The Actor- an Education (for whom) and 3%

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. And as I often do, I witness in front of PP.   PP is an ugly, dirty building at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and Smithfield Street in downtown Pittsburgh.  PP locates in urban areas- on purpose.  They want bus routes near by their establishments or easy access.

As my fellow advocates and I were standing there, a older man got out of a car.  He yelled at my friend that we should be protesting up in Oakland (at a park I read later) against the war.  My mind flashed back to Vietnam.  I was wondering which war was under protest.  I googled the information later and found out it was a protest against the defense budget.  This bit of knowledge made the comments I suggested even more prophetic.

I asked the man, as he tried to open the theater door a few feet from where I was standing, if he wanted a resource card.  He went off on me too.. telling me if I were really pro-life, I would be at the protest. I told him I am pro-life and have chosen the right to life as my advocacy.  He told me I should be protesting the war and the death penalty and that woman have the right to do whatever they want with their bodies.  (The law would not agree. Try injecting yourself with heroin. The law would have plenty to say and I bet he would too.)

Well-  I am glad you mentioned the death penalty I told him as he still struggled to get into the door. It is a local theater.  He is one of the actors.  I know he is an actor because I asked him why he wasn't at the protest.  He said he couldn't go because he had to work- he is an actor.  Oh good, an actor who is working.  He didn't know that I was going to my work after my time on the sidewalk.  He didn't care.  He didn't ask what I do for work nor why I stand and take time to advocate for non-violent choices to abortion.

I was glad he mentioned the death penalty.  I was able to tell him I did help change the law in NJ.  I got off a proverbial fence that so many sit on and wrote my representatives.  I told them how I was found "guilty" of "incompetence" as a teacher.  I told them how I should have had all the rights afforded me but my rights were violated.  I told them how easy it was for people to lie and the evidence ignored.  I told them I was a white woman in my 40's at the time and had the so called backing of a union.  I told them I think everyone has a chance to change.. even if it means life in prison,  as I am for justice.  I told them my story.  My representatives thanked me.   ....An injustice for one so to speak. 

I didn't say all that to the man..just the part of the advocating for change but I did tell him the law was changed, but not long after that my friend's son ended up on death row (Pennsylvania).  He was found guilty by a judge of the deaths of  three women and a child.  Abortion factored into the whole scenario for that man.  He paid for one of the dead women to have an abortion not long before he murdered the woman, her sister and the little girl.  (The third adult victim had been from years before.)  On a side note,  there was no fair trial by a jury of his peers for the man.

Not knowing at the time of our brief encounter that the protest was on the defense budget, I asked him if he was against war, how did he feel about 3% of PP financial success being from abortion.  He didn't answer.  I asked again.  The door still did not open and neither did he respond.  Babies die in abortion. If it was the woman's body that would definitely die, she may make a more non-violent choice.   Women do regret their choices for their bodies after the abortion.  And they mourn the death of the child.

Then since he was concerned that others should protest against the war,  I pointed out that during the Vietnam War, Dow Chemical (called baby killers back then) manufactured napalm. It was only 1% of their business but they were called baby killers.   The actor could not do the math it seems.  But I did know someone years ago who did.  I met him as my neighbor in O.C., NJ.  He was a biology teacher at Holy Spirit High School.  He had worked for Dow Chemical when he first got out of college, but he quit, he told me, because of the napalm.

If you have a problem with deaths caused by war, how can you possibly accept the death of an unborn child with the lame and false reasoning that women have a right to do whatever they want to choose with their bodies.   Try drinking out of a plastic straw (thrown in for good measure this morning) in some cities.  Try getting an opioid today without a check of a state database.  Try hugging a student in a classroom- male or female.

The righteous anti-war protester who wasn't going to the protest because he had to work -  didn't answer any of my questions.  He wouldn't even answer the name of the play in which he was performing.  The door finally opened when another actor, who smiled at us, came along.  He must have had the magic to open the door.

I include the definition of hypocrisy here: from Google: the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense.

