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As the Independence Day Holiday approaches, forty-two of the fifty American states are facing the prospect of government shut-downs and massive program cuts as they enter the new fiscal year.  In fact, state finances are so bad that the National Association of State Budget Officers are calling it an unprecedented national crisis.  The combination of low industrial production, a deflated housing market, high unemployment rates and declining tax revenues have put state lawmakers between the proverbial “rock and a hard place”.  State Assemblies across the nation have steadfastly refused to approve  tax increases on already-overburdened individuals and companies, yet few lawmakers are willing to endorse the kind of cut-backs in social programs necessary to bring budgets into balance.

The financial morass that most of the states will face in the coming fiscal year is a classic case of the “chickens coming home to roost”.  For several decades now, states have seen their budgets swell due to a vast array of subsidies and social welfare programs that were intended to help the less fortunate but have only fostered a mentality of dependence on the state.  In many cases, states opted to continue, even expand, programs that had dubious value, but placated potentially troublesome special interest groups.

Since the various states have no authority to “print” money (like the federal Government), and since tax increases are being fought “tooth and nail” by state legislatures, the only answer is to cut spending across the board.  This will mean that families will be paying more for tuition at state-supported colleges and universities, that state owned highways and bridges will not be repaired or resurfaced, that social programs to help the elderly or children in poverty will be eliminated, that subsidies for utility payments and food purchases will be drastically reduced, and that people will be forced to rely less on government to meet their daily needs. 

Although the reduction in state budgets will hurt many individuals in need of assistance, it may also be a much needed wake-up call that we , as a nation, have become far too dependent on government assistance in our daily lives.  Out of this financial crisis may come a great opportunity for Americans to stop the run-away tide of  government spending, and to begin a new age of greater self-reliance.  Maybe it is time for each and every American to stand up and say “Yes I can”.

Okay I admit it. I hate spiders. I know, I know, they are good for something but I don’t care just what that may be. They are creepy crawly things that beg to be stepped on when they intrude my space. And don’t ever ask a man to “get that spider!” A man will pick up that spider, examine it as it wriggles between his fingers, explain how useful they are (I always tune this part out), and then he lets it go! So now the hunt is on. I will turn over tables, chairs, lamps, and even my aunt’s old sewing machine looking for the darn thing so I can smash it into oblivion. The only redeeming quality spiders have is the ability to spin and weave their silk into a perfect pattern and trap the unexpected.

I sometimes think about spider silk in a metaphoric way. It’s like those thoughts that weave in your mind late at night when you are trying to sleep but can’t. Old thoughts or memories I was sure I had buried long ago suddenly appear in technicolor images and I think in dream-scape language, what the heck? I put you away, compartmentalized you, and you choose now to come out! These thoughts and memories got caught in that kind of spider silk web, but my brain plucked them out and made me deal with them at 2:00 a.m. IN THE MORNING. Curses!

So now I am wide awake thinking about these untrapped bits of yesteryear, and I keep looking at the clock as though it had some answers. Finally I get up out of bed, go downstairs to the kitchen (turning on all the lights in case there is an errant spider) and get a cookie. What can I say? Cookies make me feel better. I trod my way back upstairs (turning off the lights after I’m safe) and finally fall asleep around 3:30 IN THE MORNING.

This is why I hate spiders, even metaphorically speaking. They are creepy, sneaky trappers that can bite or keep me awake at night. Close the entrance with cookies and curses and try to get some rest. Oh yeah, keep a flashlight by your bed—-just in case ’cause you can see your way to the kitchen if the power is out or you can use it to smash a spider.

Hold on to you hats, folks;  the U.S. government is making another shift in its Afghanistan policy.  This time the policy shift involves Afghanistan’s lucrative drug trade.  Although a relatively small country, Afghanistan accounts for 93% of the world’s heroin-producing crop, much of which is centered in the southern provinces where the Taliban is strongest.  Since the illegal opium trade has long since been a major source of funds for the Taliban, the U.S. and the U.N. drug enforcement authorities have concentrated efforts on the eradication of poppy fields.  Unfortunately, eradication efforts have cost hundreds of million of dollars, have driven many small farmers into the ranks of the Taliban, and have been completely ineffective in reducing the amount of  heroin exported to Europe, and beyond.

