I haven't been much a blogger lately. I wish I could say I've been working on those darn Christmas cards, but sadly, my materials remain spread out on the table, untouched. No, some nights I've fallen asleep while putting the kids to bed (8 o'clock!!), some nights I've been consumed with the dirty dishes threatening to take over my kitchen counter tops, and other nights I've just been snuggling on the couch, watching TV. I promise to post pictures of Cole and Charlotte soon! Meanwhile at points during the day, my friend David and I have been having lively discussions on the state of our country, among other things.
During one of those conversations about Prop 8 in California and a protest in a church in Michegan, David wrote to me, "The new tolerance is intolerance of anything that disagrees with the ones who want everyone else to be tolerant." I so agree.
Here's a great article posted on national review about what has been happening to those who disagree with Prop 8. Whether you agree with Prop 8 or not, violence has never been and will never be the answer. How dare people use this excuse to commit such heinous acts?
Married to the MobInsane same-sex-marriage rage.By Michelle Malkin
Before Election Day, national media handwringers forged a wildly popular narrative: The right was, in the words of New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, gripped by “insane rage.” Outbreaks of incivility (some real, but mostly imagined) were proof positive of the extremist takeover of the Republican party. The cluck-cluckers and tut-tutters shook with fear.
But when the GOP took a beating on Nov. 4, no mass protests ensued; no nationwide boycotts erupted. Conservatives took their lumps and began the peaceful post-defeat process of self-flagellation, self-analysis and self-autopsy. In fact, in the wake of campaign 2008 there’s only one angry mob gripped by “insane rage”: left-wing same-sex marriage activists incensed at their defeat in California. Voters there approved Proposition 8, a traditional marriage initiative, by 52 percent to 48 percent.Instead of introspection and self-criticism, however, the sore losers who opposed Prop. 8 responded with threats, fists and blacklists.That’s right. Activists have published on the Internet an “Anti-Gay Blacklist” of Prop. 8 donors. If the tables were turned and Prop. 8 proponents created such an enemies list, everyone in Hollywood would be screaming “McCarthyism” faster than you could count to eight. A Los Angeles restaurant whose manager made a small donation to the Prop. 8 campaign has been besieged nightly by hordes of protesters who have disrupted business, intimidated patrons and brought employees to tears. Out of fear for their jobs and their lives, workers at El Coyote Mexican Cafe pooled together $500 to pay off the bullies.Scott Eckern, the beleaguered artistic director of California Musical Theatre in Sacramento, was forced to resign over his $1,000 donation to the Prop. 8 campaign. Rich Raddon, director of the Los Angeles Film Festival, is next on the chopping block after the anti-Prop. 8 mob discovered that he had also contributed to the “Yes on 8” campaign. Calls have been pouring in for his firing.Over the last two weeks, anti-Prop. 8 organizers have targeted Mormon, Catholic and evangelical churches. Sentiments like this one, found on the anti-Prop.8 website “JoeMyGod,” are common across the left-wing blogosphere: “Burn their f—-ing churches to the ground, and then tax the charred timbers.” Thousands of gay-rights demonstrators stood in front of the Mormon temple in Los Angeles shouting “Mormon scum.” The Mormon headquarters in Salt Lake City received threatening letters containing an unidentified powder. Religion-bashing protesters filled with hate decried the “hate” at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church in Orange County, Calif. Vandals defaced the Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills, Calif., because church members had collected Prop. 8 petitions. One worshiper’s car was keyed with the slogans “Gay sex is love” and “SEX.” Another car’s antenna and windshield wipers were broken.In Carlsbad, Calif., a man was charged with punching his elderly neighbors over their pro-Prop. 8 signs. In Palm Springs, Calif., a videographer filmed unhinged anti-Prop. 8 marchers who yanked a large cross from the hands of 69-year-old Phyllis Burgess and stomped on it.In San Francisco, Christians evangelizing in the Castro District needed police protection after the same-sex marriage mob got physical and hounded them off the streets. Enthusiastically shooting themselves in the foot, anti-Prop. 8 boycotters are now going after the left-wing Sundance Film Festival because it does business in Mormon-friendly Utah. Also targeted: Cinemark Theaters across the country. The company’s CEO, Alan Stock, donated just under $10,000 to the traditional marriage measure. Never mind that Cinemark theaters are hosting the new biopic about gay icon Harvey Milk. They must pay for the sins of the company head who dared to exercise his political free speech.Corporate honchos, church leaders, and small donors alike are in the same-sex marriage mob’s crosshairs, all unfairly demonized as hate-filled bigots by bona fide hate-filled bigots who have abandoned decency in pursuit of “equal rights.” One wonders where Barack Obama — himself an opponent of Proposition 8 — is as this insane rage rages on. Soul-Fixer, Nation-Healer, where art thou?
