The Right to Work

Most of my life I have lived in a right to work state. I have never experienced the acutely painful joy of forced unionism...until I received my first pay check here. After union dues, I made about 1.77 an hour. This is completely legal, as its only for the first thirty days that dues are double their usual size. This does not change the fact, however, that it takes me two hours to pay my normal union dues, a week. Double dues are actually closer to six hours a week than two.

I assure you, it hurt seeing that first paycheck. I was angry enough to give my coworkers pause for concern, and several of my friends. After I calmed down, (around 3 am) I began to research. I threw myself into it, trying to figure out what it was the legality of my situation.

The legality of it? It was perfectly fine for me to have a take home pay of 1.77. There was nothing illegal about it. There was nothing I could do to stop it either. In fact, I had no recourse by acceptance. Why?

Maryland is a forced unionism state. If I am not a member of the union, they will take out service fees, for the benefits I enjoy thanks to the union. No matter what, I won't be making much, and will have fees docked.

It is absolutely infuriating. When asked, my coworkers admitted that they didn't know what the union had done for them in the past year. The union representative, alas, gave me a spiel of nonsense. I was unimpressed. I understand the purpose of a union. I am a firm believer in the necessity of collective bargaining in situations where the workers are in a bad place.

But what happens when the union is the one that the workers need protection from? The answer? I'm not certain. There are places online and phone numbers to call. However, I would proceed with all caution.

After all, they say they are there to protect against corruption in the union, but how do I know they aren't placed there by a corporation? It's hard for me to say.

I do know something. No union should be able to dock a worker's pay for wages without their express consent. To do so is immoral, at best, and cruel at worse. All that doing so makes me want to do is leave the state for one where common sense, and the ability to unionize only if you want to, is there.

I believe in the power of collective bargaining, and I believe that workers do have the right to be treated well and paid a wage they can live on. What I do not believe in is forcing a person to be a member of any organization against their will.

The only losers when a union forces people to be its members by the way? The lower ranking peons (like myself) who depend on the union to do their job are taken advantage of. Those very people that the union is made to protect are the ones who are most harmed by this legal binding.

One Final Byte: I prefer a Right to Work state, definitely.

The Absolute Terror of Shots

Also known as, "Are you sure you are 22?"

Why yes, nurse , I am 22, I am just terrified of needles. It's actually rather interesting to watch, or to think about. This Monday, I had to get an immunization shot. Why does that matter?

Well, I am more terrified of needles than is strictly healthy. Mentally, I know that is doesn't hurt, not really. I've hurt myself more stubbing my toes, skinning my knees, doing pretty much everything else out there. It doesn't hurt long, maybe all of one second. There's no real side effect, it doesn't hurt, and doesn't cause any sort of trauma at all.

And yet the very picture of a needles causes nausea for me.

However, holding on tight to a second nurses hands ( I am a bit of a wimp) I took the shot like...okay more like an 8 year old than an adult. Afterward, came the really fun event. I can take the shot, but after?

Well, I had a panic attack.

I could not explain to you why I am afraid of a needle. But I do know that letting such a minor thing affect me is not right. So I don't. Yes, I will have the panic attack after, and that's okay. It's a part of being scared. But will this stop me from getting future immunizations, or future shots? No.

I am scared of needles, but I do not cower from them.

There's a difference.

I know last week I went on about fear, but I think it's important to understand that there are lots of different kinds of fears out there. I talked about the fear of others last week. Of how that fear, that ignorant fear, could affect people who were innocent. My friend suffers due to fearful neighbors, who do not understand.

But that is not the only sort of fear out there. It comes in so many forms that sometimes we don't even realize that.

I am scared of needles.

But I will take my shots, face that fear, and be better for it.

That is the important thing. Facing what would stop you. Whether you are scared of being home alone, of being the the dark, or needles, or of the next door neighbor's weird speaking in another language, you cannot let this stop you from living your daily life.

