Discouraged

I was quite disappointed to discover that my Democratic senator (we have one of each here in Colorado) voted for the unconstitutional suspension of habeas corpus and expansion of the powers of the king, I mean, chief executive.

At least he voted against the ridiculous Republican security act, AKA the border security fence.

Below is his attempt to explain himself. I'd love to know what his real motivations were. Given that Colorado is a fairly Red state, I wonder if it wasn't pure pragmatism. Did he vote his conscience or did he vote his future?

U.S. Senator Ken Salazar
Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees
2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202
702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

For Immediate Release
September 28, 2006
CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director
303-455-7600
Andrew Nannis – Press Secretary
202-224-5852

Sen. Salazar Votes for Legislation Authorizing Military Tribunals

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senator Ken Salazar released the following statement after voting for legislation that would create a military tribunal system.

“The bill I voted for today was the best bill we could reasonably expect in this highly charged political environment. I am relieved that Senators McCain, Warner and Graham, former Secretary of State Collin Powell, and others helped preserve the fundamentals articulated in the Geneva Convention; a cornerstone to preserving America’s moral high ground in the global efforts against terror.

“Due to the many controversial and far-reaching implications of this bill, I believe it would be appropriate to force Congressional review of this bill in five years. I have concerns with this bill, but on balance it meets my personal view of what America needs to get the job done.”

Ken's brother, John Salazar, my Democratic representative, echoed his brother's votes but, unlike Ken, John seems to be avoiding explaining himself.

Political Theater

As I listen to and read about the craziness that our government is engaged in, I am constantly reminded of Philip Roth's The Plot Against America. When we're in the midst of what later will be seen as idiocy, can we see it? Can we stop it? I want to put my head in the sand, hold my breath for 3 years and wait to be rescued. If we're all waiting, who's rescuing?

There was a time, a time I remember, when it was cool to be an American. America wore the white hat. We were the good guys. Not so much, anymore. We were the shining example; now we're just the bully.

Wil Wheaton:

a statement of conscience

As I write this, the United States Senate is engaged in a bit of political theater, while they pretend to debate whether or not they will make torture an American value. They are pretending to debate whether or not to give one person -- in this case the president -- the ability remove rights that we've all taken for granted under our Constitution for over two centuries from anyone he (or she, someday) identifies, without any accountability or oversight. They are pretending to debate whether our Democracy even matters, any more.

The legislation before the Senate today would ban torture, but let Bush define it; would allow the president to imprison indefinitely anyone he decides falls under a wide-ranging new definition of unlawful combatant; would suspend the Great Writ of habeas corpus; would immunize retroactively those who may have engaged in torture. And that's just for starters. . . .

Today's vote will show more clearly than ever before that, when push comes to shove, the Republicans who control Congress are in lock step behind the president, and the Democrats -- who could block him, if they chose to do so -- are too afraid to put up a real fight. This is far too much power for one person to have, and is antithetical to everything America and freedom and Democracy stand for. In fact, this is the sort of power that someone like, say, Saddam Hussein had. Or Stalin. Or Pinochet.

I haven't written much about politics here in recent memory, because there are others who say what I want to say and they do it much better than I do: Glenn Greenwald, Josh Marshall, John Cole, and Digby, for example. But even though I've become entirely disgusted with what used to be my government and I don't have a whole lot of faith in the congress or the president to listen to me (actually, I don't have a lot of faith in the president listening to anyone who doesn't tell him exactly what he wants to hear,) I still believe in the underlying principles of Democracy. I still believe that it is the responsibility of every American, whether they feel adequately represented by the current congress or not, to stand up for their beliefs, even when they speak them to deaf ears in the halls of power. Even -- no, especially -- when those beliefs are unpopular.

My government is supposed to represent me, and as an American citizen, I must accept responsibility for the things my country does in my name. It is with that responsibility in mind that I feel compelled to write the following, not for congress who have already ignored my calls and letters, but for my own conscience, and for my children, should they one day ask me, "What happened then? Why didn't anyone try to do anything?"

What the House did yesterday, the Senate looks to do today, and the President will surely enact as soon as possible, is a direct assault on American values, and contrary to everything our country stands for. Though cynically and cowardly enacted as a purely political tool during an election, those who supported this bill do not speak for me, do not act in my name, and do not reflect my values.

Torture is not an American value. Torture is a totalitarian, sadistic value. Suspending access to courts and the right to face your accuser is not what Americans do. It is what tyrannical dictators and despots do, not a democratic republic like the one I was brought up in and love. Time and again, torture has proved unreliable to prevent or solve crimes, and it reduces our country to the level of the very terrorists we are supposedly fighting.

