Some Notes from the Peanut Gallery

I have not been able to pay as close attention to the debt limit crisis as I normally would.  Life has gotten in the way.  Today I was trying to do some reading to see what I missed.  Not all that much really, they seem to be in the same place they were a few weeks ago.  Just closer to date of "doom" according to the left.

I did across an article about the Tea Party influence in this debate.  The article is about what one would expect on CNN.  But I always find the comments to be the best part.  I came across this one:

I have a few questions. 1. Since when did this country need a "Super Congress" to know the difference between spending within your means and spending out of control! ? 2. Since when did the "Tea Potty" think they were "The peoples Potty"? 3. And last but not least, just what makes the wealthiest so high and mighty that they, can't or won't, support the country that made them wealthy? Can the 2 seperate Republican enities explain these?

Just exactly what country are they serving? I know it can not be America! They are traitors, liers, and they call themselves faith based. These biggots are self serving with NO intentions to serve this country but only those outside of the lawmakers rhelm to make themselves more rich off the working peoples back. What a disgusting group of trash to represent this Country!

OK, 1. Apparently Congress does need someone or something to explain living within your means.  They have not been doing it for decades.  2. The Tea Party is mainly a group of everyday citizens saying they have had enough.  I have never been paid to go to any protest.  I have never been given money to get there, everything that I have done has been taking time off from work (I only work part time so it is easier for me) and getting myself to DC on my own.  Granted I don't live far so there is not much money involved here.  Really just parking and gas for me.  3. The wealthiest of Americans do pay the vast majority of the bills in this country.  I don't know what it will take to get the people on the left to accept that.  Almost half of the people in this country pay no income tax at all.  They pay payroll taxes and end up with a refund at the end of the year.  Who do you think is putting money into the treasury?  Do you think the money comes from the tooth fairy?  It is not unreasonable to demand that congress be responsible with our money.  Presently they are not.  We don't live within our means and that is the reason for the tea party. 

The vast majority of people I know that are involved in the tea party are middle class people who struggle with money issues.  Just like the majority of Americans.  I know of one who has told me on several occasions she really struggles with money every month.  Things are tight for her and her husband.  I know people in the tea party who are single and renters.  I know people who are just starting out in their lives.  Only out of college a few years.  I know several people who are in the medical field and what drove them to the tea party was Obamacare.  They know what is going to happen to our medical care in this country when this fully takes hold.  (If is more like it).  I know some military people who have defended this country for a small amount of money who are really worried about the direction we are going in.  One of which has spent time in a war zone.  His voice has the right to be heard. 

Yeah I agree that far too many people in congress make themselves rich off the tax payer.  You should be in the tea party not calling them racists.  We believe that too. 

Open your eyes to what is happening in this country and then maybe you can get your head out of your ass long enough to realize that Tea Party is trying to stop this country from spending more on interest than it does on education every year.  You are against fighting for that?  But, I am the stupid one?  Yeah, you jerk, we spend more on interest every year than we do to educate our young. 

Congrats to New Daddy Smitty

Smitty has had a busy few weeks.  He is freshly back from his last tour of duty serving this great country of ours in Afghanistan and yesterday, he became a first time daddy.

His beautiful and healthy little boy is named Niklas. 

Pop on over and say congrats to the newest and smallest conservative blogger. 

If you hit the tip jar, make sure that Stacy knows it is for Master Niklas. 

Congrats to Smitty and the Other Mrs. Smitty.  Here is to your adventure of a lifetime.  The hardest and most rewarding thing you will ever do in your life.  But the love you feel for that little boy will make it all worth while. 

The Left's View of the World

Damaging some bird fetus' is punishable by fines and jail time (while unlikely, still legally possible) yet to kill a human fetus is perfectly acceptable.




A 25-year-old is not responsible or mature enough to carry their own health insurance, yet middle school students in Washington state can get a tax payer funded abortion without parental notification or consent.



Innocent Israeli's who are killed in suicide bombings are really victims of their government's policies. Yet the bomber is just reacting to his oppression.



