A Call for Concern

The email message below was sent to every member of my Sunday School class by another member. Such messages as this are reasons I am no longer attending regularly. The Islamic Day of Prayer (Muslims to Pray for 'Soul of America' at U.S. Capitol Event - washingtonpost.com Shared via AddThis)has become a target for right wing Christians and a way to attack the President.

The message first speaks of Convergence and subtly attacks President Obama. The statement that he was silent on the National Day of Prayer is false. President Obama issued a national proclamation for the Day of Prayer. The Justice Department has defended the National Day of Prayer in a lawsuit brought by an atheist in Ohio. What President Obama did not do was hold a prayer breakfast and make the day a political spectacle like his predecessor, George Bush. Somehow, this makes him less a Christian.

The email then goes on to emphasize President Obama's statements in reference to Islam. The message neglects to mention that President Bush made the same kind of statements. Both Presidents were attempting to distinguish radical Islam from moderate Islam and to acknowledge the presence of Muslims as citizens of the United States. President Obama statements were not made because he is a secret Muslim; what I take the implication to be. The other implication is that that Islam is somehow aligned with evil (dark powers). I believe I worship the same God as Muslims although they call him Allah. A Christian should never engage in such rhetoric which could incite some deluded souls to violence against Muslims.

Christians have our own history of violent excesses that I believe as a whole we have moved beyond. Now violence only exists on the fringes in such areas as the antiabortion movement. Lou Engle, who is the author of some of this email, is part of the antiabortion movement. I believe that he sees threats of violence and evil in Islam because he has seen the same in the radicals of the antiabortion movement. He knows what extreme views and rhetoric can produce.

This message plays into the fears of Christians and calls attention to the Muslim Day of Prayer in Washington, D.C. Somehow this gathering is seen as a threat because the Muslims would pray that the White House become a Muslim house. I see no difference in that and the call to prayer at the end of this message asking that Christianity be supreme. People of faith want their religion to be victorious and all to see the light that they believe is their own.

I am no different. I am a Christian and believe that Christ is the truest revelation of God. But, I believe that God reveals himself in all religions and that there are many paths to the truth. When Jesus says that all come to God through Him, I believe that is true. Jesus is God in action, the God we can meet. However, that does not mean we have to believe as a Christian. Jesus simply imparts a truth: He is the part of God that ushers us into eternity whether we are Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu or other.

The email uses the controversy over a 17 year old runaway to slam Islam again. The story of Rifqa Bary is not as stated in this message. She may well be a young woman incited to run away from home by Christian zealots who hate and fear Islam. Up to now, there is no evidence that her allegations are true or that she is in any danger. Yet, this email says she is a sign that Muslims in America will be converted to Christianity.

The section titled "Here is The Call" reveals the true nature of this email message: the desire to convert all Muslims to Christianity and the belief that the spiritual powers behind Islam must be restrained by God. This call to prayer is a call for Christian supremacy. The implication that Muslims are not to be respected because their faith is guided by dark powers. There is only a short step to believing that Muslims are evil. To me, the underlying message is akin to antisemitism and just as bad.

We should pray. Christians have a model prayer that Christ gave us. There is nothing in that prayer that puts us above others. Instead, we ask deliverance from evil and forgiveness for our failings. I will pray on September 25th for God to forgive me for failing to love as God does.

The last off this pernicious email is a calendar of events supplied by Lisa Crump with the National Day of Prayer, a private organization. Among other things, it betrays a pro-Israel bias. President Obama is referred to as Mr. O, surely an attempt to belittle him. Finally, the calendar states that the Chinese flag will fly over the White House. This is simply not true. The Chinese are planning to fly their flag nearby, but not at the White House. This is another attack aimed at President Obama.

God does not bend to our will. God has his own agenda. Our duty as Christians is to seek his will, not our own. My only fear is that gullible Christians will be swept up in this fear driven and hate filled movement against Muslims and President Obama. Even then, though, I trust God. He is not bound by time or our petty disputes. His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Photo by dbking

Subject: A Call for Concern

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Plan to join this urgently called National Prayer Conference Call on Thursday 9/24 regarding the subjects below

7:30-9 pm EASTERN

6:30-8 pm CENTRAL

5:30 -7 pm MOUNTAIN

4:30-6 pm PACIFIC

712-432-0233 Pass Code 637# (NDP)

Please forward as you are led and able. If you are called to fast with this urgent time of intercession, ask the Lord about these 3 days: Sept 24th, 25th and 26th.

Urgent Call to Prayer: Signs of the Times

Convergence

It is critical that the church in America understands the times and what needs to be done now. The natural things speak of the invisible. Natural happenings on the earth are revealing something that is going on in the spiritual realm. There is a great spiritual conflict with a rising tide of Islamic boldness being manifested. Several happenings are converging this week. First of all, our President has recently proclaimed, honored, encouraged the Muslim holy days of prayer and fasting called Ramadan. He was very silent on the National Day of Prayer but very vocal on the support of Ramadan. Interestingly at the same time a major Christian leader of the Emergent Church called for forty days of fasting and prayer in the same Ramadan period with the goal that the church will better understand our Muslim friends. We are all for understanding but we must have spiritual discernment as to the spiritual dark powers that are being invoked into our nation.

Cause for Concern

At the same time, on the 25th of September, Muslims are calling for a Muslim Day of Prayer in Washington DC (http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/). They are calling for 50,000 Muslims to gather and pray on the DC Mall. This is the exact word of one of the Sheikhs who is leading this historic gathering, “Muslims should march on the White House. We are going to the White House so that Islam will be victorious, Allah willing, and the White House will become into a Muslim house.” These are not empty words. They speak of a dark spiritual intent and a coming day of great trouble to America.

A Divine Moment

Now one of these events is enough to awaken us to this significant throbbing moment, but when they all converge it becomes a massive spiritual alarm that must be responded to by the praying Church. However, I believe in this moment of divine providence God has raised up on the stage of history a little “Esther” that if we pray and fast for her she could be a major voice to expose the dark under-belly of Islam and radiate a bright hope for a day of salvation for Muslims in America.

