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Blog: Help - I’m Lost!  



December 27, 2007


The dishwasher is churning, the loud slosh competing with the television news for my half-hearted attention. Normally I am planted in front of the screen, watching the latest clips of carnage, listening to what’s happening here at home, around the world, even in space and deep underneath the oceans.


But tonight I am brooding, brooding about my country. America, America…


Like protagonist Billy Pilgrim in Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five, I have come unstuck in time. My mind is wandering; wandering and groping to make sense of my life as a child, a young adult, a new mother and now, a disillusioned citizen of a country I no longer recognize.


When I was very young, my heart would thrill to parade bands playing Sousa marches, Old Glory waving proudly - and rightly so, I thought then -  in the breeze. I loved seeing the upright young men in uniforms, so innocently patriotic, striding in lockstep, ready to defend us from any danger.


My father and my uncles had served in World War II. One of them, my mother’s youngest brother Mikey, is buried in the country of his parents and grandparents and on and on before them: Italy.


I had heard the stories of the exotic lands where these men had met and conquered the enemy determined to create a fascist empire around the globe; of how millions of people from the Allied nations had come together and sacrificed food, tires, and their sons and daughters to save the world from mind control, from demagoguery and propaganda, from ethnic and religious hatred so damaging that many never lived through or recovered from it.


The goodness of my country, so beautifully epitomized by Lady Liberty holding her blazing torch for the world to see, was not in question back then.


I am not so naïve as to forget the many shameful episodes that peppered America’s birthing and sprawling growth – the Native American genocides, the religious persecutions of the early New England settlers who dared to disbelieve in Congregationalism, the enslavement of those brought into our country as property to labor for the rich, the exploitation by business of each new wave of immigrants, especially women and children, who sought the streets paved with gold, the public tarring, feathering and execution of people suspected of anarchist or Communist sympathies.


And yet, even with those blotches and black marks stretching across America from sea to shining sea, I could and did trust the people who governed us, believing that those who assumed the enormous burden of overseeing the growth, governance and well-being of our country had the best and highest motives in their hearts and minds.


Today, the evidence of this naiveté surrounds us. Scandals - personal, financial, political – are a large part of our daily diet of news. Violence of the most gruesome kind – against people of all colors, creeds, ethnicities, as well as animals – grows ever more ubiquitous.


Our children and grandchildren will grow inured to this. I, a product of a generation in which swearing was the penultimate act of rebellion, am dismayed to see how every industry uses sex and violence to sell everything from video games to children’s clothing to cars, hotels and toys and seemingly, almost everything else available for public consumption.

But most of all I miss hope – “the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.” I used to be the eternal optimist. In the darkest days I would find a gleam, a glimmer of hope for the future.


Now, with the untimely death of my son and the crumbling of our civil liberties and rights, these eyes that once viewed the world with hope are jaundiced, bleary with the surfeit of bad air, bad water, bad food, bad governance. I want to recover hope as it flutters, not in my soul but elusively just beyond my outstretched hand.


Friends are a blessing and have restored some of my belief in the essential goodness of a large part of humankind, but for every warm gesture, loving message, quiet bit of companionship there seems to be some fresh ugliness just beyond.


I pray – daily – to my vision of the Divine, for peace, for plenty, for tolerance, acceptance, understanding; for freedom to be.


Is this possible? Is this foolish? Hope has fled, but prayer has not. 


I want my country back. I want not a dreamer’s vision of impractical bliss but the country that nourished the ambitions and hopes of so many over the centuries. I want to feel a part of something larger and more glorious than what we have now. I want to be able to say, “Yes, I am an American” and have that statement be greeted with smiles and friendliness, not cynicism and resentment.


I have no answers, I have no grand plan, no idea that will make this happen. It will take the shared energies of millions who feel the same to recapture America’s promises that seem, today, to have been irrevocably broken.


Perhaps, as the new year fast approaches, we can forge a new alliance with people of peace and goodwill around the globe to rebuild hope and belief in the future of our country, our world. Perhaps not.


But, as the adage says, “Not failure, but low aim is crime.” Trying can only make us better human beings.


© 2007 RC deWinter   

Posted: Thursday December 27, 2007, 7:05 pm
Visibility: Everyone
      

Tags: peace culture freedom america hope childhood civil cynicism liberties us_government
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Lana S. (262) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 7:21 pm
Cate,
Thank you for expressing, how many of us are feeling. Blessings...

Jahara Wade (13) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 7:26 pm
Well said, thanks for sharing.

Joycey B. (510) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 7:37 pm
I couldn't have said it better. I agree with you 100%. Very well written. From my heart,thanks Cate.

David Alexander (43) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 7:37 pm
I do not feel part of the country this nation has become; I find I am a stranger in a strange land. I remember what this country might once have become, and I see that future as stolen and lost.

Janice G. (428) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 7:49 pm
More and more I find myself retreating into fellowship and friendship between two people. I withdraw into a sense of faith that even amidst the mess in the outer realm there is still growth within. We live in a world where we must keep trying, but we continue to discover that we are powerless over people, places, and things. My hope is that if I work on my attitude and how I see that I can be the person I want to be in spite of it all...

