Since when does killing someone mean people should feel sorry for YOU?

Okay I love my CNN Justice News. I have thought Van der Sloot was a murdering coward since his involvement in Natalee Holloway's case. The guy changed hs story more than a tabloid. He confessed and took it back. He tried to blackmail the family.

Then Peru. A girl is murdered on the anniversary of Natalee's disappearance. She in in his hotel room and they had been seen entering together. He is found days later on the run crossing a border. Then he goes to jail and it takes ages to get him brought on charges. He refuses to acknowledge what he did. Now today he enters a guilty plea and his lawyer begs the court to consider HIM and all he has been through in their sentence because he doesn't deserve a harsh sentence.

WTF? Forget that there is no life in prison for this. There is no death penalty. Already Peru's system is lenient to killers. Now he wants more leniency. He brutally killed Stephany Flores. He admits it but claims some sort of weird PTSD because of the scrutiny on him over Natalee.

Well you POS you BLACKMAILED the Holloway family, you admitted to killing her on tape, you kept yourself in that spotlight by bringing things up concerning her constantly. BS to any sort of trauma or stress. You are a killer of women and I really hope that civilian justice is more lethal that the legal system there and someone at least teaches you what it feels like to be a victim.

Ahhhhhh....... I know I am probably a bit harsh in the thought but it really gets to me when someone who is a predator tries to play the victim. He may have admitted guilt but asking for lenience based on his own stress and horrible life belittles Staphany was put through. She deserves justice. Her family deserves to see the man who killed their loved one suffer for what he did.

Heck to the yeah!

If you have read our blog long or read previous post or even just know me you know that one thing that absolutely gets me livid are crimes against children. I go all Wild West justice and honestly want to tar them myself. These thoughts have put a huge gap between my little brother and I because he is against the death penalty where I think that sex assault of a child, murder of a child, kidnapping of a child. Any crime that is done with the intent of harming a child should be a death penalty offense. Yeah that is harsh. It is brutal and I am sure some people think I am way too extreme in that thought but I have seen too many walk after their 7 years and then rape and kill a child because the anticipation built so much. One person that fires me up is Warren Jeffs. Having spent quite a few years in Utah and having become LDS you learn about the FLDS. I am the first to say "Live and let live." I may think the idea of sharing my husband is crazy but it's not my place to say. However when making a girl a bride at 12 or making an underaged girl marry her cousin comes up I want to punch someone. Anyway Jeffs' trial in Texas has been going on and he decided to represent himself. His defense: Everything I do is protected by my constitutional right to freedom of religion. If you speak against me you are a blasphemer and are going against God. He came off as a wingbat. Luckily the freedom of religion he tried to claim did not trump the rights of the girls he victimized and today he was found guilty. I hope the book is thrown at him. A Texas prison as a pedophile will be exactly what he needs.

AMY WINEHOUSE IS DEAD....... Oh and Norway had an attack that killed dozens...

News in general makes me mad. Norway is facing a devastating loss. Last CNN count had the toll from both the bomb and shooting at 92 with more to come. Maggy spent time there as an exchange student so this hits especially hard for her and she spent time worrying about people she loves very much yesterday. The world should be focusing on this and on sending love and support to the people impacted by this.

Now word comes from England that Amy Winehouse has died. It is running across CNN's front page. Yes they still have a lot of coverage up of the attacks in Norway but my news feeds on facebook are already being bombarded with info from England. This drives me nuts. Yes this is a very sad loss to the music community. She had a beautiful voice. BUT far to often real world events get drowned out by celebrity news. People are becoming so wrapped up in Brangilina and the newest celebrity baby and are ignoring the real news that it is no wonder the bureaucrats in DC get away with such crap. Love the craft and the art of music and film but stop obsessing over their personal lives and start taking an interest in the actual happenings in the real world. You might just improve your country.

Silent long enough.....