We can all be hypocritical, it is true. But regarding the turtle,

 "Behold the turtle, he makes progress only when he sticks his neck out." When you are willing to stick your neck out to educate others, make sure the closets are open and cleaned out.

Aborted babies are stuck between the hypocrisy of political correctness.   

If only it were the woman's body, but a baby's body has different DNA and blood supply.  A male child is carried in utero.  A woman does not have a  penis unless it is made of plastic or some other fake material.

All the world's a stage.. some are actors.

Marian R. Carlino

August 26, 2018

Janet and Nellie- an Education Part 2

I decided to walk along side streets as part of my walk home from the bus stop yesterday.  I had to stay on the main street for my walking and eating tour for the night.  After I bought the main course at a Burgher's place- play on words is their idea, I carried my first bag of goodies and took the side street.  This area of Pittsburgh is eclectic, trendy now, and full of history.  I remember the general area from years ago.  Ross' cousin, a member of a religious order, lived for a time in this section.  We would visit her when we were just married and living in Indiana, Pa.  Lawrenceville has many old churches, most closed now.

But people have re-invested in Lawrenceville and for several years now, it has had a rebirth.  People investing in their neighborhoods or strangers coming in and investing in the neighborhood is good.  Pittsburghers know how to do that.

As I was making my way back up to the main street, as the river walk will be for another time, I journeyed through a new apartment complex.  I have seen the progress of it because from my seat on the bus, I have watched. For the last few summers I have vacationed in this part of Pittsburgh- which I mean sincerely.

I met Janet and her dog Nellie.  We came close enough in contact to exchange greetings.  Then I said I liked the stone fence and took a picture of it.  She took a seat near where I was standing and started talking.  I learned several things about the section of Pittsburgh in the 10 minute conversation.  The section is called Arsenal and with good reason.  She told me when they were building the complex in which we were standing, they found canon balls in the ground.  Pittsburgh is surrounded by rivers.  It would make sense that during the wars it be would be a site for all sorts of manufacturing.

A high school is across the street.  The first floor of the building in front of which we were standing remains empty. A brewery type establishment was to be licensed to operate in it.  But, the neighbors got together to fight it because the high school was across the street.  For a variety of reasons, the idea was not a good one.  I hope something opens in the space for all to enjoy.

Some of the old industrial buildings are being re-purposed.  Janet said around the corner from where we were standing is a high tech business. Janet pointed to where Uber has a presence in Lawrenceville. - in the Arsenal section.  Small eating establishments, small stores like antique shops (met the owner of one tonight- we talked!) and dress shops make up a huge part of the area.  There is new construction for the Fransicans' order.   Several tatoo parlors will paint your arms  and what ever else.   Bowling has not gone out of style here.  Carnegie Mellon University, which has its main campus in Oakland, also has a part to play in the revitalization of the area.

Janet was born and raised in Lawrenceville. I told her I love the section of Pittsburgh and enjoy coming every summer to live.  As we discussed different topics related to the neighborhood, Nellie sat and listened.  I bet she would have a thing or two to say too if she could speak.

I told Janet that I always wanted to see Paris.   In a local book store here in Lawrenceville, I found  a book titled, Pittsburgh, Paris of Appalachia.   I live in Paris.   So does she!

My first summer in Pittsburgh, my daughter and I watched the fireworks at Arsenal Park- food was involved!!

Janet,  with Nellie, and I with my bag of treats for the main dinner course, went in separate directions as our conversation ended.  My life is a little richer after having met Janet and Nellie.

Marian R. Carlino
August 26, 2018

The Pink Straw and an Education

I had a most delicious milkshake from a new place of business last night.  The sweet smell of waffle cones being made drew me in. I conversed with the owner of the new establishment while the specialty shake was being made.  I learned a little about him and he learned a little about me. Our conversation was friendly, open and honest while remaining pedestrian.  Our accents determined that neither one of us were native of Pittsburgh.  I am a Jersey girl and he is from Turkey.  I asked how long the store had been open.  He said eight days.  So theoretically, I was one of his first customers.  Two younger people made the shake.  I went with the strawberry cheesecake this time!

