Full Moon Rising - Made In The USA

May I Salute You?

Last month President Obama celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the creation of the Department of Veteran Affairs, designed to give Cabinet-level clout to our nation's veterans.  President Obama used the occasion to announce sweeping changes to U.S. policy for veterans, and pledged significant increases in funding for our vets.  According to the White House, these funds will be used to expand the VA health care program so that in can serve an additional 500,000 veterans by 2013; to implement a GI Bill for the 21st century; to provide better health care; and to dramatically improve services related to mental health and injuries like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. The funds will also be used for technology that will ease the transition from active duty to home for our nation's service members. 

Unfortunately for some, like U.S. Army medic PFC Joseph Dwyer, an Iraqi veteran who in 2003 was photographed rescuing a young Iraqi boy during an intense fire-fight near the village of Al Faysaliyah, it's too little, too late.  Widely heralded as a war hero, Dwyer committed suicide last summer.  Dwyer's family and various experts blame Dwyer's Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for his untimely death.  Of course, he's not the only one.

This past weekend, Dwyer's brother Brian led a Motorcycle and Classic Car Rally event on Long Island to help raise money for Veteran's Health and Mental care.  The whole thing makes me think of the classic line from the the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom conference in 1979, “It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy bombs”. 

It was with this event fresh in my mind that my brother-in-law sent me the following essay, written in pre-9/11 2001 I believe.  I found what I believe to be the original article here (if this is not correct, please let us know and we will give full credit accordingly).  I implore you to take two minutes out of your hectic schedule and read this.  Hopefully, it will change your day.  It certainly did mine.

May I Salute You

by Capt. Patricia Salwei, USAF

I approached the entrance to Ft Belvoir's medical facility last year as an old veteran puttered towards me. Easily over 80 years old, stooped and slow, I barely gave him a second glance because on his heels was a full bird colonel.  As they approached, I rendered a sharp salute and barked, "Good morning, Sir!"  Because they were heel to toe, I began my salute, as the old veteran was about two paces from me.  He immediately came to life!  Transformed by my greeting, he rose to his full height, returned my salute with pride, and exclaimed, "Good morning, Captain!"  I was startled, but the full bird behind him was flabbergasted.  The colonel stopped mid-salute, smiled at me and quietly moved on. 

As I entered the clinic, the utter beauty of the encounter preoccupied me.  What prompted the old man to assume that I was saluting him?  Perhaps he just thought, "It's about time!"  After all, doesn't a W.W.II vet outrank us all?  I turned my attention to the waiting room taking a moment to survey the veterans there.  Service people rushed around, loudspeakers blared, the bell for the prescription window kept ringing.  It was a whir of activity and the older veterans sat quietly on the outside seemingly out of step, patiently waiting to be seen.  Nobody was seeing.  My old friend stayed on my mind.  I began to pay attention to the military's attitude towards its veterans.

Predominately, I witnessed indifference: Impatient soldiers and airmen plowing over little old ladies at the commissary; I noticed my own agitation as an older couple cornered me at the Officer's Club and began reminiscing about their tour in Germany.  To our disgrace, I have also witnessed disdain.  At Ramstein, AB, an airman was condescending and borderline cruel with a deaf veteran flying Space A.  An ancient woman wearing a WACS button was shoved aside by a cadet at the Women's Memorial dedication in DC; A member of the Color Guard turned away in disgust from a drunk Vietnam vet trying to talk to him before the Veterans Day Ceremony at the Vietnam Wall. 

Have you been to a ceremony at the Wall lately?  How about a Veteran's Day Parade in a small town?  The crowds are growing faint.  Why do we expect the general public to care if we don't?  We are getting comfortable again.  Not many of us around that have been forced to consider making the ultimate sacrifice.  Roughly 60% of today's active duty Air Force did not even participate in Desert Storm.  I always lament about the public's disregard for the military.  I do not count all the days I stayed in bed instead of going to a ceremony or parade.  It was my day to be honored and I deserved to sleep in.  It's just like a 28-year-old, whose weapon was "Microsoft PowerPoint Slide Presentation" during the last conflict, to complain about recognition. 