The people living in squalor in the Jordanian "refugee" camps that were set up more than 60 years ago are victims of Israel. Jordan is completely blameless for not giving them citizenship or helping them to build a life beyond the poverty they live in.



The fact that no Middle Eastern country has offered to help the Palestinians in any meaningful way is Israel's fault.



While history has proven that when Israel signs a peace agreement with a country they stand by it, they are still the aggressors.



Sarah Palin is a bad mother because her daughter got pregnant and had a child out-of-wedlock. Had Bristol had an abortion, she would be a good mother.



Sarah Palin is some sort of nut for daring to raise and love a developmentally challenged child, yet the woman who aborted her child because of a cleft palette is a hero.



Although Van Jones described himself as a communist and has made the statement that America is not broke because Halliburton has money he really isn't a communist.



When the head of the New York Chapter of the NAACP says that black families that are trying to enroll their children in a better schools are doing the business of slave masters she is just protecting the rights of people of color.



“I’d simply say that as a parent, the most important job you have is to provide the best opportunities possible for your children’s education and success,” The words uttered by Karen Boykin-Towns about the choice to send her daughter to boarding school in New Hampshire while she and her husband have worked to limit choice to the other parents in New York City. Mr. Towns voted to cap charter schools and Mrs. Towns works for the NAACP who has filed suit against the city to stop the opening of new charter schools.



Had the left just left Gov. Palin alone after the election of 08 she would have written one book on her experience, it would have sold well to the conservative leaning people in the country and she would have faded into oblivion like most other failed vice presidential candidates. They have made Palin what she is today.



Believing that homosexuality can be cured makes you some bigoted religious nut. Believing that pedophilia can be cured makes you compassionate.



The left believes that republicans are not really trying to decrease the debt. If Pelosi were still Speaker of the House, the debt ceiling increased would have passed months ago with no real discussion or debate.



In San Francisco wanting convicted sex offenders away from neighborhoods where there are schools is a violation of the sex offenders civil rights.



Being against President Obama's policies makes you a racist, but if you voted for him because of the historic nature of the first black president that is perfectly acceptable.



Wasting almost a trillion dollars of mostly borrowed money on a stimulus package that didn't stimulate much of anything is Bush's fault.



The Democrats have not had a budget in more than 800 days but it is the republicans that are irresponsible.



People like President Obama and Michael Moore say that the taxes on the rich are too low. But when they do their own taxes, they hire high-priced accountants to find every possible tax deduction instead of paying the flat 35% rate.



President Obama insults the "fat cats" on wall street publically but has no problem with taking their money for his re-election campaign privately. No one on the left seems to see the hypocrisy in this.



To the left allowing people to keep more of the money that they earned is considered a tax cut.



People on the far left say that taxes on the rich are too low, but when asked why they don't give money directly to the treasury they say it will be wasted, they would rather give it charity. Yet, they still want taxes to be increased.

That Was Quite A Speech There Mr. Speaker

I am really liking this speech.  The American people need to be fully aware, THE ONLY reason we are having this discussion is because the republicans are listening to the Tea Party.  We MUST cut our debt. 

While We Were Sleeping

“Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks.”

Albert Herlong Jr., Florida Congressman, 1963


The next time you are at the ballot box and see names for the school boards - don't think that your vote doesn't matter.

Just once I would like to hear a moderate dem (they do exist) come out and admit that their party has been taken over by an element that doesn't have America's best interest at heart. 

Amy Winehouse Dead at 27

Amy Winehouse dead today at 27.  The details of her death are unknown at this point, but chances are they are drug or alcohol releated.  It seems singing and destroying her life were two things she excelled at. 

 Winehouse was a rare talent, one that comes once in a generation.  Her vocal capabilities left one breathless. 







Her unique sound and sense of style will be missed.  May she finally find  the peace that escaped her during her short time on earth. 


Rest in Peace Amy.  Maybe she should have said yes to Rehab. 

Quote of the Day - Renee Ellmers Edition

“appeal to [Obama’s] ego because its 'bigger than the deficit."”

Congresswoman Renee Ellmers

Reportedly from closed door meeting of Congressional Republicans with Speaker Boehner. 

