Apparently I am not very bright. Four students created a movie in which a teddy bear orders other stuffed animals to kill a teacher, the stuffed animals try to do this and students intervene, saving the teacher (and probably tossing stuffing everywhere) and the students are expelled. WHAT? They were expelled because the movie “was disruptive and they saw it as a threat” to the teacher. This makes no sense to me.
A student was obviously not happy with a teacher, so instead of bringing weapons to school, or killing himself, he got creative and took out his animosity via film. Ooooooh, bad boy. Isn’t it our job as parents to teach our children to control themselves, including their anger and to find ways other than violence to release that same anger? I personally think the parents of these children should be praised. Is this any different than singing (at the top of your lungs) “met her at the door with a loaded 44 and she ain’t my teacher no more” to the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic? NO, it is not different. And if you didn’t do that, you missed out on some good times.
You can read the whole story if you like:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/03/21/teddy.bear.attack.ap/index.html
In other child rearing news, a federal judge has decided it is your responsibility to raise your kids and if you don’t keep an eye out for their safety and wellbeing, you can’t sue. What are people thinking? Not only do I have to feed, clothe and keep a roof over their heads, I have to teach them things and keep an eye on them whether they are outside or surfing the web? What is this world coming to?
If my child looks at porn, I should sue.
Or, hey, get rid of the Internet in your home. You are paying for a service; this is not part of your “inalienable rights” and if you can’t control what your children do while on the ‘net, cancel your subscription.
Or (here’s a radical thought), don’t panic. No one wants their children looking at pornography, especially at a very young age. But, really, it won’t kill them. My son accessed his first pornographic website at age 13 (our internet was broken, he was at a friends’ house). Lucky for me, we had (and still do) an excellent relationship and after much squirming and embarrassment on his part, he told me all about it. It has not ruined him for life. He is a polite, well-mannered respectful young man who takes responsibility for his own actions. There’s a really radical thought for you.
Link to the story: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/22/tech/main2595647.shtml
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Spring Has Sprung and football has begun!
Spring is here! Spring is here! Spring is my favorite time of year. Of course, living in the south has to have some perks, right? While a lot of the country is still trying to dig out of the latest snow storm, we here in NW Florida are enjoying sunshine and temperatures in the upper 70’s during the day. (I am not going to whine about nights in the 50’s, it just seems wrong). So, let’s enjoy this beautiful weather, could life get any better than this?
Let me answer my own question. OF COURSE IT CAN. Not only is today the first official full day of spring (happy spring equinox), it is also the first day of Spring practice in Gainesville (a.k.a. Title Town). So the boys in blue and orange will take to the field over the next few weeks in preparation for the annual Blue and Orange game (circumstances are preventing me from attending). Players will be vying for starting positions, Tim Tebow will have to adjust to being THE QB, and the defense will have to work hard to gel after the loss of Ryan Smith, Jarvis Moss and Reggie Nelson. I understand that it is almost impossible to repeat a National Championship run and this team is YOUNG. But I am very confident that it will not be another 10 years before that Crystal football comes back to the University of Florida. Go Gators!
In other news, why do you think that Dubya is afraid to allow Karl Rove and Harriet Meirs to be questioned under oath about the firing of the lawyers? I am, personally, a big fan of the “right to remain silent”, but I am not a public personality. I am not being paid by tax dollars. I don’t have to answer to the people. The House Judiciary subcommittee has voted to authorize subpoenas if they become necessary. You can read the story at cnn.com http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/21/us.attorneys.firings/index.html
It is an interesting story. One more example of Dubya thinking he and his cronies are above the law.
Let me answer my own question. OF COURSE IT CAN. Not only is today the first official full day of spring (happy spring equinox), it is also the first day of Spring practice in Gainesville (a.k.a. Title Town). So the boys in blue and orange will take to the field over the next few weeks in preparation for the annual Blue and Orange game (circumstances are preventing me from attending). Players will be vying for starting positions, Tim Tebow will have to adjust to being THE QB, and the defense will have to work hard to gel after the loss of Ryan Smith, Jarvis Moss and Reggie Nelson. I understand that it is almost impossible to repeat a National Championship run and this team is YOUNG. But I am very confident that it will not be another 10 years before that Crystal football comes back to the University of Florida. Go Gators!
