Let's Help Linzey

A young, central Pennsylania woman is in need of our help.


Born with spinal muscular atrophy, she relies on trained nurses to keep her healthy and breathing properly. I saw this story on television the other night and was unable to find a link to share this with you all until today.

Linzey needs home healthcare in her home when she sleeps because someone has to monitor the machines that help her breath when she lays down. On September 20th she turned 21 and the state of Pennsylvania says she is no longer eligible for help from the Department of Welfare to help pay for her nurses. They have instructed her to live in a nursing home. Linzey is an independent 21 year old girl who worked a job and tried her best to help herself. Local nursing homes are denying her residency because they say a 21 year-old doesn't belong in a nursing home with 80 year-olds. I agree.

A home healthcare agency agreed to give her another month of free service, but are unable to help her after October 30th.

Please help Linzey by going here and telling Governor Ed Rendell that we, as Americans, will not stand for this type of treatment of our disabled citizens. Trust me, he'll recognize the name Linzey Zoccola and he needs to have that name placed before his eyes and ringing in his ears until he does something to help this young lady.

Feel free to copy and paste the letter below, or write to him from your heart. It only takes a moment of your time and every moment counts for Linzey.

Dear Governor Rendell,

As a citizen of the United States, I simply cannot stand by and witness the neglect and abuse of our disabled citizens by way of denying necessary medical care to them based on age requirements. A citizen of your state, Linzey Zoccola, needs your help if she is to continue to live as an independent member of our society. Linzey is being denied Department of Welfare medical benefits because she has turned 21 and, according to your department of health and welfare, is no longer eligible.

You, as Governor, do a disservice to your state and to the American public by not stepping in and intervening on Linzey’s behalf. As head of the state departments, it is your job to protect those who live in your state.

I am asking that you take the necessary steps immediately; to see that Linzey receives the care she needs to survive.

Sincerely,

Leave It To The French

As for French golfer Jean Van de Velde, it’s bad enough he’s a sexist pig for saying women shouldn’t be allowed to golf in the British Open – but has he no shame???

Thanks to Paul at OII

Kicking the Dog

My eldest daughter was born sweet. She was bright and beautiful and had the most lovely disposition a mother could ask for. The kind of child everyone wanted to be around – both children and adults. Each year at the end of the school term her teachers would either make a point to call me or send a note home saying they wish they had a whole classroom full of children like her. She was just charmed. At 21 she is still beautiful and brilliant and loved by all who know her. This young lady literally has no enemies.

When she was in the first grade, she shared a classroom with a bully who tormented her for several weeks. A fat little pistol named Gina who stalked her every move and physically abused her whenever an adult was not looking. Worse yet, Gina went to the same care-giver after school, so she couldn’t get a break from the abuse. At first I tried speaking with the teacher and the care-giver. Nobody seemed to be able to get this little girl under control. After getting no relief, I went to the principal of the school and asked her to intervene – nothing. Finally, I approached the little girl’s mother one day as we were leaving the babysitter’s home. I explained that my daughter had received many bruises, welts and scrapes as a result of her daughter’s bullying, to which the mother replied, “tell your daughter to quit being such a baby!”. This, of course, was the last straw. As diplomatically as I could under the circumstances, I explained to the mother that there would be no more hitting, kicking or pushing from her daughter without retaliation. I further explained that I would not be willing to discuss the matter after that day – if the child didn’t leave my daughter alone – my child would be instructed to fight back and in so many words, I told the mother, “don’t come crying to me when it happens”.

That night, my former husband and I sat down with our daughter and explained that while we had always told her she should walk away from Gina – this strategy was obviously not working. I’ll never forget the look on her face when we told her to fight back if Gina lashed out at her again. Eyes like saucers – she responded, “I don’t think I can!” to which my husband said, “It’s your choice, you can either be Gina’s doormat and keep getting hurt, or you can just haul off and smack her!” I remember my stomach being in knots as we had this conversation with her. I wondered whether she would be able to go through with it – and if she did, what was I really teaching this child by telling her to become physical with the other child.

It didn’t take long to find out. The next day I appeared to pick her up from the “sitter” and she bounded out the door with a fresh cut across her face from her left eyebrow down to her bottom right jaw line. She had been hit with a plastic strap - she should have been crying, but she wasn’t. “I did it!” she said, “and Gina ran away and cried!!” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but the decision proved to be a good one in the end. Gina never laid another hand to my daughter and soon the cuts, scrapes and bruises were healed and a distant memory, proving to me that diplomacy may be the first choice, but occasionally, a good old-fashioned hair-pull-butt-kick is in order.

The fight for power between the left and the right has historically been littered with bullying from both sides. One of the things that keeps it interesting, however, is that one side or the other rarely backs down. Thus, the constant struggle...nobody shows any weakness because nobody gives in and that’s o.k., because it’s the nature of the beast.

For the most part, this struggle doesn’t bother me. It’s only when the bullying takes on a more ruthless personality that it really gets under my skin. One such situation that comes to mind is when the local government in my area needed to build a new parole office. The city has limited space and the idea came about that the office should be placed outside the city, in an area that would better serve their needs. The local government secured a sales agreement to purchase land outside the city where a well-known pizza parlor sat. The owner had two locations and his land was more than a suitable place to build the new parole office. The government submitted proposed plans to build an office that would house the parole offices, as well as the police station and some other government offices. The neighborhood was considered the “burbs” and a new building in place of the old pizza parlor would have definitely been an esthetic improvement, but the local residents caught wind of the proposed use of the building and got their panties in a knot. The “not in my neighborhood” bug began to spread. Residents of the neighborhood began holding meetings and filing lawsuits to stop the local government from putting a parole office in their neighborhood. Their argument was that it was a residential area (not true – but not far from one) and that the proposed use of the building would make their neighborhood unsafe. Forget the fact that a police station was going in the same building and forget the fact that it’s unlikely that paroled criminals are going to commit crimes next door to their parole office – their stance was that they didn’t want “those types of people” driving into their neighborhood.

My first reaction to the arguments was, of course, “do they honestly think criminals don’t drive near their homes, patronize their businesses and live in their neighborhoods?” How ridiculous! The second thought that came to my mind was that it was pretty arrogant of them to suggest that any neighborhood other than theirs was better suited for this project. They argued that the office belonged in the city – as though the people who lived in the city were not important enough to be protected from what they claimed to be a very dangerous plan.

The neighborhood in question was not the ritziest neighborhood in town. Not bad - but nothing special. Soon the group fighting this project realized that they were fighting a losing battle against the government, so they decided to bully the “little guy”. Within days they were picketing the pizza parlor – not just at the proposed project location, but at the owner’s other location in another part of the county. They harassed the man and hurt his business until he reneged on the sales agreement (at the risk of being sued by the government) and backed out of the deal.