Gotta love her. 

1st Annual Virginia Tea Party Summit on Education - Richmond, VA

Education is a topic I care about deeply.  There is no point in working to change this country if the next generation doesn't understand why.  My personal mision falls more within improving the educational system within country with school choice and badly needed public education reform.  But teaching about the consititution is of equal importance.  If you are in the Richmond area, plan on attending.  I have heard NRIE speak previously and they have some great stories and some wonderful ideas. 

1st Annual Virginia Tea Party Summit on Education

Where:


The Commonwealth Club


401 W. Franklin Street


Richmond, VA 23220






When:


Saturday July 30, 2011 from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM EDT


Dear Fellow Patriots,


(FYI: YOU MUST REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT TO BE ADMITTED, THANK YOU)


We are pleased to present the first annual tea party summit on education! We are holding this event because it has become clear that the heritage and foundational principles that made us the greatest country in the world are not being taught or are being distorted in K-12 education. Our public schools are not teaching kids the importance of the rule of law, economic freedom and individual achievement.


This is perilous and if we don't act, our hard work will be undone by an entire generation that doesn't understand or is actively opposed to individual freedom!


This seminar will provide you with an action plan that you can implement. Our goal is to build a coalition of tea party leaders, activists and educators that can work together to be more effective.


You will leave with a step by step action plan, resources, tools, and a support system to truly make a difference. We have invited national organizations that are 100% focused on getting young people not only the right information but also inspiring and engaging them on American exceptionalism. This seminar will tell you how to do it!


ORGANIZATIONS/PRESENTERS:


HILLSDALE COLLEGE


NEW RENAISSANCE IN EDUCATION


AMERICAN HERITAGE EDUCATION FOUNDATION


LIBERTY AND LAW INSTITUTE


CATO INSTITUTE


CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR FOUNDATION PROGRAM


DR. ILEANA JOHNSON, AUTHOR OF "ECHOES IN COMMUNISM" (LUNCH TIME SPEAKER)


BREAK OUT SESSIONS WITH FACILITATORS TO DEVELOP YOUR ACTION PLAN


You will receive a full action plan and resources in writing from every organization. A comprehensive, literal "how to" guide for each and every program and idea, no matter how small a step you take! There will be follow up and support planned for everyone. Future meetings and networking will be shaped by group need and consensus.


IMPORTANT INFO:


THERE IS A 30.00 DOLLAR FEE FOR LUNCH PREPAID (CREDIT CARD OR YOU CAN MAIL A CHECK) WHEN YOU REGISTER


YOU MAY REGISTER AND PAY FOR GUESTS WHEN YOU SIGN UP!


THERE IS A DRESS CODE AT THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB (COAT AND TIE FOR MEN, BUSINESS CASUAL FOR WOMEN). THOSE WITHOUT PROPER ATTIRE WILL NOT BE ADMITTED PER THE CLUB'S RULES. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.




Get more information


Register Now!



Thank you so much for your inspiration and hard work in the tea party movement. Together, we can build a state wide network of activists and educators to stop the propaganda and truly educate and engage our children, the future leaders of the last great hope for mankind- America! Please feel free to contact us. See you on July 30th!


Sincerely,


Ms. Kerry Scott


Alexandria Tea Party


mail@alexandriateaparty.com


434-825-0609


Mrs. Rita Grace


Constitutional Tea Party


ccteaparty@gmail.com


540-937-3757



Mr. Ed Ametteti


NRIE.org

The Promise and The Reality

President Obama was swept into office with such great hope. He was “The One” to bring about the change this country was looking for. The country was tired of the Bush administration. The left was crying foul each and every day and the media was a willing helper in spreading the word of how terrible President Bush was.



To the far left in this country Obama was the hope of all the dreams of getting a nanny state implemented in this country. The far left is very vocal in its desire to get “the rich”, after all they are evil. They are going to do what God himself cant and make the world fair. Obama is the most pro abortion president this country has ever had. While the public rhetoric is “rare and safe” the goal is allow women (and girls for that matter) to have abortion on demand at anytime up to birth. And hey, let’s make it free while we are at it. Obama is arguably the most liberal president this country has every elected. He was the promise for the socialists that have taken over the democratic party.