In other news, why do you think that Dubya is afraid to allow Karl Rove and Harriet Meirs to be questioned under oath about the firing of the lawyers? I am, personally, a big fan of the “right to remain silent”, but I am not a public personality. I am not being paid by tax dollars. I don’t have to answer to the people. The House Judiciary subcommittee has voted to authorize subpoenas if they become necessary. You can read the story at cnn.com http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/21/us.attorneys.firings/index.html
It is an interesting story. One more example of Dubya thinking he and his cronies are above the law.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Has it really been 4 years?
This bullshit that is being called the Iraqi War has dragged on for four years. For those of you who did not (or do not) pay attention to your history, World War II was declared on December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor. V-E (Victory in Europe) was May 8, 1945. V-J (Victory over Japan) Day (it is now being referred to as the more politically correct V-P for Victory in the Pacific) was August 15, 1945. Two separate wars, during the same time frame, across oceans and continents from each other and neither one took FOUR years. And we won.
I know what will be said, “But look at all the men who died, we haven’t killed near that many in Iraq.” Of course not, do you know how far medicine has come in 60 years? Do you know how far medicine and training has come in the 35 years since Vietnam ended? We have a lot less dead G.I.’s in this farce due to doctors and corpsman doing a fantastic job of keeping them alive. Alive, but damaged, physically in ways that were not even thought of in WWII and psychologically in ways that we may never know. What have we done to this generation? Why are we continuing to do it? What is another 20,000 troops going to do in the middle of a civil war? How many more Iraqis can we kill or maim? WHY are we there again?
You can comment all you want (if this ever gets read) about how I am not patriotic. You can tell me I am hurting morale among the troops. You can say what you want; I have heard it before. Keep in mind that some people believe that supporting does not equal murdering. You can yell about being a patriot & supporting the troops all you want. I prefer to support the troops by bringing them home safe & mentally sound. Too late for that, isn’t it?
So, let us please take a moment to remember those we’ve lost and those that have been injured in the past four years. Let’s think about the damage that has been done to our wonderful country, at home and abroad. Let’s think of the lies told to us by this administration. And let’s withdraw the troops, starting now.
I know what will be said, “But look at all the men who died, we haven’t killed near that many in Iraq.” Of course not, do you know how far medicine has come in 60 years? Do you know how far medicine and training has come in the 35 years since Vietnam ended? We have a lot less dead G.I.’s in this farce due to doctors and corpsman doing a fantastic job of keeping them alive. Alive, but damaged, physically in ways that were not even thought of in WWII and psychologically in ways that we may never know. What have we done to this generation? Why are we continuing to do it? What is another 20,000 troops going to do in the middle of a civil war? How many more Iraqis can we kill or maim? WHY are we there again?
You can comment all you want (if this ever gets read) about how I am not patriotic. You can tell me I am hurting morale among the troops. You can say what you want; I have heard it before. Keep in mind that some people believe that supporting does not equal murdering. You can yell about being a patriot & supporting the troops all you want. I prefer to support the troops by bringing them home safe & mentally sound. Too late for that, isn’t it?
So, let us please take a moment to remember those we’ve lost and those that have been injured in the past four years. Let’s think about the damage that has been done to our wonderful country, at home and abroad. Let’s think of the lies told to us by this administration. And let’s withdraw the troops, starting now.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Good luck to my Gators
Tonight is the first game of the NCAA tourney for the 2006 National Champions Florida Gators. (National Champion in basketball AND football). I am not a huge basketball fan, but I wanted to give a shout out to the team (like they read my blog). I won’t watch the whole game, but I will be thinking about them!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Whatever happened to ‘freedom of the press’?
