Russ Feingold at the Coffee Shop.

I was sitting in a West Side coffee shop one day while Feingold was still in office.

My appearance is always disheveled and unkempt due to my invisible disability. (That is, mental health issues. Hence the adjective "crazy" in the title of my blog.)

No smile for a poor senior citizen.

I am on a very low income.

Russ Feingold --- the day after a midterm election in which he had not been running --- came in and spoke with all the other customers there.

He refused to speak with or look at me. He stood up in the middle of the room while conversing with all the other customers. (All women, I think.) They were all seated, and stayed that way.

It became obvious that he was deliberately avoiding eye contact with me, although he made direct eye contact with all the others as he spoke.

He also deliberately turned his back to me when I approached him in order to make a polite comment.

The comment I started to make --- but he turned his back before I could finish --- was completely germane to the conversation that he was already having with those other ladies.

I have been a registered Democrat since 1969. You had to be 21 to vote back then. ( I just missed voting for Humphrey in the 1968 election. I didn't turn 21 until three months later.) I will never support anyone who would act the way Feingold did toward me that day.

Even if I agree with his politics.

He probably thinks unkempt, disheveled people don't know how to read and write, and therefore nobody will ever know how he treats us.

Surprise!

Now my readers know.

I could never have any respect for him again. Only revulsion.




(This is what I posted to Russ Feingold’s Facebook page today, ca 1 p.m, Wednesday, January 14, 2015. Facebook stripped out the formatting, so it looks like it’s all one paragraph.)

Gifts for Those who Really Need Them

 

Catholic Charities U.S.A. - Poverty in America

 "Together we are dedicated to creating a life of opportunity and self-sufficiency for each of the 46 million of our brothers and sisters who live in poverty."

This is the page for donations, by credit card, cash or check.

Donate to Catholic Charities USA today and help improve the lives of 45 million Americans living in poverty.
Call to Give:
1-800-919-9338
Mail a Check:
Catholic Charities USA
P.O. Box 17066
Baltimore, MD
21297-1066

This page is for donating in other ways:  Stocks, bonds, corporate matches, vehicles and so forth. . .

 

Catholic Relief Services

Use this page to donate $30 for a mom's complete prenatal care throughout. 

Here is a link to an article in Consumer Reports, about evaluating charities before donating.

 Food for the Poor

"Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, feeds millions of hungry people throughout the countries we serve."

This page begins the list of the lowest-cost donations.

By donating even $14.60 to Food for the Poor, you can feed a family for a month.

For even less ($10) you can donate:

• A soccer ball for kids in an orphanage; 
• An avocado, mango or breadfruit tree; 
• A pair of agricultural work boots.
• 
  
  
• ~~~~~~~~~~~~

 "Soccer breaks down barriers and gives children a healthy outlet. Your gift of a soccer ball will ensure orphaned children can play, have fun and get plenty of exercise."

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Paradise Grove Avocados

"Your gift of fruit-bearing trees will provide hungry families with a nutritious and sustainable source of food and additional income. Avocado, breadfruit and mango trees not only provide healthy food; these trees also offer welcome shade, help combat deforestation and yield fruit which may be sold in the village." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"By supplying a set of agricultural work boots, you help a farmer in his trade and
provide the necessary protective footwear. Your gift to help a hardworking farmer will help produce a healthy harvest."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Almost anybody (even some homeless people) can afford to give $10.

And, they have free (e or 3D) cards that you can use to present to the recipients in whose name you have donated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oops! Not to forget our beloved non-human companions:

My personal favorite is Alley Cat Allies, which has a wonderful Trap - Neuter - Release program.

"To transform and develop communities to protect and improve the lives of cats. Alley Cat Allies is an advocacy group that is dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of all cats, including feral cats which they help out through their innovative Trap-Neuter-Release program."

But, here is a page with many other pet charities.

http://www.entirelypets.com/top-pet-charities.html#alleycat

~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~~*~~

And Now, a Few Words from an Old London Friend

~*~ "A great many back-payments are included in it, I assure you." ~*~ 

^*~*~* ~*^*~*  *~ + ~* *~*~*~`~*~*~*`*~`~* ~*  ~* *~*~ *~ ^*^

``I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future!'' Scrooge repeated, as he scrambled out of bed. ``The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. Oh Jacob Marley! Heaven, and the Christmas Time be praised for this! I say it on my knees, old Jacob; on my knees!''

