Brain Drain Blog

Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

We aren’t watching the fireworks this evening due to rain, but they certainly flew in the car on the way home from the theater this afternoon. Tim and I went to the Spectrum to see Michael Moore’s latest documentary, SiCKO.?I left with my blood boiling.

This was one of our most patriotic moves, one where we spent a good hour and 53 minutes educating ourselves on the American people’s dependence upon the whim of profiteering HMOs and pharmaceutical companies. Sure, I laughed at the part where Bush said, “Too many OBGYNs aren’t able to practice their love with women all across this country.” I also cried for those murdered at the hands of the greedy. To call unnecessary loss of life anything less is unthinkable.

This movie was, at the very least,?an upsetting reality check. I think most people understand that health care in America is in dire straights, but this is the first time the?larger picture has been revealed. Many of the alarming facts in Moore’s movie are posted on his website. More personal accounts are available on SiCKO’s blog.

The question I’m left with is, “What are our nation’s family values?”?Can somebody show me?some evidence?demonstrating that?we have?any? The government certainly doesn’t support families when health care is privatized to the detriment of providing care, when daycare costs equal every cent people make at work, when many of our schools are in a state of disrepair and offer substandard learning, and when secondary education sends students deep into debt before entering the workforce. Ultimately, isn’t our government supposed to be “by the people and for the people?” What does this say about what Americans think of themselves? We need to stop being sheep and lead the fight, to believe that we are worth more than the value?an insurance industry?places upon us. When will we?take back our country? Let’s walk the “family values” walk and claim that right for ourselves once and for all.

I?sincerly hope SiCKO inspires people to stand up, to research and support the National Health Insurance Act. House Resolution 676?has been?introduced by Reps. John Conyers, Dennis Kucinich, Jim McDermott and Donna Christensen and needs our support. This system is already been proven to work in England, France, Canada and, I dare say…?Cuba. It can work here too and we can?do it one?step better, although the HMOs and pharmaceutical companies are paying government officials a lot of money to convince us otherwise. We’ll surely be hearing a well funded rebuttal?campaign from the profiteers in an effort to discredit Moore too.

In my opinion, there was one?comment in?SiCKO which was presented in a somewhat confusing fashion. An ex-insurance investigator whose?job was to look for pre-existing medical conditions and use them to disqualify people from coverage claimed that his duties?were not considered illegal?in several states. This was certainly true during the years he was working in the industry, but it has since been rectified on a Federal level by?The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act? of 1996.??HIPAA says of pre-existing condition exclusions:

• The law defines a preexisting condition as one for which medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment was recommended or received during the 6-month period prior to an individual?s enrollment date (which is the earlier of the first day of health coverage or the first day of any waiting period for coverage)
• Group health plans and issuers may not exclude an individual?s preexisting medical condition from coverage for more than 12 months (18 months for late enrollees) after an individual?s enrollment date
• Under HIPAA, a new employer?s plan must give individuals credit for the length of time they had prior continuous health coverage, without a break in coverage of 63 days or more, thereby reducing or eliminating the 12-month exclusion period (18 months for late enrollees)

It took a lawyer to point this out to me, but this one small hiccup should not distract from the ugly truths the film unveils. The man in the interview was speaking the truth in regard to his experience, recalling how this type of work made him feel and fully disclosing that he had gladly left the industry years ago. Moore, illustrating the?time line of health insurance, was right to include this portion of history. I just think it could have been more clear that, thankfully, the definition of “pre-existing condition” has changed.

On a personal note, what has my panties in a bunch is learning that my former dentist is a hack.?Experiencing?the pain of my tooth being ground out of my head?after 6 shots of Novocain,?and?having subsequent pain and pressure?ever since, I’ve learned from my new sedation dentist (a necessity after acquiring a sudden fear of my former dentist) that my cap?fails on three separate levels:

• a gap exists between the root and cap allowing for decay
• the bite is completely wrong
• and the cap itself is too large to fit.?

What’s more, my former dentist said last month that my newly broken molar required another cap. Funny. My newly consulted ?sedation dentist?said a filling would suffice. I’m beginning to understand how my former dentist paid for his high end, office-wide renovation.

