Weblog

Saturday, 25 April 2009

  • The Case of Roxana Saberi

    Hilary Clinton is talking about it. President Obama is talking about it. Even Jesse Jackson is talking about it. It has been a headline on the scroll bar for CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. It has been one of the top headlines on homepages of Yahoo, Hotmail, and AOL. Unless you have been purposely avoiding it, I am sure you know who Roxana Saberi is. In case you don't, she is an Iranian-American journalist, living in Iran, that was recently arrested and tried on charges of spying and sentenced to prison for eight years. This has sent waves of outrage through the United States about unfair treatment, unfair trial, and sympathy for Ms. Saberi.

    I'm sorry, but I am of a different point-of-view.

    Ms. Saberi had a career in newspaper and television before she decided that she was going to go Iran to study and work on a book about the Iranian people and culture. Since her father was born in Iran, she has Iranian citizenship. While in Iran, she became a freelance reporter for such agencies as NPR and BBC. In 2006, her press credentials were stripped from her, however she continued to report for those agencies. She was finishing up her work on her book there and planned to return to the United States later this year when she was arrested. Initially, she told her father that she was arrested for purchasing wine, something illegal in Islamic countries. The news came out, however, that she was arrested for reporting without government press credentials. And then when she was charged, it was because of spying. She was charged to eight years, unprecedented for an Iranian journalist. She has now begun a hunger strike until she is released.

    As a journalist, there are many things with this story that don't sit well with me, based on facts that I know to be true about the job, particularly when reporting from a foreign country. As someone that can hold dual citizenship with another country, there are things that don't sit well with me. Again, things that I know be true. Finally, as someone who has actually traveled in the Middle East and has been to Islamic countries, there are even more things that don't sit well for me.

    • 1. She was reporting without proper press credentials in a government not known for fairness. When you are in a foreign country reporting,  you respect their rules and regulations. If they tell you to give them the tape, you give them the tape. If they tell you that you cannot report from a certain location, you do not report from that location. If they take your press credentials away, despite who you may be freelancing for, you become an every day citizen and not a member of the press.
    • 2. Because both of my parents are immigrants, I can hold dual citizenship in two other countries: Ireland and England. In my research on holding dual citizenship, which includes speaking with government officials of these countries and exchanges with others who also hold dual citizenship, one thing I know to be true is if I go to that country, I am a citizen of that country. My ignorance to their laws and their regulations is not excused because I am an American. Ireland and England are not nearly as oppressive as Iran, I know this, however the same holds true. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
    • 3. The year after 9/11, I traveled to the Mid East with a research group studying the affects that living in an Islamic country had on women's perception of themselves. It was one of the most enlightening experiences of my lifetime and one that I am forever grateful for. You see, as Americans, we often think our way is the only way, but being around other cultures and religions, it made me see that as much as we think our way is the only way, others think the same thing. While there, I knew what the risks were. Besides knowing what the risks were, I also knew what rules I needed to follow because I was in their country. They are very strict on dress code, on recreational activity, and on the woman's role in those areas. I was there for a few weeks. Ms. Saberi has been living there for several years. She knew that buying wine was illegal. She knew that reporting without press credentials was illegal. She showed disregard for their laws.

    As an American, I would expect an Iranian visitor to be held to our laws. I would expect a Mexican visitor to be held to our laws. I would expect a Canadian  visitor to be held to our laws. You all would, too. They are our laws and in place for a reason. I would expect even more from someone who is a citizen of this country, and unfortunately, in this country, when you don't follow that laws, you get sent to jail or prison. In some jails, like Orleans Parish Prison, people die there. Guards beat the inmates. In Guantanimo Bay, prisoners were waterboarded. That's also all over the news. The arguments about her being an American mean nothing to me, because she is also an Iranian. The arguments about her simply buying wine mean nothing to me, as it is illegal in Islamic countries. The arguments about her reporting mean nothing to me, because she was reporting illegally. The arguments about what may happen to her in prison over there mean nothing to me, because our own prisons contain much of the same thing and we have treated inmates from other countries nearly as bad.

    I would also like to point out that she confessed to charges of espionage. Some say she was tricked into it. Some say she only told the Iranians what they wanted to hear so she would be released. Understand that most journalists that have been arrested there have been held a few days and then released without formal charges being placed upon them. This case is very different than the other ones.

    In some countries, when you report on the government without having their permission to do so, that is considered spying. And if that is the definition that Iran uses, then she is indeed guilty of the crime she is being charged with.

    The bottom line is that actions of a very foolish girl put her in the position that she is in. Her professor spoke to her about the dangers of going to a country like Iran before she left and she understand and accepted them. She told her father on many occasions that she knew she was being watched and listened to, yet she continued to report without credentials and then purchased wine, giving them a reason to arrest her. While under their care, she lied about her involvement to be released. The fact that Iran is treating this so much differently than other journalist leads me to believe that where there is smoke, there is fire. One could argue that they are trying to push President Obama to see exactly how far he will go, however, why has this not happened with the change of every president since our problems with Iran have started?

