Transplanted Facebook Rants
One thing about Facebook is that people I know consistently make status updates, or comments to my status updates, that tempt me to go on a rather lengthy "rant". Not necessarily a bad or evil rant, but a discussion on a topic I feel passionately about. The other thing about Facebook is that it's pretty shitty for archiving interesting thoughts or rants you have, as everything gets pushed back daily and then there's no way to easily find certain posts again. :P So I've decided, if I can find them all again, to post a few of my recent "rants" on Facebook here, because I feel I made good points on my viewpoint of the topic and I'd like to be able to look back on them later and see if I still agree, or if I have stuff to add. Also, some of you might have interesting things to throw into the discussion, if you feel so inclined. ;)
So here they are:
Facebook Rant #3: Wild Mustangs and the Closing of US Horse Slaughterhouses
SUMMARY: The BLM is not mistreating mustangs and are doing everything they can with limited resources, money, staff, time, and laws. Closing US horse slaughterhouses was a TERRIBLE idea and always was, and was passed by people who were obviously not involved in the horse industry.
DATE: January 14th, 2010
MY STATUS UPDATE: Really getting tired of seeing the "Stop Wild Horse Roundups" page advertised on my right column. The BLM is full of AMAZING people working VERY hard to control the mustang population. DO YOUR RESEARCH PEOPLE! If you had, the US horse slaughterhouses never would have been shut down, and horses everywhere (including mustangs) would be much better off!
Yah, it sounds harsh, but it's absolutely true. The slaughterhouses were part of a much larger system that is now broken and swiftly worsening as the entire horse industry heirarchy falls apart. I was asked the ethical question about horse slaughterhouses in COLLEGE. I did my research and came to the conclusion that if anything was really needed for those places, it was better patrolling and enforcement of the USDA regulations - since we don't eat horses here, the regs tended to get bent more often. So fix THAT, don't make a whole nother MESS of problems by shutting them all down! Now, thanks to people who obviously were not serious horse owners (otherwise they would have known the consequences, as I did), I have to worry about my horse getting taken out of the pasture, tied up to a tree across the road, and butchered for black market horse meat. (Yes that's a true story, happened to some poor lady's paint horse a few weeks ago!! :( )
Thanks people. Thanks alot.
January 14 at 4:17pm · S: Thank you for the info. Many people would be unaware of all the aspects involved.
January 14 at 5:12pm · L: amen Jeni!!!! now horses are starving cause no one wants them, and they are not valuable and many can't even be given away because no one wants them
January 14 at 5:13pm · N: Indeed, the black market is alive and well now. :(
January 14 at 9:04pm · P: I wish the horses could be left alone to survive or not, as they would. I hate for so many mustangs to be in BLM holding facilities for years.
January 15 at 8:07am · Me: Sandy - Yes it's true. Most people's first instinct is to think "Of course shut them down!" but they don't take the time to look at the horse industry as a whole or take into consideration how that motion would effect EVERYTHING else. Realistically, if someone eats beef, chicken, or pork, they should have nothing against horse slaughterhouses. It's all the same. But in America we like to put our animals into different catagories and then think certain animals should be handled differently based on those catagories. The people who get that stuff passed are the people who don't have to deal with the consequences. To them, everything is a-okay right now. They are completely unaware of the black market horse meat industry that's now growing, the thousands of starving and unwanted horses being abandoned in the middle of towns and parks, the increased difficulty now of adopting out the thousands of mustangs in holding pens (cuz people can't even get rid of their specifically bred and trained horses now), or the fact that the horses that are still being taken to Mexico and Canada for slaughter are now having to undergo even longer, more difficult, more uncomfortable journeys to get there. :S It's all a horrible mess, but you never hear about all that.... just about how "bad" those slaughterhouses are. Argh.
January 15 at 11:20am · ME: L, N, and P - Agree with all of you.
To solve the problem for real, we would need a way not of preventing horse slaughter for meat export, but a way of preventing any random horse owner from having their stallion/mare bred. Everywhere you turn there's people breeding horses of some kind, and most of them don't know what they're doing, either. :S So then we get even more horses filling up a space that's already too full, horses of questionable confirmation, attitude, and bloodline, horses which end up milling about in no-man's land, because nobody wants them... even before the slaughter houses shut down!
And THEN there should be more incentive for adopting mustangs. The BLM is already trying super hard, and they've souped up their efforts this past year. There is now a Mustang Makeover almsot every month in some part of the US. After seeing these horses up close and personal, I can personally say they are literally the smartest and most amazing horse I've ever met. I would recommend a mustang over any other breed any day. The more exposure these horses get, the better.
So, if someone really wanted to help the horse situation, they should let the slaughter houses be reopened, NOT have their stallion or mare bred EVER, stop buying their horses from breeders, and only adopt mustangs from then on. Not to mention should probably volunteer some time or money to the BLM or some horse rescue foundation. I know my next horse will be a mustang, that's for sure!!! :)
P - that would be ideal if they could just be totally left alone. Unfortunately I think that's near impossible with people wanting to build their freakin' communities on every square inch of land available. Though I did read there's something that might pass that will give them like 19 million more acres or something? That would be nice!
