Sitting here at my pc trying to chill after a trying day at work, and what to my wondering eye should appear but a little news blurb at the top of my screen which says that the US House of Doofuses (Representatives) is trying to expand the federal hate crimes law to give gays more rights and protections.
EXCUSE ME????????
Ok, pardon my language, but this is a definite WTF moment.......Why should ANY certain group have more rights and protections than any other group? I don't care if you are gay, straight, what your religion or ethnicity is, or anything else... we are all members of the human race, and we ALL deserve the same treatment.....
So someone beats the crap out of you because you are gay......so????does it mean any less that someone beat the crap out of my son because he is Christian? and white? Why should both instances be treated differently from each other?
They shouldn't...and therein lies the problem.
For too many years now, the gay rights groups have flaunted themselves, as have numerous other groups/causes, and when they are attacked, they blame everyone around but themselves....I am straight, but I don't go around flaunting my sexuality and then demanding that I be given special protection because I am a heterosexual female. I do not demand special rights because I am female.
I guess what it boils down to is this-----those of us who are straight have just as many rights as gays. Christians just as much at Muslims or athiests, red and purple as well as white and black. I am tired of dancing on the line of "am I going to offend someone by breathing?" Quite honestly, if I offend, I am sorry. But that does not mean I am going to change my stance to suit you. I am sorry for causing offense, but not sorry for my belief. I am not going to hide my Bible because you don't want to see it. I am not going to tell my kids they can't wear their tshirts with religious slogans on them to school because the classmate next to them with the "I did your girlfriend" shirt doesn't like it.
Food for thought....
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
picks and peeves
ok, so I made the mistake of opening up my local paper on Saturday, and instantly became aggravated at the arrogance of so called experts.
The topic this time is childhood obesity. I live in the state of WV---wild wonderful, and usually dead last or near it in most categories. Except those related to poor health, it seems.....So the headline is that almost half of all 5th graders in this state are obese. And of course as you read the story, it is all the fault of the parent. We apparently force feed them McDonald's grease and (from an earlier article) Mountain Dew. We make them sit in front of the tv and PS2 for hours on end and refuse to let them exercise.....
Now, yes, I see the merit in this....I agree that as parents we should do more to keep our kids active. And I see it in my home as well........I have to admit that I, as an overweight (to put it mildly) 40-something, do not set the best example for my kids to follow. I come home from work and crash on teh couch with the remote in hand. Yes I eat chips and things that are quick and easy. After being on my feet constantly for 9-10 hrs a day, yeah, I do.......and after 7-8 hrs a day, not including the bus ride to and from, in school, yeah my kids think they deserve the same break.
BUT.....I look at what my kids eat, overall, and they do eat pretty well....there is really not a lot of overeating, especially of the wrong stuff, which changes on a daily basis anyway, so who the heck can keep up with it? We eat, especially once the weather gets nice, a lot of grilled food (the health of which I'm sure some will debate)--chicken, pork chops (both bought boneless and skinless), steak (which my husband picks out the leanest cuts he can get---eschewing his favorite ribeyes and such since I don't like the fat content). We eat more rice than potatoes any given time of the year, and in warmer months I am more likely to make a salad than open a can of highly preserved vegetables. Our bread consumption at meals goes way down when the weather is warmer too----just less to load us down. Not that we are perfect......heck no....and I know there are ways to improve. Getting rid of the pop would be a big start.
But then again, our grocery budget takes a huge hit to eat like this. It IS cheaper to buy the fatty, quick to fix and eat meals and snacks....I shop, I know.....has any of these so called experts figured out how to do this without taking out a second mortgage? I mean really.....take a walk through your local produce dept and then walk through the snack aisle.....hmmmmm.....look at pop vs bottled water (oh yeah open up another can of worms)...
The exercise thing is a biggie too. During the winter months and on extreme weather days--excessively hot or stormy--yeah my kids play a lot of video games. They play what I consider to be a lot anyway....but once they can get outside that's where they are. Even if they are sitting there reading, at least they get the fresh air and sunshine benefits....But then too, reading what the graduation requirements are for phys ed now---where is it? Only ONE phys ed credit is required for graduation. I had to have 2 back in the dinosaur days of the '80's. Now my kids enjoy phys ed, unlike me. I don't know, maybe it's the boy vs the I don't want to ruin my hair girl mentality, but they do. Ben ran track last year, and loved it.....he'd be in it again, but with all his honors classes we felt he couldn't afford the late nights for meets and stuff...But he stays active outside. Spring break killed these kids this year with all the rain that kept them in. They were chomping at the bit to get outdoors when it finally cleared up.
Yeah we as parents need to boot the kids outside and into a more active lifestyle. Then too, you also hve parents who both, if there are indeed 2 parents in the home, have to work just to make the basic ends meet---so there are reasons why people live like they do.....as old as my kids are, unless I or my husband are home, I would rather them not be outdoors. Even out in the boondocks where we are, things still happen. And with our schedules, that doesn't always happen. So.....
