Extreme Parenting Part 5

This comes from a listing on E-Bay.  A mother in Australia caught her daughter having a sleep-over with an older young man.  This coming shortly after buying her and girlfriends four tickets to a concert.  She decided to sell the tickets.  Here is the listing:

"THIS AUCTION IS FOR ALL 4 ONE DIRECTION TICKETS IN SYDNEY OCTOBER 25th. You can thank my daughters self righteous and lippy attitude for their sale. See sweety? And you thought I was bluffing. I hope the scowl on your b----- little friends faces when you tell them that your dad and i revoked the gift we were giving you all reminds you that your PARENTS are the ones that deserve love and respect more than anyone. And your silly little pack mentality of taking your parents for fools is one sadly mistaken. Anyhow. Your loss someone else's gain who deserves them! THE TICKETS ARE SEATED IN ROW O section 57. REMEMBER AUCTION IS FOR ALL 4 TICKETS and will be sent registered post.
...OH YOUR FRIENDS THOUGHT THAT A FEW PRANKS CALLS WOULD PUT ME OFF SELLING THE GIFT WE BOUGHT FOR THEM for YOUR BIRTHDAY because YOU all LIED to us about sleep overs so you could hang like little trollops at an older guys HOUSE????? Pffft!! I find it HIGHLY amusing that you girls think you invented this stuff. Tricks like this on OUR parents is how HALF of you were conceived .....And why a lot of your friends DONT have an address to send that Fathers day card to!!! I'm not your friend. I'm your MOTHER. And I am here to give you the boundaries that YOU NEED to become a functional responsible adult. You may hate me now..... But I don't care. Its my job to raise a responsible adult..not nuture bad habits in my teen age child."

Publically calling your child a trollop?  I would never do this to my child.  Never.

Hey I Know My Kid Broke the Law, But that Doesn't Mean They Should Face Any Punishment - Parents Threaten Lawsuits over Their Child's Illegal Behavior

Brian Holloway, former NFL player and father of eight, has a vacation home in New York State.  While at his home in Florida his 19 year-old son tells him about some pictures and things he is seeing on twitter.  They were about an out of control party being held in the vacation house.  Now these kids didn't have permission to be there, they broke in and decided to throw a big party.  Items have been stolen, they cleaned out his house of the alcohol he had in the home, they urinated on his carpeting, they spray painted his walls, destroyed hardwood flooring, and left drug paraphernalia on the property.

Brian was a long ways away trying to get a hold of the local sheriff to get these freeloaders out his home.  The sheriff did come and break up the party, which by the way they originally planned on staying for the Labor Day weekend.  The house has sustained thousands of dollars worth of damage and a yet to be determined amount loss due to stolen property.  Yet oddly, the sheriff was unable to make even one arrest.   I guess those kids were fast.  They ran and hid or something.

Brian hasn't taken this lying down.  He has reprinted all the tweets he could find that came from his home during this drunken home invasion.  What do the parents of these young adults do?  They threaten to sue.  That's right.  We wouldn't want little Suzy or Johnny to be publicly humiliated now would we?  After all, most of them are high school students getting ready to fill out applications for college.  How dare someone talk about how out of control their child is?

Now Brian hasn't accused anyone of anything.  He has only put out there tweets that these kids themselves put out on social media.  One tweet said:

yeah mom went to a party and got drunk but hey atleast I'm not a meth addict"

Emily's mom must be so proud.

Dear Maddie was upset that the party got busted, it would have been so much bigger.  Oh no, she missed out on more fun.  That is lawsuit worthy isn't it?  Another young man was glad that his parents don't care what he does.  Apparently not.

Only one parent, count it, one, showed up with their child to help clean up the mess.

We are more and more becoming a society that care nothing for personal property or the rights of the others.  It is me, me, and me that matters.  While it is understandable that kids that age don't get how hard it is to earn the money to afford a home, they should at the very least have the understand that breaking into someone's home is wrong.  That peeing on the carpet is wrong.  That spraying painting on a the wall is wrong.  Do these young adults live in zoo where anything goes?  Would they treat their parents home in this fashion?

But what is worse is the seeming lack of remorse shown by the parents.  It seems that their little brats getting into college is a more desirable thing rather than teaching their kids a sense of responsibility.  Actually showing their children that actions have consequences.  Very real consequences in this case.  That is a lesson that no college can teach these brats.  That is the lesson that the parents alone are in charge of.  But no, they will use our legal system to bash the victim and teach their kids that hey they are special, it was just one stupid mistake.  No biggie.  Move along, nothing to see here.

Quote of the Day - Terry McAuliffe Edition

 "I am not going to read every bill when I’m governor. I’m going to hire people to read them for me."

Well at least he is honest about his laziness and lack of seriousness of the job.   

Happy Constitution Day

Read it, learn it, live it.

Because it matters.  If you don't know what your rights are, you don't know when they are being taken away from you.  Make no mistake, they are being taken away.

