[KathyM]

I wonder why I'm the only one in my community who cares about Leonard Peltier.

I wonder if anyone in my community even knows about Leonard Peltier.

I wonder if anyone in my community would ever spit in his face and tell him to burn in Hell.

I wonder if anyone in my community would be able to endure being framed for a crime they didn't commit, watching a corrupt trial take place, then sit mostly in solitary confinement for 35 YEARS. Could they remain as peaceful and cooperative as Leonard has been? Could they continue to hold onto hope that one day someone will care and set them free?

I wonder if anyone knows Amnesty International considers him a political prisoner? Desmond Tutu fought for his release, and President Clinton agreed to pardon him - but changed his mind at the last minute and pardoned his buddy instead.

I wonder if anyone knows Leonard is an old man now who is near the end of his life. He's no threat to society. He just wants to go home and be with his family for a little while before he leaves this world. His family desperately wants him to come home too.

I wonder why my son hasn't even read the email I sent him two weeks ago. Yeah, I know it's part of the deal, but I'm at my wits end and my emotions are reaching it's boiling point. It makes me want to SCREAM when I hear people say they support this war. They have NO IDEA what I've been going through over these last four years. I WISH they would look deep into the eyes of their children and grandchildren and tell me truthfully they are ready, willing, and able to sacrifice them for the people of the Middle East. ONLY THEN will I believe they support this war.

I wonder why there continues to be so much racial hatred in this country. I feel like I've been on the receiving end my entire life. I'm sick and tired of being told to "just get over it."

I wonder if people of "faith" who hold this racial hatred can see their own hypocrisy and guilt?

I wonder why I feel like that little girl in the movie "Apocalypto." Her mother died, she was very sick and frightened, reaching out for help, and everyone kept pushing her away with a stick.

I wonder how many times can I be told to "just get over it" before I snap?

[Alffe]

I wonder if I can thank Kathym for educating me a tad today..I never heard of Leonard Peltier...http://www.leonardpeltier.net/theman.htm

I wonder if our Pastor could get any better then she was this morning..wow, her sermon just wowed me!

I wonder if Mr.Alffe will grill out some burgers today...

I wonder how tickled I was to read Bizi's "report"...learn something every day!

I wonder if I can leave hugs for the room.

[Doody]

I wonder that I do remember that event in S. Dakota but hadn't followed that particular story.

I wonder that I was going to come in here and wonder where Kathy was and here she is!! ((Kathy))

I wonder about the movie we watched Friday night. I watched it twice yesterday before I felt I had an explanation as to what was happening. The Life Before Her Eyes with Uma Thurman.

I wonder at how amazed I am at this summer's weather here in Iowa. We have hardly had any days above 90 degrees. I can't remember any summer here like this one. But not complaining.

I wonder that this picture makes gdoody look so little (he's not!) but it sure is cute. It's him riding his 'girlfriend's' bicycle, little girl helmet and all. LMAO!



I'm really wondering about DejaVu. I hope she is recovering from that incredible surgery.

I wonder about BMW too. She was battling pain and then that weather. Hmmmm, I think she is overwhelmed.

I wonder if BMW reported here that yes, her daughter's cast WAS too tight! She took her to the doctor and they had to redo it it was so tight.

I wonder if I could get our Flygirl to fly here and do my entire yard.

I wonder how Meg and Abbie are.

I wonder if Spanish Moss feels a little better in her decision making.

I wonder how Alffe's gd and Barbo are doing today. The neck of an old woman!?

I wonder about everyone here including our friends in the other forums. What a great bunch of people we have here.

Much love to all.

[who moi]

I wonder if KM will keep her hopes up and know that folks do care?