It’s almost more painful to hear that?”the top of the mouth is easiest to numb” than to experience the fact that?it wasn’t, and now I’m supposed to?pay $800 to have?the cap?recast.?That’s right. The?burden of the full amount falls on me. We have no dental insurance. How do you like that? A job in the state’s health care bureau doesn’t even get you dental coverage for six months. It’s ironic and infuriating.?The fact that we can afford?to fix my face?isn’t the point. The point is that far too many people can’t. I’m experiencing something akin to survivor’s guilt knowing that my pain will eventually subside as surely as theirs never will.?

The finale of the fireworks is?sounding off in the city. It’s as distant as the dull echo of?the promise I vaguely remember, the one?granting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Oh right. We’re allowed to “pursue” happiness. Apparently, a very wealthy and powerful minority believes we just aren’t allowed to achieve it.?According to SiCKO,?they aren’t?allowing for?life or liberty either.

Michael Moore speaks on behalf of H.R. 676 at the Capitol
Thursday, June 21st, 2007
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/DYnadAE685o]

Michael Moore Denied Entry into NYSE
June 29th, 2007
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pcuw-_AOk6g]

CNN Gets Blitzed by Michael Moore
July 9th, 2007
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpKoN40K7mA]

June 26th – Day of Action to Restore Law and Justice

It’s 0′dark hundred. Generally unfamiliar with this part of the day, I’m?making a?trial run for tomorrow’s journey to Washington DC. The bus leaves at 3 a.m.?and I still need to get my sign and tee shirt together.

I’m off to fight for the restoration of Habeus Corpus and the closing of Guantanamo Bay. This administration may think?it has?the power to revise the constitution at will, Bush may think “It’s just a piece of paper,” but I’m not buying it.

Torturing hundreds of terror suspects who have yet to be charged with any viable evidence,?human beings who have been traded to the military for a reward?or who have been turned in falsley by those who want to save themselves, it is unconscionable to keep these people prisoners indefinitely. The families who have suffered without fathers, husbands and brothers, the men who have been released without apology only to be?banished by their own country, the children who were imprisoned at fifteen and are now adults… nothing breeds fruitful terror more than this type of arrogant injustice.?And to think that this has been allowed to continue for?five full years.

It’s time for the citizens of the United States?to make our politicians acknowledge the International Acts of the Geneva Convention, not bow with eyes closed to a president on a crusade just as dangerous as Bin Laden’s. Obviously, Guantanamo is just the tip of the iceburgh, but it also the greatest symbol of our country’s own horror and arrogance.

If you too would?like to fight for the?restoration of?human and?constitutional rights?pulverized by?Resident Bush, those?rights which remain?defenseless in the hands of a gutless Congress,?read the ACLU petition.?Take back the power?as “We the People.” Sign today and I’ll be glad to hand deliver?your sentiment?in person tomorrow… along?side the thousands of concerned citizens from all over the country who will be pouring into our nation’s?Capital.

The ACLU is not alone in this fight.
Visit the following organizations for more info:
Amnesty International
Human Rights Watch
And many, many more…

The Executive Office (and Cheney’s too) does?NOT equal unlimited power!

“I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.” — Thomas Jefferson to William C. Jarvis, 1820

Leslie Marmon Silko Celebrates at SUNY Albany

On Tuesday, January 30, 2007, at 8:00 p.m. Leslie Marmon Silko performed an enjoyable reading at the New York State Writers Institute to celebrate Penguin Classics? 30th Anniversary Edition of Ceremony. This bestselling novel was Silko?s first, written in 1977. According to the New York State Writers Institute, it is ?the tale of a ?half-breed? World War II veteran and his battle against personal demons. Ceremony received the American Book Award, sold three quarters of a million copies, sparked a revolution in Native American literature, and has remained a major influence on younger generations of writers? (NYSWI). Silko has also written Laguna Woman: Poems (1974), the story collection Storyteller (1981), the novel Almanac of the Dead (1991), the essay collection, Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit: Essays (1996), and the novel Gardens in the Dunes (1999). She received the Pushcart Prize for poetry in 1977, a MacArthur Foundation award in 1983, and was the youngest writer included in The Norton Anthology of Women’s Literature for her short story “Lullaby.”

