A New Day, a Return to Blogging

Once upon a time, I really enjoyed blogging. It was an outlet to share my thought and to get occasional feedback from strangers.  Then life got busy, hell it go downright complicated and I walked away from this creative outlet.  I worked too many hours.  I was involved in too many activities.  My son became more socially active.  Soon, life in the real world took over any moment of time that I had to write.  I need that to change and so I am back.

The question is this, where do I start?  Obama? Republicans? Politics? World News?  Social Activism?  Good lord, the list could go on for hours.  Maybe I should just start simply. I'll start with something that I love, the thing pushes my every action.  My family.

It has been an interesting couple of years. First off, we were blessed with new members in our band of beloved misfits.  Two bouncing healthy babies came into this world in November of 2010,  Miss Stella Rose McNulty joined us just two day after Mr Able Levi Genesis Mierka.  Adorable doesn't begin to describe these cutie patooties.  They are characters that have really carved a place in our hearts.  Each a unique little person that has charm and wit.  They brought a smile laughter to our family during some trying times.

We lost three of the most precious gems in our family.  On Thanksgiving of 2011, I found out my Aunt Allyn Sweet McNulty Ferris had cancer and on Christmas Day that year, she lost that battle because the disease was so powerful and quick.  Within the space of 364 days, I lost both of my Grandmothers. Lewis Swann Liveoak Gray and Beverly Leah Durand McNulty.   Each passing on to heaven where I know they watch down on us.  Their presence is felt every day but there is a void in my heart my heart because I can't reach out and touch them. I cannot hear their voice as they offered advice. Their laughter  doesn't make me smile anymore because it is gone. The pain is still raw.

As with all families, we saw trials beyond deaths.   We saw divorces that broke your heart but were for the very best. We saw loved ones hurt by significant others who turned down our help causing us to fear for their lives. We saw some that we love betray our trust and commit sins that can never be forgiven.  Money was an ever present struggle for most of our family but we push on and help one another wit every bit we have. Finally, there were arguments spurred by the desire to protect the ones we love that raged for hours, days, months and even years.

Then there were the triumphs.  Promotions to new positions. New homes and relocations that brought family closer.   Access to new funds to help solve financial woes. Finally, there were reconciliations between members that fought so bitterly it was thought they would never speak again.

So much has happened, I would never be able to write it all down. These are the highlights.  I can't wait to share more. 

Until next time...

Trust Kills

Why is it that we follow others? If we are truly a nation built on the individuality of people, why do some people rise while others fall? Why do some people allow themselves to be herded to blindly follow a leader that may or may not be the right person for the job? If history has taught us anything, it should be this – never trust your leaders.

Trust is not something that should be offered to leaders, especially political leaders. I do not care if the man or woman can perform miracles; you have to doubt your leaders at all times. Doubting your leader should be mandatory because it keeps you thinking, questioning and analyzing their movements and actions. Its doubt that allows you to see a "leader" for what they truly are – your equal that is capable of making mistakes and errors just like you. Doubt helps you to understand that leaders are not better than you because they are simply operating on authority you gave them and you can take away.

I understand that there are people that need to trust their leaders, but that need is flawed. Trust is something that should be earned and it simply cannot be done on a national level. The people of this country can't sit back and claim to know the President; they don't know him at all. They know the image and the brand. They know the shiny exterior that is packaged and presented to the world, not the real person. I don't care if you have seen a President hug their children and kiss their wives – that is nothing more than a framed snippet presented to make the leader more likeable to the "common" people that are so willing to give away their own authority in the world.

Yes, many of you will read this and think I am talking about Obama followers, but others will look at this see Bush followers. It doesn't matter. Apply it to whomever you want but you must understand that if you are willing to trust a leader without question, you are doomed. After all, the people of Germany trusted Hitler because he was a moving and powerful leader that rescued the nation from a crushing depression and restored national pride lost during World War I. Look what happened to that nation when trust was given rather than doubt.

When will we learn to attack problems in the proper order?

Ahhh…electric cars. Clean. Safe. Eco-friendly. These babies don't produce the noxious gasses that their gasoline driven brethren create. Global warming will abate as the CO₂ levels drop with the ever decreasing population of gasoline-driven automobiles. The consumer will not be beholden to the gas company and their ever-fluctuating prices. National security will improve as we reduce the dependence our nation has on foreign oil imports. It will simply make the Earth a better place. Right?