Headlines

On Monday, Rifqa Bary, a young 17-year-old woman, will be in the headlines of US news. Four years ago, while living in a very devout and radical Muslim home, Rifqa met Jesus in a powerful way as her savior. She hid her conversion, began praying secretly, and began hiding her bible from her parents. Then, on Facebook, her love for Jesus was exposed to the radical Muslim community in Ohio. Rifqa’s father demanded that she renounce Jesus or he would kill her as is commanded by the Koran. As a radiant believer in Jesus she refused to renounce her Lord and fled to Orlando where she was taken in and cared for by a Christian Church and family. Now, the father is appealing to the courts to bring her back under his custody. Major television networks have already covered her story. How must the Church of America respond in this moment for our sister who is a part of the Body of Christ?

A Major Sign

This convergence, I believe, is urgently summoning us in the midst of the rising tide of Islamic influence in America to recognize that our God is above every god and that if we return to Him with all of our hearts and call upon Him with fasting and prayer then God could use what the enemy meant for evil to bring about a great day of salvation for Muslims in America, of which Rifqa is but a major sign.

Here is The Call

First of all, we cannot be passive as a Church to let these kinds of developments go on without being challenged in the spirit. Our fight is not against Muslims, it is against principal intities, powers, and forces of darkness. We are calling the Church of America at the end of Ramadan, from September 21st through 25th, to five days of concerted prayer. On Monday, we must pray that God would grant supernatural wisdom to the courts so that the testimony of Jesus would be proclaimed and that the best situation for Rifqa and her family would take place. We must pray for Rifqa to be bold in proclaiming Jesus that even thousands of Muslims would hear and be awakened to the love of Christ. She has already said that this is not about her but about many Muslims coming to Jesus. We must pray for her lawyers who are being bullied, threatened, and challenged on every side. On Friday, September 25th, the Muslim Day of Prayer, we are calling the Church of America to fast and pray that Muslims would be moved by the Holy Spirit, convicted by the testimony of Christ, and even be visited by Jesus in dreams. We must pray that God would restrain the spiritual powers behind Islam and grant us the great awakening that we desperately need for America. (Just look at the Dome on the Rock in Jerusalem - once was "ours", now "theirs".)

Let us hear the call to prayer and not miss this moment,

Lou Engle
The Call

CRITICAL EVENTS

• 9-1-09 - The US began its turn in holding the rotating presidency of the 15-member UN Security Council. The role of president involves setting the agenda, presiding at its meetings and overseeing any crisis.
• 9-14-09 - The new assembly of the United Nations opened with the new president of the General Assembly - the ambassador from Libya.
• At an unknown-to-me-at-this-time date - Obama will address the UN General Assembly followed by the Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. He will also host a luncheon for visiting sub-Saharan African heads of state, another one for the dozen top UN peacekeeper-contributing nations, as well as host the traditional US evening reception for world leaders.
• 9-18-09 - The Jewish New Year begins (5770)
• 9-23-09 - See You At The Pole prayer rally on high school campuses.
• 9-22 or 23-09 - Obama has called a meeting of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in New York. This meeting will require Netanyahu, defense minister Ehud Barak and foreign minister Lieberman to be absent from Israel over the New Year Festival - an obvious snub of this major Jewish celebration. It is expected that yet more pressure will be placed on Israel to give up land in that tiny country for "peace" to people who have vowed not to accept peace until Israel is obliterated.
• 9-23-09 - Obama will meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
• 9-24-09 - Obama is scheduled to chair a Security Council session on global nuclear disarmament, the first such event by the 15-nation body.
• 9-24/25-09 - The G-20, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank will meet in the Convention Center in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Mr. O will host this meeting. The primary purpose of this meeting will be to address the world monetary crisis.
• 9-25-09 - 50,000 Moslems will gather opposite the ellipse in front of the White House for prayer with the intent of praying to Allah for victory and that the White House become a Muslim House.
• 9-30-09 - The 30 days of Ramadan end.
• 10-1-09 - The Communist Chinese flag will be allowed to fly at the White House.
• On-going - Security agencies are on high alert for terrorist activities as the FBI plans and conducts more raids in New York City.

Sent to advance the Kingdom of God and His divine purposes in this hour.

AGAPE! Lisa Crump, NDP Task Force, Director of Prayer Mobilization

The Garden in the Rain

We had gone for almost five months without significant rainfall. Most rain showers delivered just a tenth of an inch of rain. Plants and trees died from lack of water and 60+ days of 100 degree or more days.

This changed with almost a week of rain. My garden received close to three inches of rain. The temperatures were blessedly cool; days in the 80's and nights slipping into the 60's. The air conditioner was turned off and windows opened. How wonderful!

The basil I had just planted is flourishing as are the cactus and succulents recently added to the yard. The vegetable garden is not as happy. The first night of rain came with gusts of wind. Next morning, my healthiest tomato had blown over cage and all. One of the stakes holding the cage in place had broken and the other stake had bent under the load.

I made my way into the garden, sinking into the mud over my sandal's soles. Squishy, brown mud oozed up between my toes. With difficulty I straightened the cage and set it down with the one stake holding it in place. I found another stake and anchored the cage securely.

I checked for damage to the tomato plant. It seemed none the worse. No branches were broken although many had shifted location. Then I saw my bell pepper. I had planted it too close to the tomato anyway. Now, its main stem had been broken, but not torn. The top of the stem was now at right angles to the base. The only pepper on it was deep in the mud.

Gingerly, I picked the pepper. The base was cracked, but it will be usable sliced. The plant was another matter. I contemplated bringing the pepper upright and splinting the main stem. As I stared at the pepper, I suddenly realized that the top was bent out of the shade of the tomato and into the sunlight. Once more I examined the stem. There was no break in the skin. I decided to leave the pepper as it was. I'll see what happens. At least, it will get more sun.

As the rains continued, I noticed my eggplants' lower leaves yellow and fall off. A black fungus crept over the green ones. The aphids multiplied: light green ones and fuzzy white ones. Two of the tomatoes began to decline. The okra retained its top leaves, but looked more like a thin cane that a vegetable.

When the rains finally stopped, I squished aphids and cleaned out dead leaves. One eggplant listed to the south dramatically. I pulled it upright and pressed soil around it on the south side. There were two more fruits set on the eggplant. Whether from my pollinating efforts or the cool weather, I don't know.

After a day of sunshine, the garden is improving. The okra has more leaves and the eggplant is blooming. The toppled and restaked tomato plant shows no sign of damage. The bell pepper also seems to have improved with new leaves and blooms spouting. The odd 90 degree angle is hardly noticeable.