Amsterdam's "Scum Village"

Amsterdam has set up a housing complex that is being dubbed "Scum Village".  It is made out of refurbished shipping containers and was constructed to hold people who exhibit "anti-social" behavior, and is supervised "police supervised".

The mayor of Amsterdam, Eberhard E. van der Laan says:

"The family has many years of serious nuisance, and has a history of vandalism, noise, and threats. If other solutions do not work, it must be the culprit that moves, not the other families around them."

While that sounds good on the surface, one has to wonder what constitutes anti-social behavior and who exactly it is that gets to decide when that is exhibited and what it takes to put into this special "housing".

Isn't this Hilteresque?

The first residents of this village are members of the Dimitrov family, part of the famed Roma Gypsies, long considered a group of people who suffer persecution.  While others tells tales of them being nothing but a bunch of grifters.  They were a group that was targeted for extermination by the Nazi's during World War II.  Approximately 3,000 were killed in concentration camps.

Another problem with this bright idea is that it will just create an environment of groups of people who are "anti-social" all in one place.  Won't that create a larger problem?  I mean it only makes sense that what one considers anti-social isn't going to be what another will term the same way.  You are just going to end up with a large group of people who have already proven to be hard to live near.  Won't that create more crime and larger problems?  It seems they are setting themselves up for an entire area of undesirable people living together and causing all kinds of problems to each other as well and anyone that has the misfortune of living any near that place.

I find it chilling that this is happening in 2013 in a city as modern as Amsterdam.  It seems that humanity is moving backwards instead of forwards and we have not learned from our mistakes.  I guess history has taught us nothing.

Government over-reach is alive and well.  So much for a city and a country that prides itself on human rights.

Quote of the Day - Steven Colbert Edition

The United States has no choice but to attack Syria because dictator Bachar Assad is killing his own people with chemical weapons.  Before he was just killing them with bullets, but if America cared about shooting people we would be invading Chicago.  

Hard to argue his point.  Somehow people killed with chemical weapons are more dead than those Assad is shooting.  

Middle School Children Assigned a Writing Assignment - Write a Good-Bye Letter to One Loved One from Twin Towers on 9/11

A middle school teacher asked the students to pretend that they were on one of the hi-jacked planes or in the Twin Towers on 9/11 and to write one letter to say good-bye as a homework assignment to mark the anniversary of 9/11.   These kids are in the seventh grade, that would roughly put them about 11 or 12.  9/11 happened before most of these children were born.  

There is an uproar about the assignment.  Many feel that this is very inappropriate and outright ghoulish.  I happen to disagree.  I think this is a good assignment.  One of the things that I feel is vital in education is teaching how to think, not what to think.  This is a way to bring the finality of that tragic event to the people who were killed that day.  As a person who is lets just say older than these kids, I remember clearly that day.  I remember hearing the recordings of calls made from inside the building as well as the planes.  Betty Ong calling the airline emergency number talking about the hijackers and how low the plane was flying.  Simply heartbreaking.  Or the calls from flight 93, ending with "Lets Roll" as the passengers tried to stop the plane from hitting another building, likely the U.S. Capitol or an attempt at the White House.  Simply heroic.  

I also believe that empathy is sincerely lacking in our society today.  We don't put as much value on human life as we should.  I think this teaches these kids to think about that.  To look at their loved ones and come to the realization that on that day, thousands of people knew they were never going to see those people again.  One of the most indelible images of 9/11 are those of the jumpers.  Imagine what those people were thinking while falling to their deaths.  

Now, I have spent the majority of my life living outside of NYC and Washington D.C., so 9/11 is very personal to me.  I know people who were first responders, who made it out of those buildings, and sadly I knew someone who died, and I know others who lost a close loved one that fateful day.  But, these kids don't have that connection.  This assignment may help bring those feelings alive to these students.  The further we get away from that day, the harder it will be to really understand what happened and the shock that people in this country felt.  

Again, since I have lived in the areas most directly affected by that day, I look at from that perspective.  These are children from Texas.  Now, as strange as this sounds, I remember having a conversation with a work colleague shortly after the event.  He worked in outside of Las Vegas, and I remember him saying something all the lines of he could only imagine how hard it was for people like me who lived in the D.C. area.  His connection to the event wasn't what mine was.  I found it to be an odd comment at the time and obviously it really struck me since I remember that conversation all these years later.  

Not all parents are upset about this assignment.  One mother read the letter after her daughter went to bed.  The letter was addressed to her.  She said that she cried and cried after reading it and brought her daughter into her bed to sleep with her that night.  Her words "mission accomplished".  

I don't think this would be assignment that would go over well in the New York City area as it way too fresh for most of the people who live in this area.  The museum isn't open, the new tower is not yet finished, New Yorker's still live with the idea that being in that city automatically puts a target on their backs.  But do people who live in smaller towns in more rural areas think about that in the same way?  I don't think that they do.  So trying to get that to come alive for younger students in those areas must be a very difficult task.  I think this teacher did that.  These children had to really think about what it would be like to be in a building that was on fire from jet fuel knowing that they were never going home again.  They were never going to see their loved ones again.  Of course you can never fully accomplish that, but it at least got them thinking about it.  