At the time, I worked with a few of the people from that neighborhood who had taken part in the bullying of this small business owner. I was appalled by their behavior, but even more appalled by their smug attitude afterward – once they had gotten their way. Their argument was always, “Our kids! Our kids!” My thoughts… “way to go – you’ve just taught your kids to bully people if you don’t get your way!”

When the left and right bully each other…all in the name of “fair play”, it’s usually just a part of the game. What bothers me now is that we’ve gone beyond bullying only the opposition and begun to bully each other. What we’ve just witnessed going on in Washington with the Miers nomination came primarily from the right. I’m not suggesting that Harriet Miers was the best person for the job. But I’m extremely disappointed with this administration for not standing up for the decisions that have been made lately. Not just with Miers – with a number of things. Our government is turning into the dog that gets kicked and whimpers off to the corner and it’s frightening to me that it’s not only coming from the left. At least when the dems do it – we’re not surprised – it’s the nature of politics. When your own side, however, bullies you until you do what they want – it’s difficult to determine who the enemy is.

I believe that George W. Bush is a good man. I believe he is a good President. I believe that for the most part, he makes sound decisions. I have believed in and trusted this Administration. Today, however, I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed in our President for bowing down to the pressure and I’m extremely disappointed with the Republicans who perpetrated the bullying that backed him into that corner. If I could say anything to our President today it would be, “It’s your choice, you can either be a doormat and keep getting hurt, or you can just haul off and smack your opponent. But for God’s sake – don’t just stand there and take it!”

Miers Withdraws

This is very interesting to me.

Under withering attack from conservatives, President Bush ended his push to put loyalist Harriet Miers on the Supreme Court Thursday and promised a quick replacement. Democrats accused him of bowing to the "radical right wing of the Republican Party."

The libs are accusing the conservatives of badgering the President to get their way. From what I've seen....they're right.

Jeb Owns His Part

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people won’t take responsibility for things they should. Blaming others and making excuses drives me nuts. It’s nice to see state authorities that take responsibility for things they own. People will say it’s because he didn’t want to blame his brother. Call it what you want. I call it integrity.

Saying Goodbye To A Legend

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

Psalm 84:5


Memories of our lives, of our works and our
deeds will continue in others.

Rosa Parks
February 4, 1913 - October 24, 2005

A Woman's Worth

Statistics are great, but they never tell the whole story. According to Senior World Online – women in the technology field almost always receive less pay than men doing the same job. There are several other websites I could refer you to, but I’ll save you the time and say what most of us already knew – in many cases, women earn lower wages than men while doing the same job.

To be fair, I have never really given this much thought. Those who know me would tell you that I am far from a feminist and as long as I am being paid what I believe I am worth – I don’t have a problem with what others make. At the same time – it’s worth noting that I have never found myself in a situation where I worked with men who were doing the same job as I and making more money. I would undoubtedly have a problem with it if it were in my face.

Overall, though, I am the last person to be lobbying for women’s rights, as I am extremely old fashioned by nature. For instance, I have a “lawn guy”. I don’t like mowing the lawn or working on my flower beds. If I liked it, I would do it. I don’t – so I don’t. I have no problem breaking a sweat and working hard on things I enjoy, but in my world – mowing the lawn is a man’s job. Ditto pumping the gasoline into my car. I live in one of the few areas left that has a couple of full-service stations still in operation. My philosophy is that if I wanted to smell like gasoline – I would get a job at one of those places. I don’t like it – so I don’t do it – which, in my book, makes it a man’s job. Now, you can yell at me all you want, but I challenge any one of you to find something I’ve written on this site that would indicate I am a hard-core feminist and wanted to be treated equally.

Equality takes on a lot of meanings. Am I as smart as any man I know? Absolutely. Are my thoughts and opinions as valid as any man I know? Of course! But, put me in a ditch with a guy and ask me to dig….and I’ll find a way to delegate the work to him within 5 minutes…maybe sooner. In the physical respect – I AM most definitely the weaker sex. Created by a God in heaven who designed me to be that way. If there is a man in the room and a heavy box/bag/package to be carried, I absolutely expect a man to do that for me. Not because I can’t do it for myself, but because that is the natural order of things in my world. There are things a woman takes care of – and there are things a man takes care of. It’s also worth noting that I’ve pissed off many-a feminist by holding these opinions. Too bad.

So, what’s my rant? Here you go….

I am currently interviewing candidates for a position within my organization. The job is a managerial position and requires a certain degree of experience and expertise to qualify – in other words – it would be highly unlikely that I could find someone on the street who could be trained to do this job without first having acquired a number of years of experience in the field.

I’ve received a number of resumes, many of which show great potential. So far I’ve narrowed the field down to about 6 who seem to have the qualifications I am looking for. Three men and three women have made it into the final selection process (so far). Can someone tell me why, then, have the women who seemingly have the same amount of experience and expertise in their field, asked for considerably less salary than the men? I’m not talking hundreds or thousands – I am talking about the women listing salary requirements that add up to tens of thousands less than that of the men.

How is it that in this world where we are up to our eyeballs in the technology we need to learn anything – the women don’t have a clue what the going rate is for someone with their expertise? A monkey could use the websites available that give you a free salary study to show you what you should be making according to your experience and education. And this isn’t the first time this has happened – just the first time I’ve really given enough thought to the process to deduct that there may be more to the equal pay thing than discrimination.

The bottom line is – if you don’t know what you’re worth, you’ll never get it. My grandmother used to say, “ask not – have not”.

So, to all those who argue all the time about equality in the corporate world – I have some advice. Educate the women you are fighting for. You are what you believe you are. You are worth what you believe you are worth. If you ask for $20-$40,000 less than the guy next to you – you’re probably going to get the job. But when the guy next to you gets to do the same job and gets more money for it, don’t assume it’s because someone is discriminating.

Ask not – have not.

The Assassination of Customer Service

Imagine two separate scenarios.

In the first, you visit the local grocery store “Customer Service” counter to inquire about sending money to someone via Western Union. The sign behind the store clerk’s head says, “Two Easy Ways To Send Money – 1. By using our automated telephone service to your right and, 2. By manually completing a form and handing it to the store clerk”. You ask the store clerk how long it will take to use the automated telephone service, after all, you’re on your lunch break and don’t have much time. She responds by saying, “uhhhh….I don’t know”. So, you pick up the Western Union telephone and push the button that reads, “Send Money”. You hear a ringing sound and then a voice comes on the line that says, “Your wait time is……23 minutes”. You decide to hang up the telephone and go back to the service counter. When you tell the clerk that you wish to use the manual method to send the money, she responds by saying, “We’re just using the telephone [way] now”. To which you respond, “I don’t have time to wait 23 minutes, the sign says I can do it manually. Is there someone here who knows how to do it the other way?” The clerk responds, “ummm…I don’t know…just use the telephone [way]”. You begin to feel the blood rush to your cheeks. You’ve got about 10 minutes to get this off your “to-do list” and this person seems to be the least likely candidate to have been placed at the Customer Service counter. You take a deep breath, after all, this girl looks like she’s about 12 and has probably never been trained properly, right? You say, “When I attempted to send money using the telephone, a recording came on to tell me that there was a wait time of 23 minutes. Is there someone here I can speak with who knows a little bit more about this?” to which she responds, “HELLO!!!! NOT MY FAULT!” and turns away from you to chat with the other 12 year-old store clerk.