Soon, I will start my winter garden.

Photo by Bukowsky18

Joe Wilson, Barack Obama and the South

I am a sixth generation Texan. Born into a family that was steeped in the Southern tradition of bigotry and faith, a very strange combination. Love God, but not your fellow man.

I was saved from that narrow minded racial hatred by a mother who threw off the beliefs of her childhood and a Yankee grandmother who saw everyone as a friend. I have come home as a child to play with a Navajo boy whose mother my mother befriended. I have come home to a houseful of Buddhists cooking on our stove because theirs had quit and my grandmother opened our kitchen to them. (The ashram was across the street.) I have come home to find the welfare mother next door being taught to cook by my grandmother. I have come home to be invited to the birth of our next door neighbor's child in their front bedroom.

From my mother and my grandmother, I learned that everyone is a neighbor and to follow Christ's command to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. I am so grateful for that lesson. That does not mean I like everyone. No race has a corner on good or evil. I know I can encounter saints or devils in any color.

Wednesday evening, I watched President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress. When he was interrupted by a rude outburst, I caught the Southern accent. I knew that Southern bigotry had struck again.

Later, the press announced the name of the Southerner, Joe Wilson. I do not know much about this man except that he is a Congressman and comes from South Carolina. I doubt that he is an overt racist. I doubt that he believes he has any problem with race. Yet, he chose to interrupt a speech of the first black President of the United States. I believe that he is heir to the deep racial bigotry that still eats at the heart of the South. Hidden now, but perhaps more virulent.

Racism still lingers just below the surface of every day interactions between Southerners. This racism is not conscious, but ingrained, characterized by racial jokes and casual slurs. The subtle assumption from the past that blacks are not capable of intellectual activity still lingers. A black quarterback at the University of Texas led to whispers and suggestions that he had a lot of white in him. This racism rises from the great need of human beings to have someone to look down on, someone to feel superior to, someone to make their condition seem less barren.

In the South, poor whites were duped into hating blacks by a white ruling class that played the need for superiority for all it was worth. This racism had the desired result. Poor whites voted with rich whites instead of with poor blacks. In many cases, poor whites voted against their own interests rather than share a common cause with blacks.

The Republicans use this racial tactic today. Health care is a perfect example. Here illegal immigrants become the target of hatred and fear. Many whites would rather have health care reform defeated than chance that some illegal immigrant would game the system and receive medical care. They would continue a system that limits access to health insurance (preexisting condition means denial of insurance), limits payments (maximum amount of payments capped), and denies medical treatment on technicalities.

What would Jesus say to us about the sick child of an illegal immigrant? Let them die? Or heal them? Who is our neighbor?

There is an amazing mentality even among well educated Southerners. I have had graduate degreed friends tell me that slavery was not that bad, that as a whole the system was good for blacks. They will concede to individual cases of extreme cruelty and excess, but tell you on the whole slaves were well taken care of and had little worries because food and shelter were provided. Of course, when I ask if they would like to be a slave, the answer is no. I wonder what Joe Wilson thinks about slavery?

Many Southerners are ready to refight the Civil War. Not militarily, but politically. Republicans cling to the issues that divided the country, race and wealth. Then race concerned the civil rights of blacks and wealth the riches derived from black labor. Now, race deals with denying access to upward mobility for minorities so that wealth can be accumulated from the fruits of their low wage work. Again, illegal immigrants show the hypocrisy. Deny illegals benefits, but live in the houses they build for less than minimum wage or eat at a restaurant whose prices are low because the kitchen staff consists of illegal immigrants paid a pittance.

When southern Republicans are afraid of losing an election, they play the race card. Not overtly, but with great skill. Just as in the days after Reconstruction, they scare poor whites with the image of their black or brown neighbors as the other, as different, as someone who wishes to take from them, as someone who has suspect values and a desire for a different America. The image of President Obama as a foreigner is an example of this gambit.

Southern Republicans will make outrageous statements to rally those that fear the federal government. Governor Perry stated that Texas should secede from the United States because the federal government was taking over everything. People believe such outrageous statements because for years they have been fed the idea that centralized help is evil. Only a state is fit to look after its citizens.

Too many Southerners live in world created not by fact, but by their desires, desires articulated by right wing commentators, politicians and ministers. They live in a world that does not exist, but is real to them. In their world, President Obama is part of a Muslim plot to destroy the United States. His health plan is just another step in Muslim plan to control everyone in the United States. Their world makes them very afraid. Their fear makes them vulnerable to the demagogues of the right. Their fear may truly threaten this nation.

We must remember the angels message at the coming of Christ: "Fear not."

Gardeners Are Such Fools

The heat has broken. Now, we only have days in the nineties and nights dipping near seventy. Mornings are really lovely.

Last week we had the first real rain since early spring. I got an inch and a half of the wet stuff. The garden is so much happier.

The reprieve from the August heat and lack of rain has raised my hopes for a fall garden. I am removing dead plants and preparing the ground for new plants. A friend who gardens in one the community gardens is busily cleaning out his plot. He will plant for fall soon. Gardeners are such fools.

Another friend passed two basil branches (basil picture above), well rooted in water, on to me. I planted one under the bird bath in the front yard, far from past basil failures. The other plant went into the vegetable garden in back. This time in the flower bed at the edge of the garden where the sunburned remains of forget-me-nots still litter the ground. The only plant that survived from spring is a hybrid wandering Jew. This plant has produced a beautiful rosette of leaves that seems not to mind the heat and lack of water.

I have two tomato plants to be put in the ground, and I will try the Japanese shiso again. I think I will add mint to the circle under the bird bath and more herbs in back. Once it is cooler, I will add some leafy vegetables to the garden. I want to grow some catnip near the water faucet in front, but I fear the cats would soon eliminate it.

On the east side of my house there is an extremely dry area with poor soil. Nothing has grown there all year, not even weeds. Of course, I could not stand that bare soil. Now, I have planted a variegated, thornless prickly pear, an ordinary prickly pear (right), an echeveria (below), and a volunteer plant with bright pink flowers, rescued from a neighbor who was going to mow it. My struggling kalanchoe and some rooted sanseveria leaves complete my attempt to bring life to that dead area. I will see what happens.

Gardeners are such fools.

P.S. My eggplant has set fruit.

