History, Gardening, Dinner and Democracy--All Mashed Together

Warning: I'm waxing philosophically here...could get deep....
I garden. Yes, its a verb, not just, I have a garden. I've enjoyed gardening since childhood, having grown up in a family that had farmers on both sides and an uncle(Mike) who owned 5 lots, 4 of which were garden plots. I remember going to his home and "helping" by pulling up the carrots and picking the tomatoes and enjoying other stuff like the the rich smell of carrots and turnips just out of the earth always excited me...go figure. 
During this time, I remember people complaining about the differences between real and "store bought" produce. My uncle was of the opinion that the "company" farms( i.e., not small family farms) were "manipulating " the plants so they could grow all year long even tho that wasn't normal. Most people just sort of laughed at Uncle Mike behind his back--see he was old fashioned and just really didn't understand about "progress".
Well, as we now know, that's basically what happened. I was reading an article about the tomato and how, in the 70's, the agriculture corporations came out with a "season-less" tomato. Did it taste like a tomato? No, but their idea was to flood the market, marvel at being able to have tomatoes, cheaply, all year round...and in a decade, no one would really remember what "real" tomatoes tasted like and the agra-businesses would make money. 

 

This is a Genovese Costulo tomato, the one on the right is a Brandywine. Not a perfect round sphere, but oh so luscious, who needs pretty when you have taste?


So...it sounded like something that would work, and it did for many a year, but most people who grew up with real tomatoes remembered the sweet, juicy treat and dreamed of the summer days when the deep red fruit was available...maybe a plant on the balcony, maybe one of the small family farm kiosks that are available in some towns, but they remembered.
So, now, go to the present. Not only are Farmer's Markets in every town, but they're packed with people looking for those summer treats that are full of flavor! They've become fluent in the language of tomato--heirlooms, determinant, indeterminate, Box Car Willie, Lunch Box, Brandywine, Genovese are all well known adjectives and pronouns rather than just Big Boys and Early Girls. The consumer has gone even farther by growing their own, demanding organic and wanting to know which products are GMO or not! So, in other words, the citizens are debunking the corporations ideas and, if not winning, making a dent in the idea that people will just settle for what we shove at them.
Also, because of my gardening, we eat a lot more "fresh" stuff--no canned tomatoes for this family, nosireebob, when I'm cooking, I have fresh tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squash, herbs, spices...but this does mean a bit more work for me. I mean it is easier to just open a can and throw it in. No weeding, no seeding, no waiting. Right now, between par-boiling tomatoes to make sauces, I'm roasting peppers, slicing up squash, freezing peppers. Also, giving some of it away, to friends, to our church(we have a summer program about sharing your gardening "wealth") and not doing it just because I'm overwhelmed by the bounty(I've got about 2 gallons of tomato sauce at this time and I've roasted at least 40 peppers), but because its good to share and to give to others that have less than you. Yes, its a bit messier than just going to the supermarket, which more and more is looking like SlaveMart, but its a much more satisfying feeling.

 
 Yes, two of my 80% home grown meals--stuffed peppers and a tomato/mac dish. The only added ingredients that were bought? Ground beef and cheese for one, a chicken breast, whole grain pasta and cheese for the other.