    The other side of the story, and you can put as much worth into this as you want, deals with the book she was writing. There are many in the journalistic world that believe that she was arrested for buying wine purposefully to include information about the Iranian prison system in her book. Some say she was a highly intelligent woman that knew she was being watched, and since journalist haven't even been brought to trial in that country before, perhaps she thought a few days would give her insight and make a rather sensational platform for her book, not only on content but also on sales. Us media types are douche bags and have been known to do far crazier things than that for a story.

    Ultimately, though, I do not think that the United States should be getting as involved in this as they are. This deals with international law and it deals with citizenship. The US Constitution doesn't fold up and sit nicely in your passport. Especially when you are considered a citizen of another country and intentionally break their rules.

    Sorry, Roxana, but I am under the belief that you did break Iranian law, that you are guilty, and that any hunger strike you may be on is futile.



Tuesday, 21 April 2009

  • Converting, Reading, and Misc. Going-Ons

    Converting

    For quite some time, I have been exploring different religions and trying to figure out what I believe and what makes sense to me.  I've read, I've researched, and I have talked to people of various religious backgrounds - both lay persons and those working in the church. I meditated on it. I wrote my thoughts down again. I have come to the conclusion that I am going to convert and become a member of the Catholic Church.

    Why the Catholic church? It is the only thing that really makes sense to me from a historical point-of-view, an analytical point-of-view, and most importantly a spiritual point-of-view. Having grown up rather irreligious, during my journey and my quest to find what I believe in and what makes sense to me, the only time I have really felt close to God is during my inquiry of the Catholic church - sitting in Mass, talking to others.

    My father is Catholic. Irish Catholic. From Ireland. He came to this country when he was a small child. He married my mother who was Church of England and that resulted in a home free of religion. I was baptized Catholic, but that is where my Catholic upbringing ended, except my dad's various comments throughout my life. I spoke with my father about it. One of his biggest regrets is leaving his faith behind. It was one of the most honest conversations I have had with my father. I liked that.


    Reading

    Right now I am reading The Poisonwood  Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. It is about a Reformed Baptist minister and his family going to the Congo to be missionaries in the very early 1960's.  I am about a quarter into it and it is a very, very compelling book. I highly recommend it. The very interesting thing about the book is that it is written in the perspective of the minister's wife and his four daughters, each with a distinct voice, but never interupting the flow of the story. Very well written.

    I just finished reading She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. I highly recommend that book, too. The story is written from a woman's point-of-view so well that I had to make sure it was actually a man writing it. Very, very god.

    Misc. Going-Ons

    We have adjusted well to our new home and our new community. I love it here.

    I am incredibly sad about the increased violence in New Orleans. It breaks my heart to see that happen to such a wonderful city.

    Have been doing the Wii Fit at least once a day, no matter how much pain I am in.

    That's about it :)


Monday, 06 April 2009

  • Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware

    One of the things that I actually do like about moving is being able to take an inventory of things that you have, things that you need, and things that you just plain want. For me, being the ever-exciting person that I am, that means getting new cookware. While packing and unpacking, I noticed that my kitchen was missing a very important staple for any meat-loving carnivore - the cast iron skillet. Since I was a child up in Wisconsin, the cast iron skillet meant fresh venison, steak, or pork. It mean good food with unique flavors. It mean generations of my family sharing, as my mother's cast iron skillet was passed from my grandmother, who purchased it when she first arrived in the United States and fed my father's family with it.

    Did you know, though, that when you buy a new cast iron skillet or dutch oven, you should season it? Why? Seasoning prevents the iron from interacting with food, prevents rusting, and creates a natural non-stick surface to cook on. Cast iron pots and pans will last a lifetime if properly taken care of and seasoning the skillet or dutch oven is just one way to make sure you get all the use out of it that you can.

    To season cast iron, first wash and try the pan well. Place the pan over low heat to insure that all of the moisture has been released from the porous surface. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees and cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. After the dutch over or pan is completely dry, coat the pan with vegetable oil. DO NOT use butter or shortening as they are saturated fats and can create a nasty stench during storage. After the whole skillet or dutch oven - inside and out - is coated in vegetable oil, place upside down on the cookie sheet and in the oven for 1 hour. After that hour, turn off the heat and let it sit in the oven with the door closed until the oven and the skillet or dutch oven completely cool. This can take a few hours. After all is completely cooled, remove and wipe with a paper towel and your iron skillet has been seasoned!

    If you begin to notice a metallic taste when cooking, it is possible that your cast iron is rusting. This happens when pans are not properly seasoned, dried, or are allowed to sit in water and soak. If you find this happening, a good washing and seasoning should clear the problem up.

  • How We Homeschool

    In the middle of February, after observing the final straw that broke the camel's back in a long series of unfortunate events, I pulled Cleo out of her public school in New Orleans, put in my resignation at the same school, and began homeschooling her. There are many reasons why this decision was made in her best interest, but the primary ones were the harassment she was receiving because of her race (she's white), what the learning environment was becoming, and the course work was at a much lower level than she was used to working at. These are a few of the reasons, but not all.

