Stuff I don't like...

From Jim: I like a lot of stuff, but there's some stuff I don't. In no particular order and certainly not as a complete list, here we go. I don't like our economic situation, nor do I like the idea of returning to a credit driven/consumer economy. There's plenty of useless stuff in the world without infomercials trying to peddle more, but wait, there's more. I don't like the banking and financial industries at all, not do I like the unholy marriage they have with credit rating services. The whole thing is rotten to core. Greedy, stinky rotten! I don't like cancer. It's a nasty disease that raises hell with people and drives another greedy industry that views lives as an investment opportunity. Thought we got over that around the dark ages. Maybe not. I don't like stupidity. I can handle dumb. If the bulb is low wattage, less light is expected, but if actions are from little or no thought, or founded in deliberate ignorance, I'm not OK with it. Stupid people, thoughtless, mindless, ignorant, and uninformed, really chap my hide. I don't like cruelty to living things. Don't like flies and mosquitoes. Hate colic and hoof abscesses. I think the racing industries are about gambling and I don't like them. I'm not thrilled with the oil industry, but I think some of them try to get it right. War is an atrocity. Drug and alcohol abuse is not OK. I have some real issues with organized religions. Seems they're about money and "spreading the word", not good kind actions. I hate involuntary homelessness; Same with hunger and abject poverty. I don't like winter colds. Being overweight isn't my favorite. I get my teeth cleaned, but don't like it. I can't seem to find a politician I like. I can stand a few, but I don't like them. Lima beans are awful, not bad, AWFUL. I hate em. I don't like fear. I've not known much of it, but when it's there, I don't like it. I'm not pleased with how coarse and crude and rude and ugly our society has become. Our loss of gentility and manners and politeness is irritating. Don't like it. I don't like bad drivers. They're dangerous and they make me mad. Old or young, male or female, They tighten my jaws. I really dislike disliking so much stuff.

Take Bailouts, Give Nothing...

From Jim: I'm really starting to dislike the banking industry, the financial guys, and their Republican lackeys. They are destroying the housing industry and our economy. There's an hypocrisy that stinks to high heaven. The notion that bailed out businesses have anything to do with capitalism is silly. Big profit-big risk, Baloney. These guys are as socialist as it gets. Small government is not in their lexicon. Oh, no regulations and no legal consequences for horrible behavior suits them. But they are "too big to fail". May we all live to see the day when we try that out. I find oligarchy to be the worst of all forms of government. Greed is among the most despicable of human attributes. There is a corrosive and rotting effect to the unbridled behavior of greedy, immoral, dishonest people. Our government is chock full of them, bought and paid for by corporate interests. The big money folks have not factored in the demise of the republic. Their world doesn't require an America. The slouching slide into a third world society of haves and havenots is well upon us and, probably, it's too late to reverse. The Republican party, the party of "NO", the do nothing, insincere, sell outs, who put Stalin to shame with their "Big Lies" can own a bunch of the blame. The multi-national corporations, banks, and Wall Street can have the rest. Evil succeeds when good men do nothing. We've got plenty of evil, almost no good men in congress, and a polity that is schismatically divided and apathetic. We have failed the test of our founders' Great Experiment is self government. What a damn shame.

Crooks and Cheaters AKA Financial Industry

From Jim: Don't you just love the Wall Street gang? They destroy the economy by playing fast and loose, then get bailed out with our money because they're too big to fail. They then ship our bail-out money off shore cause they're nervous about the economy they screwed up. And never mind the poor guy with the upsidedown mortgage created by foreclosures being dumped on the market and no bail-outs because of the sanctity of the contract. Their contracts weren't so sacred, that's why they could get our tax dollars and pay themselves huge bonuses. Occupy Wall Street is, in my opinion, just the very beginning of the social unrest that will come from the revolt of the middle class. The Republican party can only sell so much of their ideology to the masses. Their moneyed interests will not sustain them against an ever increasing resentment of the abuses of the super-rich. Class warfare, maybe, but the fat cats started it. I remember very well the turmoil of the 60's and the transformational social change that spun out of the disenchantment of the antiwar movement. The mainstream moved the river banks-a social meander plain is once again in front of us. With the 19 to 28 year olds bearing the brunt of this economic bust, and the old vested interests hanging on their "America", I say LOOK OUT! We have grown schismatic in our polarity. There is no viable middle ground to meet on. Politics is now defined by high contrast social and moral issues which disallow compromise and gridlock is the order of the day. LOOK OUT! Our racial divides are now canyonesque! We have a volatile issue with immigration and the citizen offspring of undocumented folks. We have a dependence on foreign oil which drives our foreign policy. We have asymmetrical wars and wars of fanatical theology. The Wahhabi Moslems and the Fundamentalist Christians are not going to make nice! Terrorism is the act of desperate people with the belief they have nothing to lose. LOOK OUT! If you are optimistic about the future of this republic, you're either misinformed, uninformed, or deluded. The trends are not forward leaning in the least.

Time on Task, The Power of Numbers...

From Jim: We have 75 equines that are permanent residents of the sanctuary, 6 live with long term foster families. That is a fair number of critters. Our vet says a week here is equivalent to a year for most horse owners. We have a population that is atypical because they're rescues and retirees. That gives us a lot of seniors and quite a few cases of abuse and neglect. We've gotten pretty good at helping equines that have been starved. We've worked out a strategy for overcoming most of the emotional damage caused by abuse. Our efforts, led by Gary, our vet, to repair physical wounds and injuries is successful, for the most part. We don't view our animals as victims. That's not true. They may have been victims, but now they're horses, donkeys, and mules, living out their lives in peace and safety. We tell their stories to visitors, not to paint them as poor sorry creatures, but the acknowledge their capacity to recover and move on with life. There's a lesson there for all of us. We live embedded in the herds. They are all around us all of the time. We see every animal at least twice, and usually more often, every day. Our observations are not casual. We take careful note of their condition and behavior. Our impressions form over time and are discussed throughout the day. I believe this constant contact with them in a near natural setting has been one of the best learning experiences in my life. The list of questions I have, and of the things I don't know about equines is still very long. That said, I feel more comfortable about my understanding of these critters than ever before. After 60 plus years of being around horses, I'm finally at the advanced learner stage. I'll always be a student, never a master.