Be-Think [Please visit BeThink.org]

Fight The Smears; Silence is Not Golden

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

Today, change has come. Contrary to the reality that has filled centuries of history, a Presidential candidate has chosen to Fight the Smears. Barack Obama, a man whose first name is defined as my own, "blessed," has opened a door. He has unlocked a window. Thankfully, the propitious aspirant has risen above supposed ceilings. Presidential hopeful Obama has endorsed a principle that I discovered as a child. Secrets are the source of sorrow.

Barack Obama's campaign revealed a Web site this morning entitled "Fight the Smears" -- aimed at, . . . beating back misinformation, half truths or downright lies being spread about the Democratic nominee via television, the Web, radio and, most pervasively, e-mail.

"The Obama campaign isn't going to let dishonest smears spread across the Internet unanswered," explained campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor.

Intentional slander causes great pain. Individuals who malign advance untold misery. Only the truth can set any of us free. However, few wish to speak of what they know. Most repeat the proverb, "Ignorance is bliss." Yet, in life, we may realize, when we are quiet, gospel is often fleeting.

Homage to Lawrence King. Teach Tolerance To Adults and Children

Love Not Hate

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

“The opposite of love is not hate; it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness; it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy; it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death; it's indifference.” ~ Elie Wiesel

It was February 14, 2008, Valentine's Day. Love was in the air. However, the expressions of appreciation offered were mournful. Doctors informed the family and his friends, Lawrence King, 15, was removed from life support. Two days earlier, young Larry was in the computer lab at E. O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, California. He sat with 24 other students when Brandon McInerney walked into the room with a gun. The armed classmate, fourteen-years of age, approached Lawrence with intent. Brandon aimed his weapon, pulled the trigger, and shot Lawrence in the head. Without hesitation, the shooter ran from the building. Circumstances led observers and police officers to conclude the act was intentional, calculated, and a conscious choice. Brandon committed what is commonly defined as a "hate crime."

Taxi To The Dark Side; Tales of Psychological and Physical Torture

"Taxi To The Dark Side" – Trailer

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

Americans each have taxied to the dark side in recent years. Vice President Cheney, with the blessings of George W. Bush, was our guide. We were the followers. Citizens of the United States claim to care. Yet, collectively, we allow an Administration to torture detainees in Guantanamo Bay and at Abu Ghraib prison. Our fellow countrymen once honored the Rules of the Geneva Convention. This standards are now thought quaint. Americans no longer subscribe to the theory that intentional physical and psychological torment is a abhorrent. Violations of human dignity are accepted, even endorsed.

Poor Troubled Paris. Fame and Fortune Cannot Cure What Ails Her

Celebrity Justice - PARIS Lodging Appeal on Monday

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

I feel a need to preface this discussion with an admission. I am unfamiliar with the life of celebrities not only do I know none personally; only on the rarest occasions do I go to the movies. Commercial television does not play in my presence. I hold no contempt for the illustrious few. I only find it difficult to relate to a life or the telling of stories that seem so far from my own or the reality of millions. I watch and listen to news. As was once uttered on old time television, I prefer 'Just the facts please.'

In Life and Death We Trust

© copyright 2007 Betsy L. Angert

They say, "Only the good die young." Perhaps, that is true. My Mom took her last breathe on Earth twenty years earlier than many of her relatives. You may recall that only weeks ago, a dear departed from my life. Phillip passed just more than a month after his fifty-fifth birthday. Days ago, the nation was told that a fifty-seven year young Elizabeth Edwards has an incurable cancer. Might she too perish before she has had time to truly live. Each day we lose our younger generation to war. Drugs take too many lives. Anna Nicole Smith and her offspring Daniel left G-d's green Earth very recently. Today we learn that Tony Snow, White House Press Secretary has a lesion on his liver the outlook is not good. Might the purely partisan Progressives ponder, 'Is this man among the splendid.'

I believe we all are divine. Our politics, or our lifestyles do not determine our worth. We are all equally revered in the eyes of any Lord. Science makes no distinction. However, I do wonder, does a holy being decide whether one must pass, when, or why.

Couples, Communication and Caring ©

In a nation where forty plus, fifty, or sixty percent of marriages end in divorce, [depending who whose statistics you trust] the topic of companionship and connections is a must. In a country where many are separated, where children are left alone, and families are not intact, the quality of relationships is a necessary consideration. This week, the New York Times addressed this concern in two articles, Marriage Is Not Built on Surprises and Questions Couples Should Ask (Or Wish They Had) Before Marrying. I, as many do, have an active interest in this matter.

Yesterday, I spoke with an acquaintance. She seems to be happy in her current relationship; she says she is. I remember when her beau was a source of great stress. Jess was involved in his work and Lisa wanted him to be concerned with her. She tried and tried to change what was. Lisa turned to other men; Jess was upset. Still, transformation was slow in coming. The relationship came and went, repeatedly. Now the two are one, or are they?

I Am An Anorexic, Bulimic, A Person! ©

Once you label me, you negate me.
~ Soren Kierkegaard [Danish Philosopher]

An article in the New York Times grabbed my attention instantly.  It appeared in the health section.  The title, One Spoonful at a Time.  This writing was heartfelt. Author, Harriet Brown tells a gripping tale.  It took me to memories of my own struggle with anorexia and bulimia and how these affected my family.  In this exposé, the dilemma of how to treat the condition was thoroughly discussed.  I wish to share my response to this situation and story.  My personal experience of this is vast.  I hope my thoughts, realizations, and rejoinders on this topic will be helpful to those grappling with similar issues.  I trust that the effects of anorexia and bulimia are trials and tribulations for all those afflicted by these.

The subject of weight alone is a sensitive probing.  An individual need not starve, binge, or purge in wrestling with weight.  On the same day another New York Times essay loomed large entitled "Big People on Campus."  This commentary contemplated the plight of being "fat."  I was once that too.  Many may muse in this moment, all anorexics believe they are chubby, and while that may or may not be true, I actually was at times in my life.  My weight rarely was stable; nor was I when reflecting upon it.  However, my weight was never the issue; it was a distraction, a symptom of what was within. 

Fast Forward; The Story Unfolds. Fade into Feelings ©

Years have passed Gary. I have learned so much. I can only hope that you feel as I do. There were so many misunderstandings; there is still so much pain. You taught me of love, perceptions, communication, and how each of these is important. Understanding these in total is vital to the health of an individual and a relationship. I am writing in love, sharing our story from my perspective. I am working to communicate.

Perseverance, The President, the Cabinet, and Me ©

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.
~ Albert Einstein

I have been working on a project, for what feels like forever. I am attempting to expand my Hyper Text Markup Language [html] horizons. I am working to broaden my comprehension of Cascading Style Sheets. Though I have heard many say, learning to create a wed page is easy, as I broached the construction, I did as I do, I freaked. When stretching beyond my own limits I often feel paralyzed. Each time I begin a novel endeavor I quietly and subtly panic. I live in fear though few would ever know this.

I suspect we all do. When the common utterance is stated, “We are all our own worst critic,” we substantiate that humans are insecure. They [we, I] question their achievements and their limitations. They [we, I] ask are they [we, I] worthy, wonderful, or weak.