So I have resisted comment on the current debt debacle going on in D.C. because honestly I am so disgusted with politics in general lately that I have had no idea what to say. I think that once again those elected are not actually listening to the people. "Cut, Cap, and Balance" has some pretty good points. Mega cuts are needed and a cap is a great idea. Balancing the budget and requiring a super-majority vote for certain changes is a good thing. We fall into a tax bracket where hubby paid in a hefty % last year much to our shock. Despite looking froward to that return I honestly think that if it improved the economy and the entitlements were reformed as well as some immigration crack downs we both would feel comfortable paying more. I have been looking at the "Gang of Six" and their new plan today. If it does what they claim I think this plan looks very promising. Part of the problem has been the total complication of things. You get this tax break but that tax so you actually pay this....... blah, blah, WTF? I swear tax law is it's own language. I do the taxes for a few people besides us and I swear it boggles my mind. Hubby paid in XX amount but only got back a small chunk despite owning a home and 2 kids. A SIL made not even a 1/3, has one child and rents, paid in far less, and received quite a bit more back. It boggled my mind. Heck my MIL didn't even pay in because she made so little but she received a return? Really? Makes absolutely no sense to me at all. Simplification would be nice. I think reforming entitlements (SSI to me is not entitlement as you pay in you should get back.) so that citizenship requirements are more thoroughly checked and credit checks are ran to see if those applying have crazy amounts of credit and such would be good. I was in Wal-mart yesterday and we are trying to save so I can see the first niece born to my side of the family be blessed in a couple weeks and so we can visit other family in Utah for a family tradition of Derby weekend. I kept telling the girls "No" when they asked for the usual weird kid requests and finally said we were trying to not spend money. I got such nasty looks from a few people and one of them ended up behind us in line to check out. Should have seen the shock when I handed over my debit card and not a food stamps card. I think because I seemed frustrated and I said we didn't have the money he assumed we were on food stamps yet my cart was very full. Um no, just teaching my kids about budget. Back to the plan. Major cuts is a very good thing. Yes times are tough and things need to be done but we don't have the money and we need to stop spending more than we have. We borrow from John to pay Jim and ignore our own needs and it has to stop. Hopefully they figure something out soon. I don't like where things are headed but I think some people are trying to do the right thing. They just might be in the minority still.

Now the circus will begin again!!

Those that have been with us for a very long time know me as the children. One of the reasons the Caylee Anthony case made me so upset was because of the complete lack of caring her mother seemed to show. I know every one displays emotion differently and everyone reacts differently but not reporting her child missing for a month and then not participating in searches or even acting like she cared just boggled my mind. For months the country watched riveted as information about this woman came out. Stolen checks, lies, partying days after her baby disappeared. The media went wild because the country was outraged.


The time has come for the trial because during that firestorm little Caylee's body was found and evidence seemed to point right back to her mother. Once again the circus has started up and this time I have to say it kind of ticks me off. CNN has had coverage daily of jury selection. Potential jurors are being dismissed because of reason ranging from the believable to the crazy. One even joked about a potential book coming from a jury duty experience on facebook. I mean really? You haven't even heard anything yet.


I am all about justice. I think that certain crimes deserve the maximum punishment. I wavered on this for a very long time and then I had my children and I knew that if someone had murdered my child or someone I loved there would be no better punishment in my mind then death. This is a capital case so the death penalty is on the table as I think it should be.


I also though feel compassion for the rest of the Anthony family. They lost a sweet baby girl that year and have had to deal with the media and the fact that one of their own is on trial for it. They deserve some privacy. It is them that I think deserve some respect. Sure some of the supposed news may be true of an abusive father and demanding mother but that alone did not create the woman Casey Anthony turned out to be. My husband comes from a family of 7. All raised in the same family and every single one as different as can be. Parents play a part but the choices a child makes also plays a part. Yes they will have to take some personal responsibility and I am sure over the past couple years since this happened they have battled some demons. They are going to sit through a trial of their daughter for the murder of their granddaughter. They should be able to do that is relative peace. It is for them that I wish the circus would back off a bit. I know it is a fruitless hope but a girl can always hope right?