The best part? You don't even have to be brave to face your fears. I don't consider myself brave to be sure. Just stubborn. I'm too stubborn to let shots stop me. I'm too stubborn to let much of anything stop me, to be honest. It's a bit of a failing, but it's one I don't mind so much, if it means I can get the job done.

So face that scary monster n the closet. I suggest a long stick, a stuffed bear, a flashlight, and determination. Those gremlins under the bed? Stomp on their wee little fingers, so they can't grab on? And that needle in the nurses hand?

Well, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and stay still. It'll be over in just a second.

One Final Byte: What the deuce is bravery, if not stubborness?

Who next?

I have a friend who is terrified of being picked up for being a terrorist.  The reason for the fear?  My friend can speak Arabic, and the neighbors have decided this makes my friend a terrorist.  The biggest problem I have with my friend’s situation is simple.

It's cause entirely by ignorance and fear.  This person is an intelligent US citizen with a skill sorely needed by our country.  To be targeted because of a talent, even just by the neighbors is not right.  This person is not Muslim, and love the USA enough to actually work for the government.  Trust me, that takes some true patriotism there.

Still, for my friend to be targeted due to a language she speaks is the height of ignorance.  The height of a very dangerous ignorance.

Because of laws passed in the wake of 9/11 and the terror caused by long wars in foreign climates, my friend could be detained indefinitely without being tried, charged, or an ounce of evidence.  There would be no knowing that is what happened to this person.  Instead, my friend could spend life in jail without so much as a charge leveled all because of the ability to speak Arabic.

What sort of sense does this make?  How is this legal?

Oh yes.  Fear.  Fear is how this is legal.  Fear, panic, and an awful lot of subtle propaganda.  And not so subtle propaganda.

The last time we feared any one group of people so much was during World War Two.  Then, we detained Japanese Americans, Italian Americans and German Americans in camps that met, barely internationaly standards for such places.  That meant there was no internal plumbing, no cooking facilities.  They were built to military specs, so families were often crammed into rooms.

Temporarily, they were often made to stay in horse stalls.  Imagine, an entire family housed in an area meant to fit a horse.  A single horse.  Now, I know horses are big, but most horse stalls aren't that big of  place.

The worst part of it all, of what happened to these people, is that it isn't taught, so it's forgotten.  I never learned about these camps in school.  People deny that such a thing would be possible in the grand ole US of A.  But that's a lie.   

I learned of the camps from a children's book of all things. The Bracelet by Yoshida Uchida told me a simple story that peaked  my curiosity.  I ended up learning the futility of arguing with my teachers thanks to the book, if nothing else.  I had teacher deny that it happened.

Do you think they teach about the detention centers for Muslims that exist in the US?  For suspected terrorists?  Does calling them suspected terrorists make it okay to remove their rights?

Do not get me wrong.  I am all for terrorists in prison where they can do much less harm.  (I won't say no harm, given that mobsters can still run their organizations from inside a prison cell, but still.)  However, I am not for anyone at all losing their rights for this to happen.  Due process is guaranteed.  Why should my friend be afraid of not having that process?

Guys, we cut off the head of the snake.  Yes, like a hydra, a new one (or two) will grow in its place, but that will take time.  Isn't it time we granted people, people like you or me, the rights promised to them on American soil?

Or will we violate all we stand for.  No one should have to fear being taken away over an accusation.

Do you believe that it will stop with one group?  With one talent?  I know of one nation that did not stop at one group of people, at one religion.  You'll forgive me, but I don't want to end up like that.

I don't know what I can do to stop this from happening, but I can tell you that.  Most Muslims are not scary.  Most Muslims I have met are calm people, with stress about their eyes from what they face daily.  The Muslim women I have met have all been kind, and they have the cutest scarves out there.  The Muslim men I have met have treated me with dignity and respect.

So do everyone, yourself included, a favor.  Do not treat your neighbor, a human being, with fear and loathing because of their religion, their skin color, their heritage.  Do not fear someone because of appearances.   