That is what I expect from teachers, get these kids to think.  Not what they should be thinking.  

Freedom Tower Today

Well, not today.  But I took this about six weeks ago.  It really is shameful it has taken this long to replace the Twin Towers.

Project 2996 - Sharon Carver Originally Posted 9-11-10

On September 11, 2001 Sharon Carver was sitting in her office at the Pentagon when a hijacked plane hit the building killing her.  She was only 38 years old.  She was civillian accountant for the Army while working towards her master's degree in accounting.  She lived with her family in Waldorf, MD.  The days after the attack her nephew was interviewed by the local news, they were still holding out hope that she survived the attack. One of many hearbreaking scences that played out for days after the attack.  

A life that was cut too short.  A life that will not include grandchildren or growing old.  A life that will no longer include the annual family vacations.  She was days back from a family outing to Disney World. A family is now missing a loving daughter, sister, and aunt.  The Pentagon is missing a dedicated emloyee, and her friends are missing her personality, her humor, and that amazing smile of hers.  

Sharon believed in education and public service.  Traits that we should all aspire to.  She was dedicated to her family and her country.  

"You are truly missed. I remember your kind and warm spirit. You brightened the halls of Anacostia with your smile."

Denise

To Sharon's family, there are no words to express our sympathies to you.  May God Bless you and know that Sharon is watching over you and smiling.

Project 2996 John Frederick Rhodes - Our Pledge to You Originally Posted 9-11-09

9.11.01 - A Fateful Day in the Life of America

Early Tuesday morning on 9.11.01 John "Jack" Rhodes made his way from Howell, NJ to the offices of AON Corporation on the 92nd floor of 2 World Trade Center. It was a beautiful morning in New York City. The summerhumidity had come to end, but the chill of the fall had yet to set in. There was barely a cloud in the sky.

The beauty of that morning did not last long for New Yorkers. Shortly before 9 am, the first of two planes crashed into The World Trade Center. The innocence of our beliefs that our shores protected us was shattered. Within just a few short hours, four planes were hijacked, crashed into three buildings, a field in Pennsylvania, and both towerscollapsed and the Pentagon was still burning. 2996 innocent people were brutally murdered. More than 200 from AON alone. America had been attacked.

John "Jack" Frederick Rhodes was among the dead. Jack was among other things, a husband and father. He was man who was described as a person who loved life and loved his family. His life was cut short at the age of 57. He still had so much life yet to live. He was not able to welcome the new family members over the past eight years. His plans for retirement with his lovely wife Linda will not happen. His daughter no longer has her daddy; and every girl needs her daddy. No matter what age she is.

In the past eight years your family has found a way to move on. To smile and laugh again. To remember your happy times and to hold the sweet memories close without feeling the overwhelming loss of your senseless murder. Just as you would want them to do.

Jack, we want to make a pledge to your memory. We will never forget the sacrifice that you made. We will honor your loss and we will honor your family by doing everything that we can to protect all Americans moving forward. Our pledge to you is that we will do everything within our power to make sure that no other person loses his life to a twisted and dangerous sense of God's will, and no other families will feel the pain that yours has experienced.

Rest in Peace Mr. Rhodes. While you cannot wrap your arms around your family, we will. Our love and support goes to your family not just today, but always.

Photo of the Day - Marine Salutes Bikers Entering DC to Honor Victims of 9/11

Liberal Logic - Susan Rice and Syria Edition

So the administration is on a full court press right now trying to change hearts and minds about Syria.  So, in thier infinite wisdom they have decided to send none other than Susan Rice out to do it.  You remember Susan Rice don't you? The woman who went on five different Sunday talk shows to discuss how Benghazi and the death of four Americans at an oupost there was due to YouTube video, even after they knew full well it was a terrorist attack.

You can't make this stuff up.  Truly.

The Shaming of Mrs. Hall

I came across this blog post a few days ago and was working on a write-up about it.  Mrs. Hall is mom and she wrote an open letter to young women about the selfies that they post on social media in different stages of undress.  I never got around to hitting publish on it.  I am glad that I didn't because of the storm that this has caused.

As usual feminists have taken a disliking to Mrs. Hall and her words.  She is slut shaming and blaming the victim for any potential sexual abuse that may come into their lives.   Now Mrs. Hall did not such thing.  Her advice was simply that maybe teenage girls should be more aware of the dangers of social media and putting half-naked pictures of yourself isn't a good idea.

The thing that I never understood about the feminist movement is that they claim that they don't want to be treated like a sex object they then cry foul when you point out that showing your boobs to complete strangers is exactly what makes you a sexual object to some.

From Jezebel:

"Respect everyone regardless of their gender/sexuality/appearance," she might've said. "Don't worry! It's okay if you have sexual feelings! You're a sexual being! Girls are too. That doesn't mean you can treat them like objects. You and you alone are responsible for your thoughts and actions. Get over this Madonna-whore complex while you still can."