It is National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day!!!

It is a day pretty important to me. FMS is a large part of my life though I have tried very hard to not let it be the defining point in my life. I was officially diagnosed about 8 months ago. I think my journey started when I was 14 though. I read an article recently on risk factors for fibromyalgia and discovered I fell into a pretty much guaranteed group. I am female, I discovered through research there is a family history of it on my maternal side, I have sleep issues, I have a personality that hates stress and gets depressed easily at times, and I suffered an auto-immune illness in the form of Mono as a teen. I was a walking bottle of FMS perfection.

So among the beautiful plethora of symptoms/concurrent issues I have the obvious widespread pain. My legs tend to be the worst and I have had that for as long as I can remember. It can be anything from a dull ache to a minor throbbing to an intense burning and can be just my knees or from toe to hip. Over the last few years the pain has spread. In times of stress or when I am on my period the pain can be through my shoulders, from finger tip to elbow, base of by neck, across my forehead, base of my spine, lower pelvis, and jaw. I have been diagnosed with TMJ, which is a lovely jaw issue that can require surgery and means I sleep with a mouth guard to help reduce the pain. I have migraines. Luckily I started meds for those and have been able to go from a couple of days a week to a couple a month if that. I have developed a lovely oversensitivity in the pads of my fingers and toes making certain days very difficult to walk, cook, write, type, touch anything, and I removed my acrylic nails because getting them done became agony. I have the extreme fatigue. Getting one major chore done along with the needed daily chores and taking care of Lexi in a day is a good day! I have discovered that my issues carrying my babies very likely relate to the FMS making the choice to tie my tubes a good one. I can be very forgetful and tend to have lists in my phone for everything as well as all tasks scheduled into my calendar so that I won't forget. My joints crack regularly and fairly painfully. I suffer from depression. I am obsessive over certain tasks and need order in certain things to reduce my anxiety.

Those are the bad days, lol. Stress increases the chance of a bad day. Over-activity increases it. I tend to isolate myself from situations that could cause stress to reduce the chance of bad days which makes me come off as a hermit. Add that I genuinely love just being with my husband and girls watching movies and i often frustrate others. I promise it is not you. I really just am content in my solitude and much less likely to be miserable so I don't venture out often. I am on a great medicine called Savella for the FMS and it has helped to make the good days out number the bad days. I absolutely still react to stress and still have days where staying in bed would be lovely if I didn't have a toddler. I am blessed to have a guy whose response when I apologize for being a broken horrible wife in my worst moments just hugs me and says "You may need a little extra patience and a little extra care, but I would not change a single thing about you!". He is one of the best things in my life. I am just like everyone else it just takes me longer and some days I am lucky to get to it at all but it will get done eventually. I love as much, I laugh as much, I cherish every moment with my family and I count every single blessing in my life. Fibromyalgia is one tiny part of me, it is not who I am. I am a wife and a mom. I am a writer, a designer, a reader, a cook, a teacher, a lover, a friend. I just happen to have Fibromyalgia.

CNN has great info on FM and you can also learn more at the National Fibromyalgia Association website. Take some time to read about it and learn. It is not in my head. It does not mean I am a hypochondriac. It is a real syndrome that affects millions around the world and each and every one of those sufferers deserves your love, understanding, and support!!!

A new world is evolving.

Right now the news has spread faster than any wildfire. Osama Bin Laden is dead. He was killed by a U.S. seal team yesterday in Pakistan after months of planning and just a few months shy of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. I see many thanking Bush and bashing Obama or bashing Bush and thanking Obama. All are thanking the troops. I have seen news accounts of parties and tears, of grief renewed and faith restored.