As Detroit and Japan push forward on the release of new electric plug-in vehicles, we need to reexamine our condemnation of the auto industry as the chief party responsible for global warming. Plug-in vehicles sound great to most Americans because we simply plug them in and "POOF" – no more combustion engine pollution. The problem with electric cars is the myth that they are the solution to our problems.

Americans and the rest of the world face a bigger problem than our vehicles and that is our energy industry. Beyond the obvious stranglehold that oil producing nations have over the world we have big problems. Oil is the BIGGEST energy producer on the planet (not to mention a primary source for plastics). In the US, nearly 40% of ALL energy produced in the country is created by oil and most of that energy produced is done by vehicles.

So what happens when we take all of the power producing vehicles offline and put the burden on our aging power grid? What happens we have to nearly double the capacity of our aging grid? We have to build more power plants.

New power plants will probably result in new coal plants and an increase in the ever-growing demand for coal. Currently, 51% of our electricity comes from coal and that isn't likely to change anytime soon. People seem to be on a "clean coal" kick to include top Democrats like Obama. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as "clean coal". No matter how much you scrub the gasses or trap them in underground storage facilities, there is still a host of environmental issues involved like the destruction of mountains, rivers and streams through mountaintop removal mining techniques.

Sadly, renewable energy sources are expensive to install (although the prices are dropping) and the profits are minimal compared to those the energy industry is used to seeing. That means they aren't truly motivated to implement the cleaner energy sources. Also, the large scale national grids that are plagued by transmission losses and health risks make the sale of energy more profitable; this eliminates their interest in more sustainable, secure and eco-friendly microgrids.

We have attacked our environmental problems in reverse. Rather than addressing the need to double the capacity of electric power production FIRST, we have pushed for the production of vehicles that will drain an already overtaxed system. This will most assuredly result in haphazard regulations and lenient rules that will allow the power industry to expand its production capabilities with cheap, dirty energy.

Source Department of Energy - Annual Energy Review 2007

 

 

First off, let me start by saying that Obama gave me the one major change I wanted out of the last election cycle - an end to the presidency of George W Bush. So for me, anything else that changes (for the better) is gravy. For me he has done some great things to help protect women's reproductive choice (GRAVY!).
The reason I ask this is because for so many people, they voted for a dream in 2008 not reality.
They voted for the troops to be magically transported out of dangerous warzones. However, they got the very approach that McCain promised - a coordinated withdrawal of combat troops while leaving a peacekeeping force to assist the Iraqis that would be withdrawn (hopefully) in a year or so but would stay as long as needed if something changed (*cough* remember McCain's 100 years comment?)
They voted to end Guantanamo. However the reality is the closure of the prison leaves 100s of terrorists without anywhere to go (we don't want them here, their countries dont want them). The prison is set to close in a year but where will those 200+ prisoners go? I personally doubt that they will make their way to mainland America so they will probably end up at one of the secret prisons we run (or our allies run on our behalf).
They voted for a new kind of "non-partisan" politics. However we have all seen that both the Republicans and the Democrats (Obama included) are firmly entrenched in their party alliances and wars. Just because Pres Obama declares a bill he wrote to be "non-partisan" does not make it true. You can not expect people to go completely against their ideology and beliefs to accept legislation that is radically different. It didn't work under Republican rule and it wont work under Democrat rule.
They voted for an end to lobbyists that are beholden to large corporations and the rich. President Obama even declared that his administration would be lobbyist free. However, he backtracked on that promise within days of making it by hiring multiple lobbyists who owe companies like Raytheon massive favors.
They voted for Obama because he would restore the USA's standing in the world and bring peace. The reality is that plenty of countries simply don't like us and they haven't liked us for generations - with or without George W Bush.
Now, I don;t want President Obama to fail. In fact, I want him succeed. I just know that there were a LOT of naive people that believed Obama to be this mythical figure that could solve the world's woes. They believed he would bring peace while protecting us from all harm. They believed he would bring an economic revival that would make the poor rich (or at least middle class). They thought he would fix our educational system. They thought he had magic in him that would fix everything. So I wonder this, at what point will their fantasy view of Obama end and reality set in?
Worse yet, will their inevitable disillusionment with Obama lead to a return to their apathetic voting practices? I would hate to see Sarah Palin come into power because Democrats decide to not vote (thats how we got Bush!)