Two and half years in and reality has set in. Not just for the left who are seeing the promises unkept, but the rest of the country who were too blinded to see what President Obama really is. Obama is not the democratic party of old. He represents the new socialist wing that many thought the right was being hyperbolic to point out.


The democratic party of old (while I still disagree with much of) believes in The American Dream. They believe that if they work hard and catch a good break, they too can live a comfortable life, give their children things that their parents were unable to provide for them. The democratic party of old wanted people to succeed. The idea of being a financial success wasn’t evil. John Kennedy was the democratic party of old. He didn’t try to hide his family’s fortune, nor did he apologize for it. People looked at how the Kennedy family succeeded and hoped that one day that could be their children too. He wasn’t evil, forgetting for the moment how Joe Kennedy obtained much of that money.


The far left is frustrated that Obama hasn’t fulfilled the promise. They are actually thinking to themselves that Obama is a centrist that is spending too much time giving into the evil republican demands. Only someone completely delusional would be of that mindset. But what the far left refuses to see let alone accept is that America doesn’t want to go down this road.


Americans don’t want to work three-part time jobs because they can’t find a full-time one that pays them a livable wage. Americans don’t want to see our debt grow and grow on a daily basis. Americans don’t want to be Greece.


The reality is hitting Americans in the face. Keynesian economic models are unsustainable. Spreading the wealth is not making their lives easier, it is making them harder. Spending billions of dollars in “stimulus” that was in reality a pay off for getting Obama elected has hurt our economy even further. People are seeing for themselves that public union pensions are hurting everyday taxpayers who are not lucky enough to find themselves receiving one. People are seeing for themselves that the unions are standing in the way of much-needed reform of our public school system. People are seeing for themselves that under the model of the far left their American Dream is slipping away.


People are seeing for themselves that Obama is not the democrat of old. He is the part of the socialist wing that has infiltrated their party. The question is what do they do about it? Do they stay home next November? Do they pull the lever for the president because they can’t vote for a republican? Only time will tell.


But I think America has realized that the promise that swept Obama into office will go unfulfilled.

Quote of the Day - Margery Eagan Edition

Michelle and the girls would be crushed, no doubt, to pass up two weeks in Chilmark. But there are millions of other kids who are feeling pretty miserable this summer, too, and their daddies had nothing to do with this mess.

Boston Herald Columist on President Obama's Planned Vacation to the Vineyard next month. 

Hmm, did she just suggest that her beloved President Obama is making the ecomony worse?  Sounds like it to me. 

Read the whole OP-ED Here

Just Another Day in Progressive La La Land

As most of you are aware, I live in very progressive area of Virginia. Sometimes it is all I can do to keep myself from screaming. This is one of those times. As you may have read, I have befriended a young woman who finds herself in the horrible situation of being homeless. I have been trying to do my best to help her. Well, her blog has become somewhat of a sensation with my progressive neighbors. Mind you, they have done next to nothing to help her, but they like reading about her plight.


Today, I was outside in my yard. For some reason I thought I would get fresh air out there. But I quickly realized that no fresh air was to be had. One of my neighbors decided to stop over and talk to me about my new friend. She really didn't want to talk so much as to lecture me. I was told what a great disservice I am doing this "poor little waif" by not encouraging her to get help from the people who can really help her; the government.


So the air just become more dense as this conversation continued. Now, I have some health issues that I am dealing with so there is no room at the inn. I wish that there were, but I cannot have her move in with me at this moment in time. Issues that I might add that the progressive next door is well aware of. So she was telling me that I needed to get on her the list for housing by the government. Ok, that list dates back to 2006 (must be Bush's fault) and they are no longer adding names. Then we moved onto food stamps. Ok, you cannot get food stamps if you dont' have an address. Her using a false address is a felony. Since she is not an illegal alien she would actually be punished if she got caught. OK, Next? There was no next really, except for an additional lecture on my lack of real compassion. After all, I am conservative. What could I possibly know about compassion or really helping someone? I need to leave it to the progressive experts.