The second scenario goes like this…

You take your child to the dentist office. This dentist happens to be the most accommodating dentist in town. He has two different locations and is the only one within a 30-mile radius who actually sees patients on Saturdays a couple times each month and also offers a few days of evening hours each week. While standing in line to schedule your child’s next appointment, you overhear the person in front of you giving the scheduling person her “criteria” for scheduling her next appointment. The conversation goes like this…

“I can only come in on Tuesdays. It has to be after 5:00 PM, it’s the only time I’m available”.

The scheduler responds very sweetly, “I’m sorry, we’re not in this office after 5:00 on Tuesdays, maybe I can look at another day for an appointment at that time”.

“No” responds the woman, “I’m only available on Tuesdays”.

“Well, I see an appointment here on a Saturday morning, will that suit your schedule?”

“NO! I said I am only available on Tuesdays!” the woman snorts.

“Are you able to visit our southern office? The doctor is in that office on Tuesday afternoons, I can probably get you in after 5:00 at that location and it’s only 8 miles from here”.

“I don’t think you heard me! I SAID I’m only available on Tuesday afternoons….AFTER 5:00 and I am ONLY COMING TO THIS OFFICE! I don’t understand why I can’t get an appointment time that suits my schedule. You always want me to take Johnny out of school for his appointments or ask me to schedule during his football practice time. Johnny can ABSOLUTELY NOT MISS SCHOOL OR FOOTBALL! Every time I come here I get the runaround – you people are so unaccommodating!”

The scheduling person signs and says, “There is one Tuesday, six weeks from now when our associate doctor will be in this office. I would have to overbook the schedule and you may have to wait a while for your appointment, but I’ll put you in on that date if you don’t mind waiting”.

“Fine!…..no, wait……we’ll be in Aspen that week. It’s not going to work. Find me another day”.

In the first scenario, the customer service received is absolutely unacceptable. The sort of thing you come to expect from the convenience store clerk or the token guy at the subway. The sort of maddening exercise that is turning us all into online shoppers and people who would rather deal with an automated bill paying service to pay the electric bill than to have to speak to a representative at the electric company. I’ve long been saying that customer service is almost non-existent these days. People just don’t know how to act when they are in a service related business anymore. Forget about going out of your way to make me feel at ease or as though I am NOT disturbing your snack break. A simple please/thank you or perhaps a BAG when I’ve just purchased 5 items at the convenience store would be nice.

I work in healthcare and the healthcare industry is no exception. I recently had to go round and round with a billing specialist for my physician’s office because I received a bill in the mail for $1.49 for a procedure that was covered by my insurance company at 100% and was administered 14 months ago. The “specialist’s” response when I suggested that in one of my offices, we would have written off the amount and not spent the time, labor-hours, stationary and postage to send someone a bill for $1.49 was, “well, if you were REALLY in healthcare, you would know that we can’t just WRITE OFF $1.49. It’s not that simple. It’s really, really complicated and you would know that if you were REALLY in healthcare. You’re just going to have to contact your insurance company if you have a problem with it!”….dial tone.

I don’t understand how people have become more and more demanding in a society that has less and less to offer in terms of customer service. Where do people like the woman at the dentist office go to shop, bank, fuel their cars, visit the doctor where they are being so coddled that they expect to be placed before everyone else when it’s time to schedule an appointment or park their car? Am I shopping at the wrong grocery store? Am I visiting the wrong dermatologist? (mine has an 12 week waiting list for an appointment and has no problem telling you to go somewhere else if you complain about waiting so long). Is my bank on the wrong side of the tracks? What makes a person think that ANY business is going to accommodate them, much less when they are so demanding and particular that even the most accommodating business in town can’t keep them happy. More often than not, I get terrible service, discourteous service, or a complete and total lack of service. It’s been years since I was able to get help in a hardware store or department store without the clerk giving me a forced smile and sighing heavily when I ask them to give me a hand. Worse yet, nobody ever seems to know any more about the product I am looking at/for than I do. But I have a theory…

Could it be that the lack of customer service we’ve all begun to expect is a result of ignorant, arrogant elitists who give so little and demand so much that the service industry has just given up trying? We’ve all seen them. The guy at the table next to you in a restaurant who clearly never pays for a meal he orders ANYWHERE because he badgers the waiter and the manager over every petty little thing throughout his meal.

Could it be that bad attitudes and the “me, me, me!” perspective has screwed everything up for everyone? Perhaps the death of customer service was not a natural death. Perhaps it was an assassination.

My grandmother used to say, “You’ll draw more flies with sugar than with vinegar”. She was right. She was almost always right about everything. If there’s one thing I’ve come to realize, it’s that being a paying customer doesn’t give me the right to demand special treatment any more than being a taxpaying citizen gives me the right to say who buys the house next door or who gets to park on my street. My sister works in retail and she, like the majority of retail managers would tell you that she hates people. She hates them because they’re all a bunch of jackasses.

I would be interested in hearing your stories of horrible or delightful customer service, but I guess I’ve said all of that to say this – be nice to someone today…you never know – maybe those of us who still have a nice bone in our bodies can resurrect something that died a long time ago….

Nah! People are jackasses!

Ahem....

A JUDGE had to decide that Scott Peterson couldn't have his wife's life insurance money?
Are you kidding me?

File this under "Court cases that are a waste of taxpayers money"

He thought he was living in America

On October 11th I posted an article about a couple being represented by the ACLU because the Pennsylvania Children and Youth Services wanted to take their unborn baby away from them as soon as it was born. The father, Mr. DaiShin WolfHawk (the name he took after becoming an Indian chief), confessed to and served time for raping and sodomizing children.

Well, as all pregnancies do - this one has come to an end and a judge ordered that the baby be put into foster care. The ACLU says,

"I think they're sending the message that if you or any member of your family screws up, you can kiss your parental rights goodbye"

Getting angry and telling your boss to kiss your ars is screwing up. Getting drunk at the Christmas party and dancing with a lampshade on your head is screwing up. Hitting "yes" to an error message that deletes everything you just worked hours on is screwing up. And evidently, according to the ACLU, rape and sodomy has now been reduced to a mere screw-up. Something that the rest of us should just sweep under the rug as though it has never happened - after all....he JUST screwed up!

The father says,

"I thought I was living in America"

Guess what, pal...you are! As evidenced by the fact that you weren't stoned for hurting those little girls and you're already free to roam this earth and procreate. Just know that as long as you are...there will be people like ME who stand behind any organization whose mission is to protect innocent children and stand AGAINST the ACLU!