I hear people discuss the “liberal media” all the time. I hear the term used at work, at school, on TV and I read it in several newsmagazines, usually quoting some neo-con nutjob. It is absolute BS. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do not believe everything I see or read and I think news people are people, they have their own beliefs, views, etc and it is possible that their personal bias will cloud the topic on occasion. And sometimes they lie. But, that is not my point here. My point is that when I logged in this morning, after checking my Email, I bring Internet Explorer to see what is going on in the world. On the front page of CNN is a huge story on the number of soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan who are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I skimmed the article briefly and then went looking for a story on www.npr.org about the refugees in Syria (I heard a brief portion on the radio and wanted the rest of the story). When I returned to cnn.com (my homepage), the story about PTSD was gone. Not moved, gone. I looked all over CNN, FoxNews, and MSNBC. It is no where to be found.
This is not the first time this has happened. I have seen articles on the homepage of websites that just quietly disappear more than once, but the only other time that I know of specifically was in late ’02 or early ’03, there was a large picture of Dubya with the headline ‘He Tried to Kill my Daddy’, of course, speaking of the late, unlamented Saddam Hussein. Ten minutes later when I opened my web browser again to read the article to someone, it was gone. It made me look delusional and I have never talked to anyone else who saw it. But it was there. It made Dubya look like a whiny shit who was going to kill Americans because of something that did not happen 10 years before. So, someone killed the story.
Had this happened to you? Do you remember the story I am referring to? Do you believe that this administration would squash a news story that embarrassed the President? I do.
This is not the first time this has happened. I have seen articles on the homepage of websites that just quietly disappear more than once, but the only other time that I know of specifically was in late ’02 or early ’03, there was a large picture of Dubya with the headline ‘He Tried to Kill my Daddy’, of course, speaking of the late, unlamented Saddam Hussein. Ten minutes later when I opened my web browser again to read the article to someone, it was gone. It made me look delusional and I have never talked to anyone else who saw it. But it was there. It made Dubya look like a whiny shit who was going to kill Americans because of something that did not happen 10 years before. So, someone killed the story.
Had this happened to you? Do you remember the story I am referring to? Do you believe that this administration would squash a news story that embarrassed the President? I do.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Can we hire these guys to cleanse the White House in ’09?
Apparently the Mayans don’t want Dubya to walk their sacred lands. Hell, I don’t blame them, I want him shipped to Leavenworth, KS on a permanent basis to pay for his war crimes (war for no reason = crime) and then he wouldn’t be allowed to walk free at all! Unfortunately, I don’t have a say in that, except for this blog & my vote, but they can do something about it.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/03/12/bush.guatemala/index.html
Maybe we could get them to cleanse everything he has polluted, although that would take a while.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/03/12/bush.guatemala/index.html
Maybe we could get them to cleanse everything he has polluted, although that would take a while.
It may be that easy, but your commercial is stupid.
There are some things in life that you just shake your head over and move on. There are some things in life that you should just shake your over and move on, but you can’t, because they make you want to throw things. This blog has no bearing on anything except I want to pretend that I am Elvis Presley & shoot the TV every single time one of those GEICO/Caveman commercials come on. “So easy a caveman could do it”. NO A CAVEMAN COULD NOT DO IT. He lives in a cave, he has no access to a computer, he does not fly, use a cell phone or speak English. This is not the most stupid commercial that I have ever seen, but, for some reason, it makes my blood boil every time I see it. On top of that, due to the influx of northern college students to our sugar white sands (the rite of passage commonly referred to as Spring Break), there is a banner plane flying up and down the beach with the caveman’s picture on it. Because that is what half drunk, mostly naked college students care about? Their car insurance? Usually the banner planes advertise beer, or buffets, or online job websites for those graduating seniors (with a blimp about 6 years ago, that was awesome), but car insurance? Bring back the gecko!
Friday, March 9, 2007
TGIF
Is there anything better in the whole wide world than Friday afternoon? Well, yea. PAYDAY Friday is better. Payday Friday of a 3 day weekend. Payday Friday before the start of a fabulous vacation. But if those things are not available, I am happy with an ordinary Friday.
