In Which Amy Takes a Stand... (Read this...) (Myspace Blog)

I know this post will be controversial. I know you may not agree with me at all. And that is ok. I love the fact that you and I can have separate opinions and share them... and agree to disagree. I also love the fact that I finally get an opportunity to show hija, and all the other children to whom I have said 'Back your shit up', exactly what it looks like to do so. (Note: some link names have been shortened... so if you copy the address, make sure you follow the link and copy the actual address)

A very big thing has happened in this world of ours... a turning of a page, perhaps. Saddam Hussein. Hanged. And the world watched it on YouTube... and laughed.

I have to preempt any sort of speculation right away - I am adamantly in disagreement with the Death Penalty. I do not agree with Capital Punishment. I do not believe that we have any more right to take away a life than anyone else does. I actually think the Death Penalty is barbaric... and inhumane. I accept that there are many who disagree with me... I am not seeking someone to change my mind, nor am I trying to change yours.

This particular execution is extremely chilling to me. There are so many reasons why. First, because of the facts that point to an injust trial: including only 4 days between loss of appeal and execution, that there was another, ongoing trial for crimes of far more sevarity, and the many flaws in the trial in which Hussein was sentenced to die.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36028
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/12/30/iraq14950.htm
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1885354,00050004.htm

Second, because this potential misuse of the budding Iraqi judicial system was APPLAUDED by our government's highest representative as a "fair trial", even while other government officials questioned the speed at which the sentence was carried out.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/01/world

Third, for the fact that Saddam Hussein was hanged, which has the potential to be a very inhumane way to be executed if done improperly. To be fair, part of this is based on the fact that I do not, in any circumstance, support the death penalty. I believe that it is inhumane in its inherence.

http://deathpenaltyinfo.msu.edu/c/about/methods/hanging.htm

Fourth, and I think this may be the most chilling to me, for the truth of the human response to this act. It is so chilling to me, that I cannot even find words to express it. The facts speak for themselves.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/30/AR2006123000743.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/01/world/middleeast/
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-woiraq0101,0,3647273.story?coll=ny-top-headlines

We live in a country which glorifies violence in response to violence, even while condemning it. It is the way. However, there is a worldwide movement expressing concern over the Death Penalty... and I agree. Governments, nor people, have the right, ever, to take the life of a person in response to their crimes.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3346225,00.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/30/world/europe/30cnd-react.html

I strongly believe in the sanctity of human rights, to which I add the banishment of the Death Penalty. I feel that I must end this blog post with the UN recognized "Universal Statement of Human Rights". Granted, it does not speak out against Capital Punishment... but I believe that it should.

http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

In Which Amy Talks about Traveling for the Holiday... (Part 2) (Myspace Blog)

02 Jan 2007 00:19

In Which Amy Talks about Traveling for the Holiday... (Part 2) (Myspace Blog)