Yvonne White (145) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 7:52 pm
Very well written!:)

Bossy B. (76) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 8:06 pm
Incredibly well written Cate, especially in light of today's tragic events in Pakistan.

Although not an American, I too am worried about what Canada is becoming as well. When I see the scenes from the Taliban led era in Afghanistan I am proud of the Canadian soldiers who are there, trying not necessarily to bring our style of democracy, but a style of democracy that accords men and women a proper place in society, a democratic society that respects the Muslim culture and traditions.

Do I think violence is the way to solve this? No. Unfortunately though, the extremists who share Bin Laden and the Taliban's views of women don't care a tinker's darn about killing as many people as possible

Here's to a stable world in 2008

Joyce G. (106) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 8:09 pm
Cate thank you so much for sending this to me...you have said so much of what I have been saying for a long time to my hubby...I know that we cannot give up hope but I have been so disillusioned by the government that we have had this past almost 8yrs. Hopefully good changes will come about...thanks again...

Desba S. (311) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 8:12 pm
Though I agree with your so eloquently written view, I feel we are in need of change, and more of a world view, world citizenship, fighting for our planet, peace, abundance for all. I realize this is my naive view, LOL, but We can't go back, and we have people to feed, animals to care for, and mother earth to renew. We can't focus so much on our country, your country, the lines drawn between. As the astronauts say, there are no boundaries seen from space.I want to be proud to say I am a citizen of earth.

Joy Bergstrom (281) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 8:14 pm
you know what Cate: I don't care what people think of me or my family or my Country, I'm an American, I still get goose bumps when I hear them play the American Uleagly probaly spelled wrong but thats ok.I see the American Flag waving in the air. I'm an American and I still have the right to freedom to speech, worship, fredoom to do pretty much what I darn will want too. I can pack a pistol on my side if its registered and it is in public, for my husband has done it just to see what they would do.nothing. So lift your head up stand tall, and yes be proud for most people can not say they are free at all. This is how I feel and no I don't see color or creed how can I, for if I did I would not be able to say I Love the Lord would I.

gran pat (198) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 8:16 pm
how expressive and how true your words ring out! i too, worry about our land, our people, and where we are going...thank you cate for sharing this with us...

James M. (203) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 8:33 pm
Very well spoken Cate. Thank you so much for speaking for many people who are feeling just as lost.

Carolyn Daley (78) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 8:43 pm
Dear Cate, I know the feeling of being lost. It is usually resolved with the communication with friends and family. Our nation, and other nations which are all made of human beings must be looked at in a similar perspective. Just like when we say that we love an individual (family or friend) even though we don't necessarily like their particular behavior at a given moment. In otherwords it is the individual's or nation's behavior that we don't like. We don't hate the person or the nation. With this perspective we can love all people and all nations and know that it takes constant and patient effort to steer and correct and heal and maintain the health of our families, our international neighbors, and our planet. I see alot of good energy around. Thanks for your blog. I wish for you to see some guiding light. Hugs, Carolyn

Robert K. (399) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 8:48 pm
Only Cate with such a warm heart and immense consciousness could write something so bitter/sweet, so endearing. And Cate thanks for inviting me to share this lovely enduring piece.

honeysucklebarb Liebowitz (541) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 9:37 pm
very nicely written happyt new year

Edwin TwoTrees (197) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 9:48 pm
There is no question that this is an eloquent expression of deep seated feelings which we hold in common. When I look at what is going on from the perspective of a "sane" human being I can see very few rational arguments for hope. Luckily, sane and rational are not my strong points. Science tells us that nothing is really solid, it is merely energy. It also tells us that time is a dimension. Everything that ever happened or ever will happen is right there, still occurring, just in a different place. And, there are more dimensions, we just don't perceive them. Things, that some would refer to as miracles, do happen. I believe we are on the verge of an awakening of human consciousness. What we currently perceive as "reality" is just an illusion. New doors will open. The darkness will give way to the new dawn.

Blue Bunting (754) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 9:55 pm
Thank you, Cate!

The more things change . . . the more they stay the same . . .

"It is part of the general pattern of misguided policy that our country is now geared to an arms economy which was bred in an artificually induced psychosis of war hysteria and nurtured upon an incessant propaganda of fear."
-General Douglas MacArthur, Speech, May 15, 1951

Past Member (0) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 10:00 pm
Cate in your descriptive way your words say more than a this mere moral could ever put into words!

Thank you for caring and sharing!~

Blessings of Love & Light & pEaCe
*pentagram*

Elizabeth W. (21) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 10:04 pm
I do hope that some of the Anti-Americanism spawned by the actions of those of our officials in such scandals to which you eluded is and will be dismantled by the coming together of people of this planet, in places such as care2. I see walls crumble and insights shared by poets that join around the world in such places...as I am sure happens in other genres of interest. I think it is intentionally misplacements of blame or cause of insecurities which have folks still pitting against one another. As you said peppered with racial and class wars. Now it appears corporatism reigns and officials are at the ends of the leash. I feel stupid. Lost as you say. As history tends to repeat itself and ugly heads arise in new realms, what is one to do?...how is one to amass with the many in an organized fashion to baffle the wave that seems overwhelming whilst surreal?

