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oh, those quazy queers

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I got privately flamed by some freak on a local, queer email list. When I asked list members for assistance, I got no replies...until one rep. blamed ME for being unclear and provoking an emotional response! Then, I got grilled by phone from an organizer in another queer group, who basically said the same thing.

If one can't hold discussions in safety and respect, why bother?

I was feeling uneasy about returning to any public meetings, as this flamer was anonymous and knows my name. I'm assured the abuse is out of state now, with no plans to return.

But I don't feel safe in an unsupportive community. I doubt I'll return.

One of the m-f transexual women I interviewed in the Kicked Out Queers segment I produced for the Homelessness Marathon got busted on an old warrant. Then, she got busted for turning tricks. She just got released yesterday for possession of drug paraphanalia.

She was very young, when she hit the streets. She wasn't welcomed at home, given her gender status. She's so typical: hustling and dealing to survive, using to cope.

When I met her, she was clean and sober, or said she was. She had a home and a not-very-good job.

A mutual acquaintance is waiting to hear from her. There's a good possibility she can be admitted to a queer rehab in California. But she hasn't called.

I did some research today on the treatment of transexual and trangender detention centers here. It's pretty dismal. The authorities assign the detainee a sex, usually based on either genital configuration or on whatever other prejudices they might have. Therefore, transexual women are thrown into general population of the men's facility. They can request protective custody -- basically, solitary confinement -- but I don't know if they are informed they have that option. A rep. of the county accidentally leaked that a current prisoner complains she was assaulted by another inmate. There are currently thirty trannies in detention.

So, I have some serious energy to investigate this, possibly for New Mexico Voice magazine, possibly for KUNM or other radio.

No queer groups I've contacted seem to know anything about this issue. Not even the legal ones. Lord.

As I checked my sitemeters today, I realized someone from the county has visited my domain. Interesting coincidence, as I just contacted them, for the first time.

I'm also getting a regular visitor from the official Albuquerque gov't. page, which makes me nervous. I wish this person would email me and identify her/himself, so I could relax a little.

My goats are big. It's almost time to start gardening again.

I'm busy with recording the queer poetry at the harwood center.

I can't wait for Ma to finish her bachelor's degree, so she can quit her crappy job and we can get the hell out of this redneck burb.

Queer Poetry

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Common Bonds is hosting monthly poetry readings at the Harwood Arts
Center, in the basement performance space.

This month's Queer Poetry reading takes place on Sunday, March 26, at
6:00pm.

I'm an independent radio producer. I'll be bringing recording
equipment, in hopes of producing broadcast-quality recordings, which I
hope we can distribute through Queer radio networks and, possibly,
NPR, APR, etc. We'll also be burning CDs of performances to sell as
fundraisers for Common Bond and to pay our performers for their
brilliant and poignant poetry.

NOBODY will be recorded or identified without his or her permission.
If people need their voices digitally altered to protect their
anonymity, we can do that, as well.

This is an opportunity for Albuquerque to celebrate the powerful words
of our Queer neighbors. It's also an opportunity for us to read our
works -- often, for the first time in public -- to a tremendously
loving, supportive and eager audience.

Please attend. And, please, forward this email to any interested
parties. I'd also like help making sure these events get posted to
Queer-friendly community calendars.

Hope to see you there!
--
Thank you,

Rogi Riverstone

http://rriverstone.com

Slut Puppy

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This is Ma.

craptacular

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I did the dumbest thing last night. Ma came home with a burger, onion rings and black raspberry shake for my supper. I couldn't finish the shake. I mixed it with the regular 2% cow's milk I feed my goats.

Oh, my gawd! They started SPEWING! They had the runs -- if you can call projectile water poop "runs" -- ALL night long! Their butts, back legs and tails were crusty by morning. The protective blanket over my bed, with a sheet of plastic under it, was just a mess. I was the only one running.

I could smell the "berry" flavoring in it.

They're not sickly. They're playing and bright eyed. Which means they're sharing the wealth all over the house. I've turned into a human mop, following them with a wet towel.

I can't put them outside. It snowed last night.

Right now, they seem less incontinent than they did last night. Of course, that's why they call it, "breakFAST," because they haven't eaten in about seven hours.

I've done some internet research.

The runs in goats is called "scours," with good reason. Their guts must be completely scoured, by now!

I learned to replace the electrolytes they're losing. In other words, they need baking soda. They also need potassium, so I'm feeding a little grapefruit juice. To restore their gut bacteria, I'm making them drink a bit of brewers' yeast and yogurt in their bottles of milk. They don't like it much, but what the hell?

Some people say don't feed grain. Some people say don't feed hay. Some people say don't feed milk. Um... THAT'S ALL THEY EAT! Well, they like cornflakes, icecream cones, bread and corn chips, but that's all grains, really, and I ONLY give them in small amounts, as treats. I'm thinking starving them is no solution.

So, I'll try to keep them extra hydrated today, and suppliment with those things I mentioned above.

I can give them pepto bismal, but that sounds kinda disgusting -- for the goats, not for me. Someone suggests blackberry plants: forage or tea.

I've wiped down their backsides and dried them off. They're currently sleeping on an old blanket, in front of the heater in my room. They seem no worse for the experience, but I'm worn out.

Before this even happened, I was aware that certain types of diarrhea can kill goats in hours or days. So I was pretty alarmed to see this.

Too much milk, changes in feed, etc. can cause scours. I'm thinking a black raspberry milkshake from Lotta Burger is NOT good goat feed.

Imagine a bazooka, less than a foot tall, traveling about 8 mph, capable of climbing any furniture surface in your house, spraying split pea soup as it goes.

I'm too old for this....

CBS gives free air time for hate

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You can go to cbs. Go to the News Dept. Find the Steve Hartman feature. I think it's called Assignment America.

Should be called Assenine America.

The public is invited to vote on one of 3 or 4 possible stories for next week. I voted for a little girl, legally blind, who's working to rebuild the libraries destroyed by Katrina.

BUT

They're also giving the option to vote on "Liberty University's" debate team. They call it "tiny." And wonder that they are beating Harvard's debate team.

I smelled a rat. I looked it up. I want you to know that, on ALL websites associated with this so-called university, they're ALREADY posting links to CBS to get their little, facist dittoheads to vote for THEM! A pig in lipstick is still scrapple, in my opinion.

Here's what I wrote to CBS:

Hartman, that's really sneaky. You didn't tell us "Liberty" (sic) University is Falwell's tax break.

Out of all the wonderful universities in this country, WHY are you focussing on a bastion of hate: self-determining women, gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals, global warming, Muslims, Buddists, Hindus, Catholics, Jews. Falwell hates them ALL!

Why not focus on a school that wants to help HEAL this nation, rather than further fragment it?

If you do a story on this, will you also go to the Harvard Divinity School and explore Queer Theology, multidenominational multiculturalism and feminist exigesis? 'course not; somebody might actually be challenged to THINK!

I'm just disgusted.
--
Thank you,

Rogi Riverstone

http://rriverstone.com

Queer Poetry

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If you weren't at last night's poetry event at the Harwood, you missed some truly wonderful poetry from Dodici Azpadu, Jill Beyer, Charles Damon Catlett, Russell Maynor, Lhyve Oakwoman, and yours truly. Topics ranged from a gutwrenching narrative poem about an adolescent boy whose father found his journal (containing all of his homosexual fantasies), to issues of gender and relationships, to humorous, to organic, to erotic.

The only thing missing was YOU (if you weren't able to attend).

By all means, don't miss the next two in the Queer Poetry Series! Mark your calendar NOW, bring your work to share, and be prepared to be amazed and inspired by the range of gifts in our community.

#2 in the Queer Poetry Series: Sunday, March 26, 6-8 pm, Harwood Art Center Theater, 7th & Mountian NW, ABQ
#3 in the Queer Poetry Series: Saturday, April 29, 7-9 pm, Harwood Art Center Theater, 7th & Mountain NW, ABQ

See you there!


