Clarification

I don't know where people get the idea that I'm not voting... I never said I wasn't voting.

I am going to vote! That gift is too precious to waste - far too many lives have been sacrificed to give me that right to cast a ballot and make my voice heard. I still believe in the system and know that the voice of the people will win, eventually.

Here is what I said on Oct 4th:

**Disclaimer: If you know me, I really don't endorse Repubs or Democrats. Were the election held today, I wouldn't cast my vote for either party or candidate. It is time for a change in Washington.

I've added the emphasis today. I am planning on voting. but on that date, I didn't want to vote for a R or D. There are 14 candidates running for president in Ohio. Contrary to what the media leads us to believe, there are more than 2 political parties in this nation. Unfortunately, money whores in both parties have corrupted the system and have made it virtually impossible for third party candidates to make legitimate entries into our political system as guaranteed by our constitution...Article II Section I:

No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States.

Anyone that meets the above should be able to run. However, money keeps most of the population from running. It's a major expense that most of us cannot afford, including fully qualified people who would make darn good presidents.

Our founding fathers didn't agree with each other and yet knew there was a need for more than one voice. Our country's great history is ripe with variety in view points. New parties were formed when change was needed. Some lasted longer than others; others have evolved through the decades to meet the needs of the country and people at the time. Just look at the many evolutions of the "Progressive" parties in our history. If the people didn't change and demand other parties to represent them, we'd probably be controlled by Federalists and Whigs today, rather than Republicans and Democrats. Things change.

It's time for a change in Washington and the country. I'm not happy with the way things are running and too many Americans are getting thrown under the bus. I call my representatives, I keep up on what they are voting for and against and what they are passing off onto our country. It's not going to be too long before anarchists and rebels are going to take over -- we can't let it get that far. The change has to come from within.

I still haven't made up my mind who I'm going to vote for. It's down to two candidates and I'm praying for guidance. I pray everyday for our country's safety and that people will make a clear-conscience decision when they vote. A vote based on the candidate that best represents their own beliefs and not a vote based on color, gender or promises that won't be granted.

Today, I was planning on voting early, but there are still some state issues and local candidates I need to investigate. But of course, this is Ohio, and from what I hear, it's pretty easy to commit voter fraud, so I probably could have cast more than one ballot, if I wanted to. I want to be sure my vote counts, and frankly, I'm not sure that it will in this election. I really don't want to vote on a machine; I work with computers every day - I know things can go wrong. There are lawsuits still wet from the printer ink just waiting to be handed out on November 5. Give me the paper ballot any day.

I am very hurt by the massive hysteria that stems from some shady, almost Marxist, ideas that are slowly creeping over this country. What I see everyday in the news and in real life breaks my heart for this country. We are at a crossroad and as citizens we must decide the course we are to take next. One road can lead to prosperity, one to the repression of all that our founding fathers held dear. Today I am not convinced the road to prosperity is found in either major candidate.

I feel truly blessed to be born a citizen of the United States; for 232 years, our country is blessed by God. No other nation in the world has experienced what we have gone through, and so many want to be like us. I know how fortunate I am, how fortunate my family is, and most importantly, my daughter is to be born in this country. That alone gives her more advantages than most of the female population of the world. I hate to see her opportunities squandered away because "the government" thinks it knows what's best for her, rather than me and her father.

If you've been a long time reader of my blog, you know that I like to keep things somewhat light and happy, but this election has been festering for a while. Is it any wonder since candidates have been in our faces for the past 2 years? What's also frustrating is the daily phone calls - 5, 6, 7 or more daily. I know I'm not that popular, it's the parties and organizations calling me only because I'm in a "swing state." It's driving me nuts! So to you, long time readers, I hope you can forgive this intrusion into crazytown for a while. I sense there are so many pressures building up and it's got to come out somewhere, not just with me but with our country as a whole.

My wish is for Americans to wake up and see what a bountiful country we have. My wish is for people to see what opportunities are around the corner if you just look. My wish is for people to see and understand that if we slowly let extremist ideas creep into our daily life, it won't be too long before we have nothing left, and we will be left with shadows of what once was. My wish is for people to make a difference and move this country forward in prosperity and with pride. If you don't like this country, you have two options. Make change happen or get out. Nothing is keeping you here. I know for sure, no other place in the world is like our country, and I'm afraid that people won't realize that until it is too late and our freedoms are gone.

Couldn't resist....

Subject: Notice to All Employees......just in case.