Ron Goodman (461) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 10:16 pm
Very well stated Cate, and my thoughts are within your words, as many other "want to be Americans again". I'm no longer proud like I once was and I want/need it back...desperately!! You and I lived through those prideful days, and even if it was or wasn't fake or based only on what they told us, it was still a proud America. The corruption was removed when found and now it is blatant, and can't or isn't removed. That may be where the difference lies...helplessness!! The people of this country must be willing to fight for their freedoms/justice/Constitution/liberties/fairness/equality/safety, or money will certainly take them all away...and quickly! Thank you so much my dear friend. Ron

Rabbit R. (99) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 10:24 pm

Well said and I fully agree. >:3

David Hand (79) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 10:41 pm
Everything we do, affects & effects everything we do.

Perfection is harmony.

If it weren't for all of us, none of us would be here!
---
Hang in there, Cate. All one must do to change what appears to be reality, is to increase focus of their awareness on a different reakity. Try this for one week & se what happens: watch one hour less of TV per day & spend that hour outside (preferably in a wilderness area - park or preserve - any place away from machinations) silently observing the magnificence (def.: splendor of surroundings) of Nature.
---
Radiate Love!

Past Member (0) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 10:45 pm
Thank you dear heart, perhaps with faith and prayer,and a nation uprising against all this blackness, this will be the year that we can take OUR AMERICA back. God Bless. xoxox Bo

John Gingerich (37) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 11:00 pm
Indeed and in fact these are the thoughts and feelings of so many in this "land of the free", that is no more.
Often these days I reflect on days when the Nazis were taking control of Germany and many people with vision left the country. More and more I feel that is what might be necessary here and now. The neo-cons will not go down without a struggle.

Many years ago the Jefferson Airplane wrote a song, Crown of Creation. The words of the song came directly from a Science-fiction book by John Wyndham, The Chrysalids, also known as Re-birth.

"Soon they'll attain the stability they strive for. In the only way that it's granted. In a place among the fossils of our time...

In loyalty to their kind, they cannot tolerate our minds. In loyalty to our kind, we cannot tolerate their obstruciton.

Life is change... how it differs from the rocks...
I've seen their ways too often for my liking...
New Worlds to gain, my Life is to survive... and be Alive.... For You...
AHHH AHHH AHHH AAAAAAAAAAAA............"


Melissa Dawson Chapman (300) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 11:12 pm
Bless your heart Cate... you have taken the thoughts right out of my head. Take a peek at this link and let me know what you think...
http://www.codepinkalert.org/article.php?id=3760

Melissa Dawson Chapman (300) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 11:15 pm
We have marched, we have petitioned, we have called, emailed and urged Congress; DON'T BUY BUSH'S WAR. It isn't working—Congress continues to vote billions of dollars toward the occupation of Iraq without any timeline for withdrawal. It is time for us do what they don't have the courage to do. If Congress wants to fund the war with our dollars, well, we'll simply refuse to give them those dollars.

On December 16th, 1773, a group of patriots protested King George's taxes by dumping tea into Boston Harbor. This December 16th, CODEPINK commemorates this event by launching the next phase of our Don't Buy Bush's War campaign: an invitation to the American public to engage in the venerable American tradition of tax resistance.
We call upon all citizens opposed to this unlawful occupation to join with us and pledge to withhold 7% of our taxes in 2008—the amount of the U.S. budget devoted to the occupation of Iraq—if joined by another 100,000 people on April 15th, giving us safety in numbers. This call to Civil Disobedience has raised many questions and fears—as we organized this campaign, we discovered how frightened so many are of our own government and especially the Internal Revenue Service. Now is the time for us to face our fears and transform that energy to take up the responsibility Congress has refused—and stop funding this war. For more go to: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=zRTttjOF2aaOMAF0RnM6E3E2IuYKyQ97

Melissa Dawson Chapman (300) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 11:17 pm
Sorry about this guys... if you can't get the links to work, please e-mail me and I will foward to to you.

Elle J. (222) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 11:40 pm
You have put things in perspective. I admire that. We can put our head's together and do all that we can to find a solution to the dark path that we are now on. Our country is going in the wrong direction. None of our domestic concerns have been met in the last 7 years. Perhaps we should examine why that is. Being in the profession of politics, I have a fair amount of knowledge. We should indeed review the issues, look at the candidates position on domestic affairs and the war.We cannot sit back and watch our country crumble into ruins with a facist government. That is not the American way. Stand up to the people that say all is well. It is not only our right but our duty.

Ann T. (65) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 11:44 pm
Thank you Cate for saying the same thing I am thinking also. Why our young men and women or dying, losing half their bodies for a war about money. Yes money. It all sums up to be about money and Bush and Cheney is getting richer everyday with their oil.