And if you think that it will stop with just one group?  Martin Niemöller has this to say:  

"First they came for the communists,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me,

and there was no one left to speak out for me."  

One Final Byte:  Fear is a powerful device that controls many.

Questions

Sorry for the lateness of the post (again) but I completely forgot to write one up on Tuesday, like I normally do. I have a whole variety of reasons, but it boils down to I forgot the day of the week again. My bad.

As for topics, I can't help but think of the weird questions authors often have. See, to be an author you have to know what you're writing about, or else it doesn't make any sense. For instance, if you've never seen a gun, held a gun, or fired a gun, what would you know about guns? Not enough to write about them in detail, to be sure.

Before I wrote my novel on the Wild Hunt I spent a long time and a lot of hours researching the Good Neighbors and all about them. There are so many different types that I have about 50 pages printed out about them, all in a neat little format. I needed to know more before I could use them.

However, I've also looked up a lot of odd questions. I'm in the middle of co-writing a story in which there is a serial killer. I suppose it's a paranormal murder mystery. The paranormal part I looked up when I was much longer, but I admit I don't know all that much about murder, or how murderers think, or patterns in all of that.

My google history this month includes: Vampire skeletons, what happens in a probation meeting, more about probation, even more about probation (There is surprisingly little about what happens in probation meeting. I couldn't find an ounce.), stages of grief, necromancy symbols, how long does rigor mortis last, scary children, and sociopaths.

I've had worse. Once I searched 'bomb ingredients', simply to discover it for a story. I think most authors are on a government watch list of some sort, if only because of our search history. All of that has to do with a single story about a vampire serial killer who's spree is caused largely by grief. Or at least exacerbated by it.

I also spent a lot of time watching Criminal Minds, as that deals largely with serial killers. Purely for research of course. I'm sure.

But it occurs to me that authors all have really odd questions, and it can lead to very awkward moments. After all, where does one find such things, when the internet fails? You ask someone who would know. Experts are wonderful people.

But how exactly do you ask someone what happens in a probation meeting without offending them? I mean, I don't know anyone on probation, so I don't know who I'd ask. These leads me to having to ask a probation officer, which leads to the always awkward response of:

"Why do you need to know that?"

Well, because I am a writer. Why else would I need to know?

One Final Byte: Mass murderer, serial killer, what's the difference anyway?

What is Good?

What is good?

I'd really like to know. You see, I hear all these versions of good and evil, and none of them seem to agree. Even two churches of the exact same denomination don't agree, not on the specifics. Considering, with my moving, I have attending different baptist churches, I assure you that it's very different. From the levels of tolerance, to the levels of friendliness I've seen a lot of different approaches.

One church I attended had a preacher who preached tolerance for all. Another church I attended preached both outreach and intolerance for moral sins. I was very confused. I've seen preachers that preach an acceptance of science, and preachers who shun every single aspect of science out there. It's a varied world, even within one denomination.

So what is good?

This isn't a question from out of nowhere by the way. In a story I am writing, a child is struggling with it. He certainly wasn't taught it my birth parents, who abused him. And his foster mother regularly breaks the law in gruesome ways. all he's got rooting for him is a jaded cop. So what is good, when you've never been taught what good is?

For this kid, he doesn't know. His foster mother tells him through her actions that what is good is power, thus power makes you good. Those without power aren't good, not in her mind. The cop though, he lays it out in concrete things for the boy.

"...y'know... don't murder. Don't steal. Help people in need. Stop people who are bad. You've heard that shebang, right?"

Don't murder. Don't steal. These are things all cultures agree on, I think. World wide, it's agreed that violence without just cause is immoral, not right. Taking things that aren't your own isn't right either. But even then, you have people, usually extremists I think, that can't even agree on what murder is, on what just cause for violence could be.

So what is good?