Now what she actually said was:

I think the boys notice other things. For one, it appears that you are not wearing a bra.
I get it – you’re in your room, so you’re heading to bed, right? But then I can’t help but notice the red carpet pose, the extra-arched back, and the sultry pout.  What’s up? None of these positions is one I naturally assume before sleep, this I know.

She was commenting on how these young women are posing into positions that make them look like a sexual object in various stages of undress.

Teaching your daughters to have some modesty is not slut shaming nor is it remotely close to saying they are responsible if they happen to get raped.  It is saying to them that the most important thing that they have is themselves.  It has value and that value is incalculable.  There is no monetary thing that can replace your body, your self-respect, your emotions, and everything else that makes you human.

Now I have always said that we teach our daughters to be careful when they are out at parties where others are drinking.  That behavior can put you in danger.  It doesn't mean that you deserve what happens to you, it means why put yourself in that position when it can be so easily avoided?  It is far less likely that young men will be raped.  But that doesn't mean we don't tell our sons that they should not be in those positions either.  We would should be teaching all of our children that their actions have consequences.

I have been thinking about some posts I have done in the past, the lawsuit filed by Yale students about sexual misconduct that occurred at an off campus Naked Party where people were drinking heavily.  Knock me over with a feather, I am shocked, shocked I say to hear that there was sexual misconduct going on.  That doesn't mean that the young men involved should get a pass.  If they committed a crime they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  But I would use this story as a teachable moment to young women and explain that when you are in this environment and you are drinking, bad things may happen to you.  Avoid the whole thing by not going to a naked party.  I am not saying  they deserved to be raped and/or assaulted.  Young adults, drinking, and sex is not a really good combination.

But of course the feminazi's of the world turned this into you are tempting my son to be unpure.  What she was actually trying to get across to these girls is if you don't want to be treated like a sexual object, don't act like one.  We are all human and sex and sexual feelings is part of our humanity.  Women and men think differently.  We just do.  Those different ways of reacting and thinking sometimes lead us to not understand the intentions of others.   This harkens me back to post about the New York Times article on Penn State and the Hook Up Culture.  A young women in that article flat-out said that if she started to sober up a little and realized she didn't want to have sex, she would just drop to her knees and open her mouth to get it over with.  Is that rape?  No, it isn't.  It is a young woman who made a series of bad choices that ended up with her on knees to gracefully find a way out of sex after a night of drinking.

These are the types of things that Mrs. Hall is trying to warn young women about.  You make these choices, thinking they are innocent and wont' cause any harm, and then find yourself in a dorm room on your knees performing oral sex on a man that you don't care about at all.  That isn't empowerment young ladies.  You have been used for sex.  That is exactly what makes men look at you as a sexual object.  No one is saying stay a virgin until you get married.  Or at least I am not.  That is an individual choice that all of must make for our own reasons.  What people like myself and Mrs. Hall are saying is that if you act a certain way, don't be shocked when you get treated that way.  It shouldn't be a surprise.

Here is a funny example of what Mrs. Hall was discussing.  Please note, I don't know how serious the injuries to the young woman was.  I hope that since the video was posted she suffered only minor burns.  But if you look closely you will see a bottle and shot glass on the table.  Someone put on that video camera.  Someone posted that video.  Please dont' tell me that young woman didn't wanted to be looked at as sexy, as someone you may want to hang with, dance with, most likely have sex with.  No one else made her an object except for herself.  This is what Mrs. Hall is trying to warn teenage girls about.

Syria, Just Say No

Many on the right are being called hypocrites for supporting Iraq under President Bush, but not supporting President Obama about Syria.  There is some truth to that.  Just as there was Bush Derangement Syndrome, Obama Derangement Syndrome exists as well.  The problem is that both sides are being hypocritical about it.  Barbara Boxer and President Obama were both very loud in their disagreement about going into Iraq.  Hussein used chemical weapons on the Kurds.  Those people are just as dead.  But the outrage was totally different, another party had The White House when that happened.  So needless to say politicians are doing what they do, playing politics.

The American citizens are the ones that are left to wonder what is really going on,  We obviously can't trust the politicians to do what is right for the country because they are busy being just that and playing partisan party games.  We don't get to see the intelligence.  We only get parts of the story.  So we are left to wonder what is true, what the real threats are, was it Assad that really used the WMD's or was it the resistance making it look like Assad did it to draw international outrage?

Now, the UN is feckless and useless.  I have known that for years.  Russia and China could care less and for whatever reason they feel it is in their best interests to vote no at any security council meeting that could put useless sanctions on the Assad regime or send in peace keepers, or weapons inspectors, or whatever useless thing that they would do.  So as usual the world is looking to the U.S. to solve the problems.

Well you know what, just say no.  I am sick to death of the U.S. getting forced into handling these things when all we get in return is blame and more hatred from the Muslim world.  I am not even going to get into the costs of this, because human rights shouldn't be looked at in dollars and cents.