Brandy Ramos (226) 		Thursday December 27, 2007, 11:59 pm
Thank You Cate.
Many Blessings and Hugs.
Brandy

Johnny S. (10) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 12:40 am
Wow! Thanks Cate!!!

tammymarie h. (30) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 12:54 am
Do I trust our gov't? Heck no! Why would any Native American Indian trust any gov't?

Black T. (223) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 1:48 am
Cate, so well said! Although I have not lost a child< I did lose an Uncle in WW2. His loss has affected me the most in the last year as I learn what he THOUGHT he was fighting for and what actually happened.
I hold no angst against the Jews! "BUT" I also do not like how they have the world jumping through hoops to do their bidding. These are the people my uncle died for and I feel they are throwing it all in my face.
So we go on in the New Year of 2008 and hope we can make a difference, a reason for living.
Thank you

Elizabeth Abbott (24) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 1:52 am
Thankyou, Cate... I definitely share your concerns & will respond more soon. I remember the same faith in our country as a child, reciting the Pledge of Allegence in elementary school. And now lies are everywhere: on the news, on our so-called leaders' lips...Our children have been tainted by it all, & the joy I used to feel upon seeing our flag has now dimmed to apprehension. While also aware of our country's many transgressions, I still once believed that our Government still generally looked out for its constituents & aimed for Good. Now it's disheartening & scarey to learn about how david Rockefeller & Bilderberg & the Council On Foriegn relations basicly run things. But then, at least it's empowering to learn the Truth: about 911, the military industrial complex, & all the rest. Only an educated & informed public can stop these criminals in their tracks. They may have the money & the media, but they could NOT deal with the masses knowing & risong up against this. So I work on educating myself, & passing on the information. When enough of us know, something will happen. I won't list websites & youtube channels & DVD's now. Probably a bit later after running them by you personally. But I will say that I believe that getting Ron Paul in the White House is a very good start towards dismantling the New World Order. Let's all keep the faith, & join together to restore the ideals that this once great country was founded on.
p4eace, Prosperity, & Liberty for all! -Liz

Dolores H. (37) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 2:37 am
Thanks for sharing this piece Cate. And I wholeheartedly agree with you, I too have lost hope. It has been replaced by an empty feeling, a feeling of helplessness, and a feeling of abandonment by my countries' leaders.

Ronald Eenwerd (300) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 4:06 am
Yes we will overcome togethjer:

http://nnw.berlios.de/docs.php/NewERAcome/noflash

Ronald messenger

Ramona Gehl (133) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 5:26 am
Very interesting and well written blog Cate. I sympathize with your frustation!

Dee C. (409) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 7:17 am
Beautifully written and expressed..
My hope is the heart-tears we all feel will someday soon turn to heart-smiles for this country..
Thank you for sharing your heart Cate..
((hug))

Lucky Children Astorgues (110) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 7:46 am
Thank you Cate.

For instant, I made too much efforts and I began to feel nocives effects. I do want to be part of you all and sometimes laught and mind, get ideas,traval without plane or car.

You must know that you emove lot of people.

Respect,

Lucie

Past Member (0) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 9:37 am
cate, i agree with you 100%...we need to try to bring back moral integrity, help insecure individuals realize that wealth and possessions will not and cannot make them more than what they are morally... if they are morally bankrupt all the wealth in the world cannot help them... it seems to me that part of the problem is that everyone is buying into this craze of wanting everything the "jones" have... like that will solve all their problems... nobody seems to be concerned with doing what is right any longer...:(

Susan L. (119) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 10:03 am
I understand where you are coming from. Been wondering some of the same. You said it very well.

nurith k. (77) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 11:05 am
bless you and america and never, just never give up hope. without hope, there is no life!
nurith

Gail Costic (381) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 11:11 am
Thank you Cate, not only for this but for all you do here.

Dreama Runyon (127) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 12:02 pm
We all feel lost and alone in our own country but the very fact that you can express your own feelings is freedom. I am sorry to read that you lost your son and I hope that you keep praying. These words come to my mind," I once was lost, but now I am found." But we (all Americans) must take responsibility for being apathetic and not taking a Stand for Our Country and Our House, The White House. We have all stood on the sidelines and maybe thought, this is not my fight. Someone else will do it! Wrong, it has always been all of our fight to stand tall and proud and take on all politicians about them doing right by us all. And never give up as hope lost leads into that deep abyss of despair!

Merry Loscalzo-Stumpf (81) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 12:43 pm
WOW! Powerful,beautiful and true. Thank you for putting it so eloquently and speaking for so very many of us! Love to you Cate.

Dianne G. (87) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 1:09 pm
Cate, well said! So much for the good ol' days!

David Gould (88) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 3:56 pm
Cate I know that America has fallen on hard times with lousy leadership, a questionable foriegn policy, a gung-ho mentality towards other countries and an appalling reputation.
BUT.
America also has folk like you. And while it has there is still hope. There is still a future. There will be restoration. There will be a seeking of peace options. And it is only 387 days till Bush goes.
One thing Care2 has taught me is that there are some great folk out there...like your good self who will restore the greatness once the rot is cut away.
For now there is prayer and faith and hope.

