Two things on my mind lately are...the health and well-being of our society especially future generations who are not yet able to vote, and my book (the message behind it) on a peaceful recovery from sexual child abuse.
Joe Biden's, “Violence Against Women Act,” signed into public law by President Bill Clinton in 1994 could have saved me if it had been enacted seven years prior, when my mother first started being beaten by my former stepfather. Had it been a crime, then, mom may have had more courage, and the support of lawmakers to bring her and her family into safety. Instead, the abuses continued, and it continued with me. For many years I was witness to my mother's beatings, and in private I was raped and emotionally tormented by my stepfather.
Barack Obama, my pick to be our next president voted for a bill, so I hear, to get age-appropriate sex-education for K-12 into public schools. I didn't receive the education about unsafe touch until I was in third grade, when I was eight years old. What my teacher taught us was unspecific, and had to do with strangers who might abduct us at school and in no way educated us on our feelings sexually, and I did have sexual feelings at the time. It was the age my stepfather started his assaults on me, even though his harassment had begun when we first moved in with him when I was five years old. The fear and violence of the household made it very challenging to determine that anything was wrong. You see, that's how violence happens, abuses happen, and keep happening. There is a sort of trickery, a sort of distortion of reality that goes on. The reality becomes the abuse, the abuse becomes the norm, and the violence is allowed to go on and on and on.
In my case it didn't end until sixth grade when I finally received sex-education and I told mom that I had been abused. None of my parents wanted to talk to me about sex. How could they? We have made sex and sexuality such a forbidden subject, yet big corporations use it in advertising in order to manipulate us into getting us to buy buy buy. And it's a sure win almost every time. We know the power of sex in our lives; it's how we all got here (unless you are a worm or a one-cell organism). My thought, just as it is Obama's is that the people of theU.S.A.
Shame, guilt and fear are exercised too much in our country, and it has been under the Bush Administration, and under the influence of extremists pushing their view of reality on the collective. We all have extreme views over things, and that's why we need leaders that will allow our free expressions, and will voice themselves with intelligence, insight and loving-kindness against acts that indiscriminately violate our constitutional rights under common law, and under the laws of our constitutional amendments.
Joe Biden's, “Violence Against Women Act,” signed into public law by President Bill Clinton in 1994 could have saved me if it had been enacted seven years prior, when my mother first started being beaten by my former stepfather. Had it been a crime, then, mom may have had more courage, and the support of lawmakers to bring her and her family into safety. Instead, the abuses continued, and it continued with me. For many years I was witness to my mother's beatings, and in private I was raped and emotionally tormented by my stepfather.
Barack Obama, my pick to be our next president voted for a bill, so I hear, to get age-appropriate sex-education for K-12 into public schools. I didn't receive the education about unsafe touch until I was in third grade, when I was eight years old. What my teacher taught us was unspecific, and had to do with strangers who might abduct us at school and in no way educated us on our feelings sexually, and I did have sexual feelings at the time. It was the age my stepfather started his assaults on me, even though his harassment had begun when we first moved in with him when I was five years old. The fear and violence of the household made it very challenging to determine that anything was wrong. You see, that's how violence happens, abuses happen, and keep happening. There is a sort of trickery, a sort of distortion of reality that goes on. The reality becomes the abuse, the abuse becomes the norm, and the violence is allowed to go on and on and on.
In my case it didn't end until sixth grade when I finally received sex-education and I told mom that I had been abused. None of my parents wanted to talk to me about sex. How could they? We have made sex and sexuality such a forbidden subject, yet big corporations use it in advertising in order to manipulate us into getting us to buy buy buy. And it's a sure win almost every time. We know the power of sex in our lives; it's how we all got here (unless you are a worm or a one-cell organism). My thought, just as it is Obama's is that the people of the
Shame, guilt and fear are exercised too much in our country, and it has been under the Bush Administration, and under the influence of extremists pushing their view of reality on the collective. We all have extreme views over things, and that's why we need leaders that will allow our free expressions, and will voice themselves with intelligence, insight and loving-kindness against acts that indiscriminately violate our constitutional rights under common law, and under the laws of our constitutional amendments.
We need leaders who will be able to share, to listen, and to work together with other countries in order to empower and motivate our own. The only way to end the wars in the world is to build bridges of solidarity, brotherly-sisterly love, compassion (listening to the suffering of others and ourselves) and letting go of the views that make us separate, make us fight, make us angry and hurt inside.
I want leaders in this country who will end war. Who will make peace and begin to reverse the destruction we have caused the planet. Prevent the drilling of the arctic, and other sacred, pristine places that define the integrity and preciousness of life, in which we claim to defend. Invest in innovative plans to make our country interdependent with other nations, not independent. Because independent is more of the same, is lies, is corruption of our very nature. We depend on all life-forms: Plant, mineral, animal and vegetal for our well-being, for our life.
Some may think, “I don’t even vote—it’s between the lesser of two evils.” Yes, indeed it is, but please, I beg of you, VOTE! People have suffered, and have died for the right to vote—women and men of all shapes, sizes, ages, ancestry and creeds throughout history. Your vote does count. The lesser of two evils is the path on the right direction. No one can rule our heart. But we can listen. And we can help those in leadership positions to listen too.
I want leaders in this country who will end war. Who will make peace and begin to reverse the destruction we have caused the planet. Prevent the drilling of the arctic, and other sacred, pristine places that define the integrity and preciousness of life, in which we claim to defend. Invest in innovative plans to make our country interdependent with other nations, not independent. Because independent is more of the same, is lies, is corruption of our very nature. We depend on all life-forms: Plant, mineral, animal and vegetal for our well-being, for our life.
Some may think, “I don’t even vote—it’s between the lesser of two evils.” Yes, indeed it is, but please, I beg of you, VOTE! People have suffered, and have died for the right to vote—women and men of all shapes, sizes, ages, ancestry and creeds throughout history. Your vote does count. The lesser of two evils is the path on the right direction. No one can rule our heart. But we can listen. And we can help those in leadership positions to listen too.
No candidate is going to be perfect, no country is going to be perfect, and none of us are going to be perfect either. It depends on what your “perfect” is. If your “perfect” is working toward freedom, responsibility and liberty for all, who is the candidate for you? If your “perfect” is working toward love, harmony and beauty who is the candidate for you? That is the question.
I’ve already told you my answer.
I work at a domestic abuse shelter for women and children in Roxbury. I really applaud your courage to talk about such a personal issue affecting so many. You are no doubt an inspiration to innumerable of abuse survivors who have yet to learn how to use their voices.
ReplyDeleteI wish you continued peace and strength.