Flag Burning - Yay or Nay?

OK, so today I received a rather annoying traffic ticket because I drove down a public side-street that has been closed to local residents only. While researching the laws to find out how I am being denied access to a tax-payer maintained road that had its snow plowed before mine and is only 500 feet from my home (seems local to me), I found an interesting local law.

Sec. 19-4. Flag and coat of arms.
(a) Definitions. The words "flag," "standard," "color," "ensign," "cost-of-arms" and "shield," as used in this section, shall include any flag, standard, color, ensign, cost-of-arms and shield or copy, picture or representation thereof made of any substance or represented or produced thereon, and of any size, evidently purporting to be such flag, standard, color, ensign, coat-of-arms or shield of the United States or of this state or a copy, picture or representation thereof.
(b) Exhibition and display of flag. It shall be unlawful for any person within the city to in any manner for exhibition or display:
(1) Place or cause to be placed any word, figure, mark, picture, design, drawing or advertisement of any nature upon any flag, standard, color, ensign, coat-of-arms or shield of the United States or of this state or authorized by any law of the United States or of this state;
(2) Expose to public view any flag, standard, color, ensign, coat-of-arms or shield upon which shall have been printed, painted or otherwise produced or to which shall have been attached, appended, affixed or annexed any such word, figure, mark, picture, design, drawing or advertisement; or
(3) Expose to public view for sale, manufacture or otherwise or to sell, give or have in possession for sale, for gift or for use for any purpose any substance being an article of merchandise, receptacle, or thing for holding or carrying merchandise upon or to which shall have been produced or attached any such flag, standard, color, ensign, coat-of-arms or shield in order to advertise, call attention to, decorate, mark or distinguish such article or substance.
(c) Mutilation of flag. It shall be unlawful for any person within the city who shall publicly mutilate, deface, defile, defy, trample upon or by word or act cast contempt upon any such flag, standard, color, ensign, coat-of-arms or shield.
(d) Exceptions. This section shall not apply to any act permitted by the statutes of the United States or of this state or by the United States army and navy regulations, nor shall it apply to any printed or written document or production, stationery, ornament, picture or jewelry whereon shall be depicted such flag, standard, color, ensign, coat-of-arms or shield with no design or words thereon and disconnected with any advertisement.
(Ord. No. 75-51, §§ 13.1--13.4, 2-11-75)
State law references: Similar provisions, MCL 750.244 et seq., MSA 28.441 et seq.

So then I researched the State of Michigan laws which say the same thing. I guess it never occurred to me that the flag burning amendment would be pointless in this state because it was already illegal. I probably also didn't notice because burning a flag never seemed like something I wanted to do (with my luck my hair would go up with the nylon flag). However I think that American citizens should have the right to burn a flag in protest just like the colonist burned the British flag and effigies of the king during the Revolution.

So what do you think - should flag burning (and other form of flag "desecration") be banned?

I know that I won't be doing it any time soon because, as an Army brat, I was brought up to look at the Flag a certain way. However - that does not mean that I should be allowed to tell others that they cannot burn one in protest.

Please note - you cannot equate burning a flag with urinating or defecating on it. Both of those acts are considered indecent in public (as they should be) so they are automatically out of the "desecration" category.

To all of the Obama supporters that want me to vote for him if Hillary doesn't make it.

Dear Obama Supporters:

Thank you very much for being concerned about how I vote if my candidate, Hillary Clinton, does not get the nomination. I think its nice that you are showing concern for other voters in the divided democratic party. However, you are being a tad bit simplistic if you think that we should vote for Obama just because he is a Democrat. Many of us that are facing this decision are not taking it lightly - we want the best CANDIDATE even if that pushes us outside of the Democratic party.

I have seen many views of Clinton supporters that are having a problem getting behind Obama. So far - they are all quite nasty to tell you the truth. We have been called "spiteful", "racist" and "selfish". All of these names and accusations just seem like attempts to shame people into supporting Obama rather than giving solid reasons why we should vote for him. The really sad part of this issue is most of these names come from the radical far left of the Democratic Party and it infuriates moderates like myself.

