Confederate Memorial Day, a personal viewpoint.

Today in South Carolina is Confederate Memorial Day. It is a day set aside in seven states, all of them Southern ones that are designed to honor fallen Confederate soldiers. I can't help but shake my head in wonder that a war in which well over 600,00 people perished, for a reason which essentially boiled down to government control, economics and ownership of human beings, is being remembered in such a way by only the states who found themselves the instigators and the ultimate losers of that war.

Slavery had always been mostly a southern matter as most northerners had given up on slavery by the Revolutionary war. One can remember indentured servants, which occurred prior to the Revolutionary war. These were people who went under contract for a set period of time, usually seven years, after which they were granted freedom from their indentured contract. That contract offered passage, food, clothing and shelter in exchange for work for the contract holder. Many Europeans chose this route as a passage to America and a chance at a new and better life.

 The folks who came to the US from Africa had no such option. They were forced to leave their homes, and were never given a time frame where they could have a chance to start life on their own. In both cases however life was very hard for the indentured servant or the slave. Their lives were not their own. They could be sold to new masters, could be punished, often violently so. Women had it especially hard. They had little rights because of gender, and were in danger of sexual violence of which they had little or no protection.

The practice of indentured servant hood gradually evolved into the practice of apprenticeship as the population grew. The need for trade skills grew in demand, and more families wanted their children to have an education. Apprenticeship was a method where people would go under contract to earn a trade and get at least some education.

Reading the history of the decades leading up to the tragedy called the civil war, one can quickly surmise that there was certainly a difference between the way the southern states ran their economy and the way the north did.

The attempt to end slavery in the US had begun with the abolitionist movement of the 1820's. The expansion period were several states and territories were added to the United States became a sticking point as Southern States wanted new states and territories to allow slavery. Missouri and Kansas were key hot points in that debate. In Kansas fighting broke out over the matter that lasted for three years as a result of something called The Missouri Compromise, which was enacted in an attempt to give states the ability to have popular sovereignty.

The political fragmentation of the Whig party which led to the birth of the Republican party was another factor as the parties split pretty much along geographical lines. The presidential election of 1860 was a key element to the secession of first South Carolina followed by Mississippi, Texas, Lousianna, Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Lincoln's inaugeration was May 4. The following month the war began and Virginia, North Carolina Arkansas and Tennessee joined the Southern end of what proved to be the opening rounds of the Civil War.

What is sad is that up to 75% of Southerners were not slave owners. Those that did own them were the more affluents citizens of the region. As slaves were an expensive commodity.  It was for their so called property rights that this conflict was largely for. 

It makes me shake my head in wonder at the pride that people still perpetuate over this tragedy. It is almost like a badge of honor, and I do wonder if many people really know the history of the conflict or of the decades leading up to. The South saw the collapse of their economy, the destruction of a great deal of property and the loss of lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals so that 25 to 30% of their population could own human beings. the power vacuum following the war invited unscrupulous people to delay a sound recovery, and the newly freed slaves found themselves displaced, without resources and often right back into a near slave existence. It took a long time to recover, and what is even sadder is that the anger, prejudice and hatred brought on by the Civil war has been handed down from generation to generation. We need to set that mindset of animosity aside for good here in the South.

 I think we need to remember our history here in the South, but I cannot romanticize it. The history of the South is rich, and glorious, but it has a lot of darkness in it as well. All human history has that. We should remember the people who fought and died in the Civil War. They are an important element in American history and their lives mattered to their families and friends. Did they have to have their lives cut short like that? Absolutely not. As happens so often in human history, a few with money and power has the capacity to make decisions that can have dreadful and tragic results for those with no power and little money. I hope that we can learn from the tragic lessons of that war so that our nation never has to endure something like that again.

Hello nebulizer

As I am writing this I have a machine hooked up. It is plugged into a wall socket at one end, and I have a mouthpiece at the other end. That mouthpiece is currently helping me inhale Alburterol into my lungs. Yes I have a nebulizer, or my own personal and completely legal bong. I hate the nebulizer, but I hate wheezing and asthma attacks worse. I have a high gag reflex so leaving a mouthpiece at my lips is a bad reflex just looking for an excuse to happen. I am not really all that fond of the  initial side effects of Albuterol either. The side effects are gittery, somewhat grumpy feelings and the desire to eat a bag of potato chips, followed by a strong desire for a nap. However the intended effects are usually worth the temporary discomfort.

For the past two weeks, this asthma sufferer has been well aware of the state of her lungs. I just am still not all that great at managing my symptoms. Mostly because my rescue inhaler is expensive, and I try to use it when I only when am having an active attack. I've had several of those in that time frame, plus a whole lot of wheezing going on. So I called my doctor's office. The nurse suggested daily doses of the Proventil from my rescue inhaler and at least one breathing treatment via legal bong. I will do that for the next couple of days to see if things clear up. I know the alternative is a trip to the doc, and a likely shot of a steriod designed to reduce lung inflammation. Shots are "fun".