    I wasn't worried about my ability to teach Cleo. I'm no dummy (4.0 GPA from University of Wisconsin thank you very much) and my husband has the most brilliant mind ever and is quite accomplished academically, having his undergrad degree in Psychology and English. He went on to get his law degree from Hamline, a pretty tough law program. He and I balance each other out with our strength and weaknesses and together really are a dynamic duo. Add in the mix a little girl that is eight but works at a fifth grade level without the pressure to perform and there is nothing that the three of us cannot do.

    The biggest obstacle was deciding exactly how we were going to homeschool. There are so many different methods. After deciding the method that would work best for Cleo, we needed to figure out which curriculum would work best. There are a lot of them, let me tell you. We decided for Cleo that the best method was the eclectic method, which takes an element from each method.  Curriculum was another story. I purchased a few used text books from E-Bay. I also purchased a comprehensive curriculum from Borders. I looked online and found a program called Time4Learning which had interactive lessons on line based on the core curriculum of math, language arts, language arts extension, science, and social studies. Taking a little bit of each of these things makes up our curriculum for this year, though next year we have a complete curriculum that was given to me from a friend of mine from childhood who homeschools her children.

    So, how do we home school?

    I found that with Cleo, trying to do a it of everything each day didn't work, particularly when she was very interested in a certain subject. I also found that although she excels greatly in almost all subjects, math is an area that she has fallen behind on, even though she was getting A's in math on her report card.  To accommodate Emily and how she learns, we have broken school up in a one subject/per day format. Almost

    Monday - Language Arts/Music (violin lessons are on Monday)
    Tuesday - Math
    Wednesday - Science/Art
    Thursday - Social Studies
    Friday - Math

    She has PE throughout the week.

    What about socialization?

    Homeschooling is a very common thing where I live in Louisiana. It is so common that there are ten homeschool groups in the area. The largest homeschool group is a secular group that plans weekly field trips, has weekly gym classes, a science club, and weekly family fun nights. Socialization is definitely not a problem and she is around a much better group of peer models than she was in public school in New Orleans.

    Additionally, we do a lot of cool things together as a family we weren't able to do before because of the hours my husband works. We have much more family time together, which is very important to me.

    Each homeschooler has their way of doing things. This is what works for us.

Sunday, 05 April 2009

  • Child, Not A Baby

    After being bombarded with the news of Madonna's Malawi adoption plans being thwarted over the weekend, I have to confess, I am growing quite tired of all of the overseas adoptions that are taking place, particularly those done by celebrities who mark themselves as being some sort of gateway into goodness for saving these poor children from these poor conditions - blah, blah, blah.

    Does anyone have an idea how many children are in the foster system in the United States? Over half-of-a-million. Kids that are thrown from home-to-home, center-to-center, and sometimes used as pawns for extra monthly income and an additional pair of hands to man the farm, do the chores, or take care of business. These are kids who, from birth, were set up to fail either do to financial circumstances, lack of parenting skills, irresponsibility of those put in their charge, drug addictions, and a plethora of other socioeconomic reasons or excuses - depending on how you look at it and who you talk to.

    These are the kids that the system just drops at eighteen, prepared or not, for life. These are the kids that end up homeless. These are the kids that end up in jail. These are the kids that have never had a solid foundation in family. They may be kids, not babies, but they still have value and worth -- though I suppose it is hard to feel that way when no one has loved you enough to stay in your life.

    So, why doesn't Madonna, in all her wealth and matronly need, adopt one of THESE kids. If Brad and Angelina are so concerned about New Orleans (good Lord, I have grown to hate the two as a New Orleanian) why don't they adopt one of the many kids that are being left behind to go onto a life of crime there? Instead of building houses there (that will just end up flooding and that are driving the lower class out of their own neighborhood - and are ugly to boot) why not donate all of that money and time to saving some of these kids?

    Instead of trying to adopt that baby from China or Malawi or Russia or anywhere else, why not adopt a child here? A child that really needs someone.

    Oh, I know why. Because they are a child, not a baby.

Misadventures of the Swamp Momster

  • First Name: Swamp Momster
  • Birthdate: 8/31/1976
  • Gender: Female
  • About Me: There are so many different facets to my personality and I am a little bit of everything, mixed up, and packed into one. I love to laugh. I am sarcastic. I am smart. I am strong. I am a writer and am blessed to do so for a living. I love literature, movies, and anything dealing with the creative arts. I enjoy politics. I am the mother of three amazing children, one having Asperger Syndrome. I have escaped an abusive marriage to find real love and my Lloyd Dobler. I am going through an emotional custody battle. I am originally from the North and decided to pack up my life in a car and head South and start my life all over again. Most of all, I am happy. Moved from the city to the swamp and now I am making my life simple, living with grace.