January 15 at 11:34am · S: And isn't another piece of this complicated issue that the natural predators have been removed from the wild?
January 15 at 12:29pm · L: As you know I have had mustangs for quite a while and agree with you on the intelligence and personality's of the Mustangs. As a breed they are wonderful and like we talked about before all the dumb mustangs have been eaten out in the wild. For the most part only the smartest and best have survived to be captured. Then only the smartest and best survive being in captivity which is very traumatic for them. Keep preaching!!!!!
January 15 at 1:11pm · ME: S - Yes, you're right! An aspect of it that had totally slipped my mind, since the poor predators have been gone for so long I actually forgot there ever were any! :P I guess there's still some around... if you watch that Cloud show you see a few cougars and stuff, but definitely not as many as there should be. And the understaffed, underpaid BLM certainly can't issue enough contraceptives to enough mares to create a population that doesn't require periodic roundups. I just find it so hard to understand how some people blame the BLM for the situation... they most certainly are not the cause and are trying as best they can with their extremely limited resources to handle a situation that's almost overwhelming in its complexity. I visited a BLM holding facility and while it would be best for all the mustangs to be running free as they were meant to be, I was actually very impressed with the place. It was much better than I had expected it to be... the facility was in good shape, the horses were getting pretty darn good hay, were put out in pastures to run and play periodically, most weren't terrified of people, and they all looked in excellent shape. No ribs or gooey eyes or runny noses. The yearlings were a little skinny though because they obviously needed something extra besides the hay, but were nowhere near emaciated or anything. So I say darn good job so far BLM! That is a LOT of horses to manage!
January 15 at 4:00pm · ME: L - Haha, thanks! :) Yes we are in agreement about the awesomeness overall of mustangs! You definitely won't find a dumb one, that's for sure! And they really are the best deal for your money - you get a horse that's guaranteed to be smart, have great feet, hardy health, and be extremely trusting once they realize you're not going to eat them, for ONLY $125!!!! That is a STEAL! Even if you pay to have someone train them for you, it's still going to end up being cheaper than buying an older, already trained, not as smart, not as healthy, other breed of horse. (No offense Morsul... you are still a wonderful, great horse!!! :D)
Facebook Rant #2: The FDA and the Effectiveness of Essential Oils
SUMMARY: The FDA is lame for making laws that encourage the use of synthetic drugs and discourage the use of more natural cures. Essential oils really do work to relieve/cure many health ailments and I have personal proof - as do many people I know.
DATE: January 9th, 2010
MY STATUS UPDATE: I always wondered why essential oils had a little disclaimer stating "This product is not meant to prevent, treat, or cure any disease" when most often they DID actually prevent, treat, and cure various ailments/diseases. Now I know: the FDA actually passed a LAW that says "Only a DRUG may be used to prevent, treat, or cure any disease". Hrm....
January 9 at 1:38pm · J: I'm keeping quiet, but I need it to be out there, that I disagree with both of you.
January 9 at 1:40pm · ME: It's impossible to *disagree* with this babe, the law is real and true. If you want to disagree that oils can cure or treat things, that's your perrogative, but you can't argue that the law exists and is used to benefit the FDA and other pharmacuetical companies... there's just really no other reason for a law like that. In fact I'm kind of wondering how it's a law at all, though... doesn't that step on the toes of the First Ammendment??
January 9 at 1:55pm · ME: From the FDA's own website:
"Disease claims require prior approval by FDA and may be made only for products that are approved drug products or for foods under separate legal provisions that apply to claims called "health claims." ...There are 10 criteria in the rule that are useful in determining if a statement is a disease claim..." (I left these out, they are EXTREMELY LENGTHY and complicated) "Yes, you may make general statements about health promotion and disease prevention as long as the statement doesn't imply that your product can diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent a disease. In general, if the statement identifies a specific disease or directly references the product or its ingredients, it would imply that the product itself has the effect and would be a disease claim."
I looked up "health claims", and that refers to stuff regarding the nutritional levels of certain foods and/or dietary supplements. Anyway, now you know. It really IS real, right there, from the horses's mouth.
January 9 at 2:13pm · M: I love you pooh :) Ray Ray sometimes I wonder what goes on between your ears...but I love you too
January 9 at 4:04pm · J: Just logic and reason.
January 9 at 4:09pm · S: I think it's not illegal to eat the orange, but rather to sell it to other people and claim that it will cure their scurvy. And while we're on the subject, I don't believe essential oils cure anything significant aside from bad smells.
January 9 at 4:40pm · M: Well if it's logic and reason then I guess you agree and just for the record if ppl don't know what they are talking about they shouldn't say anything about it
January 9 at 4:48pm · S:....Was that a comment on my comment, or on Jason's? Ironic, as I fail to see how you'd know if I know anything about it ;)
January 9 at 6:05pm · J: If I disagree with you, I'm wrong. My first comment was that I disagree, my second was that I trust myself, for this I have been insulted twice, you tell me who is being passionate and who is being logical.
January 9 at 6:26pm · S: It's the same old defense, you are wrong because you don't understand. It can't be argued with.