So why have my asthma symptoms escalated? I've not sure. One reason may be the record pollen year we are having this spring. Another could be the fact that my work has me in contact with chemicals and aerosols for extended periods. A third is likely the air quality in my adopted city. Spartanburg scores an F for high ozone days and a C for particle content in our local air. i doubt I am the only person in this area feeling like I have. I hope that some steps are made to help improve the air quality here for my sake and for every other asthma sufferer. Plain old pollution may be playing a part. I just don't know, and just want it to go away.

I am quite thankful that I've been spared my usual cases of bronchitis or the springtime sinus infection this year. It may be that the allergy shots I've been on for the past two years are helping, at least with the allergies. the asthma is a different story. It's getting worse. It also preventing me from doing things like mow my lawn. Anyone want to do it for me this week?

So what's a wheezy gal to do? Well be a bit more assertive about my medications for one. Another is to try to pin down my episode triggers, hard to do when one doesn't have a sense of smell, but I suspect my work environment holds the key. I am worse there then anywhere else. The last is to take the steps necessary for a career change. That means a return to school, and time will tell if a new career path opens up before graduation several...years...away.

Ok, I am done with my breathing treatment now where are those potato chips?

say yes to the tax

Sorry, I just can't help but climb onto my political soapbox for this one.


The South Carolina legislature pass a tax increase in cigarettes last night, raising the tax by .50 cents a pack. That tax would still be lower then the national average, but it is a significant step.

Now I am of the mind that some South Carolinians will simply say "that's to much" and will give up smoking. Hopefully many do, as it is an activity that has a high potential for some serious life threatening diseases to the smoker. But realistically, that isn't likely to happen right away. So at least for the short term, this tax could represent an influx of new monies.

The bill hopes to help give funding to our state's Medic-aid program, which is in dire need of funding. Not too long ago, our budget shortfall threatened to make it possible to cut funding to our disabled citizens, which would have a terrible ripple effect. That proposal was tabled. It is possible that this pending tax bill was planned to help with that issue. Other proposals for the bill was to help with funding for agriculture and transportation issues, but they were removed to help spur the passage of the bill. It isn't a perfect solution, nor will it be a long term solution, but it is something that would help bring funding to one aspect of our state's budgeting needs. The bill passed.

Our governor has promised to veto the bill. His apparent reasoning is that we need an off-set tax in that bill someplace equal to the tax increase. Ok, this is where I scratch my head in wonder and say WHAT???

We are in a budget shortfall because our legislature and our governor has cut taxes and spent what used to be a budget surplus. They ignored the fact that economies have downturns and acted as if the sky was going to be sunny forever and there would never be a rainy day. Then the thunderstorm hit. All of a sudden people were getting laid off, and losing homes, stock portfolios took hits, and a whole lot of  South Carolinians signed up for unemployment and state assistance. That rainy day fund quickly went dry. Our elected officials in Columbia looked for ways to tweak their budget to stem the flow of money pouring out too quickly. They even took a little unpaid furlough. It is obvious that spending had to get under control, but that was only part of the solution.

SC depends on  taxes and fees to operate. We have a fairly low sales tax, lower for food, a lottery for which we get about .25 out of every dollar, lower property taxes on higher higher valued homes, the lowest cigarette tax in the nation. In all honesty there isn't much more that I can see where we can reduce the state's revenue stream. We get some funding from the feds for programs, but that only covers part of the state's needs. The rest must come from ourselves.

A few weeks ago I had emailed both my state representatives about the threatened cut to disability. The one response I got was honest, but still disappointing. They were hoping for yet received federal funding to help offset this crises. After speaking with people in other states, I realized that that funding was likely not forthcoming. We are a little more on our own when it comes to our state's citizens who are low income, or disabled and in need of healthcare.

Therefore I am appalled that our governor would even consider vetoing this matter. Cutting more taxes elsewhere fixes nothing, we need to start looking at ways of upping our state's income, as we also look for ways to operate smarter, and a bit leaner. Sorry to bust your bubble Mr. Sanford, but to make more money for our budget, you have to earn it. To earn it in government means a phrase you apparently find horrific...higher taxes. Yes, its an ugly combination, but it is right now a very necessary one. Sign the bill.

Futility and the pillow

Yes I know really strange blog title, but let me explain. My head rested on my pillow last night, but there was little snoring to be had on my part. Sleep was an effort in futility and my pillow was an up close and personal witness to that little fact. Lately I have not had much problems with missing sleep, thanks to a major life changes, but now and then insomnia rears its ugly head

I've dealt with insomnia for most of my adult life. Sometimes one of those little cogs in my brain will fixate on something, and like a hamster on an exercise wheel, will go round and round and round, with no destination or end in sight. I have to be very careful not to watch television or a movie too close to bedtime, especially if it is violent or there is a catchy tune in there somewhere. My brain will latch on to that with the tenacity of super glue, and I will lie awake half the night while I wait for my brain to stop running on that damned wheel. Trust me those catchy tunes are the worst, especially the ones from movies involving beleaguered princesses.

