tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30054591181674981882023-11-16T13:02:24.406-06:00Time is Always ChangingWhat is really going on with the world?Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-42358587471209317462017-08-12T23:41:00.001-05:002017-08-12T23:41:11.483-05:00We all live in Charlottesville<div dir="ltr">
While I appreciate that there are more politicians calling the act in Charlottesville terrorism, it makes me sick to my stomach to think of all the times that these politicians ignored what was happening to non-white peoples. <br />
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It is EASY to stand up to Nazis. But what about something more insidious? More difficult to explain? More alien to your friends?</div>
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Learning about how indigenous peoples are treated all over the world by listening to native Americans at Standing Rock, I have started to see how poorly we treat them. My eyes are opened further every day.<br />
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As an example, did you ever stop to think that you are standing on land that was stolen? Let that sink in.<br />
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Non-white, non-CIS, non-male, and so many more peoples are, to this day, completely and continually marginalized and ignored when they are clearly having their rights violated. Examples abound if you look.</div>
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Who got arrested at Standing Rock? People protesting a white-owned pipeline that WILL poison the drinking water of 18,000,000 people. By white police. In a white-controlled county. Because white people didn't want it in their part of the state. Is anyone there being held accountable for their treatment of our indigenous? That should have been a no brainier. Hundreds of white police and mercenaries should be rotting in prison. But nope. They all took that blood money and went back to their white homes. (I know there were other races in power there, but they were largely underrepresented and they are just as complicit. Don't believe it? Watch the tens of thousands of hours of video. Ask someone that was there).</div>
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Who was arrested in Ferguson? What race tends to live through encounters with the police? What race is overrepresented in prison? Who is getting priced out of gentrified areas?<br />
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Remember New Orleans? There were over 10,000 people stranded in the Superdome. No one even mentions it anymore.<br />
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How many non-whites were murdered by police RECENTLY? </div>
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White people in power (police, elected officials, business owners, etc.) are, largely, not helping enough, and those that look the other way all have blood on their hands. </div>
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Have you looked lately at the racial breakdown in the police department? Before you look, what race do you think it's most represented? What about Congress and the Senate? What about your town's leadership? Do representatives match the racial makeup of your city or state? Do your politicians actively speak out about racism? Xenophobia? Sexism? Misogyny? </div>
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Go through your friends, mentally. Think about who responded "white (or blue) lives matter" in response to "Black Lives Matter" and consider their "whiteness" again. Are they part of the problem or part of the solution?</div>
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Are you going to let friend and family racism stand? What about microaggressions? Will you stand up to them and let them know how that affects PoC or people that are non-CIS? Do you have the courage to tell your father that he is a racist? Can you stand up to your family at a reunion and renounce your affiliation to them because they won't accept who you love? Will you speak up in public when you see people speaking about others behind their back about their race? Can you stand up to the bullies in your school? Will you stop people that are telling racist "jokes?"</div>
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These take courage. They might get you killed in the wrong place. Would you die for the rights of someone else? </div>
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Even if you aren't ready to die for your beliefs, you can make a tiny difference; you're on the right side of history. If it's too dangerous, do something else. Get educated. Go volunteer outside your comfort zone. Watch Triumph of the Will. Support Black Lives Matter. Even if you just watch videos. Or try to subtly get others to learn more. Be a mentor. Be the change you want to see.</div>
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If you're not helping when you can in any way you can, YOU are part of the problem. Do something. Now. Make change happen. Now.<br />
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Lives depend on it.</blockquote>
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Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-28539288180914127042016-12-12T19:17:00.000-06:002016-12-12T19:17:54.774-06:00Changing the Face of Our House on Chicon StreetOver the last few weeks, we've been making some changes to the house as we've finally gotten all of the stuff out of our previous home.<br />
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One of the changes on deck is utilizing some vintage, etched glass doors rescued from a bank. We bought these almost 20 years ago and they were simply too large for us to do anything with! They sat in our garage since they were brought home.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Matt's prepping the left column for concrete</td></tr>
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On Chicon, we have an open porch and my wife loves it out there. It's where many days have been planned and plots have been hatched and since it's been getting colder and we've gotten some rain, it's pretty obvious that we need to do something to make it more livable. We don't want to enclose the porch, or modify the house, so we had to keep all of that in mind as we started.<br />
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The doors, when placed side by side, just happen to be the same width as the porch... so they are going to be used to dress the front porch! I don't want to give away the ending of the story, but, wait... maybe I just did.<br />
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<h3>
The Preparation</h3>
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We wanted to be sure that they are level at the top, so the base had to be set up to allow for that. The side doors are shorter than the door, so they need to have a small support added for them under each.<br />
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But before that could be done... we had to lay out a solid base for each of those frames to be set upon. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mixing that awesome 'crete</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Three posts and a lot of leveling</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Full frontal</td></tr>
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<h3>
Left Side Window</h3>
Time for the first side window. Getting its frame laid out at the bottom was first, and then the door had to be lifted upon it, and then framed in as well. Crazy!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymyPaFbbgweTnDJusC3lIrartBFdqYaB4ceEfhTA9ZYGenA2hQ_n6FTN9CS3OkfhDqzZhs8uBYpWC6KkRfMA2s6H_JjrjEeWgAsrWe27y7dSjvYOhYFFWPIn5TPsIBn-sul4euwtkN-M/s1600/20161126_120215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymyPaFbbgweTnDJusC3lIrartBFdqYaB4ceEfhTA9ZYGenA2hQ_n6FTN9CS3OkfhDqzZhs8uBYpWC6KkRfMA2s6H_JjrjEeWgAsrWe27y7dSjvYOhYFFWPIn5TPsIBn-sul4euwtkN-M/s320/20161126_120215.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">All the framing wood</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">She's in place!</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Qnrt6eVgWi5m6FBtLiinLOkLraqpZpjtQYN7sh9_tCKFOXV8MV7Gs6GrO1imzRwMBpu7PFtmJjqctWFnxh0Q_kELbWT8fekhuovrWGS9BpPpNv4IEdcevRh93-ZwQdk5Ai1srml9c-g/s1600/20161126_133009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Qnrt6eVgWi5m6FBtLiinLOkLraqpZpjtQYN7sh9_tCKFOXV8MV7Gs6GrO1imzRwMBpu7PFtmJjqctWFnxh0Q_kELbWT8fekhuovrWGS9BpPpNv4IEdcevRh93-ZwQdk5Ai1srml9c-g/s320/20161126_133009.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Eyeing up the center door framing</td></tr>
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<h3>
The Center Door</h3>
Time to get the center door in place. Got to keep the whole picture in mind while it's getting framed. Plus that thing is heavy.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjuqMcgBsXd74C1NzulW97UnyeufoD0ykyF_Ynn_r07PxAN4Og2zYWy73PRJFtQQKeDbd6lIkp0GeVLJYIo6xBVEhfS3rjq7U8W3kDS1FhUrm9WtNeKPCYNUDbpwCuZvKYiYFGuOuUIY/s1600/20161127_105445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjuqMcgBsXd74C1NzulW97UnyeufoD0ykyF_Ynn_r07PxAN4Og2zYWy73PRJFtQQKeDbd6lIkp0GeVLJYIo6xBVEhfS3rjq7U8W3kDS1FhUrm9WtNeKPCYNUDbpwCuZvKYiYFGuOuUIY/s320/20161127_105445.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">She's there!</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcuE1Aqvjvq-l_p8GA8eplZgkBhbySkmVrs_DfcRlQvwh4FmHjn-Rw_3NHztGjHOZQnFPMifoP_DfO7NMzInk0pbv9jh3UoBO9tspHh2qkC60Mljiw6bSSXW62XF-AzKaw2YNXRA-44E/s1600/20161127_105517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcuE1Aqvjvq-l_p8GA8eplZgkBhbySkmVrs_DfcRlQvwh4FmHjn-Rw_3NHztGjHOZQnFPMifoP_DfO7NMzInk0pbv9jh3UoBO9tspHh2qkC60Mljiw6bSSXW62XF-AzKaw2YNXRA-44E/s320/20161127_105517.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A closer look </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Closer still!</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXm0xQgoHd9_hKPIHCstWnBHsspfmtfd3Tu6BE7mpeLCYJLJNFCA5dXf9IqY4TFotPF1nq0ceQzOYOunsQ7DIQyEDAh1yrLK5JbCe8EVUsF-Wg41XttEGbdxJDAuqtLvT3dlDKwPXj49g/s1600/20161127_111227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXm0xQgoHd9_hKPIHCstWnBHsspfmtfd3Tu6BE7mpeLCYJLJNFCA5dXf9IqY4TFotPF1nq0ceQzOYOunsQ7DIQyEDAh1yrLK5JbCe8EVUsF-Wg41XttEGbdxJDAuqtLvT3dlDKwPXj49g/s320/20161127_111227.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A view from the inside</td></tr>
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<h3>
Right Side Window</h3>
After much planning and measuring, we put up the frame so that it missed the beam that is holding the awning over the front. It's just a perfect fit. It required a little re-jiggering of the center door's placement to keep it all centered, but we didn't have to change anything about how it's connected to the house. It will be 100% free-standing when completed. For now, there's a few beams making sure a hurricane doesn't blow it over.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Framing out the last side window</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMAUR_U3a8aYvFUm2aKmb64lwKGfuuICSywd0_tFfwqnKAxik9yubbioia4TPjQ4jg0hVt5yK2ffpmMr39ErHwMDoz6XEH4aF7FTnw7q-3EwzVuaQAOGjzLdzaY0EbArb6-NfM8jO3b9I/s1600/20161127_165704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMAUR_U3a8aYvFUm2aKmb64lwKGfuuICSywd0_tFfwqnKAxik9yubbioia4TPjQ4jg0hVt5yK2ffpmMr39ErHwMDoz6XEH4aF7FTnw7q-3EwzVuaQAOGjzLdzaY0EbArb6-NfM8jO3b9I/s640/20161127_165704.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Trinity!</td></tr>
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<h3>
What's Next?</h3>
We're still planning the next stage. The idea is that we're going to add "siding" to it so it looks similar to the front of the house. More updates as we move forward!<br />
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Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-10987100915627140012016-12-05T15:22:00.000-06:002016-12-05T19:37:14.977-06:00My Brief Stay at Standing Rock: It's Not Over. Why Did I Leave?Yesterday, I was at Standing Rock when the easement was denied. I had only arrived at 1:30am the previous night, and it kills me to say that I headed out after I was certain that the easement denial was real news and not just hearsay. Let me explain...<br />
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<h3>
Personal Background</h3>
Some background for those of you that don't know me. I believe in the goodness of man and mankind. It hurts when I see things out of order. Standing Rock is a microcosm of what's wrong with the way we're treating the Earth and I wanted to go there and make a difference. I asked my family if they could handle my being gone for a few days and after some preparation for me to be gone, it was done.<br />
<br />
In the matter of two days, I collected some donations and bought all the gear I thought I'd need (with extras for others there, of course), and headed out for North Dakota. Along the way, I picked up things that weren't for sale in Austin because, well, it's summer there about 9-11 months of the year. :)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>(I convoyed with a friend, but they would rather not be part of my online travails, so I'm pre-redacting any discussion about that. I'm going to make all pronouns singular to hold to my word). </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<h3>
The Trip from Austin, Texas (Friday, December 3 and Saturday, December 4, 2016)</h3>
Leaving in the late afternoon, it was getting late and I'm totally against driving while exhausted, so I slept in my car ('99 Lexus SUV I'd just bought, with two wheel drive - yeah go ahead and laugh now) in north Texas. It was cold, but not freezing. It was a good way to see that I needed to seriously organize that vehicle if I was really going to be in it in the REAL cold. Woke up and drove all day, stopping only for gas and to buy the aforementioned additional supplies. I posted online that I was on the way and that I would be willing to buy more stuff for the camp, and I got some donations that helped fund more supplies. If my visit did nothing other than generate those donations, I was already happy.<br />
<br />
I arrived just before midnight (according to the timestamp on the photo I took) and after driving around to find my contact, getting stuck on an icy hill, and generally feeling around in the dark as a complete noob to the camp, got the car parked and started settling in. I was approached by some people from the camp (there were certain areas that were designated for certain people / groups / tribes) and they wanted to know who I knew with their group. It was a weird situation but made perfect sense. They were concerned because they really didn't know if I was friend or foe.<br />
<br />
Bedding down for the night was done after I got the interior a little more organized. It was cold but not insane, so I didn't need to go for the sub-zero style sleeping bag I'd been loaned for the trip.<br />
<br />
{Note: there were no blockades, no fines for bringing in supplies, no police stopping anything at all.}<br />
<br />
<h3>
Sunday, December 4th, 2016</h3>
Waking up, I found that there was plenty to do. I went to a public area near my group, and was happy to find that my offer to help was immediately accepted. After I'd worked in and around the mess hall all morning, I had the opportunity to walk the camp.<br />
<br />
I was heading back to my car to finally get it organized for the next night (I heard it was supposed to get pretty bad with 40mph winds, etc. the next day), I stopped, again, to listen to an elder speak to a huge crowd. He was preceded by many people singing songs, telling stories and praying. Each speaker reminded everyone about why we were there and how important peace and love are to the effort. When it was the elder's turn, he gave everyone so much perspective about the fight. Told us that every treaty the United States had ever made with the natives had been broken. Told us of our need to be one with the land and how we are all one. After that talk, I realized that we are ALL doing it wrong. Finally he asked everyone to form the largest prayer circle possible around the perimeter of the camp. He then got on his horse and led a procession through the camp, where campers spread the word of the prayer circle and people started holding hands as he rode by.<br />
<br />
Still concerned about my car being sleep-ready for the evening, I headed back. I also was parked on the edge of the camp, so eventually the circle made it to me. As they were joining hands, I stepped out and took my place, with the car doors still open.<br />
<br />
It took a while, but everyone came out from their tents and structures in the center of the camp and joined hands. I could see both ways and up a hill and everyone was linked at once. I've never seen anything like it.<br />
<br />
When everyone that I could see was standing holding hands, a couple of people came around and heralded that the easement had been denied. Coincidence? Sure. But that was one of the most amazing moments I have ever experienced. If you haven't figured it out by now, this fight is nowhere near over. Stand strong Standing Rock!<br />
<br />
<h3>
It Can't Really Be Over, Can It?</h3>
It was at this point that I didn't know what to do. I headed over to the media area to get my head around it. Was it real? As I approached the area, I could hear people talking about it and turning it over and over while they all considered all the ways that they knew that this wasn't *really* over. After listening to a few interviews, it was certain. The easement was denied. And no one believed that the pipeline was dead. No one.<br />
<br />
By the time I got back to the car, I'd started hearing about the weather that was coming in. Remember that everything is, essentially, a rumor, because there was no data, so what I heard was that there was a little snow coming with 40mph winds. And it was going to get even colder. I felt I had to make a decision. Stay and get "snowed in," or leave and report my experience.<br />
<br />
In short, I decided to leave. Once I managed to get online, I posted about it on Facebook. I wrote the majority of the below in response, before I decided to put it all in a blog post.<br />
<br />
<h3>
It's Not Over. Why Did I Leave? </h3>
My friend, Dana Frank, asked me an EXCELLENT QUESTION about my choice to leave Standing Rock after the Army Corps denied the DAPL easement: "Why did you leave? It's not really over up there." Exactly. Why <b><i>did </i></b>I make that decision? I'll share my thoughts. Feel free to help me pick these apart, but first realize that <b>I'm just a human and I'm not perfect</b>. Dana knows that, but with the very real concern that there are people treating this like their personal Woodstock and not as a movement, it's worth it to explore my decision further.<br />
<br />
My all-too-brief personal volunteer experience (explained in more detail above) was spending half of my day with a mess hall and moving construction materials around, staging them for new builds that were starting. The rest of the day, I attended a brief orientation, spoke to quite a few campers, listened to the elders speak and remind everyone why they were there, and walked the camp.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuIbws7Z2RD1HL5jESHu4MZUX6iLD3WD8XLunuK7CC6IHNKfirERPfWpML5fArKqkjJjccLxmiFPubZ8nO9F4Sxt9sfO674zWh9E2l5A9GtBAEsm6mmByXNwM6TpFdQn5wYc4F3VLeNA/s1600/20161204_112758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuIbws7Z2RD1HL5jESHu4MZUX6iLD3WD8XLunuK7CC6IHNKfirERPfWpML5fArKqkjJjccLxmiFPubZ8nO9F4Sxt9sfO674zWh9E2l5A9GtBAEsm6mmByXNwM6TpFdQn5wYc4F3VLeNA/s320/20161204_112758.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the media area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Could I have stayed? In all honesty, I would have ZERO problem staying and working as a volunteer for the rest of time, really. The whole camp was self-sustaining and I'm used to camping in shitty cold weather. I had the gear to make it work, but I have a family that I have to factor into these decisions.<br />