Since I live in the south, it is already actually spring here. Still chilly for us, but there is no way that I can whine about nights in the mid-fifties when it is still snowing in the northeast. You poor bastards. And the days are beeyootiful. Mid-70s. Life is good. Now, I am not ready to start shucking clothes to go out publicly on the beach (wind is still a bit chilly), nor am I willing to even think about getting in the pool. But I may decide to bravely wear shorts tomorrow to work in the yard. This is my second favorite season.
So, the weekend is upon us. I just want to kick back & relax, but there are bills to pay, a house to clean, grocery shopping and homework to do. I am only taking 2 classes, but they each meet twice a week. Sadly I am doing better in Calculus than in Spanish. What kind of nutjob am I? Or what kind of nutjobs does the school system comprise of? Of course, I do well in English, how many years of it have I had? But I think it is unrealistic to expect full grown adults to pick up a language in 2 semesters. I can say some things (were I lost in a Spanish speaking country, I could eat, drink & find the bathroom), but reading is almost impossible for me. I know that it is supposed to be easier to learn Spanish than English, but it wasn’t for me! I think if the state universities are going to require a foreign language for a 4 year degree (and Florida does, I don’t know about the other 49 states), they should start teaching it in 1st grade. Everyone knows that kids pick that stuff up quickly. We could raise an entire generation of bilingual or even possibly trilingual children. Isn’t it a lovely thought? Yea, so is raising an entire generation of literate children. Hey, maybe if the children were taught several languages, they would all at least be literate in one?
Sorry, this was not supposed to be a political entry.
So, my plans for this weekend are to get the bathroom clean, sweep & mop the floors, do my homework in both classes. Oh, yea and the grocery shopping. Frankly being at work is more relaxing. Of course, none of that will start this afternoon. This afternoon I shall stop off and my favorite neighborhood watering hole for a frosty beverage & then go home to my lovely Simmies in SimLand where I shall completely control their lives. Good times.
Since I live in the south, it is already actually spring here. Still chilly for us, but there is no way that I can whine about nights in the mid-fifties when it is still snowing in the northeast. You poor bastards. And the days are beeyootiful. Mid-70s. Life is good. Now, I am not ready to start shucking clothes to go out publicly on the beach (wind is still a bit chilly), nor am I willing to even think about getting in the pool. But I may decide to bravely wear shorts tomorrow to work in the yard. This is my second favorite season.
So, the weekend is upon us. I just want to kick back & relax, but there are bills to pay, a house to clean, grocery shopping and homework to do. I am only taking 2 classes, but they each meet twice a week. Sadly I am doing better in Calculus than in Spanish. What kind of nutjob am I? Or what kind of nutjobs does the school system comprise of? Of course, I do well in English, how many years of it have I had? But I think it is unrealistic to expect full grown adults to pick up a language in 2 semesters. I can say some things (were I lost in a Spanish speaking country, I could eat, drink & find the bathroom), but reading is almost impossible for me. I know that it is supposed to be easier to learn Spanish than English, but it wasn’t for me! I think if the state universities are going to require a foreign language for a 4 year degree (and Florida does, I don’t know about the other 49 states), they should start teaching it in 1st grade. Everyone knows that kids pick that stuff up quickly. We could raise an entire generation of bilingual or even possibly trilingual children. Isn’t it a lovely thought? Yea, so is raising an entire generation of literate children. Hey, maybe if the children were taught several languages, they would all at least be literate in one?
Sorry, this was not supposed to be a political entry.
So, my plans for this weekend are to get the bathroom clean, sweep & mop the floors, do my homework in both classes. Oh, yea and the grocery shopping. Frankly being at work is more relaxing. Of course, none of that will start this afternoon. This afternoon I shall stop off and my favorite neighborhood watering hole for a frosty beverage & then go home to my lovely Simmies in SimLand where I shall completely control their lives. Good times.
I think he is a hypocrite.