In stark contrast with the scholarly suit who stiffly introduced her credentials as listed above, Silko tripped up the stage steps sporting faded blue jeans, sneakers and a dark tee shirt, waves of thick, black hair bouncing behind her. Her entrance was met with enthusiastic applause, filling the moderately attended Recital Hall of the Performing Arts Center with a generous welcome. Under yellow lights on a stage bare but for the podium, Silko introduced herself on a more intimate level as a woman coming from an oral tradition of storytelling which inspired her to write since elementary school. She was going to read the portion of her book where Tayo, suffering from PTSD after WWII, is being taken to Betonie, a medicine man, because he doesn?t respond well to hospital treatment. The story is set within the Navaho Reservation in Gallup, NM. Rocking on her ankles as she spoke, Silko?s saddened voice explained that she knows from personal experience that this reservation has not improved in the 30 years since the book was first written. Promising to take questions after reading because, as she noted, she reads ?a lot? and has ?an opinion on everything,? Silko started on page 94.

With a powerful, biting voice and confident posture, occasionally reaching up with both hands to tame her wild hair, Silko echoed the harsh reality of reservation life, In one instance, Tayo sees a dying cottonwood tree where he used to play. In a moment of mental escape, he remembers the comfort of the shade it once provided, that these trees were more than ?just shade,? and the way the boys would throw the berry pods at each other, feeling the rush of the seeds exploding on impact. In this moment, ?in a world of crickets and wind and cottonwood trees, he was almost alive again; almost visible. The green waves of dead faces and the screams of the dying that had echoed in his head were buried? (96). Silko has a gift for contrasts like these, contrasts that jerk her audience from a lovely, safe place and hurl them face first into the horror of surviving the war. Visions of the joyous youth are polluted with death of the undead. It may seem that Tayo is feeling at ease in this childhood reverie, yet even in burial, the faces of war haunt him. He claims they are buried, that he is nearly alive, yet the screams scream on even in his memory of them.

Told he must leave, that the old men are talking about the trouble he has caused, we are led down a bleak memory lane as Tayo recalls his childhood along his journey to Betonie. It is here we learn that Tayo has few nostalgic memories to cling to. His mother, from what he remembers, is a prostitute who left him in the care of bar patrons, giving them a dollar to feed him. Living under bar tables by day, he was always hungry. ?When he found chewing gum stuck beneath the tables, he put it in his mouth and tried to keep it. He could not remember when he first knew that cigarettes would make him vomit if he ate them? (101) When temporarily taken from his mother and kept in a room full of white walls and cribs, Tayo ?cried for a long time, standing up in the bed with his chin resting on the top rail. He chewed the paint from the top rail, still crying, but gradually becoming interested in the way the paint peeled off the metal and clung to his front teeth? (101). With her strong economy of words, Silko illustrates with fine brush strokes, Tayo?s vulnerability at not more than the age of three, the denial of his mother?s love, his desperate need of food, and his childlike resiliency to somehow survive the pain of it all. Used gum and cigarette butts are not sustenance for a developing human being, and yet the young Tayo of memory knows nothing else.

Silko peppers her story with background characters which are inherently part of the landscape. At the podium, she read with compassion about the plight of Navajos, Hopis, Zunis, and Lagunas under a bridge. These were once entire nations of people who were now scattered and searching for work among the tourist trap of the Gallup Ceremonial Grounds. ?They walked like survivors, with dull vacant eyes, their fists clutching the coins [Tayo had] thrown to them. ? They were educated only enough to know that they wanted to leave the reservation; when they got to Gallup there weren?t many jobs that they could get? (106). The Gallup landscape people are but one example of those who occupy this territory. Tayo and his mother lived like that when he was small, until a fight broke out between some unruly men and the prostitutes. ?The police came. ? He watched them tear down the last of the shelters, and they piled the rags and coats they found and sprinkled them with kerosene? (103). The police did their best to destroy these communities of impoverished people, breaking apart families in the process. Escaping to the stink of the tamarack, Tayo never saw his mother again after she was hauled away that day. Many years later, people still live under bridges. Hauling them away is not the cure.