<br />
When the "victory" was announced, I could tell that this was a big decision point for each and every person in the camp. For me, I had to consider staying through a big weather event which could strand me for the foreseeable future or should I leave my gear and my donated gear for those that are going to stay for the long haul? I chose the latter and I *do* feel conflicted about my decision, honestly. Here's my thinking...<br />
<br />
<h3>
Are These Reasons Or Excuses? You Decide.</h3>
The camp was gearing up for a huge meeting / celebration to allow everyone a chance to appreciate the victory and discuss the seriousness of what it's going to take to get to the next stage, which at this time is still up in the air. I had to make the decision to leave before they started that celebration, because I knew that if I stayed for it, I'd get snowed in and very likely be there longer than I'd originally planned.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEY97HJJc3LhwYeWaOs_kKRep-7x4rQM-OnZNY2Vo6ofLIZ61EmGoxzAozhnX3odSRM2uu-6CoUraAILu3FNqCCUvxtAdOBwybL025SYKSmF143FM5OueUiI3KwyQwIxTxt-aCXNBcEI/s1600/20161204_112802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEY97HJJc3LhwYeWaOs_kKRep-7x4rQM-OnZNY2Vo6ofLIZ61EmGoxzAozhnX3odSRM2uu-6CoUraAILu3FNqCCUvxtAdOBwybL025SYKSmF143FM5OueUiI3KwyQwIxTxt-aCXNBcEI/s320/20161204_112802.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view from the media area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Part of my decision to leave before that celebration / refocus was made because I didn't have the ability to stay more than a few days. There was some weather coming in that would very likely strand me there for longer than I could ask my family (disabled wife and kids that need my support in person) to deal with. Additionally, my (new used) vehicle just isn't rated for big time snow / ice. It can handle a bit, but when it's REAL, like it was going to become, it wouldn't be feasible to have left anytime soon.<br />
<br />
Part of it was that I knew that the next battle is going to last until well after Trump gets into office.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisX8tO8w5W4PVWe30N51O8hl3f1sdm_cNv5PxY91vXH7zFnQAafTnaR1-YG-VeMzDvM3bQOTOwXu8cqEp-WHzDQNSoxRsIrFGKzwhCRJedCAeLS0x28km_3GnbCeJgJh-uDz8PK_ZRw-0/s1600/20161204_115631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisX8tO8w5W4PVWe30N51O8hl3f1sdm_cNv5PxY91vXH7zFnQAafTnaR1-YG-VeMzDvM3bQOTOwXu8cqEp-WHzDQNSoxRsIrFGKzwhCRJedCAeLS0x28km_3GnbCeJgJh-uDz8PK_ZRw-0/s320/20161204_115631.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reporters getting data from official sources (pre-announcement)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Part of it was that I went to offer physical, spiritual, and "optic" (as in being another body for news to see and report) support as well as deliver donations and supplies. As short as my time there was, I was able to provide was a strong(ish) back and locate people that would most benefit from what I had brought, rather than throw those donations in a pile. There's nothing wrong with donating like that, but when you can look someone in the eye and know you're making a difference, it's far more tangible.<br />
<br />
Part of it was that I wasn't able to report the reality of what was happening on the ground due to lack of internet access. The news reports get a LOT of stuff wrong. The only way to know that is to be there in person. I knew that there wouldn't be internet access, but I was hoping I'd be able to travel from the camp to the casino to get to some wifi to share the REALITY of what was happening on the ground. When it occurred to me that was not going to be feasible, I didn't think I would really be of a benefit to providing news. When I left (let's just say getting my car out of the camp was "interesting"), I pulled into the casino and wanted to give it a shot, but the parking lot was super icy and I realized that if I actually parked, I'd never leave.<br />
<br />
If anything comes of my stay at the camp, I hope that my reporting of what I had seen and the donations I left with those brave souls makes a tiny difference. I'm a vessel and I know it. Ultimately I think I did all I could with the time I had and that my decision to leave was the best one I could make for my family, given the situation.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Regrets?</h3>
I spent a lot of time trying to decide if I'd regret not going in the first place if I had the chance. I know I would have. I'm so glad I got the opportunity. I don't think I'm going to regret having left at the time I did, but only time will tell.<br />
<br />
It's not over and it will NEVER be over while the fossil fuel industry exists, and it certainly won't ever be over as long as there is money in politics. Ever.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Consider Helping The Cause</h3>
If you feel the need and have the ability, please <a href="http://bit.ly/2gZeSwU" target="_blank">contribute what you can to the movement</a>. Water is life.<br />
<br />
---------------------<br />
<br />
<h4>
Some extra stuff that didn't really fit above</h4>
<br />
There was a camp rule to not take pictures of people's faces, so I went up to the media area and shot some panoramas. The first is before the announcement, near noon. The second is just after the announcement, where you can see people making their reports live. People were genuinely stunned.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A0kkJtr5UMY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A0kkJtr5UMY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe> <iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A2nhAwAP0BI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A2nhAwAP0BI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-48724027032235587102016-11-13T08:34:00.002-06:002016-11-13T08:34:15.595-06:00Don't Like the Election Results? One Simple Way to Move Forward.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimp2xx37E0m0SDDroBNr4vrkgF8UkCnhyphenhyphen0HznmEzVYvpXO0oE9YRmSHk9ESmrsK8iWk_dgK1p7pE2_VfRjwRVqFQ7b_sLdX0LrPt6H34a3KSrLYV32iFtP5Qhf-INCeNLClL91suMbqoo/s1600/futuresbright.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimp2xx37E0m0SDDroBNr4vrkgF8UkCnhyphenhyphen0HznmEzVYvpXO0oE9YRmSHk9ESmrsK8iWk_dgK1p7pE2_VfRjwRVqFQ7b_sLdX0LrPt6H34a3KSrLYV32iFtP5Qhf-INCeNLClL91suMbqoo/s320/futuresbright.jpg" width="320" /></a>Last week, America was shocked. Well, not everyone. Many people aren't surprised at all. Myself, I was expecting this. People are hurting. They are poor. They want something that they can believe in, and I believe that, finally, people have seen that the DNC is corrupted by money.<br />
<br />
It is my contention that people voted against the DNC as well as for Trump. It's my contention that the DNC has lost its way.<br />
<br />
The Democrats are supposed to be the party of the people. They lost their core. They have been <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/obama-deported-record-number-immigrants-trump-claim-article-1.2774180" target="_blank">deporting people in incredible numbers</a>. They have been <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/04/politics/air-force-20000-bombs-missiles-isis/" target="_blank">dropping bombs at unsustainable rates</a>. They are <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/26/us/politics/dnc-wikileaks-emails-fundraising.html?_r=0" target="_blank">funded</a> by the corporations that are destroying the world. They are pushing "<a href="http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/06/25/betraying-progressives-dnc-platform-backs-fracking-tpp-and-israel-occupation" target="_blank">trade deals</a>" that aren't going to help <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqSpk99bLYIQvv8mwSFNxNwybV2aqvl4J" target="_blank">working class Americans</a>. They support <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/08/dakota-access-pipeline-project-continues-operator-oil-obama" target="_blank">oil pipelines</a>. They support <a href="https://theintercept.com/2016/05/23/hillary-clinton-fracking/" target="_blank">fracking</a>. They support regime change across the world. I could go on.<br />
<br />
The way forward is to fix the DNC. They must completely re-define themselves and restart fresh. In my opinion, they already have all the ingredients. Take Bernie's <a href="https://berniesanders.com/issues/" target="_blank">platform</a>. Make it the DNC's DNA. Hire people that live it and breathe it.<br />
<br />
Does this election bother you? Do you want to make change? Don't want to wait for the next Presidential election to "fix it?" There are people that can't wait for the next election, so you're in luck! Here's what to do!<br />
<br />
<div>
<b>Find a group, a single local group, that you respect and go volunteer for a few hours a week. </b>Do it today! I'm pouring my volunteerism into the <a href="http://www.austinclubhouse.org/" target="_blank">Austin Clubhouse</a>. I can make change work for their members on a daily basis. When you see, with your own eyes, and hear, with your own ears, the needs of your very own community, you'll see just how many people need your help. You'll feel and be involved. You'll be an agent of change. You'll make a difference, and you'll be able to sleep better every night.<br />
<br />
Presidential politics take a long time to change. Invest in your community now. You'll see that change immediately. </div>
Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-25663542131349249742016-11-10T14:13:00.001-06:002016-11-10T14:13:17.982-06:00Think Mental Health Assistance in Austin Is Out of Reach? Think Again.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSuS7ZYdu7V1Ue-dvl8EVyR81S3FUeN2Jq0AeJIWoYKNjFRSkv87qX5h4Jmesajx34smshE0fzfzNDGkETXM0KQA0az4YDxEUrgALPNFsOOsEP9ERotUvJNCexij9gg1AgUNjb6Y8_eQ/s1600/IMG_2908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSuS7ZYdu7V1Ue-dvl8EVyR81S3FUeN2Jq0AeJIWoYKNjFRSkv87qX5h4Jmesajx34smshE0fzfzNDGkETXM0KQA0az4YDxEUrgALPNFsOOsEP9ERotUvJNCexij9gg1AgUNjb6Y8_eQ/s320/IMG_2908.jpg" width="254" /></a>If you've never heard of the Austin Clubhouse, let's fix that. Austin Clubhouse exists to provide acceptance and empowerment so adults living with mental health diagnoses can pursue personal goals and play a meaningful role as co-workers, colleagues, family members and friends.<br />
<br />
I've been volunteering there for years and lately I've been spending more and more time in a support role. On a personal level, it is immensely satisfying to participate in others' successes in life. I've always loved helping people as a manager in my career, but through the Clubhouse, I'm helping people in ways that are incredibly tangible.<br />
<br />
The Clubhouse is housed within a church, but it is not religious in any way. The staff are amazing and the members are extremely willing to get involved with everyone's success. Every day we're open (M-F), the staff and members hand make lunch from scratch. Lunch is served for $1.00.<br />
<br />
Many of our members are homeless or marginally homeless and we provide them help in many, many ways. From ensuring that they have access to transportation (discounted bus passes) to medical care (on site medical professionals regularly). We have rooms of internet-connected computers (we just upgraded to super fast internet, averaging around 100M download) that can be used at any time, provide resume and job training classes, offer free yoga and exercise classes, support a community garden, and so much more. Learn more about our services <a href="https://austinclubhouse.org/services/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTds4WMOO8mX-1JnEsgRwS9RdAUjvSfW0EyvcrCvyqkmL6LeRqj04J9kzv2-nAfIiUlcIVjkEmjddC1qFhUAhgYGj-VE_JIn2INrhpB43PJ286Yqh1XfCV7LvgYEhTzaxb7OOTwWz6sOk/s1600/14980568_1181136861921943_4006505182031257112_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTds4WMOO8mX-1JnEsgRwS9RdAUjvSfW0EyvcrCvyqkmL6LeRqj04J9kzv2-nAfIiUlcIVjkEmjddC1qFhUAhgYGj-VE_JIn2INrhpB43PJ286Yqh1XfCV7LvgYEhTzaxb7OOTwWz6sOk/s320/14980568_1181136861921943_4006505182031257112_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love our supporters! 1886 Cafe and Bakery and The Driskill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you're interested in learning more, <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/610+E+45th+Street,+Austin,+TX+78751/@30.3063126,-97.7227912,3a,75y,36.13h,92.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1skMffgEE-izWQwFoSdbD1AQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xd27f08582a19e826!6m1!1e1" target="_blank">please come by for a free tour</a>. Our staff and members are happy to show you around and answer any question you have. All you need to be a member is have a mental health diagnosis and a treatment plan. If you're a caretaker of a person with mental illness, you should know about our organization and keep us in your back pocket. We're on your side. <a href="https://austinclubhouse.org/contact-us/" target="_blank">See you soon</a>!<br />
<br />
Austin Clubhouse.<br />
610 E 45th Street, Austin, TX 78751, inside Hyde Park Christian Church.<br />
512.925.5877<br />
<br />
Visit us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AustinClubhouse/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.<br />
Find us on <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/610+E+45th+St,+Austin,+TX+78751/@30.306928,-97.7224177,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x8644ca73740d739f:0xbc0be8ffb034961a" target="_blank">Google Maps</a>.Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-69439182818249308432016-11-01T18:57:00.000-05:002016-11-01T18:58:06.057-05:00Our First Halloween at Chicon Street<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWr6zwCFEpt2zOB9sVE3zgXG_go9zYslB9NaIkCK3GBan6TfOBsWIKlLWiy8HPfDWqQzvL_BlNAwEZVzUnr47BHCs_lDnBGAt6qt8_2NlvDxBPgx2xHDzCDQlNghYDfK8F3CUpxE781Y8/s1600/20161031_214506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWr6zwCFEpt2zOB9sVE3zgXG_go9zYslB9NaIkCK3GBan6TfOBsWIKlLWiy8HPfDWqQzvL_BlNAwEZVzUnr47BHCs_lDnBGAt6qt8_2NlvDxBPgx2xHDzCDQlNghYDfK8F3CUpxE781Y8/s320/20161031_214506.jpg" width="320" /></a>The kids have had a great time Halloween-ing down south and now that they have been doing their own things for years, and I'm not having to drive them around anymore, I wanted to get into the "spirit" of Halloween this year, and everyone was okay with that because they all had plans that night! I tried to get prepped in advance, but with the Cubs in the World Series, a good amount of the time I was going to spend prepping... was spent over at the Haymaker!<br />
<br />
Tuesday and I got some good webs setup on Sunday night, and then ran out of time. She likes them to be really thin or spread out extensively. No clumps! On Monday afternoon, her plans fell through so she was able to be at the house and help with last minute prep. Lucky for me! And once I was on the way home with her, we got a call from my mom, who decided to come over and hand out candy as well! By the time we got to the house, she had already gotten some decorations up that she had brought.<br />
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We went out and got some candy / prizes purchased at just the last moment and made it to the house in time to complete decorations. Then we finally sat down to wait for kids. We had 3 kids quickly and then a small handful until we shut down at 11pm.<br />
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All in all it was a lot of fun. Lots of music, singing and kazoo playing on the porch all night. Nightmare Before Christmas to Rocky Horror. I saw some neighbors down the road and since we didn't have a lot of kids, I walked down and met the family that had lived in our house before us! They had 5 kids in there!<br />
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Here are a few pics for you to see what it looked like!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-nI-1dOkumF1uJa1UrmxQFqWIH0thNNtVJ3rKL_hnLFZ3dF6Kb-zVEeqhlbwHEOc48E6M1yVuhqcbmxvxETLyYn3YEDuEFGEGX9D-K0QjJNg4gN1Pho1wReM3tm1Mv95xBlxgjggD90/s1600/20161031_214642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-nI-1dOkumF1uJa1UrmxQFqWIH0thNNtVJ3rKL_hnLFZ3dF6Kb-zVEeqhlbwHEOc48E6M1yVuhqcbmxvxETLyYn3YEDuEFGEGX9D-K0QjJNg4gN1Pho1wReM3tm1Mv95xBlxgjggD90/s320/20161031_214642.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next year, I want to find a way to get more people on the street to CONSIDER participating in Halloween. If not, maybe I'll be the house that gives away HUGE candy until people finally get the word out. We have friends in New Braunfels that don't have a lot of kids that come by, so they're like Willy Wonka. I kinda like that idea. Let's see how things go in 2017!<br />
<br />Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-54986678295755163562016-10-25T09:58:00.002-05:002016-10-25T09:58:59.643-05:00Pepe Romero Day!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTem8oU4FmO8AwAmGmjvdEUw4luvNXPMtA8gXgasFT_Rp992X2VK4ob9hQQ3D_SZNb73T7EoLTem8PdNBtuX-lyOSiqO0l5UTTDQTGN-_VdEGhNdRP11APiSVIs7LBVg__SVtDN_NVsL8/s1600/Pepe+Day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTem8oU4FmO8AwAmGmjvdEUw4luvNXPMtA8gXgasFT_Rp992X2VK4ob9hQQ3D_SZNb73T7EoLTem8PdNBtuX-lyOSiqO0l5UTTDQTGN-_VdEGhNdRP11APiSVIs7LBVg__SVtDN_NVsL8/s320/Pepe+Day.jpg" width="247" /></a>Did you know that Saturday, October 15 was officially proclaimed, by Mayor Adler himself, as Pepe Romero Day in Austin and Austin proclaimed as the Classical Guitar Capital of the World? Me neither! But when the lights went down that evening, Pepe took his seat and propped his foot up on his stand, it was pretty obvious why.<br />
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Thanks to the <a href="http://austinclubhouse.org/" target="_blank">Austin Clubhouse</a> (austinclubhouse.org) and their relationship with <a href="http://austinclassicalguitar.org/" target="_blank">Austin Classical Guitar</a> (austinclassicalguitar.org), my son and I were able to join a group that attended the sold-out Austin Classical Guitar International Series Opening Night at the AISD Performing Arts Center featuring Pepe Romero.<br />
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Arriving at the PAC for the first time, I was surprised by its beauty (and its ample parking). Our group carefully rolled into the parking garage as we were in a large van and it looked like we were going to hit the roof. Lots of laughter started the evening off right! Our short walk to the atrium brought us into a well-lit lobby peppered with displays from Austin Classical Guitar as well as representatives from AISD's guitar programs. My son's guitar teacher from McCallum High School was there as well. Very cool.<br />
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Once we got to our seats, we saw that the stage was filled with chairs. Was Pepe going to have a backup band? After a wonderful introduction by the emcee, we were treated to a opening song from the William B. Travis Classical Guitar Ensemble. They were wonderful, and after they completed their song, Pepe came out on the stage to wild applause.<br />