Also you have the friendship of those that have looked a little closer and seen the true value of friendship which spans all race, religion, country and culture.
You have had the courage to see America as it seems to you now. You will have the conviction to remake the country you remember.
"think not what your country can do for you; but what you can do for your country".
Oh and greetings from Scotland and all good wishes for 2008.

Past Member (0) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 3:57 pm
I don't feel lost but I do feel betrayed. by our government in many areas.

Karen VDay (80) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 4:07 pm
Unfortunately your thoughts have expressed much of the negative feelings many people have toward our country. The loss of your son is a grief I cannot begin to fathom and my heart aches for you. Please do not give up hope as the world needs more people like you.

Elaine S. (85) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 4:08 pm
Cate: Thank You for sharing.
I totally agree with You.
Take Care and Happy New Year!

Just Carole (327) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 4:41 pm
In all honesty, it says everything that I (and most thinking, caring Americans) feel -- an overwhelming feeling of despair and loss of hope for improvement.

I like it the way it is. This a time of mourning for this country and the pride and dignity we once had as Americans. I'm ashamed of my government, I do not trust business and it's links to corrupt politicians.

Our image as a nation is no longer one of being the "rescuers and heroes." We are now the "murderers and exploiters." Our "leaders" are "liars." Our freedom of expression has been squashed by suppressing the media and slashing constitutional rights.

Those are my thoughts.

*C*

P.S. One other thought.

I heard the song, "This is My Country" awhile back and started crying as I thought of the words.

They are no longer true.

Past Member (0) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 5:15 pm
Thanks Kate, Beautifully written and expressed thru ones eyes! As for me I believe in no beginings and no ends, thus I will come this way no more for I have seen what we have come here for, I can not expediate my time here so I watch as the world pents itself against one another due to country or region and race, very sad indeed that so many will have to remain here for so many life times to experience this to fully understand the meaning of the Spirit and thy Soul!We are in this together and we are all ONE!!!

Joy Bergstrom (281) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 5:23 pm
I do not feel lost. How can you be lost? Sure the goverment has let us down. No I don't trurt them but I'm not lost I'm still the same person I was 10 year's ago. a little older, but I still have the same love, hope, drive The need to be loved.I still have faith in our Country and I always will until the day they come to take me away and even then will I still have two thing's Faith and Love these are two things no can take from me ever. Just had to come back with a little more info Cate got to thinking. Thank you.

Denise L. (290) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 5:25 pm
I couldn't agree with you more!

Past Member (0) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 5:43 pm
Thank you Cate. Do you remember the times when we were young and the President was to speek on TV that night. How excited we all were. Gathering in the Living room, clinging to every word he spoke. We were taught to stop everything and watch, such excitement. Not any more, kids walk past the tv when the President is on....SAD....
Beautifully written Cate, thanks for sharing..

Vicki C. (47) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 5:54 pm
I am in awe after reading this. This is so well written and so true today that every citizen in the US needs to read this. Especially our government. This needs to go further than the Care2 website. Thank you! You should send this to each and everyone of the candidates campaigning for President. I agree with you 100% but I could never express this as well as you did. Fine job.

Wolfweeps J. (142) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 6:02 pm
Dearest Cate...
You are not alone. SO many of us feel he same way. The frustration about a nation not waking up to smell the burning pan on the stove. You would think that with todays technology, and the internet that more people would pat attention to what is going on in the world around them.
I too recently wrote a blog about the same concerns, but quickly deleted it before I could post it. Why? Because I felt that it would be another voice not heard....But I now know that if it isn't the brace people such as your slef, and thos that have posted here yin reponse to your words of wisdom and uncetin fear...that WE ARE NOT ALONE.
WE ARE NOT ALONE IN FEARING THE NONACTION OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. ALL THE SILINCE IS SCARY, FRIGHTFUL, AND I CARRY THE SAME FEARS AS YOU DO.
I ASK THE SAME QUESTIONS..WHAT IS NEXT? WHAT CAN I DO?
But now you ahve encouraged me to speak louder, yel louder, scream louder. Add my voice to everyone of you that carry that same fear of what can I do?
Well I am going to satrt writing again...to speak louder..and add my fear and voice to all of you that felt compelled enough to come and support our Cate in the moments of her uncertainty...and now ALL of our fears are brought out into the light for ALL to see and address them to the world together.
I feel the dame disappointment as David, Janice, Bossy,Joyce, Desba, bergstromjoy, Joycey,granpat, James, carolyn, Robert, Honeysuckle,....Edwin, Blue..and every last one you have expressed the same frustration and concern....
WE can be the change that we wish to see...
Justice is all that spends in my mind these days...*S* Where does it end and begin again....for the better of the WORLD.