. . . 

He had not gone far, when coming on towards him he beheld the portly gentleman, who had walked into his counting-house the day before, and said, ``Scrooge and Marley's, I believe?'' It sent a pang across his heart to think how this old gentleman would look upon him when they met; but he knew what path lay straight before him, and he took it.

``My dear sir,'' said Scrooge, quickening his pace, and taking the old gentleman by both his hands. ``How do you do? I hope you succeeded yesterday. It was very kind of you. A merry Christmas to you, sir!''

``Mr Scrooge?''

``Yes,'' said Scrooge. ``That is my name, and I fear it may not be pleasant to you. Allow me to ask your pardon. And will you have the goodness --'' here Scrooge whispered in his ear.

``Lord bless me!'' cried the gentleman, as if his breath were gone. ``My dear Mr Scrooge, are you serious?''

``If you please,'' said Scrooge. ``Not a farthing less. A great many back-payments are included in it, I assure you. Will you do me that favour?''

``My dear sir,'' said the other, shaking hands with him. ``I don't know what to say to such munificence‐''

``don't say anything, please,'' retorted Scrooge. ``Come and see me. Will you come and see me?''

. . .

Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him. 

* ^ ~*~*~*~~*~*

Here is a little article I wrote about how I first "met" Ebenezer.

Do Not Forget Father Gordon Macrae, Falsely Imprisoned for Nineteen Years

Today is Gaudete Sunday, December 14, 2014.

Father Macrae celebrates Mass in his prison cell every Sunday evening, beginning at 11:20 p.m., eastern, which is 10:20 central.

Father Macrae is on Facebook.

He also has his own website.

I've always wondered if Father Macrae is related to the singer and actor with the same name, the star of Oklahoma! and Carousel, as well as some other plays and movies??

You can donate via a link on the website, to help pay for Father's legal representatives.

A Bus Ride on The Feast of 

Our Lady of Guadalupe

This morning on the bus --- after morning rush and before lunchtime --- I heard one guy saying loudly, "My people were tending corn, beans and squash on this continent at least five thousand years before Jesus was born, but all I have to say to anyone is, 'Peace to you, brother.'"

A second guy  --- a white guy from Tennessee --- said, "Peace to you also, brother, that's all I have to say also. But, Jesus us Lord of all, and he is the one who made the corn and the beans and the squash."


I don't see a quarrel there, but they were talking loudly and somewhat belligerently. I'm not sure why. Maybe something that had happened before I got on.

They went another couple of friendly rounds, before the first guy, a Ho Chunk man, disembarked from the bus.

He said, to all on the bus, "Jesus is coming soon."

Corn, beans and squash were called the "three sisters" by the Native Americans, or First Nations. Here is an article from Mother Earth News, about The Three Sisters.

Here is an article in the Farmers Almanac about growing the Sisters.

New York State Museum

The guy from Tennessee stayed on for a while. Another guy stood up to check his location. I asked where he wanted to go. He told me he was going to a veterinary office to get a special feline Rx diet for his cat. I knew where it was, only a few blocks.

He said he had lost his place because he was so fascinated by the conversation.

I said, "Yes, that was an awesome conversation."

."

I said my cat also needed to eat a special Rx diet.

Meanwhile, another guy with sandals and no socks got on and said Hi to the guy from Tennessee. They sat together and talked for a while. I was about to ask if his "pigs" weren't cold, but figured I should leave them alone.

It is always nice to be on the bus when it's not crowded. The passengers are older (like me!) and there can be some great conversations starting up, sometimes true golden moments.

Click here for more information about Our Lady of Guadalupe, at Queen of the Americas Guild.

Here is a link to a Rosary in honor of St. Katerina Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint, made of "reconstituted turquoise which is a term describing stones made of small chips, powder and ground up low-grade stones bound together with an epoxy. The mix is then compressed into beads, inlays and pendants. "


All I can say is peace to you, my readers,  on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who is the patroness of all the Americas.

December 12th is also the birthday of my younger daughter.

She was born during those decades when I was absent from Holy Mother Church. I did not even realize that the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe was on December 12th until she was in her teens.

http://www.josephsciambra.com/2014/09/padre-pio-super-satan-slayer.html -- Joseph Sciambra's brief, but very powerful, blog post for September, 2014.

