Litterbug

Don't let the pictures of natural beauty mislead you. This post is about trash and trashy people.

A few weeks ago in mid July, we drove out to see Bald River Falls in the Cherokee National Forest near Tellico Plains, Tennessee. We had heard that the falls are beautiful and easy to get to, no hiking involved, with a bridge that one could walk out on to get a good view of the falls. All true. The route to the falls runs along narrow River Road which runs along the Bald River. It was a beautiful day and cooler by about 5° in the river canyon than in the world outside, making for a very pleasant drive.

The falls are beautiful and because they are not in Smoky Mountains National Park, they do not attract the large crowds that sometimes create bumper-to-bumper traffic in the park. 

We were not alone at the falls, but it was easy to get shots that made it look like we were.

Driving back toward town, we stopped at one of two pullovers to dip our feet in the cool water and admire the rocky stream bed.

On the way back to the car, I picked up several pieces of trash, because my momma taught me to always leave a place cleaner than I found it. The closest fast food joint is nearly 40 miles away and yet here were the remains of someone's meal.

Which leads me to this request:

Bald River Falls

Dear Senator Alexander,

**UPDATE** After I sent my response to Senator Alexander's e-mail, I got the exact same, word-for-word e-mail response from him, which leads me to believe that my letter to the senator never got read by the Senator, possibly not by anyone. But, I made the effort, and YOU are here reading it, and come election time, YOU are the ones who are going to make a difference.


Judy


Here's the email I got from my senator today, followed by my response to him.

February 22, 2012 

Mrs. Judy Graham

Thanks very much for getting in touch with me and letting me know what’s on your mind regarding the Obama Administration’s regulations on preventive health services and the impact on religiously affiliated employers such as schools, universities, hospitals and charities.

I believe that requiring our nation’s religious institutions to defy the basic tenets of their faith shows a disturbing disregard for the Constitution’s protections on religious freedoms. The Administration’s proposed regulation and recent clarification are an unacceptable intrusion into this important constitutional freedom and I will work with my colleagues to overturn this policy.

This is why I am co-sponsoring Senator Marco Rubio’s bill, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, as well as Senator Roy Blunt’s Respect for the Rights of Conscience Act. These bills will ensure that religious institutions will not be forced to offer, provide or purchase coverage for health services that violate their religious tenets.

I appreciate you contacting me and I’ll be sure to keep your comments in mind as these issues are discussed and debated in Washington and in Tennessee.

Sincerely,

Lamar

Dear Senator Alexander,

Thank you for responding. I'm sorry, however, to read that meeting the health care needs of American women is not your priority. Do you honestly believe that some people's access to healthcare should be determined by churches, synagogues, or mosques; by priests, rabbis or imams? Shouldn't it be up to the individual conscience, not to the corporate religious conscience, what healthcare a person should receive? I find myself in agreement with the person on Twitter who suggested we build an electric fence between the government and the church and let anyone who crosses that line get zapped.

Personally, I think that making birth control available free to all women in America is a visionary move. Avoiding unwanted pregnancies is the number one way to avoid unwanted abortions. In ten years, we are going to be looking back on this as a major milestone in improving women's lives.

While you may argue that a woman working for a religious institution can still get birth control if she is willing to pay for it, in most cases, she cannot afford it without insurance picking up most or all of the tab. So, not including it in an insurance policy is much the same thing as denying access altogether. And when poor women can't get access to birth control, as a country we end up with more poor babies that those calling for smaller government do not want to help support. 

And here's another thing, isn't this really about semantics? What we commonly refer to as birth control has many other uses. Over half of American women use contraception for reasons that have nothing to do with birth control, and if they cannot get it, they suffer. As a teenager, my daughter suffered extreme mood swings as part of PMS and painful cramps during her periods. The pill brought her great relief, and allowed her to function. She was not prescribed it for birth control, but for medical reasons. As an adult, she still uses a contraceptive for her health issues, not just to avoid pregnancy. No "religious freedom" issue should deny her or any woman inexpensive access to what is essentially essential health care.

Many American Women use Birth Control Pills for Noncontraceptive Reasons.

If you insist on trying to help religious institutions take away from women their individual freedom to choose what their healthcare needs are under the disguise of "religious freedom," be aware that women are watching and getting the irony.

Nothing has changed: churches are still free to preach whatever they want and their members still free to believe whatever they want and still free to choose to use birth control or to choose not to use birth control. The government regulation has not encroached on anyone's religious freedom. Truth is, this is a made-up issue, not a real one. It is also a sideshow and a distraction from much more serious issues facing the nation.

I'm sure you have figured out that I am not a Republican, but I am your constituent, and you do represent me in Washington. Near as I can tell, the House is a hopeless mess, but there are occasional glimmers of hope in the Senate.  As a woman, I feel strongly about this issue and ask you to reconsider your position.

Sincerely,

Judy Graham

Color Me Home

The last two years of teaching were incredibly stressful and fall-into-bed-exhausted time intensive for me. I'm not sure if there were fewer hours in the day and more to do, or the fact that I'm not as young as I used to be just made it seem that way, but there you have it. I sacrificed writing on this blog for writing with students on a class blog and getting our house ready to sell.

Transitioning from Germany to the USA was tough for the first couple of months. We were also just as busy trying to set up our house here as we had been closing out our house in Germany. I think I should have gone on vacation first.

I also went through the whole grieving process: denial, anger, regret, and finally acceptance. I'm sure I missed a few of the steps, but it was one whole itchy-angsty period.  I think there was guilt in there, too. I'm not feeling it so much now. It seems the more mornings I sleep in, rise late, drink coffee while I read the news and check out my Facebook and Twitter feeds without worrying about a daily lesson plan, the less guilt I feel.

I miss the close friendships. The first couple of months in Tennessee was like being in the Witness Protection program. We only knew a couple of people when we moved here, if you don't count the lady who managed our property. But, it's getting better. Tennessee natives are naturally friendly. It's easy to start a conversation with a neighbor or the waitress serving our lunch.

We love the weather here, and the beautiful mountain views. Sure, it was hot during July and August, but we still enjoyed many pleasant hours out on our deck, and since September, the weather has been cool enough to be refreshing, while still warm enough to enjoy. We live close to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and yesterday we drove Rich Mountain Road, a gravel road which climbs and winds from Cades Cove over the hill to Townsend. We were back home by noon-thirty. The autumn colors are perfect, and I'm so glad I am here to see them.

Hello, Tennessee. Color me home.