Newt Gringrich has announced that he was having an extra marital affair at the same time he was pursuing charges against President Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky debacle, but thinks the public should not view him as a hypocrite. Why not? He can babble all he wants about perjury & lying to a grand jury, but we all know that the reason the charges were pursued was because Bill got his d*ck sucked. Gingrich went on to say, “..I have no choice except to move forward and say that you cannot accept ... perjury in your highest officials.” Great. What would have happened if someone had asked Gingrich if he was having an affair? Under oath? Of course, he would have told the truth, right? He is honest. Or at least as honest as a cheat can be. You can read the whole story. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1597666,00.html?cnn=yes
It irritates me when I go off on a tangent that really isn’t relevant. I get caught up in the BS like everyone else. Whether or not Gingrich slept with 100 women during his second marriage is not important. HIS SEX LIFE IS NONE OF MY BUSINESS. Imagine that. Just like my sex life is none of his, or anyone else’s.
There are more important things in the news. Apparently Dubya is not having a good week. First, there was the Walter Reed story about how well the repubs are taking care of the troops. It makes me want to throw up. Let’s send these boys, these children, who are barely old enough to shave into HELL for NO APPARENT REASON, then, when they are mutilated (closed head injuries, missing limbs, broken spines, etc) let’s dump them in another hell hole. Some place we wouldn’t let our dogs live. This is how we support our troops? What would we do if we didn’t like them? Of course, I can no longer find links to this story. Liberal Bush hating media, you know.
Second, there was the firing of 8 judges. I have seen very little about this on the web. The only reason I know anything is because I listen to NPR anytime I am in the car. I think there was a brief blurb on a website Monday or Tuesday (whenever the story broke), but nothing since then. Apparently the repubs had passed a law allowing the Attorney General to appoint federal judges without Senate confirmation. WHAT?? So, there were 8 federal judges fired & 8 more appointed. Bush has now said he will not fight when the Democrats repeal this law. He didn’t fight it when it was passed. It has been several years since I took a government course, but it sure seems to me that this whole mess smacked of unconstitutionality.
Third, well, let’s take a look at the pictorial of Dubya’s visit to South America. http://www.foxnews.com/photoessay/0,4644,1505,00.html#1_0 Apparently they aren’t very fond of him in the south, either. And this is a FoxNews link. I am interested to see what REALLY happened.
Well, this is really long, again, although there is so much more. Barack Obama is rising in the polls. Guilliani’s divorce is going to be a problem for the neo-cons (but neither of Gingrich’s will be?). And the FBI is being chastised for not keeping a paper trail of the spying they were doing on U.S. citizens. But I will cease babbling for a bit. I may be back later, though, I have a lot to say.
It irritates me when I go off on a tangent that really isn’t relevant. I get caught up in the BS like everyone else. Whether or not Gingrich slept with 100 women during his second marriage is not important. HIS SEX LIFE IS NONE OF MY BUSINESS. Imagine that. Just like my sex life is none of his, or anyone else’s.
There are more important things in the news. Apparently Dubya is not having a good week. First, there was the Walter Reed story about how well the repubs are taking care of the troops. It makes me want to throw up. Let’s send these boys, these children, who are barely old enough to shave into HELL for NO APPARENT REASON, then, when they are mutilated (closed head injuries, missing limbs, broken spines, etc) let’s dump them in another hell hole. Some place we wouldn’t let our dogs live. This is how we support our troops? What would we do if we didn’t like them? Of course, I can no longer find links to this story. Liberal Bush hating media, you know.
Second, there was the firing of 8 judges. I have seen very little about this on the web. The only reason I know anything is because I listen to NPR anytime I am in the car. I think there was a brief blurb on a website Monday or Tuesday (whenever the story broke), but nothing since then. Apparently the repubs had passed a law allowing the Attorney General to appoint federal judges without Senate confirmation. WHAT?? So, there were 8 federal judges fired & 8 more appointed. Bush has now said he will not fight when the Democrats repeal this law. He didn’t fight it when it was passed. It has been several years since I took a government course, but it sure seems to me that this whole mess smacked of unconstitutionality.