This is the continuation of a previous post... so if you haven't read (Part 1) you should do so... Christmas morning. My mother wakes Beth and I up screeching at 7 am... (that is 5 am my time, just in case you were wondering!...) "Girls!!!" (screech) "Get up girls!" (screech) "We have to hurry and eat breakfast and go so hurry up!" (screech). Not that I mind... ok. I'm lying. I minded. The kids could wait an extra hour to open presents... /I/ was tired. So breakfast, shower, lots of Earl Grey (Thank God for emergency shopping trips, even if they /are/ to Walmart, which I hate and refuse to shop at based on their lack of affordable benefits for their employees and their aggressive anti-union stance...) and an hour later, we are on our way. And the entirety of the Holen family estrogen squad meets at Marianne's house. Chaos. Beautiful, loving chaos. Kids running, screaming in delight over stocking and in anticipation of presents... Bustle in the kitchen baking crescent rolls and breakfast dishes... Cameras flashing, rustles of paper, sharp cries of 'Don't you open that yet!' Chaos. Pat and Nick are excited to not have to play Santa, and the job is delegated to the next generation of nephews... James and Nathan get a turn. Of course, they lose interest quickly, and, not knowing any of us, give me Bethy's gift and have no idea who Lizzie is, and Pat and Nick end up taking over again. It was wonderful. Lovely. Perfect. And passed far too quickly. The next day is Monday, traveling day. But first, family pictures. It is a rare thing for all the girls to be home for the holidays together, so pictures it is. (You can see some of them on my pictures' page...) Then a quick pack trip, a quick email to every family member with a nah-ne nah-ne to the boys that missed out, and into the car we go. I am the first to drive, being daylight and all. I experience my first round-about (apparantly these are very big in New England and Great Britain...) and lots of back roads to get onto I-20. I drive until dusk, when we stop for dinner at a Cracker Barrel somewhere in Mississippi or Louisiana, I think. This is important, so I'll say it again... Cracker Barrel. Thus beigns the nightmare portion of the trip. Dark, cant sleep, toss and turn. Anna and I try Serenity again... and if I cup my hands around my eyes just right, then I can't see the movement of the lights outside. This time, I actually manage to finish the movie with only a headache. But I toss and turn... and Beth is driving. I hope I talked about Beth driving in (Part 1)... I get a headache and my stomach rolls just thinking about talking about Beth driving... AND I got sent to the very back of the car beause it was dark and I hadn't taken my turn. Needless to say, the feeling good thing was out the window. 2 am we arrive in Dallas to drop Beth off, and noone listens when I say that Jim and Erin were expecting us to stop by... and I don't care enough to say it again. I half sleep my way through the night, and finally it is morning and I am tired and grumpy and achey and we are in Abilene... and /everyone/ is tired and grumpy and achey and Mom says "I want Cracker Barrel for breakfast." The groans and sighs abound. Pat makes a comment and the flag is thrown, it is official - the battle begins. We don't find a Cracker Barrel, and ended up eating at McDonalds (yet another place that I refuse to frequent based upon their treatment of employees and militant anti-union stance...). Funny how my morals go out the window... I don't say a word against their choice of meal at all. The rest of the trip is Pat making comments at Mom and Mom making comments at Pat and everyone else and I am texting Stephen saying "Only 300 more miles...." and trying to sleep and it is all a blur. BUT - The clear spot in the blur is Mom saying "Amy, when we get home you are going to sleep before you drive the rest of the way to your house, right?" and me saying "No, I'm going right home" and thinking "I cannot be around these people for another minute without exploding into little tiny bits hell no I'm not staying another night!" Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my family.... just consider the circumstances. So home to Mom's... pack my car, then home to my house. Bed. I want bed. I feel like I haven't slept in a week (sleeping on the floor and not sleeping in a car will do that, I guess...) and I just want my bed. It takes me some time to recover... but I do. So, a wonderful, well worth it trip, and only 28 hours in the car this time. Would I do it again? Absolutely. And that jumps me to New Years. On which I did nothing. I love the fact that I am allowed to avoid acknowledging the holidays in my own house.

In Which Amy Wants to Remember... (Myspace Blog)

Here are some things that I really want to remember about this holiday:

* Erin and her tiny baby belly. I think its a girl... I'm pretty sure.

*Outside of Marianne's house, Nikki walks up to me and leans against me and says... "Aunt Amy... you have a smell." Is it a nasty old lady smell? no. It is a good smell then? yes. Is it distinctive? yes. Will she smell it forever and identify it as my smell? yes. She says it is not the patchouly of my hair, or the lavender of my clothes... but ME. My smell. I have a smell.

*Wrapping presents with Marianne and Matt and talking. I miss talking with her... and she called me her best friend. I miss talking with her... I spilled my guts about current situations and it was nice... she was supportive... and I miss talking to her...

*Meeting Nathan and Ian for the first time... and the rest of the trip wherever we walk, Nathan reaches to hold my hand. I like Heathers' boys.

*The old rusty lawn chair hidden in the woods... and the hour I sat in it listening to the quiet and having alone time. Nice.

*Fuzzy vines mean poison ivy... and they really are fuzzy!

*Hide and Seek in the dark, but it is way too scary to play. I hide under the car and I am the first person Pat finds. That means I'm it... but I know everyone will hide in the darkest parts of the yard, so Matt offers to hunt with me. He actually does all the work, but I can pretend that I was it.

*Heart to heart with Mom... and I don't really like what she has to say, but it is valuable anyway. I'm so grateful that she cares enough to tell me things that are not so fun to hear.

*Lizzie comes to Matt and Marianne's house... and it is the first time I have seen her since she went into the military. She is not a little girl anymore.

*Sleeping on the floor... I really really miss my kids... and I'm homesick. Georgia is pretty, but I don't think it is a place that I want to live.

In Which Amy Talks about Traveling for the Holiday... (Part 1) (Myspace Blog)

So, this is part 1 of my holiday extravaganza! No... there is no part 2 yet... because part 2 hasn't happened yet. It will, starting tomorrow morning, when kids scream and throw themselves on presents... yeah.. you know how xmas morning looks.

