War Crimes and Misdemeanors


On our way home from Mammoth Lakes I stopped for a bathroom break at Manzanara, a national historic site. It's a beautiful rural setting at the base of Mt Whitney and the name is nice too, Spanish for apple orchard. But, beautiful location or not, I was going to get in and out of this place that was a War Relocation Camp for Americans of Japanese decent during WWII.

Maybe other people have the same notion of a speedy exit, because in the bathroom there was a huge, attention grabbing photo of a row of toilets. It was the latrine at the camp with personal accounts written on the photo describing the humiliation of having to take a dump with everyone watching. Suddenly, without my consent a rush of emotions flooded me and I felt the anger, resentment and pain of 10,000 residents of the camp who had lived there 60+ years ago. I couldn't just leave now, I had to at least visit the museum and acknowledge this war crime that my nation committed.

Just past the gift shop there's another attention grabbing photo of a store front with the sign, "I am American". It reminded me of the article I had once been asked to read in a diversity class I had taken at my first job, "Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh. It opened my eyes about privileges I enjoy as a white woman with blond hair. One privilege is that I am always considered an American.

I'd love to think that Manzanara is in the past but it isn't. A friend of mine who was born in Korea but has lived in NY most of her life told me that (white) people not only think she's not American but they think she's Chinese. Just the other day she was at a restaurant in Manhattan, and as she was leaving she overheard a (white American) guy say to his friends, "I wonder what they are?" referring to my friend and her companions. So, one of the guys turned to her and said, "ni hao". She glared at him and walked away. I asked her why she didn't ask him, "Why the hell are you saying hello to me in Chinese?" She didn't know, I think she was afraid of tearing the guy's head off.

To Sir, with Love
At a singing event this past weekend, I participated in an ice breaker activity- Pick someone you don't know very well, talk to them for five minutes and summarize to the group the person's name, where they are from and one thing about them that others may not know.

In front of me, a bespectacled woman, wearing a Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt, pointed to me that she wanted to be my partner. OK easy enough. I chatted with her, "Hi I'm Liz, I live with my life partner in North Park, I grew up in NJ." I desperately searched in my head for one unusual thing about me. I thought, "What to pick out of such slim pickin's? " I lobbed out a soundbite "One unusual thing about me is that I guess you could call me a francophile. I studied in France and once did an internship there."

My partner's response was slightly different from mine. "Hi, I'm Hannah born and raised here in the county. I'm big into the leather community and I moderate a discussion group for people 18-35 who are into kinky sex. I have a girlfriend and a Sir (female) that I service."

I listened, not really knowing how to reply. I wasn't really shocked, just trying to figure out how to relate with her. After a pause I said, "A Sir? You mean like Marcie with Peppermint Patty?"

He is risen

Yesterday was Easter. I celebrate it out of a sense of tradition but I have mixed emotions about Christianity. And I am just plain scared of Jesus' fervent worshipers.

As we drove to a relative's house yesterday for Easter dinner. I saw a hand painted sign on a sheet hanging from an overpass that said, "He is risen".

I don't get it. Did someone take a good sheet from their closet to create this? Did they say to someone last week, "Hey thanks for the invite but I'll have to take a rain check because I'm making this great sheet painting for our local overpass." ?

After passing the sign it made me think to pray. So, I uttered a short prayer to myself that I saw once on a T-shirt. "Jesus please save me from your followers. Amen."

Going Halfsies on Change

Not sure how I’m feeling about America’s future today. I’m kind of stuck in the middle between glass half empty and half full.

Half full:
I have become convinced that everything we think and feel is merely perception: that our lives – individually as well as communally – are molded around such perception: and that if we want to change, we must alter our perception. When we give our energy to a different dream, the world is transformed. To create a new world, we must first create a new dream. - John Perkins

Half empty:
Things to Know About the Future:
It doesn’t have to look any particular way, but around here, if it doesn’t, a lot of people will never speak to you again. -Brian Andreas


From which glass do I drink? The brew in the half empty glass is the easier one because I don’t have to do anything; I can just blame others if the future sucks. And I don’t even know if I’m worthy to drink from the “let’s change the dream” chalice.

Well, no matter from which glass I drink, I’m lucky because at least I know where my glass is.

Celebrate 9 to 5

On April 7, 2009 9 to 5 The Musical will open on Broadway. Starring Allison Janney, Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton.

The story 9 to 5 is still relevant today even though the movie came out nearly 30 years ago. If you are a young woman joining the work force now you'll still run into men like Franklin Hart who are sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigots. And if you are already a woman in the workforce you've probably already met ten Franklin Harts.

President Obama said in his inaugural speech, "some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom."

What's great about 9 to 5 is that it celebrates those obscure women in the workforce who care about not only themselves but others with whom they work. Their efforts definitely lead us toward prosperity and freedom. I'd love to see more movies celebrate this type of woman.

Jesserella - a parable

Jesse just turned sixteen and goes to my niece's school. On her birthday she wore a t-shirt with Jesserella printed across the front of it, and very confidently (as a princess would) asked the kids in the lunch room, “Can I get in front of you? Today is my 16th birthday!” However, she was denied because the kids find her obnoxious.

