Category Archives: politics
Also My Prayer for today
These two great singers are among my very favorite singers. Listen and read the lyrics. They always bring me peace.
I pray you’ll be our eyes,
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise,
In times when we don’t know
Let this be our prayer,
When we lose our way
Lead us to a place,
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe
La luce che tu dai (the light that you give)
I pray we’ll find your light
Nel cuore resterà (In my heart it will remain)
And hold it in our hearts
A ricordarci che (To remind us that)
When stars go out each night
L’eterna stella sei (You are the eternal star)
Nella mia preghiera (In my prayers)
Let this be our prayer
Quanta fede c’è (How much faith there is)
When shadows fill our day
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe
Sognamo un mondo senza più violenza (We dream of a world with no more violence)
Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza (A world of justice and hope)
Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino (Everyone lends a hand to their neighbour)
Simbolo di pace e di fraternità (A symbol of peace and fraternity)
La forza che ci dai (The strength you give us)
We ask that life be kind
È il desiderio che (And the desire that)
And watch us from above
Ognuno trovi amor (Everyone will find love)
We hope each soul will find
Intorno e dentro a sè (Around and inside themselves)
Another soul to love
Let this be our prayer
Let this be our prayer
Just like every child
Just like every child
Need to find a place,
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe
E la fede che (And the faith that)
Hai acceso in noi (You have ignited within us)
Sento che ci salverá (I feel that it will save all of us)
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How do I unite my body and soul? – A question to be answered
During these difficult times,
when there is still
a real fear
that many more of us may even perish. (from COVID 19 – 200,000 dead and counting)
My heart knows what it has most cherished;
prayer for one thing,
even when the harsh sting,
of hate and despair,
continues and dares,
us to believe in hope.
Why don’t we realize the oneness
of our existence?
Why all the resistance
to love each other
as brothers and sisters?
As my heart beats and keeps
track of time;
we still do not know what remains.
I still sing a simple refrain
Halleluyah! Halleluyah!
Hoping to hear the answer to
How do I unite my body and soul?
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Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month – We all have a voice
Ten things I just do not want to hear!
Conspiracy Theories no matter where they come from!
Alternative facts!
LIES!
People telling me that what I have heard is not what I have heard or what was meant!
It will disappear!
Don’t panic!
It is a hoax!
The elections will be rigged.
There is no climate change!
News talk show hosts who are not true journalists! (And who never studied journalism.)
Oh, by the way did I say, “LIES!”
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The Countdown Continues – Will Someone Explain Why?
I need someone to explain
what is going on in the hearts and minds
of some people.
Do we no longer believe in the Golden Rule?
Explain it to me as if I were a five year old.
Why are people gathering in closed spaces without wearing a mask?
Do people simply not even love themselves?
Why are we still so cruel to each other after all we have been through these last six months?
Why are so many in denial about this pandemic?
Why are we forgetting that this virus kills and leaves many side affects?
Why do some people think they are above the law?
Why are some people still in denial of climate change?
Do we really not believe in science?
Are we not seeing the results of the fires and storms?
Why are we not understanding
that your rights end where mine begin especially when it is about health?
Why are we not worried about the interference of others in our elections?
Why are some people set on downplaying the seriousness of COVID-19?
The countdown continues.
So much is at risk.
Do know that empires die too?
The bigger they are the harder they fall?
Why are we willing to destroy our democracy?
I want answers to all my questions.
I am so tired of the divisiveness, hatred, violence, stupidity, partisan attitudes, conspiracy theories, and the
LIES, LIES and more LIES.
Do you need answers too?
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62 DAYS 06 HOURS 38 MINUTES 09 SECONDS – IN THE MEANTIME
In the meantime,
I pray for the souls
of over 184,000
who were probably alive
last year on this day and the day before.
Never dreamed they would leave the earth
so abruptly and alone.
In the meantime,
I write haiku,
I dream and hope,
I breathe deeply,
and visualize brighter days.
In the meantime,
I listen to nature’s songs,
I look at the view
for something new,
I seek inspiration,
to help awaken my imagination,
and I am still in the now,
and utter positive affirmations,
that our nation,
under God,
indivisible,
will unite
once again.
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Going on Sixty-five days – Don’t just count the days; make the days count!