Taking questions after the reading, most querries were structured around Silko?s personal political views. By writing about wine, poverty, prostitution, shelters, rags, comfortless smells, sounds and sights, Silko lifts the veil from the multiple horrors of racism and oppression on a very personal level. She spoke of the rape of Indian lands through Uranium mining and of the people with the introduction of alcohol and gambling. Having experienced these atrocities and their after effects first hand, it is no wonder Silko could create such an articulate and passionately crafted narrative. As Robert M. Nelson of Richmond University notes:

The disease that has infected the people, including Silko?s protagonist Tayo, is the old bane known at Laguna as Ck?o?yo medicine, which takes several new, but precedented, forms in the novel: World War II and its dreadful fallout, including such new art forms as nuclear fission and the atomic weapons capable of destroying all life (Nelson).

To each and every scarification, of both her land and her people, Silko speaks with conviction, ?Despite the appearance of war, corruption and chaos, don?t lose hope. Spiritual healing persists on parallel but different plains.? She believes this emphatically and spoke so assuredly, she convinced me to believe the same even after hearing about the atrocities in such vivid detail.

What I?ve learned about writing through Leslie Morman Silko is that it is most rewarding to write about what you are most passionate about. Experimentation with form is one thing, but the way to truly reach people and raise awareness where little light is shed is to simply write from the heart. The world of settings and images, populated with characters ripe for contemplation, is already at an author?s fingertips. That passion, as Silko has made evident, reaches through the words and strums the chords of compassion within the depths of the soul. The dank detail we fear to face in our lives must be confronted and recorded. A lifetime of detail, snippets of conversations, people we love, hate, and love to hate are already stewing under the surface. They simply need to be wrestled out of hiding and brought into the light.

Works Cited
Nelson, Robert M. ?Leslie Marmon Silko: storyteller? Joy Porter and Kenneth Roemer, eds., The Cambridge Companion to Native American Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. 245-56. University of Richmond, Virginia. 1 May 2007 .
Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony. New York: Penguin Books, 2006.
Silko, Leslie Marmon. New York State Writers Institute, State University of New York. 1 May 2007 .

Medieval scholar, Yvonne Kendall, offered greater insight than the classroom text into the connection between Hildegard and her music. To say that music was important to Hildegard scarcely glosses the depths to which it affected her everyday life. As we know from her first letter to Bernard, she refers to the ?sound? of God, meaning not only his voice as he speaks his word but, just as importantly, the divine way in which the Lord and his angels express themselves through music. As Hildegard often develops complex philosophies surrounding her visions, theology, and remedies as they exist in nature, she accepts as fact that music, at once, binds the soul with understanding and faith. In essence, this is the glue that unifies the body, faith, and senses of humanity directly with God.

The importance of her music was commonly understood among those who knew Hildegard. We have learned how her refusal to exhume the excommunicated and repentant foot soldier buried in the monastery’s cemetery was the impetus for banning musical prayer. We also know how profoundly this punishment afflicted her with depression. Interestingly, Yvonne Kendall offered fresh insight into Hildegard?s appeal to her abbot?s superiors. Rather ingeniously, Hildegard used the denial of her music to register with those who suppressed her. She strongly suggested that to continue this restriction, neglecting to abandon the orders to exhume nor to acknowledge the foot soldier?s commitment to and heavenly bond with God, may lead them to a place where they would never again hear the heavenly choirs of angels. This crafty reference obviously made a grand impression upon Hildegard’s superiors. The ban was immediately lifted allowing her monastery once more to rejoice in song.

While Hildegard is duly credited with the composition of her music, this recognition was never intended for her own glorification. In fact, music was written for the benefit of monastic services not available to the public and was generally not signed because it was believed to belong to God, not the composer. The shear volume of Hildegard?s music that still survives today is attributed to her popularity as a traveling speaker, healer and consultant, and to the journals in which she documented her works for her own use. Coming from outside sources, it is important to mention that Hildegard had not made personal claim of her credit. She humbly believed that her music was a gift from God and the glory belonged to him.