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Pepe started without a word and the audience was silenced until he lifted the spell to let us raise him up with the first round of raucous applause. While over the night, I only recognized two of the songs, his technique was incredible and he truly mesmerized the crowd.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABupQJcgwY1COSWlFliquB0MWtO68Vglab21LTlG0IAhfW5A8QfAVCF-rb6KwhUMbIbzAPjJtyAfIa538azt1rcgBVNcpsXlgonR1uJAm45G42n-Z68XNf5fBO3JmbdZfjuM_fQ8IWPc/s1600/pepe.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABupQJcgwY1COSWlFliquB0MWtO68Vglab21LTlG0IAhfW5A8QfAVCF-rb6KwhUMbIbzAPjJtyAfIa538azt1rcgBVNcpsXlgonR1uJAm45G42n-Z68XNf5fBO3JmbdZfjuM_fQ8IWPc/s320/pepe.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would you like some education about Freedom with that?</td></tr>
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Partway through the show, he stopped and spoke about his background and I was able to get a bigger perspective on how he fits into the world and why he had spent so much extra time here in Austin working with students and guitar groups. His father was unable to take his music outside of Spain by Fascist dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco (1892-1975) due to Celedonio Romero’s participation in the Spanish Civil War against Franco. Pepe truly cares about freedom, freedom through music and music education, so he travels to spread the word and his and his father's music.<br />
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My son has been playing guitar for years and I was very happy to have this opportunity to have him see such an amazing artist. What I didn't expect was that he told me that he saw "at least 15" new guitar playing techniques that he wanted to learn. That was worth the whole trip.<br />
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Thank you, Austin Clubhouse! I'm looking forward to the next outing.<br />
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Want to learn more about Pepe? Here ya go!<br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u>MUSIC AND POLITICS, INTERVIEWS: O'DETTE, MCFARLANE, ROMERO, BARRUECO</u></span><br />
This week's edition of Classical Guitar Alive! features a look at how political events have shaped music history from the 16th Century to 20th Century. Pepe Romero tells how his father Celedonio Romero (1913-1996) was prevented by Fascist dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco (1892-1975) from concertizing outside of Spain, due to Celedonio Romero’s participation in the Spanish Civil War against Franco. The Romero family immigrated to the USA in 1957, and then performed world-wide as Los Romeros Guitar Quartet. Pepe Romero performs his father’s flamenco-based work, “Concierto de Malaga”. Pepe says “Because my father was in Malaga, he fought against Franco’s forces. He was in a group of artists and musicians that were very liberal thinkers that wanted freedom for Spain, and that whose ideas were the very opposite of what Franco and the Fascist government stood for. Therefore, many of them had a much worse fate, like Garcia Lorca, Antonio Jose. And my father was just prevented from leaving Spain … and he performed magnificently-inspired concerts for us.”<br />
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PEPE ROMERO ON AUSTIN:</div>
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When I think of Austin Classical Guitar and the extraordinary work they are doing for the Spanish guitar, it fills my heart with happiness.</div>
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I see Austin as a wonderful center where young people have the opportunity to learn, love and experience the wonders and mysteries of my beloved guitar.</div>
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I have had fantastic experiences in Austin with the guitar and truly consider Austin to be one of the most inspired places on the planet. Matthew and his team harness this natural energy and weave it with the guitar and her music, making it thoroughly enjoyable and uplifting to the beginner player as well as the seasoned professional.</div>
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I look forward to my return!</div>
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- Pepe Romero</div>
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Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-51727830700714832612016-10-23T14:50:00.000-05:002016-10-23T23:04:51.690-05:00Chicon Street Poison Ivy Journey, Part Two - It's Worse Than Expected<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXG-SXTn_D4Urzp6pvT5-EPZRYxHbgrMdkB7VlfEmtqcLWfF1WjlHvJevUcDakFpO0OavQxCl-kNhm8odtad1vsJEhBM85-bNGLLEipUHwc0TzePX2VHEr6amCuUwISkHM7ezjwiRrtM0/s1600/20161023_134421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="text-align: justify;"></span>
<span style="text-align: justify;">Hey there!</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">It's been a week since I really went through the yard. My son and I have been dealing with poison ivy on our hands, arms, and legs for a week, and it's finally getting better thanks to our friends that have been making good suggestions and offering helpful product advice.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: justify;">To get rid of the pain / itching, my best results come from a combination of <a href="http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Poison-Ivy-Soap/productDetail/First-Aid-Supplies/prod99999044746/cat100919?ref=google?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shoppingfeeds&utm_term=1439960&utm_campaign=GDF&gdffi=956ae87823e94c98adceb63322121bc0&gdfms=A8D2AB46DD244BD9A3183C05F75B17EF&gclid=CjwKEAjwv7HABRCSxfrjkJPnrWgSJAA45qA2UkuOeZf-r02Qq9fMJ1JVkfCCjSssb0uugn2UWmyC_xoCcXjw_wcB" target="_blank">Poison Ivy Soap</a> and a <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/23788412?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227017239673&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40753793672&wl4=pla-78605929952&wl5=9060008&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=23788412&wl13=&veh=sem" target="_blank">Poison Ivy Wash</a>. I got the soap from a friend and the wash from HEB, I recall. You can use them over and over and during the wash, the itching stops. Big props to them as they can be used any time you notice you're itching. When I notice I want to start scratching, which is heavenly when you get into it and painful when you stop, I can sit by the edge of the tub in shorts and suds up until it's all good. While washing, and especially after drying off, you can feel the relief palpably and, in my opinion, it's as if it never itched at all. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wash off after 3 mins</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wash as often as you like</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Over the past few days, I tried to learn more about poison ivy. Here are the resources I got the most from:</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span><b>How to Identify Poison Ivy</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.poison-ivy.org/poison-ivy-quiz" target="_blank">This is a great visual quiz</a> that really sprained my brain until I think I finally "get it." </div>
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<b>How to KILL Poison Ivy with no Chemicals</b></div>
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<a href="http://farmersalmanac.com/blog/2011/07/01/getting-rid-of-poison-ivy/" target="_blank">This Farmer's Almanac page</a> describes a saltwater / soap solution that I'm trying. </div>
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Today, I went through the yard to see if I could find the place that had the poison ivy. I looked all along the fenceline, which is where we felt must be the place. Our back neighbor, T, knew his kids would play in the back corner of his yard so he told us it might be over there. We hadn't gone back there yet because we found out we HAD poison ivy rashes and didn't want anything to do with it at all, but this weekend I wanted to see if I could figure out where it was. I thought we might have a few small vines.<br />
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I went to the back and didn't see anything on the ground. Maybe we got it all!? I went along the back fenceline and then into T's backyard. Still nothing. Then I looked up into the trees. Wait... is that? No... trees don't have three leaves like that, do they?</div>
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I was WRONG. That wasn't a tree. It was a bunch of huge, branch sized vines. Here's what I found.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_6UW1LT6yK4UWxHs54Vg4r4NyZKal79D2r9AY4YsohhtfQ55x3ovvTcnYwiTaXiXt_dHn9Tri1GgWIF23uQZR2Zm6C5k87tlHqCsq_CNAweTA9oBNOW8-lmleFzA2EGJ3SCEYwmdNN8/s1600/20161023_135804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_6UW1LT6yK4UWxHs54Vg4r4NyZKal79D2r9AY4YsohhtfQ55x3ovvTcnYwiTaXiXt_dHn9Tri1GgWIF23uQZR2Zm6C5k87tlHqCsq_CNAweTA9oBNOW8-lmleFzA2EGJ3SCEYwmdNN8/s400/20161023_135804.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Where is the Poison Ivy? It's there, somewhere!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBF_dcPcPCky54U9MBnuCQO6mDrWnUottplXzUk5ZLyRPNuZJDpmRrcUgVkQ51W0ywDiRJB9ngwI0e-c17DPfX2wWCOsXFmmIn0XVQG6as65sO9X-CyEr0eviU6bia3uOXYQrsw7R0gY/s1600/20161023_135802+-+With+Poison+Ivy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBF_dcPcPCky54U9MBnuCQO6mDrWnUottplXzUk5ZLyRPNuZJDpmRrcUgVkQ51W0ywDiRJB9ngwI0e-c17DPfX2wWCOsXFmmIn0XVQG6as65sO9X-CyEr0eviU6bia3uOXYQrsw7R0gY/s400/20161023_135802+-+With+Poison+Ivy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Well, I found it, but it was a little worse (!) than expected</td></tr>
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Here are some detail pics of the leaves / vines in case you want to get a closer look.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55VL3wiFoRofXF3aHJiYud5tLdEuKUXKfoUFM6NoI3C83lBSGGFdNJdKjN5n3RkcxocPW4gunX_qbCGNvhJE5mPOkOKRNhfxdbtA3f_v8-pGEeqKzHpoJcdz6LFpNJJQ9Q9AlK9SewgE/s1600/20161023_123451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55VL3wiFoRofXF3aHJiYud5tLdEuKUXKfoUFM6NoI3C83lBSGGFdNJdKjN5n3RkcxocPW4gunX_qbCGNvhJE5mPOkOKRNhfxdbtA3f_v8-pGEeqKzHpoJcdz6LFpNJJQ9Q9AlK9SewgE/s200/20161023_123451.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17NOqZcnjOzlmlCazGLne6ZmVg_cdpXdpm-AAREXtTIcoT0F1S6JpzJ6d5QglmjfNL9zM1jvVtSJBj5V-eNrIDvJ0XaQKufO3cQc71r3EJ2bvZOXnG3n5keeNxqf7L5rWNw4nDbqJRNw/s1600/20161023_123543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17NOqZcnjOzlmlCazGLne6ZmVg_cdpXdpm-AAREXtTIcoT0F1S6JpzJ6d5QglmjfNL9zM1jvVtSJBj5V-eNrIDvJ0XaQKufO3cQc71r3EJ2bvZOXnG3n5keeNxqf7L5rWNw4nDbqJRNw/s200/20161023_123543.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WZXpFAGh36HUIpMi2gJrSliBtqyIw8ewo_yr_mE6c5IZmmEbnXNlrIYyBt0jgDRzKC2olsH2cmCPg07pqldfn-Yht-8z4PbrQVTxXwitLG595x97bfNgQE-3bOk4NRSe4VsruiOAou0/s1600/20161023_123455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WZXpFAGh36HUIpMi2gJrSliBtqyIw8ewo_yr_mE6c5IZmmEbnXNlrIYyBt0jgDRzKC2olsH2cmCPg07pqldfn-Yht-8z4PbrQVTxXwitLG595x97bfNgQE-3bOk4NRSe4VsruiOAou0/s200/20161023_123455.jpg" width="112" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcaLBXYY_2o4YlwKcCORUPFM2Esr3YvHsQdOjXQ2S6jXeFlIaxl29i8d3Dub9D-nklSSPRLnAV9smnypAkq-GeG_o0lQAQXixUCH4l-MasbXI9CSNPbaiz9toGlhIhRtbWbEMNWGn4pI/s1600/20161023_123725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcaLBXYY_2o4YlwKcCORUPFM2Esr3YvHsQdOjXQ2S6jXeFlIaxl29i8d3Dub9D-nklSSPRLnAV9smnypAkq-GeG_o0lQAQXixUCH4l-MasbXI9CSNPbaiz9toGlhIhRtbWbEMNWGn4pI/s200/20161023_123725.jpg" width="112" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fYFD0Gard9vHymFQ17758LIXR5nHZwNUiBF_u14eMATjCmrpei4hxxPZghPhTjf9wDLTmkv3rJtYTQjnkX6h38JDgTQi0Rk9cQbkAAxz4q62ISTdkw8qaFThlurlAlfdyN50Fe7ORa4/s1600/20161023_123751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fYFD0Gard9vHymFQ17758LIXR5nHZwNUiBF_u14eMATjCmrpei4hxxPZghPhTjf9wDLTmkv3rJtYTQjnkX6h38JDgTQi0Rk9cQbkAAxz4q62ISTdkw8qaFThlurlAlfdyN50Fe7ORa4/s200/20161023_123751.jpg" width="112" /></a></div>
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During my exploration, the back neighbor kids came out and I showed them the Poison Ivy and explained what to avoid, how to identify it, and told them what I was doing to get rid of it. Their dad came out and I explained the whole thing including the "plan." He was very appreciative about my finding it and doing something about it. He didn't know exactly how his kids were getting Poison Ivy, but he knew it was from that corner of his yard. Now he knows! </div>
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Here are some closeups on the vines themselves. I get itchy just looking at these. Look at the hairy roots! When I was taking these, our side neighbor (she shares this fence with me) came out and was shocked at what we were looking at. She said she was going to speak with her landlord and maybe we can get some help from them. More as that develops.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggT7q4vFVCIydXLQACvhJ_FHqiYHUar6Q7LhX5NAFfbdAtn0Ck22wgmbPXbEyc3_Ed5kJaSDbSFxTHY-lWEyGBjR4XYC0_CJEGV2BJjSgz7abdxWFIQ62n0Rl69dcStZvzhI-6bGhPREY/s1600/20161023_135829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggT7q4vFVCIydXLQACvhJ_FHqiYHUar6Q7LhX5NAFfbdAtn0Ck22wgmbPXbEyc3_Ed5kJaSDbSFxTHY-lWEyGBjR4XYC0_CJEGV2BJjSgz7abdxWFIQ62n0Rl69dcStZvzhI-6bGhPREY/s320/20161023_135829.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH45gdjClzKbp9-B7-T7nPLO9VC5ZtgRBLKfICi06q6ojjbUJV8-xDNQighOOeTS5bMJpgqL5cmUl3eZqeEiw7Ld9JYGA4UEBcS-iTVLYl5PVfLuAfTgq1Qggl5tfV7pZAYl1sRarlMo0/s1600/20161023_135845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH45gdjClzKbp9-B7-T7nPLO9VC5ZtgRBLKfICi06q6ojjbUJV8-xDNQighOOeTS5bMJpgqL5cmUl3eZqeEiw7Ld9JYGA4UEBcS-iTVLYl5PVfLuAfTgq1Qggl5tfV7pZAYl1sRarlMo0/s320/20161023_135845.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0quRmHOUNC6qegkuw0T_mYkizczMj2KbCN_NiqxBqYiJMapm8jvCa0Wi0W-dHfvrvnHwH0jCAM3CUTvdCsivzOEuU7aEwbDRHWQTXTmgkVOr7f36GGXblwzeivP2AQslaERe_ZNyykw/s1600/20161023_135836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0quRmHOUNC6qegkuw0T_mYkizczMj2KbCN_NiqxBqYiJMapm8jvCa0Wi0W-dHfvrvnHwH0jCAM3CUTvdCsivzOEuU7aEwbDRHWQTXTmgkVOr7f36GGXblwzeivP2AQslaERe_ZNyykw/s320/20161023_135836.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<b>The "Solution," Literally</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU3XNSGW3BDDzyoudByHIcXeAzrUUGDsKcYmv9NI2MqwcFrcObO1HVDknMz_GNGlmB34c0Eit3Iw_dfRn99PbmWfaSHS6QiLzj6TkkcRnThLkFiE00FDfY5I_wLrYkWkxGoF5BT_d924/s1600/20161023_134645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU3XNSGW3BDDzyoudByHIcXeAzrUUGDsKcYmv9NI2MqwcFrcObO1HVDknMz_GNGlmB34c0Eit3Iw_dfRn99PbmWfaSHS6QiLzj6TkkcRnThLkFiE00FDfY5I_wLrYkWkxGoF5BT_d924/s320/20161023_134645.jpg" width="320" /></a>One gallon of water, one cup of salt, 8 drops of soap, from the site above. I started by spraying the smaller plants along the fence, pretty much anything that was green, just in case. Then, I found the mess above. I used 3 gallons of it (so far) and I'm going to ratchet up to bleach next. 6 parts of water to one part bleach. Bleach breaks down into salt and a few other things, and the salt in both solutions causes the plants to DIE. It should get into the roots and kill these things. A typical root goes 8 inches down, according to what I've found so far, and I can't IMAGINE how deep those huge roots go into the earth. I have to do something extreme, I think. </div>
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When we go after this full force, it's going to be duct taped clothing (that I'm going to throw away), disposable shoes, and some way to pack all of that Poison Ivy so it doesn't get on anything. It is going to be a HUGE deal, unless we can hire a company to come take it away. Maybe our collective landlords can help? </div>
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Okay, gotta take my last batch of saltwater out there. More as it develops. And I hope it's not a new "I Have Worse Poison Ivy" post you see next. </div>
Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-32546700140852541712016-10-19T14:16:00.000-05:002016-10-19T14:18:41.070-05:00Chicon Street Poison Ivy... An Unexpected Journey<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rXR3Awkxq_r7L048KyCh5gg_xG9LkYZvd1n3pYa_YbHkvFW6by1W5MTcUjYFwTLiBilWR43yU5pAU2yXCzUSgCiI0w9XUcAAMnSKWx_KuObRjYIAvm5kJAlvhDns7k7OHml3vroPkZw/s1600/poison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rXR3Awkxq_r7L048KyCh5gg_xG9LkYZvd1n3pYa_YbHkvFW6by1W5MTcUjYFwTLiBilWR43yU5pAU2yXCzUSgCiI0w9XUcAAMnSKWx_KuObRjYIAvm5kJAlvhDns7k7OHml3vroPkZw/s320/poison.jpg" width="320" /></a>Last weekend, my son and I worked for so long in the yard and made so much progress. When we were doing some work on the back neighbor's yard on the other side of the fence, the neighbor pointed out that some of the area we had not touched (it was further down the fenceline) had poison ivy on it. We were really glad we didn't touch it, but we knew that we'd have to get back there and take care of it next weekend. Phew! Crisis averted.<br />
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However, yesterday (10/18) there was no doubt that we had indeed encountered quite a bit of it. I thought it would be instantly itchy, but apparently it can take days to appear and then last weeks before clearing.<br />
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Last night we started some new treatments. Calamine lotion, baking soda paste, Benadryl, and a new soap. Today a friend brought over another new soap. This one contains <a href="https://altnature.com/jewelweed.htm" target="_blank">jewelweed</a>, which gets some good reviews online.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsRBTOZayOQTKlOGBo0OOYvR-cwvuTcMZoK5FE6dDrIOm4ShkjEITzxeVidKUEitKJdb1MrMruW0jIsYmI7T7mpI2m5gnRS1KB7RHGi6dCAIsjnzgmOrCsfoq70bRNiGfPujlTSwScx8/s1600/Hazmat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsRBTOZayOQTKlOGBo0OOYvR-cwvuTcMZoK5FE6dDrIOm4ShkjEITzxeVidKUEitKJdb1MrMruW0jIsYmI7T7mpI2m5gnRS1KB7RHGi6dCAIsjnzgmOrCsfoq70bRNiGfPujlTSwScx8/s320/Hazmat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our New Yardworking Clothing Line</td></tr>
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Doing the research on how to treat this stuff, I've found that there are HUNDREDS of home remedies that are all supposed to be the best. I'd like to try all of them!<br />
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Before we get back into that yard, we're going to get <a href="http://www.poison-ivy.org/poison-ivy-overview" target="_blank">100% up on what poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, etc. before we even walk out there</a>. We have to clear the rest of that fence and we also need that poison ivy to NOT be able to come back.<br />
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<a href="http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/03/what-kills-poison-ivy/" target="_blank">Here's one of the sites</a> I believe it taking this stuff seriously.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">I found a formula that I'm going to consider for treating the area in the lawn. This is to spray on the leaves so it'll get pulled down to the roots and kill the plant completely: </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDdCzpYavlRiFbTfFO4jOOUEjBeIDho9bE7roTQXpLcB5yOLpKjIIRD0e2Z_C_sSybl4D3VVToJyl8h4EtSBuxGBw8oT0GFmGGpiEq5TtjXzWcvz3croYRTynvokFaA20lBfakZ-z6N8/s1600/20161019_140821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDdCzpYavlRiFbTfFO4jOOUEjBeIDho9bE7roTQXpLcB5yOLpKjIIRD0e2Z_C_sSybl4D3VVToJyl8h4EtSBuxGBw8oT0GFmGGpiEq5TtjXzWcvz3croYRTynvokFaA20lBfakZ-z6N8/s320/20161019_140821.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It Doesn't Look Bad</td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Make a mixture of 1 cup of salt, 1 gallon of vinegar and about 8 drops of dish detergent. Combine the salt and vinegar in a pan and heat to dissolve the salt. Allow it to cool, then add the liquid detergent and put the mixture in a spray bottle. You can spray the poison ivy or pour on the plant. This will kill all vegetation, so be sure to get it on the poison ivy."</blockquote>