Keith Olbermann and Dan Savage

"I’m sure they don’t want to hear this from me because I’m an avowed atheist but my dad was a Roman Catholic deacon and my mom was a minister and I went to the seminary and I was confirmed in the Catholic church. I’ve read the Bible backwards and forwards and there’s a lot in there, a lot that Jesus had to say about taking care of the sick, housing the homeless, feeding the hungry, visiting, not executing the prisoner and nothing about capital gains tax cuts, nothing about denying health care coverage to American families and American children and nothing about this sort of insane opposition to a democratically elected president.

They really have hi-jacked Christianity and are giving it a bad name. The reason we see spikes I think in more and more people who no longer associate themselves with any religious faith or belief is because now to say you’re Christian in America means you are saying I am in the same boat, the same bat crap crazy boat with Michelle Bachmann. And a lot of even nominal Christians don’t want to say that any more or cultural Christians don’t want to say that any more."

The above quote is from Countdown on MSNBC on September 1, 2009. The speaker is Dan Savage. I agreed with most of his statements that evening, but totally disagree with his statement that "to say you're a Christian in America means you are saying I am in the same boat, the same bat crap crazy boat with Michelle Bachman." I am a Christian. I have no problem saying that because I and the majority of Christians know that our faith is not the same as Michelle Bachman's.

I believe Mr. Savage and the media would like the statement to be true because it reinforces a stereotype of Christianity that the media perpetuates and that atheists prefer. The stereotype of the anti-intellectual, the Bible-is-literally-true Christian. A stereotype that is easy to ridicule.

Mr. Olbermann loves to ridicule the religious right and too many times all Christians. His views of Christians seems to always portray them as right wing loonies with equally strange religious beliefs. Of course, I admit there are plenty of examples to support his remarks, but these are not the majority of Christians. Mr. Olbermann seldom if ever offers a more sane view of Christians.

Mr. Olbermann is not entirely to blame for his one-sided view of Christians. Most of the media portrays Christians as far right zealots. Interview after interview is conducted with those Christians who will produce the most audience-grabbing sound bites, people on the fringes of the faith, not those in the solid core of the faith.

I have a Ph.D. in Chemistry and a scientist's view of the world. I believe in evolution and stem cell research. I am an left of center independent who supported Hilliary Clinton. I believe in Christ as the truest manifestation of God in our world, but not the exclusive manifestation. I am a Christian. I believe in God the "I am", the Creator, God as love, the Comforter , and God in action, Jesus Christ. Three in one: "I am love in action."

I would challenge Olbermann and other commentators to interview a mainstream Christian, not an atheist, to discuss what Christians think about issues of the day and the far right of our faith. No one can hi-jack Christianity. The media can portray only a sliver of what the truth is, but the great center continues. God does not need us, we need God.

Those of the left make a mistake when they ridicule Christianity as a whole. Rather the center of the faith should be allowed to speak, to reassure those who do not understand what it means to be a Christian. Christ made it very simple to understand: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. He did not say it would be easy to do.

Our God -the Golden Idol of Gratification

I fear for our country. As a nation, I fear we have lost our heart. Why should people suffer because they are too poor to pay for health insurance? Yet, as a nation we have turned our backs on such pain. We let insurance companies make life and death decisions based on profit and loss. There is no compassion or nurture in the counting of dollars.

People fear health reform because what they have may be taken away. The majority would be satisfied even if the minority dies. We put our lives in the hands of corporations yet fear our own government. We are a nation that has lost its way.

Christ asked us: "Who is your neighbor?" We have answered: no one who costs us money. Our second television is more important than a child's smile whose pain has been relieved. We are so afraid of being cheated that we turn away all. Is it time to ask why in a nation of conspicuous consumption so many struggle to survive?

We are a self-centered nation. Our goal is wealth. Our God has become the golden idol of gratification. We pay those who defend our nation, but not enough. We would rather have the money go to private mercenaries with exorbitant fees because this is free enterprise, not government. Our corporations look only at the bottom line, not the worker at the bottom.

We must remember that we are the Samaritan, that we are our brother's keeper, and that we are judged by how well we treat the least of those among us.

Photo by marissas23

Edward M. Kennedy

I was in high school Spanish class waiting for school to be dismissed early so students could go downtown and see President John F. Kennedy when the world changed. President Kennedy never came to Austin. The school principal announced that he had been shot in Dallas and sent us home. I reached my house in time to see Walter Cronkite announce that President Kennedy was dead.

I don't think I even knew he had a brother Ted then. As I went on to college, I became more aware of the Kennedy clan. I mourned Robert Kennedy even though I thought him wrong to oppose Lyndon Johnson. And I remember Chappaquiddick. At the time, I thought Ted Kennedy got off lightly, but now I know he payed a great price - the Presidency of the United States. I believe that was a just punishment.

The atonement demanded by his great failure made him a great Senator. Over the years, I slowly became an admirer of the Senator. (The New York Times has provided a time line of his life.) He became the champion of what he was not: the working class, the disabled, and the poor. He wanted the nation he loved to provide a good education, a decent working wage and adequate health care for all. He fought tirelessly for those goals.

Senator Kennedy was a man of deep flaws but of great achievement. I think that his greatness was achieved because of those flaws. A more perfect man would have had nothing to prove, nothing to atone for. Sin can be defined as falling short of the target. Senator Kennedy fell short, but in seeking forgiveness, he reached a higher goal, service to others ('I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'), and gave us all hope that in our failures we can find future success.

Lieberman is a Putz

Senator Lieberman thinks we should go slow on health care reform, wait until the economy recovers before we enact expensive programs. He sees no need for immediate action.

I will translate: There are a lot of working poor who don't have insurance. It would be expensive to cover them. If we wait, we will save money because we won't help them pay for health insurance, and many of them will die without health insurance and never need to be covered.

Health rationing is real and has real consequences. I know. See my story.

His remarks can be read here along with an interesting analysis.

The Garden in August

The battle is on to keep the plants alive until September and cooler weather. We are heading toward a new record for the number of 100 degrees or more days. Great! On top of that a drought has lowered our water supply to a very low level although not as low as when I was a child. With the water level dropping, new more stringent watering rules are going into effect.