France is all too willing to say hey we will help you out U.S.  I am sure they are willing to send about five troops and say that they are helping to protect human rights.  As soon as it gets messy they will turn tail and run as long as they know the U.S. is there.

The Muslim world has told us over and over again we need to mind our business and stop telling them how to live their lives.  Well Arab League stand up and handle your darn problems then and leave us out of it.  The Saudi's have a military that includes an airforce, let them go drop some bombs on Assad.

It will be the same old song and dance.  The U.S. bullies trying to tell the rest of the world what to do.  You know what, screw you and the camel you rode in on.  Take care of your own damn problems for once in your lives.

I have come to the very sad conclusion that for whatever reasons, the Middle East and the Muslim world is not ready for "freedom".  Look at Iraq.  After all the blood, sweat, tears, treasure, and lives we gave to the citizens of that country to give them a chance to choose their own destiny they are on the brink of a civil war.  We gave that country close to ten years to get their s*&t together and form the infrastructure necessary to rule themselves.  It is being thrown all away based on century old vendettas and tribal nonsense.  You want to stay in the dark ages, go ahead.  I am through caring about your problems.

Now I would really respect President Obama if he got up and said some of this.  Tell France, go ahead, you handle this one.  Tell the Arab League, you want us to butt out of your business, OK, take care of it.  Remove Assad, by any means that you see fit.  But that won't happen.  France would run if we said that, and the Arab League is just as useless as the U.N.  is.  They talk a good game, but they are just as feckless.

Using chemical weapons on your own people is a crime against humanity.  It violates international law set into place after the first world war.  It is a tragedy.  I feel for the people of Syria, I really do.  But if we were smart, we them let be and sort it out for themselves.  There is no good outcome that is in the interests of the United States.  If Assad stays we get the status quo.  If he goes we end up with an equally, if not even more,  hostile government to its own people, Israel, and of course to us.  Why bother?

Obama would show true leadership if he just admits the truth.  The French are not willing to do what it really takes to stop Assad, the rest of the world is not even willing to give it lip service, and the Arab League isn't going to do anything except of course blame the U.S. when it goes bad.   Lets save everyone the time and the trouble.  If the leaders in the Middle East want to act like barbarians, let them.  Maybe they will finally kill themselves off.

Say a Little Prayer for Newest Member of the Blogosphere

Just a few short days ago The Left Coast Rebel became a daddy.  His little one came a little early and is presently in the NICU to get a little bigger.  The baby seems healthy, just a tad too small at the moment.  

Say a little prayer for the baby's time in the NICU and for the parents who will be worried sick until the day the little one arrives home.  

They NICU nurses are some of the most professional and best people on the planet and are no better allies when your little one is still finishing up their development.  

Welcome to the wonderful world of parenthood.  

It isn't up to me to say much in the way of details, but both Mommy and Daddy need some prayers for the little one as well as themselves as they go through this agonizing, yet amazing, ordeal.  

Hey, Want Some Advice on How to Convince a Woman to Get an Abortion? Well, Here It Is

Oh my.  I have reached the age that little should shock me.  I convince myself all the time that is the case.  Then I read this.  

It is a blog that says it is an advice like thing for men.  You know, dating tips and of course, what would it be without a column on how to get out of fatherhood?  I mean that is necessary info after all, right?  

It starts out with how men have few options when it comes to birth control:

Let’s face it: sexually active people have accidents. Shit happens, that’s life. But we know that men have no reproductive rights in opting out of a being a parent. With only two birth control options available to men (a condom and a vasectomy) the words you use to get your girl off the fence about having an abortion must be well thought out.

I notice it says nothing about not having sex or even if people think that isn't a realistic argument, it doesn't even mention just having sex with someone who you trust enough to know that she is taking birth control on a regular basis.  Nor does it mention the withdrawal method.  If worse comes to worse, you can just have oral sex.  I guess the fact that when used properly, condoms are pretty much as effective as birth control as any method a woman uses.  But I guess that is neither here nor there.  

He recommends three different styles to use during this "conversation" 

1. The Hail Mary
2. The Asshole Method
3. The Wild Card Method

I guess it doesn't occur to this guy that all would fall under The Asshole Method.  The Hail Mary method is to be used on a "girlfriend" or "long-term booty call".  I guess another term for the hook-up that is so common on college campuses these days.   You play Mr. Nice Guy and tell the woman that you want to have children with her "one day", but that day isn't quite here yet.  You know you have career and financial goals and that having a baby today would mess those up.  You can't support her or that child in the way you would like.  Oh, and I can't leave out you are instructed to dump the girl after this, because if she happens to get pregnant again, you won't be able to use this a second time.   I guess if you are already doing well in those departments you are screwed and then have to move on to the next method of being a total jerk.    Just tell her you will not be part of this child's life and she will only get financial support that court forces him to pay.  But in no uncertain terms will you forced into a fatherhood to a child that you don't want.  I guess you are effectively breaking it off here as well.  