Next time I get to a neighborhood meeting, I'm going to bring some show and tell. Pictures on the internet, an actual plant (in a clear plastic bag), soaps and other medicinal items, and a warning that you have to DIG UP the plant to get it to stop coming back. I read yesterday that their roots can go 8 inches deep!<br />
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It would be wonderful to be able to share this with the community so that no one will have to deal with this when they are just trying to clean up their yards!<br />
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Now... back to my skin treatments. Damn this itches!<br />
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What do YOU use to treat this?<br />
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Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-12833050175295218292016-10-16T19:39:00.001-05:002016-10-16T19:39:55.608-05:00Chicon Street Yard Improvements - Clearing the Fences<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Continuing the saga of our move to east Austin, today was huge. First, our friend Kris came over and I surprised him with our new fire pit, which is a small galvanized tub (for now).</div>
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We had been burning some of our brush over the last couple of days and today we decided to get all of the brush taken care of before we'd stop. A few hours later, we put the last shovelful of sticks on while it all burned down to ash.<br />
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Once the brush was done, we discussed tilling the land and seeding it for new grass. At that point, my son woke up and we agreed that I'd buy him a new pair of Heely's for getting it all done and seeing grass sprout. It's going to be a lot of work.<br />
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Matt decided that he'd go for it, so he started raking the yard. Kris and I worked out that we wanted to have a compost pile, so we started moving a huge pile of wood, junk, and dirt from one side of the yard to the new location behind the shed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Area Is The Alley Owned By Neighbor Joe (Left Yard)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETQB5gN6fxhqpIkl7ZA7EHV8v4nmaSTaOgh-TBNmygmJwXVFPjdGypcpu_8EMZ0y2CDEtIWOaAxNfLiW6Mlj4PtwGXZFZhF0WvXSQfHPCwmRJT1AWvkstWORBcoi5SKrve5LUJMoxKDY/s1600/20161016_134102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETQB5gN6fxhqpIkl7ZA7EHV8v4nmaSTaOgh-TBNmygmJwXVFPjdGypcpu_8EMZ0y2CDEtIWOaAxNfLiW6Mlj4PtwGXZFZhF0WvXSQfHPCwmRJT1AWvkstWORBcoi5SKrve5LUJMoxKDY/s320/20161016_134102.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gulf Of Compost Must Be Crossed (Note House In Back)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhU7JdlulpeWNzgUAlrQ1dWEkCaoo4bQohiAHJtWFgPl6ZR8QAcJgpEAQKhjgiDrgZf8BQOAtsGkq04c3HDsyQv3Kc5Q6o0PYIR_-JiuTGOdltkIFddrlcZHQ_YteLX1bfIJBlkCpPPg/s1600/20161016_134111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhU7JdlulpeWNzgUAlrQ1dWEkCaoo4bQohiAHJtWFgPl6ZR8QAcJgpEAQKhjgiDrgZf8BQOAtsGkq04c3HDsyQv3Kc5Q6o0PYIR_-JiuTGOdltkIFddrlcZHQ_YteLX1bfIJBlkCpPPg/s320/20161016_134111.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Compost Pile Behind Shed</td></tr>
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It turns out that the side of the yard where that big pile was is part of the neighbor's land. It's an old "alley" that is still on the survey as his land. So, we're going to make it nice for him while we stay here. More info on that as this journey continues.<br />
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We have a wonderful family that lives behind us with a whole gaggle of kids that are really looking up to Matthew while he works in the back yard. Their family is very nice and the kids are playing in their backyard lots of the time, so we thought it would be nice if we'd cut down as much of the fence vines and low hanging branches so we could all see each other and talk freely. That was a lot of work, but the kids are very excited because we also went on their side of the fence and cut down everything so you can see through and above the fence easily. Very cool.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-u6GeeDZy3GX_-jxqsOP_PR_aUnk-xPXC5lZqrCJUnArERIG6Zo_GlO07SyGsdOA3uEGdGJb7Y6cvceSRz08dzeaIRRVzJ2z74EQ_LX0aevcCpZwWEKDU5iM0MkndyXrUyUOPSAvAZk/s1600/20161006_114323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-u6GeeDZy3GX_-jxqsOP_PR_aUnk-xPXC5lZqrCJUnArERIG6Zo_GlO07SyGsdOA3uEGdGJb7Y6cvceSRz08dzeaIRRVzJ2z74EQ_LX0aevcCpZwWEKDU5iM0MkndyXrUyUOPSAvAZk/s320/20161006_114323.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pile Of Compost Prior to Move, Back Fence Still A Mess</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCU33J4nkuxblEWAgep9XK8Y_BaFKhjypYSBjs-LW7kAL7UGh9_QQ5POLqXbqCn_oaH3Uz8LaxBIno0FdajXA00xDmkPoZ7Z3F-kAj9bLTolfMvCzJWtvyKXHT6A0ByLM-nRrm7W5rvkY/s1600/20161016_134248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCU33J4nkuxblEWAgep9XK8Y_BaFKhjypYSBjs-LW7kAL7UGh9_QQ5POLqXbqCn_oaH3Uz8LaxBIno0FdajXA00xDmkPoZ7Z3F-kAj9bLTolfMvCzJWtvyKXHT6A0ByLM-nRrm7W5rvkY/s320/20161016_134248.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Compost Being Moved</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
PICTURE OF COMPLETED BACK FENCE COMING SOON</div>
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That work also resulted in a whole new bunch of brush that needs to be burned. This week we're going to have some more backyard fun burning that stuff in the fire pit.<br />
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I'm exhausted. Here's a new group of pics!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXA202QU6p28jQ2chtHKFdYSRG-T_oBv7JJVkw6jm789IfzPFTTds4FW-s2ynJZCCdgPU09k7iXamUDjKovPfAW72SbfU8FfJCNNEejnEH6Aq5jBbPEc23Pr2NElMQqeLeT2WkoC0ECLY/s1600/20161016_155600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="23" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXA202QU6p28jQ2chtHKFdYSRG-T_oBv7JJVkw6jm789IfzPFTTds4FW-s2ynJZCCdgPU09k7iXamUDjKovPfAW72SbfU8FfJCNNEejnEH6Aq5jBbPEc23Pr2NElMQqeLeT2WkoC0ECLY/s320/20161016_155600.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Northwest Corner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5lSA1yVzZcd8OL-zLCMcPSPsDwgsRg-vCzQkCQkIkdsDiP5AAqZqbqnTfBFsWlLS6l5v-_900cUdjKdiCtueB8J8zyAU7B-dYuS2obpmx3ys27NI_0yRyr4Hsc2svtRd1jNKceorkmo/s1600/20161016_134457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="74" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5lSA1yVzZcd8OL-zLCMcPSPsDwgsRg-vCzQkCQkIkdsDiP5AAqZqbqnTfBFsWlLS6l5v-_900cUdjKdiCtueB8J8zyAU7B-dYuS2obpmx3ys27NI_0yRyr4Hsc2svtRd1jNKceorkmo/s320/20161016_134457.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Northeast Corner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnDWd9Od3oU7fnAhOt9SJrcbDKc3Jy-716KIesFPx3LtVFs3JY9wq0xXwgl8HUKQmp3UzY9nNR6gzFS_5W_t0QD6e6YUE49ZTiuDUhYqNFxxS2g4KipxKXiEom2UsP0zclPzqtUDHALU/s1600/20161016_134759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="22" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnDWd9Od3oU7fnAhOt9SJrcbDKc3Jy-716KIesFPx3LtVFs3JY9wq0xXwgl8HUKQmp3UzY9nNR6gzFS_5W_t0QD6e6YUE49ZTiuDUhYqNFxxS2g4KipxKXiEom2UsP0zclPzqtUDHALU/s320/20161016_134759.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Southwest Corner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUbcAdjUYrChH0F4ljajSHujcoQhfneuavffxcNN7psRx39gcvG1QlRk_uvXBMOMrM-7kSbnw9uMtl33AiGeQXbbftvV8YeRA3eib17RfRCtvUDrBIkVJfw5GBsimyHrz56-gzp1cHug/s1600/20161016_134537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="23" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUbcAdjUYrChH0F4ljajSHujcoQhfneuavffxcNN7psRx39gcvG1QlRk_uvXBMOMrM-7kSbnw9uMtl33AiGeQXbbftvV8YeRA3eib17RfRCtvUDrBIkVJfw5GBsimyHrz56-gzp1cHug/s320/20161016_134537.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Southeast Corner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Until next update!<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
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<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-84290315948938362922016-10-11T10:48:00.001-05:002016-10-23T13:16:17.848-05:00Our new Austin Journey starts on Chicon StreetI have always had a feeling that I was supposed to be born in Austin, so I got here as soon as the universe had me prepared, on my 21st birthday, 1988. I've watched the city change over and over. I've had friends that have been forced out of one area or another of the city due to affordability (tax increases and / or their rents being jacked) and I've recently had the squeeze put on me as well, so you're going to hear a little of my tale.<br />
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My time in town has taken me from southeast Austin to northwest Austin and more than a few points in between. Living on Rutland and east William Cannon in the late 80s gave me a taste of what the "edge" of the city was like when I got here, and since then, I've popped around a lot until settling and buying a home in which I have lived the last 18 years in southeast Austin just south of Riverside. Now I have a pretty good idea of what it is like trying to live and raise kids in a city that is by no means fair, balanced, or equal to its residents. Our school zoning situation itself could fill a novel.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdcmJ4rVdMSjZpjNcO1IB-JKY1p2Ok62LHWm8AGCg8Qalg9EKM9XzxVf5HBGRInkMtv5Yl9wL6131BpeRQoidroEbiv-0oZhKeUYN8ojOWErwvhi9MP0yzU57yhLhclBd4tlTgwGQQgE/s1600/20161006_114146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdcmJ4rVdMSjZpjNcO1IB-JKY1p2Ok62LHWm8AGCg8Qalg9EKM9XzxVf5HBGRInkMtv5Yl9wL6131BpeRQoidroEbiv-0oZhKeUYN8ojOWErwvhi9MP0yzU57yhLhclBd4tlTgwGQQgE/s320/20161006_114146.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It'll look friendlier soon!</td></tr>
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We are selling our house in southeast Austin and have found a wonderful home in central east Austin at <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@30.2823049,-97.7217504,3a,75y,258h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgj-4BvKKN7LaxGpGjZWU7w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1" target="_blank">2106 Chicon St</a>, just south of Manor Rd. We're renting this time because I'm sick of the responsibility of being my own landlord. Owning is just overwhelming after everything our family has been through. It's time to start taking care of us.<br />
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What has been fascinating is that now that we are getting moved into the new place, I have a different sense of "ownership" to this home. The house has been maintained on the inside, but the yard has needed a lot of love. Something about the place speaks to me and I'm starting to want to live here. Like for a long time. And what's also been cool is that the landlord seems to be on my wavelength too, and has asked me to become part of the neighborhood development group, the Blackland Community Development Committee. I'm honored and I'm going to join.<br />
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There's so much to say about how we got here and what's happening and I'll try to get to all of that eventually. In the meantime, here's a little bit of photography to show you (and me) what I've been working toward.<br />
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The back yard was a mess.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil83yZI8LNhTPp7V0WVal8QfY4gsPIPurreApV1mLcFsaSPqHJHTe31xTzsCAiVekHadKzpOBkCzYeOxl4v2YfYGZ3eC_BeFpTZcaFb-7oNwEXI_Om_laE-yk0ILLHwbKpiUo55uP2niA/s1600/20160910_145048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil83yZI8LNhTPp7V0WVal8QfY4gsPIPurreApV1mLcFsaSPqHJHTe31xTzsCAiVekHadKzpOBkCzYeOxl4v2YfYGZ3eC_BeFpTZcaFb-7oNwEXI_Om_laE-yk0ILLHwbKpiUo55uP2niA/s400/20160910_145048.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Flattened that.</div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i9.ytimg.com/vi/Nzqx477nujA/default.jpg?sqp=CKT8s8AF&rs=AOn4CLAmVN-7sg4IYeW8oMNBsnZaSdtp1Q" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nzqx477nujA?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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Here's the video.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIOg9K7wuP5wSxOlCWbS7fIB9bQ12ciBXkAVlETj67nJr2eBWbqFcr5hwnzqeqG489uBzieQx6uxpNgTY7Ej1WrvQlgXGeqYSTreLb_BfAj_ZZlGrstmyBLHHQgyPOjQGpxz8qLg79Ac/s1600/20160910_154734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIOg9K7wuP5wSxOlCWbS7fIB9bQ12ciBXkAVlETj67nJr2eBWbqFcr5hwnzqeqG489uBzieQx6uxpNgTY7Ej1WrvQlgXGeqYSTreLb_BfAj_ZZlGrstmyBLHHQgyPOjQGpxz8qLg79Ac/s400/20160910_154734.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Whew! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQAX6m_Y5XTojhvjaFXqkklAfdnv-SIffgsMMXYP4ift5Jo4pXyvIwtVNM9zPx4I2_8vPmy3Jo3SU9Nl8XhGHk0fMY865R3au7ZUCU2rQsT5FznGXHKAbPPKCN9lQxDUXMzxhyphenhyphenmUSgd8/s1600/20160910_154715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQAX6m_Y5XTojhvjaFXqkklAfdnv-SIffgsMMXYP4ift5Jo4pXyvIwtVNM9zPx4I2_8vPmy3Jo3SU9Nl8XhGHk0fMY865R3au7ZUCU2rQsT5FznGXHKAbPPKCN9lQxDUXMzxhyphenhyphenmUSgd8/s400/20160910_154715.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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After getting the back cut down to normal, I needed to get the brush on the fences and low hanging branches taken care of.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3OJIjSsqJo-7x7pEF1UYEG4B1L99-V1BSfLQ2pohti38atG0pKRIBeV8s77OoQ3vQcsOXx2qKhGVP0Hdv9VpPufDEMOIDqHZAlcKCzeV-ss6z2p2z1DhIJdaUyGCwQi8x2wHAnr6iH8/s1600/20160910_154737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3OJIjSsqJo-7x7pEF1UYEG4B1L99-V1BSfLQ2pohti38atG0pKRIBeV8s77OoQ3vQcsOXx2qKhGVP0Hdv9VpPufDEMOIDqHZAlcKCzeV-ss6z2p2z1DhIJdaUyGCwQi8x2wHAnr6iH8/s400/20160910_154737.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This stuff is encroaching!</div>
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We also have a front yard I have started after as well. </div>
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We have some big plans for the place. More on those later. It's a journey!</div>
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Tonight is the first meeting of the Blackland Community Development Committee that I'm attending. I'll let you know what happens!<br />
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<br />Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-18088586845054760602015-05-08T10:04:00.003-05:002015-05-08T10:04:48.549-05:00What is the Prolifebirth, Probirth, Anti-Choice, Anti-Abortion, "Pro-Life" Endgame? Think about it.<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jtRtK4AeG70/VUzKM-D4UTI/AAAAAAABFJY/4VsCbMU7DZc/s1600/Texas%2BRed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jtRtK4AeG70/VUzKM-D4UTI/AAAAAAABFJY/4VsCbMU7DZc/s200/Texas%2BRed.jpg" width="200" /></a>I live in Texas. In Austin. Three miles from the State Capitol. It's a short walk to see what's happening in politics here in the Lone Star State. And ever since I started looking into women's rights issues, I've been seeing what seems to be a groundswell of probirth, prolivebirth, anti-choice, anti-abortion, "pro-life" sentiment. And it's not just in Texas; it's worldwide.</div>
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It has made me question what is the endgame? </div>
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I believe it is <b>complete control of women</b>. I could wax poetic but that's my estimation. What did women do wrong? Are they rtoo powerful? Is it because they aren't men? Because men want to "save them?" Are they threatened by them? Did they take too many male jobs in WW II, so they are a threat to the "American Way of Life," where men hold the jobs and get their wives pregnant? Or are they enjoying sex?</div>
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I think there is a bit of truth in each of those. But if the rally cry is "Abortion is Murder," the end result is that women are subjugated to men. <b>How else could it play out?</b></div>
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Back to my point about Texas.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LkGLTMjcKyY/VUzOb6XX1XI/AAAAAAABFKc/kbTRYQodous/s1600/AP_TEXAS_REDISTRICTING.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LkGLTMjcKyY/VUzOb6XX1XI/AAAAAAABFKc/kbTRYQodous/s200/AP_TEXAS_REDISTRICTING.gif" width="174" /></a>Texas has a whole heap of egotistical, ignorant, intolerant, superstitious, sanctimonious, intolerant, sexist, misogynistic, backwards, bigoted humans living here. And some of those people have <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/13592999/ns/politics/t/justices-revise-part-texas-redistricting/" target="_blank">gerrymandered the state</a> so they believe they are the majority. I won't even touch on who has whom in their lobbyist's pockets.</div>
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These people's day will come. When the American people finally balance their democracy, and fair representation is available, this type of tyranny will end. (I can dream).</div>
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In the meantime, let's erode our rights, one slut shamed at a time. You see, it is very convenient. Something that makes your tribe "better" than my tribe in an irrefutable, logical, rational, humane, hidden behind "women's health safety" manner. Abortion. That'll do it. It has everything. It bleeds so it leads. It has sex, women, girls, sex, lust, power, daddy issues, mommy issues, babies, children, families, economics, eugenics, NAZIs, Chinese atheism, state control, health issues, cancer, STDs, rape, incest, child endangerment, prostitution, arrests, criminals, murderers, Satan, atheism, racism, and don't even think about leaving out religion. It sells everywhere to every segment of the population. Just think of how much money has been collected by those non-profit businesses that tell everyone that they need to give them money to fight the evil [insert side you are opposing].</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kSi2AzZqyCI/VUzLydC-WDI/AAAAAAABFJs/SN1fTXuCwUc/s1600/top-logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="62" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kSi2AzZqyCI/VUzLydC-WDI/AAAAAAABFJs/SN1fTXuCwUc/s200/top-logo.gif" width="200" /></a>You are being fleeced of your money and your rights. Sure "helping" "those women" and "their babies" feels good now, but it's a drug. It only lasts for a short while. What happens when that hit wears off? Where is the next line?</div>
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Without that "enemy," you're going to need to raise more money because well, we needed those donations and new tribe members. Time to make a new enemy. Why not create one?</div>
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It'll have to be something to do with sex again. It sells. Big time.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-87I-Fh8WJ5I/VUzM1SLe4II/AAAAAAABFJ0/iwWQEj8GmHU/s1600/sex-education.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-87I-Fh8WJ5I/VUzM1SLe4II/AAAAAAABFJ0/iwWQEj8GmHU/s200/sex-education.jpg" width="200" /></a>Well, we got everyone riled up about abortion, and that made us a lot of donations, so let's keep it rolling! Not rallied yet? How about we combine it with TAXES! Get those laws in there! Did the buzz wear off? I think we can rile up those parents! Let's add in EDUCATION! </div>
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Where's the next hit?</div>
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Really, what IS the next twist on <a href="http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-borgmann-abortion-threats-20141201-story.html" target="_blank">TRAP laws</a>? You know the cycle never ends. When women can only have sex for reproduction, it isn't going to be enough.</div>