Mary Oishi
www.maryoishi.com
"...dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem..."
- Walt Whitman, in preface to Leaves of Grass

Oprah's brood is hatching

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Oprah is my black cochin frizzle bantam hen. Harpo is my white cochin frizzle rooster.

He doesn't know it, but he's becoming a daddy, even as I write.

Oprah began sitting a nest three weeks ago. I marked it on the calendar. I was expecting them to hatch tomorrow. Guess I counted wrong?

I was going to bed last night when I heard peeping. Oprah's nest is in shredded paper inside a flat, cardboard box. The box is topped with the cover to a cat litter box. It's sitting on my night stand, by my bed. Oprah's my smallest hen. The roosters pester her -- and Harpo -- something fierce. Harpo mostly lives outside the compound I built, to get away from the big guys.

Oprah began begging to come in the house. I've been letting her come into the kitchen and my bedroom when things got tense outside. She laid an egg on my bed, so, I thought I should give her a nesting box.

When she began to be really serious, and was having regular "relations" with Harpo, I decided to let her try to hatch them.

I have another small hen, Sake, who gets along better with the yard birds. She had a nest of two eggs, so I brought them in for Oprah to brood. One of them has a "pip" hole in it this morning, and a little beak is popping out. I can't wait to see what it'll look like. I can't remember what breed Sake is, but she's African, a small bantam with a long tail, mottled brown.

I have another hen, Suki, who's sitting a nest outside. She's a Japanese silkie bantam. Her guardian and protector is the duck, who keeps most roosters away, most of the time. She's sitting a nest in a crate in the yard, with the duck by her side. I don't know when she began to set, but it's about time for her nest, too. I don't know how many eggs are in it and I certainly don't know who the daddies of either Suki's or Sake's eggs might be. Could be giant mop roosters, for all I know. Anyway, the offspring ought to be interesting.

I'm building a ceramic baby feeder at the ceramics studio right now. It should be dry enough to fire, after the weekend.

Here's what frizzles are about. The first one looks like Oprah; the second looks like Harpo.

the Union should secede from Florida!

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That's the last straw. Jeb Bush, pregnant chads, no Queer adoptions....

Now, they've beaten a Black kid to death. I just emailed the Bay County, Florida's Public Relations office, since they won't let me email the Sherrif's Department, directly:

I just saw the tape.

When a gang of armed, adult white men surround an unarmed, Black juvenile, hold him down and beat him to death, there's no other word for it.

Close the so-called "boot camps." Learn how to TREAT people! And I do mean "TREAT" as in treatment.

Every day, Florida looks more and more like a bunch of redneck, ignorant fools.

There's no excuse. If the kid DID have sickle cell anemia, he CERTAINLY couldn't sustain a beating!

Own your garbage. You did this. Admit it, repent for it, and change things so it can't possibly happen again!

It took them an hour and a half to kill him, all on tape. He'd been complaining of difficulty breathing, but, apparantly, received NO medical exam at that time which could have confirmed a diagnisis of sickle cell.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/7161654/detail.html They have a slide show of the tape.

our future president?

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Rumors abound that NM's Gov. Bill Richardson may run for president, next time.

In addition to his apparant "need" for helicopters, international junkets, and an Albuquerque office with marble walls, he has squandered state (and we're one of the poorest in the Union) taxpayers' money by the boatload.

We're running a state surplus, thanks to inflated petroleum prices.

But I can't get my teeth fixed.

It's hard to eat. I can't speak normally -- on the phone, in person, and CERTAINLY not on a radio microphone. When I smile --even when I merely speak normally-- people see my teeth and become suspect. I've been refused service, had security called on me, been physically attacked on the streets and DEFINATELY refused employment, based on my teeth.

I have a chronic infection, due to absesses in my jaw and skull.

I went to First Choice Dental, community clinic for low income, today. I tried to schedule an appointment. My Medicaid doesn't cover dental.

I'll have to pay a $25 copay, per visit.

My income's $640; my rent's $450.

So, I called the state's Income Support office. They handle my Medicaid and food stamps (a whole $62 per month).

I wanted the telephone extension and name of my worker. The receptionist refused. Instead, without being qualified to do so, SHE insisted SHE would solve the problem! I STILL don't know my worker's name and number!

When I described my situation, she REPEATEDLY told me to go to First Choice, in spite of my insistance that $25 per visit was beyond my means. She said that's a really low copay, compared to other insurance companies. I replied, "sure, if you're middle class. But I'm not!"

I said, "what can I do?"

She said, "Well, I WORK for a living!"

She continuously asserted that I was not qualified for Medicaid dental.

When I'd ask why not, she first said, "because you're elderly."
"I'm only fifty!"
"Well, then, you're on SSI."
"I'm on SSDI!"
"Well, then, I don't know...."
"What do I DO?"
"Are you homeless?"
"No, that's why my rent is over four hundred a month..."
"Oh, that's right! Well, go there and lie. Tell them you ARE homeless. You know, you have to lie occasionally, when it's necessary."

That's the official position of the State's Income Support Division.

The clinics are broke. They'll have no budget again until July. They're accepting no new appointments, except emergencies.

So, next month, I'll forgo repairs to my electric bike. I'll illegally drive an unregistered, uninsured vehicle (without a driver's license) to the clinic. They accept emergencies ONLY by 6am. There's always a long line. There is NO bus service that early in the morning. It's too far to walk.

I have to risk jail to go. I have to give up repairing my only source of independent transportation to go.

But the governor has marble bathrooms and a helicopter.

soulforce.org

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Y'know, I've been a Unitarian Universalist for longer than I can remember. But I don't attend any churches. Most congregations are upper middle class and squeeky academic. It's pretty elitist, and I'm tired of having to educate them on the realities of being a multiracial, Queer, disabled woman on a tiny income. So, I stopped going. But, philosophically, I will always be a UU, minus the committees.

So, I found this long, forwarded email today. It's fromhttp://www.soulforce.org. They sound like good people, for those who have the energy, anyway.

But I really don't want to receive forwarded emails from them. So, I wrote the sender, whom I know from a totally different group:

I'm an agnostic, Queer Witch. I have no interest in assimilating into
Abrahamic religions traditions who've murdered my people for centuries.

Apparantly, this email list emphasizes the latter. Therefore, I have
no interest in these mailings.

In fact, I have no idea why I'm on this email list. Could I please be
removed from religious mailings, since my faith traditions aren't
represented?
>
>
>
>
>
> Subject: Soulforce Announces New Executive Director and
Renewed
> Dedication to Ending Homophobia at its Source

misc.

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I couldn't sleep this morning, so I watched some tv. I've never watched The Daily Buzz before. The promos seemed so juvenile, I wasn't interested. Well, I watched some this morning and was horrified. The so-called "anchors" don't simply report news; they editorialize. And their commentaries are reactionary, ill-informed and extremely biased. Even the stand-up "newsreader" has to inject the most ridiculous, poorly-thought-out and biased comments while reading stories. They also just HAD to comment that the PBS evening news is boring, congratulating themselves on being more entertaining, I guess. Well, news is NOT entertainment. It's information. Muddy, incoherant promotions of particular agendas is not news. It was aweful. And it's the future of tv news.

I'm going into the ceramics studio today. I'm worried about my work and my tools, and need to check on everything. I also need to uncover it from plastic, so it'll dry in time to fire. I made Ma a couple of Valentine's Day presents. They need both first firing, glazing and second firing, and the 14th is coming soon!

The goats are doing great. They can drink more than five oz. at a time now. They're very active and strong. They sleep less and play more.

My neighbor complained to me about a black rabbit, eating her rose bush. I don't have a black rabbit. But I saw the varmint in her yard. I made her brother and sister help me catch him. He's HUGE, very strong and not a bit domesticated. I've got him in my dog carrier for temporary purposes. Once I've rabbit proofed my enclosure better, I'll set him loose out there with the chickens. When I grabbed him, he screamed like a stuck pig! I don't blame him for hating me: I chased him for over an hour, pulled out some fur in the capture, and then confined him to a small, dark space in a room with a dog and two goats!