Aside from attributed credit, the greatest indication of Hildegard?s compositions was her unique style for the time. To compare her powerful emphasis on certain lyrics with the more even tones of the Gregorian monks, Hildegard moves far beyond the trend of her day. Her expansive use of musical scales did not become common tradition until 4 centuries beyond her time. This dramatic effect of stretching lyrics through a series of ascending or descending notes placed a new importance on interpreting the meaning behind the lyrics. This technique was perceived as dangerous because, unlike the tradition of reading prose and explaining its meaning, music lent a level of emotion and uncontrolled emphasis at the will of the performer, not the church.

Hildegard was aware, not only of the importance of song, but of the components of what made up that song. The instruments of the day included the recorder, vielle, organ, harp and bagpipes. All were comprised of natural elements using wood for structure and animal organs for the bellows. This too demonstrates how every aspect of music joins God and his every creation. This inclusive concept was one Hildegard commonly used to push beyond the negative societal perceptions of women.

As seen in her correspondence, the Scivias, and particular visions depicting the egg as fertility blessed by the fire of God and the soul residing – fully formed by the eyes of God – within the womb of a pregnant woman, Hildegard believed that women should be cherished for all they had to offer humanity. Her music provided yet another avenue to reinforce this idea. Her lyrics were comprised of references to the mother and child relationship between not only the Christ child and Mary, but also to earthly family relationships. Additionally, music as it existed in her morality plays can be thought of as the great equalizer. Hildegard awards God and the monastic nuns, those enacting the roles of the virtues and the soul, roles of song while only Satan is restricted to the spoken word. This arrangement of instrumental music and lyrical message demonstrates for Hildegard how God connects with all of his creation, Satan being the only exclusion from his holy realm and song.

Performing Hildegard?s music today requires interpretation much as it did when she was alive. Because timing was not indicated by beats and measures as it is now, the music is driven by lyrical cadence alone. Hildegard documented only the lyrics and vocal portion of the composition allowing for less structured instrumental interpretation, perhaps leaving room for God?s inspiration to move the musicians. Musicians today combine both their knowledge of trends known to have existed then and the written record of the vocals to create the most probable feeling of the music, overcoming the impossibility of replicating an exact rendition. It is in this way we are able to enjoy the musical compositions and message of Hildegard at present, joining not only the soul, senses, faith and God, but also bridging the gap between centuries of time as Hildegard believed God’s message is for all time.

A reading response for Medieval Lit, Women and Spirituality:

Hildegard was a highly influential woman during the latter portion of her life. Initially she feared revealing her visions but, with encouragement, she began to record and share them. Hildegard?s interpretations of these visions read like prophecy, and were believed to have come from God. Her understanding of a sacred, unknown language and her composure of music also lent credibility to this belief in God?s divine intervention because her knowledge was not a product of formal education. While it has been said that her noble lineage may have encouraged correspondence from important people of her day, their letters suggest that their belief in her intimate connection with God is a more probable factor.

Addressing her as daughter, maiden, and servant of Christ, most lovable mother in Christ, and a burning lamp in the house of the Lord, many who wrote to Hildegard requested that she present their case to God, soliciting his grace and mercy on their souls. Requests came from Henry, Bishop of Liege, Eberhard, Archbishop of Salzburg, Abbott Adam and others all seeking intercession from Hildegard, each of them too humble and weary in their sins to ask for God?s mercy on their own. As seen in the Canonization Protocol, Hildegard was also commonly sought after to heal both in her lifetime as well as after her death. Each request demonstrates that if God used Hildegard as a messenger to deliver his word, those who desired could use her to communicate in the opposite direction.

Hildegard?s insight into God?s meaning was sought by people of all walks of life. With strong desire to know God?s word as it was revealed to Hildegard, a request for her texts were sent by Arnold Archbishop of Cologne, regardless of whether or not they were finished. This hunger for her knowledge thrust Hildegard into political situations in the realm of both church and government. Hildegard believed in a God who excludes no soul, an idea contradictory to the natural operations of Government. Since church and state were intertwined, Odo of Soissons, in his letter from 1148, pointedly touched upon the story of Babylon warning, ?do not make known any things that might disturb the apostolic and ecclesiastical institutions. Wise woman! Listen to these things? (181). In that same letter, he asked Hildegard to answer to whether or not God is identical with both paternity and divinity, a question pondered by scholars. While this was the type of information Odo wished to protect, by asking, he demonstrated his confidence that he was deserving of the answer.