January 9 at 6:38pm · ME: You guys are hilarious. All right, I'm just going to reply to S, because J and M and I have already had this discussion a million times. So to S - two years ago I would have totally agreed with your statement about essential oils. I never would have considered them as anything other than odor eliminaters (and really not even for that, as they would give me headaches if I smelled them for too long) if I hadn't of by chance come across a Young Living booth at a horse event I went to two years ago. And even then, the only reason I got interested at all was because I happened to have a sinus headache one day, and they gave me some lavendar oil, and lo and behold the headache - a very severe one, I might add -disappeared in five minutes. Not joking. Even then, I was skeptical. So I decided to try a few samples for various ailments just to test them, and then went and did my own research into Young Living and essential oils in general. This is what I discovered, and this is the KEY:
MOST, as in 98% of essential oils available in the general market today (in health food stores, online, etc) are NOT actually composed of essential plant oils. Instead, they are made of synthetic PERFUMES. Even an oil with a label that says "Made with 100% organic plant oil" can legally (and most often does) only contain 1% organic plant oil. Yes, this is legal. Thank the FDA, again. So much for their desire to eliminate false advertising. :P Anyway, this fact is why most people, upon hearing the words "essential oils" think of perfumy crap not good for anything other than making things smell good. As I said, the damn things used to give me headaches. Why? Because I was smelling/using the ones mostly made of perfume. Those oils wouldn't cure anything for sure, just as you said. But Young Living oils are not perfumy crap. They are actually made with 100% plant oils. Which means they actually WORK for stuff other than smelling good. They are the highest quality esential oils available currently. High quality means high effeciency. There are SCIENTIFIC STUDIES published in SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS (I will provide links later),even here in the USA (which is the only developed country which does not require people to go through four years of school in order to distribute and sell essential oils, btw), that consistently and statistically prove that essential oils do in fact treat many diseases and ailments. However, the oil distributors STILL cannot place this information on their product labels or state it in any way on their websites because of the very law from the FDA I mentioned above. All they can do is provide you with links or the info to the scientific studies so you can read the protocol and results yourself.
M's arguement is not really that oil naysayers don't understand and therefore are wrong, what she's saying is that she won't take your argument seriously unless you provide evidence that you've done your own research and found facts to contradict ours. I can provide many many many links and a lot of information not to mention many personal testimonies from friends and family to back up all of the statements I've made above. This is one reason why I DO believe that REAL essential oils are very capable of curing various bodily problems...
Because I've used them, and I've personally had them work. I have friends and it's worked for them. I have family and it's worked for them. Young Living's essential oils have so far helped people I PERSONALLY know with all of the following: sinus headaches, menstrual cramps, indigestion, flu nausea, morning sickness, arthritic pain, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, bursitis, lung congestion, head congestion, hiccups, acne, TMJ, tendonitis, carpal tunnel, sore muscles, back pain, herniated discs, joint pain, and yes, also odor elimination :). Also some of them work WONDERS at cleaning the house. After witnessing all of these things myself, and hearing about how much people LOVE them after trying a REAL essential oil for the first time, yes, I am convinced that they actually do work.
Since I have started using these oils, for the last two years, I have used NO chemical cleaners in our apartment or house. I have also only taken Tylonel Sinus a total of about three times in that two years (because no lavendar was availabe at the time), but other than that, have taken NO MEDICATION for two years. In fact, I used to get sinus headaches and migraines quite frequently. Since I started using oils, I've had NO migraines at all and significantly fewer sinus headaches.
So now I will ask you this, S, what is the thing that is bothering you most lately? Your back? Didn't you say your back was hurting you? Let me mail you a sample of some oils that will help that, and try them out for a few days, and you can tell me what you honestly think after that. :)
And anyone else too.... ANY problem you have, let me know. I will send you a free oil sample, just try it. But until you try an essential oil that is made from real plant oil, I won't take your negative claims seriously. ;)
And PS, in regards to the FDA law, it actually does tread on Frist Ammendment rights. Sure, they can say they are trying to prevent people from saying whatever they want in regards to what can cure certain diseases, etc, but on the other hand, their very own regulations in other areas allow people to label things "100% Organic" when they actually are not. This counts for food items also (ie, organic eggs, apples, salad, etc), not just the perfumy oils, as I learned in my Agriculture classes in college. But if I had not taken those classes, why wouldn't I trust the labels on foods and other items, especially if those labels are endorsed by an organization like the FDA, which the average person is going to think they can trust. Obviously. But the fact is when you dig around a little bit, you start seeing the obvious problems with some of these regulations, and how the organization is actually being quite two-faced. In fact I was initially appalled at learning about all the crap a food/pet food/food related item label could legally say while actually just blantantly lying when I took those classes. But hey, at least now I know to be suspicious, and ask questions, and do my own research.
Which leads us to the real problem, people doing their own research. Who wants to actually be educated about stuff in this day and age?? No one. They just want to sit back and let other people tell them what's good or what's bad, and just go with that. But ideally, people should be allowed to say whatever the hell they want, even if that means they state that sugar can cure diabetes. A person should then, ideally, say, "Do I believe this? ... let me go look up some scientific research and see what the proof is." They could then make an informed, educated decision, and there would be no need for any two-faced, profit-driven regulations like the one we've been talking about, which technically and officially violates an ammendment right.
