Politics

I decided to read this book when I received an email about some of the lines in Barack Obama's books. I was sure that the phrases were taken out of context so I wanted to see for myself. Here is one of the quotes from the email, "I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction." and here is the actual excerpt from the book, "Of course, not all my conversations in immigrant communities follow this easy pattern. In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging. They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly; they need specific reassurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction." The interesting thing is that even the full quote in the proper context doesn't say that he would stand up with Muslims, it just says that they are looking for reassurance that he would stand up for them. The other interesting thing that he says is that he would "willingly take up arms myself to prevent such tragedy from happening again." talking about 9/11. I don't know about you, but he doesn't sound like an extremist Muslim terrorist to me.

This book also gives you some good insight into how our political system works and a glimpse into campaign funding. I'm sure that some candidates would love to not have to take a dollar from anyone, but that isn't realistic, so they have to play the game in order to have a chance.

It was also interesting to read about how the wealth is distributed in this country. Actually interesting isn't the right word. It is really more like disgusting and pathetic.

This is a big admission for me, but I am feeling more and more like a democrat as time goes by! I used to think that things were black and white, for example, work hard and get ahead or get a job, and get insurance, but now I realize that this isn't the case for millions of people. As a Christian and a fellow human being I am now realizing that it is our responsibility to help each other out and take care of each other. I think that getting older (that seems really weird to say),being a mother, and doing community service has helped open my eyes.

Lastly there was a part of his book that I really connected with. Nothing regarding politics, it was about family. He talks about the moments that he shares with his girls and how he wishes he could remember all of these important moments. I have felt the very same thing at times when I watch Isha figure something out for the first time or when she makes me laugh. He says that while you may not be able to remember all of the specifics of these moments, these moments become a part of who you are and make you the person that you are. As a mother this made me feel really good to know that even though I may not take enough pictures (I know that this is hard to believe considering all the pictures I am always putting on Isha's blog) or write down every funny story or event that happens, all of these wonderful moments will not be forgotten, but will always be a part of me.

What I Learned

When I was finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver the book was full of little scrap pieces of paper tagging things that I found interesting and wanted to share. Unfortunately a 16 month old who shall remain nameless pulled some of the tags out, but trust me there are still plenty left.

Here goes!

1. The author's daughter wrote essays that are part of the book. One that I really loved talked about how as children we decide on the foods that we don't like and we hold onto those immature ideas into adulthood. Just think of all the good food we are missing out on because we are still to immature to just take a bite of something we decided we hated when we were five.

2. Our tax dollars subsidize a huge amount of industrially grown foods, almost 80 billion dollars a year, according to Steven Hopp, the author's husband who also included essays in the book. So when you compare an organic veggie to a industrially grown veggie the organic one probably costs more at the store, but you have paid a chunk of tax dollars for that cheap one!

3. Our children face a shorter life expectancy than us.

4. A yummy recipe for Basil-Blackberry crumble which you can check out at http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/.

5. The transportation cost of shipping food is tax deductible for corporations, therefore tax payers pay for the shipping of food. I find it interesting that part of the reason for the steep rise in food prices is the rise in fuel costs, yet companies are able to deduct that. HMMMMMM!

6. You don't even want to know how the poor animals are treated in the meat industry. They have to be given tons of antibiotics because of the filthy conditions they live in. They are fed food that isn't their natural diet, in order to fatten them up, therefore the quality of the meat is decreased. Organic beef has way more good for you omega 3 fatty acids than industrial meat and free range eggs have way less cholesterol. (Sorry about the unscientific term of way more, but I couldn't find the exact number due to missing tags, which I have already explained).

7. An interesting essay about mad cow disease scared me to death. Our USDA is so nonchalant about this that it is scary. Check out www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.html.




This book really inspired me to make a better effort of eating locally . While it is a small step I have started a few herbs this year. I decided to grow some peppers, cilantro, chives and Thai basil because I am tired of paying all that money for herbs and then only using a few leaves and tossing the rest when it goes bad. This is my first attempt at growing anything from seed so keep your fingers crossed for me because I definitely do not have a green thumb.
I also plan on shopping at the farmer's market and local fruit stands this summer. I would also like to find a place where I can buy free range meat. As expensive as food is getting I really have to watch my dollars every time I go to the grocery store, but after reading about the meat industry this is the one area that I feel like it is a good idea to spend a few extra bucks for our health and the treatment of animals raised for meat.

Even if you aren't up for reading this book you should definitely check out the website http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/.