Injustice breeds contempt, out of which all revolution is born.
Martino, Joseph P

Wolfweeps J. (142) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 6:06 pm
Sorry folks, but I guess I can't type..spellcheck not post with a both a puppy and a cat trying sit on my lap with the laptop computer....**embarrassed**
Let's try this again....*S*
REPOST:
Dearest Cate...
You are not alone. SO many of us feel he same way. The frustration about a nation not waking up to smell the burning pan on the stove. You would think that with today's technology, and the internet that more people would pat attention to what is going on in the world around them.
I too recently wrote a blog about the same concerns, but quickly deleted it before I could post it. Why? Because I felt that it would be another voice not heard....But I now know that if it isn't the brace people such as your self, and thus that have posted here yin response to your words of wisdom and uncertain fear...that WE ARE NOT ALONE.
WE ARE NOT ALONE IN FEARING THE NONACTION OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. ALL THE SILENCE IS SCARY, FRIGHTFUL, AND I CARRY THE SAME FEARS AS YOU DO.
I ASK THE SAME QUESTIONS..WHAT IS NEXT? WHAT CAN I DO?
But now you have encouraged me to speak louder, yell louder, scream louder. Add my voice to everyone of you that carry that same fear of what can I do?
Well I am going to start writing again...to speak louder..and add my fear and voice to all of you that felt compelled enough to come and support our Cate in the moments of her uncertainty...and now ALL of our fears are brought out into the light for ALL to see and address them to the world together.
I feel the dame disappointment as David, Janice, Bossy,Joyce, Desba, bergstromjoy, Joycey,granpat, James, carolyn, Robert, Honeysuckle,....Edwin, Blue..and every last one you have expressed the same frustration and concern....
WE can be the change that we wish to see...
Justice is all that spends in my mind these days...*S* Where does it end and begin again....for the better of the WORLD.

Injustice breeds contempt, out of which all revolution is born.
Martino, Joseph P

Zach Staley (70) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 6:15 pm
I think the first thing we All can do to help establish peace in this world is to find true Inner Peace within ourselves. Since we are all so connected, every person that finds the True Peace within their own soul, the kind of Peace that is too strong to be bothered with Fear or Hate, becomes one more part of the system that is ready to align and enable a peaceful Global Community to exist on Earth. We must stop resisting war, and begin promoting peace. To change the world, we must fist change ourselves, =).

Very well expressed Cate, may Love and Light find its place within you and All who live on Earth!

With Peace and Love,
Zach

Brenda Vazquez (352) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 6:18 pm
I do understand everything you have said here, and you have every right to feel like you do. Seems like everything is crumbling down around you, and you have no control over it.The only thing you do have control over is your way of thinking. Look within yourself, find peace, be happy, be positive... let go of all the negative thoughts. We can't change what goes on in the world, but we change ourselves from the inside out. Namaste- Brenda*~

Brenda Vazquez (352) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 6:20 pm
Zach, I see we're on the same page, I couldn't agree more. :-)

Crystal R. (78) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 6:28 pm
I feel exactly the same way Cate... I am Canadian and I don't even recognize the country we live in anymore.. Now that Harper became PM, everything has changed. I supported the troops when they were there in Afghanistan as peacekeepers, helping them to rebuild. Now, we are fighting and killing people abroad, and Harper is very cozy with Bush... But everything in this world is temporary and even the worse things have an end. We must strive to make this earth a better place, even if we seem to be a minority, even if we are a minority for now. There are non-violent ways to make ourselves heard. Civil disobedience works; Gandhi proved it. It just take some courage.

Rob Sanders (59) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 7:41 pm
Simply:::You cannot judge people as a whole by where they live nor can you judge a country by its leaders.Leaders do not make the country,the people do."We" are a hardy bunch who have been thru alot over the years,politically,environmentally and economically.Yet all have survived,for we are all survivors.We rebuild that which has fallen or been destroyed and become better for it."What doesn,t kill you,makes you stronger"and Cate is one of the strongest souls i am proud to know .You can give up on your leader,but never give up on your country.

Jennie B. (280) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 7:58 pm
Cate, you expressed your feelings so well that you spoke for many others, including me. I feel so disappointed, disillusioned, and tired of trying to make sense out of what has happened to the country I thought I knew. I am proud of being an American, however, not because of anything this horrible administration has done, but because of the hope and meaning behind the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and even "Bring me your tired, your poor, yearning to be free..." This is the America that over hundreds of years has vanished into a corporate-owned, money driven, capitalist nightmare administration in which all of the things that made us GOOD and honorable have been stripped from us as a country. Yes, we had our bruises and bumps, things we did wrong as did every country but now there is nothing of that honor or pride or care about the People in this country left. And I'm devastated that we as a People seem to be floundering either in anger and hate for "they" have done to our country or in apathy because we feel "helpless" to change our country. There seems to be an outright refusal by the people of this country to take charge as the Constitution has told us to do when the government is out of control. We are the last refuge when the balance of power fails among the Executive, Supremes and Congress. Too quick to either doomsday ourselves or refuse to look at what we do have to save ourselves. I believe in January 2008, a new year, we must pick ourselves up, and determine to act like the citizens of this country that we are first before being citizens of the world - we have a country out of control and if we do not act, we have only ourselves to blame when the worst that our country can be brings us all to ruin. I won't give up on this country because it is NOT Geo. Bush or any one president - it was based on a Constitution and BIll of Rights that CAN WORK in the right hands. We have let the wrong people into power and now they need to be out of power. We the People began this country and we the People need to clean it up. We can do it together. This country is not dead until we let it die or kill it with our unwillingness to get rid of the very people who are tearing it apart.