So, how does this warp into democracy? We have been forced into this political farce by big bidness buying the republicon crazies, who, since Reagan, have made government the "bad guy". We've been taught that we shouldn't have a War on Poverty or a Great Society, both of which did take a bite out of being poor, but that being poor is criminal...while giving more and more of the People's wealth to the corporate sluts. We've allowed the greed of human nature to become honorable position, unless, of course, it may truly affect us(like those teabaggers that carry signs, "Keep your gov't hands off my Medicare!", kinda sad when people don't know that Medicare is a Government program, eh?).
Education funding is cut, but more money sent to the War Industry and the Prison Industry. Republicons try to cut food stamps by billions of dollars, while giving twice that amount to the agra-business whores who do lap dances for them. We are told that this evil president has made the deficit so much worse...without most of the media yelling, "LIARS!" at the top of their lungs(since the deficit has shrunk faster under President Obama than the last 3 or 4 Republican presidents. But, most of the media has also been bought by the corporate whores who own most of the media, so why would they turn away from the golden idol?
Its time we, the American people, stand up and take a real look at what is happening. We did it with food, an important ingredient of life and we need to do the same with democracy...another sweet luscious fruit of an earlier generation. Its time to learn the lessons of being somewhat old fashioned...and remembering that we are the Government, we are the ones that fire the Government representatives, but we need to spend time to educate ourselves on what is happening and what is important, not just what the sound bytes tell us. Yes, soundbytes are easy, but they just aren't as satisfying as the truth and compassion for your fellow human being. 

