Anti-vaxxers are selfish and ignorant.

I recently saw an anti-vaccination meme on Facebook that declared polio and smallpox weren't defeated by vaccinations, but by 'improved nutrition and hygiene.'

Speechless.

Seriously.

The sheer depth, breadth, and span of the ignorance it would take to believe this is bigger than the solar system. Probably even bigger than the local galactic cluster.

Science education in this country has been gutted of all content, usefulness, and accuracy. We have given in to assorted anti-intellectual groups to the point where there is no longer valid science education in American schools. Instead of the facts as science currently knows them, we have removed anything that might offend the "Christian" extremists. We have also, thanks to that 'no child left behind' garbage, dumbed all education down to the lowest common denominator.

In short, we are on the exact same path that lead the Middle East from being the forerunner of science and medicine into the mess it is today.

Only someone who has never been taught the scientific method of turning a hypothesis into a theory could possibly believe in creationism. Intelligent design also is a belief, not a theory. A scientific theory must be tested, and/or evidence - actual physical evidence - must be found that supports it.

Only someone who knows nothing of history could possibly believe that vaccinations are more harmful than the diseases they prevent. Where today are the tuberculosis sanitariums, where thousands upon thousands went to die? Where are the iron lung wards? They vanished after the vaccinations came out. We wiped smallpox off the earth, a disease that claimed millions of lives before we had a vaccine. We had nearly wiped out measles in this country - a highly contagious disease that can result in blindness, and/or deafness, or death. I myself nearly died from measles before we had that vaccine, but fortunately was left with my eyesight and my hearing.

Besides being incomparably ignorant, the anti-vaxxers are also completely devoid of the idea of civic duty. They have the currently prevalent philosophy of 'me and mine first, screw the rest of you.' They turn their little disease factories they call their children loose in the world, infecting babies who are too young for the vaccine and the people who for medical reasons (immune deficiencies or allergies) can't be vaccinated. They are using their children as biological weapons, killing and maiming innocent people. And they don't care.

Anti-vaxxers are selfish, ignorant people who have lost sight of the fact that they are not alone in the world, that what they choose can kill others. When I was a kid, parents had to provide proof of vaccinations before their children could be enrolled in school, unless they had a valid reason (Christian Scientist or medical) and had written proof. We need to bring that back. The anti-vaxxers should have to homeschool their little germ factories.

Who knows where the time goes?

I don't write in this so often for two reasons. First, I lead a dull life. Second, somehow that dull life keeps me running all day.

Here's a typical: get up at six, get ready for work. Work 7:30 to 3:30 with a lunch break (it takes me my entire break to eat my lunch). Then home. Usually we've got some kind of errand to run, after which my husband suggests we eat out. The earliest I get home is 6:30. Usually 7 or 8. I got to bed at 9. That's it. No time to knit, no time to write, no time to do any housework or enjoy my cats. I watch maybe an hour of TV and go to bed. Weekends aren't any better. I feel like a hamster on a wheel most days. So excuse me, it's now 8 pm and I have to do the kitty litter.

Agh.

Mars at last, but not for me

Several days ago, the Orion space capsule made its unmanned test flight and performed perfectly. This was the first baby step towards landing people on Mars.

I have waited 46 years for this. The first moon landing occurred when I was 15 years old. I would not be dragged away from the TV - I'm glad it was in the summer! I put my mattress there, ate my meals there, and only left to go to the bathroom. When I fell asleep I left the TV on and woke to more.

I truly believed that we'd be colonizing Mars when I was still young enough to go. The original Star Trek had just ended its run (breaking my heart) and its message that humans will pull through all their hatreds and prejudices (making the last episode truly ironic) to work together and create a real civilization still resonated through me. I honestly believed it was possible. Hey, I was 15. Now I'll admit that Star Trek looks a bit campy today, and suffered the common affliction of 1960s TV shows called the "Girl of the Week Syndrome," but at the time it was very edgy and controversial.

Anyway, the Mars program has officially begun, but here I am 61 years old. By the time they actually get people there, I'll probably be in my 70s. Well, if they decide to land a bunch of old people as expendable test subjects, I just might volunteer.

Seriously. Take me. Can I bring a cat?

So how come no one gets bent out of shape over 'Season's Greetings?'

It's December, and the "It's not Happy Holidays, it's Merry Christmas" memes are swamping Facebook, posted by (I hope, since they're my friends and family) well-meaning Christians who see this as a legitimate way to keep Christ in Christmas.

It isn't. Sorry. Arguing about semantics once a year does nothing for anyone.

Here's why it bothers me so much. First off, no one is telling you (except perhaps your boss if you work retail) to say Happy Holidays. Nobody. I have always said Merry Christmas, and no one has ever been offended by it. The rudest return I ever got was "Thanks! I don't celebrate Christmas, but you have a good one." Oh, those heathens. What rude barbarians.

I worked as a sales clerk for some years between college and graduate school, and we were told that it was store policy to say Happy Holidays. So, at work, I did. At least once a day, a customer would get in my face and snarl, "It's not Happy Holidays, it's Merry Christmas!" Or they'd sneer, "I'm a CHRISTIAN. It's Merry Christmas." My, how the Christians spread love and joy during the season of the Savior's birth.