But hey, doing your own research would solve sooooooo many problems. Hell, even if you never took a biology class, or maybe just weren't very good at biology, if you just did a little research, you would discover how your menstrual cycle works, and how ovulation works, and when and how you conceive; which would be extraordinarily helpful to the population of people who like to accidentally get pregnant. (Except in cases where it really is unexpected, like if you were still on birth control, but then everyone knows that's not 100%, so really it still shouldn't be unexpected...)
January 9 at 7:46pm · S: you know me jen, i'm not objecting to your beliefs, you're a smart woman, you know your body and know what works for you, good on you if you've found something natural that fixes your problems! It's certainly more desirable than packing yourself full of drugs. My objection is to an assumption against my knowledge base or the validity of my opinion from someone who doesn't know me. And you know what? For the sake of argument, i would try oils if you sent them to me and told me how to best use them. :) my back isn't so much the cause of my problem as my pelvis is, which is tilted forward and to the left on the left SAJ joint. I don't think oils will help it, but i am willing to be proven wrong! Anything that helps, right? Now if you'll excuse me, i'm trying someone else's therapeutic recommendation out. Sex and the city dvd and chocolate therapy! Hehe
January 9 at 8:00pm · P: I was skeptical about essential oil, until I tried Thieves for breathing problems and was able to stop using an inhaler that had side effects that could potentially be fatal. I was also taking two Aleve twice a day and have stopped that completely since using Pan-away for pain.
January 10 at 9:37am · ME: S - I do know you, and I know you weren't trying to be mean or anything, don't worry. But since you are my good friend I thought you should know my whole story of how I got interested in essential oils so you could really understand where I was coming from and why I said/say the things I do. :) I understand why you would object to the assumption from M about your knowledge base, but she was only questioning your knowledge about essential oils because honestly, if you had already known any of the stuff I posted in my lengthy comments, you wouldn't have made the first comment (about odor elimination being all they are good for) in the first place. ;) But don't feel bad, you are in good company. 99% of people I talk to about essential oils, whether they are family or friends or friends of friends or strangers, just think of smelly perfume when they hear the words "essential oils". So you can't be blamed for that initial belief and reaction... M just gets tired of people knocking them before they try them, so to speak. :D
I'll send you a few different oils to help with bone and spinal pain. Apparently my mother has the exact same problem as you! I will find some good stuff for you to try and tell you how to use them for maximum effect. At the very least they will take away the pain and make it more comfortable for you to live your every day life. :)
January 10 at 1:03pm · ME: P - Hooray! I am so glad to hear that!! I know you said the Thieves was helping and I'm really glad you were able to stop taking the Aleve too! That is excellent! It's amazing how effective they are, really. :D
Facebook Rant #1: Beliefs are Dangerous Things and Should Be Handled with Care.
SUMMARY: People should not be excused from their bad deeds simply because they were doing what they considered "right" according to their beliefs. Beliefs should not be the basis for laws. Morality is not determined by religion or any one group's beliefs.
DATE: February 18th, 2010
FRIEND'S STATUS UPDATE: The strongest thing we can do as people is support each other. When you mock and tear down other's beliefs you are tearing down their spirit which is counter productive in making the world a better place for us and our children... Sincerely, T
ME: Unless of course those beliefs consistently bring about harm, destruction, and death to the world, a country's population, and the children. In that case we should try and open those people's eyes to the terrible things their beliefs are doing to the world and the people around them. At the very least we should not excuse these people's behavior and deeds simply because they acted on their strongly held beliefs, whatever those may be. The man who killed the abortion doctor should not go free just because he did it out of his belief that the dr. was evil (though there is a petition for him going around arguing that very thing, and that is the kind of thing that scares me). Beliefs are dangerous things, especially when people base their whole lives around them. A conflict of beliefs is at the core of every major - and minor - war in history, but the worst ones were caused by disagreements over religion-based beliefs. To each their own for sure, to a certain extent, but the world and each country in it should never allow people to write off their inappropriate, wrong, or harmful behavior just because the person was doing what they believed was right, and definitely should not base their laws on it. Morality is not measured by beliefs - or religion - and unfortunately sometimes it takes people outside of a certain belief system to see this and attempt to unblind those who are affected. All this being said, it is true that no one should mock or tear down another person. But there is no harm in asking blunt questions and discussing beliefs with someone, or pointing out to them the harm caused by those beliefs as mentioned. And if a person gets upset or agitated about that, then it is clear they have started letting their beliefs run their life, which is what often leads to the dangerous and destructive area. Everyone should know the possible consequences of their beliefs on the world and future generations, and always stay painfully aware of how they are acting toward another person who believes something different than them.