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Whether anyone is willing to admit it or not, these religiously backed and funded laws have done a lot of damage in the entire world so far and this TRAP law cancer in America is relentless.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UfU12buneJ4/VUzNJhpwdKI/AAAAAAABFJ8/SKRJE16oUSk/s1600/ArizonaAbortionLawStruckDown052213.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UfU12buneJ4/VUzNJhpwdKI/AAAAAAABFJ8/SKRJE16oUSk/s200/ArizonaAbortionLawStruckDown052213.jpeg" width="200" /></a>There are 2-6 prolivebirth anti-choice bills submitted PER DAY across the USA. There is only so much one person can do to stop this. I am sure you've all seen this from me so much you are sick of it, but it REALLY is this bad.</div>
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I may seem to be wasting my time, arguing my "side" forevermore, but if it helps one person make their OWN decision, no matter what it is, then it is worth it.</div>
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People need the facts. And they need to know that guilt is not something you need to have drive your personal decisions. Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures in the world. One in three women are... I am not going to list the stats. The stats are available to anyone with Google.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sygu4e9srzY/VUzNXrZLAJI/AAAAAAABFKE/cgTcjVyp2hw/s1600/Good-Intentions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sygu4e9srzY/VUzNXrZLAJI/AAAAAAABFKE/cgTcjVyp2hw/s1600/Good-Intentions.jpg" /></a>Women's reproductive freedom is everyone's freedom. Reproductive freedom is having the ability to make a compassionate decision with your own doctor without having a room full of guilt being pushed upon you in a moment of great decision. Women decide. Women. Not the state.</div>
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A word of caution, TRAP supporters... </div>
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Be careful what you wish for. You may not like the world you get. The state does not deserve that kind of power. Too many people are giving the state that power willingly.</div>
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Not me.</div>
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Ask yourself: when are we going to finally, once in for all, treat women like people and not property? How much should you allow the state to regulate vaginas, doctor visits, or women's sex drives?</div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">If men aren't having their parts legislated, it sounds like slut shaming to me. What would make you feel like we are truly "protecting" women?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Where is YOUR next line?</span></div>
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Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-71694330568641485322015-03-08T12:42:00.001-05:002015-03-11T01:26:33.143-05:00Soylent 1.4 Journey 1.0<p dir="ltr">On Sunday, I made my first batch of Soylent. Over Sunday and Monday I went through a full day's worth and got rid of a few leftovers in between. This morning, Tuesday, I started a full day of 100% Soylent.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I followed the instructions as closely as I could. Filtered water at room temp and then straight in the fridge, overnight, for good measure. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I have decided to add coffee and stevia to it and it makes it taste like a chocolate shake; it's just not frozen. On its own, the kids say it taste like chalk and I can't say I disagree. I know I am going to want to flavor it with different things like fruit and things of that nature, but right now I'm just beginning this journey.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It was really weird looking at 100 percent of your food for the day. For breakfast, I had approximately one fifth of the filled, shaken, container, leaving the rest to be consumed later.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Around lunch time, I got hungry and made another coffee / stevia drink shake. A couple of the guys wanted to go next door for lunch so I accompanied them. Having been a vegan for a while, I really have no problem watching people eat super awesome tasty delicious food in front of me. I know this would never work for some people as 100% food intake.</p><p dir="ltr">Dinner was in two separate parts as I just drank it when I got hungry and stopped when I was full. Then an hour or two later, finished the rest.</p><p dir="ltr">As bedtime approached, I made my food for tomorrow and popped it in the fridge. Then I wandered the kitchen for some morsels. Having Soylent's container tell me I was done for the day kept me from looking for something to kinda fill me up / have awesome mouth feel. I know that sounds weird; deal with it.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So far no odd emotions or bathroom habits that I know of. Yes, that is what everyone wants to know. Nothing yet. We'll see. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I don't know if it is connected with the emotions, but I actually wanted to straighten out my nightstand, and did, but couldn't figure out if that was connected. I hope it is; clutter is not soothing. Lots of weird stuff is cool, it just shouldn't be cluttered. Hmm...</p>
<p dir="ltr">Tomorrow should be interesting. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I can already tell that I am going to mix this into my "diet" (i.e. the definition of "what you eat," not food restrictions) along with other foods for no other reason than my health safety. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I am now starting to realize that I should tell my doctor before I go much further... I had a physical and blood work recently, so letting him know should be all I need to do. I'll call him in the morning. </p>
<p dir="ltr">No need to panic. It seems to me that where I am now is similar to having drank Ensure and / or breakfast drinks and fancy coffee for a little while. I'll be safe.</p><p dir="ltr">More than anything, I am certain I got more of a well-balanced diet today than I have in (very probably) my entire life. </p>
<p dir="ltr">See you soon.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4V9c3mCkAWBzgHBlco4UxmuI4etOfJV9eOwtCBYtslRsmr0dQSovFUuMMT7JjQUfye35xb-z2oV6Nh1ekMjMsO7LhN-N5ixdwor7Gx6SWevILa0Rbk1Iq8FaJOg-nQFkAriGOKvT-Y5w/s1600/1426054611889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4V9c3mCkAWBzgHBlco4UxmuI4etOfJV9eOwtCBYtslRsmr0dQSovFUuMMT7JjQUfye35xb-z2oV6Nh1ekMjMsO7LhN-N5ixdwor7Gx6SWevILa0Rbk1Iq8FaJOg-nQFkAriGOKvT-Y5w/s640/1426054611889.jpg"> </a> </div>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-53075763422782401642014-07-14T15:30:00.000-05:002014-07-14T15:30:51.274-05:00SummertimeWell, I don't know how most parents do it, but for us, we let the kids make up their own schedules and it works for us. There is a lot more sleep than I would have ever thought. In fact, last summer, we let Matt sleep for a couple of weeks (seriously it was something like that long), and he woke up like a half inch taller.<br />
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How do parents keep their kids on a schedule during the summer? Why do they do it? I'll never understand.<br />
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Maybe they need more control? What do you think?Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-20080753611797242162014-01-01T10:00:00.000-06:002014-01-01T10:00:02.222-06:00An open letter in favor of loosening the dress code in BISD schools<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello, everybody!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I received a Facebook update from one of my friends from my home town, Freeport, TX, asking me to participate in speaking out against a particular post about hair code and personal grooming / body adornment regulations loosening. His request reminded me of why I didn't like the city, the politics, or a lot of the people. Here's the post he was referencing: "Parents: What do you think of the changes Brazosport ISD made this week that allow boys to wear longer hair, earrings and facial hair, so long as it is well groomed? The school board also allowed visible tattoos on boys and girls, so long as they are not gang-related or offensive. Post your thoughts here. Some of them will be published in Sunday's print edition." I happen to think loosening things up is perfectly reasonable because there are far too many other things to really be concerned about. Want the link to read the battle for yourself? <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=481887125164341&id=109047382448319">https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=481887125164341&id=109047382448319</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I posted an abbreviated version of this, as the limit for a post is 8000 characters:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dear Citizens of Brazoria County, BISD School Board Members, and students of BISD,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was made aware of this post ironically by a student of Brazosport High School that punched me in the face for allowing a rolled up piece of paper to land in his lap on a bus. He also happened to be a football player. There was no way I was going to let this pass. This discussion of student control by fear and ignorance is near and dear to my heart. I am a survivor of Brazosport in general and Brazosport High School specifically. I graduated in 1985. The things my friends and I had to persevere could only be likened to living in a prison yard and / or an educational throwback to another time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My thoughts on the matter can be summarized in some good old colloquialisms. From an historical perspective, I'm pretty sure these sayings were important enough to make it into our present day lexicon:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Judge not lest ye be judged</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Don't judge a book by its cover</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Clothes don't make the man</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Have we all collectively forgotten those? I would highly recommend a Google search on religious persecution or freedom of expression, or perhaps pick up a bible and do some reading on how to love and forgive one another. Check out the concept of separation of church and state. Maybe none of that's important to you because you're just "right." Careful... people that live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. That's a good phrase to live by, too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But I digress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the 1980s, Brazosport High School had a draconian dress and hair code, and as far as I can tell, it provided nothing for school safety, educational harmony, or support of free thinking. In fact, the real problem in my opinion was the lack of administrative fairness and educational efficacy. Pretty much the same situation we're living with now. The only constant was the support of the status quo where popular factions were supported by administration and were allowed to cross clear lines of aberrant behavior. Certain groups passed through school on greased skids and "undesirables" were allowed to get away with their disturbingly violent behaviors. These activities were supported or ignored by teachers that thought it was in the best interest of the school, or perhaps the best interest of their positions in the community. It’s hard to fight the system. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have hundreds of examples that happened at BHS, ALL done while we were under a draconian dress and hair code. I can get the victims to support these claims, if they feel comfortable to share. Many still have family in Brazosport that work in places that may suffer consequences for speaking out, so they would have to do that in a more "safe" manner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While these "back in the old days, things were so much better" hair and dress code rules were in force, we lived through some bizarre situations in middle and high school: educational absenteeism on the part of the teachers; allowed and even sanctioned physical violence; schoolyard bullying; grisly attacks that were met with very little punitive action; rape; drug use; weapon possession; student smoking; teaching from the bible; teachers duct taping faces; teachers physically abusing children; condoned physical assault on in the form of hazing; teachers providing high grades to girls that flirted with them; teachers that slept through class; hung over alcoholic teachers; physical and verbal assaults on homosexuals; football team members that were allowed and encouraged to graduate without being able to read for themselves; and many more unbelievable acts that make my friends and family cringe to this day. If those seem over the top, and I do believe they do, I decide to add some examples:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Educational absenteeism: my physics teacher knew no physics. He had the book with the answers, but the way he graded us was to have us write our answers on the blackboards. Whoever convinced him that their proof was most correct got it right.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sanctioned violence: a football player pushed a non-football player through a glass door during a packed lunch period in full view of all the students, faculty, and administration. Nothing happened to the football player, but the other student had to pay to repair the damage.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Schoolyard bullying: My group of friends avoided assault by hiding in the library from middle school through the end of high school, due to constant physical attacks that happened on any day the library was closed. We were lucky.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Grisly attacks were met with very little punitive action: in gym class, a friend had his MOUTH WASHED OUT BY STEEL WOOL, ripping his gums so badly blood was literally pouring from his mouth. The offender received 3 spanks with a paddle from the gym coach. Why report it to the police?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rape: a female friend was raped on campus. No teachers present in a courtyard, no punitive action.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Drug use: marijuana and other drug use were happening on campus in sight of teachers and students.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Weapon possession: knives, brass knuckles, and guns brought to school constantly and brandished at students. Reporting this to administration brought on more violence from the offenders.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Student smoking: just outside the buildings. Students that came in reeking were not reprimanded.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Teaching from the bible: Our biology teacher read from the textbook on evolution and then locked the doors to tell us "how it really happened," while he brought out his Bible and lectured us from Genesis.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Duct taping faces: I personally had my face and head wrapped with duct taped by an elementary school teacher during an entire class day.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Teachers physically abusing children: I personally was hit in the head along with anyone else that would speak out of turn by a teacher in elementary school. She flipped her class ring inside her palm and walloped us pretty damn hard.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Condoned physical assault on in the form of hazing: hazing seemed fun on the surface, yet freshmen were beaten by seniors behind the scenes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Teachers providing high grades to girls that flirted with them: this was actually so rampant that it was a joke to all of us. Personally it irked me because it devalued the effort I put in to pass the classes. This situation of allowing people to pass because the school had a vested interest in them staying in athletics was well known between students and teachers.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Teachers that slept through class: my English teacher in intermediate had narcolepsy and often slept through the entire class period.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hung over alcoholic teachers: one of my intermediate school teachers came in so hung over that she would sleep through class while we were told to read from our books.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Physical and verbal assaults on homosexuals: things were so bad that in gym class they actually became the helpers that lived in the locked area and handed out towels and things of that nature from behind bars.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Football team members that were allowed and encouraged to graduate without being able to read for themselves: my mother substituted and was told she had to read tests out loud to football players, and fill out their multiple choice responses. The regular teachers were actually feeding them all answers with verbal cues.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My point is that a hair / dress code has NOTHING to do with keeping children in a healthy place and in the right frame of mind to learn and to be respectful to an administration. In fact, the opposite is true. The more rules you put in place to "control" behavior, the more you put the administration and teaching staff in a situation where they are expected to enforce those rules, without being able to enforce them in a meaningful way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our school system has had its "teeth" pulled from it now, where teachers no longer have disciplinary support from administration, and teacher respect is extremely low. More should be done to support education: smaller class sizes, better educational materials, counseling services that help the families and community, community involvement, etc. Go watch "Waiting for Superman" for all the examples of how to stop making DROPOUT FACTORIES. BHS has been one for years. Go do the research and shock yourselves instead of expecting a dress code to fix it. That is small town thinking, and the more you perpetuate it, the worse you'll make it, and I'm sure the police force can give you the stats... People that graduate without literacy and the ability to perform critical thinking fill their cells. Go ahead... I dare you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I believe I can share all of these because I do not live in Freeport any longer. I escaped. To those of you children that are living under the sick mentality of the people in power in Brazoria county: you CAN escape it. Get educated. Learn to think for yourself, not just to work inside the system. Find like-minded people that want to succeed at life and protect each other. Find ways to get safe: a supportive teacher, a friend's parents that have a safe home, align yourself with a church group that is free from religious persecution (they do exist, just keep trying them on for size), believe in yourselves, make an escape plan to avoid home violence, get counseling to learn some real life skills, use birth control, and find anything else you can do to keep yourself sane. You are a human being and deserve to be treated with respect. Believe in yourself even is no one else does. There really ARE places that let you be yourself; you'll just have to find them on your own because you may not have the support to have someone help you do it. Save your money in a bank and escape. The roads in Brazoria County can be the start of your journey; don't let them be your prison. Good luck and may the force be with you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sincerely,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Billy Joe Cain</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Austin, TX</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Class of '85</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fun facts:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our administration would actually cut students' hair on the campus with scissors if it was "too long."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our vice-principal had the longest hair in the school. He got away with it because it was a comb over.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of my friends was sent home because they wore a concert t-shirt that was "too provocative." The band: Yes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our intermediate school gym teacher murdered the man his wife was having an affair with. He literally got away with murder by calling it an "act of passion," and he lived the rest of his life on disability, paid for by your tax dollars. He was the one that gave 3 licks to the bully that did the steel wool attack.</span></li>