I have nothing else to report today, really. Just thought I should check in.

Oh, we're returning "The Hours," a movie, loosely based on Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. It was unnecessarily confusing. And I have no patience for sympathetic apologias for suicide. It angered me, for that. Ms. Woolf suffered serious, psychiatric disorders which, even today, often go either untreated or mistreated. I understand her decision to end her life. But the other two characters, an attempted and a completed suicide, I don't forgive. The attempted was pregnant. The completed fell out a window in the presence of his best friend. Both are unforgivable, in my opinion. Yet, I think we're to believe these characters were, somehow, noble? Nah.

I've been suicidal. I'll tell you what: courage is NOT committing suicide, even when one has NO reason not to do it. I mean, I had no family, no support, no money and often, no home, when I was suicidal. I could see no reason to continue living in pain and poverty. But, somehow, I made myself hold on until the crisis passed.

Frankly, I don't think I'll ever be suicidal again. Unless, of course, I contract an illness or disability which would SO compromise my quality of life that I needed to proactively end it, if I could.

But psychological crisis will probably never be an incentive for me to kill myself.

Well, I'm returning the DVD today, not having watched the full-length commentary, as I'm just not that interested, thanks.

goat support & pottery woes

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I called Town & Country Veterinary this morning. I've been trying to figure out how to wether (castrate) my billy. I could cut him, myself, but I can't get the required drug without a prescription, and it costs fifty dollars, for WAY more than I'll need.

Well, the receptionist at T & C happens to be a member of New Mexico Pygmy Goat Club. Now, as it happens, most members are into show goats. I have no interest in any such thing. It's expensive and impossible, really, with no car. The kids sell for upwards of three hundred dollars, each. Not so much.

BUT, they can help me BAND my billy. Some members have the tool that stretches an elastic band over the scrotum. It's uncomfortable, at first, but only for about an hour or so. I can apply some topical anesthesia to help with that. It's clean, not prone to infection and the least-invasive method, really.

I don't have to worry for about 6 more weeks yet.

I also don't have to worry about worming, until they're off formula/cows milk. But worms will kill a goat pretty fast, at least, almost as fast as you can notice symptoms. Generally, once a goat is "down," ie: not able to walk, it's dying.

The kids are more rambunctious today than ever. They're eating a LOT and are very active for a longer period between naps. Right now, they're curled up, under my feet, as I'm writing.

The ceramics studio is open from 2-5 today, so I'll feed them again right before I take off for the bus stop.

Hell, they're not sleeping, they're nuzzling my shins. I'm the Giant Teat Of The Universe now. My sole purpose is feeding, in their eyes. Oh, and taking them out to the yard for adventures.

All the other animals are fine with the goats. The roosters are a bit scandalized, though. Harpo (I have to post his photo here) is tiny and easily intimidated, but he actually challenged a too-curious goat yesterday. He hides from all the other chickens. But he'll defend himself from a kid.

I worked on cleaning the house most of yesterday, so I'd feel better about heading out to work on pottery today. I bought myself 2 sets of pottery tools: one for here, one for there. One set came with a canvas apron, too. I marked all the tools with Sharpy markers. I wrote "Gone to Pot" on the apron. It has pockets, so I can keep my tools on me when I'm there. Some guy picked up one of my borrowed tools the last time I was there. I had my tools on the sink counter, to dry from washing. He just decided he needed one of them, without asking anybody. The studio provides tools to borrow, but they must be returned. I was just flummoxed that somebody would just TAKE something like that without asking! I don't need to get in trouble for somebody else's stupidity. So, I have my own tools, identifiably mine. If I catch the son of a bitch with something of mine in the future, I could stab him in the heart with another tool, I suppose... jees...

My stuff should be dry enough to smooth, decorate and set on the shelf to be fired. Once that's done, I can glaze them to be fired again. I'm looking forward to playing in glazes.

I'm going to practice making some beads, here at home. I'm thinking of buying my OWN clay. The clay there is recycled. I hurt myself, trying to throw a pot with dry, cold clay that wouldn't work right. It's all mixed up: terracotta, white, whatever people were using. It's soaked in water and run through what looks like a giant meat grinder. It extrudes in round pieces, about 3 inches round, cut into about 6 inch sections. And there was a glass melting class once, who left shards of glass in the clay to be recycled. It isn't sharp, but, if a piece sticks to a finger or thumb while the wheel's turning, it WILL cut the clay and damage the piece. So, I'm thinking I'll buy my own clay.

There are lockers there, big enough for my tools, apron and clay. I just need to find one of my padlocks with a key.

Public ANYTHING is so problematic!

training goats

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Rule Number One: Don't ever chase a goat away from the scene of its crime. You can not catch it and the goat knows it. Just making it leave the areas is not a correction. In the goat's way of thinking it won the confrontation and you may actually be teaching the goat to play games in which it tries to see how much stuff it can get out of the bag before dancing away just our of reach. To the goat this is fun, but to the humans in camp it leads to thoughts of goat murder.http://www.northwestpackgoats.com/index.htm

I've been researching goat training. Goats are good draft & pack animals. Their browsing is excellent for "weed eating" the yard. In fact, many communities are now hiring herds of goats to remove unwanted brush from freeway onramps, empty lots, etc.

I'm deciding whether to train my goats to collars or harnasses. Harnasses seem more humane; goats, as prey, are uncomfortable about restraints to the neck. But a chain collar can't be eaten by the other goat; a harnass can.

At any rate, I'm thinking my goats can pull a cart to the store. I can outfit them with panniers (saddle bags), too.

As with any animal, the earlier one begins training, the easier it'll be.

I've been letting my doe get away with a behavior I must stop. When I'm sitting on the bed, she'll try to climb my back. As they say on the website, it's cute when they're babies, but who needs, in my case, a fifty pound goat running up and jumping on my back?

I laughed at the above quote; I've been through similar experiences with dogs and cats. They're all faster and more cunning than I. So, training will be necessary.

They're certainly not satanic. They're clever, that's for sure. They're tricksters. But that's not to be confused with evil. What kind of church looks at intelligent mischief and immediately labels it "evil?" mercy! Any creature who thinks differently than they do is automatically damned. The history of human imperialism.

Well, I'll soon have goats and a roommate to feed (they're all, mercifully, asleep right now). Then, I'll pack the goats into their dog carrier for safekeeping while I'm off on the bus to UNM to work more on my pottery. I can only work short days now. I have to come home and feed goats.

I'm feeding them on THEIR schedule. They seem to eat about every three hours during the day and not at all at night. By 9pm, they hit the sack and can be persuaded to sleep in until nearly 8am, if we're quiet. They're eating about four ounces of formula/cows milk at a time. Their poops aren't runny. Their kidneys are CERTAINLY functioning. Their eyes are bright. They play a lot and then just collapse in a ball for about two hours.

I haven't any names for them, yet. Contenders are: Beevis and Butthead, Tristan and Isolde, Oscar and Gertrude, Burns and Allen or Billy and Nanny. So far.

thisnthat

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First, to answer the question of whether goats make good pets. Depends on your patience level, and how scrupulous you are about housekeeping.

I'm totally impatient with humans. Animals, I can forgive almost anything. It's not their faults they're captive and dependent. It's not their fault I put creatures with predatory natures in with prey. So, I feel it's my responsibility to accomodate them, secure them, assure them and teach them to live peacefully together.

Goats can't, as far as I know, be house trained. I've heard of people putting goats in diapers when they're in the house. hmm...

BABY goats, or kids, are very different from adults. They'll nibble at things to taste them, but their ruminant stomachs are dormant until they're weaned. The nibbling is just curiosity, play and practice. They can't actually eat anything while they're young.

Baby goat pee is almost pure water; it has no hormones, scent, etc. In fact, it smells a bit sweet, like the lambs' formula I'm feeding them. Their baby poo is an inch-long pellet, slightly moist, which is easily discarded in a paper towel. They always pee and poop right after a feeding, so it's easy to know when to throw their butts out into the yard.

