Excuse me while I go completely off for a minute.....

I'm embarrassed.

I posted these words on my FaceBook page not too long ago.

I went on to write the following.

I'm embarrassed to be in the same species, race and gender as someone who felt the need to forward a hateful e-mail comparing Michelle Obama to Cheetah (Tarzan and Jane).....

I'm embarrassed to be in the same group as the individual who commented 'this is the best one in a long time'...best what?  advertisement that you are racist, insensitive and lack any spirit of compassion whatsoever?

I'm embarrassed to find that in 2011 we are still a nation that is divisive and combative and stoops to the level of assault that was in this hateful e-mail and calls it humour.

I'm embarrassed that this individual, who also sends me God and Christian e-mail regularly, thinks that I am the kind of person who would find this remotely interesting.

'Nuff said, I'll save the rest for my blog.

So, I'm going to go off a while longer here, and I won't mind at all if you prefer to just close this window out and move on.  I'll put a nice recipe at the end for those of you who decide to read, (or just scroll down to the end and skip my tirade).

Because this morning, with a good night's sleep behind me and the dawn of a new day, I am STILL embarrassed.  ....and perplexed....and mortified....and damnit, I just don't get it!!!

The e-mail that was circulating around depicted pictures from the old Tarzan featuring Johnny Weissmuller and there were various photos and questions being asked of Tarzan with answers supposed to be in present day and down at the end it culminated in side by side pictures of Michelle Obama and Cheetah, the ape.  I was flabbergasted.  Obama supporter or not, this is just beyond any sense of decency.

And the girl that forwarded this to me is a Christian and references her god quite frequently.  I've received hateful e-mails like this before and have found it so odd that many are from Christians, although I don't appreciate them from anyone.  I asked someone I know who is a devout Christian about something similar to this once and she said "just because a person is a Christian, doesn't mean they're a good Christian.".  I thought she made an excellent point, but I'm thinking, in reference to this circumstance, how hard is it NOT to forward an e-mail???  Doesn't seem to take a huge amount of restraint, committment or fortitude.

I normally delete this garbage and move on, but in this case, I did respond to the sender and unequivocally told her not to send me this stuff any more.  I was reminded of the times in history, when with the silence of the onlookers (even in the last days of Christ himself!!!), their tacit consent was given to whatever atrocity of the day was taking place.  This is how it starts....we remain silent....we don't want to offend....we grant more respect to the perpetrator than they are giving to us and so the opportunity to affect a change is missed.    I may have hurt the sender's feelings with my reply, but I believe there will now be clarity on what my viewpoint is on this type of communication.  Possibly she may take a moment to assess, does she actually agree with the sentiment reflected in the e-mail, or is she just going along....does it reflect her Christian or humanitarian values, or is she just robotically hitting the forward button?  {Update:  Actually I grossly over-estimated my ability to affect a change....she sent me another, equally offensive e-mail just three days later <sigh>}.


Isn't this part of how we have gotten to the very sad state of affairs in this country with our school lunches, the subsidizing of farm factories, the subsidies of even tobacco until very recently?! 

My response to this e-mail became my 'line in the sand', my 'I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore' and my pebble thrown at the Goliath that has become human indecency and lack of compassion in our modern day world.  World peace?  How are we ever going to get there when we can't even mind our manners with e-mail!?

Ok, I think I'm done now.  If you've made it this far, I thank you for reading, and for thinking, and if you are thoughtful in your life and show compassion and consideration for others, I thank you very, very much.  We need all of the positive energy we can get in this world.

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Spaghetti and Vegan Meatballs
I found this recipe in the latest newsletter from Whole Foods. 
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/
I hope you are fortunate enough to have one of these wonderful stores nearby to you.  The closest one to us, is about an hour away, but I go there at least 3 times a month.  I think Whole Foods could be even more vegan-friendly than they already are, and I believe they have plans to expand their produce section even further, AND I would like to see the prices come down a bit, but they, along with Trader Joe's, make vegan and whole food cooking more doable.

(NOTE:  I altered the recipe a bit as it called for oil for sauteeing the onion/garlic and mushrooms).

1C chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 C roughly chopped cremini mushrooms
1 C packed baby spinach
1/2 C sunflower seeds
1 C black beans, rinsed and drained (divide in half)
2 t basil
1 t oregano
1 C brown riced, cooked
8 oz. spaghetti
Pasta sauce (25 oz)

Saute onion and garlic (in water) and cook til tender, about 5 mins.  Stir in mushrooms and spinach.  Cover and cook until mushrooms are tender and spinach wilts, about 5 mins.  (Add water as needed). 

Process, sunflower seeds (I just grind mine up in a coffee grinder solely used for nuts/seeds), until coarsely ground.  Add cooked vegetable mixtures, half the beans, spices.  Pulse until mixture is just coming together.  In large bowl, combine pureed mixture, remaining beans and rice,  Stir til combined.

Preheat oven 350.  Form mix into 1-2" balls and transfer to baking sheet (I use parchment paper with the eeniest bit of oil possible...we're talking drops here).  Bake veggieballs 30 mins or until heated through and crisp on the outside.  In the meantime, cook pasta and heat sauce.  Combine pasta and sauce and add veggie balls being careful not to break apart.


The squeaky wheel may not always get the grease, but the silent one never does.
Sue, squeaking, in Ohio