Around once a week, one of those doing God's work on Earth would treat me to a lecture on how I was destroying Christmas and Christianity itself with those two simple words. It was plain from their body language and voice that they considered me about one step away from worshiping Satan.

It's been around 30 years since I last worked retail, but that blasted snarky "it's not Happy Holidays" meme brings back every single snarl.

Enjoy your American freedom of speech by using the Christmas greeting of your choice. And if you don't like someone else's choice, why not try practicing Christian forgiveness and just say "Thank you, you too."

Oh, those whiskey/amber eyes...

I'll admit it. I read romance novels. I am choosy, though, and do have my favorite authors. The books must be well-written with interesting characters, and I must be able to get through the first chapter without wanting to slap sense into the heroine. I enjoy them for the fantasy they are. Shoot, I've even written a couple (Blood and Moonlight and Home Again) and fully expect to write more.

Sometimes, even in the otherwise well-written ones, stuff will bug me. For instance, a lot of authors lately give the hero or heroine whiskey-colored or amber eyes. Folks, that's dark yellow. Ew. I knew a guy once who actually had that color and the effect was anything but attractive. Sorry, just doesn't work. Sounds good in print, but I visualize everything, and yellow eyes are not sexy.

Just now, I'm in the midst of reading Smoke and Mirrors, by Jayne Ann Krentz (2002). I know I can count on her for a great read with no smackable characters. One character (not, thank God, the hero or heroine) is described as having 'striking amber eyes' that the heroine finds difficult to look into. When the hero comments on them, she smiles and says, "Tinted contact lenses." They proceed to call him 'yellow-eyes' through the rest of the book.

Thank you, Ms. Krentz, for skewering that particular annoying trope.

Thoughts on the situation in Ferguson

While I support the police, this support is not unconditional. They are human. They have prejudices and hatreds and bad days just like the rest of us.

I don't know all the facts in the Ferguson situation. I do know that both the prosecuting and defense attorneys had major conflicts of interest and should have been excused. The defense's tactic of trashing the deceased's character was inexcusable. The dead can't defend themselves. Provable facts are what courts should rely on, not hearsay, might-haves, and supposition.

I believe lapel cameras that can't be turned off would be an excellent idea for all police. This would both protect the police from false accusations and protect the public from police who abuse their power.

In the case of Ferguson, I believe the actions taken by the officer in question were wrong. That boy didn't deserve to die for what the officer thought he might do. He didn't deserve to die for anything he actually did.

The riots and looting are a separate issue. I firmly support our right in this country to peaceful protest and civil disobedience. I do NOT support rioting and/or looting. From the statements coming from the actual residents of Ferguson, it appears a lot of the looting was committed by outsiders as the residents huddled in their homes. There's no way to prove it one way or the other, of course.

While race, sadly, always has a part - racial bias is still strong in this country - the biggest factor in riots like this is simply poverty. As long as the Powers That Be keep the minimum wage too low to live on, as long as they keep shipping more and more blue-collar jobs overseas, as long as they keep raising the price on a decent education, situations like this are going to become more frequent. Ignorance and poverty are soul-killers. When people see no way out, when they see the rich grabbing up more and more while they have less and less, when the rich sneer and tell people that they're poor because they're lazy and demonize them, they have nothing to lose. When the laws of the land are obviously stacked against them, they have no reason to obey them.

May the laws of karma punish the guilty and ease the pain of the victims. And may we one day see each other as fellow humans, who come in a variety of shades of brown.

Thanksgiving with friends

The husband and I had a lovely Thanksgiving at the home of our friends Peggy and Larry. I took sweet potatoes cooked in a savory way and the cranberry salad my Mom always made, and our hosts provided the rest. We are planning to reciprocate soon with a traditional Korean supper of bulgogi, a beef barbecue dish (not spicy) that my husband makes especially well. As our house is too small to entertain even 2 people, we'll be bringing it to their house.

After dinner, the men went into the family room and talked politics - having found each other kindred spirits - and the two librarians sat in the living room and discussed work and our favorite crafts. Hers is quilting and mine is knitting. We may be trading a quilt for a sweater one of these days, though both of us lament the lack of time and energy to indulge our respective fiber obsessions.

For people with sugar issues or just wanting something different to do with sweet potatoes, here's that recipe:

Garlic Basil Mashed Sweet Potatoes
(serves 6-8)
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoon basil, chopped (I used dried)
2 cloves garlic (I buy the pre-diced garlic in the jar - I figure a clove is about 1/2 teaspoon)
2-4 tablespoons (to taste) SOFTENED butter.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Boil sweet potatoes as usual (remove peels)
Mash them with the above. That's it. Easy enough for everyday, and not loaded with sugar.

Marge's Cranberry Salad
(serves 12)
1 small box red jello, any flavor. I'm partial to raspberry.
1 small orange, peeled and diced (I use kitchen scissors)
1 small apple, cored and diced.
1 rib celery, diced
1/2 package fresh cranberries, chopped (blender, add a bit of water and use pulse until they're fine enough. Then drain well)
1/2 cup sugar to taste
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or not, as you prefer)

Mix the fruit, sugar, and nuts.
Prepare the jello according to the package. When it's half-set, add fruit mixture and stir. Chill.

This can be made with Splenda and sugar-free jello if you want. Looks as good as it tastes. I took a pic with my dumbphone but can't seem to get the picture off it.

























T