Sharon D. (97) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 8:02 pm
I agree with you. We used to say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning at school before classes started and WE DID SAY ONE NATION UNDER GOD. Now it is not allowed in schools. You can't take God out of anything or there is Kaos.

I too Pray everyday for Peace and Love to Prosper with God as the Head.

Love Peace Blessings Hugs and Prayers to all
Your Friend

Sharon D

Pauline Houzard (81) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 9:08 pm
Cate wonderful words and so much truth, I'm not American but I think all around the world people are thinking and worrying the same as you and me.

Bruce Combs (486) 		Friday December 28, 2007, 9:54 pm
Thank you cate. I'm with you -- and all. Courage, Peace, etc., Bruce

Kim s. (81) 		Saturday December 29, 2007, 12:43 am
Cate, your thoughts resonate with many, not just within the US but around the world. How did we come to be at this place of fear and distrust? What do we do to return to a time of peace?
Where is morality and pride in ourselves as a people?
Perhaps it's time we stop looking at ourselves as this nationality or that country and begin seeing one another as citizens of the world who want to live in peace and harmony with one another and our planet. Each earthly citizen has the right to live freely, to seek to expand their consciousness and to live in peace and to have abundance. There is more than enough to share on our planet so that each person has more than "enough" to live; however, the mega corporations want it all for themselves. This is the root of the world's problems in my opinion. Greed.
How can we change this? We can begin by seeing ourselves as more than American, Canadian, British, Christian, Jew, Muslim, etc. and see our responsibilities to each other, looking beyond these labels which seek to divide.
The time you have written of is gone and won't return. Those days of innocence have been replaced by fear. Fear of others, of what can happen and of what the future holds.
Let us begin the new year with hope, hope in our fellow human beings, hope for our planet and hope for ourselves. We have the power to stem the tide of fear, to over-come the dark wave of greed, but it takes believing in ourselves and our fellow man/woman. There is much light in the world, we can see examples of it here @ Care2, it is our choice to add to the light or, to deny it.
Have hope Cate, your thoughts have stuck a chord with many and the ripples you've created are spreading!
Peace be with you, with light embracing you as love surrounds you!

Jillyanne Michelle Cape (548) 		Saturday December 29, 2007, 2:40 am
I relate so well to this message. I too feel a stranger in what is supposed to be "my country" and not just this country, but it seems the whole world is becoming a much colder place. It's a sad and scary feeling. Apparently a lot of us are feeling this way. I'm glad to know I have plenty of company, at least here on Care2. My blessings to all...

Ann T. (65) 		Saturday December 29, 2007, 3:30 am
Awaken in the Night!
I woke in the night by a sound so far away. This sound was not like the drums of the waterfalls
or the flutes I have always heard. This was a cry of children- so many of them crying to the world for help.
They would be crying,” Do you not hear us at all? We do not have a daddy, or a mother anymore for this
world has taken them off to war.’’ Then I heard them crying it may have been the ones of the future, yet
their message was loud and clear and it stood out for all to hear. Please help us with our schools for in this land,
they or so far behind. Yes in this land of lots of money we the children are not learning as fast as the ones in
lands of the poor. Do we speak more than one language, they cried? Or do we get that chance; only when we
become older unless our parents are bilingual. Yet other counties they teach it from the start,
so why not you, America?
So as I listened as they began to cry out louder and said, why can we not get help, our mom and dad get help to
see a Dr. when they need to. Only the rich and very poor and if you come here without a green card you can get
all the medical care you need for free. This is not fair, for I died at the age of only 3, as one cried out to me.
For America lets the government make it’s choices on insurance and how much they should pay or even the
the medication they can take, so why do we stand for this? I ask you please help me fight for our future.
Most American companies no longer offer insurance to their employees, and if they do they keep
many on a schedule to make sure that they do not work a full time job, so they do not have to cover you.
How greedy is the American businessman? He is in the top ranks of the TV evangelists that take
all the money for the elderly and sick in the name of God? Yet is this done in the name of God,
the children cry out to me? Please help us and tell the American people of all ages that our schools
need to keep music, arts, and special classes in them. This on one left behind program for the children
is not a great idea, and it hurts other children in the classroom, and not letting the teacher teach
each child what they need.