As of August 24, 2009, we can only water once a week and not during the heat of the day. The police will be handing out tickets, no warnings. The tickets will be at least $400.00. I can't help but think that a cash-strapped city has discovered a new revenue source. Other cities and towns are only now going to mandatory conservation and twice a week watering.

Unless the weather changes and rain comes, I don't think I will have a fall garden. The problem is that I need to be planting now for the fall and it is too hot and too dry.

I lost my last artichoke and my lavender. The tomatoes are still alive but producing smaller fruit. The cherry tomatoes are now pea-sized. The yellow pear tomato is not producing at all. It looks to be on its last legs suffering from heat and disease. Even the native black nightshade is having problems. This plant has grown at the edge of the garden since spring. The white wing doves love its fruit so I have let it grow. Something is eating the leaves. The plant was already weakened by the heat, so it has a very straggly appearance.

My okra continues to flourish with pods harvested every day. The first eggplant has been picked and eaten. With the dearth of insects including bees, I am now pollinating the eggplant by hand using a paint brush.

The weather forecast is for another week of heat and dryness. We may break the all time record for days in three digits. Oh well, I am going swimming with my cousin.

Photo by faul

Health Rationing

Let's talk health rationing. That is how conservatives are trying to scare the public about health reform. What the conservatives neglect to mention is the health rationing that they approve of, the system we have now.

The system we have now rations on the ability to pay. I am a perfect example. I have several pre-existing conditions that keep me from getting health insurance except in the state health risk pool. There I pay $807/mo for a policy that has a $2500 deductible and a separate $3000 co-pay. The result is all I have is catastrophic coverage. Oh, I have a low income thanks to the economic down turn.

My insurance has another fabulous provision. If you try to commit suicide, there is no coverage. That means if you survive your suicide attempt, then you are left with all the medical charges: ambulance, emergency room, etc. So when you return home, you are inundated by bill collectors. If you weren't depressed to start with, you will be afterward. I think the insurance pool is telling you not to attempt suicide, but just do it right and die.

Back to rationing. I have a bad knee right now. I actually pushed something solid back into place under the knee cap a couple of weeks ago. I have no money, so I cannot go to the doctor because I can't pay for an office visit and X-rays. The pain has been so bad that it makes me nauseous. Luckily, the knee is slowly improving. I just have to be sure not to bend it going up or down steps.

In addition to my knee pain, my blood pressure is dropping. I stopped taking one of my medications that lowers it. This has stabilized my blood pressure although occasionally it really drops. My heart rate is slowing, too. I should go to my doctor, but, guess what, no money. I will wait until I cannot function. I know from a previous diagnosis that there is a finite chance that the nerve from my brain to my heart is being compressed interrupting the signals to my heart. I certainly don't have money for tests or to see a neurologist. I struggle on hoping my finances improve to the point where I can seek medical care. No money, no medical care. This is rationing.

How many people are like me? How many have insurance that is almost worthless? How many have none? None of us can afford our system. The President of the AMA, J. James Rohack, agrees we have health care rationing now.

People without insurance and those like me plug along until we land in the emergency room or dead. You'll ask why do I bother with insurance? Because the insurance company has negotiated a lower pay rate with doctors and hospitals, so I pay much less than I would without insurance. Of course, when you are broke most of the time, you can't do much.

This system does have an advantage for Republics. Lower income voters tend to vote Democratic. A system that supplies less medical care to the poor and low income increases their death rate. This removes these people and their votes for Democrats. No wonder Republics want to maintain the status quo.

Photo by soopahgrover

The Garden Survives - Barely

All but one of my artichokes has died. The lone survivor struggles on along with tomatoes that are looking increasingly stressed. Over 40 days of 100 degree weather and no rain are not what a garden needs. As of this week, my lavender is dying, but my herbs seem to be still on track to make it through August.

I figure that if my garden survives August, then the plants will make it into the fall. I am trying to get new tomato plants from two of my present plants. I have planted over-hanging branches into pots of soil so that the stems will root. Once rooted, I will cut them free and plant in a different area. I am not trying to root the tiny cherry tomato. This plant has been prolific, but its tomatoes are so sour that I cannot eat them alone. This tomato was supposed to produce very sweet tomatoes. Oh, well.

My okra is thriving and I get fresh pods almost every day. The blooms look like a yellow hibiscus with a mahogany center. I love raw okra, so the fresh pods seldom make it indoors. Fresh okra and fresh tomatoes - yum.

One eggplant has finally set fruit. I have a whole row of eggplant that seems very happy in the heat, but do not produce. This week the eggplants were attacked by tiny web worms. When I found them, I squished them by hand. One eggplant had a tiny spider working hard to subdue a worm twice his size. I left that plant alone. Today, I checked it - no worms. The spider had succeeded.

I keep hoping for rain. Maybe next week.

The View and Mary Magdalene

This morning on the television show, The View, a reference was made to Jesus' interaction with a crowd and a woman caught in adultery. The emphasis was on "whoever is without sin, cast the first stone." At least, that was accurate. I believe that the woman was referred to as a prostitute, but she is not so labeled in the New Testament.

What set me off was not that reference, but the equating of Mary Magdalene with the woman caught in adultery. Never does the Bible make that connection. There is no evidence that Mary Magdalene was prostitute, only a close follower of Jesus who never deserted him, even in death.

Why is this important? Jesus made women equals. He welcomed them to study at his feet. As the church formed, women had a significant role, but as years passed and the church became an institution, women's roles were deemphasized. Making Mary Magdalene a prostitute made her less of a model for women, made her a second class citizen in the church. Denigrating the women in the Bible made the men greater and a woman's role subservient. We need to set the record straight. Lift up the women such as Mary Magdalene as role models for Christians and equal disciples of Jesus.

In our society, there is a woeful knowledge of the Bible. Instead there is a cultural knowledge that reflects, not Biblical truth, but beliefs fostered by men and developed by writers, storytellers, and the desire to spice up the narrative.

This common knowledge tends to enhance the risque, downplay the ordinary, and denigrate the women. Often the viewpoint is that of a fundamentalist. If more moderate Christians were allowed to participate in television interviews, maybe a truer view of Christianity would be common knowledge and women would be treated as equals.

Gardening at over 100 -- Degrees, that is

I planted a garden this year with little regard to practicality. I planted vegetables that I wanted to eat including artichokes and eggplant. Of course, I have tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and okra. I did not do a lot of homework. I had gardens in the past and usually had fairly good success. I should have been more deliberate and studious.

