Have you ever been in a harsh summer rain storm—one of those where lightning seems to continuously charge across the sky, thunder rolls on day or night, and rain and hail pound the earth with fury—and thought to yourself, “I caused that?” You may not be Thor, God of Thunder, but your presence on this earth does have a power and influence to it.… [Read more]
We’ve Got the Power
You used your voice to speak up for what you believe in.
You exercised your power and your rights by voting on election day.
You’ve signed petitions that were delivered to local and national representatives in support of human rights, a clean environment, privacy laws, and even a system that protects consumers from predatory banks and corporations.… [Read more]
Let There Be Light…and Jobs
Recently, union workers took to the streets to protest a company’s refusal to negotiate some of the terms of their employment contract. Strikes based on salary or benefits are common enough but what made this situation different was that it was at an electric utility company, and it took place in the face of both utility companies’ record profits and this summer’s record temperatures.… [Read more]
Republicans: A Profile Of The Classic Abuser
Note: Julie Driscoll’s article was originally published in August, 2011 on Examiner.com, re-published on AddictingInfo.org.
As a former victim of domestic violence, in another lifetime, I learned a lot about the abusive personality. When it was over, and I was out, I became a domestic violence hotline counselor. The classes I took to train me for this job taught me two things.… [Read more]
Alabama, The Beautiful
I spent most of last week in Alabama, my home state. And I think, somewhere along the way, I began a love affair with it.
As y’all know, I’m hard on the South, particularly because I grew up in Alabama and, because, in a way, I guess I grew out of Alabama. As I write this now, I understand that in the process, I lost some appreciation for what Alabama has meant to me.… [Read more]
Is This For Real?
Years ago, spoken word artist and visionary poet, the late Gil Scott-Heron, wrote a song called ‘B Movie’. Perhaps it is because he recently passed away in May of this year or maybe it’s because I’ve been thinking about the idea that history repeats itself that Mr. Scott-Heron has crossed my mind so often lately.
I can’t do him any justice; watch this 9-minute clip for yourself and decide whether or not you think much has changed:
In ‘B Movie’ he said during the poetry refrain*:
“This ain’t really your life,Ain’t really your life,Ain’t really ain’t nothing but a movie.”
To many people, outside of the persistent hardships they’re facing, not much feels real lately. … [Read more]