Mysterious wisps of Missouri Smoke

Smoking issue

I despise smoking. Smokers smell, they contribute to health hazards. In crowds, they make me smell in a manner that is most offensive when I get away from them; the odor hangs on and ruins my clothes, fouls my surroundings and belongings. (Wipe a wet cloth down the walls of the smoker home, or on the windows of the smoker car. Yech!) With all of the information about health in particular that has been daily available for the last 50 years, I have a really difficult time appreciating the intellect of someone who chooses to begin a smoking habit.

I understand the evils of smoking in terms of health and these days in terms of money. I have great sympathy with the people who think that adding four cents to a pack of cigarettes will keep young people from smoking. I am suspicious of the success future of such thinking, but they have my sympathy.

However, this is an amendment to the constitution. I cannot support a lifetime tag on the amendment of any constitution that addresses an addiction, a health issue and a small tax. This would have to be introduced in a different format to get my support. So, I will be voting NO next week and the smoking idiots can remember that if you play, you pay. Sure, your health care will cost Missouri neighbors, but you will be the uncomfortable one with the ravages of lung cancer or emphysema and with the shortened life. We will miss you, but it was, at the very base of things, your choice and you can choose.

Missouri Amendment 2 -- Stem Cell

Stem cell issue

I have major problems with the Missouri Stem Cell Initiative a proposed amendment for the 2006 elections in Missouri.

Number one, I do not believe this is good for Missouri or the United States. I believe that researchers have not sufficiently resolved the possibilities of stem cell benefits for the ailments and conditions targeted from other sources of stem cells besides embryonic stem cells. I believe there are sufficient other resources for stem cell research and possible resolution of health conditions, both disease and injury. Resources which include cord blood, baby teeth, adult stem cells and others. I do not support the call for the embryonic stem cell supply. There are lines of embryonic stem cells of sufficient supply to experiment. Prove it first with these; then be good scientists and check in other paths to learn if the results cannot be replicated with acceptable stem cell sources. Embryonic stem cells are not acceptable. I must vote NO.

Secondly, the advertising for this initiative makes fools and points the ‘stupid’ finger at Missouri residents and voters by implying that without this amendment being enacted, Missouri residents will be denied the medical advancements of stem cell research. What a totally fraudulent statement to make! That is so insulting. If I were mad/insane enough to endorse this mad scientist idea, I would hope that my pain at the insulting promotion would counsel me to vote NO.

Thirdly, with the caveat that I do endorse stem cell research and that I do not wish to diminish the suffering of people with injuries and conditions for which there is no other encouragement, stem cell research and application/treatment is still a medical procedure. And a medical procedure with limited demand among the general population.

I resist the thinking that would make a medical procedure an amendment to any constitution. Make it a law; make it a proclamation, make it a proposal with term limit, but not an amendment.

I find sufficient reason and personal opinion to vote NO on Amendment 2 next week.

Storm Watch

I told the storm story on email and got some responses:

Friend wrote: I am watching the weather channell are you in the storm cellar.?
Reply: Not yet.
Friend wrote: they just said the M word (mansfield) as having 2" of rain

Response: That was last night. The storms rolled around us. This pile of rocks seems to split weather. Ice, tornados, etc go heavily to the east around Houston, or up Interstate 44. There was tornados at St. Mary's last night and Sedalia this afternoon. This morning in KS, Lawrence for one. Funnels over KC, J & Jwoke to sirens and went to their basement spot.

We did put some extra drinking water and batteries in the basement for flashlights & radio. Will probably pack a suitcase with blanket and extra undies, etc. to grab if we need to head out. Ch. 3 & 10 in Springfield are heavy duty storm trackers. When it's cloudy the weather channel doesn't tell us anything, but they were working last night. I have the perpetual weather channel thing on the computer. I get thunder like at the produce department when a warning updates. The icon is red. TV keeps the affected counties down in the corner. When it updates, the machine makes a noise. I don't remember it doing that last night, so maybe they added this aspect.