Third, well, let’s take a look at the pictorial of Dubya’s visit to South America. http://www.foxnews.com/photoessay/0,4644,1505,00.html#1_0 Apparently they aren’t very fond of him in the south, either. And this is a FoxNews link. I am interested to see what REALLY happened.
Well, this is really long, again, although there is so much more. Barack Obama is rising in the polls. Guilliani’s divorce is going to be a problem for the neo-cons (but neither of Gingrich’s will be?). And the FBI is being chastised for not keeping a paper trail of the spying they were doing on U.S. citizens. But I will cease babbling for a bit. I may be back later, though, I have a lot to say.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Introducing Myself
I have thought about creating a blog for sometime, but I thought, “Who could possibly care about anything that I have to say?” I have written really long passionate blogs in my head, but I have never had the guts to actually create a blog and publish it. I finally decided to just go for it. Plus, I read a lot of different blogs and I am sick of having my comments under “Anonymous”.
I am an almost 40 something divorced, but engaged, mother of one. I am a fulltime administrative assistant and a part time college student. I will probably be a part time college student until I die, even if I do finally get a degree. I am passionate about my family, my friends, this country (politics, although I never feel like I know enough), college football (Go Gators, 2006 National Champions), books (most genres) & The Sims 2 (silly, I know, but I am addicted). I am certain that most blogging I do will have something to do with one of these subjects.
As my name shows, I lean to the left in my political viewpoints. I was 100% against the war in Iraq before it was cool. I was yelling about it to my family, friends & co-workers (who are mostly right-wing) long before the first shot was fired. I NEVER believed there were weapons of mass destruction. I actually voted for George Bush in 2000, because I wasn’t paying attention to what was going on in the world and didn’t know better. I was mostly middle of the road then. This administration has pushed me away from the middle and squarely to the left (this administration and the fact that I have awakened and am now paying attention to what is going on). I know that I was slow to catch on, but I do not know how anyone could have voted for ‘that guy’ in ’04. It is great that the American people finally woke up & voted out the repubs in ’06, but where were you in ’04? How could anyone vote for ‘that guy’ after the mess he had made of our country in less than 4 years? And we still have almost 2 years to go!! Heaven help us!
Just for the record, “I support the troops”. I served 5 ½ years in the Air Force, four as active duty & 1 ½ as active duty Air National Guard. I support them. I would like for them to remain alive.
Well, I should probably shush it for a while. This post is getting really long. I guess I should have started a blog earlier, I obviously have A LOT to say.
Left Leaning Lady
I am an almost 40 something divorced, but engaged, mother of one. I am a fulltime administrative assistant and a part time college student. I will probably be a part time college student until I die, even if I do finally get a degree. I am passionate about my family, my friends, this country (politics, although I never feel like I know enough), college football (Go Gators, 2006 National Champions), books (most genres) & The Sims 2 (silly, I know, but I am addicted). I am certain that most blogging I do will have something to do with one of these subjects.
As my name shows, I lean to the left in my political viewpoints. I was 100% against the war in Iraq before it was cool. I was yelling about it to my family, friends & co-workers (who are mostly right-wing) long before the first shot was fired. I NEVER believed there were weapons of mass destruction. I actually voted for George Bush in 2000, because I wasn’t paying attention to what was going on in the world and didn’t know better. I was mostly middle of the road then. This administration has pushed me away from the middle and squarely to the left (this administration and the fact that I have awakened and am now paying attention to what is going on). I know that I was slow to catch on, but I do not know how anyone could have voted for ‘that guy’ in ’04. It is great that the American people finally woke up & voted out the repubs in ’06, but where were you in ’04? How could anyone vote for ‘that guy’ after the mess he had made of our country in less than 4 years? And we still have almost 2 years to go!! Heaven help us!
Just for the record, “I support the troops”. I served 5 ½ years in the Air Force, four as active duty & 1 ½ as active duty Air National Guard. I support them. I would like for them to remain alive.
Well, I should probably shush it for a while. This post is getting really long. I guess I should have started a blog earlier, I obviously have A LOT to say.
Left Leaning Lady
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