Why does anyone even bother to listen to or reason with Ann Coulter? Such a waste of time. Elizabeth Edwards has a much more important disease to focus on fighting right now. The cancer that is Ann Coulter has reached its critical mass and will hopefully begin to die out on its own. Ann will eventually succeed in destroying herself. Giving any additional attention to that malignant mouthpiece at this point is simply extending her time in the spotlight. I say unscrew the bulb and let’s all have a good night.
Sticks & Stones
June 27th, 2007
Same Old Story
June 26th, 2007With all of the media outlets to turn to for information about our world, it is amazing to me they all seem to cover the exact same stories. Without fail the local, network and cable news centers are running identical content within seconds of one another. If you flip the through the channels, the only difference is the face and voice of the individual delivering the information. We don’t really have a choice of what information we’d like to hear, simply what talking head from what angle best suits our taste.
How sad the human exist has become so boring and uneventful there are only a handful of subjects to talk about anymore. With billions of people on this planet, there is barely enough content to fill 35 minutes of cable news without starting the feed queu all over again. Let’s not forget the poor local channels. If international outlets are hard pressed for stories, how is a local news crew to fill 30 minutes of air time when limited by a population of a few hundred thousand? Thank goodness for commercials and the countless number of murders, celebrity embarrassments and heart stopping catastrophes happening to people in other areas of the country that can be used as filler when the local scene is at a standstill. I mean, what is there to report if not humanity at its worst? Perhaps we all owe Paris Hilton a thank you afterall?
Until even more people get with the program and turn into murderers or idiots, we may find the slump in the news will continue. With such a shortage of viable stories to report, can we really fault the news outlets for creating their own stories? If they didn’t step up and ‘wag the dog,’ we would be stuck watching commercials non-stop. Or worse, they might have to rely on reporting human interest or feel good stories. The types of things that give us the false sense the world might be an okay place after all. Freedom of the press, as you can see, is vital to keeping us realistic about the nasty place this world is as well as keeping us supplied with the addictive negativity we crave.
I shouldn’t be so critical. There is a bright spot in all of this. I think we all should take a moment to thank our politicians for actually taking action on this very important issue. Sure, they may have dropped the ball on fuel, fresh water, military and funding shortages. They do, however, seem to realize how devastating it would be to our nation to find ourselves without sources for the type of content our news outlets rely on for their very survival. I feel safe in predicting they will not let us down. Viable news stories to report may be in short supply, but the trusted men and women of our legislature will not allow them to become extinct.
4Real
June 25th, 2007The story out of New Zealand about the judge barring a couple from naming their son ‘4Real’ is getting a lot of attention. It is my understanding the ruling was based strictly on New Zealand not allowing numerals or symbols in legal names. That aside, the decision prompted a huge debate over how much freedom parents should be allowed in naming their children.
Many comments on the story from internet readers express outrage over the judge’s actions. He is often referred to as an intrusive bigot. Though I don’t believe the decision was influenced by anything other than legal technicalities, I have no problem with the idea of outside sources stepping in when parents are making irresponsible decisions regarding their children. I do not feel a parent’s rights are more important than the well being of a child.
Though a name destined to guarantee years of teasing and attention may not be as serious a violation as physical abuse or neglect, anyone who feels this child wouldn’t have endured pain as a result of his parents’ choice of name is in denial. Children should have the right to choose how much attention they wish to attract as they grow. The formative years are tough. My daughter has a facial birthmark that automatically subjects her to remarks from others. It is impossible for her to fade into the woodwork on days where she doesn’t feel like being in the spotlight. I would never intentionally put her in this type of position. Granted, names and physical differences shouldn’t be met with criticism and teasing. The fact of the matter is, they are. Before this child’s parents move forward with naming their son ‘4Real’, they need to get real and put some actual thought into how this choice will effect their son long term.
Beets or Politicians?
June 22nd, 2007I can’t decide which I despise more. Seeing the news reports about the presidential candidates attending the memorial service for the fallen South Carolina firefighters really turned my stomach. Such shameless tactics of self-promotion make me ill. Unlike beets, you can’t spit politicians out in a napkin when they leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Ethical?