I planted artichoke seeds late last year. Some plants came up and did fine through the winter. I did not have a freeze this year. Growing up, it always froze in the winter, usually several times, but in the last ten years freezes have become rare.

Anyway, the artichokes grew rapidly, and I soon discovered I had planted them too close together. I transplanted as many as I dared, trying to space them far apart. Most of the transplants made it, even the one I put in the midst of the parsnips.

All was well until the temperatures climbed above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and stayed there day after day. Despite my watering, my artichokes began to dry up. Soon, the plants were infested with black aphids. I don't use pesticides. A Ph.D. in chemistry makes me too knowlegable about the dangers of poisons whether man-made or natural. I washed the aphids off: they returned. I tried soap and water and washed some more. The soap and water was successful. The aphid numbers were greatly reduced, but the artichokes continued to decline.

I went online to research artichokes. Okay, a little late, but at least, I was trying. Artichokes don't like high temperatures. In high heat conditions, they go dormant. We had record breaking high temperatures (as high as 106) day after day. My artichokes were definitely unhappy - their leaves curled and the whole plant lost color.

So, I must wait. Either my artichokes have gone dormant (I hope) or they have died. All I can do is wait for cooler temperatures to find out. Whatever the outcome, next year I plant in partial shade.

Photo by flickring

Easter Alone

I chose not to go to church on Easter Sunday, even though, I am a born again Christian. I belong to a large church whose services have become a farce. As one of my friends told me after attending one of the three Easter services, "We need to pray for the hearing of those who attended." The music is so loud that it actually hurts. The words of the music are unintelligible in the din. Ninety percent of the music is new with the same forgettable lyrics and melody. All in all, Easter services are uncomfortable experiences.

I did think about attending a small church in my neighborhood, but stayed home instead. I have long had mixed feelings about corporate worship. I know that these services reach people, bring them to God. However, I find them to often to be mass entertainment events. Perhaps, that is necessary in the light of our modern society. I don't know. I do know that we must not let corporate worship replace are own individual witness.

I don't mean buttonholing some poor soul and haranguing them about God. No, I mean leading your life so that it is a model of God's love. Not that I do that. I pray about my failings, but have trouble changing. I don't always give to those that ask. I seldom turn the other cheek.

Love God, love your neighbor as yourself, Christ's command. I even have trouble loving God as I struggle to find money to buy groceries, to pay the doctor, to fix my car. How can God make things so difficult? I suspect that these things happen because of God's larger plan, but would it hurt God to bestow a small blessing on me? I pray and continue on. I hope that someday I will have a glimmer of understanding.

And has God really paid attention to the kind of neighbors I have? Drunken college students, urinating bar patrons? How lovable are they? How about the man that let his dogs run and they killed my cat? I received an answer on that one. The man paid part of my vet's fees when Abner died of a crushed chest from his dog's bite. The money was not the answer.

A short time after Abner died the man approached me. "I'm going to prison. My brother will take the dogs, but I have my mother's cat. I can't find anyone to take her. Will you?"

I wanted to say no. Why should I solve his problem? Let him suffer the consequences of his actions. I had trouble meeting my expenses now. I did not need an elderly cat.

"I will take care of her while you are in prison," I heard myself say. With that I became the owner of an elderly Persian cat. You notice I said owner. The man is out of jail after serving more than two years in jail, but he doesn't have a place for the cat. I am sure she is mine forever.

I can only hope that I did a little of God's will when I took the cat. Maybe that is the answer. We model Christ best, not in grand gestures, but in simple, unthinking, kindnesses to others.

Photo by eva101

Texas Capitol Off Limits to the Handicapped

Last week, I spent some time at the Texas Capitol visiting legislative offices and attending hearings. I was reminded that the Texas Capitol is essentially off limits to the disabled. Because of security, there is no handicapped parking available to the public within a block of the Capitol. Even then, there is remarkably little handicapped parking available anywhere around that building. The Visitor's parking garage is over two blocks away. The only drop-off areas are at least a block away from the Capitol. This does not see to bother our legislators one whit.

"Ah," they will say, "Look at the people in wheelchairs who visit us."

Of course, some people in motorized wheelchairs can get to the Capitol. They have their own transportation.

How many people on crutches do you see? How many with a cane? Or perhaps with a bad limp?

Very few.

Before my hip replacement, I found it extremely daunting to go to my state's capitol. I had to plan carefully. I would park as close as I could with my disabled parking permit, then begin the hike to the Capitol. I tried to park where my walk would allow me to rest frequently and let the pain subside before proceeding. I would perch wherever I could until I felt able to proceed. Many times, I wondered if I would make it, but there was no alternative.

This arrangement has advantages for the legislature. Lack of access means they are not bothered by those pesky cripples. Oh, they have to put up with those in wheelchairs, but that is only a small fraction of the mobility impaired. If legislators never have to see the less than physically perfect during a legislative session, then they don't have to consider their needs. Afterall, if there are so many disabled, wouldn't more visit their offices? The elderly can be ignored for the same reasons. Who wants a bunch of hobbling seniors cluttering up the place?

Is there any solution?

I do not want security weakened. I understand the need to control parking near the Capitol. I propose a shuttle service from the Capitol to the Visitor's parking garage. Use modified golf carts to carry the public to and from the Capitol's doors. The shuttles should run as long as the legislature is in session and on any day as long as there are hearings being held.

If shuttles are not the answer, then perhaps the legislature could find other means. If more officers are available to examine vehicles, then cars, after careful examination, could drop the handicapped at the north doors of the Capitol. I would even submit to a background check, if it meant I did not face that hike to the Capitol to exercise my right to speak.

Texas should allow all its citizens to frequent the halls of the legislature. Make the disabled full citizens of Texas.

Photos by David Berkowitz

Tea Bags to Washington

I received an email from a friend in my Sunday School class this morning. The missive was a general tirade against any bailout spending, similar in tone to the Rick Santelli tirade. I will not address the simplistic thinking behind the tirade or the lack of Christian love contained in such a message. Suffice it to say that the underlying assumption of misbehavior on the part of all needing help is questionable. Even if all had misbehaved, Christ instructed us to love our enemies and if financial miscreants are enemies, which I doubt, I believe Christ would have wanted to help them. Moreover, who are we to judge?

