LIVING OUT LOUD--October 2010

This is a blog about a life (mine) that is really largely uneventful but for me quite satisfying, or as Shakespeare once so aptly wrote, "a poor thing but mine own". I plan to give the bare bones outline of the days, the weeks etc. of my daily experiences with pertinent ( I hope) comments. Why would I want to do this? I suppose, because I can!

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October 2010

October always reminds me of Halloween --a happy holiday with its candy and its "trick or treating" and its childhood laughter, but I didn't know until this week that Halloween had it's origins in ancient times as the Celtic festival "Samhain" and that it also has some roots in the Christian holiday "All Saints Day". It is interesting to me to realize that Halloween (which was once a religious festival) has changed over the centuries into a secular children's holiday that is still celebrated around the world. It reminds me that we are never very far from the heritage of our past.

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October is also the month that we start thinking about the upcoming elections in November --assessing the various candidates, their strengths and their weaknesses. Whatever your political views, the most important thing that all eligible citizens can do to ensure a strong democracy is to vote. Voting isn't only a right for every citizen, it is also a duty and the only way to keep our democracy strong. That is why I urge you to find out more about all of the candidates and what they stand for and to make sure that you vote in November either by going to the polls or by an absentee ballot.

Speaking about elections also reminds me how important it is for all of us to make an effort to safeguard our right to fair and uncorrupted elections. That is why it was so disturbing to me that this year the Supreme Court has just overturned 60 years of protections from unregulated contributions by corporations, individuals, unions or indeed anyone who wants to put unlimited money into election campaigns. It is frightening to think that now anyone with unlimited cash can fund the "best congress that money can buy." If this continues what will our new laws become but rules which will ultimately benefit the few at the expense of the real needs of all of our citizens. It is time that Congress acts to pass a fair public funding bill that we should all support--a bill that puts financing of elections into the hands of regular voters instead of in the hands of big money and special interests as unfortunately it is now. It is imperative that we do this very soon so that we cancontinue toprotect our democracy.

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I have been encouraged this month about the start of middle east peace talks. There have been many false starts over the years on this process, but just because this is difficult doesn't mean that it can't succeed. If the participants will continue in spite of their differences to move forward, and if we all continue to support their efforts with patience perhaps this time they will be successful and we can then slowly begin the process of bringing peace back to the world. Although in the past week there has been some set-backs to this process, we hope that all the participants continue to show willingness and courage to move constantly forward and that they will soon achieve the peace that we all so fervently desire.

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I will be back again soon writing more about "Living Out Loud", to try to understand and illuminate not only daily living but also some of the complicated world issues that effect not only my life, but all of our lives.

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LIVING OUT LOUD--October 2010

By: June Stepansky

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