June 20th, 2007President Bush vetoed a Bill today that would have made it easier to achieve funding for stem cell research. He reasoned it is unethical to ask tax payers to fund the destruction of human life. The interesting thing is, tax payers fund the destruction of human life every day. Of course, we hope it is contributing to the greater good of society. We fund wars that drop bombs on and fire bullets into our human enemies. We fund airfare that is necessary to transport the brave men and women of the armed forces into danger zones where some will lose their life. We fund the housing and eventual execution of federal inmates who have committed heinous crimes.
I am not interested in starting a debate on the rights and wrongs of military operations and capital punishment. The concern over not involving the tax payer in the destruction of human life simply made me scratch my head a bit.
If Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder…
June 19th, 2007You all must be madly in love with me by now. Sorry I’ve been MIA. The first few months of pregnancy are always rough for me. I’m nearing the 5 month mark. The sickies are subsiding a bit and I’m in the mood to rejoin the world and write again. Stay tuned and thanks for the messages and hellos.
Music Man
April 25th, 2007Last week John McCain sang “bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran”. Now that he is ready to announce his candidacy for President, can we expect “I do, run, run, run. I do run, run?”
Sorry I Haven’t Been Writing
April 20th, 2007I have to confess I am ridiculously sick at the moment. I’m one of those women who gets really ill with pregnancy. Hopefully the Green Monster will back off soon. In the meantime, I’ll write when I can.
No Butts About It…
April 20th, 2007Black underwear was not intended for light pants. You may be able to justify the black bra under the white blouse. A few celebrities have put their stamp of approval on this look. Black bloomers with khakis, however, have yet to get a nod of acceptance.
I’m always amazed when I see a woman out in public with drawers too dark for her outfit. I mean, what woman doesn’t check her fanny in the mirror before going out? I’ve been a fanny checker since the tender age of 15. It’s engrained. Not evaluating the back yard before leaving the house would be like not brushing my teeth.
Even if I’m wearing dark jeans, I’ve got to look. It’s not just about preventing the dark side from showing itself. What if something has shifted in the night? I’m 35 now. There is the possibility when I wake up things won’t be in exactly the same place as the previous day. It is important to be sure containment hasn’t been compromised. Actually, I think I’d prefer to see black underwear through light pants than body parts spilling through a barrier breech. Call me picky.
Maybe it’s the hormones…
April 11th, 2007With all of these baby hormones floating around in my body, I’ve been a tad emotional lately. That probably explains a song that seems to get to me each time I hear it play. The song is “You Find Out Who Your Friends Are” by Mr. Tracy Lawrence. Though you lose some of the effect by simply reading the lyrics and not hearing the music, I’ll include the chorus and a small snip-it of the song.
Chorus:
You find out who your friends are,
somebody’s gonna drop everything,
run out and crank up their car,
hit the gas, get there fast, never stop to think
“What’s in it for meâ€, or “its way to farâ€
They just show on up…with their big ‘ol heart…
You find out who your friends are……
Everybody wants to slap your back,
wants to shake your hand when
you’re up on top of that mountain.
Let one of those rocks give way,
then you slide back down,
look up and see who’s around then.
This is ain’t where the road comes to an end,
this ain’t where the bandwagon stops,
This is just one of those times when…a lot of folks jump off
Chorus:
You find out who your friends are,
somebody’s gonna drop everything,
run out and crank up their car,
hit the gas, get there fast, never stop to think
“What’s in it for meâ€, or “its way to far 
They just show on up…with their big ‘ol heart.
You find out who your friends are…
This song makes me think a lot about my one true friend, Shauntay. We’ve been friends now for 10 years. There have been so many changes in our lives and we no longer live a stones throw from one another. It doesn’t matter though. I know if something were to come up in my life, she would be there in a hot second with a helping hand and words of encouragement and support. Hopefully she knows the same is true of me for her.
You really do find your true friends when life starts tossing wrenches in your plans. I’ve had many acquaintances in life who have been there for the fun and easy times. The crowd seemed to thin considerably when obstacles popped up. Part of it is my fault. Before people can be there for you, you have to be comfortable enough with them to let them know when you need help. Few people read minds. Asking for a hand has never come easy for me. That’s the great thing about Shauntay. She never waits for me to ask. She inserts herself into my life and makes it clear we are riding the waves together.
One time I was complaining to my Grandma about how few friends I really have. She didn’t let me get away with that complaint one bit. She knows Shauntay, you see. She was quick to point out many people in this world have stacks of friends yet still lack what I have found with Shauntay, one TRUE friend in this world