"Dreamer" ...A Pleasant Surprise

I was surprised, once again, this evening to find myself viewing another family movie that I really liked. “Dreamer”, (trailer) with Dakota Fanning, Kurt Russell and Kris Kristofferson is going on my list of best movies of this year. Rarely these days do I view a movie during which the audience actually cheers…even once. During this movie – it happened twice.

Dakota Fanning is a real charmer, as usual, and the story is a real heart-warmer. Of course it doesn’t hurt that we’re “horse people”. My daughter’s first crush was on a Shetland named Sugar.

A girl and her horse….it’s a beautiful thing.

Go see this movie. Take your kids. It’s one of the few of late that isn’t a waste of money.

War is....WAR!

I've been busy with work - but not too busy to read a little...
Check out A.M. Siriano's latest post on the newest gripes about the way we do war...

Let's Torch the Geneva Convention, Too

Proof? Not for some.

This news will be “proof” for some of those screaming for it, not enough for some others, and too much for the liberals who are working hard to protect their religion of killing babies.

I, for one, am happy to wait for the hearings to make my decision. I’m not interested in speculation. I am also not buying in to the idea that President Bush owes me something as a conservative, just because I voted for him. There were an awful lot of democrats who voted for him because they considered him the “lesser of two evils”. What does he owe them?

I voted for him because I believed he shared many, but not all, of my views. I knew going in that there would be Bush policy that I didn’t like. Since then he has impressed me as I’ve learned that he leaned more toward my views than I originally expected. However, as impressed as I may be of him, I am still well aware that he will never please every conservative all the time, including me.

If we get to the hearings and Harriet Miers turns out to be the devil in disguise that so many conservatives are prophesying, then we’re all going to have to take our medicine. Will I be aggravated? Of course! But this conservative mom would rather see a President who makes a decision that he feels he can stand by – and then stands by it, than someone who tries to please every whining person on the planet. Running around trying to please all the whiners is the democrats job.

Take a Stand Against The ACLU

To my fellow conservative bloggers -
We all talk a lot about the ACLU and their agenda to destroy the American family. Here's an opportunity to voice your concerns to the government in an organized manner.

The Center for Reclaiming America calls for "a stand against the ACLU's radical agenda, which undermines our nation's moral and religious heritage."

Their petition, which already has more than 160,000 signatures, urges Congress to pass a bill that would curb the ACLU by denying plaintiff attorneys the right to collect attorneys fees in lawsuits targeting religion in the public square.

If you have not signed the petition yet, do it today. It only takes a moment or two. The target date for submitting the petition is the end of the month.

The petition reads:
As a concerned citizen, I am taking a stand against the ACLU's radical agenda, which undermines our nation's moral and religious heritage. I join with citizens across the nation in protest of ACLU policies and actions to strip faith in God from the public square while promoting anti-family and pro-homosexual initiatives. I am calling on leaders in government and media to tell the truth about the ACLU's radical agenda. Furthermore, I demand lawmakers take the necessary steps to eliminate the monetary motives behind the ACLU's campaign to remove all mention of God from the public square. The ACLU does not represent me nor the vast majority of American citizens.

Stand up and be counted.

Bumper Sticker of the Day!

Separate the boys from the men....

Prom Goes To The Dogs

Check this out.

I’m not so sure about this. It most definitely sounds as though this school’s pre and post prom has become an out-of-control event, but I think it’s pretty clear that the parents have created this monster. Canceling prom, in my opinion, will do nothing to curtail the parents idiotic and excessive catering to their children’s every whim. I think this will only fuel the parent’s belief that they have the right to dole out luxuries to their children hand-over-fist. Mark my words, the next thing we hear about this will be that the parents (who can afford a $20,000 Hampton house rental for the post-prom party) will be footing the bill to have the prom at the local Hilton.

While I don’t agree with what is allegedly going on before and after prom, I am fortunate enough to have good kids who have not engaged in this type of behavior. If they had to lose their prom based on other people’s behavior that isn’t even taking place on the school’s property…I think I would have a problem with this.

Mommy Dearest?

Are you kidding me? Seems Madonna has quite a handle on the discipline of her children – a hideously strict handle, under the circumstances. I’ll admit that I’m not opposed to people curbing television and magazine viewing for kids – after all, they might see someone like MADONNA in a bustier! I have a 12 year old at home and there are a lot of things I don’t let her view…but no MILK for your kids? And that issue with the clothing is just out there. Did anyone else have a flash back of, “I said…NO WIRE HANGERS!!!!”

25 ways to be a good democrat...

If you're thinking about becoming a democrat - you may want to take this little test to make sure you are going to fit in.

1. You have to be against capital punishment, but support abortion on demand.
2. You have to believe that businesses create oppression and governments create prosperity.
3. You have to believe that guns in the hands of law-abiding Americans are more of a threat than U.S. nuclear weapons technology in the hands of Chinese and North Korean communists.
4. You have to believe that there was no art before Federal funding.
5. You have to believe that global temperatures are less affected by cyclical documented changes in the earth's climate and more affected by soccer moms driving SUV's.
6. You have to believe that gender roles are artificial but being homosexual is natural.
7. You have to believe that the AIDS virus is spread by a lack of federal funding.
8. You have to believe that the same teacher who can't teach 4th-graders how to read is somehow qualified to teach those same kids about sex.
9. You have to believe that hunters don't care about nature, but urban activists who have never been outside of San Francisco do.
10. You have to believe that having self-esteem is more important than actually doing something to earn it.
11. You have to believe that Mel Gibson spent $25 million of his own money to make The Passion Of The Christ for financial gain only.
12. You have to believe the NRA is bad because it supports certain parts of the Constitution, while the ACLU is good because it manipulates certain parts of the Constitution.
13. You have to believe that as long as there is a Republican in the White House, they are responsible for everything from the direction the wind blows to vaccinating the entire world for a flu that 116 people have contracted. If however, a democrat is in the White House - the responsibility no longer exists.
14. You have to believe that Margaret Sanger and Gloria Steinem are more important to American history than Thomas Jefferson, Gen. Robert E. Lee, and Thomas Edison.
15. You have to believe that standardized tests are racist, but racial quotas and set-asides are not.
16. You have to believe that Hillary Clinton is normal and is a very nice person.
17. You have to believe that the only reason socialism hasn't worked anywhere it's been tried is because the right people haven't been in charge.
18. You have to believe conservatives telling the truth belong in jail, but a liar and a sex offender belonged in the White House.
19. You have to believe that homosexual parades displaying drag, transvestites, and bestiality should be constitutionally protected, and manger scenes at Christmas should be illegal.
20. You have to believe that illegal Democratic Party funding by the Chinese government is somehow in the best interest to the United States.
21. You have to believe that John Kerry’s Purple Hearts are legitimate, and that a Massachusetts Senator more liberal than Teddy Kennedy can be elected President of the United States.
22. You have to believe that the ACLU knows more about raising your children than you do.
23. You have to believe that signs that bear the statement, "In God We Trust" are offensive, but pornography is not.
24. You have to believe that offending a Muslim, Athiest or Homosexual is absolutely intolerable, but offending a Christian is o.k.
25. You have to believe that this message is a part of a vast, right wing conspiracy.