So, the original plan was for me to leave on Yule... AFTER a circle with my coven. I was going to take laundry and other things, drop mi hija with her father, and pack at my moms' house. Circle at 7... plenty of time. Right? Right...

I don't actually make it to the circle. I don't actually make it to mi hijas fathers' house until 10... and my moms' until 11. Then laundry... 2 loads that won't dry. We are supposed to leave at 5 am... at 4 am I am dozing on the couch trying desperately to finish the laundry so I can pack, eyes red rimmed and tired... and 6 shots of Baileys Irish Cream in me. (Mom did it...I walk in and she says 'Have some!' and how the hell am I supposed to say no to that? Just because she went to bed and left me to drink them alone means nothing, I swear...) My lips were nice and numb.

Eventually laundry gets done and I shower and there is only time to rush rush rush and weren't we supposed to leave at 5? Maybe... but we ACTUALLY leave at 6:30... after I am told that 2 suitcases is too many and am forced to shove all my stuff into 1. Tight squeeze, but my nephew sits on it and we manage.

The plan is to make it to Dallas to pick up sister 3, see brother 2 and sister in law on day 1 (9 hours), then drive overnight into Georgia on day 2 (12 hours). Somehow, it doesn't seem to work that way.

Day 1 -So we leave, and it is fun, and exciting, and I am looking out the window... and by mile 250 I am wishing that I had brought my charcoals and a sketch pad (note to self: never go on a trip without your charcoals and a sketch pad!) and by mile 350 I am bored. We watch 1/2 of the movie Serenity before Amy gets sick. Like turning green sick. Pull over and puke sick. Ihatecars sick. We stop for lunch. Amy does not get to finish the movie, which upsets her, because she really really wants to. We finally get into Dallas 12 hours later. I wont detail the rest of that day, as it involved lots of laughing at Amy for being sick, and lots of Amy trying /not/ to be sick. Seeing brother and sister in law was so fun and perfect... and makes me miss them even more.

Day 2 - I drive in the early hours of the morning for a bit. Fun.. but it is dark and the road feels like it is coming out of nowhere, there is fog that falls from the sky, and the trees are dark and creepy at the side of the road. I can't think about it too hard without scaring myself. BUT - I go through 3 new states... Louisiana, and Mississippi, and Alabama. I seem to have an ongoing love affair with a restuarant called 'The Waffle House'. I see them every 2 miles or so.... the are following me in the dark. Really. Then breakfast time (not at Waffle House... they are stalking me...) and I'm done with my stint of driving.

Next Sister 3 drives.... and I get so so sick. She drives like she has to in Dallas... aggressive, quick movements that jerk us across lanes. No that this is bad... but I spend the rest of the trip asleep in a desperate attempt to avoid having to pull over to puke. I wake, she changes lanes, I turn green and promptly fall back asleep. My music is pounding in my ears to try to cover sounds of conversation that might keep me concious. Everytime I wake I groan and ask where we are... the car turns a corner, I groan again and turn green and fall back asleep. My nephew thinks this is the most amusing thing ever.

After getting lost, we make it to Georgia and the hotel by 1... (17 hours). They have a treadmill! yay! And I run a mile to make up for the fact that I have sat on my tush for the last 31 hours. A mile is all I can do... I am dragging so. I meet 1 nephew that I hadn't before, saw one that I hadn't seen since he was two, and hugged sisters that I haven't seen since mi hijo was an infant. Dinner at family's house and I am beat beat beat by 8. We get back to the hotel and I am asleep before my mom stops talking.

Wake next morning for breakfast, and go for a run with said nephew, who is 15 and thinks that all people should have the energy and stamina to run like him. I am dragging... so tired that I can't think. Plus I'm old. Which means he teases me about being slow and not keeping up. I think we managed a mile before I was stick-a-fork-in-me done. Everyone else went to go shopping... all I want is a nap. So I go to sleep... and my sisters have to go to the front desk to get a key because I do not wake up to answer the door. or the phone. or the hollering outside the window. I dont actually wake until my nephew is tickling my feet. (which I hate)

Then the afternoon with family and kids is spent playing and cooking and making candy and my baby sister gets there! and /all/ of the girls are in the same place so lets take pictures! and wrap presents and talktalktalk and hide and seek in the dark, but I am too scared to play long because it is so DARK! And there are monsters... BUT I now know what poison ivy looks like.

So, tonight Santa comes to Georgia. Amy wakes early... and part two begins.

Happy Holidays!

I miss my babies!