Unlike a very similar story, Cinderella; Jesserella got to go to the ball on the first shot. She and her parents planned the Jesserella Ball together and invited one-hundred classmates. But because her obnoxiousness was known throughout the land - only eighteen of her classmates came to the ball.

Oh my skin crawled when I heard this tale. Thoughts of awkward teenage movies raced through my head: Muriel's Wedding, Mean Girls and of course Carrie. But what I thought of most was part of Tina Fey's 2008 Emmy acceptance speech. She thanked her parents for, “raising me to have confidence that is disproportionate with my looks and abilities.”

I don't know where Jesserella is today but I have a feeling she's still wearing her t-shirt and trying to get to the head of the line.

My Brother Paul

My brother Paul died March 10, 2009 of Adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), he was 54 years old. AMN is an incurable, x-chromosome linked disease that attacks the nervous system. This photo is from December when I went to NJ to visit him in his assisted living facility. He could no longer walk nor feed himself because his brain could not tell his muscles to move.

It was a long painful journey for him, and for those who watched helplessly as he suffered. I'd like to say I got something positive from this experience. Like belief in aphorisms, "live each day to its fullest" or "today is a gift that's why it's called 'the present'". But I did not come away with that, I just feel humble in the face of mortality.

My pal Pauli

Did you ever notice that it’s often in retrospect that you understand why you did something?

In September my partner and I adopted a dog. I found him on www.petfinder.com at The Baja Animal Sanctuary. Originally, I wanted Rocco, but he was already adopted by the time we were ready. Instead they introduced us to another dog with an equally bad-ass mobster type name - Pauli. You know, like Paulie Walnuts from The Sopranos. He’s 10 lbs and probably a Dachsund, Yorkie mix. I don’t want to ruin his tough guy image so I don’t call him a “Dorkie” which would be his hybrid name.

Ah… Pauli. He leapt into my arms when we met. It was love at first sight. And all I could say was, “Yes of course we’ll take him!”

Why that day? Why that moment? Now I know. I didn’t know then. It’s a chaotic world right now, where “change” is the call to action but not as easy as advertised. I just wanted comfort and unconditional love from a small little being. He’s our little clown, a peanut, a little woofer, Mr. Walnuts, Señor Swanky and he calms so many worries that we couldn’t do anything about anyway.

Less Is More

I called my cable company to lower my bill. They told me no can do, BUT, for the same price I now have a DVR. I guess at least they saved me time - and as we know time=money.

Well, that's a cable company and they are monopoly-like. What about in areas where there is competition? In 2009 I have noticed the trend for less is more in two areas.

1. Netbooks. I've read several articles that people buying these lower priced gadgets because they are good enough for things like email and surfing the net. I have one and I like it. Although I suffer a bit because I didn't fork over the money for Windows and got Ubuntu instead. Little did I know that Ubuntu is for people who like to program themselves.

2. McMansions. New houses are getting smaller in America. According to the U.S. Census Bureau the average size of homes started in the third quarter of 2008 was 2,438 square feet, down from 2,629 square feet in the second quarter. Now, compared to other countries in the world this is gargantuan. The average size of a house in France is about 1,100 square feet and I'd love to know what it is in Japan.

I would love more Americans to embrace the less is more mantra. Not just because it saves money but because it just makes sense.

"The Reader" - dark side of humanity

No movie has impacted me more lately, than "The Reader". After seeing the film, I went home and curled up on the couch feeling rather depressed and helpless. My thoughts were dominated by the dark side of humanity and how we can be so easily beguiled by handsome, affable people.

I had just willingly sat through a movie set in 1950's Germany about the sexual abuse of a teenage boy. Why didn't I get up and ask for a refund?

I know that a relationship between a 30 year-old (Hanna) and a 15 year-old (Michael) is wrong and psychologically damaging. But on the screen they look so happy together; and they are an attractive couple; and don't boys want this kind of thing?; and the theater is full of compliant watchers. This can't be wrong.

Later in the last 1960's Hanna is tried for war crimes linked to the Holocaust and is imprisoned. Okay, involvement in the Holocaust is clearly wrong.

I am left with several unanswered questions. How do I recognize right from wrong when it's not clear cut? How do I stop little wrongs from happening so that they don't get bigger? Is it worth the fight? And should I have walked out of that theater and refused to participate in such a story?

Desperational Shopper

I listened to a retail analyst's voicemail on Monday. She said that the U.S. consumer has moved from being 'aspirational' to 'desperational'. That's such a funny word 'desperational'. Her pitch is that in this environment stores like Walmart and Dollar Stores sales should benefit from this shift and Nordstrom and Saks 5th Avenue should suffer.

I wonder how long this shift will last?

For years most Americans have lived beyond their means. Will this current pile of muck change the way we shop as a nation? In the long term no. As soon as consumers have access to credit again we're back to the keeping up with the Jones' lifestyle. Because the drive to attain the American Dream of lots of stuff is bigger than the fear of eating cat food when we're 80.

One of my favorite bumper stickers of all time was "Question Consumption". I thought about buying one and then didn't because it seemed counter to the whole "question consumption" plea.