Are they bored in Loveland?

Helloooooo....do we NOT have better, perhaps more important things to do???

Woman With $1.16 Tax Bill Faces $4K Fine

File this under STUPID

I have to say....if someone drove up onto the sidewalk with their car, hit me and took off... I might not just describe them as fat (if they were, in fact, fat) I might call them stupid too!
This politically incorrect stuff is just out of control - but check this out!

From a Soldier's Mouth

Check out this post from Sgt. Ron Long regarding the "staged" interview with the President.

Bravo! to him for setting the record straight and Bravo! to him and all of our boys who are fighting for freedom.

Too Funny!

Remember the Sunday School lesson on sowing and reaping?

I love this!!! Check it out!

Up the Creek: Out to Embarrass Bush Over Alleged Video Stunt, Today Gets Caught in Stunt of Its Own

Hat Tip - Junkyardblog

Polio Outbreak Not A Risk?

Here’s a case of a doctor being S.O.S.

Four cases of Polio have been identified in Minnesota. The sick children are Amish. The article states,

“Dr. Harry Hull, the state epidemiologist, said the cases do not pose a threat to the general public because most people have been vaccinated against polio and are unlikely to have contact with Amish people”. (emphasis mine)

Ok, my children have been vaccinated for Polio and so have I – HOWEVER, does he think Amish people live in caves?? I live in south-central Pennsylvania – nicknamed, “Amish Country”. Let me tell you what MY contact is with Amish people.

First, I work in healthcare and we serve Amish people. In fact, not a day goes by that we do not serve several Amish people in one of our many locations. There are, of course, other people visiting our offices while Amish people are present. My staff comes in contact with bodily fluids of these people. Some of my staff members are pregnant and some have infant children at home. Of course we take the regular precautions, i.e. gloves, masks, etc., but human error is always a concern - no matter where you visit.

Second, I buy fresh fruits and vegetables. The majority of the fresh fruits and vegetables in south-central Pennsylvania come from Amish farms. Amish people pick, sort and package the vegetables.

I purchase my bread in a bakery. The bakery is owned by and employs strictly Amish people.

There are a large number of restaurants owned and operated by Amish people in this area – mostly patronized by tourists.

Typhoid Mary spread her illness to the people she cooked meals for. These people are handling and preparing food all the time. Farming, handcrafts and the food industry is just about all the Amish in this area do to make their living. I have no reason to think the Amish in Minnesota are any different.

Additionally, (and you can yell at me all you want for this but I am exposed to them every day!) Amish people are not generally the cleanest people in the world. They do not bathe frequently or launder their clothing on what most of us would consider a regular basis. Healthy hygiene habits are not a priority. This is an issue, particularly if there is a crippling disease like Polio in question. A large number of the Amish people we serve have to be helped to clear up major hygiene related issues before we can even begin treatment.

They aren’t exactly McDonalds, but there stands an enormous opportunity for this disease to be spread by the Amish. Infants who have not been vaccinated yet, and for the people (fewer now than years ago…but still…) who choose not to vaccinate their children are at risk.

We’re having a meltdown about the bird flu potential and there are cases of Polio that we aren’t worried about because, hey…it’s JUST the Amish. Those people are getting it from somewhere and they’re giving it to each other (three of the children were related to each other – the fourth was from a different family). I’m not suggesting that people should be panicked about it, but I definitely think a DOCTOR should know better than to suggest that the Amish don’t pose a risk of spreading this disease.

GIVE ME A BREAK!

This piece of garbage falls into my GIVE ME A BREAK category!

So, the President "staged" his teleconference?

I’d like to know what television station, worldwide, wouldn’t prepare people before a live interview? When things are going to go live – you can’t just expect everything to fall into place. You have to prepare unless you want everyone to look stupid - which is exactly what the media was hoping for, and since the President and Troops did NOT look stupid...Hey! They must have planned it that way! No fair!

It’s pretty clear to me that the only reason the media and Paul Rieckhoff, director of the New York-based Operation Truth (please! whose truth??) are having a problem with this is because statements like these were made by the Troops to the President…

“Thank you very much for everything," he gushed. "I like you”

“Sir, we are prepared to do whatever it takes to make this thing a success”.

"I can tell you over the past 10 months, we've seen a tremendous increase in the capabilities and the confidences of our Iraqi security force partners”.

And here’s another slap in the face to our soldiers…

On the President’s statement, “You've got tremendous support here at home”
The article says, “Less than 40 percent in an AP-Ipsos poll taken in October said they approved of the way Bush was handling Iraq. Just over half of the public now say the Iraq war was a mistake”.

This flies in the face of every liberal who says they can support our Troops and be against this war at the same time. According to the AP – being against the war = NOT supporting our Troops.

Introducing...

Featured below is the top five most politically incorrect things I mumbled under my breath this week. I can't say it at work, folks, and I can't say it at the PTA... But by golly I'm gonna say it here! I hope to keep this up each week...Enjoy!

5. 25 years ago Dr. Spock introduced a great experiment.The experiment is over...look at the 25 year-olds. Let’s start beating the kids again.

4. When I die, I’m donating all my money and assets to create an “American Heterosexual Republican Only College Fund” Let the ACLU sue a crazy dead woman.

3. The next woman I see wearing a skirt (or slacks or a dress) and
flip-flops to work should be dragged back to her closet by her hair to start the day over.

2. If your daughter is 15 and pregnant and you’ve got the nerve to say, “I don’t know what happened...we did everything right!” You need slapped.

And the number one politically incorrect thing I mumbled under my breath this week….

1. Just because they make it in your size, honey...does NOT mean
you should wear it!

I Just Don't Know About This One...

Ok, here’s something I can’t understand! Where’s the ACLU on this one???

A Pennsylvania basketball coach was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for having a sexual relationship with a 15 year-old girl. Seems Mr. Troy May, who knew his victim, began his relationship by way of instant message on the computer and then took it to a physical level and continued to have sex with the young lady for an entire summer. The young lady visited him at his home while his wife and children were away and also accompanied him to local hotels for sex. Once school started back up, she called the police and reported this as a crime.

You all know how I feel about sexual predators. If it were my child…the judicial system would save a lot of money because the dirt bag would never make it to court – but, for those who engage in sexual activities with minors, and the victim’s parents do not take matters into their own hands - I do believe the punishment should fit the crime.