To me the downfall of Bin Laden and those like him has always been a given. The world's peoples will not tolerate being treated like expendable trash for long. The majority population is becoming younger, more able to communicate with one another, and those in countries where tyranny and oppression are a way of life are able to more easily glimpse how their democratic peers live life and have begun to fight for that freedom. As those fights have spread it became even more inevitable that terrorists would loose their havens. Despite the difference in thought through the major nations of the middle east about the United States and our allies they have all seen that these factions do not help them at all. They want these destroyers of life and humanity even less than we do because these groups claim to be helping cleanse the world while using their religion as a reason.

I woke this morning feeling a lightness in my chest that had settled there last night as I listened to the President make the announcement. That feeling was not because of the death of a man, or because of a firefight that caused it. It was because Bin Laden was more than just a man. To the children of America he was the boogieman. To those of us old enough to process what truly happened on 9/11 he was a destroyer of life. He was the ringleader of an evil empire bent on destroying all that we held dear. He was the reason our airports became a nightmare and our embassies were always well guarded around the world. To a small group he was a banner of purpose, a driving force, a beacon of truth to rally behind as they aimed their hatred and fury towards those they wanted dead. Just by his very breathing they took hope and strength. Now he is dead, his mission is in tatters and while I am sure retaliation will come it will not be what it might have been. He was the arrow that all who hated used to draw their bows. Now the arrow is gone and they have to try to fire their bows anyway. I am sure they will try. I expect there will be small and even large attempts. I doubt they will have the destructive power they once did.

So today as I feel lighter because we as a country have proven that we never give up, we never give in, and we never ever let a bully win I give thanks. i give thanks first to the troops who fight every day to keep us safe. They do so tirelessly and deserve every single ounce of credit. I also give thanks to President Obama, President Bush, and even President Clinton. All three have had to deal with the chaos caused by this man and the villainy he created and each one took steps that lead to this result. It was not any single one but the effort of all and all deserve praise. This is not about their politics. This is not about who you voted for. This is about justice being done.

I saw this on Facebook and liked it:

Now I lay me down to sleep, one less terrorist this world does keep. With all my heart I give my thanks, to those in uniform regardless of ranks. You serve our country and serve it well, with humble hearts your stories tell. So as I rest my weary eyes, while freedom rings our flag still flies. You give your all, do what you must...with God we live and God we trust. Amen.

WikiLeaks = stupidity!

I have stated before that I am all about our rights. Free speech is a big one and one I support. I will never be able to state enough that personal responsibility and accountability has got to come in to play. Just because we can say or do something due to these rights we have been given does not mean that it is the right thing to do. Having rights and being right can be very different things.

Many are saying that this WikiLeaks thing is a free speech/free press thing. They have the right to say what they want. While I know other countries have many freedoms we enjoy I find it interesting that a group that is largely made up of non-Americans is hiding behind the First Amendment. The way I understand it is we have the right to say what we feel, follow the religion we choose, and the press has the right to report on what it chooses even if the government thinks national security may be threatened and does not have to reveal it's sources. Actually sharing stolen secret information in it's entirety doesn't seem to really fall into that category. I may be wrong. I don't know everything and with 2 sick kids have no time to actually research a ton though firstamendmentcenter.org and this page specifically on freedom of press was helpful and informative. I did look on wikipedia and found the last paragraph on international significance to be very interesting. I have been pretty impressed with the newspapers involved, at least the New York Times, because they have made sure to edit out info that puts lives at risk. They have shared info that has been embarrassing absolutely but they have made the effort to protect our interests and deserve commending for that.

Today on CNN I saw this article. Each day I have felt what I am sure millions have felt. A growing anger and even a dash of fear at the impact these "whistle blowers" could have on our security. Then today's article. To sum it up our State Department asked our diplomats from around the globe to identify key locations around the world that impact U.S. security. We are talking things like communications pipelines, chemical and mineral areas critical to our industry, dams, mines. The list goes on. CNN did not publish the list in an effort to maintain some semblance of security and I salute them for it.