Joseph's blog is amazing!

Saturday, August 16, 2014: My Second Blog - Almost the Same Name.

My new blog is at this address.

I don't know how long I will keep it. I'm a little disillusioned with a couple of things already.

Tech things.

(For one, the time stamp is in the future.)

However, I really love the very cool psychedelic graphics. I hope it makes people happy just to look at it?  Well, that's what it does for me.

But I'm an old wannabe hippie.

In the '60's, it was way too expensive to be a real hippie.

Anti-Catholic bigotry at the Soup Kitchen

Corporal Works of Mercy

In my city, there is a place to go for a meal when you have no money to pay for it. For some of us (including me), that’s pretty often.

Especially now that I have no kitchen or home.

This program --- and all the volunteers who make it happen --- is quite a blessing, obviously.

The only requirement is that you have to be there on time, and times are pretty strict. I am not a newbie to this meal. Even when we had a home, we had to go there sometimes. My kids grew up knowing this place. My kids and I have gone there at various frequencies since 1983.

Further, there are times when we have stand in line to wait for the meal to be served. I try to pray the Rosary while the Rosary is  in my pocket, so that nobody will notice much. 

I can't just stand there without doing anything, or my arthritic knees will distract me with pain.

 I always make the Sign of the Cross and say a silent prayer before eating my meal. I try to be as discreet as possible, lest someone accuse me of "proselytizing."

But, I do have to make the Sign of the Cross at the end of each decade, of course, for the Glory Be (Doxology).

 

Pagan at the Table

A couple of years ago, a man seated at my table noticed that I made the Sign of the Cross before beginning to eat. He started a conversation with others at the table about how he wanted to ask the bishop about his (the bishop's) wife. I was kind of hungry, and not really interested in what anyone had to say, mostly. Just enjoying my food, and thankful to have it.

It took me a few minutes, to finally realize that this man was making these remarks for my benefit -- apparently because I had made the Sign of the Cross. He started talking about how horrible it was that there was an Egyptian obelisk in the Vatican. He said that this object should not be in the Vatican because it was "pagan" and it meant that Catholics worship the sun.

He and some other "sola scriptura" fans at my table --- all in agreement regarding the obelisk at the Vatican --- started arguing amongst themselves about the role of women apostles in the early Church, as well as a few other things. Each had her or his favorite quote from Scripture that meant something different or similar, according to each claim.

Ironic, right?

The sola scriptura crowd couldn't finish the meal before breaking down into factions.

 

Nobody Likes a Tattler, but . . .

That obelisk incident was the first time that this man had an anti-Catholic rant. I reported this to the administrator of the meal program --- who happens to be Catholic. That wasn't the issue, though. The program has a rule that diners are supposed to be respectful to others, regardless of religion, or lack thereof. (The program is privately funded.)

He agreed with me that this was unacceptable.

The anti-Catholic guy did not harass me anymore, although I also tried not to let him see me making the Sign or the Cross, or saying the Rosary.

Until a year ago, when this man started up again. I actually started to cry this time. The administrator of the program came out to me as I stood on the sidewalk. He said, “Mitch bothering you again?”

I said, “Yes.”

The administrator said, “I think he used to be married to somebody Catholic.”

I said, “I guess she was mean.”

I have not heard anything from Mitch ever since. He claims to be a preacher. He has his own ecclesial community, which he calls a "church." He always has his Bible with him, and receives calls during the meal.

 

The Sixty-Four $ ?

So, my question is this:  Should I stop saying the Rosary while waiting, because I have to make the Sign of the Cross during the Glory Be?

Or, should I just say it anyway, but not make the Sign or the Cross at all? (I don't care much for that option, to tell the truth. I feel that I should not say any Rosary at all, rather than do it half-baked.)

So, if I stop making the Sign of the Cross for the Rosary, should I also stop making the Sign of the Cross before beginning my meal? (Or, perhaps do that when I'm sitting at the same table with Mitch? But normally just say it anyway? Nobody else seems to care, or even notice.)

Maybe I should just say a silent prayer? But, the Sign of the Cross is very public, and not silent.

Although, nobody seems to mind except this alleged "preacher" or "minister."

God bless.