Middle aged musings from farm & hearth
Thank you for taking the time to read through my post yesterday regarding immigration reform. Any time you post your personal beliefs in public, it’s a risk. Almost impossible not to offend someone.
Jane left a very poignant comment at the end of yesterdays comments section, another side to the immigration issue that is very real and worth going back to read.
It’s a new day, all – lets make it a good one.
Oh, do we even touch on such a highly charged issue? Ah, what the heck – let’s open the gates…join the conversation if you’d like…. I welcome opposing views as long as we respect each other, that’s all I ask.
First let me tell you, I believe we as a nation no longer have the ability to think and act and vote clearly without prejudice clouding our judgement. The animosity on both sides of the fence is too great. Ah, therein lies a big rub. Why is there a proverbial fence between us as a united people? That’s my main gripe. If you only have eyes for one political affiliation, ever, on all topics, then you are part of the problem. The party system is part of the problem. Haven’t we all evolved enough at this point in our history to know there is no black/white in our universe and closed minds are dangerous. That’s what we’re becoming.. a body of divided closed -minded people, especially those employed and empowered in the political arena but hey, we each bear responsibility as voters.
Someone I know ranted that Democrats are the reason for the immigration problem we face today in our country. You see.. right there… closed mind, not factual.
Below are just bits and pieces of the past quarter century history of
attempts at immigration reform – fraught with political vote-getting
agendas, inconsistencies and lack of follow-throughs, and an inability
to come to agreeable terms between business and labor interests.
” President Reagan, in 1986, signed the Immigration Reform and Control
Act, which legalized close to
3 million undocumented immigrants. The laws was supposed to be a
comprehensive solution with provisions intended to clamp down on border
security.
These provisions were never enforced, and the subsequent explosion in
illegal crossings has resulted in some 11 million illegal aliens living
in the United States today. An estimated 1.8 million illegal immigrants
are currently residing in
Texas, compared with 1.1 million in 2000. In ten years, that represents
an increase of 54 percent, or 70,000 persons each year coming to our
state illegally.”
More –
1996: Under President Clinton, most reform was aimed at reducing immigration amid rising anti-immigrant sentiment in the country. But the backlash against strict reform led many of the harshest measures to be rolled back, meaning that ultimately little changed.
Partisan and intraparty disputes over how far to go caused multiple delays. Attempts at a national identification card went nowhere, as did legislation — introduced by Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) — that would deprive the children of undocumented immigrants of citizenship. (Reid apologized for that legislation in 2006, calling it the “low point” of his career.)
* 2004-2007: You could say that talk radio killed President Bush’s attempts at immigration reform. He hoped to appeal to both business owners and Hispanic voters with a comprehensive overhaul, but he was stymied by his own party. Bush began pushing for a guest worker program in 2004. An early attempt by Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) died a quick death, in part because of election year politics. But even the prospect of reform stirred up a backlash from conservatives, in particular Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.). Tancredo appeared on talk radio constantly warning of the dangers posed by illegal immigration.
President Obama is catching a lot of heat for his approach. While I don’t agree with everything this President has brought to the table, I’m not horrified by his actions when Congress has repeatedly failed to do what they’ve been appointed to do. Some of you will disagree, but I see a man who knows the failures of the past and wants to make the changes he was elected to do. Environment, health reform and Immigration were the big issues. He’s attempting to make strides where others are floundering. Have floundered badly.
His words – “To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our
immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting
where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill.” – Amen.
Here’s what I understand regarding what he proposes… .. in simplest terms. Tighter control at borders.. will it be imposed? We’ve heard that promise from Presidents before, yet to be seen, but necessary. For those who qualify, a temporary stay of three years will be granted as long as a background check passes and back taxes are paid. They are not being offered a path to citizenship and will not be eligible for federal benefits and health care programs.
Facebook is a funny bird….. it can be a wonderful tool for keeping in touch with distant family and friends, posting events, sharing happy news, philosophies and photos. It’s also used and abused as a bitch session, rant platform, political war zone and advocacy area. Yep, you can really piss people off if you try.
I try to keep my facebook page light and entertaining and all in the spirit of sharing, good will and encouragement. Am I always successful? Ha! In all honesty I get tangled in others conversations now and then where my opinion is bold and most often in defense of something.