The sign outside advertised "we have Penn State ice cream".  I joked that they needed a sign for Pitt ice cream also.  The owner educated me.  He said there is a creamery in the Penn State area that makes the ice cream. It is quite famous.  I did not know that.  I later googled the information.  Very true.  Penn State alumni would know that.

We joked about the rivalry and the selling aspect of sweet smells as one passes by. 

We connected over a sweet smell.  I drank my milkshake out of a wide pink straw while I walked along the main street.   The large pieces of strawberries could be sucked right up out of the creamy cheesecake shake.  When I got home I used that straw as a spoon to get every last drop of cream and topping that would not make its way through the straw. 

The large, pink, plastic straw- a happy color choice for a business to use.  Paper would not have worked.

Thanks FRIO creamery!!

I will have to walk a little longer today,  but my life is a little richer today because of that sweet smell and a conversation.



Marian R. Carlino
August 26, 2018

They called it Amish Grace-and a 13 year old girl named Marian

The day it happened, one of my close friends texted me, that she wanted to take the kids and get away from the ugliness of this world.  I hadn't seen the news so I didn't know the reference at that point.  How does one explain a massacre at a quiet school setting in the Amish countryside? If one has never been to the Lancaster County area of Pennsylvania, one would not know that two cultures exist- side by side.  Hustling and bustling, yet overall peaceful.

When my children were young, my family visited the area and I have driven through it many times.  I often wondered how the Amish could live side by side with the tourist areas.  Of course, part of that tourist money is their livelihood.  I like city sidewalks and the hustle and bustle of city life, but there was an appealing aspect of the quieter side.  Living simply and with family.  Possible but not tried by many these days.

So in 2006, when the international news broke that a quiet setting in Lancaster, Pa was torn apart, the news was shocking.   The linked article gives some explanation as to why the homicidal/suicidal man took the lives of young children, then his own.   It is an interesting read.

The name Marian comes up in the article.
" When the state police arrived, Roberts ordered them to leave the property or he would shoot. He told the girls, “I’m going to make you pay for my daughter.” One of the girls, 13-year old Marian, said, “Shoot me first.” Roberts began shooting each of the girls before finally shooting himself. When the police broke in to the school, two of the girls, including Marian, were dead. Naomi Rose died in the arms of a state trooper."

The teacher's response is interesting:

"When the young teacher saw his guns, she and her mother left the other adults with the children and ran to a nearby house for help. A call was made to 911."

The Amish community of Nickel Mines has been given much credit with offering forgiveness. They offered forgiveness to the man's family. But being human, they can not escape the stages of grief. The Amish also are a community who shun people in their own faith practice, so in this circumstance, the murderer was not one of their own community of believers. The murderer was a vengeful man who hated God.  He would be in jail today if he had not committed suicide.

At Nickle Mines,  the message that day per the article:
"On the blackboard was a sign with a teddy bear. The sign read “Visitors Bubble Up Our Days”. One revenge minded visitor destroyed it.

I don't agree with the white washing of history, so I have always argued the point that the school districts which have experienced the school massacres or have had any type of violence occur, then try to explain it away, are part of the problem and not part of the solution. Columbine and Parkland, Florida (the name of the high school at Parkland is conveniently not the household name that Columbine is) have been the best examples.  The schools experienced the same type of tragedy-20 years apart- of having huge problems explode on the national scene. The Columbine killers real dream was to have the school explode.

None of the families have sought vengeance. The families want answers, but they have offered forgiveness as well. Seeking the truth is not about vengeance. I do feel that grace has been shown in many, if not all, of the families which have experienced the tragedies. If grace is what we need after a tragedy, let's try to put grace into effect, in order to prevent one.  Those who march after a death and block sidewalks and roadways could learn a thing or two as well from the grace of the Amish. 

On a scale of justice, violence begets violence.. and no justice will prevail.


Amish School shooting                          YouTube video     The mother of the 32 year old killer speaks

The wife of the Nickle Mines killer   The mother took a fetal position.....

Why should you care?  Another school year has started.

Marian R. Carlino

August 11, 2018