Saturday, April 01, 2006

Peter, Paul and Mary: Who is Going to Carry It On?

This morning's CD: Peter,Paul and Mary: "Carry it On" Last June, a trip to Disney fell on the same day Peter, Paul and Mary's boxed, five CD collector's set, "Carry it On" as well as their most recent CD, "In These Times" were to be released. I checked into the hotel, jumped back in my Cruiser and drove straight to Downtown Disney to the Virgin store. The clerk was a gem. She explained that yes, they had arrived but they are still in the back in boxes and they would be put out that day. I said I'd wait. She went to the back and retrieved them for me. You see, I HAD to have those. P,P&M have been a big influence on my life ever since I was like 11 or 12 years old. I had an album I got way back then for many years. I don't know what ever happened to it. I love their folk music, but most of all, I love them because of their ministry of social justice; to make the world a better place. Back in the early days, P,P&M just didn't show up at the anti war rallies to sing. They also organized many of these events and Peter and Paul would sometimes get their early to set up the bleachers when they didn't have enough volunteers to help out. P,P&M have been terrific supporters of working people and union members. The "In These Times" CD has a couple of great union songs on it stressing the importance of supporting your union and the working people of America. P,P&M helped fuel the passion to speak out and actively exercise my American citizenship when I see things happening in my country that I know aren't right. Last September, I was due to fly home from San Francisco with a stopover in Houston. Unfortunately, this was Friday, the same day Hurricane Rita was due to hit the Texas Gulf Coast and I knew that their would be no flights into Houston. But Larry and me were planning to attend the anti-war demonstration the next morning in West Palm Beach and NOTHING was going to keep me from getting home Friday night. So I did what Peter, Paul and Mary would do. I didn't like the idea of spending the extra money, I bought a one way ticket on a different airline, avoided the Texas Gulf Coast and got home Friday night and we went to the anti war rally. It thrilled our hearts to see Flagler Drive lined with demonstrators. But what happened to that passion of the 60's and 70's? I was appalled when I watched the immigration demonstrations on TV and saw the thousand of Mexican flags being flown in LA, Dallas, Chicago and all over America as our countries corporate CEO's sighed with relief that so many illegal aliens showed up to fly those Mexican flags? You might ask, why would they be relieved? It's because the illegal aliens provide them their multi-million dollar CEO salaries. Those illegal aliens provide cheap labor so those corporations can get rich. Corporate operatives are spreading the word that illegal aliens do work that American citizens won't do. This is a lie. In Palm Beach County, Florida, it's very difficult to land a trade job with a construction company. God forbid, they would have to pay the person a living wage and even provide health insurance. Paying $5 an hour for the illegals the labor pool picks up on the street corner is more profitable. This provides for the erosion of the middle class. To make matters worse, the American government, a big supporter of corporations,with pressure by lobbyists has seen fit to provide the legislation necessary to sell America to foreign countries. Remember, America is a capitalistic society. So to increase the profit, we outsource our jobs to foreign countries to provide even more cheap labor to manufacture goods purchased by Americans. This provides further erosion of the middle class. To provide further money to corporate whores, the unions have been under attack being weakened further and further causing further decline in middle class wages. Now China is telling Wal Mart how much they will pay for the cheap goods they manufacture so Americans can buy cheap stuff while Wal Mart employees can't afford the Wal Mart's health insurance due to the corporate greed. The larges employer in the state on Florida with the largest number of employees receiving state aid is Wal Mart. It's the American citizens who end up paying for the health care of the Wal Mart Employees, the union busted employees and the illegal aliens. As the wealthiest 1% of America gets the tax cuts, the middle class pays for the health care and social problems resulting from the corporate geed as China, Halliburton, Wal Mart and others laugh all the way to the bank. America has been sold. And as the Mexican flags wave over America, Americans are on the phone fighting with their insurance companies to cover the medications they need and pay for with their insurance plan. As the Mexican flags wave over America, adult children are trying to help figure out which Medicare Prescription Plan their elderly parents should sign up for. It's a gamble because part of the game is that the drugs on the plan you select aren't the same ones on the plan in 3 months. And as the Mexican flags wave of America, the Winchester Company has closed down and moved overseas. Daily, more and more American companies close, ending jobs for American citizens. As the Mexican flags wave over America, corportations steal working American pension plans, ruin thousnad of lives and corporate CEO's and lobbyists laugh all the way to the bank. And what do Americans do? We run to the polls and vote for the jerks who support this stuff. Yeah, I love Peter, Paul and Mary. Their message sunk in many years ago. Remember Mary in your prayers that her leukemia will stay in remission and their ministry continue. As for me and Larry too, we're not going to stop speaking out. America's been screwed and silence is destroying our country. Gordon "Down the road Route 25 They found this boy He was barely alive Jesus is on the wire so far away, higher and higher Jesus is on the wire They took him down Off the fence Cold as ice Almost dead They said that he That he slept with guys They said that he Deserved to die Jesus is on the wire So far away, higher and higher Jesus in on the wire." Peter,Paul and Mary "Jesus Is On The Wire" from their In These Times CD