On to another topic......there were a couple of letters to the editor I took picks with. One was a response to an earlier letter complaining about hospital waiting rooms having Bibles in them. The first letter writer was very offended by this blatant Christian symbol being so visible. The latest writer pretty well told the first that he didn't have to read it if it offended him so greatly. Very true. I don't know which local hospital the first writer was at, but when I was at Cabell when Mom had her surgery last month, I did not notice Bibles laying around. Maybe they were there, but not so visible. The other local hospital is Catholic run, and yes they do do Bibles visible to all. Who cares? Just like anything else, if you don't want to read it/watch it/listen to it, don't. Turn the station, turn it off, don't open the book. And check your offense meter, because apparently it is out of whack in the wrong direction if you are so easily offended by simply seeing a book on a table.....
Then we have the obvious Obama supporter who firmly believes that talk radio is egging on "domestic terrorism". Hello? Has anyone looked at the stimulus package? What is being forced onto American citizens? I beleive that is domestic terrorism. How is simply stating an opinion---which we do have the right to do---terrorism? Those who speak or even just listen to a show are not terrorists by definition. If we act wrongly and malignantly on what we hear or believe, then maybe we deserve the label......Timothy McVeigh acted wrongly and hurtfully and delieberately. Yes, I feel he was a homegrown terrorist. My opinion. I firmly believe in at least 95% of cases, abortion is morally wrong. Does that make me a terrorist? NO. Now if I blew up clinics where abortions were performed, then yes I would be. Saying I don't believe this contry is on the right course since our current President took office does not make me a terrorist. I am stating my opinion. I am not building a militia to act upon it. I am simply looking at my values and beliefs and what is going on in this country, and they do not co-exist well together. So I state my opinion. I don't grab a megaphone and shout it to the world on the White House lawn. I state it in discussions with coworkers or family and friends, when it is asked for or appropriate in the discussion. Not terrorism folks......And quite frankly shutting down "right wing" talk radio would be just as bad as shutting down "left wing" talk radio. Which by the way gathers far fewer listeners than the right wing version....maybe that is what the letter writer objects to....sorry life isn't fair.......
The topic this time is childhood obesity. I live in the state of WV---wild wonderful, and usually dead last or near it in most categories. Except those related to poor health, it seems.....So the headline is that almost half of all 5th graders in this state are obese. And of course as you read the story, it is all the fault of the parent. We apparently force feed them McDonald's grease and (from an earlier article) Mountain Dew. We make them sit in front of the tv and PS2 for hours on end and refuse to let them exercise.....
Now, yes, I see the merit in this....I agree that as parents we should do more to keep our kids active. And I see it in my home as well........I have to admit that I, as an overweight (to put it mildly) 40-something, do not set the best example for my kids to follow. I come home from work and crash on teh couch with the remote in hand. Yes I eat chips and things that are quick and easy. After being on my feet constantly for 9-10 hrs a day, yeah, I do.......and after 7-8 hrs a day, not including the bus ride to and from, in school, yeah my kids think they deserve the same break.
BUT.....I look at what my kids eat, overall, and they do eat pretty well....there is really not a lot of overeating, especially of the wrong stuff, which changes on a daily basis anyway, so who the heck can keep up with it? We eat, especially once the weather gets nice, a lot of grilled food (the health of which I'm sure some will debate)--chicken, pork chops (both bought boneless and skinless), steak (which my husband picks out the leanest cuts he can get---eschewing his favorite ribeyes and such since I don't like the fat content). We eat more rice than potatoes any given time of the year, and in warmer months I am more likely to make a salad than open a can of highly preserved vegetables. Our bread consumption at meals goes way down when the weather is warmer too----just less to load us down. Not that we are perfect......heck no....and I know there are ways to improve. Getting rid of the pop would be a big start.
But then again, our grocery budget takes a huge hit to eat like this. It IS cheaper to buy the fatty, quick to fix and eat meals and snacks....I shop, I know.....has any of these so called experts figured out how to do this without taking out a second mortgage? I mean really.....take a walk through your local produce dept and then walk through the snack aisle.....hmmmmm.....look at pop vs bottled water (oh yeah open up another can of worms)...
The exercise thing is a biggie too. During the winter months and on extreme weather days--excessively hot or stormy--yeah my kids play a lot of video games. They play what I consider to be a lot anyway....but once they can get outside that's where they are. Even if they are sitting there reading, at least they get the fresh air and sunshine benefits....But then too, reading what the graduation requirements are for phys ed now---where is it? Only ONE phys ed credit is required for graduation. I had to have 2 back in the dinosaur days of the '80's. Now my kids enjoy phys ed, unlike me. I don't know, maybe it's the boy vs the I don't want to ruin my hair girl mentality, but they do. Ben ran track last year, and loved it.....he'd be in it again, but with all his honors classes we felt he couldn't afford the late nights for meets and stuff...But he stays active outside. Spring break killed these kids this year with all the rain that kept them in. They were chomping at the bit to get outdoors when it finally cleared up.