I'm currently washing my bed linens. The babies spent their first day on my bed. Much soaking of blankets resulted.

But, the day I got them, they'd JUST been removed from their dam and were being taught bottle feeding. They'd been removed from the property where they'd be born and taken to a pet store, full of strange noises and sounds and a concrete floor. Even the people feeding them were different-smelling than their previous owners.

Then, I bought them, dragged them into a CAR in the bright sun, and brought them to yet ANOTHER strange smelling and -sounding place, with a dog and cats in it! That's a lot of predators around newborn prey.

So, I put them in my bed. They cuddled with the teddy, when I wasn't around. I fed them in bed. I let them evacuate in bed. I let them sleep beside me the first night.

Yesterday, I brought in my dog carrier, with shredded paper in the bottom, and set it on the bedroom floor, with the door open. The goats went right to it, smelled it all over, and practiced going in and out of it. It smells different than the one in which they were transported to the feed store, but isn't a strange concept. Last night, they slept in it with no fussing. In fact, they "slept in" this morning, as the inside is dark and warm (it's sitting near my heater).

For the first time, the goats followed me all the way to the front driveway, where I've erected a garage-sized tent with our bikes and stuff inside. I brought their bottles, my cigarettes and a cup of coffee. I was able to hold both bottles in one hand and smoke and drink my coffee in the other. They drink about four ounces of formula/cows milk at a time.

They're frantic, at first, searching for the alien nipple. Once they latch on, they only let go periodically, to catch their breath and let air back into the bottle.

But once they're full, they walk away. They show no more interest in the nipple. Now, it's time to play, pee and poo.

They're beginnning to gambol, climb and trot. They loved being out in the front yard, where there are rocks, logs and steps to climb and plant materials to nibble.

The girl is the instigator. They boy lags behind. He's whinier than she. He's also smaller and less aggressive. This will radically change as his testicals mature and descend.

I'm going to buy some anesthesia from a vet. supply place. I have some hypodermic syringes I saved from the trash when a diabetic got evicted, back in the War Zone. They're new and they're sterile, although I'll clean one in alcohol.

If you go to that goat site I posted yesterday, you'll see step-by-step instructions for castrating goats. I'll be using the "cutting" method, as it's quick, cheap and generally the less likely to cause complications.

I can't let him mature with testicals. Read the section about bucks, to see some of the problems. Beyond aggression, they piss on their front legs and head to smell very ripe. It can cause skin irritation and infections. And you can smell them from a block away.

And my goats are brother and sister: I don't want weak and deformed kids. If I decide to breed her, I can put up ads in feed stores.

So, yes, goats make excellent pets, if you keep in mind their biology, intelligence, limitations, predilictions, etc. Just like any other animal.

People get very angry at animals, even dogs and cats, for behaving as nature and evolution have intended. They want their animals to behave as THEY want them to, not as they do naturally. It's stupid, imperialistic, egotistical and often cruel.

As my goats mature, I'll be leaving them out more. They won't be able to come in without supervision, or they'll eat and break things.

They'll never be large. Pygmies are tiny, compared to standard goats.

But they're strong, smart, active creatures. And I like my glassware, book- and record collections. I also like my sanity.

The goats now know this is home. They now know I'm the mom. They follow me and listen to me. They trust me. They're not frightened, insecure, etc.

I can expect more of them now than laying all over my bed, peeing on it. And they WANT more now! They LIKE going outside! They like the dog carrier.

So, that's my story.

I had other things to write about, but this ended up pretty long, so I'll wait 'til later.

pygmies

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I have lost my mind. My check came, so I ran some errands and bought pet food. There's a feed store, across the street from Kmart. I went there to get some chicken scratch.

I told myself, as I walked in, "now, Rogi, don't buy any more animals here."

Well, I was doing just fine: all they had was rodents, birds, cats & dogs. I wasn't a bit interested.

So, I walked to the counter to order my feed.

....and out pranced two, week-old, pygmy goats: brother and sister.

Yeah, I got 'em. I got some lamb formula, too. And they gave me nursing bottles.

I'll go back in a few weeks for hay and feed.

They slept in my bed last night. I have an old blanket on it, to protect my covers from cats & dog. Now, of course, it has some lil goat poopies on it and will need replacing today.

They're eating fine. My dog, Taz, has somewhat adopted them.

Here they are, sleepin with my teddy bear.

I found a great website: http://fiascofarm.com/. They run a dairy farm, practice humane animal husbandry and practice some holistic veterinary. I'm learning a lot. She has articles on every aspect of goat-rearing you could think of. They raise standard, milk goats. So, proportions are different, as pygmies are MUCH smaller.

I'll castrate the boy, so he won't stink up the place. But I'm NOT debudding them (ie: removing the horns). It requires a hot iron. There's danger of boiling their brains. I'll just make them little hats to cover their horns when they're in the house. Pygmies have small horns, anyway.

By the way, I drove Ma's falling-apart car to run these errands. Imagine, trying to sneak to kids on the bus! lord. I rarely drive it. But it comes in handy from time to time.

ceramics

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I paid fees to use the Arts and Crafts studio at UNM. I think it's about $30 for members of the community, but I got in at the "staff" rate of $18, as I'm Volunteer Staff at the radio station on campus.

It's a rather primative facility. The clay's inconsistant, blended from bits of recycled clays. It's sandy, too.

But they have more than five throwing wheels. They have a slab roller, with which you can adjust the clay's thickness. They have SOME pouring molds, but, from what I can see, most are pretty cheesy.

They do have a Jesus mold, which gave me an idea. I could glaze and decorate Jesus statues with anti-war, environmentalist and Queer rights slogans, and place them anywhere I choose around town.

They have five gallon buckets of glazes. They have some tools.

Anyway, I threw my first jar yesterday. It's not too fancy, but it's cute: squat, with a narrow opening and nice lip.

I'm thinking of making bird feeders, bird houses, chicken food dishes, a bird bath and even some ceramic tables for the yard.

I can make things to sell, too, which is a high priority.

I've been studying ceramics on the 'net, too.

It hurts, using the wheel. My thighs were so sore after 4 hours, I could barely sit down afterwards. And my shoulders, arms and back are sore, too. So, I'm thinking this is very healthy. Of course, I've been awake since 4am, as I was in too much pain to sleep.

They have jewelery making there, too. But I haven't a clue what to do there... I'm thinking, though, of making some ceramics with holes pierced, to add chains or cords of beads and chicken feathers. My roosters, in particular, have feathers that look like some sort of wild plummage. I can just snip feathers with scissors.

Despite the pain, I had a good time yesterday. Nobody helped me, beyond a rudimentary tour of the studio.

It's hard to center clay and keep it centered while pulling it into shape. I also got my clay way too wet at times. It was like molding melted chocolate.

I'll take pictures of anything worth bringing home and post them here.

"Quills"

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"Quills" was far more delightful, funny, endearing and thought-provoking than I'd have hoped.

I was expecting something ponderous, insideously dark, vulgar, exploitive. I was expecting an apologia for the modern S & M community.

Well, I was wrong.

I've always wanted to identify with Sade on some level. I empathized, guiltily, with his need to write without censorship. I've wanted to celebrate his pansexualism.

But I felt I couldn't. I had a moral, ethical and political duty to revile the pathetic bastard.

This delicately-written screenplay freed me. I'm allowed to sympathize with Sade. It's rather like being an animal rights advocate in the presence of an enraged badger. But, nonetheless, I have a right to, in some way, love the old malcontent. Prudence, however, prevents me from actually embracing him; that could be painful, if not deadly.

Sade never, seemingly, practiced what the modern S & M community SWEARS they have adopted: Consentuality. Sade's objects (and I use the word intentionally) were subjected to his "libertine" experiments without their permission, in many instances.

