Susan and I got our walk in before the heaviest rain, although we were pretty wet and windblown by the time we got home. Pleasant, unremarkable day otherwise. (Come to think of it, how many of my days are "remarkable"?) I planted the rest of the pansies around the tree in front. Also put in three primroses, although they may have expired through neglect, I'm afraid.
We were delighted to receive a lovely Easter present from Patrick and Natsue: a painting, by our beautiful and talented daughter-in-law, of two bluebirds on a tree branch. She included a darling handmade Easter card. They called on Skype later and we were able to express our thanks for such unique presents. Lucky Patrick and lucky us!
Wider: I got two interesting e-mail messages in the last 24 hours. They both have a frankly religious slant, but they couldn't be more different. The first was from, Gerri B., whom I've known almost my entire life, and concerns her friend's daughter, Theresa Cusimano. This young attorney is incarcerated in a Georgia jail after daring to protest the SOA. What is SOA? It's the former School of the Americas, at which representatives of our wretched country teach people from South America to torture and kill their compatriots. Theresa and several nuns and priests peacefully demonstrated and, when they stepped onto what seems to be sacred ground (!), were arrested. When tried, they were clapped in jail for two months. Here's an excerpt:
"We are at day #24 with 34 days to go of this extreme sentence leveled on Theresa, which is disproportionate to the act of peaceful protest she engaged in by walking up to the visitor's center at Ft. Benning, Georgia. She did this in the same spirit of the civil rights activists of the 60's, conscientious objectors in several wars, the Quakers and the Moravians, who refused to participate in the Revolutionary War but willingly cared for the wounded, and those who smuggled the slaves out of the South via the underground railroad. These were brave, noble American acts of conscience and in the spirit of our national character. Theresa chose to stand up against the antecedents of the practice of our fellow citizens engaging in torture by saying that this place, the former School of the Americas, where South American military and mercenaries were taught by Americans how to torture and hurt their countrymen, should be closed to remove this blight on our American character. The SOA taught the behaviors that directly led to the killing of Jesuit priests, sisters, the Bishop of El Salvador and thousands of people in South American countries, where these mercenaries took their newly learned skills after "graduating" from the SOA."
The second message was from Danielle V., the granddaughter of my (deceased) friend and neighbor. She sends as an attachment, a speech to the House Judiciary Committee by the father of one of the teenagers killed in the Columbine massacre ten years ago. His premise is that the tragedy happened because prayer, as a group exercise, is no longer permitted in public schools. This simplistic argument is, of course, buttressed by the idea that that he knows what's best for the general populace and can interpret God's will.
Danielle also mentions a book called Why The Left Hates America which she says she couldn't finish, but "I got up to the fourth chapter." Guess it was just too suspiciously intellectual and we all know that once you start exercising that spongy mass inside your skull and--gasp!--questioning the way things 'spose to be, you're the devil's playmate.
I'm going to write to Theresa to cheer her on. Guess I'll drop a reply to Danielle, too. Think I'm going to cheer her on?
Later: Went to Weight Watchers and was pleased at a 2. 6 loss. That brings me under the 130 mark (just barely; I'm at 129.6) and an even 70 pounds off.