This morning it was about posting pics of animals in need. In all fairness the original poster was begging others to not post pictures of abused animals anymore. I should note that she is an animal advocate and has rescue dogs of her own. Her friends agreed that they want to see -happy- on FB, no sad and horrible stories of abuse that they can’t do anything about. And that’s where I chimed in. In essence my point was that I am in dog rescue and do post dogs in bad condition sometimes that need help. My view is that if you never see the negative images, you won’t know the need is there and you will definitely not be prompted to do something about it. ( I’m not talking about the horribly gruesome images.) If you are in a position to do something and my post prompted you to do so, mission accomplished. And, time and time again, those posts save dogs. So, I won’t apologize, although I limit it so I don’t bombard friends with sad circumstances.
There aren’t enough people in this world who give a damn about anything other than what is directly in front of them affecting their world directly and immediately. So I am definitely not quick to criticize anyone who is trying to make a difference for the greater good somewhere, regardless of the cause. Even if their way of doing it is posting on their FB feed a picture that might make me feel momentarily uncomfortable. – Did I just piss you off?
What does bother me? Those dead dear and game pics of proud hunters (sometimes kids!) with big smiles standing next to their bleeding, big eyed, tongue hanging out of mouth deer, bear, or whatever… I am not a vegetarian, so I have to admit this is probably hypocritical… but somehow seeing you standing so tall and proud next to an animal you killed for the joy of it is really disturbing. Oh, I know the argument stand that the deer/game will be eaten…but you’re not out there shooting deer because you can’t afford food from the grocery store. You’re doing it because you enjoy the hunt.. and kill. WE could also argue that the way this country treats animals raised for food in mass factory inhumane conditions is a lot less humane than the momentary shoot and kill of that deer. You’re right! Ah, it gets so complicated, doesn’t it. I do try to buy food labeled as humanely raised and I encourage all to do so. Have you seen FOOD, Inc? Ugh. a must see. But be prepared, it will offend you.
– Just sayin.
So about this shelter dog Adoption event stuff… it takes a lot of organization, some trials and tribulations, a mix of ever-giving volunteers, each with talents they bring to the table. And of course.. those selfless rescues who pulled the dogs from kill shelters initially, some in horrible shape.. brought them to their veterinarians, drained their own finances and turn their homes into kennels to save these dogs. Without them, we couldn’t do what we do to rehome those unfortunate dogs.
Regarding adopters… well, that’s where it can get tricky. First, there is the adoption fee. We don’t take a penny from rescues or adopters. We raise funds to hold the events before hand and our services are free. The adoption fee at our events is $385. Some potential adopters bawk at that price. They say “I can get a dog at the pound for $50!. Why am I paying YOU $385?? The answer is very simple. Our rescues have to pull and quarantine the dogs for 30 days and evaluate their behavior. They must neuter or spay them, innoculate them, de-worm them and test for things like heartworm before they can come to our event. Their cost at this point is approximately $300, if not more. Then there is the transport.. our southern folks drive 30 hours (that’s alot of gas) to get here. They’re lucky if they break even at the end. Your pound dog? Is only required to have a rabies shot and you might get lucky and have a healthy spayed/neutered dog that behaves well once he leaves the pound, but it’s a crap shoot.
Now, to be fair, I’m still all for adopting from your local pound. Just had to explain the reason for the fee. AND… adopting a shelter dog from our events is also a crap shoot in certain ways. These dogs haven’t lived in the kill shelter for atleast a month, but they are still living in kennel conditions, even in a home atmosphere, unless we’ve brought them from foster homes. So, their exact behavior in your home might be somewhat different, at least at first, then where they came from. Our rescue folks try to know them as best they can, and they are fully vetted. All of this is explained to potential adopters, and then it is up to them to help the dog adjust. We are always available after adoption to help.
One of the biggest mistakes new adopters make is letting Scruffy off leash immediately after bringing him home. While he may be friendly and lovey and so happy to be with you… he doesn’t really know you yet, or your yard as “home”. He probably doesn’t even know his name. I wouldn’t trust your new dog for months off leash and expect that they will stay right with you or return home if they get away from you. Yet, so many people lose their new adoptee and out goes the search squad, not always with great results.