11.11.2008
Article to Read
Excellent article by a columnist I've come to follow closely. Please read; it is is very interesting.
11.07.2008
11.06.2008
A new era
Believe or not, I am one of millions of Americans who was incredibly proud that the country saw past color lines and elected an African American for president. That is a phenomenal accomplishment and looking back just 50 years ago within my parent’s generation, the civil rights movement was in full force, demanding equality. I can only imagine what this day must be like for African Americans everywhere. The dream has been realized, equality has been proven. For that I am proud of my country for evolving and can understand why people are crying over this.
For me, this election was never about that though. It was a contest between a far left Democrat and a liberal Republican. I’ve said this before, but I was not a huge fan of John McCain, never was. His idea of the Republican party contrasts sharply with mine. It seems the conservative Right had nowhere to go but to vote for John McCain.
That being said, the fact that Obama will be President does not mean that I now agree with Obama fundamentally and just because he is President-elect does not mean that I now support him in his ideals. Do I support the President of the United States of America? Yes, yes, I do. You’ll never hear me say, “He isn’t my president.” That’s ridiculous and I ridiculed that Dixie Chick girl for saying that about President Bush several years ago. I am an American and he is the American President. But I cannot support what he stands for and what his lofty plans are. His agenda is an attack on the values that I hold onto very strongly. I still do not see where he is going to bring a physical delivery of hope or positive change for this country besides the rhetoric so eloquently spoken in his speeches. As much as he says he is for all people, he has proven again and again that he only supports some of the people in this nation. I listened to pieces of his acceptance speech and read the entire transcript the day after. I understand why people are enamored by him. He’s a great orator. The question is, what will he do to support his ideas for change? What will he do to gain my acceptance?
At this time this is what Democrats like Chuck Schummer are doing to ensure their idea of equality. They are proposing legislation to make the Fairness Doctrine law. Obama has not come out and supported the Fairness Doctrine when he was asked about it but has said that he supports fairness in news media. Not a whole lot to grasp onto with an opinion like that.
With a free ride to pass anything they like, the Democrats are posed to pass the Fairness Doctrine as one of the first pieces of legislation next year. If you haven’t heard, the Fairness Doctrine will require all news media (aimed at talk radio) to offer balanced viewpoints. For example, if a particular broadcast station has Christian programming, they will be mandated to offer alternative viewpoints. If a conservative broadcast station offers talk radio aimed at (gasp!) conservatives, they will be forced to offer liberal broadcasting as well. In essence, “free” speech will be controlled. Don’t we already have a government sponsored radio in NPR? Who do you think listens to the Christian radio stations, to the conservative radio stations? There are enough news presence in paper and on the internet that enough can be heard about both sides. It appears only that they intend to cut back on conservative view points on the radio, that do not agree with the Democratic agenda.
Believe or not, I am one of millions of Americans who was incredibly proud that the country saw past color lines and elected an African American for president. That is a phenomenal accomplishment and looking back just 50 years ago within my parent’s generation, the civil rights movement was in full force, demanding equality. I can only imagine what this day must be like for African Americans everywhere. The dream has been realized, equality has been proven. For that I am proud of my country for evolving and can understand why people are crying over this.
For me, this election was never about that though. It was a contest between a far left Democrat and a liberal Republican. I’ve said this before, but I was not a huge fan of John McCain, never was. His idea of the Republican party contrasts sharply with mine. It seems the conservative Right had nowhere to go but to vote for John McCain.
That being said, the fact that Obama will be President does not mean that I now agree with Obama fundamentally and just because he is President-elect does not mean that I now support him in his ideals. Do I support the President of the United States of America? Yes, yes, I do. You’ll never hear me say, “He isn’t my president.” That’s ridiculous and I ridiculed that Dixie Chick girl for saying that about President Bush several years ago. I am an American and he is the American President. But I cannot support what he stands for and what his lofty plans are. His agenda is an attack on the values that I hold onto very strongly. I still do not see where he is going to bring a physical delivery of hope or positive change for this country besides the rhetoric so eloquently spoken in his speeches. As much as he says he is for all people, he has proven again and again that he only supports some of the people in this nation. I listened to pieces of his acceptance speech and read the entire transcript the day after. I understand why people are enamored by him. He’s a great orator. The question is, what will he do to support his ideas for change? What will he do to gain my acceptance?
At this time this is what Democrats like Chuck Schummer are doing to ensure their idea of equality. They are proposing legislation to make the Fairness Doctrine law. Obama has not come out and supported the Fairness Doctrine when he was asked about it but has said that he supports fairness in news media. Not a whole lot to grasp onto with an opinion like that.
