How Facebook Ruins Relationships

Having recently (and way late) begun using Facebook regularly, I couldn't help but find this video both amusing and sad. The sad part comes from the fact that, although I know this is a spoof, I can see this actually happening!! (If you doubt me, watch Cheaters.) Does nobody have a brain anymore?

Home, Sick Home

I was surfing yesterday afternoon, and came across this:

http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/living-green/staticslideshowgreenchan.aspx?cp-documentid=18995575&imageindex=9.

I was horrified! For any of you fellow Pensacolians out there, check it out.

Who knew Pensacola, Florida was one of the nine most poluted places in America? I sure didn't.

I have no doubt that this problem, which by the way, actually covers what sounds like a relatively small piece of ground in the city of Penscola according to the article, is deadly serious and not to be taken lightly.

However, I have to be honest. I'm not sure it's grounds to qualify P'cola as high as it has on this list. Maybe it's just some good ol' hometown bias, and believe me, my opinion is in NO WAY based on scientific research or facts. I just have a hard time thinking of P'cola as being more poluted than say, Detroit? Areas of West Virginia and Pennsylvania?

I'd like to know what criteria they used to rank their choices anyway.

Veterans are scary people, too!

The Department of Homeland Security released a report on April 7, 2009 entitled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment". Among other things, the report states:

The possible passage of new restrictions on firearms and the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks....

Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to rightwing extremists. DHS/I&A is concerned that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to boost their violent capabilities.

I suppose now I have to be scared that my two sons, who are honorably serving their country in Iraq and Afghanistan, will become right-wing terrorists when they come home. And the Dimocrats accuse conservatives of profiling!

Our soldiers are offering their lives in service to the United States of America. Should they come home from war to be distrusted and viewed with suspicion by their own government? What's next? Are the "left-wing extremists" going to start calling them baby-killers and spitting on them in the streets, as they did to the Vietnam vets 40 years ago?

These men and women who are putting their lives on the line for us deserve our full respect, honor, and gratitude. They do NOT deserve to be treated like potential hate-mongerers or terrorists.

To see the entire report, go here: http://video1.washingtontimes.com/video/extremismreport.pdf

Open the borders!

You know, I live in Texas, and I really have to bite my tongue a lot so I don't get into trouble. All these people screaming about illegal immigrants and border security would probably stone me if they knew what I really thought.

I say, OPEN THE BORDERS! Allow anyone who wants to come to America in! This is supposed to be the land of opportunity, right? Why should we be selfish with those opportunities! We need to spread the wealth, even if some of it gets sent back to Mexico to support people in that country. Even if the ones we spread it to don't want to become citizens. Even if the wealth goes to people who are here illegally and don't pay taxes for the free services they get.

We should love everyone and welcome everyone with open arms. Matter of fact, who needs borders anyway? And after all, look how well all those Cuban boat people did who came here illegally in 1980. Never mind that crime in Florida increased dramatically. They were just enjoying their freedom.

No, we don't need the border patrol, fences, or national guard. And tell all those minutemen to go home to their own families. After all, it's "un-American" to not oppress our own citizens in the name of a good human interest story on main stream media.

And while I'm on the subject... APRIL FOOLS!

I hope you didn't take that load of crap seriously! ;)

"End of 'ER' marks end of era"

Am I the only one who gets the giggles when I read this headline?

The story, which has nothing to do with my giggles, is here.

Where do I begin?

Okay, so here I am two years later, and I guess we now know how well I remembered to update this blog! To tell the truth, recent current events are what really drove me back to it. I have kept quiet for so long, I nearly bit my tongue clean off! There's so much going on in the world these days that's comment-worthy, I hardly know where to begin even now.

But don't worry, I'll force myself.

How about this for a start? Our federal government is OUT OF CONTROL. Can anyone really take seriously a man who is head of the Treasury Department, oversees the IRS, and yet does NOT pay his own taxes? Whether or not I think his ideas for taking over companies he believes are failing is a good idea (and that's worth a whole post by itself, people), there are some serious "trust" issues here that I'm having a little trouble with. And when it comes to tax evasion among Cabinet members, Tim Geithner is just one among many.

Now tell me this:
How can I trust my president when he chooses tax evaders for high offices?

Okay, he might not have known about the cheating before it became public. But once he knew, why did he continue to support these people? How can America trust a president who does not hold his advisors to certain ethical standards - like, for example, not cheating the government, i.e. the American people, out of money!

And by the way, with Tim Geithner running the IRS, who is going to audit him?

In Response

Believe it or not, I'm creating this blog because when I started to respond to my niece's, I just couldn't shut up, and I wound up writing so much that I felt it was too much for a blog comment. However, being the amateur writer that I am, I was unable to edit it no matter how it ran on (an on... and on...). So here in all it's unvarnished glory is that response, and the inspiration for this blog, where I plan to occasionally comment on, critique, and respond to things I see/hear/read on the web. If I can remember to keep it updated, that is.

Okay, SO not going to get into the whole “sexual conversation” argument and open up THAT can of worms! But getting back to the original post, Zoe, all I can say (in the most dated, Valley Girl accent you can imagine) is Oh My God!! It’s as if I were on the Enterprise (pick a version) and warped into an alternate universe where my very own youthful thoughts (from approximately ages 12-16, after which I had a steady ex-husband in the making) were being repeated to me PRACTICALLY VERBATIM. Including the bit about your dad’s decisions being based on your dad’s experience… All MY dad would say was, “Stay away from Navy guys - they only want one thing!” Granted, there was a bit less intellectual argument on my part, i.e. time as man’s invention, and a bit more of: “but, it’s not fair!! ” and “I’m not a child!!” I didn’t even attempt the whole legal argument, my girlfriends and I having already figured that out, including who of our friends were likely to go to jail at any given time…

Back to the point. I can see your frustration in arguing with your dad and brother. I can tell you now, it’s a waste of breath. I can tell you a few other things from my own experience, as well. I had a couple older male friends. They even came complete with an occasional sexual conversation, but I was lucky enough never to get caught! The biggest age spread was a 19 year old guy I knew when I was only about 13. I was forced to stay away from him, too. The other guy and I remained friends, but he went on to his own life, and frankly, his girlfriends didn’t really care for a “high school kid” hanging around all the time. What Mom and Dad couldn’t do, nature took care of. It wasn’t that we were no longer friends, we just had separate lives. As a matter of fact, when he died, Mom kept it from me for months because she knew how upset I’d be, even though I was married and moved away! Anyway, all this is to say that if this guy really feels about your friendship the way you do, he’ll be around when you’re old enough to make your own decisions. In the meantime, you don’t need any ****ed off 22-year old women looking to make trouble for you because they don’t like you messing with their boyfriend!

I know this isn’t what you want to hear right now, but believe me when I say I have been in your shoes, and I can completely see it from your side. However, I have the perspective of a few more years hindsight, and I know that even if time IS man’s invention, it also follows a few rules--one of which is, no matter how relative it seems, it does pass, and before you realize it’s gone, you’ll be 18 and able to decide for yourself who you want to be friends with. You may be surprised if someday when you’re in your (cough, cough) 40’s, you aren’t wishing your parents could still make a few decisions for you (and take the responsibility for them, along with the consequences, off your shoulders).

Your mom and dad, and Alex, too, all love you. It’s just an unfortunate fact of life that a side effect of their job, that being your protection, is to make you miserable. Please don’t tell my parents I’m admitting that I know this. I still occasionally get to reap a little revenge guilt with the you-made-my-teenage-years-miserable-and-now-I’m-a-neurotic-middle-aged-woman line. Anyway, that’s my novella on the topic.