Don’t just count the days; make the days count!
For the sake of our democracy,
Election day is paramount.
Make sure you take in to account,
What the senators have done so far.
Have they worked for us or
bowed down to the wanna be czar?
It is not just enough to complain;
and simply get upset.
What is important to know
is what your vote will get.
The choices and decisions are pretty plain to see;
truthful, serene and mindful is what we all want to be.
So if your heart is full of hope,
As is mine, it is all that helps me cope.
I want to offer you a very sincere plea.
Make sure you vote!
to help revive our democracy!
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The Dream – 57 years ago
A dream pronounced
by peaceful warrior standing his ground
His message still resonates
How beautiful the sounds
of people cheering, believing
that dreams do come true.
Fifty-seven years have passed.
Today we reaffirm, and decree
his hopes for a united front.
Civil disobedience, peaceful protests
and good trouble will be revived.
Enough is enough!
Poem by Melba Christie
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Countdown – 75 Days 14 hours 14 minutes – Calm will Arrive!
I was inspired by this countdown clock that measures to the second how much longer it will be until election day. I wrote the following poem starting with a borrowed line from Destined 4 the Dub. I write found poems all the time and all it takes is reading a clever line from a fellow blogger. I want to create awareness and encourage people to read and listen as we move closer to election day. It is so important to keep informed and to be able to distinguish the truth and alternative facts.
I hope you enjoy this poem. Afterall, my goal is to inspire with my art and poetry. I have been enjoying the comments. Here is the found poem. I hope that one of you can give it a title. Please write your suggestions in the comments.
Carefully choose what you remember.
Let go of all the lies.
Allow the waves of change
to flow gracefully into your hearts.
We are the new dreamers.
However, the seeds were planted long ago.
Sow them gently;
So you hear their soothing mantra.
They create harmony for us;
all of us.
Know now the urgency of our oneness.
Our voices echo love and peace.
Do not forget to look at the view.
Nature always heals the soul.
Watch out for the rainbow;
it knows our destiny.
We will survive!
Breathe!
This too shall pass.
Attributions: Miriam Out and About – Destined 4 the dub
Mediation by Melba Christie
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Seventy-seven days – On a Significant Anniversary
One years ago the 19th amendment empowered women with the right to vote. 2020 so far been a memorable year; it will definitely be remembered for many negatives but there are some positives we need to embrace.
My grandmother was barely 22 years old when the 19th came about. The incumbent president at the time was Woodrow Wilson, a leader of the Progressive Movement; he was the 28th President of the United States (1913-1921).
Warren G. Harding, a Republican, who won by a landslide victory in 1920, taking every state outside the South and dominating the popular vote. He became the 29th president.
I wish she were here to tell me who she voted for at the time and if she actually did get to vote. My great-grandmother was never able to vote. She had passed by the time the 19th had been enforced.
Today, we the women of this great country do have the right to vote and it is so important that we do so on November 3, 2020. We must do everything in our power to get out there and exercise our right to vote and not be fearful. Our vote will count and will be counted fairly. We must believe that our elections will not be tampered with. Our doubts began with the knowledge that foreign entities may try to sway people one way or another via social media. Reliable security sources have made clear interference of that kind will not happen again. So we cannot allow fear, and misinformation to come from any source.
Of course, I may be a tad bias but I believe women are intelligent, forceful and determined to make the world right for their offspring and loved ones in general. You could not intimidate my mother or grandmother. They kept informed. They read fervently and spoke up when they knew something was dramatically wrong. I know that many women are made of the same stuff.
I watched Michelle Obama speak at the National Democratic (unconventional) Convention which was done virtually because of the pandemic we are all struggling with these days. She was eloquent as usual but also spoke from her non-political heart. I heard the sincerity of a mother and patriot who loves her country. It was a love like this that fueled the Suffrage Movement. As my grandmother would say they had “fuego” (fire) in their hearts and clarity in their minds.
https://www.thecut.com/2020/08/michelle-obamas-dnc-speech-watch-video-and-read-highlights.html
We must honor those women by doing what needs to be done. I know I will honor my great grandmother and all those before her who could not voice their opinion or check off a ballot box.