Whether or not current S & M practitioners actually adhere to this consentiality claim is an argument for another place or time. I've been close friends with S & M devotees, and can tell you, from first-hand witness, they're not as scrupulous as they'd like to portray, pretend or believe. The motives of, in particular, the masocistic participants derive from deep, psychological traumas which affect sexuality. Some "bottoms," as they're called, permit behaviors for reasons I suspect are derived from self-hatred. Be that as it may, it's not my role to judge nor to definitively analyse sadomasochism in the modern world. I'm letting myself off the hook. I've learned a lot from my S & M friends: safe words, talking about sex before engaging in it, bedroom and seduction etiquette, etc. I don't participate in any but the lightest forms of bondage, myself. I have no interest in associating pain with sexuality. I'm an incest survivor. I'm more interested in associating PLEASURE with sexuality, myself.

At any rate, "Quills" is a fine movie. It's a little too on the side of revisionist history for such a well-written play and screenplay. The women portrayed seem far too liberated, especially those of the lower classes. They have choices which I seriously doubt would be available to women of the times.

The acting is superb, period.

In watching the full-length with the playwrite's commentary, I soon realized I'd like to be his friend. I suspect I'd have some of the greatest conversations of my life with this guy. He's enormously amusing, well-read, insightful. While soft-spoken and articulate, he's fiercely loyal to the idea that art must not, and probably cannot, be stifled by censors. In fact, he asserts that the very act of attempting censorship challenges and inspires the artist to greater heights.

I argue not only with the portrayals of liberated women. I also argue with the conditions at the mental hospital, aka insane asylum, wherein the movie occurs.

At first, I found it difficult to believe the occupants would have access to musical instruments, choirs, stage productions, painting. Our playwrite assures us that, indeed, the Abby of the institution was progressive for his time and did allow such art therapies. Remarkable!

But one scene betrays a poor understanding of conditions in an asylum of the time. Kate Winslett has just finished reading an erotic passage to other, working-class employees. For reasons I can't explain, they seem to live in an inmate's cell: barred windows, heavy door, no bedding or other furnishings. They're lying on a straw-covered floor. Straw flooring was common for prisoners. It was not only bedding, it was the toilet. Why employees would be living like that is anybody's guess. But here's the betrayal to authenticity: everybody's excited, aroused and laughing at the passage Kate has just read. Kate throws straw up into the air and lets it fall on her body. Um. Poopy, pissy straw? What? People who live around even the cleanest straw know how itchy and pokey it is and would never dream of deliberately throwing it on themselves.

Also, the Marquis' sheets are of such a low thread count and bad weave, he wouldn't have been able to write on them with wine dipped in a chicken bone. This, even though the dialogue specifically mentions that the thread count of the Marquis' sheets would be superior to the bedding of other inmates.

These are quibbles. I watched the "special features." I know the producers, director and writer... and even the actors... paid scrupulous attention to details of the atmosphere and population of this production.

It's an art movie. It's literature. It's fine acting.

Apparantly, the author hovered about for the entire filming of the movie. I'm surprised he wasn't killed for his constant comments, suggestions and insinuations into the production.

The "special features" on this DVD are at least as important as the movie, itself.

I still marvel that FOX released it!

This movie is for intelligent adults. It is not for: children, the mentally unstable, the fundamentalist (these last two I consider to be the same thing, mind you).

Human sexuality is just as complex and misunderstood as human anything else. This film is for those of us who enjoy discussing the misunderstandings, in hopes of learning something useful.

email to Craig Ferguson

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Dear Mr. Ferguson,

Your memorial to your father was deeply moving. Thank you for sharing his life and his influence on you with us in such a sincere and humble manner.

I don't know how those corporate types at CBS work, but, if at all possible, I'd sincerely appreciate being able to get a copy of the program, for my own education and to share with some dear friends. I regret to say I missed a few minutes of your opening, and wish I could see the whole program.

Again, given the limitations of dealing with CBS, I don't know if this is possible, but I'd like to suggest that any fees for a program copy, beyond expenses, be donated in your father's name to some nonprofit, such as cancer research.

Mr. Ferguson, I knew you were smart. I knew you were clever. I knew you're a recovering alcoholic. I knew you loved your father.

But, after last night, I see why you're so amusing and endearing. It's your dad, your homeland and your deepest values that resonate with me.

I'm most sincerely sorry for your loss. As you said last night, we didn't know your father, and that's our loss.

Blessings to you, Sir.

Sincerely,

Rogi Riverstone
http://rriverstone.com

Rabbit Proof Fence

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Ma and I bought several DVD/VCR combo. players. She needs one for school, as she has multimedia presentations frequently. We both have extensive VHS tape libraries. And we recently subscribed to an online DVD rental service. It's much cheaper than cable, and we choose our own content (which is much more complex than the pablum of standard cable).

One of our most recent rentals was "Rabbit Proof Fence."

I won't go into a plot synopsis here. There are many on the web. I just want to spin some thoughts.

The 3, lead actresses, all untrained Australian natives, under the age of 14, were organically connected to the plot. Their portrayals, and those of the "mother" and "grandmother" in the film, were completely convincing, uncontrived homages to the suffering of Lost Generations in their land. The man who played the "tracker" was a nearly-nightmarish portrayal of a seeming predator, who, we finally understand, actually identifies with, and deeply respects, his prey.

The complexity of characters is just like real life: people are trapped into actions and ideals which leave them conflicted and leave us sympathetic to even the most dangerous and distructive people.

The story is true. It's a universal tale of defiance against tyrany. The actual hero of the story, Molly, died recently. They believe she was 87. The rest of her life, after the story portrayed in the movie, was one of CONTINUALLY having to escape captivity by "well-meaning" European descendants who were determined to coerce her -- and millions of other Australian natives -- to lose their culture, traditions, family bonds and, ultimately, their very skin pigments and be absorbed into what they honestly believed to be their "superior" culture.

This story could have occurred, and likely did, in the rain forests of Central America, the grass plains of North America, the coastal villages of Africa -- even the very heart of European conquests of ages past.

But the intrinsically-"Aboriginal" flavors of this story give the film integrity and the culture portrayed is honored.

I saw kids I knew from the War Zone in this movie. I saw their tormentors: teachers, cops, parents....

I saw not only the oppression of cultural genocide, which is vulgarity enough. I saw the victimization of brilliant, creative children by the stodgy fearfulness and reactionary timidity of adults.

The DVD contains very important special features, in which the kids and director tell us of their journey together. The director's commentaries through the feature length are self-absorbed and I get the feeling our man is a bit too full of himself. I wish this movie had been directed by a woman of color. He's an Australian white guy, but he's got credibility in Hollywood for a string of movies I've never watched, as they're all male-dominated "action" flicks.

The story itself saves the movie from its director, as do the native actors.

The music is beautiful, composed by Peter Gabriel, utilizing natural sounds and Native song as instruments. For reasons I can't explain, the Blind Boys of Alabama sing one song, but it does work.

Spend time with this DVD and explore every corner.

This is a story of fierce determination. These girls are strong, heroic figures. And they're all real people.

Psychodelic "Mop" Roosters

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This is my post in Craigslist.org

Psychodelic "Mop" Roosters - No Cock Fighters! - $10

Reply to: sale-115476933@craigslist.org
Date: 2005-12-03, 8:17AM MST

I have 3 mop roosters for sale. They're all less than a year old. Various and totally beautiful colors! These are not fighting roosters.

Goldie: Golden mop and hood, very bossy.


Pearl: Dark black and rust with white & black mop. Very shy and reserved.


Fink: Asymetrical mop of black & white, dark black and rust.


I may be willing to part with Red, as well. He's a Rhode Island Red. I rescued him from cockfighters. I don't know how old he is.


The mops are all avid ...cough... breeders. Will even mate with plush animals. Kinky.