As of November 5, 2008, IF President Obama is officially elected to
office, our company will install a few new policies which are in keeping
with his new, inspiring issues of change and fairness:

1. All salespeople will be pooling their sales and bonuses into a common
pool that will be divided equally between all of you. This will serve to
give those of you who are underachieving a 'fair shake.'

2. All low level workers will be pooling their wages, including overtime,
into a common pool, dividing it equally amongst yourselves. This will help
those who are 'too busy for overtime' to reap the rewards from those who
have more spare time and can work extra hours.

3. All top management will now be referred to as 'the government.' We will
not participate in this 'pooling' experience because the law doesn't apply
to us.

4. The 'government' will give eloquent speeches to all employees every
week, encouraging it's workers to continue to work hard 'for the good of
all.'

5. The employees will be thrilled with these new policies because it's
'good to spread the wealth.' Those of you who have underachieved will
finally get an opportunity; those of you who have worked hard and had
success will feel more 'patriotic.'

6. The last few people who were hired should clean out their desks. Don't
feel bad, though, because President Obama will give you free healthcare,
free handouts, free oil for heating your home, free food stamps, and he'll
let you stay in your home for as long as you want even if you can't pay
your mortgage. If you appeal directly to our democratic congress, you
might even get a free flatscreen TV and a coupon for free haircuts
(shouldn't all Americans be entitled to nice looking hair?) !!!

**Note: this was a forward email... rather than pollute my friends and family with FWD messages, I thought this was the way to go!

And now for something Completely Different

Big news in the household yesterday. Izzy lost another tooth! This time the Tooth Fairy remembered to collect the teeth before Izzy woke up!

Also - my pets are getting into the Hallo'een spirit: Baby Cat has a nice little bat to play with.
And the fish love to hide behind the Glow in the Dark sign.


Not much, I know, but I lost my "spooky" box of decorations during one of our moves. I had some really cool stuff like funky black cobweb lace, black lights and my favorite: skull wind chimes. So, for the inside of the house, I've pretty much had to start over collecting fall decorations. I just have some ceramic pumpkins and some other fallish decor to take me through Thanksgiving. Oh, and we can't forget "Shawn" -- he's our scarecrow (Watch the Bounty Hunter episode of Psych and you'll know why we named his Shawn.)


Happy October everyone!

First PC now Politics

I tell ya, this just must be Piss off Skiingred week.
I've seen this email from several sources - too many places to let it go without saying something.

Here is the link to this email / article that's been floating around

My response:
You've got to be kidding me...

Of course the "Test" the author describes is based on high school / college teenage girls, which are well known to be the most vicious of all girls.

Too pretty? You know, it really makes me proud of the fact that I have GROWN UP and can see things as an adult and not be snarky or catty just because someone is born with better looking genes than me. Excuse me for gaining some maturity for seeing past the looks, and looking at what's inside. (Hmm... kinda like Dr. King's message that one day we will look at the content of one's character and not judge them on their skin? )

What's wrong with having a beautiful woman serve in office? Granted, many woman political leaders have not always been "beautiful," so does that mean that only U-G-L-Y women can run for office?

Too confident? Um, wasn't that the whole point of Title IX and other programs back in the 70's? To build up confidence in girls and have them participating WITH boys? Wasn't that part of the reason for getting shoulder-padded women out of the home and into jobs, to show young ladies that you "can do more than just be a housewife"? Weren't our mommies building up our confidence on the "Take your Daughter's To Work Day"? (Oh gee -- that's another issue all in itself with a myriad of problems and consequences.)

Embarrassment? So, what, men have not said or done anything embarrassing? Gerald Ford falling down? Biden telling a man in a wheelchair to stand up? Ken Lay in charge of a company that was totally corrupt and telling everyone it was fine? Christopher Cox letting the SEC get out of control on compainies and their trading practices? What's the percentage of men who were in charge of mortgage and banking firms that approved bad loans in the first place?

ANYONE can make a mistake and be embarrassment. More importanly, ANYONE can step in and take the necessary steps to make a change.

So now that someone is actually up for the second highest position in the world AND has brains, AND is a successful family woman (that's been working outside of the home just like those feminists wanted back in the day) we have to dog on her because she is too pretty and has great gams? How petty is that?

I wonder what Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony would say about all of this? All of their jail time and rallies about getting women to the polls must have been for naught, then. What would they have thought that less than 100 years after the 19th amendment passed, that a woman could be next in line for the Presidency (yes, I'm including Ferraro in here.) Forget Steinem and others who just want to put men down (apparently because of the fact they are men), and put other women down (apparently for the fact they are women getting along in a "man's world") and focus on the fact that we should be voting someone in who we can rely on to do what's right.