</ul>
Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-32578350884475800022013-12-27T15:41:00.001-06:002016-05-23T01:36:13.326-05:00Small Town Proms<div dir="ltr">
Freeport, Texas, 1985. The Brazosport High School senior prom committee puts out a request for seniors to submit their favorite music for the DJs at the prom. </div>
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Music to my earholes! For the next two months, I invest hours and hours building a list of danceable rock tunes that are slightly off center, getting advice and feedback from my friends. For years I had been organizing dances and parties that had nothing to do with Top 40, so I felt uniquely qualified to produce a world class dance setlist.</div>
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The final list was around 200 songs, with slow, intimate dance music interspersed with more energetic tunes. We're talking about slightly deeper cuts from The Cars and Pat Benatar here along with some slow April Wine, not Iron Maiden or King Crimson, but the point isn't what the song list was...</div>
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When I arrived at prom, I ran inside and hit up the DJ to see what they wound up bringing. He responded "They told us to ONLY bring Top 40."</div>
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Are you fucking kidding me?</div>
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"Well, it's a good thing I brought some backups just in case. I was afraid that might happen." I raced out to my car to grab the 20 or so rock albums I figured I would need in case of "emergency."</div>
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My friends and I stayed until we got to dance to a handful of our music, including some Joe "King" Carrasco that is still amazingly danceable, and get our pictures made. When I took the albums, the DJ thanked me and said he wished we'd stay so he could keep some variety going. You could see his soul being crushed if you looked hard enough.</div>
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Fuck that place. Why did everything there have to be so ridiculous?</div>
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<div dir="ltr">
If YOU are in a small-minded town that you cannot change, just get out. Leave it to them. You will thank yourself every day afterwards. I have NEVER regretted it; only that I didn't leave sooner. Follow your heart.</div>
Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-91719871242449366292013-10-15T09:21:00.000-05:002013-10-15T09:49:58.292-05:00Pro-choice women: "Shave off your hair and become lesbians."<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">During the SB 5 protests at the Texas State Capitol this June, my family and I endured quite a bit of intolerance from the supporters of SB 5. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As you may know, my daughter was at the center of a lot of hatred during this entire situation due to her sign supporting choice and women's reproductive freedom. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You can read more throughout my blog.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The other day I was looking through my photos and I found some from the day that Tuesday made her sign and I wanted to share a couple with you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wRDhM1nR6oQ/Ul1FkbacOlI/AAAAAAAARvI/itY3SaJpLY4/s1600/2013-07-12+15.09.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wRDhM1nR6oQ/Ul1FkbacOlI/AAAAAAAARvI/itY3SaJpLY4/s320/2013-07-12+15.09.20.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They say what they mean</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She had written two signs that were really part of the same message: Please keep your religion out of our legal system; it's not bad, but really, keep it out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We had been at the Capitol for four days, listening to scientific and rational arguments about why the proposed law was bad for women, bad for freedom, bad for the economically challenged, and had been made to endure the failure of each and every amendment being dismissed all day. It was dismal. Add on the fact that people were telling us how Jesus didn't approve of our "side," or pre-marital sex, or any number of other guilt-ridden comments and you can see where her opinion was formed. (For those of you that may think "why didn't she say Mohammed or someone else?" - it's because his followers weren't yelling at her all week).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So when Tuesday and her friend were protesting with these signs in the Capitol Rotunda, a man started shouting at them and his screaming culminated with "you should shave off your hair and become lesbians, because no man would want you."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i9Zik2lds-w/Ul1FDeyrwqI/AAAAAAAARvA/EN_l27VzaoE/s1600/FB_IMG_13736599205271342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i9Zik2lds-w/Ul1FDeyrwqI/AAAAAAAARvA/EN_l27VzaoE/s320/FB_IMG_13736599205271342.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And he means what he says</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He was standing to my right and they were standing to my left. He saw their signs and he just lost it. He was hollerin' at them at the top of his lungs. There's just no other way to say it. HOLLERIN'! I was surprised a grown man would be that upset, so I asked him why he would say those things. He screamed at me for a while and said that "no man would want to marry them!" A GROWN MAN was telling her that she was worthless (at least in his eyes). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Luckily a state trooper came to her rescue and walked up behind him, tapped him on his shoulder and informed him that he needed to "protest in that direction," pointing to the center of the ro</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">tunda. It was a moment of beauty, honestly. The man continued rambling and never did respond to my questions: "Why would you say that to a little girl?" and "What did you mean by that?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What's going on in this man's head? </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had SO many more questions! </span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you protest laws against women's freedom are you a lesbian?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you are a young girl should you have no voice in politics?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you have an opinion about abortion you must be a lesbian? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All lesbians have no hair?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shaving your hair makes you a lesbian?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Men don't want lesbians?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lesbians are bad?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Men don't want women with opinions?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Men don't want women with opinions about freedom? Sex? Quantity of babies?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Women shouldn't be allowed to have sex for pleasure? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Young women shouldn't know about having sex for pleasure?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Young women shouldn't know about sex or birth control?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sex is about having babies only? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The only reason you exist as a woman is to get married?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Your self-worth should be tied to making a man happy?</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So many questions!! I really just don't get it. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I still don't know what that means.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Young women can have an opinion about what happens to their bodies. In fact they are exactly who should have an opinion. Who else is with them and their bodies 24 hours a day? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Honestly I was dumbfounded at the time and I'm still dumbfounded. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Just after this incident, we went out to one of the hallways of the rotunda to discuss it together. Being yelled at by a grown man </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hurt my daughter's friend's feelings. I could tell that it shook her foundations. W</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">e needed to talk it out. After we had discussed it for quite some time, and after more people came by to take pictures of the sign that were in total support, she felt better. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Afterward, I was checking the interwebs for more information about what was happening with the amendments. I was watching Twitter when I saw a picture of the sign hit the internet. The shock of being called a whore online almost immediately can't be good for a little girl's sense of self, so t</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hat's when I decided it was time to get online and <b>defend these children against this level of ignorance</b>. That's its own story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The battle for <i>this</i> round of women's rights in Texas was lost that day, but the war goes on. Our story was a minor footnote, but we did what we wanted to do: get the attention of people around the world to show them how women's rights were being trampled in the United States, and, in particular, Texas. My daughter's words did it. I am proud of my daughter and her friend for standing up for their, and ALL women's, rights and for not backing away sheepishly into the night. Because people like this man exist everywhere, and they don't often say what they're thinking in public. They oppress their wives and daughters. They vote women's rights away. They think they're doing the right thing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And they are wrong.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On second thought... Maybe I should thank this guy for crystallizing it for me. What do you think? They say the Lord works in mysterious ways...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9S-xLWnNOSQ/Ul1V3K9rZ9I/AAAAAAAARvY/71TAoLNCMMQ/s1600/20130703_010151_Congress+Ave+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9S-xLWnNOSQ/Ul1V3K9rZ9I/AAAAAAAARvY/71TAoLNCMMQ/s640/20130703_010151_Congress+Ave+(1).jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That is exactly what you think it is. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-32102980429889687352013-09-17T22:20:00.000-05:002013-10-13T21:30:39.683-05:00Slut Shaming, Misogyny, and Why Women are Responsible for Luring Men into Wanting Sex (not)<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Women can't get pregnant without sperm, right? But is it their fault that men want to have sex with them? Are they responsible for saying "no?" Is it their responsibility to not get pregnant?</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the last few months, I have read and fielded thousands of online abortion discussion <a href="http://www.xojane.com/issues/billy-cain-tuesday-cain-jesus-isnt-a-dick-so-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina#comment-972129131">posts</a> that are anti-choice. Well, really "pro-live birth." Thousands.</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You see, in July, 2013, my <a href="http://www.xojane.com/author/tuesday-cain">daughter</a> wrote a <a href="http://www.xojane.com/issues/billy-cain-tuesday-cain-jesus-isnt-a-dick-so-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina">sign</a> to protest Texas' "Women's Health" <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Senate_Bill_5">legislation</a>, Senate Bill 5. This bill, now a law, "<a href="http://www.acog.org/About_ACOG/News_Room/News_Releases/2013/Ob-Gyns_Speak_Out_for_Womens_Health">is plainly intended to interfere with the patient-physician relationship and restrict the reproductive rights of women in Texas</a>," , according to the 58,000 member <a href="http://www.acog.org/">American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists</a> (ACOG).</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What's the most surprising type of comment I've read throughout this time? Concern for the mother? Concern for our freedom of choice? A lack of widely spread factual information? Politics happening behind closed doors? The righteousness of organized religion to have legislators force their beliefs on the population? Bible quotes? Comments about Tuesday's sign's "<a href="http://www.mrconservative.com/2013/07/21250-child-holds-vile-abortion-sign-jesus-isnt-a-dick-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina/">vulgarity</a>?" Nope. I expected those. <b>The most surprising comments I have seen/read blame the woman for getting pregnant and being told that "they should have known better."</b> And wow, there are plenty. Here's a good one, blaming the woman for "spreading [her] legs."</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFzaVS2_q20/Ujh-1td_nnI/AAAAAAAAOOU/XJ9j87ZQinE/s1600/sluttwitter.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="235" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFzaVS2_q20/Ujh-1td_nnI/AAAAAAAAOOU/XJ9j87ZQinE/s400/sluttwitter.PNG" title="Wow. Maybe he's blaming women AND men, but I'm not sure. Spreading legs has to happen first." width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What happened to the "male influence" on those pregnancies? Men are (at least) 50% responsible for these pregnancies and they are hardly taken to task. </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Misogyny and slut-shaming is rampant in all abortion discussions I have been part of, either explicitly or implicitly. Here's one aimed at my 14 year old daughter:</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JTgsD493ptA/UjiAopk0KPI/AAAAAAAAOOg/0rVJ52zopHc/s1600/whoretwitter.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="137" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JTgsD493ptA/UjiAopk0KPI/AAAAAAAAOOg/0rVJ52zopHc/s400/whoretwitter.PNG" title="I'm pretty sure he didn't call boys whores. And who are those whores having sex with? Defenseless boys?" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let's call up Wikipedia: "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misogyny">Misogyny</a> is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. <b>Misogyny can be manifested in numerous ways, including sexual discrimination, denigration of women, violence against women, and sexual objectification of women</b>. Misogyny has been characterised as a prominent feature of the mythologies of the ancient world as well as various religions. In addition, many influential Western philosophers have been described as misogynistic. The male counterpart of misogyny is misandry, the hatred or dislike of men; the antonym of misogyny is philogyny, the love or fondness of women."</span></i></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are a couple of real comments I have read during this abortion debate:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Why can't women just be smart enough to use contraceptives from the start? Why should their lack of responsibility go un-punished. Abortion should not be used like a contraceptive. Just saying......"</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Don't worry little girl Jesus wouldn't have anything to do with you cause only God only knows where that vagina has been and with who."</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Has anyone asked this little girl if she is glad her mom didn't accidentally get pregnant and choose to abort her?"</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"The proud father, he raised a sausage slurper."</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"With a father like that she will be a stripper strung out on drugs in no time." - "Oh. I see. The chubby, shabbily dressed pulchritudinous-challenged girl actually made the sign." {pul·chri·tu·di·nous - adj. Characterized by or having great physical beauty and appeal.}</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"In other words, there are female contraception methods that you can always be prepared to make us of if there is any risk of you getting raped."</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Aha, but Mommy is probably advocating a sexually active lifestyle for her little lovely girl hoping she gets pregnant so they can kill a fetus."</span></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OnM8nF36DeU/UjiJ7TnlOkI/AAAAAAAAOO4/FO_viTZjJ8k/s1600/hoetwitter.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OnM8nF36DeU/UjiJ7TnlOkI/AAAAAAAAOO4/FO_viTZjJ8k/s400/hoetwitter.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Want to see more? Check this out: "<a href="http://publicshaming.tumblr.com/post/56467925777/14-year-old-womens-rights-activist-attacked-online" target="_blank">14 Year old Womens Rights Activist Attacked Online</a>" </span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Who is taking up the reigns of taking the men to task for their role here? Why is it that parents aren't teaching their boys better? In fact, just this week Tuesday and I were pointed to a blog post named "<a href="http://givenbreath.com/2013/09/03/fyi-if-youre-a-teenage-girl/" target="_blank">FYI (if you’re a teenage girl)</a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">," where a mother is, essentially, saying that her boys can't be controlled when they see sultry pictures on the internet. What? <b>Who is parenting these children?</b></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tuesday wrote a response to the <a href="http://givenbreath.com/2013/09/03/fyi-if-youre-a-teenage-girl/">original</a> article - you can read her response <a href="http://www.xojane.com/issues/tuesday-cain-open-letter-to-the-mom-who-posted-rules-for-teenage-girls-on-facebook">here</a>. So far the comments have been amazingly positive, but who knows.