Bring your own container. I don't have a car and cannot deliver.

this is in or around NW Albuquerque

no -- it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

:"Starting Over:" Dangerous

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Posting to the official web forum:

"this show is dangerous"Posted by rriverstone on 11-28-05 at 01:07 PM
Today, we're to believe that shame and guilt are to be eliminated from our lives? Then, why was Jill presented with "charges" of guilt? And WHY was a Black woman mug shot and fingerprinted?!!
Why is her "life coach" calling her, "lazy?" The woman is anemic. She's carrying a forty-pound tumor. She TRIED to climb an enormous tower on the first day. She carried dozens of pounds of "luggage" around with her for -- what? -- a week or more? Her doctors have ordered that she not exercise.
Is her "life coach" the "house" servant, while Jill is the "field" servant? How dare a Black woman dump such judgmental accusations on a sister?!
WHY weren't the contestants on this show required to take a medical, physical examination, as a prerequisite to their participation?! These "life coaches" could have KILLED Jill! The blood vessels, connected to her tumor, could have ruptured and she could easily have died of internal hemmoraging!
HOW is it OK not to have regular, group therapy: a place where people could offer SUPPORTIVE feedback to each other. Why has a situation of gossip and resentment been allowed to fester for months, with no intervention?
The contestants are constantly provoked, shamed, ridiculed, verbally abused and threatened BY THE "LIFE COACHES!" I suppose this makes for more photogenic television, but it is destructive.
This show is EXTREMELY irresponsible. Following the "advice" on this show, as portrayed by these "life coaches," is dangerous.
I could well say that, were anything to happen to Jill's health, she could sue the show off the air. For one thing, they've, in effect, practiced medicine without a license, in their requirements of unreasonable and unsupervised extreme, physical exertion.
This is a VERY anti-woman show!
SHAME!

I looked at my post. The forum had placed the label, "attention whore," beside my name. They also added American Cancer Society, for some reason. I guess that's supposed to be funny??

I replied,


rriverstone 2 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "American Cancer Society Spokesperson"
11-28-05, 01:13 PM (EST)
1. "RE: this show is dangerous"
I am NOT a "whore;" I am concerned for the mental and physical health of not only the contestants, but the viewers. I'm hoping this forum will be viewed by someone involved in the show's production.
The fact that a show about women "starting over" subscribes to a forum which calls its participants "whores" says it all.
Abuse.

more on LaSardo

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I kinda/sorta got a "fan" letter. It's actually for LaSardo. Here's my reply:

At first, I was angry with him for portraying a stereotype of a Latino thug. It's old news on GH; Sonny's one, too, essentially.

I wanted to know what makes a guy like LaSardo tick. I DID find a good interview with him, in which I felt reassured that LaSardo is actually a thoughtful, well-spoken man.

And his role on Ghost Whisperer (a show I'd never watch, otherwise) confirmed for me that he's a multidimensional actor, as well. It was quite touching, actually.

I'd like to seem him in a role for which they never cast Latinos, let alone skeletal guys covered in tattoos. I bet he could play Hamlet. How about a remake of "They Call Me Mister Tibbs?" A story in which he played Jesus or Buddha might be very interesting. Stuff like that.

Glad you found the blog. I haven't been writing enough lately. I've GOT to get back to it!
LaSardo is an interesting guy. He deserves more attention to his career. He could put up his OWN website! Jees...

Email to "Ellen" show

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I have, of course, no idea if this email was even received, as their website has too many bells and whistles and doesn't function properly.

Here's what I wrote.

Gentle People,

I've been doing a little research on Robert LaSardo, whose new job is recurring character Manny Ruiz on General Hospital. He's not even listed in ABC's GH website credits.

He's a fascinating, intelligent and perceptive man. He plays a sadistic "bad guy," which worried me, as he's Latino; I was concerned about stereotypes in mass media.

I believe it would be educational and fascinating for your viewers to hear an interview with him, including clips from his indy films. He's not at all like the characters he has portrayed.

I'd LOVE to sit down and ask him lots of questions: discuss the state of commercial film vs. indy film, have him discuss the motivation for his body art, ask him about his writing and producing career and generally perceive him as a "nice guy."

My visceral response to his physical appearance is instant terror. But I KNOW there's more than meets the eye. I'm busting myself on my own racism, every time I see him!

not writing is dishonest

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Ma and I saw the movie, "Capote" the other day. It was at the fancy multiplex, where I seldom go. The Movies 8 dollar theatre is my speed; they're not new releases, but new enough, for a dollar. And it's across the street from the Goodwill warehouse, for cheap shopping.

I was sitting on the porch this morning, sipping coffee and having a smoke. It's not light out yet: just the vaguest hint that this planet orbits a sun and that it might roll that way soon.

I was thinking about death. I was thinking how people don't REALLY write about death. I was thinking how people make death into a personality, a being, and how dishonest that is. I was thinking how people don't write about the universal experience of death: the breathing, the twitches, the reduction of a loved personality to a series of biological reactions to shut down.

I was thinking people don't acknowledge, discuss, write about this universality in much detail very often. I wondered why. Maybe we're just too in denial of death, so we'll have the gumption to live? After all, if you are constantly conscious of the fact that everything you do makes little difference in the end, why strive?

Or, maybe, especially in this modern, middle class, American life, we just aren't exposed to much death? Maybe we know a handful of relatives and friends who've died. Maybe we didn't experience their deaths firsthand. They probably died in a sterile hospital. Maybe only certain professions -- slaughterhouses, hospitals -- see much death anymore. The rest of us are no longer witnesses, as we'd have been a century ago, or in another, less affluent country.

Ma and I saw James Whale's "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein" recently. We also watched "Gods and Monsters." And PBS had a biography of Mary Shelly for Halloween. Now, THERE's a person who witnessed death first hand. Her very birth killed her mother. 3 of her four children died...or was it 4 of 5? Her lover died; her sister died....friends died. No WONDER she wanted to reanimate the dead! I need to reread that book...

When I moved to Louisville from Los Angeles, I was frequently struck by the cemetaries, usually family plots or old church yards, sprinkled throughout the neighborhoods. One could easily live next door to tombstones. I remember thinking it was healthy. In Los Angeles, the dead are segregated to the outskirts of communities: out by the oil wells, self storage units and industrial parks. We never see their markers, think of their lives, think of our mortality. There's that one, old cemetary we pass as we drive on the 405 freeway. We tell each other stories of who's buried there: Jack Benny, Valentino, Al Jolson. We don't know, for sure, if any of those people are actually buried there, of course. We never pull in and have a look around. It's all just celebrity gossip.

So, between the hospitals, EMS, funeral parlors and segregated cemetaries, we really aren't exposed to death much, or dying. We make up stories about heaven and peace, without understanding how PROFOUNDLY people of past generations NEEDED to believe the dying, the suffering, might have some Great Reward, some Final Justice, at the end of the ordeal.

I was thinking, this morning, how death isn't so much a personality as an experience. And then, I realized DEATH isn't an experience; by the time you get there, you're DEAD. DYING is the experience. And we don't write about it, not really. I've seen so many creatures die. And the physical process is so similar, despite the circumstances. One watches a being one loved, with whom one has distinctly individual memories, reduced to a series of rather violent and frightening reactions, as the body struggles to maintain life. It's pretty horrifying, really.

I remembered "In Cold Blood," which we rented, along with "To Kill A Mockingbird," after viewing Capote. I remembered the hanging scene. The jerks, the twitches. In "Capote," at least, they were honest enough to say the hanged person's heart can keep beating of nineteen minutes, more or less. One wonders the experience of the hanged. Interesting, isn't it, that we place a hood over the condemned prisoner's face, so we don't have to WITNESS the facial reactions? They were hooded in "The Green Mile," too.

We don't WANT to experience it. We don't want to witness it.

Capote never wrote another book after "In Cold Blood." He squandered his remaining years on alcoholism and shoring up his porous ego. He couldn't write because, in my opinion, he could no longer be honest. He had nothing more to say that could be considered authentic.

I was angry with him this morning for giving in, being coopted by his witness of the executions of Perry and Hickock. I was angry with him for using that as an excuse not to write.

And then, I reminded myself, "Rogi, YOU're not writing, either." Oh, yeah. I've many excuses, but no reasons, why I stopped writing in these blogs. I'll discuss some, I'm sure.