With a free ride to pass anything they like, the Democrats are posed to pass the Fairness Doctrine as one of the first pieces of legislation next year. If you haven’t heard, the Fairness Doctrine will require all news media (aimed at talk radio) to offer balanced viewpoints. For example, if a particular broadcast station has Christian programming, they will be mandated to offer alternative viewpoints. If a conservative broadcast station offers talk radio aimed at (gasp!) conservatives, they will be forced to offer liberal broadcasting as well. In essence, “free” speech will be controlled. Don’t we already have a government sponsored radio in NPR? Who do you think listens to the Christian radio stations, to the conservative radio stations? There are enough news presence in paper and on the internet that enough can be heard about both sides. It appears only that they intend to cut back on conservative view points on the radio, that do not agree with the Democratic agenda.
The FCC stated, when they repealed the use of the Fairness Doctrine in the 1980’s, "the intrusion by government into the content of programming occasioned by the enforcement of [the Fairness Doctrine] restricts the journalistic freedom of broadcasters ... [and] actually inhibits the presentation of controversial issues of public importance to the detriment of the public and the degradation of the editorial prerogative of broadcast journalists," and suggested that, due to the many media voices in the marketplace, the doctrine be deemed unconstitutional.
In writing these notes on my blog, I am not trying to create an atmosphere of fear. Just because I do not agree with the politics of the current president does not make me a bad person. Funny how it is ok to sneer, to hate, to think ill of our current president, but now I become the bad person because I do not agree with Obama. This is America! Everyone is allowed to have their opinions. I am writing regarding facts and presenting my opinions as they relate to the set of values I hold dear. Differing opinions should be respected and yes, tolerated, just as much anyone else's.
You will all probably learn more about me than you ever really wanted to know. You have a choice whether you’d like to read these posts or not. Up to you. My purpose now is to put out there what is going on in the country, the world, and how it relates back to me and my family.
11.04.2008
I couldn't resist this humor on election day...
Two Different Versions! Two Different Morals!
OLD VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!
------------------------------------------
MODERN VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.
How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so ?
Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'
Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.' Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.
Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.
Hillary and Barack go on national television agreeing that the plight of the grasshopper is the fault of George Bush. Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.
The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.
Obama gets his old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.
The ant loses the case.
The story ends as we see the grass hopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.
The ant has disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be very careful how you vote in 2008
OLD VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!
------------------------------------------
MODERN VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.
How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so ?
Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'
Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.' Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.
Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.
Hillary and Barack go on national television agreeing that the plight of the grasshopper is the fault of George Bush. Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.
The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.
Obama gets his old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.
The ant loses the case.
The story ends as we see the grass hopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.
The ant has disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be very careful how you vote in 2008
11.02.2008
Our weekend
We had a fantastic weekend. Brendan and I took Friday off (my last vacation day of this year...sniff, sniff). Charlotte had her 9-month doctor's visit. She's holding steady with being 25% percentile for height and 50% for weight, doing just fine. We talked about the (lack of) sleeping and the fact that she has to be next to me, or rather the fact that she needs to still nurse all night. It's comforting for her and just plain easy for me! But, it does create a rather restless night for both of us and I'm not sure how much longer I'll let that continue. She certainly does not NEED to nurse at night! : ) I do love the fact that I am still able to nurse her and definitely plan to continue at least until she turns one. Cole stopped at 9 months and really never missed it. Anyway, the doctor's visit went well and both Charlotte and Cole got their flu shots. One less thing to worry about this year! Cole also went to the ENT doctor who said the last tube in his ear is almost ready to fall out- we are hoping it falls out on its own and he won't need surgery to have it removed! Back in 6 months to find out.
And of course we had an extra hour on Sunday which was wonderful. All days should be 25 hours long...I get so much more done!
I went to Michael's and picked up the remaining materials for the Christmas cards I want to create. I have to focus at this point- it's going to take me weeks to make all of them! So, that leaves me with the fact that I'm going to have to reduce the amount of blogging for awhile. I'll sign on to post with any significant milestones of Charlotte's (or Cole's!) but regular activity updates will have to wait!
Have a nice November!
Two Children
Yup, folks, Charlotte is growing up. She loves to just sit on this bike and pretends to go just like Cole. They are two peas in a pod, these two. I just love it.
New Soccer Class
Charlotte, looking very adorable, on the sidelines at soccer class.
Cole and Caden have started a new soccer session and this class is sans parents! Brendan and I talked it up with Cole that morning, saying, "Oh you are so lucky, soccer class without parents, just kids and coaches. We wish we could play soccer!" So, Cole thought he was a big kid, playing without Mom or Dad! He did well for his first class. He really does loves soccer and often plays at home, with or without someone to kick it around with!
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