Being Free takes Respect and Responsibility

Being a Libertarian AKA How to tick off both polar political parties at once. 

I am PRO CHOICE, and when I say that, I am not talking about abortion, I'm talking about FREEDOM! I'm for allowing citizens to make their own choices so long as it does not violate the rights of another citizen, and as a balance I believe that if you abuse it, you lose it. Abusing the freedoms of another negates your right to freedoms and the intervention of the law.

I also believe that choices come with a responsibility to understand a choice and to take responsibility for the consequences of making it. With the internet and ready information there is no excuse for making an uninformed choice, unless someone chooses to ignore certain facts. Again... it's a choice to be ignorant and to reap its consequences.

I'm for people choosing who they want to love and marry, because they are the ones who have to live with that choice and its consequences. It's not anyone else's business unless rights are being violated like in cases of abuse.

I am for people choosing religion that reflects their beliefs and how they wish to worship the divine, so long as they do not force others to believe the same. Rules within their religion are subject to those members choosing to be a part of it and choosing to be under that religion's tenets. It should never extend beyond their own congregation, which is a CHOICE to belong to in the first place.

I am for allowing people to choose to carry a firearm to defend and protect themselves from those trying to violate their freedoms, and I am for people who choose not to, but neither's choice should be inflicted on the other. Both choices carry a need for respect and responsibility.

I am for allowing people to choose what to put into their bodies, because they are the ones that have to live with those choices. If there is anything that should be a person's sole property, it should be the right to their own flesh. Inversely no one should have a right to another's flesh without consent. Only an individual knows what's it like to live in their skin and not everybody's body is the same, so choosing a doctor to tend to its needs should also be a matter of choice, as well as procedures and tests. The consideration of another's flesh also carries a need for respect and responsibility.

Probably the most extreme I get is when it comes to those who violate freedoms. Because allowing the previous freedoms basically extinguishes all victimless crimes, it would free up law enforcement to focus on real threats to citizen safety, crimes that have victims. It would save a small fortune not paying for the care and upkeep of victimless criminals, and instead funding the prosecution of true threats. We could save on them as well, because I am for the death penalty for those who are legitimate violent threats and have abused the rights of others. By not respecting the rights of another, they negate their own rights. Freedom only works if everyone is willing to play by the same rules of respect and responsibility, with the understanding of the consequences, and terminal punishment being the consequence of their choice to forfeit someone else's freedoms. Such punishments should be reserved for the most dire violations of another's rights, but should be carried out swiftly to remove the threat to society.

I also believe as consequence in less severe cases there should be direct responsibility for victim compensation/wergild not by the state but by the individual criminal, company, or group that committed the crime, they being the source should take personal responsibility, instead of taxpayers, to pay for things such as therapy for the victim, medical needs, replacing stolen goods, and working off the debt stolen. In essence they should truly PAY for their crimes and contribute something beneficial in order to make up for the negative impact that the victim will have to live with for the rest of their lives. Most likely this would not involve direct contact but a victim advocate as an intermediary.

In addition, with these extra funds not expended on victimless crimes, we could raise the wages of law enforcement so that pursuing true threats would no longer be above their pay grade, refocus them away from victimless crimes and toward thwarting real threats.

I believe in choice and not protecting people from the consequences of their choices, but informing them to make good choices and take personal responsibility for making bad choices. Is freedom really so controversial, or have we just moved so far away from it, that we don't know what it looks like anymore?

To Like or Not to Like, That is the Question ...

As a mother, I see things in my child that are the seeds of adult issues and try to nip them in the bud. One of them is a tendency to like things in order to fit in. My daughter has her own mind in so many ways, but there's that nervousness and desire to please. Then at times she's down right bewildered when some people don't like the same thing that she does, and I have to reminder her that it's okay to not like all the same things.

In a world filled with people who attack others for having opposing views, or liking things that they don't, I think a lot of adults still do this from that same seed, and ultimately they have a hard time being honest with themselves and others about how they truly feel about things. Do they really like it, or do they think that they are "supposed" to like it?

Whether it's related to politics, religion, or even just food, there's a media frenzy to tell you what to like, what to want, and who to be. I've known people who responded with the exact opposite, where they purposely dislike things that are popular. My brother as a child often disliked anything the moment I started liking it. I remember liking things that I was "supposed" to like and then as I became stronger in myself, I let go of those things, and embraced the things I truly loved. In so doing, I found more people like myself and didn't have to "work" to fit in, because I already did.

