cause, torturing these humans, occupying other nations at will, and causing pre-emptive wars. All of these things should cause rage within us as citizens of this country. These are obviously not our values, we do not do these things to each other, we would punish anyone whom attempted to place these horrible inflictions upon us, and yet, we do not act, united, when our government does these things to others, and to us. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that we are not doing anything, we are not responding in mass, waging protests, revolutions about the things that are occurring, the things that affect us, that affect you. Why? Why are we so apathetic to these atrocious violations? What happened that caused us to be so complacent, and trusting? There are 295,734,000 Americans; there is 1 elected President, 100 Congressional Senators, and 435 Congressional Representatives. How is it possible that we aren’t using our voice? Are we that stupid? Are we that comatose as a nation to really not care about our civil liberties, to not care about the human rights abuses that we inflict upon others, to not care about GENOCIDE which is occurring, right under our noses, to not care about the fact that OUR government is SPYING on us, and making LAWS which take away our rights??? This is what really disturbs me…Oprah has this book in her book club, “A Million Little Pieces” and it claims to be an autobiography; turns out, it’s not so much, so Oprah has a show confronting the author, claiming that the author lied and made a fool out of her. This in turn creates a frenzy within the suburban housewife community whom unite to file several class action law suits against the author and his publishers for, basically, lying in a book, A BOOK! This man embellished upon his life a bit, and Oprah can inspire several class action law suits, while “we the people” can’t get our asses off the couch to confront our legislatures, our government, about spying on us, about lying to us, about allowing genocide to occur, about creating a civil war in a nation we are wrongfully occupying and waging a war within! What does it take to get the American people to respond, in mass, to demand justice, not only for ourselves, but for the entire planet? Yes, it takes effort to make our voice be heard, but isn’t that effort our duty? Is it not our duty as humans, as Americans to demand that our government represent the values we hold paramount, to not take away our civil liberties, to ensure that we have a certain quality of life, education, and infrastructure; that we never wage an unjust war, that we never allow for genocide to occur in any nation, to always treat humans with dignity and respect? I sit here in my stupid apartment, on my stupid computer and write my stupid opinion, I do not take any of this for granted, and I will fight for all of these things which are precious to me, I will fight for human rights, and human dignity, for the values I hold dear, for the way I think all living things should be treated; but I feel like my voice, my reason, my love, it isn’t enough. There has to a bigger voice, we have to care, or else nothing that has ever been fought for, or will be fought for, will ever matter. And it has to, it has to matter, we have to matter. We are bigger than the force which legislates us, in sheer numbers, our voice, our dollars, our actions mater, they are so much larger than we acknowledge. We can not succumb to an unjust will, we must use our voice, we have to rise up, in unison, to say that the events which are occurring, which are affecting our lives and the lives of those whom we may not personally know, but know to be human, are unjust and wrong. We must say that this is not okay for us, that we demand better, we truly demand justice for all living things, that respect for human dignity be upheld. If we so complacently allow for our civil liberties to be violated, how do we cease further actions against us from our government, where can we draw the line if we do not do so now? We must use our voice, if we fail in our duty, we will most certainly find that our voice has been silenced, our rights revoked, and we will be left in a dumbfound state to only wonder how it came to be.

Ahh, Summer in the City....

The line-up for the 7th Annual Chicago Outdoor Film Festival has been announced, and it is so fantastic! The outdoor film festival is hands down my favorite thing about summer in this city. It's free, it's fun, it's better than the drive-in, and it's every Tuesday! This year it starts with A Rebel Without a Cause on July 18, and ends on August 29 with Ferris Bueller's Day Off! Such a great line up, I am so stoked! Watching movies for free outside with the city skyline as a backdrop is the most fantastic idea ever, it is so great! I need to get my tush over to Working Bikes soon, to get a bike, which will make heading over to the park even better this summer. Summer is coming, its official, time to get the picnic blankets ready, and the red party cups in tow! Woo hoo!

Hey baby, what's your sign?

So the universe is also letting me know that it really is time for a road trip adventure, but apparently, I really need to work on filling that shot-gun seat:

Daily extended horoscope:
After what seems like months of dealing with cranky, unfriendly people who aren't at all open to seeing things your way; you've finally arrived at a better way of doing things. You're going to ignore them -- and, better still, you're going to ignore them long-distance. You've got the brochures, you've talked to the travel agents, and you've chosen a location. But do you really want to go alone?

On a side note, I have decided that today is Civic Duty Day, which means, go vote! Unless you are a white man, people have fought hard for your right to vote, please don't disappoint. Go make your democracy work and rock that primary vote! Also, it is NPR spring pledge drive time, so please contribute to your favorite member station!

From left field

There are some very silly words in the English language; this is what I was thinking about while making St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes for my friends. Sometimes, I don't even want to be in my own head! But here are my favorites: Conundrum, Canoodeling (which isn’t a “real word”, but it’s great all the same), Kumquat, conniption, ignoramus, carnauba (as in the wax) and persnickety. I guess I have a preference for the letter “C”, although I really never thought about it before. And I find it so interesting that the definition for the word career is related to a maze, a road course, and moving at top speed, in a headlong manner. Isn’t that so intriguing?

Free Bird

I am soulfully craving a road trip. Road trips are the greatest way to travel. What else could you possibly need? It’s you, the road, the music, the weather, the faces, the scenery, I can’t think of a better way to travel. My last road tip was a solo trip, across the country and back. I took the Kia from Indianapolis to Las Vegas, on the southern route, and back 6 months later. I left at the end of May of ’04 and returned in late November. It was an amazing trip. Watching the terrain change, lushness dissipating to desert, plains change to mountains, mountains to dry plateaus, stopping along the highway to take in the stars, it was more than I could handle. Just me and the road for almost the whole of three days. Where you head, where you stop, where you explore, it can never be dictated. It is the closest I have become to ever being free. Of course you have a map for your destination, but without time constraints you can be free to stray from your ultimate goal and meet people, see places, and sky that you would otherwise never get the chance to see. I can remember the visions of rocket launches from military bases in the west, the stream of gasses trailing the rockets over the desert, the feel of a desolate Indian Reservation while stopping for gas, taking in the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam, and its fantastic bends. I will always remember the sights, sounds, smells. The relentless sun as I headed into Flagstaff, the evening I spent in the hotel; I splurged that night on a really great room, with a huge tub, ordered room service with a bottle of wine and spent an hour in the tub, ate a fantastic Caesar salad, and watched Bruce Almighty as I drifted to sleep in a huge, soft bed. I am dying for a road trip, just a short one that could allow for a great 3 or 4 days. Somewhere south, where spring is well under way, Memphis would be perfect, Charleston, or Atlanta, and a companion; it would be bliss for a weekend. But as of yet, my road trip will remain unmanifested as I have no time off during school, and for sure, no money, and most important, no travel companion. So, it would appear I have my work cut out for me.

What did you wake up to?

My Seasonal Affective Disorder days are almost over! I know that spring is just around the corner and any minute now I will be able to hop outside with out 10 pounds of layered gear protecting me from the artic temperatures. I hate winter, ugh; cold, blustery weather is brutal and not inviting. Yesterday was such a tease; it was awesome out, sunny, blue skies, an amazing day for a jog on the lake. I was so happy all day, I couldn't contain my mood. And today...snow. How can this keep happening? I am so tired of this bullshit weather, and that is exactly what it is, bullshit. I am so tired of snow, and freezing, and I know, I live in Chicago, what else can I expect? But does it have to last for so long? Just hurry up and get hot and muggy already!