I wonder if I may share this with KM and others that I have shared with few of you in private?

~~~~~~~~~~~

My last two roommates in my college years were the best roomates I'd ever had. My previous roommate before them, "B", was a jerk that lured me to live with him by pretending to be a nice and kind person only to find out that he just wanted someone to help pay for his rent. He'd heard about how I've always taken cared of my roommates, I guess. He also knew that I was desparately looking for a new place to stay cause of the latest complaints about my "noise".

soon after I've moved in with B into the duplex. I'd realized how thin the walls were. I could hear them breathing next door,literally...

But I couldn't help but make my noises and that of course led to complaints and the constant banging on the wall from next door and it made B embarassed.

I'd paid two months rents in advance but he kicked me out by locking me out by changing the locks on the door cause I refused to leave...well, I had no place to go!

I was so angry and bitter...I called the police and finally got my stuff out then I rented a storage place temporarily and slept at the storage place for a few days...I had to snuck in so I wouldn't get caught sleeping there...it was another one of those dark moments...

I went to a club that weekend to just be amongst people cause I couldn't stand to be alone and I ran into "C"

I'd known C from various parties and from school and he actually stayed with me few years before when I first started college and I remembered that he was a really nice guy and very smart.

He asked how I was and I told him about my misfortune and how I just wanted to give it all up...

he asked me to come spend the night at his house and that he was going to talk to his roommate, "S" about it.

Now, I knew S also. He was a bouncer where I used to be a bouncer at and he'd just started this new bouncer job at this club.

I went over that night and they talked about it and asked me a few questions, and that night, I had two new roommates that I would come to treasure and remember for the rest of my life.

let me describe C.

C is black, 5 foot 1 or 2, loves to wear lifts to make himself taller. Pepper grey hair in his twenties and loves to sing. He has a magnificent voice and worked on cruises during the summer vacations. As a matter of fact, he and I entered a Karaoke contest where we both impersonated "Prince" with him singing "when the doves cry" and me singing "Purple Rain" (he came in third, I didn't place. LOL)

he is one of those people that is full of life. But if you think that's something, wait til I tell you about S

S is white, 6 foot 1 or 2. Former skinhead. He was very muscular and had tattoos left and right but with the most significant one being the infamous swastika (German one for hate, not the Hindu one for peace, good, and strength and enlightenment).

He was deep into martial arts and literally carried a stick in his backpack wherever he went. He was into troubles a lot when he was younger and was a high school drop out. But taught himself by reading a lot and anyways, by the time I moved in with him. It was all good...and he actually taught me a few things about philosophy (but I was too dumb to understand them back then...)

so there we were...the three of us. We lived in the downtown area where there were a lot of retired folks. And when we would sit out in our front porch. We would usually draw stares. But all of them said hi to us whenever we'd walk by or when they'd walked by.

We hung out once in awhile together and quite a few people would do triple takes whenever we'd walk by...it was kinda fun to see their faces full amusement and one time, we even got stopped by some tourist to ask us if she could take a photo of us! LOL

that July 4th weekend. We went to the mall, the three of us, and the mall was just about to close. People were kinda hanging around and all of a sudden, C said to me and S, "hey, let's hold hands and skip through the mall and sing we're going to see the wizard."

I didn't think S would go along with it but he had this big evil grin and stood between us and grabbed our hands...

so, there we were...skipping down the whole mall singing the wizard of oz song...

I was reluctant at first but then got into the spirit and sang the loudest...

I don't have a point to this story but just that I remembered that we got more people laughing with us than at us...I can even remember a few encouraging smiles as if we'd done a good thing to make the world better when all we were doing was being goofy...

now a days, whenever I think back on that...I always thank my lucky stars that they were my last roommates and created a wonderful ending to all my other tumultuous roommate relationships.

and that I believe deep in my heart with S's and C's out there...that there are hope....

for everyone that is a racist, there are hundreds that are not, that want to do the right thing...

and because of S and others that I've encountered...it gives me a lot of hope that "racism" itself is NEVER a constant and will always be taken down....

just my belief....

and KM, I hope you know that folks DO care about you...I know I do...

((((KM))))

((((hugs for the room and broom (can't forget about the broom, ya know? LOL)))))

[KathyM]

I wonder why I'm feeling self-conscious about my first Wonder thread Is it too heavy for group participation outside of my Three Musketeers here?

I wonder if Doody knows it won't be long before GrandDoody is demanding only two wheels - and probably a SuperHero boys helmet.

I wonder if I can tell Moi I laughed my butt off at the visual of you three skipping along and singing.

I wonder if I can tell you about my father. He did not like hippies, and thought there was something wrong with a boy who wanted to wear long hair on his head and face. He was forced to adjust his behavior when my sister became a hippie and dated men with long hair and scraggly beards.

When I was dating my ex-husband back in the late 70s, I gathered the nerve to introduce him to my father for the first time. I was a little worried he might be lying to me about not being racist. So many of them say that, but it doesn't always play out well if it hits close to home.