Our other warning system is Sillyvester the b/w cat. Last night when the storm thunder was rolling in, D. opened the basement door. Silly almost knocked him down running down there. No can find! After the storm was past, we hear a pitiful crying at the basement door. So, we've decided when Silly gets interested in the basement, we'd better be paying attention.

New Beginnings with Spring in the Ozarks

Big thunder boomies and rain here all night, but no storm damage. There will no doubt be some flooding in the "hollers", they aren't putting out weather channel warnings yet. People in other areas had the beejeezus scared out of them with high winds, hail and rain. Table Rock Lake and Branson were the worst last night. The TV people pre-empted much of the night with reports, etc. which is good. The rain has really greened stuff up. Forsythia is getting the yellow flowers. The one that got a good hair cut a couple weeks ago even has a few buds on it. Our neighbor and I were discussing how to trim the ones by the road as we don't want to give them a good hair cut. They are closer to the road, so their three big shrubs stop a lot of dust, noise and give them a little privacy screen. We have one right on the road that stops a lot of dust, with big lilacs paced across the grass toward the house. We're thinking that if we take the trimmer with us when we get the mail and whack a little, we can groom them, but not get us too dusty!

The local saying is that we are 2 weeks from a drought. I think we're cool for a few days.

Tolerance Brain Cells Surface, Thank Goodness

I am so pleased to see the reports this morning in the Springfield News-Leader that the political parties of Missouri are refusing candidates who support bigotry, namely white supremacy.

The time is long past for intolerance and bigotry. It has seemed that the Ozarks has failed to utilize its opportunity and exposure to civilization, preferring to remain in social dark ages. This is SO a "luzer" attitude for people who have to work harder for a living and shouldn't have the energy to be stupid and intolerant. Any time even one someone will step up and say no is encouraging. Having THREE political parties say NO magnifies the encouragement. What a hot chance to lose votes by including a disagreeable, selfish 'luser' to a candidate list. Good thinking, guys.

Any one individual can support ignorant opinions. These may be founded in experience and then allowed to fester and warp the view of one person. But, while I may tolerate ignorance, I won't imitate it and/or endorse it. And, I'm feeling kind of resistant to listening to the message of bigotry. I'm not interested in being the resource for the bigot to sound off and make a statement. The tolerance exists as long as the bigot keeps at arms length and beyond the fringes of my space.

Link

Sales Taxes Should have to Convince the Rabble

This week, Claire magically, State Auditor, has pointed out that transportation tax districts are expanding. So what? Well, these districts create a special tax, usually a retail sales tax, for a particular development to help pay for contsruction of roads, bridges, or other transportation items needed in the development.

She maintains that many of them are established without having to go to a ballot and seek the approval of the voters who will be paying the taxes. Or at least, paying most of the tax. It appears the voters who are landowners in a transportation development district are the ones who are to make the final decision. Such taxes can make a small way to build big bucks and these transportation needs are legitimate big bucks purchases. Improvement districts that become a term property tax assessment on the property owners are other ways to get the funding reservoir, but some things that need to be considered are the true uses of these improvments. Who will use the roads, bridges and culverts? Who will benefit down stream from the installation of flood control. Would an extra penny or portion of a penny on their retail purchases be out of line? Well, let them vote about it.

McCaskill isn't against the districts and their tax options. She simply says that there should be move oversight and opportunities for public awareness.

I don't support Ms. McCaskill in the general political arena, but this time, she has a point. It is my belief that a sales tax of any sort needs to come before the voters OFTEN. If the people seeking to apply a sales tax to my purchases cannot convince me or the rest of the rabble that their cause is justified, then they don't deserve the funding. Having some say in these little things that seem to multiply like chiggers into some very big and irritating things is a democratic facet of our political system that still belongs to the voter. I like that.