Now, let's see I helped her get a job, albeit a temporary one, but a job nonetheless, that not only gives her some money to keep gas in her car and the ability to buy food it also gives her a sense of accomplishment everyday. She also has learned something about herself watching after these kids. She realizes how much she really loves being around children. This is a new experience for her. One that will make the transition into motherhood a little easier.


Now, what exactly has my neighbor done? Oh, that would be nothing. She has a good-sized home and her children are older. After all the girl is out tramping around nightly(she has done things in my pool, that I have not even done), so they have room in their house. (Ok, maybe the tramp remark was a little much, but if the shoe fits..........). She has not offered to help find her job, she has not offered to give her a place to stay on a temporary basis, she has not (as far as I know) hit the tip jar on her blog. Yet, I am doing the girl a disservice. I am trying to provide a safety net for her until she can get back onto her feet. A safety net that her precious government was unable to provide. She applied for help and was rejected at every turn. I guess the rich have not paid enough in taxes to cover the "little waif". Hey, you high income earners (which by the way she is one), get out your wallets.......the safety net isn't quite as safe as she thought. You need to pay more. Taxes, we need more taxes. Like I said, no fresh air to be found.


Oh, it was really hazy, hot and humid today too.

Shame on you Mr. Cain - Shame on You.

Today, Herman Cain made a return visit to Fox News Sunday. During his interview with Chris Wallace Mr. Cain invoked a liberal talking point. Mr. Cain wrongly believes that Murfreesboro has the right to deny permits to build a Mosque.

Our Constitution guarantees separation of church and state

Oh, really Mr. Cain? Where in the Constitution does it say that? Mr. Cain am I safe to presume that you feel it is OK for the ACLU to continue its assault on Christmas celebrations? Because this is the exact same talking point that is used to stop Christmas trees being put up in town squares across the country. This is the same talking point that allows someone other than the student to decide what they say in their valedictorian speech. This is the same talking point that liberals have been using for close to century to deny the fact that the founding fathers wanted to create a country where ALL were allowed to worship openly, publicly, and how they so choose.

If I want the right to stand up and defend this right against the assaults to faith I see coming from the left, then I must, in good conscience, stand up against the very same assault that I see coming from the right. One of the great things about this country is that you are free to or free not to worship.

This statement is nothing more than fear; fear of radical Islam. Radical Islam is something to fear. Radical Islam does exist in this world. There is such a thing as creeping Sharia. But, for a potential presidential nominee to stand up and display this type of broadbrushing of an entire population of people in this country boggles the mind. This statement is basically saying that every Muslim in this country has been radicalized. This statement is wrong, ignorant, and just downright stupid. I know Muslims that came to this country to escape the extremism that they witnessed in their home countries. They came to this country to be free to worship as they chose to, not the way groups like the Taliban, Hamas and Hezbollah were trying to tell them they had to worship. They are no more likely to strap a bomb on themselves in the name of Allah than I am.

The last thing we need is yet another president that doesn't understand what is in the Constitution or is willing to pervert it in order to justify a unconsitutional stance. We have had plenty of those and that is one of the reasons that we are in the mess that we are in.

Go here and read some accounts of a conservative who lives in that community. If we allow fear to change who we are as a country and as a people, the terrorists have won. I stand with the Constitution. I hope you will join me.

The Nanny State Never Ends - The Healthy Media for Youth Act

Senator Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) and Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis) are pushing a bill to be passed in order to have a healthier image for girls set in the media; The Healthy Media for Youth Act. While I will agree that young girls are bombarded with unhealthy images all the time. We have models that are airbrushed to the point that they don't even look like the image that is portrayed in the magazine or billboard, they also are sometimes deadly thin. These images alone can push some tweens and teens into the grips of anorexia.


We have sexualized our children in ways that we tell them pretty much anything goes. We lie to them about abortion being nothing more than getting rid of a problem and the unborn child they are carrying is nothing more than a "bunch of cells". None of this is a healthy way to raise our girls so that they become happy and well-adjusted adults.