NON-FACEBOOK EDIT: Unfortunately none of T's friends felt inclined to debate this subject with me. Perhaps they were intimidated or did not feel intellectually prepared for an argument about this subject. Either way, I was disappointed. I love discussions like this. And I have more fodder for the canon that was not posted because the discussion did not continue. But this is a subject I have become extremely interested in lately and have been doing a lot of reading on. So I hope someday soon to have a full-blown opinion dump on this matter, and I'll put it on LJ, because Facebook can't handle the magnitude of everything I want to say. :S
Please, if you wish to discuss any of these things further, or have opinions on them, whether the same or different, feel free to comment to this entry or even send me an email. I do so love intelligent discussion!!!
So here they are:
Facebook Rant #3: Wild Mustangs and the Closing of US Horse Slaughterhouses
SUMMARY: The BLM is not mistreating mustangs and are doing everything they can with limited resources, money, staff, time, and laws. Closing US horse slaughterhouses was a TERRIBLE idea and always was, and was passed by people who were obviously not involved in the horse industry.
DATE: January 14th, 2010
MY STATUS UPDATE: Really getting tired of seeing the "Stop Wild Horse Roundups" page advertised on my right column. The BLM is full of AMAZING people working VERY hard to control the mustang population. DO YOUR RESEARCH PEOPLE! If you had, the US horse slaughterhouses never would have been shut down, and horses everywhere (including mustangs) would be much better off!
Yah, it sounds harsh, but it's absolutely true. The slaughterhouses were part of a much larger system that is now broken and swiftly worsening as the entire horse industry heirarchy falls apart. I was asked the ethical question about horse slaughterhouses in COLLEGE. I did my research and came to the conclusion that if anything was really needed for those places, it was better patrolling and enforcement of the USDA regulations - since we don't eat horses here, the regs tended to get bent more often. So fix THAT, don't make a whole nother MESS of problems by shutting them all down! Now, thanks to people who obviously were not serious horse owners (otherwise they would have known the consequences, as I did), I have to worry about my horse getting taken out of the pasture, tied up to a tree across the road, and butchered for black market horse meat. (Yes that's a true story, happened to some poor lady's paint horse a few weeks ago!! :( )
Thanks people. Thanks alot.
January 14 at 4:17pm · S: Thank you for the info. Many people would be unaware of all the aspects involved.
January 14 at 5:12pm · L: amen Jeni!!!! now horses are starving cause no one wants them, and they are not valuable and many can't even be given away because no one wants them
January 14 at 5:13pm · N: Indeed, the black market is alive and well now. :(
January 14 at 9:04pm · P: I wish the horses could be left alone to survive or not, as they would. I hate for so many mustangs to be in BLM holding facilities for years.
January 15 at 8:07am · Me: Sandy - Yes it's true. Most people's first instinct is to think "Of course shut them down!" but they don't take the time to look at the horse industry as a whole or take into consideration how that motion would effect EVERYTHING else. Realistically, if someone eats beef, chicken, or pork, they should have nothing against horse slaughterhouses. It's all the same. But in America we like to put our animals into different catagories and then think certain animals should be handled differently based on those catagories. The people who get that stuff passed are the people who don't have to deal with the consequences. To them, everything is a-okay right now. They are completely unaware of the black market horse meat industry that's now growing, the thousands of starving and unwanted horses being abandoned in the middle of towns and parks, the increased difficulty now of adopting out the thousands of mustangs in holding pens (cuz people can't even get rid of their specifically bred and trained horses now), or the fact that the horses that are still being taken to Mexico and Canada for slaughter are now having to undergo even longer, more difficult, more uncomfortable journeys to get there. :S It's all a horrible mess, but you never hear about all that.... just about how "bad" those slaughterhouses are. Argh.
January 15 at 11:20am · ME: L, N, and P - Agree with all of you.
To solve the problem for real, we would need a way not of preventing horse slaughter for meat export, but a way of preventing any random horse owner from having their stallion/mare bred. Everywhere you turn there's people breeding horses of some kind, and most of them don't know what they're doing, either. :S So then we get even more horses filling up a space that's already too full, horses of questionable confirmation, attitude, and bloodline, horses which end up milling about in no-man's land, because nobody wants them... even before the slaughter houses shut down!
And THEN there should be more incentive for adopting mustangs. The BLM is already trying super hard, and they've souped up their efforts this past year. There is now a Mustang Makeover almsot every month in some part of the US. After seeing these horses up close and personal, I can personally say they are literally the smartest and most amazing horse I've ever met. I would recommend a mustang over any other breed any day. The more exposure these horses get, the better.
So, if someone really wanted to help the horse situation, they should let the slaughter houses be reopened, NOT have their stallion or mare bred EVER, stop buying their horses from breeders, and only adopt mustangs from then on. Not to mention should probably volunteer some time or money to the BLM or some horse rescue foundation. I know my next horse will be a mustang, that's for sure!!! :)
P - that would be ideal if they could just be totally left alone. Unfortunately I think that's near impossible with people wanting to build their freakin' communities on every square inch of land available. Though I did read there's something that might pass that will give them like 19 million more acres or something? That would be nice!
January 15 at 11:34am · S: And isn't another piece of this complicated issue that the natural predators have been removed from the wild?
January 15 at 12:29pm · L: As you know I have had mustangs for quite a while and agree with you on the intelligence and personality's of the Mustangs. As a breed they are wonderful and like we talked about before all the dumb mustangs have been eaten out in the wild. For the most part only the smartest and best have survived to be captured. Then only the smartest and best survive being in captivity which is very traumatic for them. Keep preaching!!!!!