There is too much at stake. There is too much to accomplish. We have come a long way but so much more needs to be done to get the job done better. It is up to us. Who else can do three jobs at once? Who else has the know how to read people and know what is best for their children? The answer is We the Women of these United States of America. God bless America!
President Harding and His wife.
It is our turn to make a
difference!
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Eighty-one Days – Legendary Promises
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
“The words above, thought to be the motto, are chiseled in gray granite over the entrance to the New York City Post Office on 8th Avenue and come from Book 8, Paragraph 98, of The Persian Wars by Herodotus.”
This is the motto or slogan and indeed the promise from the United States Postal Service that I counted on for so many years. During summer vacations I counted on their promise to deliver promptly the letters I’d write to my friends who went away to camp or to stay with their grandparents. I would be away part of the summer to visit my grandmother. I’d wait by the door for the mail carrier, (then called postman) to bring me letters from my dad who could not take off from work to be with us. Later, I’d wait for letters from my friends serving abroad during the Vietnam war. I couldn’t wait to get the pictures they would take especially of the celebrities showcased in the Bob Hope tours with the USO. Then, there was waiting for the acceptance letters from the dream college I had applied to. And of course, (I have kept them all until now) there were the love letters my husband would write to me with an occasional poem dedicated to me or to our love.
I am sure all of you can relate to these moments that were made possible because we had a reliable source. Namely the postal service. We could count on the promise that no matter what the mail would arrive. Of course, there were delays at times and return to sender mail even though you had written the correct address on the envelope. We have all had some of those experiences.
There has been so much to digest these days and nothing is as important as the devastation caused by this deadly and highly contagious virus that has invaded our country. But the possible threat proposed against our postal system is something we have to stop. Our democracy depends on our postal service. I do not understand how we can allow defunding or privatization of this precious service. The essential workers of this institution have been diligent to get us our medicines and other goods during the stay home mandate.
I remember one of my teachers introducing us to pen pal writing. I had a few pen pals that continued writing to me way beyond the elementary school years. The teacher wrote the postal service slogan on the board. She told us how important it was to have a postal service and explained the many ways that it helped people to stay connected.
I continue to write letters . Yes, I to friends and family even though it has kind of become a lost art and old fashion. I use email and text messaging but there is nothing like writing to a letter to a friend or family member and receiving one from them as well. My grand daughter started writing me letters during the pandemic. These letters made my day. They are my greatest treasure. She enclosed drawings and would tell us how much she missed us.
I know that this may sound over sentimental but a promise is a promise is what I believe firmly. The following is another inscription that sums it all:
Messenger of Sympathy and Love
Servant of Parted Friends
Consoler of the Lonely
Bond of the Scattered Family
Enlarger of the Common Life
Carrier of News and Knowledge
Instrument of Trade and Industry
Promoter of Mutual Acquaintance
Of Peace and of Goodwill Among Men and Nations.
Please do your part in helping to save our postal service. No matter what your political affiliation or philosophy, I am sure that you will want to think about what the threats being made implicate. Remember many people now rely on the postal service to survive. We must protect the legendary promise that was made to all of us, we the people. All it takes is a postcard or letter to your senator or congressman or woman to insist that they do something to fund the USPS.
Some Facts:
The USPS traces its roots to 1775 during the Second Continental Congress, when Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster general. … It was elevated to a cabinet-level department in 1872, and was transformed by the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 into the United States Postal Service as an independent agency.
In 1774, the British fired Franklin from his postmaster job because of his revolutionary activities. However, the following year, he was appointed postmaster general of the United Colonies by the Continental Congress. Franklin held the job until late in 1776, when he was sent to France as a diplomat. He left a vastly improved mail system, with routes from Florida to Maine and regular service between the colonies and Britain.
President George Washington appointed Samuel Osgood, a former Massachusetts congressman, as the first postmaster general of the American nation under the new U.S. constitution in 1789. At the time, there were approximately 75 post offices in the country.
These are the states that allow vote by mail:
https://www.newsweek.com/these-are-states-where-you-can-vote-mail-1505245
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Eighty-two days – For the Record
I decided to look up information about the so called “Spanish Pandemic”. My mother was born in December of 1918. Therefore she was barely a month old when people all around the world were dying. It did not originate in Spain as the name suggests.