The Healthy Media for Youth Act takes a three-pronged approach to promote healthy media messages about girls and women. First, the bill creates a competitive grant program to encourage and support media literacy programs and youth empowerment groups. The bill also facilitates research on how depictions of women and girls in the media affect youth. Finally, it establishes a National Taskforce on Women and Girls in the Media, which will develop voluntary standards that promote healthy, balanced, and positive images of girls and women in the media for the benefit of all youth.

This bill was announced yesterday at press conference with both Hagan and Baldwin. They were joined by CEO of Girl Scouts of America Kathy Cloninger and Actress Geena Davis.

A survey by Girl Scouts of the USA's (GSUSA) Research Institute, Girls and Body Image, found that 89% of girls say the fashion industry places a lot of pressure on teenage girls to be thin. The American Psychological Association's (APA) Report on the Sexualization of Girls (2007) found that three of the most common mental health problems among girls—eating disorders, depression or depressed mood, and low self-esteem—are linked to the sexualization of girls and women in media. And according to the Geena Davis Institute of Gender in Media, despite being 50 percent of the U.S. population, in family films and television, male characters outweigh female characters nearly three to one and five to one in background or group scenes, a statistic that has remained the same since 1946. Only 27 percent of the speaking characters are female. (GDIGM)

Geena Davis' role in this press conference I found particularly insulting:

"I am in the industry and I want to keep working. We are kind of like Switzerland -- we don't put down specific movies, we don't single out anybody."

It would be unfair to say that Ms. Davis has not worked on this issue in the past. She has founded The Geena Davis Institute of Gender in Media. A non-profit that works to try to disspell some of the stereotypes of woman that are shown to our young girls. Not only do I stand up cheer her for this effort, I would donate money to the cause. I don't think that the images we show young women are healthy. I firmly believe that we do a great disservice to our children with some of the things that they see on T.V. and in movies.

Where I have a big problem with what she did yesterday is the fact that she feels that government has a role to play in this. This is a woman who is in the very industry that creates many of these stereotypes and refuses to call them out for it. Instead, she would rather that government get involved in creating non-profits to be used as a counter measure to the very content she puts out there as an acting professional. At least the Girl Scouts statement is looking to address some of the real issues; sexualization of children, depression, and eating disorders.

Ms. Davis' involvement seems to end after "gender equality". More progressive PC nonsense that says we as woman are victims and being held back from doing and being all the we can be because of an unfair male dominated world. Her view of world will actually increase the problems that Girl Scouts report has listed. Ms. Davis is of the mind that women should be out having sex because if it is a man can do it, so can a woman. This is one of the very things that it causing the higher rates of depression, low self-image, and eating disorders to begin with. We should be teaching them that how they look isn't important. We should be teaching them our actions have consequences. We should be teaching them that boys who try to pressure you into having sex when you are not ready don't care about you. If they cared about you they would respect your choice. We should teaching them the way to get ahead is through education and an unexpected pregnancy could end that dream for them. We should be teaching them that abortion can be a soul killer.

We have very serious problems in this country. Having the government get involved in our lives in this type of way is not the way to solve them. The things discussed in this bill is the job of the parents. It is up to the parents to monitor how much T.V. a child is viewing. It is up to the parents to pay attention to the reading material that is brought into the home. It is up to the parents to understand the content of the movies that you are allowing your child to watch. This is not the job of the federal government.

If Geena Davis really cared about this issue as much as she claims, she would call out the people in Hollywood. She would do it loudly and by name. This is not the job of our government. This is the job of parents and society as a whole to start demanding that Hollywood be accountable for the trash they are putting out on the screens that affect how our children--and society for that matter--view ourselves. If we didn't watch this crap, they would stop making it. After all, Hollywood is one of those evil capitalistic industries.

Quote of the Day - Keith Ellison Edition

“This is an era of extremism. These same people that want to shrink government so that you can drown it in a bathtub also want Mom to get back in the kitchen and take her shoes off and get pregnant. You understand? They are offended by strong, powerful women. And here’s the sad part: some of them are women themselves. Michele Bachmann would be an example.”

