I read the news today, oh boy...

Please, tell me this is a bad dream. I can't believe that there are enough people in this country stupid enough to fall for Bush's scare tactics! Yet, it really seems so. Kerry has conceeded and the news doesn't seem to even cover any results except the activities of the Republicats and the Demicans.

In the last four years, Bush has sent troops into Iraq, claiming that they were needed to "defend us" from WMDs that weren't there and "justice" for an attack in New York that Iraq had no involvement in. Troops families suffer as tours of duty are extended... and more and more troops are not coming home at all. This war was not "a cake walk". We (the Americans) were not heralded as saviors by the Iraqi people, except maybe by the Kurd minority. Meanwhile, Bush has managed to alienate us with half our traditional allies

Daily, we hear about attacks by "insurgents" on our troops and those that support them... and I find myself wondering if the same thing were to happen in our country, would they be considered "insurgents" or "freedom fighters". It's really all a matter of perspective. The effect is the same, in either case? Innocent people are caught in the middle while "freedom" is delivered or resisted at gunpoint by all involved.

They say that in any war, truth is the first casualty...

And I definitley DO NOT feel any safer...

Meanwhile, on the homefront...
I keep reading about "new jobs" being created... but where are they? The only jobs I see out there are low paying service jobs, often part-time, usually with no benefits or (as in the case of my husband's work) so expensive as to be unaffordable. At the same time, the cost of basic items like food and transportation has jumped exponentially.

I wasn't able to buy Fukuyama-san's DVD. You'd think I would have been among the first to buy it, wouldn't you? The truth is that between my husband's job, my two jobs, and my son's SSI (disability pay), we bring in just enough money to bring us all the way up to "low income". By the time I had enough money (after bills and emergencies), it was already sold out. Thanks to a friend who shall remain nameless, I have a DVD-R copy, but it would have been better if I could have bought it.

I'm buying the JAM Project DVD. I've already ordered it. Barring medical or house/car repair emergencies, I'll still have the money to pay for it when it comes in at Kinokuniya later this month. I was going to buy it in a couple months after I bought Fukuyama-san's DVD, but since I couldn't I guess I'll buy the JAM Project DVD now, eh.

Money shouldn't be this tight. Four years ago, all the income we had was my husband's job and my son's SSI. I stayed home to work with the children and run the house. We were buying groceries and paying the bills... mostly on time - barely, but we were doing it. In May of 2001, I took on a part time job (15-20 hours per week) to bring in a little extra money for educational supplies and family activities. Then about a year later, I began also earning money as a "home care provider" for my now adult son. Now... after a few years of temp jobs (after being laid off from Boeing), my husband has been steady at the current job for about two year and I am working twice the number of hours that I started off at. Why was getting harder, not easier, to make ends meet? We weren't doing any more spending than before...so we went to a credit councelor for advice. He looked at our debts and spending... and said that we couldn't cut our expenses any more than we had. We need to find ways to bring in more income. Why are things so tight? Because the cost of living had outpaced the wages. It was that simple.

And this year the price of gas jumped to over $2.00 per gallon before finally going down a bit. Now it is holding steady at around $1.97. Just three years ago, it was "expensive" at $1.30.

Sigh. Enough ranting for now, eh. The good news is that I'm getting a few updates done on the site this week including some song translations. I just finished translating "Jungle Lady" and should have it up tonight sometime. If schedule allows, I hope have the whole Jungle Lady album finished by the end of next week. Then I can catch up on the JAM Project translations... and a few others.

Becca-isms is turning out as good as anticipated under the new format. As I suspected, no one can express Becca-isms quite like Becca. Check out her Halloween post! ^-^

Despite my concerns about the political climate, I still believe that people are all capable off good... and I know that, besides myself, there are still many others who will continue to shout the message of goodwill and peace until all can hear.

peace