Take the accusation that we are spiteful, vindictive women trying to punish Obama for beating Senator Clinton. That couldn't be farther from the truth. If I thought that Obama was a quality candidate - I could easily support him if Clinton failed to garner the nomination. I have done it multiple times in the past and I even managed to support a questionable John Kerry. I simply have found nothing of substance in Obama - that does not make me spiteful folks.

The "racist" claim is beyond annoying. I could care less what color the man is - black, yellow, white, red, purple - IT DOESN'T MATTER FOLKS. I want a quality candidate. I currently have three choices and my ranking of their qualifications has NOTHING to do with the hue of the man's skin. Why is it ok to call a person that cannot support Obama a racist but not a person that is only voting for him because he has a darker skin tone a racist? Sadder yet, it amazes me that being called a racist is such a travesty but people could care less about blatant chauvenism - even from Barack Obama. Can you imagine the reaction if Clinton had called a young african american journalist "boy" as Obama called a female journalist "sweetie".

Just today, Ariana Huffington noted that women who supported Clinton were somewhat selfish because they don't care about Roe V Wade and reproductive rights. Excuse me??? I will fight for the reproductive rights of women until the day that I die. Huffington likes to point out that McCain is pro-life. She goes through his history (this is the part of McCain that I disagree with). She pimps out Obama as if he had been marching along side women for reproductive rights. However she fails to mention the fact that the man did NOT vote "no" on FOURTEEN new abortion restrictions when he had the chance to in the state of Illinois. According to Senator Obama, his "present" votes were only used when he SUPPORTED a bill but had some questions about the way the bill was written. Sorry folks - that does NOT scream "pro-choice" to me.

I think its wonderful that Obama is charismatic enough to draw new voters and people that were just too lazy to vote in past elections (those of you Obama supporters that simply didn't vote in 2004 are hypocrites if you dare question voters that have done their duty for years). However, fact of the matter is this - the man has been a Senator for 2 1/2 years. However, he has been running for President for four years. We simply do not know enough about the man to make him our President.

Guess what - when it comes down to it, this elections is a case of voting for the lesser of two evils. Personally - Obama is too big of a risk to take. So I will be voting McCain (unless something incredible changes my mind.)

Thanks for listening.

Congratulations California! Its nice to see your courts telling you that all people have equal rights!!!

This week the California court system informed the people there that the ban on gay marriage (Prop 22) was unconstitutional. Good For Them!!! Two consenting adults that wish to join in the union of marriage SHOULD be allowed to marry!

Today I opened my email and the American Family Association (AFA) had sent me an email with the following:

Dear Kathleen,

As you know, the California Supreme Court has legalized homosexual marriage. This happened despite the fact that voters in California passed Proposition 22 with 61.4 percent of the vote. Proposition 22 defined marriage as only between one man and one woman.
The recent 4-3 ruling, if allowed to stand, would destroy marriage as it has been known for thousands of years. It would lead to the logical conclusion of the following:• Legalization of polygamous and other aberrant unions as "marriages"• Legalization of marriage between an adult parent and adult child• Legalization of group marriage• Overturn all the marriage laws in the other 49 state

Apparently - the AFA equates homosexuality with incest and other "aberrant" types of marriages. Why can't these people live and let live? Why do they have to try to legislate other people's lives?

Bravo California! Now if only we could get ruling like these here in Michigan - then my aunt could marry her partner of two decades.

My heart breaks for our forgotten soldiers.

A man wandered the streets. His face cracked and blistered from the blustering bitter arctic wind. His beard and hair were unkempt and wild. The tattered stocking cap on his head looked as though it would keep nothing warm.

I approached the man as he gathered trash from the streets. He examined each piece that he picked up and put it in one of three bags that he had tied to an ancient belt. Fishing through my pockets, I attempted to find something that would help the man out. There was only spare change floating in a pile of paper receipts. It was still more than the man had.

I handed the man the money, all that I had. A flash of silver and copper caught my eye as the coins fell into his hands. The blackened skin was hard, thick and cracked. It looked as though he was wearing gloves made of armadillo. A half a second of hesitation seemed to pass through the man's eyes but the quickness of his hands defied his pride.

"I can't take this," the stranger said."I want to work for my money."