I’m never sure what to think of teacher-student relationships. That is, with regard to those relationships with teenagers. They are, of course, inappropriate and disgusting. I can’t imagine what must go through a teachers head when they are attracted to a teenager, but at the same time, I think there are things in these cases that should be taken into consideration that might not go into the equation when we are talking about a child who is molested at a young age, abducted and raped, or some other violent crime. When we’re talking about a teenaged kid who is in what they believe to be a “relationship” with a teacher or a coach – while I believe that any adult – teacher or not – should be punished for having sexual contact with a minor, I am not sure I believe that case by case, these situations should be treated the same as a Heinz 57 sexual predator case.

Take the female versions of this case that we’ve been hearing so much about lately. 28 year-old Pamela Rogers had sex with her 13 year-old student and got 9 months in jail. 32 year-old Amber Jennings had sex with her 16 year-old student and got 2 years of probation. 42 year-old Sandra Geisel had sex with her 16 year-old student and got 6 months in jail. I have read NOTHING in the media that indicated these women will have to register as sex offenders when they are finished with their punishments, but in the Pennsylvania case of Mr. May, he may serve 30 years in prison and if he actually gets out of jail before he’s dead, he’ll have to register as a sex offender.

Did he cross the line? Absolutely! Should he be punished? You betcha! Was this a cut and dry case of a sexual predator preying on a young, innocent girl? Aaaaaaah, I dunno.

Look at the facts of the case. The girl was 15 years old. She flirted with the guy on the Internet until she got up the nerve to meet him for sex. Then...she MET HIM FOR SEX. She then continued to meet the man for sex in a variety of places throughout the summer. The summer-time, folks…when she would have been able to avoid him the most (no basketball practice during the summer!). Some how the kid’s parents were oblivious enough to her whereabouts to have allowed her to be running around with a 35 year-old married man for the entire summer.

I know I’m going to get hate mail for this, so I’ll end my rant with this statement. I have daughters. One of my daughters is a teenager – the other is in college (she and I both managed to live through her teenage-hood). First, I know where my kids are. I know where my kids are all the time. I don’t let them run around with people I don’t absolutely trust to be taking care of her. I’ve had people tell me I’m crazy if I think I really know where my kids are all the time – but there is no doubt in my mind…..I know. Second, if one of my daughters was accosted and raped, I would wipe the piece of garbage that hurt my daughter off the planet. If, however, I learned that my mid-to-upper teenaged daughter was having a sexual relationship with an older, married man, unless there was evidence that he tied her up and threatened her life if she told anyone – I would have to take several things into consideration…including…no, ESPECIALLY my daughter’s promiscuity. Teenagers are children in many ways – but have you had a look at the way “average” 15 year-olds look and act these days? It’s frightening. I am NOT blaming the victim OR pardoning the offender. I just wonder if the victim felt victimized when the relationship was going on.

Everyone wants their child to fit in. We don’t want them to be made fun of or not be part of the popular crowd – so kids are allowed to become more and more like adults…earlier and earlier. They dress, act and party like adults. They are given cell phones, Internet and PDF’s. They’re given way too much rope – plenty to hang themselves with – and then when they do, they aren’t handed the accountability that should go along with it and obviously parents are not taking the accountability that belongs to them either.

This is a picture of most 15 year-old girls role model – when SHE was 15 years old. Doesn’t look much like a child, does it?


More on this...
I think it's worth noting that the defendant pled guilty to all charges, which did NOT include kidnapping or unlawful restraint. Has been repentant (if that's possible) and has never denied having an affair with the girl. The county in which this "crime" took place left no stone un-turned in trying to find another victim and was unable to do so. So, it doesn't appear that this guy has a history of this type of behavior. The judge, who is notorious for his habitual disregard of sentencing guidelines and ridiculous "wrath of Madenspacher" dissertations given at the time of sentencing had this to say,

"Had the victim been an adult, May’s actions could have been described as courting, but in this circumstance it was “grooming.’’

The "grooming" Judge Madenspacher refers to is the coach having complimented the girl's athletic ability and building trust beginning when she was in middle school. So, coaches beware - what used to be called positive reinforcement is now considered "grooming your victim".
Again, what this guy did was very, VERY wrong....but 30 years? Come on!

Speaking of the ACLU

Know thy enemy!

I want to see THIS on television!!!!!

The ACLU Believes Sex Offenders Should Live With Children...Not in MY State!

This article about a woman who may lose custody of her unborn child because she is married to a sex-offender is disturbing on many levels. Of course the ACLU is involved – which only muddies the waters, but I am having a hard time looking at it through the eyes of the Children and Youth Services Department. Don’t get me wrong…I don’t think this family should have any children! I just can’t get past the mother and her stupidity.

First, the woman lost custody of her other child (21 months old) because the state wouldn’t allow her to raise the child in a home with a sex-offender. The ACLU says the state has no right to “punish further” the man who raped and sodomized two teenaged girls. I agree with that. I believe the punishment should fit the crime and when a person leaves prison, they should not be further punished. HOWEVER, this crime, by it’s nature, requires that the community at large be kept safe and informed and that the government do everything in their power to keep an eye on the offender to safeguard against future crimes – thus the birth of the State Police Sex Offender Registry, which lists sex offenders in our state.

It has long since been established that sex-offenders are not being rehabilitated in prison. This is a disorder that runs much deeper than any drug addiction or social problem a person may have that leads them into the legal system.

Personally, I think those who are found guilty of sexual offenses against children should be neutered. It’s the only way to insure against them creating their own victims. But that’s for another post.

My biggest problem is with the mother. I have this to say to her:

Women who date or marry sex offenders have problems that need dealt with to say the least – but if it’s only your life that is in question…knock yourself out – you get what you pay for. However, what mother in a decent or right mind would even so much as date a sex offender when you have children at home – much less procreate with a man who has a history of sexual perversion against children (teenagers are children!). I knew a woman who was in your shoes, Mrs. WolfHawk. She, too, gave up her child to be with her pervert boyfriend. She, too, allowed her child to be in foster care – and while promised by the state that they would return the child to her if she would just get rid of the sex-offender in her life – she married him instead. YOU are not a mommy. YOU have no right to say that you are living every mother’s worst nightmare because YOU created this nightmare. You know nothing of a mother’s love and protection for her children. You are selfish and blind. You have no right to raise children in the home you have created.
Do your children a favor and sign all parental rights to your 21 month old child and the child that is growing inside you over to the State of Pennsylvania and allow them to place them in a home where they will be loved and protected. Then go to the hospital and have your ovaries removed.

Nuff said.

Meet Jesse and Sally

I visited the Vet hospital today to meet Jesse and Sally, the two Katrina survivors who were shipped to Pennsylvania to be adopted. As you can see, they are both beautiful dogs. I suspect their names were "assigned" to them by the rescue organization.

Sally is a Catahoula. She weighs about 30-35 lbs. She has one brown eye and one blue (both "glass") and is very timid. She was terrified when I took her for a walk on a leash, which only suggests that she was not walked in that manner, but otherwise seems to have been socialized properly and is really a sweet, sweet dog.