The new U.S. government policy will take the same hundreds of millions of dollars previously wasted on eradication efforts, and spend it on “encouraging” small farmers to grow alternative crops.  The idea is that “sustainable” food crops will provide a better living for farmers, create jobs, promote stability and reduce funding sources for the Taliban.  The new policy also calls for a cooperative effort between the U.S. , Pakistan and Iran (don’t make me laugh) to crack down on drug trafficking across Afghanistan’s borders.

Neither the old policy of opium-crop eradication nor the new policy of paying off the opium farmers to grow other crops is likely to work in Afghanistan.  The net result will almost certainly be a continued waste of $100 million (or more) in U.S. taxpayer’s money.  Growing opium producing crops in Afghanistan is as old as Ghengis Kahn, and is certainly not going to change due to the presence of a few thousand U.S. Marines and however many other international drug enforcement personnel.  In fact, the most likely scenario is that small opium farmers will happily take the government’s money, agree to grow corn, and grow opium-producing crops anyway.  The flow of drug money to the Taliban will continue unimpeded, and the farmers will laugh all the way to the bank (if they have banks in provincial Afghanistan).  In short, the new U.S. government drug policy for Afghanistan is a bad one, and should be abandoned immediately.  Maybe we should consider sending the $100 million to California?  Now there is a place that could really use it!

We have seen many prominent names just this past year of people who espoused family values while thumping their Bibles. We would learn that these supposed family values were not applicable to the likes of John Edwards, Newt Gingrich, Mark Sanford, John Ensign and David Vitter. Of course this duplicitous behavior crosses Party lines but the garbled connections have one thing in common: adultery.

Many of these perpetrators confessed to their ’spiritual advisor.’ Newt, for example, told Reverend James Dobson that he had cheated on his wife at the very time he was voting to impeach Bill Clinton for lying about the Lewinsky affair. Well, once it hits the fan, I suppose you need someone BIG to come to your proverbial rescue. I can’t say whether they called upon God for forgiveness. In a way some of these men used pastors from Big Box churches to assuage their guilt. Or was it the recognition factor of pastors like Dobson who would expedite their forgiveness and get them back on a perceived righteous path?

I have a problem with Big Box, or megachurches. Having attended several I can say that they have great entertainment value. Several of the ones I attended seated a thousand or more at a time. The stages were replete with the best sound equipment, staging, orchestras and singers who could well compete in America’s Got Talent. Yes, we were all on our feet singing praises, clapping hands and watching visuals on large screens. It seemed that this show took up the majority of allotted church time and the message of spirituality kind of got lost in the production. Maybe that’s why some fall off the righteous wagon. It’s the glitter factor and much of it comes from these Big Box churches.

Look, I’m no saint. That’s why I like to go to church so that I can be spiritually fed and leave there a better person. Truth be told, there is something enticing about the glitter factor in churches. Beautiful women and men (seems they never use the homely ones) put on a show that has you dwelling on the star factor, and I don’t mean heavenly ones. And the pastors have this charisma which could lead armies to fight for them. It is a dangerous magnetism.

Joel Olsteen tells us on TV that if we pray for wealth, it will be ours. Was he around for the recession? A Crystal Cathedral was built in California years ago. I wonder if it will be toppled. Dobson has DVD’s on family values. But where are the messages about social injustice? Where are the messages about “husbands love your wives as Jesus loved the church”? Not much time to get those messages across when there is a production to be staged and money put into the baskets to pay the bills.

Give me a small church with a sweet choir and a strong message from a pastor or priest who holds me accountable for my actions. Give me a church that focuses on social injustice and leads by example with modesty, frugality and messages from God, not an entertainment sideshow. These Big Box megachurches may be temples of doom.

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I suppose  Americans should  be jumping for joy that on Tuesday, June 30, all U.S. soldiers will be pulling out of Baghdad (at long last), and handing over security concerns to Iraqi soldiers and police.  Publicly, the American commanders tell us that the untested Iraqi security forces are up to the job of holding down violence and establishing rule of law.  Privately, however, many U.S. officers worry that the Iraqi security forces will become easily overwhelmed if violence surges, and will probably split along sectarian lines.  In fact, violence has increased dramatically over the last few weeks, especially in Baghdad.