“Wartime censors in the UK, Germany, the United States and France, anxious not to lower morale, played down the numbers of victims. But there were no restrictions on reporting the figures for Spain, which had taken no part in the war. So the belief grew that seemingly badly hit Spain was the epicentre of the disease.”
Then I looked up the latest information from sources like the CDC, NHI, and the CDC. These are the data based and research based organizations that help to advise the authorities about the precautions that need to be taken and how the spread of a virus, flu or illness.
This is why we should all listen to the appropriate authorities.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is an acronym or an abbreviation as COVID-19. In COVID-19, ‘CO’ stands for ‘corona,’ ‘VI’ for ‘virus,’ and ‘D’ for disease. There are many types of human coronaviruses including some that commonly cause mild upper-respiratory tract illnesses. COVID-19 is a new disease, caused by a novel (or new) coronavirus that has not previously been seen in humans.
“Research indicates that children and adolescents are just as likely to become infected as any other age group and can spread the disease.” – WHO
“The 1918 pandemic came in three waves. During the first, in the early part of the year, deaths were relatively low. The second wave, which began in August, was much more serious, the virus having mutated to a considerably aggressive form and October was the deadliest month of the whole pandemic.”
So if right now our country is averaging 1000 deaths per day. We have 165,000 deaths thus far. If this trend continues, we can potentially end up with another 65.000 deaths by the time the election comes around.
For the record, I am truly concerned. However, we can make a difference right now. My mother used to say not to leave for tomorrow what you can do today. She also told me she was a strong woman because she lived through a pandemic, a horrible hurricane, an earthquake, the depression and was widowed twice. I do not think I want to have to go through all of that to be strong. God bless her soul. I wonder what she would advise me now. One thing is for sure she would advise me to stay informed and take every precaution. She would have done anything to keep us safe. She would not have listened to any nonsense and would make sure she said something when she heard it.
There are 82 days to check out the records. Facts are what we need to hear. The truth is what needs to be spoken.
Please stay safe my friends. God bless America!
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Eighty-three days – When I think about my vows
For better and for worse
in sickness and in health
until death do us part.
Vows that many of us make in a marriage.
How sad when you cannot be close
until death wants to separate for your loved one.
So many souls died alone during this pandemic.
Some couples died within hours of each other
Death has no pride;
neither does this virus.
It does not discriminate.
It does not care who you vote for
or who your candidate is or what political party you belong to.
It is cruel, relentless, and even smart
because you may not know you are afflicted or infected,
until you actually feel ill. It changes the symptoms all the time.
It out smarts you;
Until it may be too late and
no one can come in to be with you when you die.
It may leave you with heart problems,
kidney failure and unable to think straight.
In 83 days, at the rate we are going,
Eighty-three thousand people may die.
This can be a reality.
Does this horrify you?
It scares the hell out of me.
I now know three people who are ravaged by COVID-19
Something’s gotta give.
I vow to try not to infect someone else
I know what we have to do.
Will you?
I don to want to sound so hopeless or helpless but I just heard of a family member who has tested positive. She did everything right. So what happened? It is frustrating and it makes me crazy. I do not want to impose my opinions. I try to be positive. I want to write poetry. I want to inspire not to instill fear. So please be safe. In the meanwhile, think about what we can do during this next 83 days. 
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84 Days – Wow! Wow! Wow!
I just heard the news and could not resist writing a reaction to Former Vice President Biden’s choice for Vice President. Senator Kamala Harris is it. The choice is historical and will be even more historical at the end of 84 days. Like that old television commercial proudly decreed, “You have come a long way baby.” One hundred years ago women fought for the right right to vote. How appropriate that a woman should picked to be the possible next Vice-President of the United States of America.
We have seen the ME TOO movement create an awareness about abuse and sexual harassment. We have seen people become more aware and more willing to speak up with the Black Lives Matter movement. I had a flashback to the year 2000, when our community was getting ready to make changes that would come to fruition by the year 2020. That community gave themselves twenty years because anything that is worthwhile has to be well planned. 2020 has been a very memorable year for sure. Today perhaps will be the most positive day of all.
I am excited for the future but more excited for the right now. I want to tell my 5 year old granddaughter that for sure she can be anything she wants to be. All I can say right now which is not very eloquent but comes from the pride deep down in my heart, Wow! Wow! Wow!
