Category Archives: spirituality

The reality that you don’t hear about…

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…that the folks on food stamps can also be adjunct professors.  This has got to be one of the most sobering stories I’ve heard yet.  What the mainstream media won’t tell you is that college educated WORKING people are also in dire straits because the top 1% are taking it all for themselves, as we see in this case.

Note the comment where some administrator in a hospital gave herself a 90k bonus while paying low wages.

And other comments are blasting the university for her extremely low un-livable wages.   Good God.

Many ask why she didn’t have Medicare/Soc. Security at her age?  The article doesn’t tell us, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say she was probably making too much money as a professor for Social Security.  I don’t know about Medicare, but assuming they also have limits on how much they will pay for certain conditions, and if this was the second time that Margaret Mary had cancer, she had probably reached those limits.

They also ask the question of her being on assistance (food stamps, I presume?) .  Ooookay.  Um, let me explain something to those who think that food stamps are some sort of panacea–they’re NOT.  Even if she got food stamps, which we don’t know by this article, it still would not be enough.   Jaysus H., $10,000 a year?  That is less than a $1,000 per month, before taxes.    Who can survive on that??

Here’s the op-ed from Daniel Kovalik, who may have been the last person to talk to her.  What huge indignity for her (and anyone else who has to beg for food or medical care).

And here again we have the fight against unions for teachers…and a glaring point of why we need unionized teachers, because the administrators have their priorities in the wrong places (themselves and athletics):

While adjuncts at Duquesne overwhelmingly voted to join the United Steelworkers union a year ago, Duquesne has fought unionization, claiming that it should have a religious exemption. Duquesne has claimed that the unionization of adjuncts like Margaret Mary would somehow interfere with its mission to inculcate Catholic values among its students.

This would be news to Georgetown University — one of only two Catholic universities to make U.S. News & World Report’s list of top 25 universities — which just recognized its adjunct professors’ union, citing the Catholic Church’s social justice teachings, which favor labor unions.

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What is truly, truly, incredible was the heartless act of the university in calling the police after it was discovered she was sleeping in her office because her electricity was shut off.  Yeah, because Jesus would have tossed her out on her ass, too. /very snarky.
Lastly, let’s take a moment to acknowledge that Margaret Mary was a woman….women are more likely to be in poverty than men.

Statistically, women in America are more likely to be poor than men in all racial and ethnic backgrounds. With over 37 million people living in poverty, over half of them are adult single women. Surprisingly so, women in the U.S. are further behind in comparison to women in other areas of the world. This could be all connected to the gender wage gap, with women earning less money than their male counterparts, and the often expensive responsibility of raising children.

In a report entitled Living Below the Line: Economic Insecurity and America’s Families, lead authors Shawn McMahon and Jessica Horning found that 45 percent of American families live on incomes that fail to provide the basic economic security required to support their basic needs. In just four years, the overall financial insecurity rate rose from 38 percent to 45 percent with an increase in poverty of White children and unmarried couples. Children of color were also found at risk of economic security with more than three-quarters of Black children and three-quarters of Hispanic children facing poverty in their households.

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More on Irish Slaves

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I went back to read the blog again, and this time clicked on the comments section.  I found the comment below about further study of the Irish slave trade.  It is amazing that this went on for 200 years, and nobody knows about it!

Stumbled upon this website doing Irish Genealogy and thought I’d post that I just finished the book To Hell or Barbados: The Ethnic Cleansing of Ireland by Sean O’Callaghan and am starting White Cargo: The Forgotten History of Britain’s White Slaves in America by Don Jordan & Michael Walsh.

I highly recommend To Hell or Barbados. It reads a little like a history text but still fascinating none the less to learn about this little talked about portion of history even though it went on for almost 200 years!

-J

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I found this blog on Sean O’Callaghan’s book To Hell or Barbados.   She writes a powerful paragraph in which she asks:

What if this story of the Irish and Scots had been exposed and well known; would slavery have had a different complexion and perceived differently today? Would the legacy of slavery, the blight and scourge it has inflicted upon people of African descent in the Americas be the same? Or would slavery have been understood for what it is: a system based on the conrol and subjugation of those who have no power–for economic gain.

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There is a short documentary video on the site, as well, but it only covers the African slave trade, so no new information on the Irish/Scots slave trade there.

Something disturbing, though, as I’m trying to find other blogs reviewing the book–one had stamped on it “White Pride World Wide”.  That is the LAST thing I would want to come of this information—we don’t need the KKK (and cohorts) to use this to further its hate agenda.   Good God, it should cause them to pause and reflect on how it was done to the vulnerable whites, as well, and therefore, should be a learning moment on empathy and justice.  It should be a lesson on how once again, those in power create hatred towards a specific group to gain even more power (the Nazi’s flash in my mind as I write that).

Do unto others…

The Irish Slaves

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I happened upon a blog on Irish slavery, and as I read, it seemed to want to pit the African American experience against the Irish, by who-has-suffered-more,  so I continued to search for a less adversarial historical blog and found this.

I don’t recall any mention of Irish slaves during History class.  This piece was rather eye-opening.  The Africans and Irish were forced to mate because the women were comely and would help produce lighter skinned blacks, which apparently meant higher prices for them.  

It also states that the Irish were cheaper and even though Catholic, not considered Christians, so it was nothing to beat them to death.    It never ceases to amaze me how others can dictate how religious another is or isn’t…..to suit their own purpose of degrading them.