Sometimes I wonder who is going to come to our parades in 20 years; will anybody look me up in the Women's Memorial Registry?  The answer lies in the present.  We will be honored as we honor those who have gone before us.  The next generation is watching.  It is not my intention to minimize the selfless service of our modern military; my comrades are the greatest people I know (and frankly should be treated better).  But, lately I'm wondering if the public's attitude towards the military isn't just a reflection of the active duty military's attitude towards its own veterans.  It's time to ask - do we regard them, do we consider them at all? 

How does our attitude change when the hero is no longer wearing a uniform?  I was proud to wear my uniform.  Can I admit that I thought I was cool?  There is no denying that there is something about our profession, combined with youth that feeds the ego a little.  We have all seen a young pilot strut into the Officer's Club with his flight suit on.  He matters; he takes on the room; he knows he can take on the world.  But, one day he will leave his jet for a desk, and eventually he will have to hang up that flight suit.  A super hero hanging up his cape.... How will we measure his value then?  He will no longer look like a pilot, an officer, a colonel.  He'll just look like an old man coming out of the clinic with his prescription.  But, is he less of a hero? 

Will anybody remember or care about all the months he spent away from his newborn daughter while making peace a possibility in the Balkans?  Probably not.  Our society has a short memory.  Maybe it is not for the protected to understand.  Rather, it is my hope that when a young lieutenant walks by him they will each see themselves reflected in the other-one's future, the other's past.  In that moment, perhaps, the lieutenant will also see the hero, now disguised as an old man, and thank him.  The truth is there are heroes in disguise everywhere.  I use to wonder why people would want to chat with me when I was in uniform - telling me about their four years as radio operator in Korea.  So what?  I wasn't impressed relative to my own experiences.  Now I understand that they were telling me because nobody else cared.  Proud of their service, no matter how limited, and still in love with our country, they were trying to stay connected.  Their stories were code for: "I understand and appreciate you, can you appreciate me?" 

The answer is, yes.  I separated from the Air Force in February.  I'm out of the club.  Still, I want you to know that I'll attend the parades, visit the memorials, and honor you.  All this while my kids and your kids are watching.  Then, maybe, someday when I'm an old woman riding the metro, a young airman will take a moment of her time to listen to one of my war stories.  I, in turn, will soak in her beauty and strength, and remember.  Today, as I reflect on my adventures in the Air Force, I'm thinking of that ancient warrior I collided with at Ft Belvoir.  I'm wondering where he is, if he's still alive, if it's too late to thank him.  I want to start a campaign in his honor - Salute A Veteran.  What a great world this would be if all our elderly veterans wore recognition pins, and we would salute them even if we were out of uniform and saw them coming out of a Seven Eleven.  Yes, this started out as a misunderstanding on my part.  But, now I get it.  That day was the first time in my life that I really understood what it meant to salute someone.    

Dear Veteran, I recognize and hail you! I do understand what I have and what you have given to make it possible.  So I'm wondering, if we meet on the street again - may I salute you?

Steps Towards a More Sustainable Life of Less

I know this sounds like I have lost my mind, since we as a company make money selling things, but our philosophy has always been to only sell what is needed and to make the best recommendations possible.

It is also the reason we focus on USA Made products and Eco-Friendly products and solutions to marketing. By helping you to make good choices about clothing and promotional marketing items, you will increase your ROI (Return On Investment) and overall cost.

This article is from Zen Habits and I think is very appropriate for the times we live in.

Personally I have been moving away from having more things. I find the more clutter and things I never use that I get rid of the happier I am. I find joy in knowing that many of the items are used and needed by others. Some just end up in the recycling bin.

I'd like to hear what you think of this article and concept. 

Bryan

Steps Towards a More Sustainable Life of Less

Posted: 09 Mar 2009 04:07 PM PDT

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.

When my grandparents were young, none of the appliances (let alone hi-tech gadgets) in our homes were in common use — not the refrigerator, electric stove, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, toaster, television, computer, air-conditioner, microwave, etc.

None of it. They had cars, but they walked far more often than we do today. They had telephones, but not cell phones or Blackberries or iPhones, and they weren’t using phones all the time. They had stores, but they didn’t order things online and they didn’t buy all the time. In fact, during their Great Depression childhood, they bought very little and used very, very little technology.