I believe in the right to a speedy and fair trial for everyone, even the most repugnant of defendants. No, especially for the most repugnant of defendants, because if we, as a society, can't guarantee the most hideously accused among us that right, what is it worth to the rest of us?

George Bush and his enablers in the congress -- Democrat and Republican -- has done more damage to our country, and our once impeccable moral standing in the world than all the terrorists combined. President Bush and his Republican allies in congress like to say that "they hate us for our freedom," but President Bush and his Republican allies in congress have spent the last five years working very hard to take that freedom away from the people they supposedly work for, and vest that power in something they call the Unitary Executive. If the Democrats won't stand up to stop torture, what will they stand up for? If Congress won't do its constitutional duty now, then when?

I am disgusted with, and ashamed of my government.

Shame on President Bush. Shame on his Republican allies in congress, and shame on the spineless, cowardly Democrats who did not stand up to them. Shame on them all, and shame on all of us if we do not turn out by the millions in the next election to put men and women into congress who will have the courage to do their constitutional duty, and defend the Republic from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Fighting with books

"Now you're talking! I would be wonderful with a 100-year moratorium on literature talk, if you shut down all literature departments, close the book reviews, ban the critics. The readers should be alone with the books, and if anyone dared to say anything about them, they would be shot or imprisoned right on the spot. Yes, shot. A 100-year moratorium on insufferable literary talk. You should let people fight with the books on their own and rediscover what they are and what they are not. Anything other than this talk. Fairytale talk. As soon as you generalise, you are in a completely different universe than that of literature, and there's no bridge between the two."

Philip Roth

I was poking around on the internet and came upon this quote from an interview with Philip Roth. Later that same night, after reading the first chapter of Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, I read the introduction by Jay Parini and immediately wished that I hadn't, or at least that I had waited until I read the whole book.

Parini has some very strong opinions about Steinbeck's unvoiced reactions to his travels and experiences:

" . . . there is beneath its surface a sense of disenchantment that turns, eventually, into anger. Steinbeck is never quite able to bring himself to say that he was often disgusted by what he saw on his journey, but the reader is left with that impression."

I would have liked to have had the opportunity to discover for myself whether or not that was my impression, to "fight with the book on [my] own and rediscover what [it is] and what [it is] not." Would I have been able to tease out Parini's assessment on my own? I'm disappointed that I won't be able to find out.

Backlash

I'm not sure if I just wasn't paying attention or what, but I have to say that I was surprised by the backlash against Studio 60. I realize that I shouldn't have been but there it is.

Being an Aaron Sorkin fan who owns the DVDs for Sports Night and West Wing, I have been anticipating this season's Sorkin/Schlamme effort. I watched the premiere early on AOL and rewatched it on TV last week. Perhaps because I don't disagree with Sorkin's criticisms of fundamentalist Christians (anymore than I disagree with criticisms of fundamentalist Mormons or Muslims, etc.), I was caught unawares by the whining of some participants when perusing the transcript of the live blog Sorkin and Schlamme participated in on premiere night.

It was as if they were intentionally underscoring Wes' (Judd Hirsch) point for those viewers who might have missed it the first few times. What did he say? Something to the effect of getting positively horny at the thought of a boycott? That's exactly what one of the live blog participants threatened, even before the season premier had concluded. How prophetic is that? I guess it's not really all that much of a feat, given that the reaction is fairly predictable.

I do appreciate Sarah Paulson's character, Harriet Hays. She reminds me of a friend in college whom we called the Preacher, one of the most spiritual people I have ever known but quite unassuming about it. We all really respected his beliefs. Quite the opposite of another friend who became born again during that time and was positively overbearing.

I'm not quite prepared to wholeheartedly endorse Studio 60. It's early and the hype was so intense. I can say that I really enjoyed the "cold open" at the end of the second show, to such an extent that I recounted it to my husband on the phone the next day.

Your Ticket to Freedom

2006 BBW; Read Banned Books: They're Your Ticket to Freedom

This week is Banned Books Week so I was glad to see that Rachel had just finished reading Of Mice and Men, the fourth most challenged book of 2003, for her Lit and Comp class.

According to the American Library Association, a challenge is "defined as formal, written complaints filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness." It's kind of amazing to look over recent years' lists of most challenged books.

I'm happy to say that I've read many of them! I still clearly remember the impression Go Ask Alice made on me when I read it in high school.

I encourage you to poke around the ALA website for a while. You'll be surprised.

Then again, maybe you won't be.

Making it up as they go

Two stories which I read the other day caught my eye, both involving hospital errors.

