Happy Holidays, and I mean that!

I used to say that and I meant the season. Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas, New Years and whatever other holiday occurred this time of year.
But, here we go again. Every year it is the same thing. This time they are trying to paint Obama as demanding a "Holiday Tree". This is a rumor started by a right wing blogger. It never happened. The White House Christmas tree has had secular decorations since way before Obama ever put his eyes on the prize. Look it up, http://wordpress.asc.upenn.edu/2009/10/holiday-tree-hooey/.
From this site "the tradition of secular ornaments goes back a long way. The earliest record of a Christmas tree in the White House is 1889, when President Benjamin Harrison "decorated a live tree with tinsel and popcorn," according to the White House Historical Association."...
"It’s also worth noting that the White House Christmas Ornament sold each year since 1981 by the historical association (a private charity) has traditionally had a historical, rather than a religious, theme. This year’s ornament is a depiction of the home of President Grover Cleveland, for example. The one possibly religious-themed ornament was the first one, a replica of an 1840 weathervane from the Unitarian Universalist church in Newburyport, Mass. It was the figure of an angel." ...excerpt for those of you too lazy to read.

The reason we have this barrage of political correctness every year is because a few on the far left and far right want to sue each other for their 15 minutes of fame. The politicos who want to use it for their own self interest are now playing to our knee jerk reactions to controversy, knowing very few will check the facts.

Ranting again about civics...

FYI, many of our founding fathers were not Christian, believe it or not. They called themselves deists because they only believed that there was a force for good and that God was not active in our lives. This is what they stated in public anyway, what they actually believed may have been even less. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Ben Franklin and others and they are the ones who established that there should never be a "state" religion in this country.... Forced religion is what many of our forefathers came here to escape.

The first ten amendments to the Constitution are NOT about majority rule, they are called The Bill Of Rights, which is all about individual rights. They include not only "The right to bear arms" but also the right of "free speech" and to not have you tell me what I can and can't do with my body...They are all about keeping a person safe from the majority.

One other thing, police depts., fire depts. and school systems are socialist enterprises. The government provides them and our taxes pay for them. We have many social services that people neglect to put in the Marxist column because they look so good when you have the blinderes on. Not everything is black and white. That is why we will only succeed from the center with a push or pull to either side from time to time, depending on events around us. I come from a state that is way too liberal and I believe small business is suffering from it, but the eight years under Bush shows you what too far right can do as well.

Three of our most successful presidents were Progressive Republicans...yes I said Progressive! I know it is a term usually retained for bleeding heart liberals, but learn your history!!! Abe Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. These guys did more for the masses and so called liberal causes than most of our modern Democrats. Progressive means "moving forward". Eliminating slavery, building a coast to coast railway, establishing national park system, interstate system...big public works programs! These guys did not need to hide behind religion and so called family values to lead the country.

Franklin D. Roosevelt said "A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned to walk forward." He was speaking of progressive vs. conservative. Not Dem. vs. Rep.!

Dogma and "Isms" will kill us all. Common sense needs to prevail. Sticking to "trickle down economics" or "Marxism" has destroyed a couple of economies now. "Isms" will never work because nature is not involved, they are spewed and run by fallible human beings who can be greedy self-centered S.O.B.'s and not to be trusted in general.

Leave religion to the churches, healthcare to the doctors, teaching to the teachers and finally stay out of my bedroom!

Use your words...

Can we all use our words when dealing with politics, fear and the future? People I have known for years to be caring individuals with at least average intelligence, resort to hate speech, controversy and chain e-mail to make arguments. If I see another totally fabricated E-mail alert about how the Muslims are taking over, I'm going to puke! Flash back to the 50's when we were all going to be Communists if we didn't turn in our neighbors for blacklisting. This penchant for taking anything that will boost your own fears at face value has cost me friendships when I finally said enough is enough and asked if they could please think for themselves. How dare I reply-to-all! Warning: depending on how perturbed I feel that day I may do it again. My Momma used to say "Paper is flat, you can write whatever you want to on it. Doesn't make it true". Now "paper" is our computers linked to the internet with millions of people just waiting to suck up the drivel that comes across.