And while the last 70-80 years have advanced our lives in amazing ways, and there’s no doubt that the comfort and convenience of our lives have improved tremendously … we rarely stop to consider whether technology and consumerism have always changed our lives for the better.

I mean, I am as big a proponent of the miracles of the Internet as anyone, but have we given up too much of our lives that used to exist offline and outdoors? It’s great that we have such comfortable cars that can drive incredibly fast and take us anywhere we want to go in minutes … but have we thrown away the joy and the health benefits of walking places?

It’s great that we can communicate instantly from anywhere with our mobile devices, but have we given up personal face-to-face conversations and the pleasure of being outdoors, disconnected from the world?

It’s great that food is so convenient these days, but have we given up the pleasures of slow eating for fast food, the joys of cooking for microwaving, the wonders of real food for processed food?

It’s great that we can buy pretty much anything we want these days (and often do), but have we allowed the abundance of cash we’ve had (until recently, but even now we’re still pretty rich) to force us to have bigger houses just to store all our stuff?

I propose a life of less. A life that’s more sustainable.

And yes, some will wonder if that will hurt the economy even more — buying and consuming less will mean people will lose jobs, no? Not necessarily. Scaling back our lives means we need to find jobs for people that are based not on producing more goods, but on producing more value — valuable information, valuable inventions that require fewer resources, valuable contributions to the community. But how will all of this be paid for if no one is buying stuff? There will be less wealth produced because less is being consumed … but if we consume less then we actually need less wealth. We just need to get off the escalating cycle of consuming and producing more.

We work more than ever before, despite advances in labor-saving technology that mean we should be able to work less. We do so to support a lifestyle that has become more expensive than ever, because of the new levels of convenience and abundant consumer goods that we’ve become accustomed to. We can break out of this trap, by consuming less and then needing to work less.

I’ve thought these things for awhile now, but it struck me most as I was walking to a meeting with a friend and business partner. Most people where I live don’t walk — cars are used all the time, even if the destination is just a few blocks away. I’ve been getting into the habit of walking places — for traveling, not exercise — but I’m a weirdo for doing so. And it struck me that only 50 years ago, I would have been normal — everyone walked back then.

And I wondered how we lost this valuable activity — walking to get places.

We lost it because convenience and speed have become more valuable to us than health and frugality and the enjoyment of the world around us.

I propose a life of less. A life that is more leisurely, a little more spartan, a little less expensive, a little less heavy on consuming the Earth’s resources.

I don’t think we can change the economy overnight. We can’t even change our lives overnight. But we can make a gradual change in that direction, with small steps.

Here are but a few ideas — I’m sure you could contribute some of your own:

• Can we walk to more places and drive less? We’d get fitter and use less fossil fuel. We’d have to loosen up our schedules to do this, but I think that’s a good change anyway.
• Can we start building more livable communities, where things are less spread out, so that we can walk more instead of driving everywhere? Where everything we need is a 10-20 minute walk away, or at least reachable by bike or public transportation? You might already live in a place like that, but not where I live, and not in lots of places. Even work should be close by. Again, this is a long-term change, but I think a good one.
• Can we start living in smaller houses, so that we need less heating and cooling and land and maintenance and cleaning? We can if we buy less stuff, which leads to …
• Can we start buying less stuff? We don’t need all the stuff we buy.
• Can we start celebrating things like birthdays and Christmas without spending sprees? We could do nice things for each other instead, or make things, or bake something.
• Can we start buying locally more? I know a lot of people already do this, but it would be great if this trend continued. It supports local farmers and drastically reduces the amount of resources needed to get food to our homes.
• Can we start packaging food less? Even non-food items (like toys) come with ridiculous amounts of packaging these days. I’d like to see a return to olden ways, when you scooped flour out of a huge bin into a container or something like that. Packaging we throw away (or even recycle) is so wasteful.
• Can we stop buying so much processed food? Real food is so much healthier, requires fewer chemicals and resources, and tastes better once you wean yourself from the addiction to processed foods.
• Can we eat slower, and enjoy the food more, instead of rushing through meals?
• Can we stop our addiction to mobile devices and being connected all the time, so that we can enjoy the pleasure of other people’s company without interruptions, or enjoy solitude or a nice quiet walk without being connected?
• Can we design cities and towns so that they aren’t based on the automobile, so that perhaps private vehicles parked at the outside of cities, and then people used public transportation or walked within the cities? We’d reclaim the streets for the pedestrian, make them alive once again with street markets, cafes, parks, children running around without fear of death, people exercising and doing tai chi and jogging and walking and enjoying a fume-free outdoors.