Ready or not ready, both President Obama and Iraqi President al-Maliki insist there is no turning back from the American troop withdrawals.  The pullback represents the beginning of the end for U.S. military presence in Iraq,  and hopefully will lead to the total withdrawal of all combat troops by the end of 2011.  Whether or not the American forces will really be able to withdraw from Iraq by 2011 is highly questionable.  It all depends on whether or not the Obama Administration is willing to watch Iraq disintegrate into a bloody, sectarian civil war, as it almost certainly will do.

After seven years of U.S. military control of Iraq, no great political compromises have been made between the various factions, no lasting democratic principles have been ingrained into the population, and no thank-yous or accolades are being given to America for ridding Iraq of its horrible dictator, Saddam Hussein.  In short, American military forces are “getting out of Dodge”, and leaving the country’s factions to inevitably meet at the “OK Corral” sometimes soon. 

I sincerely hope that  the Obama Administration will not stray from its  goal of getting out of Iraq by the end of 2011, regardless of the ensuing state of anarchy that is sure to  follow.  The sad truth is that the factions within Iraq NEED to fight it out among themselves, without American interference, in order to establish the form of government they are destined to live under.  We can only hope that democratic principles will rule the day, but I doubt it very much.

Yesterday we were touched by the deaths of two American celebrities, Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. It seems that sometimes we build people up just so we can tear them down. But in the end, they go Home for final judgement, and we are left with two vacancies on earth which will not soon be filled.

I actually cried yesterday when I learned of Michael’s death. My emotional reaction surprised me. But no matter what accusations were ascribed to him, I always found Michael to be a tragic and lonely figure. He was iconic in his talent, which I contend was God-given to make up for the sadness which dwelled within him.

Michael spoke at various times about the abuse he suffered during his youth. He was the ‘golden boy’ who would bring the family fame, fortune and infamy. If one has not been through childhood abuse, it is difficult to empathize with the scars that only deepen over time and cut into the fabric of person-hood. I am not going to play arm-chair psychologist, and certainly there will be many days and years of examining his life.

I do know that he was a talent extraordinaire and influenced all musicians after his breakaway entrance into the musical domain. Michael said in one of the interviews I saw last night that if you really want to know who he is, you should listen to the song he wrote entitled “Childhood.” I listened to it this morning with tears, and put it on our video page. Rest easy dear child, for God is much more forgiving than we mortals. You will be deeply missed.

The death of Farrah Fawcett was eclipsed by Michael’s death but is very sad, nonetheless. I had watched her television special which chronicled much of her struggle with cancer, the Grim Reaper’s wretched weapon. Farrah was valiant in her struggle and an inspiration of grace through suffering. Her physical beauty was matched by her inner spirit. Can such beauty ever be replaced?

Our prayers are with the families of both Michael and Farrah. May they rest in the arms of God who called them to “come home…you who are weary, come home.”

Over the last two years, and especially over the last couple of months, Afghanistan’s President, Hamid Karzai , has complained bitterly about the mounting toll of civilians killed and wounded as a result of American military actions against the Taliban and Al Qaeda forces.  It is certainly no secret that the insurgent forces in Afghanistan know full well that their only chance against overwhelming American firepower is to hide among civilian populations and to engage in guerrilla warfare.  Up until now, the protection of civilian populations has not been the military’s highest priority when in pursuit of the enemy.  Understandably, President Karzai has warned that the continuation of military tactics that result in civilian casualties will turn the native population away from the government and into the hands of the Taliban.

As a result of President Karzai’s plea for greater restraint, newly appointed theater commander, General Stanley McChrystal, has ordered NATO and U.S. troops to make a “cultural shift” from being a “high-intensity” combat force to being a less-than-aggressive “cut and run” force whenever the enemy hides behind civilians.  McChrystal’s new strategy will be to break away from fights if militants are firing from inside civilian’s homes.  The new Afghanistan strategy, no doubt conceived by the State Department, represents a monumental shift in how the Obama Administration views the war in Afghanistan.  The Administration knows all too well that winning the war in Afghanistan by military means alone would require both massive increases in U.S. troop levels and massive increases in civilian casualties. 

The thinking is that significant reductions in civilian casualties, along with continued (but limited) military actions against the Taliban will eventually win the hearts and minds of the majority of  the population, thereby motivating them to reject the Taliban and all that they stand for.  The problem with this strategy is that it won’t work; it never has!  Limited wars of aggression never succeed, they just go on forever.

