American Drug War: The Last White Hope



The American Drug War: The Last White Hope, was an excellent documentary that exposed the truth about how drugs and the prison system are used to exploit an people. It comes to no surprise that our government is corrupt and doesn't care about the American people. Is the government really to blame for the drugs getting into America?

The movie  shows how money, power and greed have corrupted not just drug pushers and dope fiends, but an entire government. 35 years after Nixon started the war on drugs, we have over one million non-violent drug offenders living behind bars.

 Crack cocaine arrived in the U.S in retail quantities during the eighties and the first really successful drug lord was a guy named Freeway Ricky Ross. The man was literally called "The Wal-Mart of Drugs" who after being arrested discovered that his cocaine source had been working for the CIA. He's been made to be the boogeyman of his time and the Reagan/Bush administration triumphantly locked him up and threw away the key.

The mission of The Harm Reduction Coalition is a national advocacy and capacity-building organization that promotes the health and dignity of individuals and communities impacted by drug use. Our efforts advance harm reduction policies, practices and programs that address the adverse effects of drug use including overdose, HIV, hepatitis C, addiction, and incarceration. Recognizing that social inequality and injustice magnify drug-related harm and limit the voice of our most vulnerable communities, we work to uphold every individual’s right to health and well-being and their competence to participate in the public policy dialogue. Is it really something that could help with this ongoing drug problem  in America?

It just doesn't seems like the war on drugs can  be won as long as we have to fight our own government!!

The loss of a loved one.

The loss of a loved one is never an easy thing. Whether it is a family member or a family pet. In our family we consider our pets our children.  My kids say my lil man, Tigger, gets better treatment than they do! LOL  Tigger is my youngest "child". He is a miniature dachshund that is almost two! He makes me smile and as with all animals he gives unconditional  love! He has two other doxies in the house to play with as well as two cats. We had three but just recently lost one to an illness. King Tut was a gray tabby and loved to play with Tigger like he was a dog! The hurt and sadness people feel from loosing a pet is, in my opinion not any different from what the other animals in the home feel. In Tuts last few days with us he stayed in Tiggers bed and laid on Tiggers blanket. My lil man would not leave his side as he stayed in his bed. When Tut  finally crossed over we let Tigger and all the animals say their goodbyes as we did. Since laying Tut to rest in the back yard Tigger always goes over there. We have been keeping close watches on the animals especially Tigger since he was so close to Tut. I watch Tigger and see him mope around. I just love on him and tell him he will get to play with Tut again some day and that Tut is with the others now. We cuddle for a few minutes then he goes about playing. It is just as hard on the people who loved the animals in our lives as the other animals did. Always think of them when you loose a loved one. They have feelings too!  ♥♥♥

Donald Duck turns 80

Happy birthday to the most famous duck in town!! Donald is the world's most popular and most recognizable duck and is celebrating his 80th birthday today!! Mickey Mouse's short-tempered, feathered friend Donald Duck made his Disney debut in 1934.  Donald Duck was created, giving a creative balance to the cool, calm and collected -- and overall cheery -- personality of Mickey Mouse. Donald made his debut in a Silly Symphony cartoon titled "The Wise Little Hen," with the famous duck's signature voice originally coming from Clarence Nash, who was hired by Walt Disney to do animal sounds. 

After 50 years of bringing a voice to Disney's iconic feathered friend, Nash was succeeded by Disney artist Tony Anselmo, who still voices the famous web-footed character today. So many people love to imitate his squeaky voice! In 1984, for Donald's 50th birthday, the Walt Disney Company celebrated with a yearlong celebration, including a television special hosted by Dick Van Dyke and a cross-country tour by Nash. The yearlong celebration even included a duckling march on both coasts -- at Disneyland Park in California and Walt Disney World in Florida. I started working for Walk Disney World a few years later. I would’ve loved to have seen the marching ducklings.

While Donald is less cheery and more easily agitated than the rest of the Disney gang, he is loved by millions of fans worldwide. We have all grown up watching and laughing at Donald Duck. To this day I still get a kick out of watching Donald Duck with my grandkids on the Disney Channel and in the movies that he has been in. Some of his movies go back to 1938 in Donald’s Nephews where he went to visit Huey, Dewey, and Louie. The movie was a whole 8 minutes long!! These days’ movies are running almost 2 hours! It’s amazing how times have changed!

Moving!!!

As much as I hate moving it really shouldn't bother me as much as it does. As an Army brat we moved a lot. Not staying anywhere for more than a few years. Different bases in different states and countries! The most memorable and farthest away was Okinawa Japan. Even though I was young I can still remember the people, weather, animals we had, and my sister speaking and singing Japanese! Okinawa was the first place I ever saw a lightening bug!  Like a lot of kids we would catch them and put them into jars, watching them light up the inside! We had a German Sheppard dog named Lady Ginger who did not like the natives. Her favorite person to harass was the mailman! LOL

Moving as an adult is much different. That's probably why it was different as a child. No stress! There is so much to prepare for and to take care of. Finding a new place to go to, making sure you can transfer utility services, throwing away things you haven't looked at or touched in years, finding boxes to use for packing, packing, getting the help to move and the trucks. During this lovely process you have to keep life and the daily schedule going!!  STRESS!!!! 