Sometimes, it in anticipation of an expected event, like a trip I am going to be taking, or something fun and personal, I have been working on achieving and it all comes together tomorrow. All that hyper, nervous energy just won't tamp down enough for me to do much more then toss and turn, all night. Did that just give you a certain Bobby Lewis song for your brain to chew on? Well it did me. Sorry about that, lack of sleep, makes my brain work in more then it's usual strange and mysterious ways.

Most of the time, my insomnia is due to stress, sudden or long term. Before I separated from my husband, insomnia was a common theme in my sleep patterns. I didn't realize until afterwards how the extreme negative environment of my relationship was affecting something as mundane as sleep, until a couple of months after we separated.  My sleep patterns had gotten so bad that I needed medication for a short time to reset things. Sudden stress episodes, especially the negative ones, will have me lying wide awake at 4 A.M. while my brain plays every possible scenario, with imagined dialog,  by the people involved in the situation, and no sure outcome from any of it. My overactive imagination takes full advantage of the situation. It is most frustrating.

This last is the reason I was up making coffee this morning at 4:30, having given up on getting any real sleep, and I am sitting here, still in my pajamas, wishing the coffee cup wouldn't empty so quickly. I had an unexpected and very unpleasant turn of events that happened yesterday that is all part of the whole nasty, let's get a divorce thing. Someone,  not sure quite yet who the real instigator is, tried to pull a fast one, even though I tried to make clear many things about this matter weeks in advance, so this very thing would not happen. It ended up being a very upsetting day without being able to resolve a single aspect of it till later this morning. That makes for the perfect setting for" Sylvie ain't getting a wink of sleep".

So all my friends and co-workers out there, please be patient with me today. I am a bit punchy, still grouchy, want a nap, that just isn't going to fit into my schedule, and am just hoping and praying, ( I do a lot of that these days) that all this goes away soon, and I can once again enjoy  6 to 8 hours of blissful sleep.

Sylvie is...a movie promoter

Amazing. A little over a year ago, I mention a particular brand of toilet paper in my Miss Mom Column over at The Spartanburg Spark. That begin an interesting journey, as I was eventually contacted by a marketing company connected to Procter and Gamble who owns several great brands that we all know and many of us use. I have been sent several items to try and review to my readers. Now I am have the opportunity to try something new.

I was sent a press release package from P &G today. They also tossed in a cute popcorn bowl and some microwave Orville and Redenbacher's popcorn. My movie loving kids will have that popped up and eaten in no time.

P&G have partnered with Walmart in an effort to bring more quality  entertainment options for families. They did a bit of research with the Association of National Advertisers Alliance for Family Entertainment, and discovered that parents are wanting something they can view together as a family. The first product of this new venture is a made for television movie named Secrets of the Mountain. It will air Friday, April 16 at 8/7c on the NBC network.

The film is part dealing with family dynamics and problems and part treasure hunting adventure. Think National Treasure with kids as the treasure hunters. At least that is what I got from the trailer that I was able to view. One key line, and a theme of the film is "Families don't run away, they run together".

This is not the first foray into television programming for P&G. They have sponsored or produced television shows for over 50 years. A partnership with the Walmart corporation hopefully will be a winner for the companies and for we the viewers.

Which brings me to this. I will not be able to watch the premier of Secrets of the Mountain because of a scheduling constraint, but you can. I would love your take on the film, and will post your views as a follow up. In addition I have an opportunity granted to me to give away a DVD of the film and the CD soundtrack produced by Randy Jackson. If you are interested, email me. I will hold a drawing, and then announce the winner. The will receive their price directly from P&G.  The soundtrack features a variety of new and established artists. That could be a nice addition to your family's entertainment collection, and is a advance before these are actually released sort of thing. Walmart will be selling both the DVD and the CD as a package later this year.

new look....again...sigh

Well it took a complete template redo, reload of certain elements and a little html tweaking to get the tracking to work on this here blog again. I only tried it about a half dozen times, before I got an email from Google, with instructions, to reset everything and where to put in the code I needed to get analytics working again.

Maybe one of my classes, when I go back to school this year should be on website design and maintenance. It is so easy to muck something up.

Oh reader, where art thou?

I use a program called Google Analytics to track the visits to this here website, and I was noticing a slow but upwards trend. Then something happened after the first of the year. Either the visit tracker is broken, or no one is visiting my blog anymore. I sure hope that it is the former and not the latter.

I know that someone is aware of my little blog and the things I discuss here, especially the spammers who are hoping that I am idiotic enough to publish their comment hawking some nefarious product no one really wants to buy. I get about one of those comment attempts every couple of weeks, usually for an older post.

It is discoveries like this one that makes me wonder if I am beating my head against a literary rock. I write to share with others, and I now wonder if I am wasting my time here. I know I can see more fruitful ground over at The Spark, and it was this little blog that helped me get my start there, but should I continue with Sylvie is a Blogger? Should I close the door here and open up another elsewhere? Or should I say chuck it all, and keep writing, even if I am the only one who ever reads this thing? At least I have a free place to store what ramblings I pen.