January 15 at 1:11pm · ME: S - Yes, you're right! An aspect of it that had totally slipped my mind, since the poor predators have been gone for so long I actually forgot there ever were any! :P I guess there's still some around... if you watch that Cloud show you see a few cougars and stuff, but definitely not as many as there should be. And the understaffed, underpaid BLM certainly can't issue enough contraceptives to enough mares to create a population that doesn't require periodic roundups. I just find it so hard to understand how some people blame the BLM for the situation... they most certainly are not the cause and are trying as best they can with their extremely limited resources to handle a situation that's almost overwhelming in its complexity. I visited a BLM holding facility and while it would be best for all the mustangs to be running free as they were meant to be, I was actually very impressed with the place. It was much better than I had expected it to be... the facility was in good shape, the horses were getting pretty darn good hay, were put out in pastures to run and play periodically, most weren't terrified of people, and they all looked in excellent shape. No ribs or gooey eyes or runny noses. The yearlings were a little skinny though because they obviously needed something extra besides the hay, but were nowhere near emaciated or anything. So I say darn good job so far BLM! That is a LOT of horses to manage!
January 15 at 4:00pm · ME: L - Haha, thanks! :) Yes we are in agreement about the awesomeness overall of mustangs! You definitely won't find a dumb one, that's for sure! And they really are the best deal for your money - you get a horse that's guaranteed to be smart, have great feet, hardy health, and be extremely trusting once they realize you're not going to eat them, for ONLY $125!!!! That is a STEAL! Even if you pay to have someone train them for you, it's still going to end up being cheaper than buying an older, already trained, not as smart, not as healthy, other breed of horse. (No offense Morsul... you are still a wonderful, great horse!!! :D)
Facebook Rant #2: The FDA and the Effectiveness of Essential Oils
SUMMARY: The FDA is lame for making laws that encourage the use of synthetic drugs and discourage the use of more natural cures. Essential oils really do work to relieve/cure many health ailments and I have personal proof - as do many people I know.
DATE: January 9th, 2010
MY STATUS UPDATE: I always wondered why essential oils had a little disclaimer stating "This product is not meant to prevent, treat, or cure any disease" when most often they DID actually prevent, treat, and cure various ailments/diseases. Now I know: the FDA actually passed a LAW that says "Only a DRUG may be used to prevent, treat, or cure any disease". Hrm....
January 9 at 1:38pm · J: I'm keeping quiet, but I need it to be out there, that I disagree with both of you.
January 9 at 1:40pm · ME: It's impossible to *disagree* with this babe, the law is real and true. If you want to disagree that oils can cure or treat things, that's your perrogative, but you can't argue that the law exists and is used to benefit the FDA and other pharmacuetical companies... there's just really no other reason for a law like that. In fact I'm kind of wondering how it's a law at all, though... doesn't that step on the toes of the First Ammendment??
January 9 at 1:55pm · ME: From the FDA's own website:
"Disease claims require prior approval by FDA and may be made only for products that are approved drug products or for foods under separate legal provisions that apply to claims called "health claims." ...There are 10 criteria in the rule that are useful in determining if a statement is a disease claim..." (I left these out, they are EXTREMELY LENGTHY and complicated) "Yes, you may make general statements about health promotion and disease prevention as long as the statement doesn't imply that your product can diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent a disease. In general, if the statement identifies a specific disease or directly references the product or its ingredients, it would imply that the product itself has the effect and would be a disease claim."
I looked up "health claims", and that refers to stuff regarding the nutritional levels of certain foods and/or dietary supplements. Anyway, now you know. It really IS real, right there, from the horses's mouth.
January 9 at 2:13pm · M: I love you pooh :) Ray Ray sometimes I wonder what goes on between your ears...but I love you too
January 9 at 4:04pm · J: Just logic and reason.
January 9 at 4:09pm · S: I think it's not illegal to eat the orange, but rather to sell it to other people and claim that it will cure their scurvy. And while we're on the subject, I don't believe essential oils cure anything significant aside from bad smells.
January 9 at 4:40pm · M: Well if it's logic and reason then I guess you agree and just for the record if ppl don't know what they are talking about they shouldn't say anything about it
January 9 at 4:48pm · S:....Was that a comment on my comment, or on Jason's? Ironic, as I fail to see how you'd know if I know anything about it ;)
January 9 at 6:05pm · J: If I disagree with you, I'm wrong. My first comment was that I disagree, my second was that I trust myself, for this I have been insulted twice, you tell me who is being passionate and who is being logical.
January 9 at 6:26pm · S: It's the same old defense, you are wrong because you don't understand. It can't be argued with.