Jesse is a lab mix (judging by her physical characteristics, possibly greyhound in the mix). She is fawn in color and is incredibly sweet - but also incredibly rambunctious. Walking her on a leash was nearly impossible. For a relatively small dog (only about 35 lbs) she just about pulled my shoulder out. Jesse seems to have been somewhat trained, as she follows basic commands (sit, lay, etc). She was such a wiggle-worm, this is the best photo I was able to get.

I am considering adopting one of these dogs, but I'm having to give it some more thought, as both of them showed signs of aggression toward other animals. I have a house cat and the bottom line is - she was here first. I don't want to do anything to put her in danger or make her life miserable for the long-term. My vet-friend is going to keep them under observation and help me decide if my home is a good choice.

So, why am I posting these dog's photos and descriptions here? I don't know. I guess I need to feel as though every possible effort has been made to reunite these sweet little dogs with their families before they are adopted by someone else.

Your Opinion Please

I have a close friend who is a veterinarian and has just received two dogs who survived Katrina. Seems there is a network of animal lovers getting these four-legged friends to vet clinics and shelters all over the country - by way of a transportation chain. One person takes the dog/cat from the southern border to the northern border in their own state and someone from the next state picks up the pets and does the same thing...and so on...until they reach the destination/clinic/shelter that has agreed to care for them and help find them homes.

Ok, so here's my question... Are there a lot of people in New Orleans still looking for their animals? I am seriously considering adopting one of these beautiful dogs, and I probably will - but I can't help feeling the pangs of guilt that someone is looking for their "best friend" and other people have taken the dog half way across the country. I'm worried about that. Maybe our friend Uncle Speed can give us his thoughts, since he lives in New Orleans and he lost an animal in the hurricane. I’m open to any and all comments and suggestions on this.

Impressed? YES!

The daughter and I went to see, "THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED" this evening and I can finally say I've seen a movie this year that left me feeling good. What a great movie and a great story. Shai Labeouf was outstanding! Mark my words...he's the next Tom Hanks.

If you don't know him, he's probably best known as the annoying brother on "Even Stevens" and also played Stanley in "HOLES" and Chas in "CONSTANTINE" among several other movies. The one role, however, that I felt he really shined in was his portrayal of Eddie, the developmentally delayed brother in the Disney TV Movie, "TRU CONFESSIONS". Not everyone can play those parts and he kicked butt. I love this kid.

Go see this movie - it's great for kids AND adults and you won't feel as though you've wasted a dime.

Don't give the jobs away?

Does Mayor Nagin have two sides to his mouth, or what? Within days of laying off 3,000 city workers, he expresses his disdain toward the Mexican workers who are getting all the jobs to clean up the city.

Mayor Ray Nagin added his voice to the chorus this week, telling local business people: "How do I ensure that New Orleans is not overrun by Mexican workers?"

HELLLLOOOOOOOO......is anybody home?? Put your stinking city workers to work cleaning up the city. It's legitmate and the Federal Government is footing the bill! Was he asleep during the part of the President's speach where he said he was leaving it up to the local government to oversee the clean-up/rebuilding efforts?? This guy is MAD! Or perhaps people who are accustomed to sitting in air-conditioned offices counting the kick-backs are above a little elbow grease.

The President's Speech

You can read the text of his speech here if you missed it.

I'm proud of George W. Bush.

There's not much else to say, except, "RIGHT ON!"

God Bless the United States of America.

Thanks to Dad29 for pointing out my spelling errors - oops!

SHOW ME THE MONEY!!

I’ve had a knot in my drawers all morning about this, so I may as well vent about it.

A month ago, I was a little suspicious to hear that the City of New Orleans did not have any money to pay their school teachers more than one paycheck after Katrina. I realize I do not live in Louisiana, so the model I use to analyze the situation is the State of Pennsylvania. I did some research on the Louisiana Department of Education website and learned that they fund their schools pretty similarly to Pennsylvania.

In PA, the State gives each school district a dollar amount for each child enrolled in their school district. This amount is different each year according to the budgeting requirements, but for example; for the 2005-2006 school year, each school would be entitled to their share of 4.5 billion dollars allocated to the schools, according to how many children they have enrolled. During the 2004-2005 school year, there were 2,119,481 children enrolled in Pennsylvania K-12 schools. Assuming the 2005-2006 enrollment number is pretty close - divide that figure into 4.5 billion and you come up with an estimated dollar amount of $2,123.16 per student coming from the State of Pennsylvania.

(PA stats collected from PDE website)

The aforementioned dollar amount does not include local School Taxes, which we all pay along with our local/county property taxes. I can’t speak for anyone else, but my school taxes were more than $1000 for this fiscal year. With everything considered, my local school district is definitely not running in the red.

According to the the Louisiana Department of Education website – the dollar amount allocated per student in the 2002-2003 school year (not surprising they don’t have the statistics up-to-date on their site) for the Orleans School District is $2,791 per student – all funding considered.

Now, it’s safe to say that any uncollected school taxes associated with local properties will go uncollected during this fiscal year, but there is no reason to think the State of Louisiana and Mayor Nagin’s buddy, Governor Blanco, is going to kick the New Orleans school district while they’re down and withhold allocated funds. So, my question is, “WHERE’S THE MONEY??” A school district that is living so hand-to-mouth that they only have enough money in the budget at any given time for the next payroll – and nothing beyond that – is, in my sometimes-humble opinion – literally defunct! So, how did this happen? It certainly can’t be blamed on Katrina, not unless the cash was being held in garbage bags in the basement. So, where’s the money??

Where, Mayor Nagin, is the money you were allocated for your school districts?

The tab for rebuilding/restoring New Orleans to it’s original “splendor” (only better) is being foot by the Federal Government to the tune of mega billions, the Bush/Clinton fund raising effort to the tune of 100 million, the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and all of the other relief funds that have managed to collect hundreds of millions of dollars, not to mention the insurance pay-outs that will (and should already) be flooding in, so I am more than interested in learning where the money has gone that was earmarked for the 2005-2006 school year in New Orleans.

Fast-forward to yesterday…

Nagin holds a press conference, during which he breaks the bad news that he has to lay-off” as many as 3,000 “non-essential” city workers. This news, of course, is what set me off on this rant. I have more than just a few questions for Mr. Nagin and I can’t believe I’m the only one asking them.

Q. How on earth does a city afford, even in the best of times, to keep 3,000 NON-ESSENTIAL employees on the payroll?

Q. You are in the throws of what has been called the biggest natural disaster our nation has ever seen…you have barely begun to clean up your city…you’ve invited residents back to a city that is, in many areas, not inhabitable…and you’re going to get rid of 3,000 city workers? Workers who could be working on the clean-up of the city you are in charge of cleaning up.

Q. Realizing there is no sales tax and other daily revenues coming in to the City at this time, how does a City operate on such a hand-to-mouth basis that after only ONE MONTH without these revenues, all the money in the budget is spent?
You do not have to pay for the restoration of your city. You will have shiny new buildings, schools, parks, SCHOOL BUSES, business and homes – all at the expense of your fellow Americans. So what, exactly, has the money in your pre-Katrina budget been spent on?