</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What I want to know is this: why are men not taught to be responsible? Where are the parents that are modeling correct behavior? Why should it be the woman that's held to task? Why are their bodies the ones that are taboo? Men can run around completely topless without a problem. I don't get it. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My wife and I just ordered <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375501312/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood</a> and <a href="guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men" target="_blank">Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men</a> to see if they'd be good books not only for us to share with our son, but to see if they are worth recommending. If you've heard of them or a better book, I'd love to hear it. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Someone has to stop this runaway train, and it is you. </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-43476001113369095142013-07-28T15:31:00.000-05:002013-10-13T21:30:39.687-05:00Real life abortion story - Let's call her Carly<b>To humanize this discussion, I asked people to send in some real life stories. I have not even typo corrected these. Please understand these are as REAL as I can provide. </b><p> A good friend of mine in college had to drop out due to an unwanted pregnancy (which we later discovered was from rape. She had sadly been too embarrassed and shocked to admit it had been rape). Her parents nevertheless knew what caused the pregnancy, but due to their strict religious beliefs they threatened to cut her off completely if she got an abortion. She carried the baby to term, but you could see the shame and embarrassment in her eyes almost every day. She eventually had to drop out, because she could no longer play soccer and lost her athletic scholarship. It was maddening. She ended up giving the baby up for adoption and hasn't spoken to her parents for almost three years now. It's just infuriating that situations like hers still happen in modern times.<p><p> <p><b>Please share YOUR story with <a href="mailto:billyfingcain@gmail.com">billyfingcain@gmail.com</a> and I will make your story into a blog post. Stay as general as you like. No need to identify anyone. I’m changing names to start with A-Z as the case may be.</b></p>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-47748228929263209872013-07-28T13:18:00.000-05:002013-10-13T21:30:39.690-05:00When Does Life Begin? <p>I believe that there is no way to "scientifically" prove a primarily <b>philosophical</b> question: “when does life begin?” </p> <p>Whether I, or anyone, could define in terms that would irrevocably determine and prove that the concept of life made sense to ascribe to a set of DNA / RNA or chromosome pairs doesn't really matter one bit. </p> <p>The question doesn’t even address the issue that is at stake for women. Here is the real question in my mind and spirit: "<b>Does a woman have the right to decide if she must carry every pregnancy to term?</b>" Ultimately that is the only philosophical question that is worth debating in my opinion. </p> <p>Let me state that as clearly as I can: <b>Does she have the RIGHT to decide?</b></p> <p>Women have only recently (within the last century or so) been given the opportunity to decide their reproductive fate. They now can join the workforce, complete school, vote, and not be property of men in general. They don’t even die in childbirth very much, compared to a few decades ago. The list of real world events that birth control has allowed them to take part in fully is long and varied. Longer than I can even list. And it is worth mentioning.</p> <p>Do women deserve the right to have reproductive freedom? Yes. Clearly they must have it to retain their advances and involvement in society.</p> <p>Maybe the question is "<b>Do *we* have the right to decide if a woman can have reproductive freedom?"</b> I say we do not.</p> <p>Why do I say that this is the real issue regarding the beginning of life? I have recently been involved in literally thousands of micro-conversations, blogs, tweets, and personal emails in the last few weeks and no one, and I mean no one, has been able to point me at anything, that makes one bit of sense scientifically that would make one bit of a difference to the skeptics, if you'd call them that, on either side. </p> <p>On the other hand, I have received plenty of data, information, and personal stories that show me that by allowing people to have access to abortion, they are able to move on with their lives and eventually get past the fact that they needed to have an abortion. For those that were in a place where abortion was not embarrassing or shameful, their lives were easier to get on with. For those that were shamed mercilessly, they weren't.</p> <p><b>It is my opinion that the more we debate the philosophical issues</b> of "when does life begin" or "when does a person start" on a Facebook wall instead of "do we have the right to shame a women into taking every pregnancy to term", <b>we are doing more harm than good</b>. We are, essentially, off topic.</p> <p>The mindset I have been trying to get my head into is this one that I am certain plays out in the minds of many women... </p> <p>"I wake up every morning and I realize that I am carrying an unfertilized egg in my belly. I know that if it becomes fertilized, I will be forced to have it change everything about my body, from the way I enjoy taste to the size of my feet. Once that egg becomes fertilized, people will judge me. They will say I am a slut if I am not married and if I am married and give it up for adoption, I'll be asked about where the child is for the rest of my life. It will cause me emotional issues while I carry it, because a body goes through many hormonal changes while pregnant and there are always psychological issues I will have to deal with based upon my personal situation. I will have to go to a lot of doctor visits to keep it healthy and safe. I will have to take off work to have the baby. I will have to recover after I have the baby no matter what, and if there are complications, they may incapacitate or kill me. If I have to have a C-Section, that's pretty major surgery and I'll have to recover for quite some time. All of this will cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. Who will help me through all of this? Being impregnated is a really big deal."</p> <p>And that's in an ideal situation, where a woman knows what's going on and the details of what could happen to her. </p> <p>This discussion has to happen in the cases of all situations:</p><p>- date rape</p><p>- incest</p><p>- contraceptive failure</p><p>- stillbirth</p><p>- fetal abnormalities</p><p>- adultery</p><p>- and millions of other situations we cannot imagine</p> <p><b>How can we possibly legislate anything so personal? How can we write a law that is "humane" for the mother?</b></p> <p>Can we legislate kindness, sympathy, empathy, compassion, understanding, removal of guilt, removal of shame, absolution for sin, paternal responsibility, etc? </p> <p>Can we force men to take responsibility? Women?</p> <p>I posit that we cannot. I posit that <b>this is a decision that must be made by the mother</b>. The egg carrier. The woman that will be branded and shamed in public when she is carrying that very obvious pregnancy that she did not want. The person that will, statistically, stay with that child rather than the father. </p> <p><b>Who are we</b> to decide that women have to take every pregnancy to term? <b>Who are we as a society</b> when we force women to be subject to the mechanics of their body when they are not fully in control of what happens to them? </p> <p><b>Would anyone want to go in front of a tribunal to discuss how their body was violated?</b> How many people would you have to convince that you were raped? How many documents would you have to sign to say you couldn't afford to feed that baby? Where is the signature page that will allow you to remove the shame of a small town?</p> <p><b>It is by mercy of us as a society that women do not have to stand, naked in spirit or physicality, in front of a judging body that determines whether her reasons for an abortion are reasonable enough.</b> Who would be on that panel? Your local congressmen? Your neighbor? Your pastor? How dare we judge? How dare we!</p> <p>To me, the question isn't "where does life begin?" The question is <b>how dare we make them feel guilty for being a human being with reproductive organs?</b> </p> <p>Who or what gives <b>us</b> the right to question <b>their</b> decision?</p>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-68294606983486451312013-07-28T02:52:00.000-05:002013-10-13T21:30:39.693-05:00Real life abortion story - Let's call her Brody<b>To humanize this discussion, I asked people to send in some real life stories. I have not even typo corrected these. Please understand these are as REAL as I can provide. </b><p> I have a personal story.. When I was 7 years old my mom met a man that she thought was great but behind that greatness was a dark side and when she was not around he molested me and my younger sister when he raped me and I told finally her what was happening he was finally put in jail. Why I am sharing this is because I know that if I had been 14 and this happened it might of ended with a child and one that would not of been very loved by me and I know that instead of bringing it to birth I would of wanted the ability to remove the baby I believe because of my experience in the past that there are very legit reason why a woman should be able to choose while I do feel a life is a life and should be respected in every way there are those reasons whatever they may that a woman needs to have the right over there bodys.vil.<p><p> <p><b>Please share YOUR story with <a href="mailto:billyfingcain@gmail.com">billyfingcain@gmail.com</a> and I will make your story into a blog post. Stay as general as you like. No need to identify anyone. I’m changing names to start with A-Z as the case may be.</b></p>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-13415656504370958562013-07-28T02:14:00.000-05:002013-10-13T21:30:39.679-05:00Real life abortion story - Let's call her Abby. <p><p><b>To humanize this discussion, I asked people to send in some real life stories. I have not even typo corrected these. Please understand these are as REAL as I can provide.</b></p> </p>I grew up in a working class family in California. I am one of four children (my parents had only planned for two). After my eldest siblings were born, my mother went on birth control pills. Unfortunately, she found out she was pregnant again 14 months later. She had an emergency C-section when my brother was less than six months in utero. His chances of survival were very low, and he remained in the hospital in an incubator for five months. My mother resumed birth control, but then got pregnant with me. After I was born she had an IUD put in (in addition to taking the pill), but became pregnant a fifth time. By then, four young children were straining my parent’s finances and affecting their sanity. They felt they couldn't manage a fifth child, and my mother felt she couldn’t handle another pregnancy. It was still prior Roe vs. Wade, and in order to prevent the birth they had to go to Mexico to have a coat hanger style abortion. Thankfully, my mother survived. </p>I was 21 when I had my first serious boyfriend…at least I thought he was serious. I was just beginning my career, and, using birth control. I was travelling in and out for work a lot, and on one trip back I discovered that my boyfriend had become a heroine addict, and was hiding it from me. I ended the relationship immediately, and flew home to my family. Within days of arrival, I found out I was 6 weeks pregnant. I was so devastated. I had always wanted a baby…but not like this and not with a heroine addict. My mother took me to a local private clinic, and helped me through what is a traumatic experience for any woman. I found out some years later that this ex-boyfriend had been diagnosed with HIV. When I heard, I felt like I dodged a bullet. I was so thankful that women like my mother had stood up and fought for Roe vs. Wade in effort to save my generation from the humiliation and danger that my mother was subjected to when my parents made their choice. I went on to have a very successful career in the years that followed, something I couldn't have done as a single mom. </p>Eventually, I met the man who would become my husband, and we had two beautiful children together. The eldest had a lot of complications at birth, which continued for five years afterwards. I had stopped working to have a baby, which strained our income. We were already so drained with the medical issues and sleepless years with our new child when I found out I was pregnant again. Just before the second was born, we had to sell our house. We also had a new business we were running, and eventually became too overwhelmed to bridge the gap. Sadly, after years of struggling, strained finances drove us to separate. </p>A few years later on the day my grandmother died, a stranger raped me. He used a rape drug. I was completely traumatized, but thankfully not impregnated by this psychopath. I certainly wouldn't have wanted another abortion; however, I would have exercised my right to prevent the pregnancy. Already a single mother, I would find it highly irresponsible of me to consider birthing another child without a father that could support it. I already had two that I was having trouble feeding and caring for. For over the years, I've been able to provide health insurance for my children, but not for myself. I have made sure they were fed before me, which left me unfed much of the time. As a result, my health suffered greatly. I would have been in no position or condition to carry a pregnancy to term. </p>Thankfully I live in a state that supports women's rights, and the law. If the nearest clinic were 1000 miles away, and I’d needed a medication to prevent pregnancy at first signs, or at all, I wouldn’t have been able to afford the gas. Not only would the emotional trauma from the rape have been that much more damaging, but my family would suffer so much more by my not being able to work, and the additional cost of another child. I was already drained and working 20 hours a day to keep afloat. We still struggle, I still have to work extremely long hours, and we’ve never been on welfare. There is so much love in this family, and frankly, we have suffered enough. We just need a fighting chance to improve our lives. As my kids say: "We don't need another sibling; we need a healthy Mommy". <p><b>Please share YOUR story with <a href="mailto:billyfingcain@gmail.com">billyfingcain@gmail.com</a> and I will make your story into a blog post. Stay as general as you like. No need to identify anyone. I’m changing names to start with A-Z as the case may be.</b></p> </p>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-54785030810796535772013-07-27T02:57:00.000-05:002013-10-13T21:30:39.692-05:00Pro-Choice Background Material I Have Found as Datapoints. I welcome discussion and better data! <p><p>Movie: <b>4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days</b>: Drama about a woman who assists her friend to arrange an illegal abortion in 1980's Romania. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1032846/">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1032846/</a> </p> <p>If you have Amazon Prime: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NE5IZ4/ref=atv_feed_catalog?tag=imdb-amazonvideo-20">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NE5IZ4/ref=atv_feed_catalog?tag=imdb-amazonvideo-20</a> </p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives</b></p> <p><a href="http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3711005.pdf">http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3711005.pdf</a> </p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Fetal personhood and criminalizing abortion: a prosecutor’s perspective</b></p> <p>You have to read this carefully, because what he’s saying is that any changes to the law are rife with legal issues. They already are and they’re going to get worse.</p> <p><a href="http://thedeadauthorsclub.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/fetal-personhood-and-criminalizing-abortion-a-prosecutors-perspective/">http://thedeadauthorsclub.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/fetal-personhood-and-criminalizing-abortion-a-prosecutors-perspective/</a> </p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Abortion On Demand and Without Apology! For Every Woman in Every State. The Reversal of Abortion and Birth Control Rights Must Stop Now!</b></p> <p><a href="http://www.stoppatriarchy.org/abortionondemandstatement.html">http://www.stoppatriarchy.org/abortionondemandstatement.html</a> </p> <p>.</p> <p><b>History of Abortion </b></p> <p>In the United States, the history of abortion goes back much farther than the 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal and marked an important turning point in public health policy. </p> <p><a href="http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/history_abortion.html">http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/history_abortion.html</a> </p> <p>.</p> <p><b>How I Lost Faith in the “Pro-Life” Movement</b></p> <p><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/lovejoyfeminism/2012/10/how-i-lost-faith-in-the-pro-life-movement.html">http://www.patheos.com/blogs/lovejoyfeminism/2012/10/how-i-lost-faith-in-the-pro-life-movement.html</a> </p> <p>.</p> <p><b>On body autonomy, discomfort, Facebook activism & the Texas Spring</b></p> <p><a href="http://theadmirationsociety.tumblr.com/post/55864924959/on-body-autonomy-discomfort-facebook-activism-the">http://theadmirationsociety.tumblr.com/post/55864924959/on-body-autonomy-discomfort-facebook-activism-the</a> </p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Who Has an Abortion After 20 Weeks?</b></p> <p>That’s right when my patients find out about devastating fetal defects</p> <p><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2013/07/texas_abortion_ban_after_20_weeks_prenatal_testing_reveals_birth_defects.html">http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2013/07/texas_abortion_ban_after_20_weeks_prenatal_testing_reveals_birth_defects.html</a> </p> <p>.</p> <p><b>WHAT IS RAPE CULTURE?</b></p> <p><a href="http://upsettingrapeculture.com/rapeculture.html">http://upsettingrapeculture.com/rapeculture.html</a> </p> <p>.</p> <p><b>WITHOUT ACCESS TO SAFE ABORTION: An open letter to the President of Chile.</b></p> <p><a href="http://birdeemag.com/without-access-to-abortion/">http://birdeemag.com/without-access-to-abortion/</a> </p> <p>.</p> <p><b>New Study Shows Anti-Choice Policies Leading to Widespread Arrests of and Forced Interventions on Pregnant Women</b></p> <p><a href="http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/01/14/new-study-reveals-impact-post-roe-v-wade-anti-abortion-measures-on-women/">http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/01/14/new-study-reveals-impact-post-roe-v-wade-anti-abortion-measures-on-women/</a> </p> <p>.