How sad I felt. I did not want to offend this proud man, I simply wanted to help. He was one of the many men that our country had sacrificed to the lords of war and then turned our backs on. He was a soldier that had defended our freedom and protected our very lives. This man was a hero – even now.

"You already did the work," I responded. "You sacrificed your life to save mine. I can never pay you enough."

He looked at me. I looked at him. I said a silent thank you and moved on. I knew that this proud man did not want charity. He didn't want me to see him humbled. He just wanted to feel like a man again. I only wish there was more I could do for him.

As I walked away my son asked me an innocent question. "Who was that man Mom?" I told him that the man was an American soldier.

My boy replied to me, "Aren't our soldiers American heroes? Is he homeless? Did we forget him?"

Yes sweetie. We forgot him.

Yet another Bush Administration official turns coat - Scott McClellan says Bush ordered him to lie

The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby.

There was one problem. It was not true.

I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President's chief of staff, and the President himself.

---Scott McClellan, "WHAT HAPPENED Inside the Bush White House and What's Wrong with Washington"

 
 

 
 

I almost feel bad for Bush - his buddies, friends, flunkies and cohorts are turning against him.  McClellan was with Bush since Texas and he worked with the man for almost a decade. 

Never the Right Time

Never the Right Time

 

Dear Will…

 

How are you? How is your wife? How are your children? I can't believe that we haven't spoken in so long. I remember a time when I couldn't bear to go an hour without hearing your voice. The lack of your touch would send me into an emotional spiral of despair. There was a time when I couldn't exist without you.

 

We were young then, very young. We planned our futures together. There was to have been a beautiful wedding where you would wear a kilt and I would wear an immaculate white dress – a princess dress for your princess. We were so naïve then because you weren't a man yet and I wasn't a woman. Neither of us ready for the commitments were had promised, so we parted ways.

 

Later, I watched you struggle through relationships that you didn't seem to want and I acted out my youthful indiscretions in the most harmful ways possible. You finally got away from HER but I was with HIM. The wrong time once again for two people that still cared. There was nothing more than a stolen night or two of intimacy to give solace to one another, nothing more.

 

My child came first and I left the man that was destroying my soul piece by piece. I had to protect my child and he gave me the courage to leave. That time we thought we had a shot but my battered psyche couldn't handle a public relationship, so we met in silence. We met cloaked with deception. When your father died, it was the deception that destroyed us. We split because you hurt me and you hurt me so that I could leave you without you destroying me. I think you knew how damaged I was at the time. It was a good thing in retrospect.

 

Next came your surprise child and a wife. You wanted me at the wedding but I couldn't go. I just couldn't bring myself to look at you marrying another woman in a ceremony that was supposed to be ours. It was just too hard for me to handle. I think it hurt you that I wasn't there but I hope you understood my reasons.

 

Now I protect my heart. I don't give it away anymore because there isn't much left of me to give. I have to keep it safe because it has been broken time and time again. Maybe one day, there will a chance for us, but I won't wish for it. A chance for us means your family would have to be destroyed and they don't deserve that. However, if there is a chance, I would gladly take it. I gave my heart to you long ago so that means that if you wanted to try, I wouldn't have to break down any of the protective barriers I built up around me.

 

I am not trying for love anymore. I am simply working to be happy. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

Kate

The Errors of Camping…

Oh the Snafus of a camping trip. Now don't get me wrong, I love to camp – especially in the Upper Peninsula. It's beautiful here. I just wish a few less things could go wrong.

Problem #1 – This actually happen IN Detroit. The skies opened up like God herself was trying to drown us. It rained the entire day before we left. I put off packing the van because I was hoping to do it without the rain. Well, the very next morning – the rain was actually WORSE than the day before. There is nothing like packing in the rain.

Problem #2 – The FM Modulator I had Best Buy hardwire into my car doesn't work. Now, they tried to tell me it was because 89X comes in too strong in Detroit. WRONG! Tonight I realized that it ha nothing to do with any radio station. It's all about the car's headlights. I am pretty sure they have hardwired the damned thing into my damned headlights. When they are on – the thing works. When the lights are off – it doesn't work. Grrr….

Problem #3 – This was minor because I just forgot my stupid phone charger. I knew I would need it though because my parents are coming up on Wednesday. After stopping at a truck stop super gas station (I thought they had everything), I was told to go to a Walmart. That added a half hour to the trip.