Michele Bachmann thinks so strongly that women only belong in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant, she is going to run for president to prove it. 
Only a liberal could use that logic and get away with it. 

Oh, by the way Mr. Ellison - How many women were beaten in the name of Islam today?  Just wondering.

The New Faces of Homelessness - Updates Part 2

I helped the young woman find a temporary job for a few weeks at my church's day camp. It won't solve her problems but it will keep her busy and give her some money to make sure she has food for a bit. She is still interviewing for a full-time job and is not having much luck as of yet.


She really is a very sweet girl. A sweet girl who is having a political awakening of sorts. She is seeing for herself what government intervention into the private market is doing to her job prospects. She really took exception to Plouffe's remarks on how people will not be voting on the unemployment numbers. She had something she had to get off her chest. I think you find it interesting.

Please pop over and give her some words of encouragement. The 18K new job numbers has really upset her. She has a message for Mr. Plouffe and President Obama.

Have Love Toys, Will Travel

Well, thank heavens. The TSA has finally given us instructions on how to bring our “love toys” on the plane without embarrassment.


Ready ladies?

1. Nothing over 7 inches in length

2. Remove batteries before packing

3. And last, but not least keep your lube to under 3 ounces.

Now that we have this straightened out, maybe they can figure out how to stop harassing toddlers and terminally ill elderly women.

The Face of Evil

This picture borders on demonic. 

Casey in court today hearing when she will be getting out of jail.  Pure Evil. 

If This is Feminism, I Say No Thanks - Reporter Stages Her Own Rape to Cure PTSD

Mac McClelland had a "friend" of hers violently "rape" her. Why you may ask? She is a civil rights reporter from Mother Jones who was in Haiti covering the continuing aftermath of the earthquake ravaged country. While there she went to the hospital with a woman who was raped and beaten by gunpoint. The culture in Haiti does not look upon women who are raped as victims. As such, she was given very harsh treatment by the doctor she saw. She was no victim, just some slut that got what she deserved. Sadly, this is a mentality across much of the third world. On the taxi ride back to her camp, the woman came across one of the men who raped her. Her emotion overwhelmed the reporter:

Last September, the first time I went to Haiti, I spent my first day out accompanying a rape victim we'll call Sybille to the hospital. The way her five attackers had maimed her in addition to sexually violating her was unspeakable. The way the surgeon who was going to try to reconstruct the damage yelled at her, telling her she'd got what was coming to her because she was a slut, was unconscionable. And the way Sybille went into a full paroxysm when we were on the way back to the post-quake tarp city she lived in was the worst thing I ever saw in my life. We were sitting in traffic and saw one of her rapists, and she started just SCREEEAMING a few inches away from my face, her eyes wide and rolling in abject terror.

After this experience the reporter returned to her life in San Francisco. Or at least tried to. She started exhibiting symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder to the point that she decided to seek help from a therapist. She had her therapy while she was trying to deal with her symptoms. At one point she told her therapist:

"All I want is to have incredibly violent sex," I told Meredith. Since I'd left Port-au-Prince, I could not process the thought of sex without violence. And it was easier to picture violence I controlled than the abominable nonconsensual things that had happened to Sybille.


Eventually her therapist agreed that staging a rape that was violent would be a good idea. The therapist asked her if she knew someone she trusted enough. Apparently, she did:

We'd done this sort of thing before. But at dinner I'd told him, voice shaking, about my PTSD. This time, the fight would be rougher and the stakes higher. And so he paused. "Okay," he said. "I love you, okay?" I said, I know, okay. And with that he was on me, forcing my arms to my sides, then pinning them over my head, sliding a hand up under my shirt when I couldn't stop him. The control I'd lost made my torso scream with anxiety; I cried out desperately as I kicked myself free. But it didn't matter how many times I managed to knock him over to the other side of the bed. He's got 60 pounds on me, plus the luxuries of patience and fearlessness. When I got out from under him and started to scramble away, he simply caught me by a leg or an upper arm or my hair and dragged me back. By the time he pinned me by my neck with one forearm so I was forced to use both hands to free up space between his elbow and my windpipe, I'd largely exhausted myself.