Again, these are just a few ideas. There are thousands more.

And I’m not saying we should give up techonology. I love connecting with people from around the world! I love being able to access information instantly that I would never have had access to just 15-20 years ago! I love the ability to express myself online that is unprecedented in human history!

But I also think we need to keep the good things that have come with the advances in technology, and throw out the bad, the things that have made our lives worse.
—
Read more about simplifying your life in my book, The Power of Less.

The Number One Dream Killer: Doing What Works

I follow a blog called Zen Habits, and today I discovered an article entitled, "The Number One Dream Killer: Doing What Works."  This in turn led me to a new blog that I really like, called The Illuminated Mind.  Both have some very thoughtful posts and, for me at least, provide food for thought and reflection.

I found this "Dream Killer" post and another one entitled "Why Being Productive is a Huge Waste of Time" to be very interesting.  I find it hard to break out of the mold and do things different.  I have tons of ideas, but occasionally find myself mired down in the minutiae of day-to-day work.  Being an Air Traffic Controller at O'Hare and running Full Moon Rising, Inc. when I am not there keeps me hopping.  The Air Traffic thing has trained me to be decisive and expect immediate compliance, something that is not necessarily the best way to be in business, especially when collaboration is required.

These articles are refreshing as they remind me to think outside of the box and keep trying to do things I would not normally do.  I think as a company we do think creatively and attempt do things differently, but of course it is you who would be the real judge of that.

I would love to hear what you are doing to break out of your box!

Bryan Thompson

Buy American - More than just stimulus rhetoric

There's been much controversy over the so-called "Buy American" provision contained within the $787 Billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) economic stimulus bill that President Barack Obama signed Tuesday.  

For the life of me, I don't understand why.

The Administration has set forth the following objectives to be achieved by the ARRA:

• Create or save more than 3.5 million jobs over the next two years;
• Take a big step toward computerizing Americans’ health records, reducing medical errors, and saving billions in health care costs;
• Revive the renewable energy industry and provide the capital over the next three years to eventually double domestic renewable energy capacity;
• Undertake the largest weatherization program in history by modernizing 75 percent of federal building space and more than one million homes;
• Increase college affordability for seven million students by funding the shortfall in Pell Grants, increasing the maximum award level by $500, and providing a new higher education tax cut to nearly four million students;
• As part of the $150 billion investment in new infrastructure, enact the largest increase in funding of our nation’s roads, bridges, and mass transit systems since the creation of the national highway system in the 1950s;
• Provide an $800 Making Work Pay tax credit for 129 million working households, and cut taxes for the families of millions of children through an expansion of the Child Tax Credit;
• Require unprecedented levels of transparency, oversight, and accountability.

It seems that there is at least one provision within the ARRA that is causing some to gnash their teeth.  Title VI, Section 604 states in part, "require[s] the Department of Defense to purchase domestically-manufactured textiles and apparel."

This is a PROBLEM??  That American troops wear American made uniforms??

Puh-leese.  As we have already reported, American textile manufacturing has been experiencing a resurgence of popularity and profitability.  Anybody who's not pathologically narcissistic (at least on economic issues) should be able to understand that using Economic Stimulus funds to assist in bolstering an industry with a proud American heritage will help Americans get and keep JOBS (see ARRA Objective #1).  And it won't be in just the textile industry.  The textile companies may well need to expand their manufacturing plants; that mean construction jobs.  More Made in USA clothing means the domestic shipping industry will get even busier, needing more trucks, at a time when the US Automotive manufacturers are bleeding red.  And on and on.  Remember, lots of people were gnashing their teeth and predicting the "End of the Economic World" for America in 1993 when then-President Clinton passed his $496 Billion economic stimulus package.  What happened?  The longest prolonged expansion of the US economy in history, coupled with the most aggressive effort to pay down the national debt.  What's not to like?