The third one really is the most charming of all the methods.  I will let him describe it to you.  

How The Wildcard Method Works

Think about what causes normal couples wanting to have children to get an abortion. If an ultrasound finds that the child has a developmental problem like autism, many couples choose to abort. You can use this knowledge to your advantage because you can tell the girl that a rare genetic disease is common in your family. You should tell her you would love to have children but it would be unfair to risk the possibility of this disease (ideally use one which causes an early death and/or horrible lifestyle conditions while alive) being passed on to future generations. To add color to your story, bring up a nonexistent sibling and tell her that you are still recovering from their painful passing a few years ago.

To help convince her that this is a family disease, take pictures. This might require you to spend an afternoon volunteering at a hospital or center for developmentally disabled people. Take a picture of someone who could pass as a relative (similar skin tone is probably all you need). This is just an example, but do whatever you think is necessary to sell the seriousness of this genetic disease to her.  Explain that having a kid with your DNA would be like playing Russian roulette with someone’s life. If she is still on the fence have her watch the film Tiptoes with Matthew McConaughey and tell her what your siblings, uncles, cousins have lived through makes dwarfism seem like a walk in the park. While this method could require some acting on your part, if you sell it well enough she will be offering to pay for the abortion.

Apparently it would seem this would work best on a woman who has yet to meet your family, or at the very least doesn't know them very well since she has no idea that you lost a sibling.  It also never occurs to this wonderful guy that the woman may ask if he has this going on why he wouldn't have a vasectomy to be sure he never plants his seed, but you know, details.  I love how something so rare is so common all that the same time, don't you?  

Is really necessary to wonder why dont' view life as valuable anymore?   I will give him credit though, he does seem to think it is his repsonsibility to pay for the abortion.  I guess we should take some solace in that.  

Conservatives Need to Engage in Pop Culture

I have been saying this for years.  While pop culture may not be an arena that many conservatives feel comfortable in, it still has to be done.  If not, we will continue the cycle of allowing others to create the narrative.  

In this vain, I got this interesting email the other day.  Look over the videos and comment on them.  Help this man get this project off the ground.  Just remember that everyone said Mel Gibson would never get an audience for Passion of the Christ.  Even quirky movies about adoption, such as Juno, have done well at the box office.  

Greetings "just",

 

I am Charles Locke of First Decade Entertainment, a television production company out of Georgia.  I've admired your blog for over a year now, even though half the time, admittedly, I don't exactly agree with you.  Bottom line, your thoughts are very thorough and honest, and that's all I ask from anybody.

 

The reason I am writing to you:  I recently cobbled together a pilot for a TV show centered around, mostly, African-Americans on the right.  It is the result of an opportunity I was given by way of a new conservative news network.

 

It has not been given the greenlight.  It may or may not.  But it would certainly help my argument with the network if I could demonstrate a real thirst in the conservative community for a show like this.

 

Some FYI: "The Black & White of It" was originally an online radio show featuring guests like Alan Keyes, JC Watts, Bob Barr, Newt Gingrich and more (back in the late 90s).  It was even endorsed by talk radio legend Neal Boortz at the time.

 

So just, I am basically asking you to spread this to your fellow bloggers and readers if you so desire.  Again, it would help get a weekly show like this on national television.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akW2umUlpdg (Preview)   (PART 1)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mpyDy_ei70 (Preview)   (PART 2)

 

Thanks for considering.  Please feel free to ask any questions.

 

Sincerely,

Charles Locke, Co-CEO

First Decade Entertainment, LLC

Atlanta, GA

Only Bad People Want a Good Education for their Children

So says Allison Benedikt of Slate Magazine.   Seriously, she said that.

This article had me laughing out loud.  Of course I was laughing in a way that is really just to cover my utter shock, disbelief, and total dismay.

I am not an education policy wonk: I’m just judgmental. But it seems to me that if every single parent sent every single child to public school, public schools would improve. This would not happen immediately. It could take generations. Your children and grandchildren might get mediocre educations in the meantime, but it will be worth it, for the eventual common good.

Apparently it is perfectly fine for at least a few generations to get a lousy education because down the road it will help all.  Now that is logic isn't it?  Insert primal scream here.

Now correct me if I am wrong, but I thought liberals thought there was nothing better than education.  Matter of fact don't they say that public schools are a human right?  I seem to remember former congressman and convicted felon Jesse Jackson, Jr. talking about that on the floor of congress.  Yeah matter of fact there is video of that conversation, oh and don't forget the constitutionally protected iPad too.

What is really funny about this entire article is that by the end she completely contradicts herself:

I went K–12 to a terrible public school. My high school didn’t offer AP classes, and in four years, I only had to read one book. There wasn’t even soccer. This is not a humblebrag! I left home woefully unprepared for college, and without that preparation, I left college without having learned much there either. You know all those important novels that everyone’s read? I haven’t. I know nothing about poetry, very little about art, and please don’t quiz me on the dates of the Civil War. I’m not proud of my ignorance. But guess what the horrible result is? I’m doing fine. I’m not saying it’s a good thing that I got a lame education. I’m saying that I survived it, and so will your child, who must endure having no AP calculus so that in 25 years there will be AP calculus for all.