But I just wanted someone to know that, in the predawn chill of my front porch today, I caught myself in the act, came in and started writing. Gotta let the cat in.

Mental "Health" Industry Exploits Disaster for Profits

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From: CCHR [mailto:news@cchr.org]
Sent: Wednesday, September 07, 2005 6:37 PM
To: CCHR Int
Subject: Beware the "Grief Police" Taking Advantage of Katrina Victims



Topic: Beware the "Grief Police" Taking Advantage of Katrina Victims



Mental Health Industry Exploits Disaster for Profits



The mental health industry is descending on the Katrina-ravaged gulf region in massive numbers expecting to reap large government appropriations for psychiatric treatment of hurricane victims and relief workers. Self-interested mental health practitioners and psychiatric front groups, warning of dire mental health consequences for victims, relief workers, and society at large are lining up in droves for their anticipated bonanza. Sept 4 Atlanta-Constitution Journal article.



Insight Magazine, a Washington Times publication, published an expose' in January 2002 on the mental health industry's blueprint for financial gain following such disasters as the Oklahoma City bombing and September 11. Profitable tactics included mandatory mental health screenings, involuntary commitments and forced drugging - beginning with police, firefighters and volunteers working at the disaster site. Click here to access the full text of the Insight Magazine article, "The Grief Police", by Kelly Patricia O'Meara.



Psychiatrists are already promoting the use of mind-altering drugs for victims and relief workers, which carry strong warnings of suicidality, hostility and violence from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its European equivalent, CHMP. September 6 Forbes article.





For interviews with investigative reporter Kelly Patricia O'Meara and other experts, call Ben Williams at 800-869-2247

CCHR.org

Katrina Jobs

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If you are an evacuee who worked in the tourism and travel industries in affected areas, people are looking for you to give you a pay check. In addition, the travel industry is launching a web site, opening September 15, to help you locate employment in your new locations.

Go to Katrina Jobs for further information.

Hurricane survivors

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Hurricane Katrina Survivors a blog. If you're missing someone, check here.

Katrina Housing If you have housing to offer, or if you need housing, check here.

Saturday, Sept. 10: No Gas Day

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September 10th, 2005 - purchase NO GAS!
IT HAS BEEN CALCULATED THAT IF EVERYONE IN THE UNITED STATES DID NOT PURCHASE A DROP OF GASOLINE FOR ONE DAY AND ALL AT THE SAME TIME, THE OIL COMPANIES WOULD CHOKE ON THEIR STOCKPILES.

AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD HIT THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY WITH A NET LOSS OF OVER 4.6 BILLION DOLLARS WHICH AFFECTS THE BOTTOM LINES OF THE OIL COMPANIES.

THEREFORE Sept 10TH HAS BEEN FORMALLY DECLARED "STICK IT TO THEM? DAY" AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION SHOULD NOT BUY A SINGLE DROP OF GASOLINE THAT DAY.

THE ONLY WAY THIS CAN BE DONE IS IF YOU FORWARD THIS E-MAIL TO AS MANY PEOPLE A S YOU CAN AND AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN TO GET THE WORD OUT.

REMEMBER ONE THING, NOT ONLY IS THE PRICE OF GASOLINE GOING UP BUT AT THE SAME TIME AIRLINES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES, TRUCKING COMPANIES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES WHICH EFFECTS PRICES ON EVERYTHING THAT IS SHIPPED. THINGS LIKE FOOD, CLOTHING, BUILDING MATERIALS, MEDICAL SUPPLIES ETC. WHO PAYS IN THE END? WE DO!

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. IF THEY DON'T GET THE MESSAGE AFTER ONE DAY, WE WILL DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.

SO DO YOUR PART AND SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD



Remember: September 10th, 2005 - purchase NO GAS!

Laura Bush: Poor benefit from Katrina

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NEW YORK Accompanying her husband, former President George
H.W.Bush, on a tour of hurricane relief centers in
Houston, Barbara Bush said today, referring to the
poor who had lost everything back home and evacuated, "This is working very well for them." . . .

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them."



http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001054719

Refugees---gramatically wrong??

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Subject: Re: [KUNMIDEAS-L] Refugees---gramatically wrong??
To: KUNMIDEAS-L@LIST.UNM.EDU


I think the people who resent the label, "refugee,"
are reacting to the pity factor in popular culture and
mainstream media.

I think they're afraid they'll be lumped in with
refugees from other countries' natural and political
disasters. I think they resent the notion that they're
not tax-paying Americans.

I also think this need to distance oneself from
so-called "third world" peoples is a reaction to right
wing propaganda, such as talk radio.

People don't want to be associated with the
mythology/urban legend/propaganda archetypes of
welfare cheats, bums, mooches...ad nauseum.

It's a dang shame, in my opinion: with Katrina --as
with 911-- we had another, perfect opportunity for US
citizens to begin to identify with the global
community. We had an opportunity to raise our
consciousness, break out of our privileged
isolationism, and begin to identify with the masses of
most of the Human population.

There are communities of millions of people on this
planet who NEVER have electricity, running water,
secure food supplies or sewage. They live in
deprivation daily, for generations.

We had a chance to learn something about deprivation
in this crisis.

And we had a chance to break those myths and urban
legends wide open and reveal them for the manipulative
lies they really are.

I wondered, when Mayor Chavez bragged that the city
has a thousand apartment units in this city which are
currently vacant: why are so MANY children here
HOMELESS then? Why aren't those units already and
always filled to capacity?

I see homeless families all over this city, all the
time. Why don't we raise money and donations for them?
Because we blame the victim? Because we buy into the
lies of the propaganda spin machines?

Why didn't the panel guests for the Homelessness
Marathon get pate, shrimp and roast beef--as the
donors did recently?

So, "refugee" is a not US distinction? Ah. not us

Sounds like internalized class-ism, to me. Just my opinion.

Rogi Riverstone

http://rriverstone.com

Subject: Re: [KUNMIDEAS-L] Subject: Re: [KUNMIDEAS-L] Refugees---gramatically wrong??
To: KUNMIDEAS-L@LIST.UNM.EDU


Vince said, "Just like we can't feed and clothe (and
house) our own downtrodden, but
if we get Katrina Evacuees (and the national media) we
can move the
damn Sandias!"

You've explained a great mystery to me, Vince. For
years, I wondered why the "Peace and Justice" Center
was located in cushy Snob Hill and not in the "War
Zone," where it's desperately needed.

Easier to feel sorry for Guatemalan kids, five
thousand of miles away, rather than risk tuberculosis,
from Guatamalan kids, five miles away.... sigh.
Mustn't dirty the hand that feeds...

Rogi Riverstone

http://rriverstone.com

NM Town Hall on Katrina

You are reading http://livinginthehood.blogspot.com

Subject: Re: [KUNMIDEAS-L] NM Town hall on Katrina?
To: KUNMIDEAS-L@LIST.UNM.EDU


May I suggest this town hall provide specific,
practical information and discussion about what we can
do, right here, to circumvent the experiences of New
Orleans?

I was just thinking, this morning: I need to build a
solar generator for electricity; I need to get some
iodine and some charcoal for water filtering and
purification; I need to expand my rotating stock of
preserved foods; I need to think about battery-powered
light, radio and other appliances, etc.

Can our city immediately activate city and APS busses,
to evacuate EVERYBODY? Can we store and rotate
emergency water, food, medical and sanitary supplies
in city facilities, such as the Pit and the Convention
center? Can we supply city facilities with solar or
wind generators, so our buildings are self-powering?
Can we educate our population on how to leave? If we
can't evacuate, can our population be educated on how
to survive here?

Can we supply medicines, such as insulin, to those who
need them?

How can the citizens of Albq. prepare ourselves for
disaster? How do we avoid the violence we see in the
Delta? How will we provide for the rural communities,
who will be cut off far longer than urban areas? What
alternative forms of communication, such as ham radio,
can we utilize to stay in contact with the outside
world (I'm also seriously considering building a ham
radio, myself).