For some cultures, helping others isn't good. People should, in these cultures, always be able to stand on their own two feet, once they are fully grown at least. They shouldn't need help. In other, helping those less fortunate is good, but those fortunate to have a lot don't get any help, even when they need it. After all, they have a lot, what do they need help for?

When people can't even agree on what one book says is good and bad, even when they read the same words from that book, then you find yourself wondering, what is good?

What is good, what is bad? What's moral, or immoral? Beyond the basics, when it comes down to the nitty gritty of what is good and bad, can anyone agree?

I know that there are times that I don't agree with my family what is good and bad, right and wrong, and we were raised by the same people with the same morals taught to us at a young age. I don't know everything out there, but I can tell you the basics are the same:

Don't kill, steal, or cheat. Don't lie, be jealous, or be cruel. Be kind to everyone. Stay true to your beliefs. Listen to your parents. Everyone agrees on these, agrees these are moral.

More than that? Not so much. What it all boils down to though is fairly simple:

Treat others how you want to treated.

You don't want to be lied to, cheated on, or killed. You don't want to be stolen from or bullied. It's not fun when people are jealous of you, or mean to you. It doesn't feel that great to betray what you belief in. And while, I admit, it may not always be fun to listen to your parents, its generally easier to listen to them in the long run.

Oh.

And I didn't get any scholarships done this week. I couldn't find any that I hadn't done and was eligible for, which is mildly inconvenient. I'm still searching.

One Final Byte: Moral issues never pull their punches, do they?   

Settling in

Oh wow, what a week! I may be more busy than I thought. I didn't actually finish all the scholarships on this week's list because I had somewhere to go several days. Still, I got several done and discovered one scholarship that is just too creepy for the likes of me.

To start with, I finished the Big Dig scholarship, having decided that in 200 years, a rubber duck will be very valuable. Why? Because by then, no one will make things of plastic, and absolutely everyone loves rubber ducks. I am convinced. Someone make a time machine, so we can go check this out. I approve of the concept entirely.

I also entered in a sweepstakes billed as a scholarship where I had to take a quiz about comic book superheroes. Needless to say I passed. It was not the least bit hard. They were all major heroes who had all been in movies in recent years. The images were from early nineties comics though, which was odd. I expected their more modern images.

As for that creepy scholarship? It was one to raise awareness of teen pregnancy. Girls sign their guy friends up for texts. They can enter up to five guy friends for a chance to win. It's just a wee bit invasive in my opinion and a bit creepy. So no thank you. I avoided that one.

Oh hey, Western Union has this Thanks a Thousand Sweepstakes billeted, once again by Fastweb, as a scholarship. Fastweb has this thing. about half their so called scholarships are in fact sweepstakes. I suppose money is money, but I do wish they wouldn't call them scholarships when the page clearly says sweepstakes. Even the title did, but in the award type column, it says, no joke 'scholarship.'

This one who could write a note, make a short video, and use a picture to say thanks. Um... I wrote a note. I also entered it twice. They encourage you to enter daily, but like I said, I've been busy.

The last one I did was the DirectTextbook.com scholarship, which was all about principles and how they are important in your life. This was another essay that got re-written fifty times it seems. I was havign trouble sticking to the question.

I never got around the the Hit the Books scholarship, but it's got a few months before its due. On Friday though, I plan on posting a scholarship on my blog as it is, you guessed it, a blogging scholarship. "America's Best Blogging Scholarship" is the name, and it's all about our favorite presidential candidate. Bare minimum of 300 words, which, face it, I just don't have written yet, as I don't particularly like any of the candidates. This includes independents and people who dropped out of the race. Urgh, people. Just Urgh.

But like I said, I've been busy!

I have a job now, though I start either today or next week. Today I get to be put in the system. It'll be fun. I joined a very active Sunday School group at my grandparent's church, who apparently do something at least twice a week, not including Sunday School.

