A Month of Activism

I turn 41 tomorrow. I tend to view the entire month of March as one big birthday celebration so that if the actual day of my birthday has me preoccupied with things "unbirthday-like" then I needn't feel bummed. Some people insist that if they don't get a birthday greeting on their day then obviously people have forgotten. Too constricting if you ask me and doesn't allow for the occasional flub which we humans are so prone to.

I had planned on starting my birthday month out by attending a talk on New Mexico's contribution to monster folklore, the Chupacabra, but switched plans when I learned about a meeting for unemployed folks being sponsored by Working America. I knew nothing about this organisation (turns out they are a community affiliate of the AFL-CIO) but figured meeting with other unemployed folk as well as those seeking to help us with resume/cover letter writing, credit repair, etc. was probably a better opportunity. I suppose I could of still networked to some degree with others curious about mythology and life beyond our meek little planet but in the end the desire to converse with people who might be able to help me figure out how to find a job was just a little bit more powerful.

Now I'll admit that I didn't get as much assistance with my resumes and cover letters as I had hoped. Too many people needing help+too few people to help+too little time. But I did make new connections in the community and learned about a rally, in support of labor rights, occurring in the capitol, Santa Fe, that coming weekend. I'd already attended a previous rally for health care on the 25th of February and had found it very enlightening and invigorating so I decided to join-up for this one as well.

With each new event I attend I get to meet more people who are as concerned about the abysmal state of health care in this country for the poor and the ever-eroding ability of people to find a job or pay the bills with the job they currently have. I've never belonged to a union but I will say that they are a vital part of this country, a sort of checks-and-balances necessity. They aren't perfect and yes there have been abuses as there is in any organisation. But that doesn't mean we don't need unions or that Obama's health care plan should be repealed. How about we try to fix things instead of gutting the program or killing it outright? It's bad enough that as a society we no longer fix our appliances, opting instead to "just go by a new one" cause it'll be cheaper. Let's not affix the label of Disposable Society to our government and citizens too.


The New Mexico legislature has wrapped-up it's 2011 session without much getting accomplished, leaving hundreds of bills that never got a chance to be heard including SJR5, a resolution we had wanted placed on the November ballot for New Mexican voters to decide on whether they wanted the state constitution to acknowledge health care as a fundamental human right of all residents. A simple request, if you ask me and one that will not be silenced.

"Read My Mind" The Killers