Problem #4 – Upon arrival at the state park, we immediately began to unpack. I had the van unloaded and we started to get the tent up. Well, that would have gone more smoothly if we had TENT POLES!!! It seems that the tent poles were NOT in the tent bag. Maybe I couldn't get them in last year. Maybe I thought they would tear the tent. In either case, the tent poles were safely in Detroit while I am in St Ignace. This required another trip to a Walmart.

Problem #5 – Xander's sleeping bag died last night. The stupid zipper busted. I ended up giving him my extra blankets and I froze. Oh well, I love my bo and don't want him to be cold.

Problem #6 – I DROPPED MY CAMERA!!! Its dead. I killed it. I absolutely LOVED my camera. This pisses me off to no end. I broke it though, so I can't be mad at anybody else.

Problem #7 – I bought these two AWESOME looking steaks for dinner. They were only $6 a pound for Angus Porterhouses. I marinated them. I lovingly prepared them. Xander and I were drooling over these yummy looking steaks. They looked absolutely perfect as I took them off the grill. They looked perfect as they fell into the fire. They didn't stay perfect though. They burst into flames. They died tragically like my camera.

 

For all of the problems – I wouldn't trade this for the world. I have my boy. We have nature and some beautiful surroundings. We have the lakes. We have an awesome view of Big Mac. We have each other and we have had some incredible discussions. I love it.

The Democratic Party – Campaigning to Lose

OK folks. Stop the self-destructive crap. Quit screaming for impeachment. Stop acting like a bunch of screaming lunatics that people are forced to first look at and then run from. Democrats are currently working on their next campaign and the current title of the campaign is "Losing Like Pros".

After 2004, you would have thought that the Democrats would take a more proactive approach to an election. Instead, we are seeing the same self-destructive patterns that we saw in '04 emerging. First off, Democrats need to realize that it's not just the actual candidates that lost them the campaign. The members and people that vote for the Democratic Party played a vital role in the discrediting of the party and its candidates. So let's look at some things that need to be changed if we want to regain the Oval Office.

1. Stop the insane blood curdling screeches of "Impeach Bush!" and "When Clinton lied, nobody died". We all know that Bush is scum, but I really don't want millions upon millions of dollars wasted on an impeachment process that would never be successful and doesn't have time complete before the man leaves office. Most of the world knows that he will be here until his term is finished – accept it and move on to better things. When you continually harp on this one talking point, you look obsessed and some of you look slightly crazy.
   
2. Get off the Cindy Sheehan train. I get it. Her kid died. That is absolutely the worst tragedy a parent can face – the death of a child. However, Casey Sheehan CHOSE to be a member of the American military. That is not a safe job folks, even without Bush in there. Casey Sheehan not only CHOSE to be in the Army, he CHOSE to reenlist knowing that he would be sent into Iraq. He also chose to be a part of an emergency reaction group to rescue other American soldiers. Yes, it's sad that he is gone, but Sheehan needs to understand that her son made the choice to be there.
   
3. We also need to understand that our nation broke the only stable government Iraq knew. So now we are stuck there for years to come. Leaving Iraq would only create a new Afghanistan….
   
4. Yes, Bush got Scooter Libbey out of jail time. That's nothing new folks. Presidential Pardons are a perk of the job and EVERY president has used the privilege. Clinton pardoned a damned child molester folks. Let's get over it.
   
5. Halliburton sucks. Yep. We get that. It's a multinational corporation and most of them do suck. Your point is? Do you honestly think that this election is the vehicle to change our entire economic system? Maybe there are some better venues for that process.
   
6. The Bush twins are making six figures as consultants. They choose not to be in the military, so why try to force them there? Remember, we have a volunteer army and we live in a nation where we are allowed to make our own decisions. Let's apply those rules to everyone – even if you don't like them. Leave the girls alone, just like we wanted people to leave Chelsea alone.
   
7. Quit screaming about sexual morality or honesty in politics. Both sides are crooked folks. I know it. You know it. Let's not be hypocrites and try to act like only their side has problems.
   
8. Can we please get a candidate that can speak to the common man? Just like a newspaper, the copy has to be dumbed down to an eighth grade level so that everybody understands what you are saying. Kerry learned this the hard way. HE tried to talk to the people like he was speaking to a room of college educated intellectuals. Face it folks – less than 1 in 4 people have a college degree.
   