Friday, March 31, 2006

I Hate Blue Cross Blue Shield!

This morning's CD: "Music of Light" Thomas Kincaide Picture: 31 December, 2005 Ringing in the New Year at Margo's House, Lake Worth, FL To my readers I want to apologize for no new postings in several days. I just haven't felt up to it. I've been extremely busy at work and under much pressure. I've been feeling really tired this week. Some of my readers have expressed an inability to post comments on the blog. I don't know what the problem is. The blue link to click to respond to a post with a comment SHOULD be active and I can't figure out what the problem is. I set up the blog to accept comments. The clerical people at Blue Cross Blue Shield continue in their assertion that it's acceptable to practice medicine without a license. When my neurologist increased my medication dosage and I went to pick it up at CVS last Tuesday, Eddie, my wonderful pharmacist broke the news that BC/BS put a "Authorization and Override Needed" on the prescription. So CVS and my neurologist's office have been bantering back and forth since then. It's been so crazy at work I haven't had the chance to call BC/BS myself or the insurance commissioner's office. I'm going to try to do this today and also call Senator Nelson's office to let them know what is going on. Senator Nelson is a great guy and is involved in the insurance company and Medicare fiasco. Meanwhile, I still want to make plans to go to the Texas Medical Center. When to do it is the problem. I have friends coming from Texas in May, the Episcopal General Conference in June, another friend coming from Texas in July. I can try to work around those dates or maybe go in April but St. Mark's Shrimp Boil and Corn Roast and my union picnic at the beach in Jupiter both happen toward the end of the month and we have plans for Easter with friends. I will get this together soon. Of course another consideration is hurricane season which heats up in July and August. There are pros and cons to being out of Florida during the peak of hurricane season. Anyway, that's all for today. Gordon

Monday, March 27, 2006

Friends and Weather

This Morning's CD: Night at the Theater: From London's West End favorite musicals. Yesterday morning was cold and crisp and in the high 40's when I got up. But as usual with Florida cold snaps, it was soon in the 70's. We didn't get to church today as this was the annual gay pride parade and festival. We met friends for breakfast and then on to the parade. Larry and me couldn't believe I ate everything for breakfast. For me, Aricept seems to be an appetite suppressant and haven't been able to eat a full meal. Not yesterday! The time in the park was great. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was fun listening to the music, visiting and taking a break just sitting on the sea wall and watching the boats on the intercoastal waterway. I felt really relaxed and we had a great time. I'm off work today and just hanging out on the patio and enjoying Florida weather. When the thought that hurricane season is 3 months away creeps into my mind, I try to push it away. I don't want to think about it now. On the other hand, the best way to relieve one's hurricane anxieties is to begin to take the action steps to prepare...but not today. Gordon