Another issue we sometimes deal with is new adopters not having the patience to allow their new charge to get accustomed to the new home and family, or not understanding the dogs language. Case in point… three days ago we got a call from “Jenny’s” new family saying she was not adjusting well to their home, was unhappy with her tail between her legs all the time and ate ravenously and with aggression. Jenny is a young puppy. We were perplexed… that was not her demeanor at our event or with rescue before. They wanted her picked up – before the kids got home. – We took her back immediately. Jenny went to foster for just two days where her behavior was monitored. No food aggression, and she was fed with the other dogs to test that theory. She was just hungry. She was also bouncy and happy, tail wagging with none of the signs the family had mentioned. Here’s what really happened… they have electric fence in their yard. They tried to show her how to use it, and zapped her in the process.. she’s about 14 weeks old and was brand new to her environment. They scared the hell out of her and we don’t know what else.. perhaps the mom and dad just didn’t want to deal with puppy training.
Jenny was rehomed yesterday with a lovely couple who adore her. No signs of poor behavior, just a happy puppy in the right environment. The heartbreak? The E-mail we received the day after Jenny was taken from the family… from their young daughter. “You took Jenny from us! How very unfair!.. she was just getting used to us and her new home, we would have been the very best family for her ever! I hope you will give her the very best home, because we were it!!
Now, let me tell you what I think of that. Her parents threw us under the bus when they decided the puppy was too much work for them, that’s what I think. They should have let their kids say goodbye and explained why they felt Jenny was not well suited as an addition to their family. Instead they came home to no more Jenny and an explanation that wasn’t truth. It broke the girls heart even more to think we felt they weren’t suitable so we took the dog back. We wrote her back saying we knew she had every intention of giving Jenny a wonderful home and perhaps talking with her parents about why they decided to return her would help her to understand their decision.
As for the stuff you can’t make up…
Now and then a potential adopter shows up that we just have to say no to. You know, you get a feeling, you see interaction that isn’t cool.. their references don’t pan out for whatever reason. (we insist on solid references, including vet) One couple wanted a small dog for their daughter. They found one they liked, but didn’t want to commit. Someone else came along, a lovely woman with MS or parkinsons, who clearly adored the dog, had great references, and she adopted. The family who put the dog aside came back and was annoyed that we let someone else take her, even though they didn’t want to commit. They shopped around again… and finally settled on a little chihuahua girl named Flower. We had them talk with our trainer and walk around with the dog to see if it was a good fit. They all looked happy except for the Dad.
They did a family huddle…
then came back to us and said…”Well, we really like Flower.. but.. what’s that thing in the back”.
That thing in the back?…..
we looked.
“You mean her genitals?”…..
“Oh is that what that is? Well, we’re thinking then that her Vagina is too big”.
Blank stares all around… (hysterical laughter later)….. but we said……
“I’m sorry… we probably don’t have a dog here that we would feel comfortable adopting out to you.”
And we took Flower back in the barn. Really folks, Flower has a very normal looking female genitalia region. And if they didn’t know what it WAS, and held it against her regardless, they aren’t the kind of people we want to adopt to anyway. That didn’t stop them from displaying their anger at our decision by standing at the bottom of the hill and glaring up at us in the barn for a good half hour, as if we would change our minds about adopting to them. Then, they finally left.
We are somewhat choosey because these dogs have already been through so much. We want to place them where they have the best chance of having the kind of life they deserve. It’s as simple as that. And if you’ve read all the way through this post today, here’s your reward.. Jenny in her new home.. where she has definitely hit the good home jackpot!
First I’d like to thank each of you who have inquired – where the heck are ya? It’s such a good feeling to know there are people who give a darn, you know?
The great news is I’ve been really busy with Homeward Bound CT’s first shelter dog adoption event! It was AWESOME!!!..and so much work. I’m headed to the Physical therapist today for a back/shoulder adjustment..lol.
The second annoying thing is I have not been able to post on Internet Explorer for the past week! … just figured out now I can post to my blog on firefox (Foxfire?.. whatever)… and it works. Not sure what’s going on there, but it is what it is.