January 9 at 6:38pm · ME: You guys are hilarious. All right, I'm just going to reply to S, because J and M and I have already had this discussion a million times. So to S - two years ago I would have totally agreed with your statement about essential oils. I never would have considered them as anything other than odor eliminaters (and really not even for that, as they would give me headaches if I smelled them for too long) if I hadn't of by chance come across a Young Living booth at a horse event I went to two years ago. And even then, the only reason I got interested at all was because I happened to have a sinus headache one day, and they gave me some lavendar oil, and lo and behold the headache - a very severe one, I might add -disappeared in five minutes. Not joking. Even then, I was skeptical. So I decided to try a few samples for various ailments just to test them, and then went and did my own research into Young Living and essential oils in general. This is what I discovered, and this is the KEY:
MOST, as in 98% of essential oils available in the general market today (in health food stores, online, etc) are NOT actually composed of essential plant oils. Instead, they are made of synthetic PERFUMES. Even an oil with a label that says "Made with 100% organic plant oil" can legally (and most often does) only contain 1% organic plant oil. Yes, this is legal. Thank the FDA, again. So much for their desire to eliminate false advertising. :P Anyway, this fact is why most people, upon hearing the words "essential oils" think of perfumy crap not good for anything other than making things smell good. As I said, the damn things used to give me headaches. Why? Because I was smelling/using the ones mostly made of perfume. Those oils wouldn't cure anything for sure, just as you said. But Young Living oils are not perfumy crap. They are actually made with 100% plant oils. Which means they actually WORK for stuff other than smelling good. They are the highest quality esential oils available currently. High quality means high effeciency. There are SCIENTIFIC STUDIES published in SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS (I will provide links later),even here in the USA (which is the only developed country which does not require people to go through four years of school in order to distribute and sell essential oils, btw), that consistently and statistically prove that essential oils do in fact treat many diseases and ailments. However, the oil distributors STILL cannot place this information on their product labels or state it in any way on their websites because of the very law from the FDA I mentioned above. All they can do is provide you with links or the info to the scientific studies so you can read the protocol and results yourself.
M's arguement is not really that oil naysayers don't understand and therefore are wrong, what she's saying is that she won't take your argument seriously unless you provide evidence that you've done your own research and found facts to contradict ours. I can provide many many many links and a lot of information not to mention many personal testimonies from friends and family to back up all of the statements I've made above. This is one reason why I DO believe that REAL essential oils are very capable of curing various bodily problems...
Because I've used them, and I've personally had them work. I have friends and it's worked for them. I have family and it's worked for them. Young Living's essential oils have so far helped people I PERSONALLY know with all of the following: sinus headaches, menstrual cramps, indigestion, flu nausea, morning sickness, arthritic pain, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, bursitis, lung congestion, head congestion, hiccups, acne, TMJ, tendonitis, carpal tunnel, sore muscles, back pain, herniated discs, joint pain, and yes, also odor elimination :). Also some of them work WONDERS at cleaning the house. After witnessing all of these things myself, and hearing about how much people LOVE them after trying a REAL essential oil for the first time, yes, I am convinced that they actually do work.
Since I have started using these oils, for the last two years, I have used NO chemical cleaners in our apartment or house. I have also only taken Tylonel Sinus a total of about three times in that two years (because no lavendar was availabe at the time), but other than that, have taken NO MEDICATION for two years. In fact, I used to get sinus headaches and migraines quite frequently. Since I started using oils, I've had NO migraines at all and significantly fewer sinus headaches.
So now I will ask you this, S, what is the thing that is bothering you most lately? Your back? Didn't you say your back was hurting you? Let me mail you a sample of some oils that will help that, and try them out for a few days, and you can tell me what you honestly think after that. :)
And anyone else too.... ANY problem you have, let me know. I will send you a free oil sample, just try it. But until you try an essential oil that is made from real plant oil, I won't take your negative claims seriously. ;)
And PS, in regards to the FDA law, it actually does tread on Frist Ammendment rights. Sure, they can say they are trying to prevent people from saying whatever they want in regards to what can cure certain diseases, etc, but on the other hand, their very own regulations in other areas allow people to label things "100% Organic" when they actually are not. This counts for food items also (ie, organic eggs, apples, salad, etc), not just the perfumy oils, as I learned in my Agriculture classes in college. But if I had not taken those classes, why wouldn't I trust the labels on foods and other items, especially if those labels are endorsed by an organization like the FDA, which the average person is going to think they can trust. Obviously. But the fact is when you dig around a little bit, you start seeing the obvious problems with some of these regulations, and how the organization is actually being quite two-faced. In fact I was initially appalled at learning about all the crap a food/pet food/food related item label could legally say while actually just blantantly lying when I took those classes. But hey, at least now I know to be suspicious, and ask questions, and do my own research.
Which leads us to the real problem, people doing their own research. Who wants to actually be educated about stuff in this day and age?? No one. They just want to sit back and let other people tell them what's good or what's bad, and just go with that. But ideally, people should be allowed to say whatever the hell they want, even if that means they state that sugar can cure diabetes. A person should then, ideally, say, "Do I believe this? ... let me go look up some scientific research and see what the proof is." They could then make an informed, educated decision, and there would be no need for any two-faced, profit-driven regulations like the one we've been talking about, which technically and officially violates an ammendment right.