9. Can we try not to alienate Christians by painting them all in the same stroke as a bigoted fundamentalist sect? Christians come in all shapes and sizes. They also come in a wide range of beliefs. Accept it and stop alienating them.
   
10. Will somebody please talk to the ACLU??? While they will take up the case for separation of church and state when it comes to a Christian group – they ignore it for Muslims. They even refused to take cases where tax dollars were being used at public schools to provide for religious study. I am all for separation – equal separation.
    

 

I think I might list more later but for now, this is what I have time to write down….

Made in China – Leaded Toys and Dr. Martin Luther King?

Made in America. That is a label that we see less and less in this nation. Even when we do see it, the only thing that was made here is the label. Outsourcing has become so commonplace that its sometimes hard to find American made products.

This week has been a difficult one for corporations that produce their products in nations like China. They are learning that lax standards and cheap labor are hurting their products and their bottom lines. The recall of millions of toys has lead to fears of foreign made toys hurting our children. Some people even fear that the Chinese government is deliberately trying to hurt our children and our nation. (I don't know if I buy that one).

Now word comes that the statue for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in the National Mall will be made by a Chinese artist in China. There were hopes that an African American artist would be chosen to immortalize Rev. King in stone, unfortunately that were not in the cards. American artists are infuriated that a Chinese artist was chosen over any American. They see this as further betrayal to the American people.

How would Dr. King feel about this turn of events? He always saw a future world where all people were equal. That includes people of every nationality, color, ethnicity and heritage. He might see a Chinese man crafting his statue and be happy about it because the man was allowed entrance into the closed art world. I personally think that Dr. King would be happy that they were willing to consider any person for the job.

Are you dying to be thin? Do you need a “thinspiration”? Do you think the skin and bones look is the way to go?

Do you want to be thin?   Are you seeking "thinspiration"?   Just type "pro-ana" into google or look for a pro-ana group on Myspace.   There you will find thousands of women (and a handful of men) sharing ways to live the pro-ana lifestyle.  What is pro-ana?  Oh, thats just a pro-anorexia lifestyle. Do you want to know how to survive on a saltine and a diet soda a day for a month- these sick people are more than willing to share with you their "successes".

Now i knew that the pro-ana lifestyle had hit the web in the form of web rings and standalone websites.  What's new is the influx of myspace sites.  Look at this one.  This poor sick little girl offers the following advice in her profile:

About me:
As promised, Tips And Tricks for Pro-Anas:

• I swear by diet pills. Losing weight causes hormone imbalance and makes you edgier and drained. Diet pills balance your hormones allowing you to be happier and have more energy. A warning though. Take them as soon as you wake up. If taken later in the day, you will have trouble sleeping. You may be slightly nausiated when you begin taking them on an empty stomach but it does pass.
  
• Fasting in moderation. So many girls say they are going to fast. I have fasted and the weight will come back if you fast for long periods and then binge. I find the easiest way to lose weight is to fast for one to two days, on the third day eat small portions of food and then return to fasting. You need to control your eating habits. I am not against mia but I have a fear of throwing up and therefore can not binge.
  
• Laxatives. If you feel like you have cheated terribly, take laxatives. A warning here is that your body memorizes laxatives and eventually becomes immune causing you to need more and more to produce an equal effectiveness. Try to only use once every two weeks and buy philips, they are non-cramping and controllable.
  
• Exercise!! This is key. No girl is going to lose weight, even if they are fasting or purging if they do not exercise. Exercise keeps off the weight and allows you to burn more calories. A simple brisk walk is efficient enough. Get off your lazy ass and do something!! Enroll in dance if you have to!
  

 
 

Then if you look at some of this poor girl's friends it gets scarier because these girls clearly have issues.   Some know that they are classified as sick but they choose to ignore. Then if you start surfing livejournal, vox, myspace, xanga and a host of other places - you will see these girls extolling the virtues of being skinny.  Pictures of Nicole Richie, Mary Kate Olsen, Lindsay Lohan and other uber skinny women at their lowest weights are all over these websites as "thinspiration".  It's too sad!!!

 
 

Big Girls You Are Beautiful

I love this video.

 

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