And it should also be noted that the ARRA is NOT "protectionism."  There is nothing in the ARRA that would preclude the DoD or any other agency from procuring goods from overseas as long as it's consistent with current Trade Agreements, and the required goods are not readily available domestically.  Further, there's nothing that would prohibit a foreign company from setting up shop here in the US, hiring Americans, and enjoying the benefits of this economic stimulus.  The ARRA just will not be giving money to assist profit-mongering corporate executives from shipping American JOBS overseas just so that they can buy themselves a new yacht.  No offense to the yachting industry.  (Hey, WE would like to buy a yacht someday!)  

On that note, if there's any companies out there that are gnashing their teeth at the thought of trying to find domestic manufacturers who can produce uniforms and other textile products at volume, relax; just call Full Moon Rising, Inc at 630-513-8782 and we'll get you set up, American style.  

Brian Fallon

How to Create the Abundance Mindset

I found this on a blog called Zen Habits. It will take some time for me to go through all of the information on the blog, but I can tell right off this is a site I need to read.

One of the first things I noticed was he has released all of his posts for others to post, no copyright. This ties right into this first post. I will be reposting some of his articles here, and giving credit in the hopes it will bring more people to his site so they may share and learn from what he has to say.

I hope you find it illuminating and informative.

How to Create the Abundance Mindset

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Steve of Freedom Education.

Give away what you got.

It’s not that complicated, really.

But let’s think for a minute; what do a great number of people do instead?

When someone has a great idea, they hoard that idea.  They don’t give it away.  They shelter and protect it.  They keep it to themselves in fear that someone else might take it.  They think, “I better save that idea for later.”  They don’t share their ideas or give them away - they keep them.

Well, let’s think - why would you do that?

The problem isn’t that your ideas aren’t any good.  It’s not even because your ideas aren’t worthy or that you aren’t worthy - because you are.  The problem is your thinking.  You think that if you give one idea away that you won’t come up with more great ideas.  And that fear has got you living in the lake of lack.

Instead, you could start by giving what you got.

Let’s look at Bloggers

Why do a lot of bloggers fail to be successful online?  Bloggers don’t fail because they’re terrible writers (although there are some).  And they don’t fail because they don’t have something valuable to say; they all do - they fail because they stop writing; they stopped giving and providing valuable ideas to others.

To create the abundance mindset, be willing to give.

It’s no different than with money.

Are you Mr El-Cheap-O?

Maybe you’re one of those people who holds onto every penny you’ve got - save money for a rainy day sort of thinking.  I know because I used to be that person.  Maybe you’re really frugal with your money or what I like to call Mr El-Cheap-O.

There’s nothing wrong with being frugal.  What I’m talking about is something completely different.  I’m talking about the hoarders, the real savers - the people who are scared to spend their money.

Just remember that holding onto your money doesn’t bring more of it to you.  It does just the opposite.  Holding onto or hoarding your money (in fear) is evidence enough that you don’t think there is enough.  And when you don’t think you have enough, you’re projecting the scarcity mindset or what my friend Julia calls the “scare-city” mindset.  This mindset is based in fear.

Are you short on time?

Some people are always running out of time - like it was cash or some commodity.  They’re always in a panic to get stuff done.  They’re time vampires.  They literally devour their time and suck the life out of themselves - until there is no time left.

These time vampires live in the lake of lack.  The don’t give away their time because they don’t think there is “enough time” to give.  And when you don’t think there is enough, you’re coming from scarcity or lack.

The way you do anything is the way you do everything.  If there is lack in one area, then there is lack in all areas of your life.  It really comes down to your mindset.

So, how do you break the pattern?

You’ve got to be willing to give from where you are.

Give what you got because giving signals “more-than-enoughness.”  It signals abundance.  When you’re in a state of giving, and giving willingly you’re telling others (and yourself) that there is plenty.  That there is more than enough for everyone.