Yeah we as parents need to boot the kids outside and into a more active lifestyle. Then too, you also hve parents who both, if there are indeed 2 parents in the home, have to work just to make the basic ends meet---so there are reasons why people live like they do.....as old as my kids are, unless I or my husband are home, I would rather them not be outdoors. Even out in the boondocks where we are, things still happen. And with our schedules, that doesn't always happen. So.....
On to another topic......there were a couple of letters to the editor I took picks with. One was a response to an earlier letter complaining about hospital waiting rooms having Bibles in them. The first letter writer was very offended by this blatant Christian symbol being so visible. The latest writer pretty well told the first that he didn't have to read it if it offended him so greatly. Very true. I don't know which local hospital the first writer was at, but when I was at Cabell when Mom had her surgery last month, I did not notice Bibles laying around. Maybe they were there, but not so visible. The other local hospital is Catholic run, and yes they do do Bibles visible to all. Who cares? Just like anything else, if you don't want to read it/watch it/listen to it, don't. Turn the station, turn it off, don't open the book. And check your offense meter, because apparently it is out of whack in the wrong direction if you are so easily offended by simply seeing a book on a table.....
Then we have the obvious Obama supporter who firmly believes that talk radio is egging on "domestic terrorism". Hello? Has anyone looked at the stimulus package? What is being forced onto American citizens? I beleive that is domestic terrorism. How is simply stating an opinion---which we do have the right to do---terrorism? Those who speak or even just listen to a show are not terrorists by definition. If we act wrongly and malignantly on what we hear or believe, then maybe we deserve the label......Timothy McVeigh acted wrongly and hurtfully and delieberately. Yes, I feel he was a homegrown terrorist. My opinion. I firmly believe in at least 95% of cases, abortion is morally wrong. Does that make me a terrorist? NO. Now if I blew up clinics where abortions were performed, then yes I would be. Saying I don't believe this contry is on the right course since our current President took office does not make me a terrorist. I am stating my opinion. I am not building a militia to act upon it. I am simply looking at my values and beliefs and what is going on in this country, and they do not co-exist well together. So I state my opinion. I don't grab a megaphone and shout it to the world on the White House lawn. I state it in discussions with coworkers or family and friends, when it is asked for or appropriate in the discussion. Not terrorism folks......And quite frankly shutting down "right wing" talk radio would be just as bad as shutting down "left wing" talk radio. Which by the way gathers far fewer listeners than the right wing version....maybe that is what the letter writer objects to....sorry life isn't fair.......
RIP Bea Arthur
I don't remember a lot about the show "Maude" in the '70's.....honestly, with some of the topics it dealt with, I'm sure my folks deemed it inappropriate for a grade schooler. But I remember "Golden Girls" very fondly---and I loved Bea's character...her wit and sense of timing were wonderful....and it is very sad to see yet another icon of my formative and much younger more innocent days pass away....
We have lost a lot of truly great actors/actresses and public figures in the last few years, and maybe it is because I am now in my 40's, and realizing that where my folks are--in their 60's--is not as far away as I once believed....when I was 20, 30 seemed like forever away, as did 40. Now at 41, I am keenly aware of how quickly time flies. And if I ever forget, I have only to look at my children...
10 years ago I was going through the painful but necessary process of divorcing my first husband, the father of my two sons.....my husband now was in the process of finding out information that would lead to his eventual divorce from his first wife, the mother of his two daughters......when we met, several months after both divorces were final, our children were 9,7, and 5. They are now 18 (and a high school graduate), 16 (jr and soph in HS) and 14 (freshman).
We also have a 7 yr old daughter. Yes time flies very swiftly.....
And these same children look at us when we stop for a moment or two to mourn the passing of those we remember from our childhood...."Who?" is the question we get. They don't know who these people are.....and it is sad also that there are so few now who have the talent to take their places.
We have lost a lot of truly great actors/actresses and public figures in the last few years, and maybe it is because I am now in my 40's, and realizing that where my folks are--in their 60's--is not as far away as I once believed....when I was 20, 30 seemed like forever away, as did 40. Now at 41, I am keenly aware of how quickly time flies. And if I ever forget, I have only to look at my children...
10 years ago I was going through the painful but necessary process of divorcing my first husband, the father of my two sons.....my husband now was in the process of finding out information that would lead to his eventual divorce from his first wife, the mother of his two daughters......when we met, several months after both divorces were final, our children were 9,7, and 5. They are now 18 (and a high school graduate), 16 (jr and soph in HS) and 14 (freshman).
We also have a 7 yr old daughter. Yes time flies very swiftly.....
And these same children look at us when we stop for a moment or two to mourn the passing of those we remember from our childhood...."Who?" is the question we get. They don't know who these people are.....and it is sad also that there are so few now who have the talent to take their places.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)