My focus was on the instruction to mail a tea bag to Washington on April 1, 2009. The idea is a new American Tea Party, a way of protest. While I think the underlying protest is misguided, I believe fully that those who support this anti-Obama tirade have every right to complain. However, I believe these protesters have chosen an absurd and deleterious method of protest.

Tea bags should not be mailed anywhere unless they are completely empty. What if a tea bag punctures while in route? Tea all over post office machines is not a pleasant thought. What will loose tea leaves do to the machinery? Nothing good, I bet. Of course, the sight of a strange substance contaminating a sorting center will lead to a security shutdown of that site which it should. How does a worker know that the crumbled leaves are pristine? What if the tea has been mixed with a toxic substance? The Post Office could be disabled nationwide.

If the tea bag stuffed envelopes do make it through the post office machinery unharmed, what will happen when they reach their destination, say the White House. A squishy envelope will surely not survive security. How much extra will it cost us, the taxpayers, for the additional security to scrutinize each of these envelopes? I suspect that even if empty teabags were sent, they would have to be examined to determine what substances they contain or contained. Either way, a taxpayer expense. Isn't taxpayer expense being protested?

What will keep a terrorist from using this protest to slip an illicit substance into the mail? Remember anthrax? Think of hundreds of poison-laced tea bags making their way through the mail to Washington. How many would make it to their destination? How many would harm people on the way? Even if there were only one such poisoned tea bag mailed, how could it be stopped except by finding all such mailings? One person growing careless because of the deluge of tea bags would be all that is necessary for a disaster.

A new American Tea Party would be better held on the local level. Throw teabags at each other, don't endanger the rest of us.


Photo by House of Sims

An Open Letter to Texas Senators

I am a Texan. I had an ancestor who fought at the battle of San Jacinto and died in the Mexican-American War. One great-great grandfather fought for the Confederacy and walked home to central Texas from Louisiana after the war. One great-great grandfather provided the only vote against secession in his county and remained a staunch Unionist all his life. Like many Texans, I have Native American blood although now much diluted. My ancestors were Cherokee and Choctaw. Some of my ancestors served as Texas Rangers.

Why do I provide this information? I do not want to be dismissed as some johnny-come-lately liberal whose views are not representative of Texans.

Plenty of us believe as I do, but in Texas today our voices are dimmed because those of conservatives are so much louder and better organized. Our time is coming. The change can be seen in our legislature as the demographics shift to the urban and minorities.

With all this said, I wish to address my two Senators. I have only one question: Are you doing your best for the citizens of this nation?

From my perspective, you are not.

Senator Cronyn, you were a yes-man to George Bush, now you have become a no-man to Barack Obama. Senator Cronyn, you have not had a positive statement this year. Your goal is partisanship; split the voters, scare the voters to elect more Republics.

We are in an economic crisis, where are the statemen?

Once I thought you, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, were a moderate, but that was before you planned to run for Governor of Texas. Now, you parrot the conservative Republic line that the stimulus bill has spending that is not stimulative.

After reviewing the statements of many economists, the one certainty I have come away with is that all government spending provides stimulus. The only misstep in the New Deal occurred when FDR reduced government spending to balance the budget. We need the new stimulus bill.

I ask you, my Senators, to forget your personal gain and become statesmen that put your country's welfare before your own.

Harry Reid and the Voluntary Income Tax

I received an email from a friend denigrating Harry Reid for not answering the question. When I watched this video, I discovered that the two men were deliberately talking past each other and each was correct in what he said. Harry Reid repeatedly agreed with Jan Helfeld that a taxpayer must pay taxes or face civil and criminal penalties, although, as Reid pointed out, criminal penalties are very rare. Tax evasion penalties are usually civil, fines or liens. Helfeld focused on the coercive nature of the income tax while Reid focused on the voluntary aspect of the tax system.

We are allowed to do everything within legal means to minimize our taxes. We are not forced to pay the maximum owed, hence the voluntary nature of our income tax. Reid was correct that many countries designate the tax to be paid and there is no way to change that amount. Helfeld was correct that we must pay whatever tax we owe once we have minimized it.

Of course, Helfeld deliberately chose inflammatory language knowing that Reid would not agree with his terminology. No sensible person thinks that physical force will be used against them if they do not pay their taxes. Helfeld's question conjured up just such an image of physical force.

Reid failed to focus on the inflammatory nature of Helfeld's question. By discussing the voluntary nature of our system, Reid played directly into Helfeld's hands. Reid also did a lousy job of explaining that voluntary nature. He fumbled with the issue and botched his answer. Nevertheless, he is not an idiot as my friend stated, but a lawyer trying to explain a complicated issue in layman's terms and failing miserably.

Tax Cuts for Small Business

Much economic discussion in the last few weeks has centered on tax cuts and the stimulus package. Conservatives have decried the tax cuts for people who pay no taxes; even though, low income wage earners pay into Social Security. This tax cut would also help the small business person, especially, sole proprietors.

I am a sole proprietor. Many years I owe no income tax, but always have to pay the full amount of my Social Security contribution, both the employer's contribution and the employee's. In a bad year, this is a real burden. If the Congress wanted to really help the smallest of businesses, then they would do more than give a $500 dollar tax rebate.

For any sole proprietor paying no income tax, but incurring a Social Security contribution over $1000.00, a rebate of half their Social Security tax would be a boost. This money would not be saved, but put immediately into the economy. In my case, I would buy a new computer.

If Republics really wanted to help small business, they would support this rebate. If someone starting a small business knew that the Social Security contribution would not be any worse than that of a wage earner if they had large expenses or a bad year, then more might venture into business. Those small businesses suffering by the downturn would also find relief, perhaps enough to survive this bad economy. All in all, this would be a real tax cut for small business.

Photo by stickwithjosh

Could Jesus Vote in Texas?

The Texas Senate plans to enact a law to require a photo ID before you can vote. The majority says it is to prevent voter fraud. This, of course, is not the purpose. The purpose is to disenfranchise the old, the poor and the disabled; all of whom would not vote as the majority in the Senate desires.

Why do I believe this?

Because I was raised in Texas and remember the poll tax. My yankee grandmother moved to Texas with my native Texan mother after WWII. My grandmother was shocked to discover she had to pay to vote. I can remember my mother explaining the pernicious nature of the poll tax. The poll tax was designed to keep the poor and especially African Americans from voting. The poll tax was successful.