What I believe to be Hildegard?s greatest influence was her ability to bring women out of the shadows of society and lift them up. Unearthly and desirable natures formerly defined as ?male? within a dualistic belief system were now attributed to the feminine. Hildegard argued that this connection between body and soul was created by God, and all things created in God are good ? including the feminine. This is how she shifted focus away from the idea that the feminine body?s attachment to the Earth was undesirable in the quest for enlightenment. This was not lost on her admirers as evidenced in a letter from the Abbess of St. Theodore and St. Mary, ?he not only foresaw and predestined you of the female sex, but his grace also enlightened many people through your teaching? (185). Hildegard, in all her virtue, chastity, and her ability to channel God?s word challenged prior concepts when she spoke of things such as wisdom and the soul as ?she.?

Reflective Essay: Understanding the Guidelines and Objectives

I find the subject of English fascinating because it encompasses so much more than the language, how it is used, and how it has changed over the years. I am in awe of an author?s ability to use different genres and techniques in an effort to yield a recognizable standard while also setting themselves apart from the rest. Every subject imaginable has been written about, expanding the study of English to a world of history, drama, fantasy and beyond.

In choosing an English major, I?ve decided to focus my attention on learning the important aspects of literature and writing. The informal set of personal goals I set out to accomplish during my study includes learning to better express and present my ideas in written form, to tackle my fear of speaking in public, to increase my understanding and use of language, and to learn about the technical devices and personal insights of other authors. In reading the course objectives, as well as those of the English Department, I now see that there are many facets that I had not given serious consideration.

Within the course objectives for this particular class, engaging in the activities of ?the scholar and critic of literature? is one that piques my interest. I am not fully aware of the scope spanned by that phrase. To be a scholar obviously means to study, but the word ?critic? is where I stumble. What does a critic do? In what ways do they critique, and from where do they gain suitable knowledge to judge the work of an individual as it stands on its own or in comparison and/or contrast with another? Does being a critic simply mean to read carefully, ?critically?? I look forward to learning more. (I would look it up myself but that would ruin the surprise.)

To practice analysis and interpretation is something I?ve become more familiar with through last semester?s study of British Literature. Closely reading the text and discussing it extensively in class was extremely helpful in developing my ideas for each written paper. Making an educated and interesting assumption regarding the smallest facet of a book came somewhat easier and, with growing interest, I strengthened my skills of pushing an original idea to the edge using textual evidence as support. The process has sharpened my ability to search out the historical and social back story, moving me well beyond the idea that a novel is merely an entertaining read.

Strengthening research skills, the third portion of this objective, is an area I fully recognize as one in need. I haven?t been officially required to do research for many years and my performance was never highly polished to being with. This is not to say that I don?t research news, events and interests every day in magazines, newspapers and online. The internet in particular is a jungle of sources and stories where good judgment is necessary to determine the veracity of the information and credibility of the source. The difference that exists between my informal scanning and my college experience is that I?d like to move beyond instinctually reacting and toward a better grasp of what is truly credible and helpful in supporting my ideas.

The objective I find most interesting for this class, and which I have just experienced first hand within the English Department, is the presence of marginalization in literary study and how to widen and diversify its scope. This semester I?m very excited to be taking an English course called ?New Cultural Visibility in the Post-Civil War Era? which will address this very issue. We will be looking, in depth, at the problems that faced Native Americans, women and freed slaves searching for a new life after the war through the readings of Dee Brown?s novel, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, selections from the Norton Anthology?s American Woman Regionalists, and other expressed views outside the box of what my generation understood to be American history. History tends to be written and studied from the point of view of the conquerors in any particular conflict. This concept, while seemingly quite obvious, was first brought to my attention while reading The People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn. I found it immeasurably insightful and exciting to discover American history written from the point of view of the underdog and I look forward to delving further.

Overall, the skill set offered by this course will benefit me regardless of which class or task I am required to embark upon next. Had I completed it prior jumping into higher level courses last semester, I know I would have experienced less of a struggle. I find comfort in knowing that those to come will be easier, if only because I have a healthier academic ability to draw from.

Let?s get to it!