It's understandable with children who are still finding out who they are, but I've seen many adults suffer from an inability to admit what they do and don't like. They don't know their own mind and thus it's hard for others to really know them, because who they are could change dramatically with a trend, or someone else's new idea. How can you know someone who is simply an amalgam of other people's identities? Can you know someone who doesn't know themselves?

Sometimes from the outside, you can see or at least acknowledge habits and behaviors that the individual might not be aware of, until they learn to accept the full scope of their own being. So in a way, an outsider might be capable of knowing someone better than they know themselves, and in that moment there is danger, because someone with bad intentions can spot an easy target who can be manipulated by those same exterior concepts that dictate their life. It happens in the media and religion all the time, pulling heart strings to sway someone to their point of view.

Everybody changes over time, but still there's a core self that should be solid and remain solid, and it starts with being honest with yourself about yourself. You have to be able to take a hard look in the mirror and accept the good AND the bad. You have to know what is you and what is influenced. You have to think for yourself instead of letting other people tell you what to think about certain topics. If you do, then new information that is contrary to your beliefs is no longer a threat. It's only a threat if other people control what you think.

So as you go about your day today, question everything, and ask why you do what you do, why you like what you like, and be honest, ESPECIALLY if you don't like the answer. Who told you to like this or not like this? How did it enter your life? Who let it in? The answers might surprise you, and you might not be as independent in your thinking as you once thought.

Sandra's Angels

CBS46 News

Domestic abuse is a very real threat, and as the lady who works with helping women in need of refuge said last night, it affects 1 in 4 women. Sandra's case is so heart breaking and extreme, but the elements of abuse are an epidemic infecting our society, which makes it a community problem. When we don't tackle these problems in their infancy, they grow and escalate. Then it's up to the community to do damage control for a problem with many warning signs. Please learn them and let's help put a stop to abuse. In the mean time, Sandra and her family is accepting donations and could use your help on her road to recovery.

I have posted one of my paintings for auction on Ebay and will be donating the proceeds to Sandra's Angels. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=321450476937




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Personal Soylent Issues

My body is weird, and my stomach is sensitive to certain things like B vitamins and chromium. Taking "weight loss" vitamins usually results in me throwing them up because they irritate my stomach. So when I started not being able to stomach Soylent, I figured that must be what was going on.

Before I started Soylent, I had taken a B vitamin shot, the only way I can get them into me without problems. Somehow this made drinking Soylent fine, but when it wore off, I had problems stomaching the Soylent and even threw it up. The taste became unbearable. But a B vitamin shot later and my body adjusted to it just fine again.

Also in the past I've had issues going vegetarian. Some people just can't, and apparently I'm part cat or something and need some of the amino acids from meat. I kept craving meat. We started adding Creatine to the Soylent and that helped, but looking at adding Carnosine and Carnitine as well.

I've basically been using Soylent like I did Slimfast and eating a real meal once a day. If nothing else, I am getting better nutrition than before, so that's good. I haven't lost any real weight. If anything I've gained but that's partially due to the thyroid issue and lots of heavy lifting. Trenton's lost 7 pounds and has been able to stick to purely Soylent without issue, but then he's mostly healthy.

A couple weeks ago I ended up in the emergency room with heart issues. So I haven't been pushing my body to adjust. I had congestive heart failure when I had my daughter, and a 50/50 chance of dying if I have another child due to my heart. So if I'm not gung ho over Soylent, it's because my body is abnormal to start with, and stress does bad things. I haven't given up on it just yet, but I'm not pushing it either. So we'll see what happens.

The One Thing That Ruins it All

Imagine trying to fit a child through that ... 

When "The Lord of the Rings" movies came out, I was in my mid-twenties. I had recently divorced a psychopath who laid a web of lies to catch me, and then tried to destroy me for trying to leave. The moment that I was divorced my male friends, saw me instantly as available, disregarding the horrible traumas I'd been through and I immediately had to deal with more people vying to get in my pants post rape.

When I saw Lord of the Rings, I was instantly infatuated with Aragorn, and it wasn't until recently that I put together why he was so attractive to me at the time. It had less to do with Viggo Mortensen's performance, and the knee weakening line "if by my life or death I can protect you, I will", and more to do with his ability to resist the temptation of the ring. Even when Frodo offered it to him, Aragorn said no, because it wasn't right at that moment. It also explains why when listening to the books, I was more infatuated with Faramir.

Of course when I saw Viggo in person riding Hidalgo, I squealed over the horse... I have issues.