They're a great group and really friendly. I'm glad, as I admit I was nervous. Bible study, plus a social night each week, as I understand it, though I could be wrong. Either way, I hope my hours at work will let me attend as much as I can.

I also got my sewing machine in! I'm in the process of making a skirt now. Wish me luck. It's from a pattern which is something I've never done before. I don't know how this is going to pan out, at all! I picked up way too much fabric for it all by the way, so plan on use the excess to make a bag and a shirt. It'll be pretty.

I also ended up repacking some of my boxes, but not all, as some of them are rather badly damaged.  It'll probably end up re-packing the already packed boxes into, you guess it, new boxes beore I leave though.  The ones I have are rather dangerously used by this point, and, let's face it, there's only do many times a box can go through the mail.

One Final Byte: Why is planning to get to school difficult.

Introducing! The Summer Blog!

Pretty new background, isn't it? I do like it. A change in topic certainly calls for a change in colors, and we are switching from my adventures in Europe, and my views on the world, to school preparation! That is to say, I have engaged full throttle into the wonderful world of scholarship funding for my college. This is a weird, weird place to be.

The purpose of this blog has always been two fold for me by the way. It's been a way for me to better myself, and to keep my family abreast of what I'm doing, as picking up the phone is something I struggle with. The topics are only generally organized and generally in a pattern, I know. But the whole point of the blog for me, when starting, was to prove that I could, in fact, stick out posting a full year. And look, I managed it! I could be focused and dedicated enough to keep to a schedule with relatively few hiccups. I could be, in other words, reliable.

I was very proud when the end of the year in Germany came because of this, but then I realized one thing. I enjoy blogging! So I've refocused to blog into something that will still help me, but hopefully still be interesting, for the summer.

College Scholarships.

It doesn't sound all that interesting, I know, but you would be very surprised. I'm hoping that my blogging will allow my to continue filling them out too! After all, if I don't what will I blog about? I've filled out a few already, thinking of this post.

The first scholarship, the Amish Dutch Furniture Heritage Essay, I really struggled with, as it asked how my cultural heritage would affect my vocational aspirations, creative value to my future employer and how I will serve my community. The essay itself, once I got past my hurdle, wasn't hard to write. I can churn out essays fairly easily. No, the hardest part was defining my cultural heritage. To me, I am an American. My heritage is Scots-Irish Norwegian predominantly, but my heritage is an American heritage. That wasn't what they wanted though, and I knew it.

These people wanted to know what my culture was, and I couldn't answer. Hm. I had lots of broad strokes, but no defining picture from all of these. So I spent several days re-writing the first paragraph before I finally decided that I could manage this. I wrote about where I grew up, and spent most of my life, because that was a culture I knew, and it was a part of my heritage, though not in my blood.

So I wrote about a coal mining heritage, and how bravery, resourcefulness, and generosity from that culture would help me later on. The biggest hurdle though was defining my culture, where I came from. I admit, I probably still didn't write what they were looking for, but I think I was closer.

The next two are always a favorite of mine. Why? They were quizzes! No joke, these thing are all of, you answer a few questions and enter in a chance. It's less scholarship and more drawing, but still, they can be done fast and easy.

The next scholarship I did was on why it was important to delete cyberbullying. Cute joke with the delete there, guys. It wasn't particularly hard, though focusing on the subject was tricky, as my paper kept wanting to be on why it happens, not why it's important to delete that nonsense.

I also started a Big Dig one which presumes my future descendents will be living in the same home 200 years from now for some inane reason. If I can't manage the same home, how are they doing it? Maybe they rented out whatever building is on that spot in 200 years? This essay topic bothers me. They dig up this object that I purposefully buried and its supposed to set their financial worries to rest.

I think a rubber duck would do this wonderfully myself, though why I would bury a rubber duck is beyond me still. Now I just have to figure out how a rubber duck is going to set anybodies financial worries to rest. I haven't quite got that one down, but I'll think of something.

One Final Byte: Maryland is apparently a very friendly type state.