But hey, doing your own research would solve sooooooo many problems. Hell, even if you never took a biology class, or maybe just weren't very good at biology, if you just did a little research, you would discover how your menstrual cycle works, and how ovulation works, and when and how you conceive; which would be extraordinarily helpful to the population of people who like to accidentally get pregnant. (Except in cases where it really is unexpected, like if you were still on birth control, but then everyone knows that's not 100%, so really it still shouldn't be unexpected...)
January 9 at 7:46pm · S: you know me jen, i'm not objecting to your beliefs, you're a smart woman, you know your body and know what works for you, good on you if you've found something natural that fixes your problems! It's certainly more desirable than packing yourself full of drugs. My objection is to an assumption against my knowledge base or the validity of my opinion from someone who doesn't know me. And you know what? For the sake of argument, i would try oils if you sent them to me and told me how to best use them. :) my back isn't so much the cause of my problem as my pelvis is, which is tilted forward and to the left on the left SAJ joint. I don't think oils will help it, but i am willing to be proven wrong! Anything that helps, right? Now if you'll excuse me, i'm trying someone else's therapeutic recommendation out. Sex and the city dvd and chocolate therapy! Hehe
January 9 at 8:00pm · P: I was skeptical about essential oil, until I tried Thieves for breathing problems and was able to stop using an inhaler that had side effects that could potentially be fatal. I was also taking two Aleve twice a day and have stopped that completely since using Pan-away for pain.
January 10 at 9:37am · ME: S - I do know you, and I know you weren't trying to be mean or anything, don't worry. But since you are my good friend I thought you should know my whole story of how I got interested in essential oils so you could really understand where I was coming from and why I said/say the things I do. :) I understand why you would object to the assumption from M about your knowledge base, but she was only questioning your knowledge about essential oils because honestly, if you had already known any of the stuff I posted in my lengthy comments, you wouldn't have made the first comment (about odor elimination being all they are good for) in the first place. ;) But don't feel bad, you are in good company. 99% of people I talk to about essential oils, whether they are family or friends or friends of friends or strangers, just think of smelly perfume when they hear the words "essential oils". So you can't be blamed for that initial belief and reaction... M just gets tired of people knocking them before they try them, so to speak. :D
I'll send you a few different oils to help with bone and spinal pain. Apparently my mother has the exact same problem as you! I will find some good stuff for you to try and tell you how to use them for maximum effect. At the very least they will take away the pain and make it more comfortable for you to live your every day life. :)
January 10 at 1:03pm · ME: P - Hooray! I am so glad to hear that!! I know you said the Thieves was helping and I'm really glad you were able to stop taking the Aleve too! That is excellent! It's amazing how effective they are, really. :D
Facebook Rant #1: Beliefs are Dangerous Things and Should Be Handled with Care.
SUMMARY: People should not be excused from their bad deeds simply because they were doing what they considered "right" according to their beliefs. Beliefs should not be the basis for laws. Morality is not determined by religion or any one group's beliefs.
DATE: February 18th, 2010
FRIEND'S STATUS UPDATE: The strongest thing we can do as people is support each other. When you mock and tear down other's beliefs you are tearing down their spirit which is counter productive in making the world a better place for us and our children... Sincerely, T
ME: Unless of course those beliefs consistently bring about harm, destruction, and death to the world, a country's population, and the children. In that case we should try and open those people's eyes to the terrible things their beliefs are doing to the world and the people around them. At the very least we should not excuse these people's behavior and deeds simply because they acted on their strongly held beliefs, whatever those may be. The man who killed the abortion doctor should not go free just because he did it out of his belief that the dr. was evil (though there is a petition for him going around arguing that very thing, and that is the kind of thing that scares me). Beliefs are dangerous things, especially when people base their whole lives around them. A conflict of beliefs is at the core of every major - and minor - war in history, but the worst ones were caused by disagreements over religion-based beliefs. To each their own for sure, to a certain extent, but the world and each country in it should never allow people to write off their inappropriate, wrong, or harmful behavior just because the person was doing what they believed was right, and definitely should not base their laws on it. Morality is not measured by beliefs - or religion - and unfortunately sometimes it takes people outside of a certain belief system to see this and attempt to unblind those who are affected. All this being said, it is true that no one should mock or tear down another person. But there is no harm in asking blunt questions and discussing beliefs with someone, or pointing out to them the harm caused by those beliefs as mentioned. And if a person gets upset or agitated about that, then it is clear they have started letting their beliefs run their life, which is what often leads to the dangerous and destructive area. Everyone should know the possible consequences of their beliefs on the world and future generations, and always stay painfully aware of how they are acting toward another person who believes something different than them.
NON-FACEBOOK EDIT: Unfortunately none of T's friends felt inclined to debate this subject with me. Perhaps they were intimidated or did not feel intellectually prepared for an argument about this subject. Either way, I was disappointed. I love discussions like this. And I have more fodder for the canon that was not posted because the discussion did not continue. But this is a subject I have become extremely interested in lately and have been doing a lot of reading on. So I hope someday soon to have a full-blown opinion dump on this matter, and I'll put it on LJ, because Facebook can't handle the magnitude of everything I want to say. :S
Please, if you wish to discuss any of these things further, or have opinions on them, whether the same or different, feel free to comment to this entry or even send me an email. I do so love intelligent discussion!!!