Being a woman can be a lot like carrying the one ring. People you think that you can trust, who you've journeyed with for a long time, even if they make side long comments ... you don't think they'll pull a Boromir and jump you to try and take it from you ... but sometimes they do. And just like Boromir, some of them might feel guilty when they come to their senses later, but then there are Nazguls who might come out of the shadows and gang stab you, leaving you never quite the same. Gollums lurk in the corners, stalking you and waiting to pounce. Others feel entitled to the power for playing the nice guy, like the recent California incident, and when they don't get the prize in their web of lies, they show their true colors.

One does not simply feel entitled to sex.

Like the ring's gravity, sexual appeal is a form of power, a power that influences men and women. For every power hungry man who is more interested in the ring than its bearer, there are also Galadriels who can turn on you, wanting to be the most powerful, and can turn and attack you out of jealousy. I've been accused of a lot of sex I've never had with people who had more interest in me than I did in them. But the women involved couldn't fathom beyond their mate's lust to things such as friendship. They assumed that I was taunting men with the ring, (usually because that's how they used their own power) and perhaps some of those men might have been Boromirs, but some were also Faramirs who were just good friends.

All of this can leave a girl to want to throw that ring into the mountain and be done with the trouble of the Nazguls and Gollums in the world who seem to always be a step behind you. There are so few Aragorns out there in the world. Although it gets better as you get older and are less appealing than the new crop of young things, there will always be those making power plays of one form or another. At least the metaphor falls apart because it's not horrible to use your own power of the ring, well unless you're a Puritan with God's eye watching you. And using that power can be great if you happen to find your Aragorn. But like Frodo at the end of the series, those attacks from others can leave you changed. The wounds of Nazgul never quite heal even if you happen to have some Elven magic. But the journey is worth it as long as you've got some good friends like Sam and Gandalf to help.

Day 6: Soylent

So yesterday, I was trying to drink my Soylent dinner, and I gagged and threw up half of it. Oops! Let's just say I am not as fond of the taste at this point, but also I tend to need meat in my diet. So we are adding creatine into the mix now.

Last night since we went to meet people for a social gathering, I ate a normal dinner and had some bread. My body's reaction confirmed the gluten allergy, so yay ... I think.

A week in and I'm less thrilled about the taste of Soylent, but after eating a meal last night, I noticed that I was hungry shortly afterward. I didn't have that fullness I'd had the rest of the week from complete nutrition. A normal meal and I instantly gained weight again too ... yay ...

Today will be the first creatine mixed Soylent so we'll see how that changes things, hopefully for the better. I've never done well on diets. They generally make me sick. Atkins, I threw up bile. Go too long without meat, I get sick. So hopefully creatine will balance that out and I'll be fixed up. Here's hoping!

Day 5: Soylent

After being awake for 2 days straight, I completely crashed. My husband let me sleep in, since our daughter kept me up last night. When I woke up and stretched my arms, I realized instantly that I had lost weight this week. After weighing myself, I'd lost 5 lbs already. This is significant for several reasons. The only time I've been able to truly lose weight since my thyroid was removed (and I instantly gained 40 lbs after its removal) was when I was pregnant and threw up every day for 9 months.  Even when dieting, if I was working out, my body would think it was starving and save what I did eat to fat. It's been a frustrating and never ending cycle.  

I've mentioned before that there is a connection to gluten allergies and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and I'd never been able to fully go gluten free even though the indicators were there.  Finding the food and just daily life became such a pain in the butt, that I just said "screw it" and went on with life.  Soylent is gluten free, although it is not Vegan. You can order a Vegan version though. So anybody with a strange diet need that's hard to find, this is the way to go. 

To cope with my crazy allergies, I've been living on Claritan D to survive for years, but sometimes it causes trouble sleeping. I'm going to experiment and take myself off it to see if sleep patterns will return to normal and see if Soylent has any effect on my immune system being stronger.

One other thing I've noticed is that I feel stronger.  My body has always had issues absorbing iron. Many vitamins work in conjunction with other vitamins to make them absorbable. For instance a lack of Vitamin C will make your body less able to absorb iron, so even if you take iron supplements, it won't do any good without the Vitamin C. Seems like since all those needs are balanced now, my body is getting what it needs, and I feel so full that the thought of eating "real food" even if it smells good is almost an aversion now. It's that feeling of being so stuffed, you couldn't possibly eat another bite.

So I'm remaining hopeful and pleased so far. I hope that this is the start of a healthier life.