If we DON'T depend on government (which seems to be
helpless in the face of real catastrophe), how do we
provide for ourselves, so we will be survivors, rather
than victims?

I suggest that, if we put the needs of our children
first, we'll have the resources necessary to take care
of ALL of us! What's good for the kids is good for the community.

Rogi Riverstone

http://rriverstone.com

"War Zone?"

You are reading http://livinginthehood.blogspot.com

Subject: [KUNMIDEAS-L] "War Zone?"
To: KUNMIDEAS-L@LIST.UNM.EDU


When I first moved to the La Mesa neighborhood, I,
too, resisted the label of "War Zone" to describe my
community.

I soon realized that it was the property owners, north
of Copper Street, for whom this term is the most
problematic. They're VERY worried about their property
values, understandably.

But it is THEY, and the APD, who have declared war on
those of us, south of Copper, who rent.

We can't function, as a result. We're constantly under
the most miniscule scrutiny. Yeah, we're poor. We work
on our own cars, and sometimes, those are on concrete
blocks in our yards. Selective enforcement sees to it
that it is only OUR cars that are cited as
nonoperating vehicles.

Selective enforcement of ordinances, laws and
legislation torments us. Things that are considered
"Quaint," things tourists snap photos of in other
neighborhoods in Albuquerque, are considered
indications of insanity and slovenliness in the War
Zone. I specifically am thinking of the Aztec Hotel,
covered in wine bottles, stuffed animals and plastic
flowers. If you "decorate" like that in the War Zone,
the city will use the "nuisance" abatement ordinances
to get you EVICTED and get your property condemned!

I have called the police, only to have them stand in
my yard, screaming and cursing at ME! If you live in
the War Zone, you MUST be up to something, or must be
crazy.

I was stalked by a mental patient. He was robbing me.
He beat me. He tried to rape me. The police did
NOTHING. In fact, they used the fact that I'd called
the police so many times as an excuse to get ME
evicted by the "nuisance" abatement ordinances!! If
there are too many calls to the police about a
specific address, they can enforce that law!

NOBODY would help me. I was instantly homeless, and my
neighbors broke in and robbed me blind.

Apparantly, stalking laws only apply to middle class,
heterosexual women.

Now, I suspect my stalker was this guy, Hide (Hyde?),
who just killed five people, including two cops!

The neighborhood association, which, poetically, calls
itself the La Mesa CIA (community improvement
association) played a MAJOR ROLE in getting me thrown
out of the neighborhood.

I had marched with them in antidrug rallies. I had
attended their meetings. For years, every child in the
War Zone was welcomed in my home for sanctuary,
instruction, food, clothing, etc.

But the CIA blamed ME for criminal activity of these
kids, when they were NOT at my home. I, of course,
said, "Those kids are at my home from 3pm-9pm (just
before cerfew), weekdays. They're at my house for up
to ten hours a day on weekends. Imagine, then, how
MUCH trouble they could be causing, during those
hours, were they not with ME! And what are YOU doing
to improve their lives, save them from incest, educate
them? Have you ever given any of them one pencil for
homework??"


As a result, I was made homeless, treated as a
criminal, and banished from the neighborhood.

It all happened in FRONT of the kids. So, they got the
clear message, "If you TRY to improve conditions in
this slum, THIS is what we'll do to you!"

I had sent copies of my emails about the stalking to:
APD Chief, AFD Chief, Mayor, Abq. Tribune and the
Governor's office. An animal control officer, present
the day of my eviction, HEARD a fire marshall say,
"the mayor wants this house bulldozed to the ground,
and that bitch locked up."

People are DYING of neglect, prejudice and selective
enforcement in that community. There's no rehab.
There's on social outreach. There's no job training.
There are NO JOBS!!! And our CARS get towed, in
selective sting operations -- ostensibly looking for
no seat belts, broken lights, cracked windshields --
when we're pulled over for unannounce road blocks that
fill city coffers and leave us without transportation
to our DISHWASHING jobs in the far, North East
Heights.

SLUMLORDS, in the University area? PLEASE!! WE have to
stockpile water, because our landlords leave for
vacation without paying water bills! Our CEILINGS
collapse in the monsoons! Our electricity and gas go
out more than WE do! It's not safe to walk two blocks
to the grocery, for all the punks vending crack
outside the Philadelphia Ministries "Half Way" house,
which is really just a SCAM for the so-called
"Minister," who holds the residents hostage as forced
labor for his CONTRACTING business!!

We walk through human feces, daily. Our kids have
asthma. We have rats. You can't drink a beverage at
night, without leaving a light on, because the ROACHES
will climb into your glass AS YOU DRINK IT!

NOBODY cares about us. We are FORCED to be criminals,
in order to just survive.

La Mesa means "The Table," yet there's no room at the
table for US!

WE didn't declare war; THEY did.

Rogi Riverstone

http://rriverstone.com

"Vote" Image

You are reading http://livinginthehood.blogspot.com

For reasons I can't explain, people have been visiting the composite image I made called, "vote." It's an online jpeg, taken from a real newspaper photo. No, I didn't remember to cite my source, dang it. I also added the caption, "Vote," in red. I created it for the 2004 elections in the USA.

Here's the image, since Google images search seems to have issues: http://rriverstone.com/images/vote.jpg

Hurricane Housing

You are reading http://livinginthehood.blogspot.com

Dear MoveOn member,

Hurricane Katrina's toll on communities, homes and lives has devastate= d the nation. Now victims must face the daunting question of where to go next—and= we can help.

Tens of thousands of newly homeless families are being bused to a stadium in Houston, where they may wait for weeks or months. At least 80,= 000 are competing for area shelters, and countless more are in motels, cars, or w= herever they can stay out of the elements. The Federal Emergency Management Agenc= y and the Red Cross are scrambling to find shelter for the displaced.

This morning, we've launched an emergency national housing drive to= connect your empty beds with hurricane victims who desperately need a place to wait ou= t the storm. You can post your offer of housing (a spare room, extra bed, even a decen= t couch) and search for available housing online at:

http://www.hurricanehousing.org

Housing is most urgently needed within reasonable driving distance (ab= out 300 miles) of the affected areas in the Southeast, especially New Orleans.

Please forward this message to anyo= ne you know in the region who might be able to help.

But no matter where you live, your housing could still make a world of= difference to a person or family in need, so please offer what you can.

The process is simple:


You can sign up to become a host by = posting a description of whatever housing you have available, along with contact information. Y= ou can change or remove your offer at any time.


Hurricane victims, local and nationa= l relief organizations, friends and relatives can search the site for housing. We'll do everythin= g we can to get your offers where they are needed most. Many shelters actually al= ready have Internet access,=20 but folks without 'net access can still make use of the site through case= workers and family members.


Hurricane victims or relief agencies= will contact hosts and together decide if it's a good match and make the necessary tra= vel arrangements. The host's address is not released until a particular match is agreed on.=

If hosting doesn't work for you, please consider donating to the Red C= ross to help with the enormous tasks of rescue and recovery. You can give online = at:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3D= 859

As progressives, we share a core belief that we are all in this togeth= er, and today is an important chance to put that idea to work. There are thousand= s of families who have just lost everything and need a place to stay dry. Let's do what= we can to help.

http://www.hurricanehousing.org

Thanks for being there when it matters most.

—Noah Winer and the whole MoveOn.org Civic Action Team
Thursday, September 1st, 2005

the view from Air Force One

You are reading http://livinginthehood.blogspot.com





From History News Network.

Save the Big Easy!

Katrina

You are reading http://livinginthehood.blogspot.com


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Dear Rogi,

Thank you for your generous gift to the American Red Cross 2005 Hurricane Relief Fund. This fund makes it possible for the Red Cross to help nationwide Hurricane disaster victims of 2005 with critical needs such as shelter, food, clothing, counseling and other assistance. It's because of the 2005 Hurricane Relief Fund that our response can be immediate regardless of its location or the community’s ability to financially support our efforts.

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