In one story, a drug cabinet was incorrectly stocked with heparin instead of hep-lock and as a result, three preemies died. As the mother of a preemie, this story hit home. For the whole 51 days she was in the neo-natal intensive care unit, I, her mother, had so little say over what happened to her every day. As an employer in the medical field, I can imagine the anguish the pharmacy tech and nurses must be experiencing.

In the second story involving a fertility clinic, a man who provided a sperm sample to be used in his wife's fertility treatment found out that the sample had been mistakenly given to another woman who was supposed to receive sperm from an anonymous donor. The man is now suing to find out if a child resulted from the mistake. Two couples and possibly a child are all victims of this error and what a mess it will be to sort it all out, if in fact a child was born. During my first year of law school, we had to do a case study on the state of the law regarding surrogate mothers and their rights. It was readily apparent that technology was outpacing the law's ability to keep up. The courts, for the most part, are forced to make it up as they go.

Happy Fall - Part II

Here's what we woke up to this morning.

Should be a fabulous day!!

Happy Fall!!

This picture was taken this morning, the first day of Autumn (according to Wikipedia). There was even more snow on the last day of summer.

But tomorrow, it's supposed to be 58 degrees so it'll all be gone.

Four years ago this time, I was planning an outdoor wedding in less than two weeks. How stressed would I have been if the weather had been like it is this year?

According to Aspen SkiCo, the mountains got 13 inches yesterday. For the first time in its 28 year run, the Golden Leaf Half-Marathon, scheduled for today, was cancelled and Independence Pass closed last night, the earliest since I've lived here. I don't know if it's closed for the season or not.

It'll be interesting to see how the ski season plays out. Not sure there's much connection between early season snow and how good the ski season is. But, it certainly adds to the optimism.

Wheel of Change

I've been giving Sunday's post a lot of thought and something disturbing has occurred to me.

It has been 4 years since my most recent major change. In my adult years, I can't recall ever going this long without moving or changing jobs or changing relationships or doing some combination at the same time.

Have I been practicing frequent change as a way to keep myself engaged? Or as avoidance?

I don't think I want to keep repeating my past patterns. It's so disruptive. I think (?) I want to stay in one place.

But that then forces me to face a more difficult question. If I don't have semi-constant change to distract me, where do I find the challenge?

Is this some sort of middle-age conundrum? Should I be reading Gail Sheehy? Geez, I remember seeing Passages on my mom's night stand when I was in high school . . .

This one I agree with . . .

You Are 55% Normal

While some of your behavior is quite normal... Other things you do are downright strange You've got a little of your freak going on But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself

How Normal Are You?

Wow, these things crack me up!

Your Hidden Talent

You have the power to persuade and influence others. You're the type of person who can turn a whole room around. The potential for great leadership is there, as long as you don't abuse it. Always remember, you have a lot more power over people than you might think!

What's" Your Hidden Talent?

And they got all of that from one picture!!

Inertia vs Dissatisfaction

You'd be amazed what opportunities exist here.

The catch is that they are very outside of the box opportunities which intimidates a middle of the road kind of person like me.

I'm sort of dissatisfied with my job responsibilities, though, let me be clear, not with my co-workers or my place of employ. I'm very appreciated and enjoy a position of much authority, independence and responsibility. However, I've been here for 7+ years and the problems all seem to be cyclical. Dealing with the same staffing issues and the same patient issues over and over again is getting old.

But, right now, inertia is a more powerful force than dissatisfaction. If I could get past my fears, I might be able to fashion a new direction. There's a physician in this area who would probably be amenable to a creative arrangement whereby I could handle his receivables while still doing those for my current office. This would have the attraction of setting me in a new direction while not totally abandoning my current employers.

I also have a personal recommendation for an executive assistant position that might be quite challenging and high paying:

Office/Clerical.

Executive Assistant Local business person is seeking experienced Executive Assistant to support Family investments, Foundation Projects (school/orphanage in Africa). The ideal applicant will have strong office and project organization skills, a good understanding of accounting, a high level of initiative, strong attention to detail, and outstanding written and verbal communication skills. Applicant must be independent, a motivated self starter and capable of prioritizing multiple projects while efficiently working under pressure (with a smile) to meet deadlines. Required to maintain strict confidentiality regarding financial and personal matters. Min. 3 years administrative experience w/college degree.

A friend of mine was in a similar position more than a year ago. She was the general manager of a lodge here in Aspen and was getting burnt out. She was good at her job, was paid well but was over it. At the same time, she couldn't imagine what she would do if she left. For her, things came to a head when she had to be away due to her mother's illness. She quit and was able to stay home for a short while because of her husband's salary. Options seemed to drop into her lap and since she wasn't encumbered by current employment, she was much more open to considering them.