If I lived in New Orleans I would be screaming from my rooftop (assuming I had one) for accountability. Could it be that Katrina swept through New Orleans just in time to be used as an excuse for misappropriation of City funds? It sure does look as though the city was on the verge of bankruptcy and the hurricane couldn’t have come at a better time. If it weren’t so apparent that George Bush created Katrina with his evil hurricane machine, I would think Nagin had orchestrated the storm himself.

My Two Cents On Miers (worth about a penny and a half)

Ok, now that I’ve had some time to think about it – I’ll add my two cents on Miers.

First, I do think Tony at A.M. Siriano makes a good case, and here’s why;

President Bush is a lot more of a forward thinker than people give him credit. He’s an astute strategist, and for some reason (mostly his own fault for not rubbing it in the faces of his enemies), people don’t give him credit for having a plan. I will admit that he’s not always good at laying out the details of his plan for everyone, but that too is potentially a part of his strategy.

As a business executive, I often look at what he is doing from a management standpoint – let’s face it, he’s the “manager of the United States”. When I consider my own management style, I can more easily see the angle he takes when he makes some of his decisions, such as the nomination of Harriet Miers.

When I make a decision that is for the greater good of the organization – it’s always ideal for everyone to understand the thought process that went into the decision, but most of the time it isn’t entirely necessary for everyone to understand – it’s more important that they trust me. I’ve been “appointed” to the position I am in because at least the “majority” of the powers that be thought I was capable of running the organization. Now, apply that to President Bush. The President has been appointed…by us…to run the organization. He isn’t obligated to reveal to us every thought process that goes into every decision. I’m not talking about blindly following the leader, but we’ve become a society that thinks we are entitled to a daily schedule of the President’s thoughts. We are not. I also think we forget, at times, that the President understands the weight of his decisions. I see a lot of Republicans who are acting like liberals with their implications that he’s sitting in the oval office “playing President” like a game of monopoly. I think there has been way too many people jumping to conclusions here before we’ve given him a chance to expose his motives and his plan.

With regard to the “cronyism” that the president is so often accused of – again, I refer to my experience as a business executive. When I have a position to fill – whether it’s a key position or something that requires less experience/expertise, the first thing I do is think about the people I know…my acquaintances…my trusted colleagues. If I need to fill a position of importance and I’m going to be the person who answers for the decision that is made regarding the qualifications or performance of whomever fills the position – you can bet I’m going to pull someone in to the organization whom I know I can trust and believe will not let me down. The same goes for vendors. When I took the position I’m in, the vendors I used at my old job came with me. I already knew I could trust them and count on them for what ever I needed to have done. I’m not about to hand money or control over to people or organizations that I do not hold in the highest of confidence. This practice is neither unethical nor unacceptable. It’s a practice widely accepted in every industry on the globe. It’s not called nepotism; it’s called being a responsible leader. A good leader will not only surround him/herself with people who will help make him/her an even better leader, but will also consider the big picture and look to the future of the organization. Will this person be good for the organization 5 years from now? How about 10...15...20? Will the decisions they make help grow the organization, not just today, but in the future?

In the case of Harriet Miers, I believe the President is looking beyond today and considering the future of the Supreme Court. He will be blamed for his decisions long after he’s gone – it’s the nature of being the President. He probably will not be praised for many of his decisions today or in the future – that, too, is the nature of being the President.

Today I choose to not blindly follow the leader – but sit back, with a watchful eye, and trust the man I chose to lead this nation. I don’t need to know the process of his every thought. I need only know that he is a good man with the best interests of the United States of America in mind – for today…and tomorrow.

Trackbacks on this post:
A.M. Siriano

Miers Nomination

I'm not sure yet how I feel about the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court - but A.M. Siriano has an interesting perspective. Check it out here.

Thanks, Ken, from Oblogatory Anecdotes, for asking these compelling questions.

The Corpse Bride - Don't Waste Your Money

I took my daughter to see Tim Burton’s the Corpse Bride last night. I’m pretty conservative when it comes to the movies I allow my daughter to watch. The golden rule at my house is that if the Christian movie review site I use, christiananswers.net, says it’s o.k. for kids – she can see the movie. If, however, the site says the movie is not appropriate for children, there is no negotiating – the answer is “no”. Typically the site is pretty conservative and there haven’t been too many times when I disagreed with them, and if I did, it was because I thought they were too hard on the movie. Last night, however, I was very disappointed in the reviews that I had read online about this particular movie, because aside from one that seemed a bit over-the-top conservative, most of the reviews raved about the movie.

I don’t expect every kid’s movie to be an “After School Special”, although I wish they were – but I would like to see some sort of a message involved in the story when the movie is targeting kids. For instance, Shrek told us that we shouldn’t judge people because of how they look, and that we shouldn’t try to change ourselves to be like everyone else because we all have our own quality characteristics. Nemo taught us that no “disability” is an excuse to not go for it – whatever “it” happens to be in your life. Toy Story told us that we don’t leave friends behind and that we’re all in this together…

For what it’s worth, this is what I took away from Tim Burton’s “The Corpse Bride”:

1. First and foremost – Tim Burton has a demonic imagination. As an adult – looking at this film, I can’t imagine getting inside the mind that thought some of this stuff up.
2. It’s o.k. to manipulate people. The Corpse Bride manipulated the main character, Victor, after he was practicing his wedding vows in the forest and she held him to what he had said, whether he actually meant to say it to her, or not.
3. It’s o.k. to feel sorry for people who manipulate others – so long as they have a sad life story. The Corpse Bride had her heart broken and was killed by her groom-to-be, so it was o.k. for her to manipulate Victor so that she could be happy.
4. It’s o.k. to kill yourself if you feel that all your dreams have been lost. Victor finally gave in to the Corpse Bride’s manipulation and agreed to kill himself so that he could be officially married to her when he learned that the woman he really loved had married someone else.
5. It’s o.k. to wish death upon others – so long as they’re a bad guy. In the end, the Corpse Bride’s murderous groom-to-be unknowingly drank some poison wine, surrounded by a bunch of people, both living and dead, who knew the wine was poison. They allowed him to drink the wine, knowing he would die, and the purpose of wanting him dead was so that the dead folks could torment him (seems dead folks can’t torment live people – only fellow dead guys).

The final “YAY!” moment of the movie was in the end when the mean guy drinks the wine and dies – only to be rushed off behind a closed door to be tormented by dead, rotting bodies.

There were other things in the movie that were both immoral and disgusting, but in looking at the true “message” of the movie – that’s what I’ve come up with. Pretty nasty stuff.

I shouldn’t have expected much since I never cared for James and the Giant Peach or the Nightmare Before Christmas, but I thought I would pass this info along, in case any of you were considering taking your kids to see this movie. I would have to say, “don’t waste your money”.