So I am speaking to you, they cried, as I heard them in my sleep.
Please listen to us, for we are the children of the future of the world, and of America.
As we speak out to you we are having trouble learning in our schools.
It is not the teacher’s fault, but that of our government who makes us test all the time, so they do not
have the time to teach us what we need to learn and do. Hear our voices as we speak loud.
Stop this no kid left behind, and bring back special classes for those in need, so they can learn
their own level and not hurt the ones ahead of them.
For this is what we need to learn and how to use our brains from pre K to the 8th grade is very important age.
Then when we get to high school we will be ready for the classes that will help us get us into a great college
Offering of many scholarship to the children that had came far. So fight for us, they cried; I heard all the children
in America and even the ones of the world, for not only are our children suffering, but so are children in other countries.

Reach out to them, I pray for my grandchildren are and for the teacher who teach each child. For they also
Suffer due to the lack of pay and the government not even caring. Each teacher feels for the child knowing that
the funds will not come to help.
They see the world suffering and want to see peace, so why not listen to the cries of the children for just once
in their life and speak out to our government. Or do you let them drown in paper as you did in storm waters,
made by the hurricanes, and floods? Is this going to be how our government is for the rest of time?
Ann Davis Tuton
@10-3-2007





When I wrote this I never knew about this site, One says they get goose bumps when they play America, I do to, but I also get mad, to see a child, or an elderly, disable person not get the care they need because of insurance will not cover them. This medicare medication program is a joke, and if you talk about God in school, you can go to jail if your a teacher. So or we really free, I don't think so, not at all. We or the right wing parties puppets and they will come into your home and search it anytime they want.







carol narick (222) 		Saturday December 29, 2007, 3:37 am
SOOO WRITTEN WITH HOPE AND SOO MANY FEEL THE SAME, THANKS FOR SHARING-BLESSINGS ALWAYS....

Francois Aigeldinger (384) 		Saturday December 29, 2007, 4:40 am
Thanks for sharing - There is still hope for an America we like - all those who love righteousness and the human rights being practiced, all those who like true democracy - we fight this same fight we stand as a hope for so many oppressed ones... - let us go on. Thanks for sharing such a hope!

Dove N. (195) 		Saturday December 29, 2007, 7:38 am
THANK YOU CATE! In light of the nature of this writing I felt compelled to post this here as well.

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chilliest land
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Emily Dickinson

Carol S. (120) 		Saturday December 29, 2007, 8:19 am
It IS extremely difficult to not be numbingly cynical, especially of all that has transpired in these past almost 8 blood-soaked years, and equally it is difficult to not be skeptical of those who claim the complete ability to turn it all around once elected.

Our country has been beaten down, people have little Hope...but they refuse to give up, I have Hope in them, in myself. We cannot afford to just sit still and grumble - PLEASE TAKE ACTION: Help others, do all the best for yourself, your loved ones, & your neighbors, ...and don't allow the past to cloud your future paths.

Thanks, Cate

Asma Sufi (34) 		Saturday December 29, 2007, 10:48 am
Years ago it was a treat to be able to visit the US and meet friends one met there but now lurks a fear and distrust how would I be treated as a Muslim from Pakistan, so one settles for emails..what has become of that once great nation called the US of A!

Kathleen R. (515) 		Saturday December 29, 2007, 2:06 pm
THANK YOU - I LOVE this and feel the same way!!!!
Oh, & I also LOVED dear Kurt Vonnegut!!

Hineraukura N. (114) 		Saturday December 29, 2007, 3:17 pm
It is entirely possible... I pray for you at this New Year that the memory of all you have witnessed, endured & lost to become Light & joy in your heart,
to celebrate the memories & the lessons, to celebrate your wisdom, your strength & endurance... that you allow the abundance of Love & Light to grow in your heart, to have faith in the heart of humanity... know that the tide is turning, we are all working towards & will Live in Peace...thank you for all that you do, bless you!

Michael C. (219) 		Saturday December 29, 2007, 4:45 pm
Right on Cate! I feel what you are saying. Good job.

Dar D. (188) 		Saturday December 29, 2007, 4:45 pm
The one constant in the Universe, is "Change", so with that..."Hope" will forever thrive. Negative influences and energies plague many areas all over this world. One must use great caution to not absorb it within themselves...
This is not an easy task, when one is often living and fighting through it.

The corruption of governments and world failures were here, before us, and they will be here, after we leave this lifetime. However, mankind will see and experience many changes over the next 10 to 20 years.

You have worked hard, Cate, and so have many others...., and that is the best anyone can do, as a service to mankind. Please remember the service to self, too. Your trilogy of Mind, Body, and Soul...should be maintained in balance. Your great Light within is your connection to the Divine Light of One and to us All. Always hold strong to your Faith, Hope, and Love. It is of us All, and others will carry you in it, when you are weak. No worry, No harm.

"Detachment" is so necessary in fighting strong negative energy on this planet. Negative energy will drain you of hope and fester negative feelings within the human mind. I wish there was a way to get the other 40% of Americans that didn't vote in the last two elections to the polls, next November.

This has been a huge failure of this nation, and cause of many open doors to corruption. "We the people" should not only mean...60% on election day. Separation of "business and state" can't be won with 60% of the people. Both large parties are guilty of corporate political campaign contributions that counter many efforts of the