While I don't have the luxury (or at least I don't think I do) of quitting one job before I have something else in place, I could still attempt to benefit from my friend's experience. It does appear that options are there; I just have to be open to them.

An Incomplete List

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (if I ever write a book that's released to paperback, I want it to feel like this one)

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (inspired me to go back and reread Genesis Chap 28-35).

Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund (weaves together the story of the whaleship Essex and Moby Dick from an oft-ignored perspective)

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks (a window into living in a world plagued)

Mountains or Ocean?

The classic conundrum, brought home especially these days since my espoused is spending 2 months in Hawaii working.

He called me last week and I could hear the waves lapping through his cell phone (shades of "can you hear a pin drop"?). I got off the phone feeling quite envious of him being there while I was stuck . . . wait a minute, let's just ponder for a minute exactly where I was stuck. Hmmmm.

So, I took the dog for a walk through town to remind myself. It was Sunday afternoon of Labor Day weekend, gorgeous and sunny. I was wearing shorts, a tank top and flip flops (altho I did carry a fleece, just in case). I ran into friends, watched world class volleyball, and window shopped the sales.

I pondered my preferences; if I was in Chicago and had a choice of going to Aspen or Hawaii,which would I pick?

Aspen!

Now, don't get me wrong. Hawaii's awesome. But I'm much more comfortable in the mountain climate. Sunny, warm during the day, cool at night, few to no bugs, no humidity, no sand. Rivers, lakes and streams give me my water fix. Lots of physical activities mixed with a dollop of cultural activities.

So, why am I still envious? Is it just human nature? The grass is always greener phenomenon?

How many times in the next 8+ weeks am I going to go through the exercise of checking airfares only to decide that I'm not going to go . . .

No such thing as bad publicity

Recently there have been a spate of Letters to the Editor in our two local dailies alternately condemning and praising two of our most popular local eateries, Cache Cache and The Big Wrap.

As usual in the Land of Unintended Consequences, these exchanges, initiated in both cases by dissatisfied customers, have had the opposite effect from that the original writers envisioned.

Take, for example, my recent reaction. Casting about for dinner ideas to suggest to visiting friends and not having been to Cache Cache since that fateful 1999 New Year's Eve, the flurry of letters were just what it took to move Cache Cache to the top of my list. I can assure you that Cache Cache did not appear to be suffering any drop in popularity when we were there last Wednesday night.

Likewise, all the talk about The Big Wrap simply served to make me crave my favorite, the Mr. Potatohead. And, as if to add further insult to the original letter writer's injury, last week, the Big Wrap got voted Best Cheap Eats for like the 100th year in a row in a local poll.

Specious questions

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 30% Conservative, 70% Liberal

Social Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

This is encouraging . . .

You've Experienced 88% of Life

You have an amazing amount of life experience. In fact, you've seen and done more than most people. So congratulate yourself on what you've done so far. The future is only going to be more of the same!

How Much Life Experience Do You Have?

Vacation Day

Last Tuesday, I went on a fabulous vacation . . . and never strayed more than a couple of miles from my house!

After walking over to the five-star rated Little Nell to meet my vacation partner, we strolled over to the luxurious St. Regis Aspen where we spent the next 7+ hours being pampered at the Remede Spa. Our Remede Spa Indulgence started with a tour of the facilities which are designed to impress. With much anticipation, we donned our plush robes and went out to meet our therapists.

Our first treatments were an hour long full body massage followed immediately by an hour long full body sweep softening scrub and moisturizing lotion application. So sumptuous. This included a paraffin foot wrap and a scalp massage with essential oils. Absolutely my favorite spa treatment ever!! Especially the sweep. For someone who hates sand, I sure love this moisturizing gritty scrub.

We then relaxed in front of the fire in the oxygen room (sans oxygen) while awaiting our pedicure and manicure. Another little scrub treatment with each of those services too. So many nice extras.

Next, we had a "light lunch" with enough leftovers for lunch the next day and then on to our final treatment, the facial. This was my least favorite, but considering that everything is relative, that's no insult. Chris' least favorite was the manicure and pedicure.

After we were done with all of our treatments, we relaxed in the steam room and hot tub. I capped off my experience by showering in the 14 nozzle shower room. An overhead rain shower, a handheld shower head and 4 rows of 3 nozzles placed in a semi-circle ensured water from every direction. Quite decadent.

I then walked back across town and relaxed before heading back out for dinner at Matsuhisa. Scrumptious Peruvian and Argentinian influenced Japanese cuisine, where you order and order and order again. So many taste sensations.

Delightful!