Again, correct me if I am wrong, if she is doing just fine without AP classes and no organized soccer teams, why wouldn't future generations do "just fine" as well?  I mean why would anyone need it regardless of what generation they come from?  It would seem to me that everyone will be able to find their dream job, such as working at Slate Magazine even though they learned virtually nothing after 17 years of education.  Now I did take AP Calculus and I don't work at Slate.  So apparently my "better" education didn't really help me that much did it?

She believes that if all children go to public school we will have a better school system.  Lets think about that for a minute.  Because it seems what she is saying is that people are stuck living in the neighborhoods with horrible public schools don't care that their kids are receiving a bad education.  Because after all if they did they would push for change right?  Oh wait, they are pushing for change and the unions stand in the way of those changes and much-needed reforms.  She never mentions that part of the equation.  I guess she didn't get algebra in her crappy public school either.  You know the thing that has you put all parts of the equation together to come to the correct solution.  There are millions upon millions of parents who are fighting to make changes in their local schools only to be met with hostility and resistance.  We have the NAACP suing to keep open the worst performing school system in the country all the while the lawyer filing the suit sends her child to boarding school in another state.  She knows her kid will be cheated if she attends those schools.  She has money, to heck with the poor and struggling middle class that can't afford the same.

Also remember that there’s more to education than what’s taught. As rotten as my school’s English, history, science, social studies, math, art, music, and language programs were, going to school with poor kids and rich kids, black kids and brown kids, smart kids and not-so-smart ones, kids with superconservative Christian parents and other upper-middle-class Jews like me was its own education and life preparation. Reading Walt Whitman in ninth grade changed the way you see the world? Well, getting drunk before basketball games with kids who lived at the trailer park near my house did the same for me. In fact it’s part of the reason I feel so strongly about public schools.

I totally don't get how getting drunk at trailer parks makes her feel strongly about public schools and that leading to the willingness to allow at least two or three more generations to have a substandard education, but that's just me.

Education reform is a passion of mine.  I would love to see every child in this country have the best education possible.  The problem is that, as of today, the last thing that will get us there is the public school system.  We are failing in virtually every measure and it will become a national security issue when people in this country can't compete on the world stage.  The system needs serious reform, unions and the government have far more power over the system than any PTA will ever have.  The current system doesn't allow those types of changes nor does it give parents many options when trying to push for change.

No one is a bad parent for wanting their child to get the best possible education that they can give to their child, for this woman to say that they are makes me wonder if she has any children of her own.  If so, doesn't her great job at Slate pay her enough to live in a neighborhood that has a better school system than say the ones in Harlem or the south side of Chicago?  I would venture to say the answer to that question is yes.

But I have to say I really appreciate one line in the article:

 Don’t just acknowledge your liberal guilt—listen to it.

Ah, the reasoning behind most of what liberals do.

Quote of the Day - Alveda King Edition

"Martin Luther King has a granddaughter and I don't think that he (MLK) would believe that giving her free healthcare or a free abortion is going to help her better herself."

Boom.  No wonder she wasn't invited to the ceremony today.   

Not Only Can't Miley Cyrus "Twerk", She's a Racist Too

Like listening to all the talk about Miley hasn't been painful enough, now this:

Aura Bogado ‏@aurabogado6h

Every time I see @MileyCyrus slap that black woman's butt, I think about the way that enslaved blacks were whipped for white entertainment.

Oh, please.  The young woman obviously had a bad performance last night, I don't know as I didn't see it.  Nor do I care to.   But to call her racist is simply crossing the line.

Get a life lady.  Would the performance been better had the butt slap happened to a white woman?  From what I have seen, the answer is no.

Quote of the Day - Conservative Girl Edition

I have been very busy of late.  Over the weekend I was painting, or to be honest I was watching more than helping.  But I did some of the work.  While I was doing this I decided I wanted a beer, an unusual event for me.  I walked to the store to buy myself a Corona.  I had put on one of many Romney T-shirts to do the painting in.  I didn't change my clothes before I walked to the package store.

As I am walking and minding my own business, some guy comes up to me and says "This is Obama/Biden Country".

I couldn't resist.  My retort:

"Oh, well that explains why I have been unable to find a job for the past seven months."

Maybe he will stop harassing complete strangers.

Quote of the Day - Cee Lo Edition

And I’ve said this before on Twitter, but hip-hop was once an Ivy League institution, and now it’s become a community college—you don’t need any qualifications to come on in. And, quite frankly, it can be a little embellished-upon. There’s a low entry level, and it’s become monotonous and congested. All you need to do is be able to rhyme “cat” and “hat,” and you can become an MC. But executives have a lot to do with the larger agenda to emasculate and colonize. I believe hip hop is being used in some mass way to influence underachievement. Maybe these individuals may not be aware of the larger agenda, and how they’re being puppeteered, but if they are, that’s even more shameful.