SCOTUS Gives us tidbits and takeths away Chunks of Liberty and Law

Yes, the Supreme Court found parts of DOMA unconstitutional...this means that if a state recognizes Marriage Equality, the United States will also, allowing gay partners both the burdens and benefits of marriage(income tax, inheritance, property, social security/Medicare, insurance benefits, etc.), but this is only in 13 states. SCOTUS did not find the whole law unconstitutional which means that if a couple are married in Iowa, but move to Indiana due to job or other circumstances, they lose their rights...which is completely against the Constitution's direction of equal liberty which is protected by the Fifth Amendment. But you'd never know that, watching the corporate media. First, let me be very clear. I am happy that SCOTUS did this much, that gay couples receive the same benefits as my husband and I do and I also believe that SCOTUS should have thrown out the whole law and made it clear that if I get married in IL, that marriage should be recognized in IN, whether its between consenting opposite genders or the same gender. Some figures I've thrown together...using the stat that gays are approximately 9-10% of the populace and that 13 states honor marriage equality, that roughly comes to about one quarter of the country, then that drops the actual "equality" of being able to see your loved one in the hospital to only 2-3% of gay couples....and that's not very equal...or even moral.
BUT I also believe that Roberts left this for last so he'd have cover for some of the other very corporate/racist...yes even on the brink of fascist decisions coming out of this court.
So, what am I basing this statement on? Read on:
First the Voting Rights Act demolition. Please remember that this law was reaffirmed in 2006 under George Bush overwhelmingly(98-0 in Senate, over 400 ayes in the House) and kept the more stringent sights of the DOJ on 9 states that have been known for their inability to play fair consistently(Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Virginia). The Act was written(in 1965), to address the entrenched racial discrimination in voting rights across the country and banned any "standard, practice or procedure" that resulted "in a denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen to vote on account of race or color", and although this part applies nationwide, Section 4 addressed only parts of the country, those states that required literacy "tests" or other discriminating requirements to be able to register to vote. Section 5 states that voting procedures cannot take place unless the DOJ approves these changes. This part of the law was to expire in 5 years, but has been reauthorized several times, always with a large majority of congress backing the extension.
Now, the Roberts court comes to a decision that POOF! its unconstitutional. And think the Congress should rewrite Section 4...yes, this congress, the one that's voted to overturn ObamaCare 38 times, voted to take away reproductive choices and other rights of women over 300 times and not one vote on jobs/economy/etc.  They want the republicon controlled do nothing but whine congress to fix the Voting Acts Rights. And I do agree that this should be fixed, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana(all under teabaggercon control) have done the same shit as Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, but I truly doubt our ability to fix it at this time...so, The People lose. Oh..and of the 9 states that are involved, 6 of them already have legislation in the works to radically limit people's ability to vote.  Racists 1, We the People 0.
Speaking of racists, there are 2 other decisions that go for racists/bigots: VANCE v. BALL STATE UNIVERSITY is dealing with workplace harassment of a black woman by a white woman, who did have a higher job title, but was not her supervisor. Now, I'm not very sure about the validity of the case, it seemed that there was a personality issue between the two women, rather than overt racism(although the white woman could have known how far to take it without calling the other woman names), but the court ruled that as long as an employer did something about the harassment(as in tell one to play nice, I guess), and as long as the harasser could not hire/fire the person that was being harassed, it wasn't really an issue...again, looking at this case, I don't think it warranted a Supreme Court Decision, but then taking a "bad" case just to affirm less workplace remedies for employees wouldn't be below the Roberts court. Bigots/Corporations 2/1, We The People 0.
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER v. NASSAR Again, we have discrimination, this time religious and national origin. The plaintiff, Dr. Nassar(hired in 1995) alleges that he was a victim of harassment by a supervisor(although not his immediate supervisor), Dr. Levine(hired in 2004). He being Arab and Muslim, she being Jewish and...Jewish; Dr. Levine going so far as to say, "Middle Easterners are lazy" and other blatantly bigoted comments. Dr. Nassar went to the head of the department, Dr. Fisk< and reported this and, in the end, negotiated a settlement that he would only work in the hospital, he would not teach classes(which is where Dr.Levine had the most control). Dr. Fisk decided that Dr. Nassar had aired his grievances too publicly and had hurt Dr. Levine's reputation and forced the hospital to refuse to hire Dr. Nassar. Now, Dr. Nassar won his suit in the lower courts, but SCOTUS again decided in favor of discrimination because, although they did not disagree that Dr. Levine was, in fact, a bigot and causing a hostile work environment, she had nothing to do with him losing the hospital job. Bigots/Corporations 3/2, We the People 0.
Also, FISHER V. U of T-AUSTIN: Ms. Fisher was not  selected for placement at UT-Austin and decided it was because of race, not other facts such as that she did not score as high on placement. In Texas, public colleges allow the top 10% of all high schools placement. In the year that Fisher applied, there were over 29,000 applicants for under 8000 seats. Texas' placement procedure is 2 pronged, first the top 10% of all high schools, a holistic metric of the individual student which includes grades, leadership and work experience, extracurricular activity, adversity the student has come through and, since 2004, race is included in this metric. This is what Ms. Fisher attacked; she did not measure up in grades(and within this criteria, she not only placed under 10% in her school, but many of the minority high school applicants).
Now, being fair, Texas' demographics in 2010 census showed that its population broke down, racially, as such: 45% white, 37% Hispanic, 12% African American. The University's population? 77% White, 17% Hispanic and 4.5% African American...Hmm, doesn't seem so bad for white folks, eh?
So, Ms. Fisher goes through the 2 lower courts and is denied by both courts, saying that the school did not base solely on race, the school's were doing the right thing. SCOTUS? Well, they did not affirm Ms. Fisher's claim, just decided that the lower courts did not scrutinize this race business well enough and threw it back to the Appeals court, where, it can be decided in the same manner and go back up to SCOTUS or the Appeals court can decide the way SCOTUS wants them to...and, no I didn't read Thomas' dissent...AKA a waste of paper. Bigots 4, We The People 0.
And let's not forget about drugs, no the real drug problem in America is MUTUAL PHARMACEUTICAL CO. v. BARTLETT involving generic drugs, you know the ones that all insurance companies require or you pay extra? Well, the "extra" for formulary just may have gotten cheaper, if you value your life. In this case, the Supreme Court concluded that generic drugs do not have to make the buyer beware of side effects if the side effects were discovered after the drug has entered into the generic market. So, we consumers must not only read all of the crap inside the box, but then go to the original medications website and check that? And that's good legal reasoning????  Corporations 3, We the People 0.
So, all in all, you can get married in 13 states if you are gay, but you can still be discriminated against in all 50 for being gay, female, of different color, of different religious preference and SCOTUS has limited those remedies...and if you end up getting ill from all of this crap? Don't take generic medication cuz SCOTUS decided that generics have the right to kill or maim you without discretion....lovely....
When the fuck is Alito and Scalia retiring?????