SO.. I’m just going to post a few pics here and you’ll get the jist of last weekend… and again, thanks so much for caring.. all of you 🙂
….and so many awesome volunteers and adopters! 40 dogs home out of 53, 7 in foster homes, the rest went back home with their rescues. It’s a beautiful thing.
… Apparently the highest bidder got it for $1.9M. Article HERE
For the past two weeks we’ve had heavy static on our home phone line. I called AT & T to report the trouble and they sent a technician out the very next day. He went in the basement, he went out to the road, he went in the basement.. came up and said he had one more visit to the pole at the road and was all set. Didn’t see him again.
Still Static. I waited a bit, figuring maybe he was still working on the problem. Days later, nope. Called A T & T again… reported heavy static still on the line.. this time it took four days for an A T & T Truck to show up on the street, but they never came in the house. They were gone before I could tell them there was still static on the line.
I just called to report Static on the line again.. this time I did not use the automated trouble reporting service they WANT you to use. I figured out how to talk to an actual person and told her I want to SEE and TALK to the technician next time he/she comes out here to “fix” this problem.
Mike and I are wondering… why do we still have a land line? Almost every form you fill out nowadays asks for your cell phone number. We both have cell phones, as do the kids, and everyone uses them far more often than the land line. Even relatives who don’t have a cell phone can still call you on your cell. SO… land line, or not?
What say you? Have you given up your land line yet? I know many have. What do you think of it? Or, if you’ve kept your land line, what are your reasons? It’s a hard habit to break after all these years… but, maybe it’s time to let it go.
I love Halloween!… and miss those days of crunching through the autumn leaves with flashlight in hand and giggling running high-on-candy kids dressed in silly scarey costumes chasing each other to the next house.
Since my kids are too old now for that sort of foolishness, I’ll have to settle for this sort of foolishness courtesy Picmonkey…
A while back I posted pics of a vacant “town” here in CT, just across the river. Click HERE for that post. Long story short – an eccentric millionaire bought the place and in the 1960’s began transforming what was an old mill and homestead into a village that he planned to have open to the public for events, etc. Some old buildings – 1800’s.. from all around New England were moved to the property.. a church, a school, a livery stable, a General Store, etc… and his vision for a village, called Johnsonville, began to take life. For a while there were activities.. like weddings and Christmas displays, a restaurant briefly, antiques store, etc. But as his health declined, so did the village vision. Once he passed, the property went on the market – reasons for the family not continuing with his vision vary, and some family members insist they wanted to move forward with his plan. Alas, it never came to be. Nor did the sale. Currently, the 62 acre property and all it’s buildings are going to auction… with the possibility that the whole thing will sell for as little as $800,000. – wow.
Mike and I took one last stroll through the grounds yesterday before the probable event that it will all be taken down. We hope not, but the truth of it is, there is so much work that would need to be done to restore each of the buildings, so much updating… i.e. asbestos removal, very expensive for each dwelling, etc… that the odds are not in favor of restoration of the village.
I should tell you that if you are local and considering browsing the property… heed the no trespassing signs. Even though it looks abandoned, it is not. There are still family members living in one of the houses on the property and they don’t take kindly to us shutterbugs invading their space. Understandable, and I’m sure there are hard feelings among them about the state of the property.
For an article on the property and auction, click on link below.
http://www.ctpost.com/realestate/article/How-much-would-you-pay-for-a-Connecticut-ghost-5827070.php
The original Johnson Homestead –
In the above picture you can see the red restaurant building lower on the hill… and below is the church.. just across the street….
A School House moved to the site in the 60’s….
The post office building… just across the road from the homestead, where a there was once a productive working mill. Moodus itself was a Mill town back in the day.
There are several homes along the road, one or two still occupied …. they most likely date to the late 1800’s , early 1900’s. All would need much work.
The Restaurant… I read in a forum for a while it was named the Red Door. There was a Victorian Gift Shoppe below it, and perhaps an antiques shop as well.
The General Store….
The handle on the front door is so unique.. there are touches like this throughout the buildings. I hope someone salvages them.
Happy to report Alvin has put on weight since this picture and is now in good health.