The 24th amendment to the constitution of the United States was passed to end the poll tax. President Lyndon Johnson said, "There can be no one too poor to vote." The Texas Senate is determined to put lie to that.

Now, to vote you will need a driver's license or state photo ID to vote. This means you must be able to pay for those documents. In addition, you must be able to go to your local driver's license office and wait a considerable length of time to have your photo taken. If you are old, infirm or poor, especially if you don't have a car, this becomes a daunting task. Just as in the past, when the poll tax could only be purchased in the courthouse downtown, now the modern poll tax will be just as hard to access for the portion of the population that the majority of our Senate wants to disenfranchise.

Texans should be ashamed, but like their senators, too many would rather not see these people vote. "Afterall, if these people were fit to vote, they could get an ID, " is now the mantra.

Jesus said what we do to the least of these, we do to Him. Could Jesus vote in Texas?


Photo by trainmn74

Walking the Black Dog

I have been "walking the black dog" lately. I am broke, my health is going and I see nothing better ahead. This world has no place for people without money.

I have made so many mistakes that I guess I deserve this bleak future. I never worried before because I always believed God would take care of me. Now, I fear that he does not care for the individual, only for his grand plan. Our reward must be in heaven then, not here.

Somehow, I think that there should be help for the individual. I learned when I faced our city council though that government doesn't care for the rights of the individual. I was told that directly by numerous city council assistants.

Who do we matter to, then?

Not friends. They are all afraid I will ask them for money. Not family. No one even pays attention to whether I am dead or alive. Not my church. You must have money even to attend a senior activity. It is a sin to be in need, not successful.

To God, who does not answer? I just don't understand anymore.

Media Against Senator Clinton

I was channel hopping today and found MSNBC once more going after Senator Clinton. Tim Russert had two guests who really had their knives out for her. There was no one to present to voice opposition to the comments or to give Senator Clinton’s true views. This was one-sided journalism at its worst. Evidently, NBC has dropped all pretense of fairness. Senator Obama is their candidate and their goal is to get him elected by destroying Senator Clinton.

I did not start out as a fan of Senator Clinton, but after my favorite candidate withdrew I realized my choice was between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama. I believed that Senator Clinton’s health plan was superior, so I decided to vote for her.

The media’s treatment of Senator Clinton has turned me into an ardent supporter. The male bias against Senator Clinton is mind-blowing. A good example is Keith Olbermann. One night in the last two weeks he went on a rant about someone in the Clinton camp saying that Fox news was fairer to Senator Clinton. How could that be he said, then listed every bad thing he claimed Fox had said about Senator Clinton. It was indeed a laundry list of negativity. Of course, what he neglected to point out was that Fox has been just as negative about Senator Obama, so the laundry list Olbermann could have given concerning Senator Obama was not mentioned. Conveniently, that left only a negative list about Senator Clinton in the minds of the viewers. I believe that was the whole point of his rant. Fox News is indeed fairer.

This morning Bob Schieffer went out of his way to state that Senator Clinton was telling superdelegates that Senator Obama could not be elected because of his race. Never has anyone come forward that has said that Senator Clinton even hinted that race was the disqualifier. Experience, Reverend Wright, but not race, may limit Senator Obama’s capabilities. Schieffer offered absolutely no corroboration for his statement, but now that thought has been planted in CBS viewers’ minds. The good, old boys are really at work.

The big networks may succeed in making Senator Obama the next Democratic Party candidate for President, but I, for one, will not forget their shabby treatment of Senator Clinton, nor, their equally ludicrous treatment of women in general. If the networks wish to reduce their market share, they have found the right approach. Instead of turning on a news channel or watching the national news at six, I turn to the internet. I expect this to continue as long as men control the networks, but I will not forget.

County Democratic Convention in Texas

I attended the Democratic Party County convention on March 29th. To say it was chaos is an understatement. A twenty minute drive turned into an hour and a half because of a traffic bottleneck. When I reached the Expo Center where the convention was being held, all the close handicapped parking was gone. Absolutely no provision had been made for people like me. I was using a walker, not a wheelchair, so distance from the meeting place was very important. I did manage to make the walk from my car to the Expo Center, but only because I had taken a potent painkiller before I left home. I wonder how many gave up either waiting in the traffic jam or when they realized how far they would have to walk. I do think this location discriminated against the old and the handicapped and therefore against Clinton supporters. I do not think this was a coincidence.

I was directed to the wrong line to check in. Luckily, I used my walker shamelessly to cut in front of people. I really hate to do that, but the ball of my femur is dying and has partially collapsed, so I am walking on dying bone. I cannot stand for any length of time. When I reached the correct line, my name was not on the list. More frustration.

I went looking for my precinct in an arena that was not designed for the handicapped. I entered on the north side, my precinct was on the south side. I could not walk across the arena because the only way down to the arena floor were steep steps. Around the arena I trudged. I was so thankful I had taken the painkiller because even with it, I was hurting.

I reached the other side of the arena and discovered that my precinct was at the top of the bleachers, at least twenty or more steep steps away. As I stared upward, a true gentleman asked if he could help. I told him if he could carry my walker up, I would be grateful. He agreed. Without the walker, I clutched the railing and worked my way up. Once I reached my precinct, I sat down. The gentleman found a place to store the walker. I knew I would not go anywhere else if I could help it.

One of my fellow delegates offered to help with my credential problem. She took my voter registration card and headed off into the chaos of the arena. I really doubted that I would get to vote.

Our precinct was not only high up, but also directly under the air conditioning vents. As the day wore on I got colder and colder, but there was no escape. The narrow metal benches were icy cold and very uncomfortable. Truly, the convention site had been picked for the young and healthy.

Miracles do happen. The woman who took my voter registration card returned with an election official who was able to sign me in and give me a delegate card. I could vote.

The Obama supporters outnumbered us 54 to 14. Three of the Clinton supporters did not show, perhaps discouraged by the crowds or just the location. Nevertheless, we were able to elect one delegate for Clinton out of the five for our entire precinct. We could not elect an alternate.

As I looked at the younger Obama supporters, I came to believe that these caucus sessions are inherently discriminatory because they favor the young, who do not have family commitments, the healthy, who can withstand the physical challenges, and the wealthy because they can afford to hire assistance at home, so they are free to participate.