Anyway, being of Irish heritage, I found this interesting as well as personal.  My ancestors came over here about that time…so I wonder. 

But I also know one of my ancestors was a slave owner five generations ago….so there is guilt there, too.  (Another ancestor fought in the Civil War on the Union side, so…yeah…trying to right a wrong).

 

 

Pope Francis

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John Amato has a post up on the likeability of Pope Francis.  He does seem to follow Jesus’ example, which is rather refreshing.

The Church has been resistant to change, however, so he will meet with a lot of resistance.   I’m of the wait-and-see position.

I would like to see them bring the disservice done to Mary Magdalene, who was labeled a prostitute by the Church, more out in the open.  Some, including this writer, did not know of the smear to her until I read it in non-Catholic books.  If she was Jesus’ companion, and he trusted her as a confidant, she should play an important role in religion.  The Church, however, made a statement on it many years ago, but did it quietly.  Many still do not know she was not a prostitute.

And lastly, I am jealous that the Pope has  stick shift.  I love stick shifts, but unfortunately, the Green Hornet is automatic.

Walker Backs Down

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Gov. Scott Walker has rescinded a $500,000 grant to the United Sportsmen of Wisconsin.

You know, for folks who are so dead set against government in their lives, via taxation and regulation, they sure to go out of their way to get those tax dollars while trying to circumvent the democratic process.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the grant was slipped into the budget bill by outgoing Majority Leader Scott Suder with terms that excluded most sporting groups in the state. The grant was not properly advertised, conveniently leaving United Sportsmen as the sole applicant.

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More Wisconsin news here. 

You’re telling me that citizens throwing pop cans and shouting obscenities requires the use of armed guards?  Talk about overreaction.  Yes, it was wrong for the one demonstrator to destroy the camera, no doubt, but having armed guards with assault rifles is just soo over the top.

What I don’t understand is why  they are allowed in the forest at all.  Why are they destroying what little we have left?  People seem to think that climate change is this thingy down the road….hello, it’s happening now and destroying the forests is one of the reasons.    Why are they not valued as much as the mining operations?  Why aren’t the environmental impacts on the land and water considered as important?

The primary cause of this lasting pollution is acid mine drainage. Mining exposes sulfide-bearing ore that generates sulfuric acid and mixes with water. This outflow of acidic water, otherwise known as acid mine drainage, contaminates drinking water aquifers, lakes, and streams, agricultural lands, and prime fish and wildlife habitat. Because acid mine drainage can’t be stopped, once started it must be treated until the acid generating material runs out. As acknowledged in government mining permits, this can take hundreds or thousands of years.

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Texas’ Freedom of Information Foundation is aiding CMD in obtaining public records that members of ALEC are trying to keep in the dark.

The Fight for Fifteen in Wisconsin.  I think $15 per hour is reasonable and would put us back to where we would have been had our wages not stagnated over the last twenty or so years…

There is just something terribly wrong when a CEO can make millions in income while employees are forced on food stamps or food banks to feed themselves and their families.

Finally, in non-Wisconsin news, CMD has this up on the paper trail of Larry Summers.   I haven’t begun to read all the information here, so I’m off to read the links. …note, however, the link to education “reform”–he’s on the board of the Eli Broad Foundation.  Not only that, but Andy Stern is also on the board–he was head of the Service Employees Union…wow….a union supporter on the board of an organization trying to destroy teacher’s unions and public education.  Just wow.

 

 

The Rabbi **edited

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An update to this post….apparently, the Rabbi made a snide remark about Weiner being “married to an Arab” .  Yeah, that kind of nixes one’s self-righteous position, doesn’t it?  **edited to add:  it was Jon Stewart that brought that to light. Sorry, I was tired when I posted last night.)

Doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind about the rest of the exchange or Weiner’s campaign nor his actions towards women, though.  But he has a right to be married to whomever he chooses without that being a factor in his fitness for mayor.  He’s not fit for mayor for his predator actions and his thinking that exposing himself was a joke.

Syria update

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Global News has this up on Al Qaida’s overtaking a village in Syria.  So the question begging to be asked is–why are we supporting the rebels, if the rebels are linked to Al Qaida?

Rallies here protesting Syria strike.

Rehab Saad, who came to Canada from Syria 17 years ago, said the Obama administration should back off its calls for military intervention.

“Barack Obama: You got the Nobel Peace Prize not to start war… Don’t start a war that nobody will know when and where it’s going to end,” she said.

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The President had this message.  I don’t think anyone is against helping people but going to war over it is not the answer.  Diplomacy is the answer…or don’t we know how to do that anymore?

 

…and now, a view from the non-sponsors of war…**edited

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(This post is on religion, so if it’s not your thing…)

I thought I’d dig up info on churches that don’t believe in war.

First, the Quakers. …the belief of inner light…of God’s presence within…

Second, the Church of the Brethren.

The Mennonites and Amish are also peaceful churches.  Some Amish were jailed during the Vietnam war because they refused to obey the draft notice.

From the Mennonite link:

It is easy to fall into the common belief that democratic freedoms can only be attained or preserved through war. But history proves that democracy and freedom have also been preserved by brave people who stood up for justice.

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**edited to add:  Gah, how could I forget the Unitarians, who also believe in peace.

Finally, a bumpersticker I have:

Honor the dead…

…with peace

(which I have never put on my car, ironically because I feared my car getting even more scratched up than it did when I put the Kerry bumpersticker on it.  Pretty sad, eh?)