Restricting U.S. military forces in their pursuit the enemy will never win the war, and will almost surely cause a decrease in troop morale.  I do not believe that the American public has the will nor the stomach for the “all out” war that would be required to dislodge the Taliban from Afghanistan.  General McChrystal’s new strategy is nothing more than an “exit strategy” in disguise.  The Obama Administration should call “a spade a spade”, and get out of Afghanistan before any more American soldiers are killed or wounded.

Patricia Rockwell of the terrific blog Subjective Soup issued a challenge to us and to several other bloggers to insert a photo into a post. Well, here is one taken early this morning in our backyard haven. Last fall my husband began building the picket fence—all 162 pickets and the posts. So when we are not blogging, we are outdoors enjoying our summer haven. Hope you enjoyed a peek into our real lives….

Today’s version of the “Cuban Missile Crisis” in the 1960’s is happening right now in the waters off the coast of China.  The highly bellicose bad-boy of the eastern world, North Korea, has decided to test newly enacted U.N. sanctions against the shipment of weapons to other countries.  Even as high level talks are being held in Beijing between the U.S. and Chinese defense officials, a North Korean cargo ship, known for moving military equipment, is steaming southward along  China’s coastline.  Experts on North Korean ship movements have speculated that the vessel is heading for Myanmar.

As the North Korean ship heads for Singapore for refueling, it is being closely followed by U.S. warships, intent on ensuring North Korean compliance with U.N. sanctions.  North Korean strong-man, Kim Jung Il has made it abundantly clear he has no intention of complying with U.N. sanctions, and would look upon any interference by the U.S. military as an act of war.  And so, as the North Korean vessel steams toward Singapore, the stage has been set for confrontation.  Since both the Russians and the Chinese signed off on the recent U.N. sanctions, it would have been “nice”  if either of these two countries actually stepped forward.  Since they didn’t, the U.S. military is once again drawn into another potential conflict on the other side of the world.

Over the next several days the modern-day “Cuban Missile Crisis” will play itself out.  The best possible outcome would be if Singapore insists on inspecting the cargo before allowing the North Korean ship to be re-fueled.  If  it’s carrying weapons bound for Myanmar, then no fuel.  Let the North Koreans tow it back to their homeland.  It is doubtful, however, that the best outcome will occur.  The North Koreans will most likely forbid cargo inspections, claim there are no weapons on board, and challenge the Americans to do something about it.

Before taking any aggressive military actions, the U.S. government must be double-damn sure that there is actually forbidden cargo on board the vessel.  The last thing we need is a repeat of the “weapons of mass destruction” fiasco that led us into a war in Iraq.  If it cannot be proven, then the vessel must be allowed to continue on to Myanmar.  It would be very much in character for Kim Jung Il to justify a military strike against the U.S. by claiming an “unprovoked” act of U.S. aggression against a North Korean ship carrying nothing but cases of cheap underwear.

Years ago PBS did a reality TV show called An American Family. It aired in 1973 for twelve episodes and was probably the forerunner of television reality shows. In 2002 TV Guide listed it as one of the 50 greatest TV shows of all time. I remember watching it and saw this lovely in-tact family of Bill and Pat Loud from California fall apart during the filming. Pat filed for divorce during one of the final episodes.

Fast forward to today. We have a plethora of reality TV shows and we watch some of them with voyeuristic pleasure. I have never watched an episode of Jon and Kate and resolve not to do so. I guess there is now a cliff-hanger with the country tuning in for the next episode to see whether or not this couple with eight—–eight—–children will divorce.

You cannot go to a supermarket or drug store without seeing photos of them on every rag magazine in the racks. I turn my head because they make me ill. Maybe they made too much money and lost their grip on what reality truly is. Perhaps they bargained with the devil and used these children as pawns in the trade-off. I protest. You should too. Do not watch this and limit their funds. They are not my charity of choice.

I just hope that someone intervenes and sets up a trust fund for the eight children so the parents get not a single cent. I suppose Octomom will be next. If I see her face on the tube I will find that BB gun hidden in the basement and shoot the TV. Greed, avarice, egomania, and exploitation of children through self-promotion are not on my list for donantions. Protest, I say! There are better things to do with your valuable time and money.