After all, if someone voted for a candidate just because said candidate were a women I think it would negate all of the hard work my grandmothers and women's rights advocates have done in the past. If one voted for a candidate just because he's black, wouldn't that also negate all of the suffering, strikes and deaths that happened during the Civil Rights movement? Get real people, this is the 21st century. The new generations of young adults get it... they don't see race or gender as an issue unless hold-outs from last century's movements make it one.

Oh, wait, maybe the people making the big stink can't get over the fact that Hillary is not a candidate any more and that Peolosi is only 3rd in line, rather than 2nd. Get over it, people. Time to move on.


Must.... get....to... Yoga.... class..... for .... stress.... relief.....



**Disclaimer: If you know me, I really don't endorse Repubs or Democrats. Were the election held today, I wouldn't cast my vote for either party or candidate. It is time for a change in Washington.

Why PC drives me Crazy!

I know a lot of people pour forth everything (and I mean everything) that they are thinking of when they post on their blogs and sites. However, I don't think I have the luxury of doing so. For one, I know that once something goes online it never goes away... it will be there forever and ever, Amen. Also, because of my profession, I feel that I have to be very careful about what I post. Call me paranoid, call me crazy, call me Shirley (as in Shirley, you can't be serious), but one just has to be careful.

With that said, I got a revelation this weekend and I can't let it go.

Earlier this month, I went to the Meet the Teacher night at my daughter's school. No biggie, got lots of great info about the work they are doing this year. But also got updates on the class parties. I found out that the school is not allowing kids to dress up for Halloween. (Apparently that will offend some people who attend the school) Also, the school is not doing any kind of "Fall" celebration. Heaven forbid it looks like the school celebrates some pagan form of the harvest with cider and crunchy leaves as decor. Oh, and there is a "winter" celebration - no Christmas.

Fine. If you want it that way, it's fine. Don't have kids dress up because it could scare and damage others who don't believe in Halloween. Never mind the fact that today's celebrations of Halloween have been so Walmartized and are so far removed from the more traditional religious practice of preparing for All Soul's Day on November 1. In meeting lots of other parents and children at school, I'm guessing that the percentage of students in the building who don't "practice" Halloween is pretty small.

Fine. You don't want to celebrate the fall harvest. (OK, so this could be partly due to budget cuts, but in light of the no Halloween rule, it's a likely scapegoat.) It's not like America's schools are planned around an agrarian calendar and most kids were let out of school to help the family gather in the harvest so they could live through the winter. Oh, wait, they are... so why are we not celebrating the harvest and all the bounties that fall has to offer. (Such as the bean soup at the Bob Evans Festival!)

Fine. You want to take Christmas away, and replace it with happy snowmen and neutral angels. That's OK - we'll celebrate it joyously in our home with our family.

But... don't send home a fund-raiser for the school and with overtly religious messages. Here's what I'm talking about. The school is selling wrapping paper/chocolates/gifts as a fundraiser. They get a shiny catalogue and have to beg and bother relatives (Begger's night, anyone?) to purchase things. There is the obligatory festive red and green paper with non-offensive stars and snowmen and chubby Santas. I couldn't find any mangers or Holy Family images, though.

Imagine my surprise when I turned to pages 14 and 15 and found Chanukah gifts, including blue and silver paper and a chocolate dreidel.

Let me clarify something here: I don't hate the Jewish culture, nor do I want to deny the right for Jews to celebrate. I applaud the company for being capitalistic and including a variety of products to reach the most potential customers. I say let each celebrate to their own desires.

What I don't get is how a holiday that is obviously for religious reasons can be included when a "perverted" version of Christmas has to be included in the catalogue as well. Where are the mangers and "Reason for the Season" wrapping papers? I'll even give you the fact that many people who don't believe in Jesus nor are Christian observe some parts of the Christams holiday with a tree or exchanging gifts. But as far as I know, Chaunukah is only celebrated by those who are Jewish. Please, someone correct me if I am wrong, but I don't see any secular connection to this holiday.

Does anyone else see the hypocracy here? Am I just a hate-monger?

I'm half tempted (actually about 3/4 tempted) to call into the school and voice my concerns. But I know I'd get the typical "we have no control over what the company puts in their catalogues." By not offending others, do they realize they are offending me by not including our celebrations as well.


Shirley, they can't be serious!