Moving as an adult from one state to another is even more stressful!!! This is the kind of move I have been preparing for over the last few weeks! Months actually! I have made the decision to leave what has been my home state for more than 35 years, Florida! All of my family, kids, and grandchildren are here in Florida. I have been raised here, raised my kids here, and watched my kids raise their kids here. My life has always revolved around my kids. Now that they are all grown up and have families of their own, it's time for mommy to have a new adventure! This adventure will be taking me up north to South Carolina. I will be continuing my schooling there. It's an exciting move as well as scary! I've never been away from home but it's not too far to come back and visit. My kids, grandchildren, and family will have some beautiful country living and snow to come and visit too!!!  Life is about adventures and I'm so looking forward to this one!!

They Will Always Be Our Babies

There's nothing stronger than the bond between a mother and her child. The maternal instinct to want to help and protect that child. Keep them from the harm in the world. Teach them right and wrong, watch them grow, letting them make their mistakes and hopefully learn from them along the way. Giving advice to them as they journey to adulthood. Telling them they can't do anything you haven't already done when you were their age. Moms know everything!!! 

They say "It takes a village to raise a child" meaning that the work of  raising a child can't be done alone; rather, an entire community participates in some way. Family immediate and extended, close friends, siblings, other children they play with, and educators with many resources. I have always believed that if you tell a child not to do something they are going to do it. I always told my kids why I thought they shouldn't do something along with the consequences of them doing it. You always want to be there to help them and make their hurt or problems go away, when they do wrong, but sometimes you have to let them learn the hard way. Tough love.    

As they become adults and parents of their own the feeling of wanting to protect them is still strong. It never goes away. Seeing them face adult problems with life, you want to run to the rescue and solve the problem for them so they don't suffer.  Don't!! This is how they learn and pass that knowledge on to their children. Be there to listen and offer advice. Hold them, tell them how much you love them, tell them your thoughts and ideas, tell them again you love them and your sorry they are going through whatever it is.  There has been no greater joy than watching my children grow up, through the good and the bad, always being there when they needed me and when they didn't. Watching them raise their own children the way I raised them. Knowing they did remember some things I taught them and are now passing it on to the next generation.

Even at the ages of 29, 23, and 21 they will always be my babies!!!

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

That’s what it’s all about!! That neon sign flashing “Hot Doughnuts Now” which has been around since 1992! Watching those doughnuts being cooked on the conveyor belt! Getting them boxed up or eating them there fresh from the conveyor belt cooker! They melt in your mouth! It just makes my mouth water thinking about it!  I’d be in trouble if there was one close to my house!

Krispy Kreme opened their doors on July 13, 1937. Vernon Rudolph bought a secret yeast-raised doughnut recipe from a New Orleans French chef, rented a building in what is now historic Old Salem in Winston-Salem, NC, and began selling Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to local grocery stores. To this day the company's signature Original Glazed Doughnut has stayed the same. In 1963 hand production of the doughnuts was a thing of the past when automation took over. Today Krispy Kreme has been around for 77 years making the most amazing doughnuts!!

The bad news….There are 190 calories in 1 doughnut (1.7 oz) of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Original Glazed Doughnut, 12 Fat grams and 22 carbohydrate grams. UGH!!  It’s easy to eat two or three in a sitting with a hot cup of coffee. That’s almost half the daily intake of calories for a person.  The guilt is sometimes so worth it!!!

The Power of Love

According to Huey Lewis And The News "The Power of Love is a curious thing; Make a one man weep, make another man sing; Change a hawk to a little white dove. More than a feeling, that's the power of love".   The language of love can be spoken in many ways, but nothing ignites the emotions like a love song. A lot of people don't know how to express love verbally but can find it in a song from any genre of music. You hear that song and think "that's exactly how I feel!" It can be love in a good, positive way, love hate because a wrong was done to you or saying you're sorry. It can be an ice breaker to start a conversation about your feelings.  What a great way to communicate, with a song! 

Love is just as critical for your mind and body as oxygen. It's not negotiable. The more connected you are, the healthier you will be both physically and emotionally. The less connected you are, the more you are at risk. It is also true that the less love you have, the more depression you are likely to experience in your life. Love is probably the best antidepressant there is because one of the most common sources of depression is feeling unloved. Most depressed people don't love themselves and they do not feel loved by others. They also are very self-focused, making them less attractive to others and depriving them of opportunities to learn the skills of love.

Love can come from that special person in your life, from family or friends. It can hit you at the most unusual times, from the strangest places, and usually when you're not looking for it.  Love with all your heart, body, and soul. Accept the love and don't abuse it! Should it not work out don't ever let it keep you from trying again!!