Maybe now someone will listen.   

No, I Won’t Marry You. You Look Like a Tramp

Well those aren't the exact words the Pastor used, but yes, he told a bride that her dress was too sexy for the church service.  He requested that she cover up her breast area and add some length to her dress and then he would happily marry the couple.  

The wedding was due to take place at The Truth Ministries Holiness Church in Houston on August 10.  Both the bride and groom arrived at the church one hour prior to when the service was due to start.  When the Pastor greeted the family he noticed the bride's dress (or lack thereof) and asked her to make her self look more appropriate for his church.  

Below is a picture of the dress (from the website of the retailer, not the actual bride).  I would have to say that I wouldn't think about wearing that dress to a church let alone as my wedding gown.  But to each their own I guess.  

Now one must keep in mind that neither the bride or groom were members of the church.  So it is likely they didn't understand the standards of the church.  Every church has its own unique way of doing things and has standards that members either agree with or you find another house of worship.  

I understand that the families, the wedding party, and the guests are very upset at how it turned out.  They had a reception planned and were not married and most likely not in the mood to party after what was a very embarrassing moment for the bride.  

Didn't she take someone shopping with her when she picked out the dress?  Or at very least show it to someone beforehand?  Didn't her family or friends mention this isn't the type of dress you normally get married in?  I would think someone would have mentioned that maybe a church wouldn't find this appropriate.  

Was the Pastor correct in standing by his principles and not marrying the couple?  I would think so.  

RTR Here.  

Quote of the Day - President Obama Edtion Part 19

"They’re athletes, they’re there to compete, and if Russia wants to uphold the Olympic spirit, then every judgment should be made on the track, or in the swimming pool, or on the balance beam, and people’s sexual orientation shouldn’t have anything to do with it."

This is wonderful.  But the Olympics coming up in Russia next year are the Winter Olypmics.  I don't think anyone will be competing in a pool.  

Nancy Mace Announces Primary Challenge to Lindsey Graham - Video

Tawana Brawley Finally Paying her Comeuppance

Tawana Brawley, the woman who falsely accused various men of holding her captive, raping her, then leaving her in a trash bag with racial slurs scrawled across her body has had her wages garnished in what is due to one of the men she accused.  Steven Pagones has been waiting years and years for the payments on the settlement he was given, more than $400,000.  You may recall this is the case that helped make Al Sharpton a household name when he came to her defense after she accused all white men of rape.

Sharpton staged sit-ins and rallies in order to see "justice" done in this case.  Police could find no evidence to file charges, but of course that didn't stop the race baiting Sharpton from pushing the issue.  Once it reached a grand jury they found no evidence to back up her claims.  The story goes that she stayed away from home for several days and couldn't find a reasonable excuse that her parents would believe and came up with this story.  While it does seem to be the case that her mother's boyfriend was a violent man who reportedly had beat her in the past, it still doesn't justify ruining the lives of innocent men.

Brawley showed no signs of rape or of hypothermia immediately after being found in a trash bag.  Brawley had no cuts, no abrasions, or virtually any other injuries at all.  It has even been reported that the hospital noted that her teeth had been recently brushed.  Hardly indicative of a person being held captive in the woods for days.  One neighbor says she saw Brawley crawl into the trash bag on her own accord and last but not least, all the writing found on her was written upside down.

To tell you the truth this isn't even good enough.  It is mind numbing to me that she was never prosecuted for bring false charges.  In my opinion every woman who brings false claims of rape should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

What Brawley allowed to happen was even bigger than the men who were falsely accused, it brought a city; and a nation for that matter, to a racial divide that was totally unnecessary as well as potentiality dangerous.

This is the first time that Brawley has had to pay in any way for what she had done.  It is long since time that paid for her crime and her dishonesty.

Reason 34,289 Not To Live in Seattle

I love the pacific northwest, especially Seattle.  It is simply beautiful.  But I could never live there.  The people are  certifiably insane out there.  Shortly after the state announces it will spend millions upon millions of tax payer dollars to make all state paperwork gender neutral comes this,  

 An internal memo at Seattle City Hall is causing quite a stir. It suggests government workers no longer use the terms "citizen," or "brown bag."
According to the Office for Civil Rights, the terms are potentially offensive and other words should be used.

Citizen should be changed to residents and they have not quite come up with a replacement for brown bag, they are thinking sacked lunch may be more appropriate.  Oh my.  Apparently someone has gotten into their head that brown bag is a racial slur.  

And while city leaders publicize "brown bag" lunch meetings as a way to designate a bring-your-own lunch time event, the term has a sorted history. 
"It used to be a way people could judge skin color," Bronstein said in a phone interview

Don't these lawmakers have anything more pressing to deal with than this?  I mean Seattle has one of the highest levels of homelessness in the country and this is what they are choosing to deal with?  Have you ever heard anyone use the term brown bag lunch as a racial slur?  I didn't think so.  

Is is any wonder that our society and government is in such a mess?