And just like that, I'd lost. It's what I was looking for, of course. But my body—my hard-fighting, adrenaline-drenched body—reacted by exploding into terrible panic. The comforting but debilitating blanket of tension that'd for weeks been wrapped around my chest solidified into a brick. Then the weight of his body, and of the inevitability of my defeat, descended on my ribcage. My worn-out muscles went so taut that they ached. I stopped breathing.


I did not enjoy it in the way a person getting screwed normally would. But as it became clear that I could endure it, I started to take deeper breaths. And my mind stayed there, stayed present even when it became painful, even when he suddenly smothered me with a pillow, not to asphyxiate me but so that he didn't break my jaw when he drew his elbow back and slammed his fist into my face. Two, three, four times. My body felt devastated but relieved; I'd lost, but survived. After he climbed off me, he gathered me up in his arms. I broke into a thousand pieces on his chest, sobbing so hard that my ribs felt like they were coming loose

This women did women who are victims of this unspeakable act of violence a huge disservice. Rape victims don't get to decide who rapes them. Victims don't get a pillow put over their face to lessen the blows. Victims don't get held while they are crying afterwards. Victims have no choices. They are simply a person in the wrong place at the wrong time and become victimized. A trauma that stays with them for the rest of their lives in many cases.


What is most disturbing is the comments at the end of the article. Apparently to the left she is a hero. She went into the "belly of the beast" says one, another thanks her for her courage, and can feel the love and the pain in her story. There is love in this story?


If this is what it takes to be a liberal feminist, I say no thank you. I will pass. Another thing, I am not sure I want a friend like Issac. Call me crazy, but a man who is willing to beat me is not someone I want to hang out with.



 

My Thoughts Exactly

Happy Birthday America

Today we celebrate the birth of America.  The great experiment started 235 years ago. 

Here are some fireworks from New York City a few years back.  I will tell you, New York's maybe larger.  But Washington, DC's are better.  Sorry New York, just the truth. 

I don't go into DC anymore.  I can actually sit on my back porch and watch fireworks.  No traffic and I can have my jammies on if I want.  The show is smaller, but you can't beat the commute. 

Enjoy!!!

The New Faces of Homelessness - Updates

I spoke with my new friend yesterday as I wanted to hear about her job interview.  She was quite pleased with how it went.  They did a first round interview and testing and then will be making appointments for a second interview.  She was told that she would be getting a second round interview, but they wanted to do it once all three of the people are there at once.  Which won't be until August.  Wow, that is long time to wait.  Why bother doing the first round now?  Makes no sense to me.  But, I am not a hiring manager, so what do I know? 

One of my neighbors read about her on my blog (who knew she read it, she is one of those dreaded democrats).  She had yard work that needed to be done that she just hadn't gotten around to doing since the kids have been out of school.  She hired her to get it accomplished.  She showed up on time and did the work, and did a fine job I may add.  I believe my instincts about this young woman are correct.  She is down and out, not some lazy person looking for someone else to pick up the tab.   She passed the criminal check that my church did before allowing her to work with the kids and all of her references checked out.  So she will be starting that job on Tuesday.  I just wish it paid more than $8.50 per hour.  But it is what it is and it will be a little something that she can put in the bank.  She told me that if she able to raise $5,000 even before she can get a full time job that will give her enough cushion that she can find a roommate situation and be OK.  I didn't ask her how much she has. 

I also encouraged her to put some of work experience on her profile so maybe she can network that way.  She doesn't want her name in anyway attached to the blog (who can blame her) so that if a employer googles her that won't pop up.  But, I said no personal info or company names is needed, just her skill sets. 

She has not posted about her job interview yet.  My neighbor used some of her husband's points to get her a hotel room for a few days.  I have this feeling that she is taking a good long sleep in since she has not been in a bed for quite some time.  Come to find out even when she had a place to live she was sleeping on the floor as her mattress was something that she sold as it was very expensive when she bought it originally.  People buy used mattresses?  Too much of an ick factor for me, but whatever. 

Stop over at her blog and send some encouraging words.  She really is working to get herself out of this situation and some kindness will go a long way.