My father knew ahead of time about his race, but I neglected to tell him my boyfriend had very long hair and full beard - he had a HUGE Afro that was perfectly round.

My ex pulls up to the house, and my father looks out the window. All my dad could focus on was his long hair, so he said "Ugh - he looks like a Black Panther" I told him "Relax Dad - check out his feet....he only has two of them." We laughed. They got along fine.

Back then I was a pretty young thing with long Farrah Fawcett styled blond hair. I'm sure you can imagine the looks we got whenever people would see us together. Once in awhile it would make us angry/uneasy/bold enough to do what you and your roommates did. We'd hold each other close and stroll along the sidewalk together - just two little lovebirds in love. We'd make bets with each other on who would smile and who would throw rocks at us.

You're right. There were a few people who smiled at us and it gave me hope for the future. Unfortunately, too many decades have passed for me to cling onto those glimmers of hope I felt back in the 70s. People seem more concerned with their labels than humanity.

I wonder why some people thought it would be FUN to organize and call themselves "Re-Create '68" in the hopes of disturbing the DNC. They were NOT HERE in 68. If they want some fun, I'd be more than happy to recreate the actual experience for them. If they think they are so tough, they have a personal invitation to my home. Look me up - I'm in the book. I'll take them on an adventure like no other.

I wonder if these same people are those who think it's fun to recreate the civil war. I wonder why they long for such warfare - or find death entertaining?

I wonder if I can apologize to the group here. I'm absolutely paranoid about August 28th. It was the day Emmett Till was murdered in 1955 - he's buried down the street from me. It was the day Martin Luther King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. It was the day I was forced to sit by a window on the 18th floor and watch a huge F5 tornado approach our building in 1990. It was the day my father died in 1991.

[megveg]

Originally Posted by Doody

I wonder how Meg and Abbie are.

I wonder how adorable Gdoody is!

I wonder how nice it is to be wondered about.

I wonder how I feel like I need to catch people up on things.

I wonder if anyone wants a penpal.

I wonder why everything is getting hectic again.

I wonder why I feel out of it. I need to get back in touch.

I wonder if I'll wonder later.

[tamiloo]

I wonder if KathyM knows that we will hold her during that day…then she can add us to her list of things that happened….such a good thing!!

I wonder why I promised my Olhipie that I would call my surgeon to get things moving toward that wonderful surgery. Probably because he didn’t like seeing me in so much pain…very painful weekend…Almost everything hurts to do anything.

I wonder if a Big Hug will be just the things to get things going?

[Alffe]

I wonder if KathyM forgot that this is the place to talk about whatever you are feeling.....

I wonder if KathyM remembers that we don't judge people on this forum..

I wonder if Kathy knows that I hear her frustration...that you feel passionately about mans inhumanity to man....

I wonder if Tammy knows how much empathy I have for her pain...and I pray that this surgery will help....gentle

I wonder all the time if doodys gd can get any cuter!!!

[who moi]

I wonder that the Emmit Till story still shocks me til this day. I have it on DVD...

but I do have wonder about not letting those that are racists take a hold on our psyches. That if we let them bother us, they win.
(not preaching to anyone, this is all my personal perspective )

I still think that we are getting stronger and better...nobody is saying that there aren't any schisms. But racism exists on all levels...I've seen it dished out from all sides...and just choose to ignore it...yes, it's easier said than done, but it CAN be done...

I wonder that I am really happy with where my frame of mind is at this point in my life overall...that I am not holding on to grudges anymore and just want to do whatever little I can to help make the world better...I know, tall order...

one small thing at the time...

and I wonder how lucky I am to have found a partner that is in sync with my thinking and so much better than I am...she gives so much on a DAILY basis, to all her patients...they truly benefit from her....

I wonder if you all will keep your fingers crossed for us....we made a huge decision today regarding something very important...

and it'll have huge impact on our family's lives...

((((hugs for the room))))

[Addy]

I wonder if Spanish Moss and Moi know they are in my thoughts (even tho I don't know what's happening, I want you to know I respect and care for you both dearly )

I wonder if I can admit I hear your anger dear ((((KathyM)))) as I have witnessed prejudice and judgement first hand when visiting various parts of the united states. Sadly, its everywhere in this world....

I wonder why I've never heard of listeriosis before.... there is a serious outbreak of it here in Canada (its a bacterial infection) and people have died... came from a very reputalbe meat company... their stocks have dropped drastically....

I wonder at how people handled these things in the days before the media....

I wonder if Scrabbley is all settled into her new home and now going crazy readying her life for school in the fall...

I wonder if I'll ever send out postcards to those I promised I'd send to....

I wonder if I'll ever see a light at the end of the cleaning tunnel... I'm still cleaning the home of a 95 year old spinster who was a hoarder.... I'm actually fascinated by the chore... and oh, what a chore it is!

I wonder at how cranky Librarians are.... and if they are cranky everywhere.....

I wonder if I'll be the BEST UN-cranky Librarian our library has ever hired?!!

I wonder at how adorable Grand-doody is.... cuter everytime I see him!

I wonder where our Lara is????????...........

I wonder at all the terrific support you all were/are when I told you of my reuniting with my estranged son..... baby steps....

Addy