“You receive through the same doorway through which you give.  The way to receive freely is to give freely. Quality is more important than quantity, since the universe amplifies thought into circumstance.  Begin giving, and let God perfect your giving.” ~ Brad Jensen

Here are 6 ways to give and create the abundance mindset:

• Are you short on time? If that’s the case, give away some of your time. Take time to give to others. You don’t have to dedicate 90% of your day to serving others - that’s not what I’m saying. Just find that balance between giving and receiving. Find an organization or a person that you really love and volunteer some of your time. Give your time away.
• Don’t feel loved? You’ve got to give some before you get some. Give away some hugs. Go out right now and give 5 people you know a big hug. I guarantee right after you do this, you’ll feel great. You’ll feel like a million bucks! Why? Because you feel loved. And you can only feel loved when you give that love to others. Go out right now and hug 5 people!
• Short on Cash? Give some away. Yes, you heard me right. I’m not saying you should sell the farm, far from it. But you may consider giving money to a charity, giving money to a friend who needs it, or even giving money to a panhandler in the street.  Givers gain.
• Are you stuck? Do you want to get unstuck?  Help others first. Think of someone you know that is having a similar problem. And think of a way that you could help them based on what you know.  Write down what you plan to do to help this person and then go out and do it. I’m telling you this works!  When you help others wholeheartedly, help will always come back to you.
• Lacking self-belief? Yup, you know it. You’ve got to give it away! If you lack self-belief, then give away that belief to others.  What do I mean?  Find someone you know who is lacking in self-confidence or in self-belief and give them a boost.  Spend some time with this person and feed their mind.  Tell them how much you believe in them.  Tell them how successful you see them becoming; how you always knew they could make it. Tell them how proud you are of them. Fill their mind with positive ideas.   Instill belief in others and belief will come flowing abundantly to you.
• Short on ideas? This is my favorite. If you’re short on creative ideas, give them away! Give others creative ways to increase business, find a new stimulating career or improve their health.  Give ideas away and ideas will flood right back to you.

With all of these tips, you have to start with where you are.  You can’t give what you don’t have.  Be willing to give what you got from where you are and I promise you - abundance will flow into your life.  You will be actively creating the abundance mindset.

Steve is a Life Coach and the creator of Freedom Education - Mind Power for Your Personal Growth.  He is also the author of the ebook, The Genius Within YOU. You can download his ebook here.

Unruffled feathers

So much of our time is spent doing this and doing that, running here and there in mad pursuit of some goal, only to find that in a week or a month or maybe even a day it will be deemed totally irrelevant.  I know some days I have trouble finding the time to go to the bathroom.  But at least I have learned to recognize that when I get into that state, the very best thing for me to do is to stand still for a moment, breathe deeply, and absorb my surroundings.  It is then that I can see what is happening around me, notice the delicate features of Life Being Lived and Love Being Shared. 

This little Thoreau-ean disport was sparked by an accidental discovery of a wonderful little blog called Hedge Sociey.  The blog itself is about art, books, and other wonderfully beautiful bauble, but its inspiration comes from the author's observation of the birds outside her office.  Despite whatever the headlines scream, irregardless of Holidays, the birds would gather to talk amongst themselves.  Were their songs a comment on the seemingly irrational behavior of the colorful bipeds scampering around below?  Or are they a debate amongst themselves about what to do about the cat creeping up the tree?  Or perhaps a celebration of the discovery of some especially tasty seeds or berries?  One thing is for sure - they were singing, and it was beautiful.

Father Winter is riding his sleigh towards my area as I type this; tomorrow I'm supposed to take wing and migrate to warmer climes for a week.  Should I fret about delays, cancellations, and inconveniences?  Yes, I have obligations to fulfill and No, I don't have money to burn, so I must stay realistic in my behaviors.  But my attitudes need not be compromised.  When I was a kid, I used to dream about flying.  Now I groan with the thought of dragging unwieldy baggage around an airport and suffering the indignities of security checkpoints and trying not to sound selfish and self-centered to overwhelmed ticketing agents when I'm asking about alternative methods to get me out of the snow and slush and into the sun and warmth. 

How the Hedge Society must delight in watching such silliness from their perch on top of the tail of my jetliner.  Or, perhaps, they're just concerned with taking care of each other, helping each other find food and adequate shelter, and keeping a safe distance from the cat.  They must, I believe, delight in their aerobatics through the dancing snowflakes.  I know I delight in watching them. 

So the question for myself today is, what kind of society do I choose to live in? 

I think I know the answer.  A little bird told me.

Take care,

Brian Fallon