We will not be quiet.

Today, I was going to whinge about the drama I am having regarding moving and everything else that is changing due to my job switching. Woe is me...

Then, I read this.

Not having read the original post, I found it reposted here (scroll down). As I was catching my breath, I read this nonsense (the first comment).

My mind is swirling, I am at a loss and felt compelled to blog about it. For me, there are a few issues at hand:

1)Religion, profession, location, actions and reactions at the time, do NOT matter. My friend was assaulted. Period.
2) The fact that she was asked to take her post down so as not to, "harm our good image in general of Hinduism," is just as wrong and is assault number two.
3)The comment made by down2earth regarding her situation was the third strike in this matter.

The common theme here is that my friend was disrespected, wholly and unabashedly, in three separate situations, by three separate individuals. This is not tolerable.

This situation is a universal one, the perpetrator used his position in order to get what he wanted. I figure her specifying that it was a "Hindu priest" struck a nerve with some folks. Regarding the religious connotation, I feel that it doesn't matter/does matter that the victimizer was a Hindu priest. It doesn't matter because he is guilty of sexual assault, regardless of who he is and/or what he does, and to be silent about it to protect the religion, will not alleviate the situation. However, it does matter, because someone that is to be trusted based on faith; not a "stranger" per se, but someone similar to a professor, teacher, counselor violated that trust using his role in a religion to his advantage.

My response to all of this is a heavy sigh, and a desire to do something. I hope that this situation opens up the eyes of you, my dear reader. What needs to be emphasized here is that my friend was assaulted and did her best to speak out about it. I applaud her for her efforts.

I am posting this in order to support her, to spread the message and to NOT BE SILENCED.

Going, going... to Cali(fornia).... and other such things.

God forbid I call it "Cali," or refer to the the city as "San Fran" or (gasp!) "Frisco." I guess it is kind of like someone referring to Indianapolis and basically the entire south central region of Indiana as "Indy." There are specific cities, one of which I have lived in for about 9 years now. Bloomington. Bloomington, IN.... home of IU; "Sink the Biz;" and a vast array of college memories. I HEART Bloomington.

Big changes in my life. Found a fantastic new job, so I'm packing up the small things and moving. I'm giving up couches I've lived on; a bed I've had since I was 2; and a new television I've had an intense love affair with since last year. It is scary, but strangely exhilirating. I hope this whole, "discarding of the material things" will help me find out... something...

This space may help me reduce the clutter (physical and mental) I feel like I have. And since this is being published on the Internet, I'll take the time to write, therefore, examining my thoughts more thoroughly. I tend to get lazy and comfortable in life, and basically fly at altitude. I NEED to be a fighter pilot, making turns and dips that makes me want to vonku* and my eyes tear up. This move to California, and this here blog, is just that.

I've envied my friends that have successfully blogged and have had me hooked onto their lives and times. This is my attempt at joining that exclusive circle...

And for now, I'm out. I'm in the midst of cleaning, packing and taking in all that I can of Bloomington before I head off into the sunset.

*vonku - Konkani GSB word for "vomit." Great, isn't it?