After seeing an interview with Dan Brown, I was looking for history books on Amazon that dealt with the forefathers and the construction of the government. When I searched I was inundated with books by Beck, O'Reilly and the like and as far as I am concerned these people know nothing of history and are only around to make money off the frenzy they have created on TV. So far the liberals have not been as successful at whirling up the masses for their own personal gain, although some would point to global warming. (Gee, well at least maybe we can get a cleaner environment out of that one.) I don't want to read a book by Gore or Obama on history either, but they didn't come up. Funny how the right wing thinks it is the only one who knows anything about it.

Finally I just plugged in Stephan Ambrose and followed the links from there. At least I know he was an above average historian. I like to think for myself. I wanted the federalist and anti-federalist papers to get an idea of what was going on then. I have already researched much of life in the 18th century. I also ordered an Ambrose book because I admire the man so much.
Now I am going to study and learn for myself. You can walk in a library and turn to either the fiction or the non-fiction aisles and then find the subject you are interested in. I tried to do the same thing on Amazon but apparently they need a celebrity blow hard version of non-fiction as well. What happens here, on the internet? Gotta think for yourselves people!

Now I know not everyone has the time or the interest in reading to do what I do. I love researching issues that are important to me. Whether it is politics, gardening or raising guppies I always get a book, google and speak to whoever I know to has educated info. Snopes is a very useful tool in ferreting out the truth and there are other sites like it. When you get an e-mail that says they checked it on Snopes...DON'T BELIEVE IT. That is almost a dead give away that it hasn't been. And, that can point to the damn e-mail being a virus or worm spreading piece of.... well you know. It would be lovely if we could all talk once in a while too. You know, use our words to discuss issues. :-O Yes I said it "discuss issues". Debate, make an argument, hypothesise, show evidence, a premise and conclusion! This is a great way to learn new things, but not if you are afraid of being made fun of, ridiculed and subjugated. Where is the art of persuasion?

Use your words people!

Nine people, no money, one bathroom...

The Oldest of seven children and still living to tell the tale. We were all born between 1960 (late) and 1969 (early). They called my mother Fertile Myrtle. Dad was a womanizing SOB and wasn't around much. Apparently he had not heard of the women's' movement but, neither had my mother. Barefoot and pregnant and eventually divorced and a single mother. She tried for ten years before she threw in the towel. Those who wonder why I defend a safety net (read welfare system) should know that my dear ol' dad just wouldn't pay child support. When they did catch up to him he had very little to disperse. Hence my left leanings throughout my adult political life. Don't pigeon hole me though, you would be surprised how conservative I can be. (I am not stupid enough to believe that changing one's mind means you are a flip flopper, I think it means you "think" unless someone is paying you to "think". Totally different.) But I digress.

I have three sisters and three brothers. Almost all equally spaced between the ten years from my conception to my youngest sister's birth, with a boy born after each sister and a sister after each ensuing bro. The sisters, sisters ugly as we have been referred to and referred to ourselves, have a connection that includes love, hate, sex, recycled boyfriends, clothes, shoes, hairbrushes, kids and divorces. My mother ran the house even with my step dad there, we refer to him as our Father Figure. I have a strong Grandmother and Great grandmother and we were a matriarchy for sure. Boys were there to take out the garbage, otherwise they were stealing our bikes or stripping our Barbies. At least, that's how we felt for a while. Later our brothers became big assets to us but as children they were often in our way.

Nine people, no money and one bathroom. It is amazing none of us ended up in jail or institutionalized; for longer than a day or so anyhow. It has made for some odd takes on life: politics, child rearing, love, marriage and common sense in general. Sarcasm is a genetic disease in my family. You have to have a huge sense of humor and love of the ironic to survive here.