</p> <p><b>The Policy and Politics of Reproductive Health Arrests of and Forced Interventions on Pregnant Women in the United States, 1973–2005: Implications for Women’s Legal Status and Public Health</b></p> <p><a href="http://jhppl.dukejournals.org/content/38/2/299.full.pdf+html">http://jhppl.dukejournals.org/content/38/2/299.full.pdf+html</a> </p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Why 20 week abortion ban is NOT "reasonable"</b></p> <p><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/21/1223350/-Why-20-week-abortion-ban-is-NOT-reasonable">http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/21/1223350/-Why-20-week-abortion-ban-is-NOT-reasonable</a> </p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Texas Women Are Already Getting 'Flea Market Abortions'</b></p> <p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/texas-women-already-getting-flea-market-abortions-161100835.html">http://news.yahoo.com/texas-women-already-getting-flea-market-abortions-161100835.html</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Maturation of the Prefrontal Cortex</b></p> <p><a href="http://www.hhs.gov/opa/familylife/tech_assistance/etraining/adolescent_brain/Development/prefrontal_cortex/">http://www.hhs.gov/opa/familylife/tech_assistance/etraining/adolescent_brain/Development/prefrontal_cortex/</a> </p> </p>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-20388650314698872212013-07-27T02:48:00.000-05:002013-10-13T21:30:39.681-05:00Defending Reproductive Rights and Freedom of Speech - my first online post defending my daughter's sign "Jesus Isn't A Dick; So Keep Him Out Of My Vagina" <p>From: DISGUSTING TEXAS DEM: “Jesus Isn’t a Dick So Keep Him Out of My Vagina” Updated With More Stupid And Idiotic Liberal Comments, Dad Proud of Disgusting Sign </p> <p>Posted: July 18, 2013 by AKA John Galt in America</p> <p><a href="http://usconstitutionalfreepress.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/disgusting-texas-dem-jesus-isnt-a-dick-so-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina/">http://usconstitutionalfreepress.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/disgusting-texas-dem-jesus-isnt-a-dick-so-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina/</a></p> <p>Yes that is truly my daughter’s sign. <b>I am not ashamed in the slightest</b>.</p> <p>Since this picture got lots of exposure, I am taking advantage of the opportunity to engage with everyone that may have a different opinion.</p> <p>I don’t really understand why you would not be interested in discussing this. If you are happy to disparage her without listening to what she or I have to say, why would you post this? Aren’t you interested in learning more?</p> <p>You tagged this picture as:</p> <p>· <b>Abortion</b>. Yep. But really just NOT anti-abortion. Abortion is not the goal; it’s an unfortunate necessity at times that is too personal to judge by rule of law.</p> <p>· <b>Barack Obama</b>. Nope. Nothing about him here.</p> <p>· <b>Comrad Obama</b>. Again. Nothing about him here.</p> <p>· <b>Crime</b>. Not sure what that means in this sense.</p> <p>· <b>free speech</b>. Exactly. She certainly has the ability to speak her mind. I hope she retains it.</p> <p>· <b>Freedom</b>. Exactly. Reproductive freedom.</p> <p>· <b>Freedom of Religion</b>. Exactly. The freedom to have whatever religion you wish.</p> <p>· <b>Government Lies</b>. Yes, this is a huge set of governmental lies behind this bill. They said it was for “women’s health,” for one.</p> <p>· <b>idiocracy</b>. I totally agree. Have you watched the movie? The smart ones don’t reproduce and the idiots reproduce like mad until the average IQ level drops. It’s “The only comedy that’s turned into a documentary.”</p> <p>– The Future Is A No Brainer</p> <p>– In the future, intelligence is extinct.</p> <p>· <b>Ignorance</b>. Agreed. Facts have had no bearing on these hearings.</p> <p>· <b>liberal hate</b> – no one at the meeting showed any hate from the “orange” side that I ever noticed.</p> <p>· <b>liberal lies</b> – what lies?</p> <p>· <b>liberal stupidity</b> – not sure what’s stupid about standing up for our rights</p> <p>· <b>Religious Expression</b> – whose expression? The “right” side?</p> <p>· <b>Totalitarianism</b> – “dictatorship: a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.).” Also see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totalitarianism. Maybe what you meant was Theocracy: “A system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.</p> <p>” Also see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theocracy</p> <p>I have given you my complete information. Look me up online. I am ready and willing to defend my position. My daughter is ready to defend hers.</p> <p><b>We are willing to listen to see if there is anything that will change our minds. Engage us. We’re not evil.</b></p>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005459118167498188.post-47297363114563360532013-07-27T02:04:00.000-05:002013-10-13T21:30:39.688-05:00A collection of the media coverage that SHOULD be focused on the ANTI-CHOICE issue<b>7/29 Reza Aslan: Zealot Author V Fox News & Youth Activist Tuesday Cain</b></p>Posted on July 29, 2013 by not-sam</p>Billy Joe Cain and his four teen year old daughter Tuesday Cain talked about what drove her activism against anti women rights legislation in Texas, the disgusting backlash they have face and support they received and the movement to restrict choice across the country.</p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEtnaJMmhB8</p> <p>.</p> <b>Teen activist’s dad: “Lawmakers want to see women turned back into property”</b></p>BY KATIE MCDONOUGH, TUESDAY, JUL 30, 2013 09:34 AM CDT</p>Tuesday Cain and dad Billy spoke to Salon about the double meaning behind their famous sign, and their next move</p>http://www.salon.com/2013/07/30/teen_activists_dad_lawmakers_want_to_see_women_turned_back_into_property/</p> <p>.</p> <b>Jesus isn't a dick</b></p>by Ralph Jones , Friday, 26th July 2013</p>Fourteen-year-old Tuesday Cain's sign has caused outrage in the US but the real scandal is the Texas law scrapping abortion provision. Ralph Jones talks to her</p><a href="http://rationalist.org.uk/articles/4239">http://rationalist.org.uk/articles/4239</a> <p>.</p> <p><p><b>BBC World Have Your Say</b></p> <p>18:06 FRI, 26TH JUL</p> <p>Scan to 36:40 for the Texas part of the show.</p>Download <a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdownloads.bbc.co.uk%2Fpodcasts%2Fworldservice%2Fwhys%2Fwhys_20130726-1908a.mp3&h=LAQFUeliO">HERE</a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/p01cbxdk?rpSt=abortion&rpSrp=1.0">http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/p01cbxdk</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Keep Jesus ‘out of my vagina’: Pro-aborts continue to exploit children [pic]</b></p> <p>Twitchy, Pics and tweets. Where it all started.</p> <p><a href="http://twitchy.com/2013/07/12/keep-jesus-out-of-my-vagina-pro-aborts-continue-to-exploit-children-pic/">http://twitchy.com/2013/07/12/keep-jesus-out-of-my-vagina-pro-aborts-continue-to-exploit-children-pic/</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Proud Lib Daddy: My Daughter Made that “Keep Jesus Out of My Vagina” Sign</b></p> <p>Posted by Jim Hoft on Tuesday, July 16, 2013, 11:47 AM</p> <p>The Gateway Pundit, Pics of the tweets where I tell people who we are and that I’m proud of what she did.</p> <p><a href="http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/07/proud-daddy-my-daughter-made-that-keep-jesus-out-of-my-vagina-sign/">http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/07/proud-daddy-my-daughter-made-that-keep-jesus-out-of-my-vagina-sign/</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Super Cool Dad Defends Daughter's ‘Keep Jesus Out of My Vagina’ Poster</b></p> <p>KATIE J.M. BAKER 7/17/13 6:50pm</p> <p>Jezebel, Short quips and defense tweets from me. GREAT comments section. </p> <p><a href="http://jezebel.com/super-cool-dad-defends-daughters-keep-jesus-out-of-my-817807752">http://jezebel.com/super-cool-dad-defends-daughters-keep-jesus-out-of-my-817807752</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>I'm proud of my daughter's abortion bill placard, despite the backlash</b></p> <p>The Guardian, by Billy Cain</p> <p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jul/22/proud-daughter-anti-abortion-placard?commentpage=1">http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jul/22/proud-daughter-anti-abortion-placard?commentpage=1</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>I'M THE 14-YEAR-OLD WHO WROTE THE "JESUS ISN'T A DICK SO KEEP HIM OUT OF MY VAGINA" SIGN IN TEXAS AND WAS LABELED A "WHORE" BY STRANGERS ONLINE</b></p> <p>xojane, by Tuesday Cain</p> <p><a href="http://www.xojane.com/issues/billy-cain-tuesday-cain-jesus-isnt-a-dick-so-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina">http://www.xojane.com/issues/billy-cain-tuesday-cain-jesus-isnt-a-dick-so-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Public Shaming</b></p> <p>Tweets of Privilege</p> <p>Excellent overview of the online shaming of Tuesday</p> <p><a href="http://publicshaming.tumblr.com/post/56467925777/14-year-old-womens-rights-activist-attacked-online">http://publicshaming.tumblr.com/post/56467925777/14-year-old-womens-rights-activist-attacked-online</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Awesome dad defends awesome daughter’s message to Texas lawmakers</b></p> <p>Salon, Based upon Guardian and xojane pieces</p> <p><a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/07/22/awesome_dad_defends_awesome_daughters_message_to_texas_lawmakers/">http://www.salon.com/2013/07/22/awesome_dad_defends_awesome_daughters_message_to_texas_lawmakers/</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>I am sick and tired of saying I’m sorry.</b></p> <p>Blog, by Erin J. Walter, July 24, 2013</p> <p><a href="http://theadmirationsociety.tumblr.com/post/56274469286/i-am-sick-and-tired-of-saying-im-sorry">http://theadmirationsociety.tumblr.com/post/56274469286/i-am-sick-and-tired-of-saying-im-sorry</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>If Tuesday Cain is a whore, then so am I</b></p> <p>Cherry Bomb, by Jess d'Arbonne, July 23, 2013</p> <p><a href="http://blastcherrybomb.com/2013/07/23/if-tuesday-cain-is-a-whore-then-so-am-i/">http://blastcherrybomb.com/2013/07/23/if-tuesday-cain-is-a-whore-then-so-am-i/</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Welcome To The Club, Tuesday</b></p> <p>Blog, by Julie Gillis, JULY 23, 2013</p> <p>Good piece with quotes from xojane</p> <p><a href="http://www.juliegillis.com/tag/tuesday-cain/">http://www.juliegillis.com/tag/tuesday-cain/</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>BBC World Have Your Say: The nastiness of the US abortion debate / Royal baby media frenzy. </b></p> <p>Tue 23 Jul 2013, 17:06 GMT</p> <p>Discussion about American behavior in abortion debate</p> <p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01c62xk">http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01c62xk</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Topsy</b></p> <p>Social Analytics, Focused on the xojane piece</p> <p><a href="http://topsy.com/www.xojane.com/issues/billy-cain-tuesday-cain-jesus-isnt-a-dick-so-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina">http://topsy.com/www.xojane.com/issues/billy-cain-tuesday-cain-jesus-isnt-a-dick-so-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>I'm The 14-Year-Old Who Wrote The "Jesus Isn't A Dick So Keep Him Out of My Vagina" Sign In Texas And Was Labeled A "Whore" By Strangers Online</b></p> <p>Reddit, xojane piece. Made it to the recommended section and front page.</p> <p><a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/1itepx/im_the_14yearold_who_wrote_the_jesus_isnt_a_dick/">http://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/1itepx/im_the_14yearold_who_wrote_the_jesus_isnt_a_dick/</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Texas Liberal:“Jesus Isn’t a Dick So Keep Him Out of My Vagina”</b></p> <p>SATURDAY, JULY 13, 2013</p> <p><a href="http://thelasttradition.blogspot.com/2013/07/texas-liberaljesus-isnt-dick-so-keep.html">http://thelasttradition.blogspot.com/2013/07/texas-liberaljesus-isnt-dick-so-keep.html</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Gross. Texas Dad & 14 Year-Old Daughter Lead Campaign for More Late-Term Abortions</b></p> <p>Posted by Jim Hoft on Wednesday, July 24, 2013, 12:00 PM</p> <p><a href="http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/07/gross-texas-dad-14-year-old-daughter-lead-campaign-for-more-late-term-abortions/">http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/07/gross-texas-dad-14-year-old-daughter-lead-campaign-for-more-late-term-abortions/</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>14-Year-Old Girl With Pro-Choice Sign Under Attack: "Please Stop Calling Me a "Whore"</b></p> <p>by Tuesday Cain</p> <p>reprint of xojane article</p> <p><a href="#disqus_thread">http://www.alternet.org/comments/14-year-old-girl-pro-choice-sign-under-attack-please-stop-calling-me-whore#disqus_thread</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Democrats Are Degenerates – Pro-Abortion Fanatics “Jesus Isn’t A Dick, So Keep Him Out Of My Vagina!”…</b></p> <p>Posted on July 12, 2013 by BC</p> <p>Pic and some comments</p> <p><a href="http://im41.com/archives/34029">http://im41.com/archives/34029</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>The 14 Year Old Who Wrote "jesus Isn't A Dick So Keep Him Out Of My Vagina" Labeled A 'whore' Online</b></p> <p>Posted 23 July 2013 - 06:44 PM</p> <p>Quote from xojane piece</p> <p><a href="http://www.ex-christian.net/topic/57829-the-14-year-old-who-wrote-jesus-isnt-a-dick-so-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina-labeled-a-whore-online/">http://www.ex-christian.net/topic/57829-the-14-year-old-who-wrote-jesus-isnt-a-dick-so-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina-labeled-a-whore-online/</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Pro-Abortion Fanatics In Texas Have Young Girl Hold Sign Saying: “Jesus Isn’t A Dick, So Keep Him Out Of My Vagina!”…</b></p> <p>July 12, 2013 </p> <p>Picture only with viewer comments</p> <p><a href="http://www.redflagnews.com/headlines/pro-abortion-fanatics-in-texas-have-young-girl-hold-sign-saying-jesus-isnt-a-dick-so-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina">http://www.redflagnews.com/headlines/pro-abortion-fanatics-in-texas-have-young-girl-hold-sign-saying-jesus-isnt-a-dick-so-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>'Jesus isn't a dick; so keep him out of my vagina'</b></p> <p>based upon xojane piece, new commentary</p> <p><a href="http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d37_1374572395">http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d37_1374572395</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Kids holding sign: Jesus isn’t a dick; so keep him out of my vagina!</b></p> <p>Short commentary and picture.</p> <p><a href="http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/2013/07/12/kids-holding-sign-jesus-isnt-a-dick-so-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina/">http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/2013/07/12/kids-holding-sign-jesus-isnt-a-dick-so-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina/</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>TEXAS DEM: “JESUS ISN’T A DICK SO KEEP HIM OUT OF MY VAGINA”</b></p> <p>Short comment. Pic.</p> <p><a href="http://www.thenewscommenter.com/news/TEXAS-DEM-Jesus-Isnt-a-Dick-So-Keep-Him-Out-of-My-Vagina/19199">http://www.thenewscommenter.com/news/TEXAS-DEM-Jesus-Isnt-a-Dick-So-Keep-Him-Out-of-My-Vagina/19199</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>PRE-TEEN GIRL HOLDS SIGN: “JESUS ISN’T A D—, KEEP HIM OUT OF MY VAGINA”</b></p> <p>Catholic quotes / tweets. Pic.</p> <p><a href="http://catholicnewslive.com/story/89413">http://catholicnewslive.com/story/89413</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>I'm The 14-Year-Old Who Was Labeled A "Whore" By Strangers Online</b></p> <p>by Deliciously Melicious Posted July 24, 2013</p> <p>xojane reprint</p> <p><a href="https://www.sodahead.com/united-states/im-the-14-year-old-who-was-labeled-a-whore-by-strangers-online/question-3825693/">https://www.sodahead.com/united-states/im-the-14-year-old-who-was-labeled-a-whore-by-strangers-online/question-3825693/</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Why this Teenage Texan Stood Up to Anti-Choice Politicians</b></p> <p>By Ali on July 24, 2013 3:50 PM</p> <p>Short quotes from xojane, CHOICE OUT LOUD picture. </p> <p><a href="http://www.blogforchoice.com/archives/2013/07/why-this-teenag.html">http://www.blogforchoice.com/archives/2013/07/why-this-teenag.html</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Child Holds Vile Abortion Sign: “Jesus Isn’t A Dick, Keep Him Out Of My Vagina”</b></p> <p>Kristin Tate July 12, 2013 11:16pm PST</p> <p>Short piece with pic and a few tweets</p> <p><a href="http://www.mrconservative.com/2013/07/21250-child-holds-vile-abortion-sign-jesus-isnt-a-dick-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina/">http://www.mrconservative.com/2013/07/21250-child-holds-vile-abortion-sign-jesus-isnt-a-dick-keep-him-out-of-my-vagina/</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>A sign of these times, &c. </b></p> <p>JULY 24, 2013 12:00 AM</p> <p>By Jay Nordlinger</p> <p>Short clip and pic</p> <p><a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/article/354249/sign-these-times-c-jay-nordlinger">http://www.nationalreview.com/article/354249/sign-these-times-c-jay-nordlinger</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>"I'm The 14-Year-Old Who Wrote The 'Jesus Isn't A Dick So Keep Him Out of My Vagina' Sign In Texas..." Article Response - A Christian's Perepective</b></p> <p><a href="#comment-form">http://blahblahbooks.blogspot.com/2013/07/im-14-year-old-who-wrote-jesus-isnt_23.html#comment-form</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Tuesday Cain labelled a 'whore' for holding women's rights sign</b></p> <p>Based upon xojane piece</p> <p><a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/tuesday-cain-labelled-a-8216whore8217-for-holding-women8217s-rights-sign/story-e6frg6n6-1226683546833">http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/tuesday-cain-labelled-a-8216whore8217-for-holding-women8217s-rights-sign/story-e6frg6n6-1226683546833</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>Tuesday Cain labelled a 'whore' for holding women's rights sign</b></p> <p>Based upon xojane article and tweets</p> <p><a href="http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/tuesday-cain-labelled-a-8216whore8217-for-holding-women8217s-rights-sign/story-fnet085v-1226683546833">http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/tuesday-cain-labelled-a-8216whore8217-for-holding-women8217s-rights-sign/story-fnet085v-1226683546833</a></p> <p>.</p> <p><b>“Jesus No Dick,Keep Away From My Vagina” US Teen</b></p> <p>Blog, by VENKAT RAMANAN, In US on July 24, 2013 at 10:05</p> <p>Based upon xojane article</p> <p><a href="http://ramanan50.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/jesus-no-dickkeep-away-from-my-vagina-us-teen/">http://ramanan50.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/jesus-no-dickkeep-away-from-my-vagina-us-teen/</a> </p> <p>.</p> <b>On Our Radar – Tuesday Cain – A Pro-Choice 14-Year-Old Takes On The Right Wing</b></p>by JEAN ANN ESSELINK on JULY 28, 2013</p><a href="http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/on-our-radar-tuesday-cain-a-pro-choice-14-year-old-takes-on-the-right-wing/news/2013/07/28/71868#idc-container">http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/on-our-radar-tuesday-cain-a-pro-choice-14-year-old-takes-on-the-right-wing/news/2013/07/28/71868#idc-container</a> <p>.</p> <b>Anti-Abortion Fanatics Target 14 Year Old Protestor And Her Family In Online Attacks</b></p>by Randa Morris July 23, 2013 4:51 am</p><a href="http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/07/23/anti-abortion-nuts-attack-14-year-old-girl-with-pro-choice-sign-nsfw/">http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/07/23/anti-abortion-nuts-attack-14-year-old-girl-with-pro-choice-sign-nsfw/</a>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0