Paperwork Expansion?

Remember those little notes that came with certain publications, particularly tax papers assuring you that this sender endorsed the Reduce Paper Work policy?

And, computers with storage disks of all sizes were supposed to make us live in a paperless society! hah!

Until I had a computer and worked with computer people, I was not closely acquainted with more than two resources who ordered paper by the case!

These days, papershredding for businesses has become a major industry. Not, I think, so much as to protect our heavy duty secrets as to conceal the drivel we are compulsively printing day after day. At least there is some gain in the recycling opportunity. Paper can be reused. It can even end in a compost situation and avoid the landfill.

Our household accumulates just enough paper to be frustrating, but not easily recycled. We shred most of it and feed it to some nightcrawlers working hard at composting in the basement. What they can't keep up with, we put into the compost pile and return the dust to dust.

Printers become more available and work better all the time. Our eyes are not evolved to work well with a screen. I want to look at that again and not have to try to remember which website I found it on. I need some documentation because you will want to know what I have been working with. I've just shared a profound joke with you and you want to preserve it. You are determined to get me signed up for a credit card or sell me some other service and need to mail your proposal to me. I think the paperless idea isn't working.

Maybe if we tried reverse psychology and encouraged paper use, we would see a decrease in the paper!

what is YOUR cue to bring people to mind

Do you have a 'cue' that you use to help you remember to honor or pray for those who are in service far from home? Military people; missionaries, social servants, diplomatic workers who have chosen a life style that puts them in different and often dangerous cultures and regions.

Do you find yourself getting SO involved in your daily rat race that these people are far from your mind? I am concerned that I will and deny them a level of spiritual and perhaps even personal contact and support that they need.

So, do the headlines act as your tip? Do you 'fast' something; giving it up and making it a reminder to remember those who have chosen to put themselves in harms' way for the good of your country, society and the philosophy that you endorse by choosing to live and work in America?

More Mansfield Christmas

Mansfield has this marvelous silhouette

creche sitting on the town square. I like the simple lines and plain white paint.

The garden club has gotten some darling little snowmen and toy soldiers to be part of other decorations.

The community got together this afternoon for a tour of homes and lights, then the Historical Society served chili, while the Garden Club braved the dropping temperatures to serve hot cocoa, hot cider and homemade cookies.

The short, but just right parade got the seasons spirit off to a good start.

Mansfield Chamber of Commerce watches for a Vision

The Mansfield Chamber of Commerce held an election of officers and board members this past week.

We're trying to get a focus on our revered citizen, the late Laura Ingalls Wilder. Mrs. Wilder wrote her marvelous children's books from her farmhouse near Mansfield and was active in the community and in educational projects, financial projects and the religious community.

A dramatic, beautiful bust of her in her mature years stands on the Mansfield town square, being one of the first things to greet citizens and visitors to Mansfield

Christmas is coming to the Ozarks

Today was a veritable round-robin of community Christmas celebrations. Ava started last night and some of the others may have as well. There were parades in Ava this afterhoon, in Seymour at late afternoon and in Mountain Grove and Mansfield this evening.

It occurs to me that we could make a true tour of this day and promote the idea of the various celebrations, schedule things so visitors and local citizens could travel to more than one town if so choosing. The homes along the highway are, to a great percentage, decorated. We could make this an even greater project; carry the trail of lights on into the new year and make our highways an area not to miss when people are coming and going from the sights in Branson.

The weatherman has been begging for snow all week. At Mansfield, about 6:45, there was a STIFF breeze, rapidly dropping temperatures and some mist/snow. We parked so we could view the parade in a nice warm vehicle if necessary and braved the breeze to cross the Square.

The flags were celebrating Christmas! The flag in the oval is located at the Mansfield Veterans' Memorial and the other flags are on the large pole near the gazebo. The moon is shining over the larger US flag and Missouri state flag; while a street light illuminates the US flag at the memorial.