As this has progressed over the last months I have wholeheartedly supported the espionage label. Sharing stolen documents, many labeled as secret and classified for a reason, with the public just reeks of at the very least a heavy disdain for the U.S. and at most a desire to see us destroyed. WikiLeaks and their lovely leader may not be pulling the trigger but they are handing the gun to someone who is more than happy to do so and in my book that is just as bad. This newest release seems to be sliding over that line from espionage into terrorism IMHO. Assange was already inching that way by distributing a large compressed encrypted "insurance policy" file. He said that he distributed the file with even more damaging info and that if the attacks on him and the website persisted he would release the key and unlock the information. What kind of whistle blower tries to blackmail people? I am beyond disgusted with this man and his organization. He is putting more lives than he can count at risk and he refuses to take any form of responsibility. All he is doing is being a good Samaritan and sharing with the public what they have the right to know. Please...... He is a bottom feeder who wanted to find a way to make a name for himself and this was the way he was going to do it. Hurt as many people as possible. How's that working out so far? It only gets better. Trust me.

Amazing Rescue and Mining In My Life.

Who is not is awe by the rescue of the miners in Chile? 28 men are out as of now with 5 to go. These men are miracles. 2,000 feet down, buried under 700,000 tons of rock for 69 days. They have broken every mine disaster survival record by a landslide. Heck they have broken most disaster records. To be so far down with so few rations and to survive for so long is beyond miraculous. No one in recorded history has survived being trapped this deep for this long. They made 48 hours worth of food last well over 2 weeks. As they are emerging from the depths they are looking to be in better health than anyone could have ever imagined. Some are showing mental issues once they reach the hospital but that is to be expected. I know I would be a basket case if I had endured this.

This is by far not the worlds worst mining disaster. In fact it won't even rate if measured by casualties because lives have not been lost. The survival is what makes this story unique, the amazing rescue is what makes this story unique. Mining in general ranks as one of the deadliest professions in the world. Luckily the US isn't the worst place to be with 69 deaths in 2006-2007 according to MSHA and 11800 injuries reported. Other countries are not so lucky. China reports thousands of deaths each year.

Despite living in a country that tries to protect its miners we all know that does not always happen. We lost 29 coal miners in April of this year. It was one of the deadliest losses in decades for the US. If you also add the deaths related to mining the count jumps. Mining is a hard life. It is a back breaking life. Some of the men (and women but for this purpose I am going to not be politically correct.) choose this life for the money or the job security, some feel they have no other choice as it is the only real job source for miles, others follow behind fathers and uncles, and some just love digging in the earth. Still others do it not for what they pull from the ground but what is formed once the pulling is done. Tunnel builders are miners too, they just don't do it for what is in the ground but what they build beneath it. Hubby has done both. He worked in coal when we were first married as a subcontractor. He did the weld work on the support system. Every day he went 14 miles below ground and welded in a sometimes combustible atmosphere that was always dangerous. He was always in an unstable zone and there to make it more stable. Now he builds tunnels. The jobs he has been on so far have been under the water table so if a cave in occurs there is no chance of a void to keep him safe. Mud and water will fill each and every crevice. If he wasn't crushed he would drown. This newest job seems to be pretty unstable as well. You can never know exactly what every inch of ground is going to be made up of until you are in it despite all the geologic checking in the world. He will still go every day though because he loves it and because his job improves life. In this particular job it ensures a water supply for the area when they are at risk of loosing it.

The family of a miner also has to step up. We have to send our men off every day with a smile knowing they are at risk. We need to be supportive. We need to always understand that they are in a high stress situation for hours every work day and with that comes a need to let off steam. I am blessed that Hubby's release is watching movies and hunting. I also have to hide my fear. Hearing my worry does nothing but take his mind off of his job and that can cause more harm than good. I live knowing that in my husband's case rescue is a slim shot. Recovery is probably even a slim shot. I also will not ever ask him to stop doing what he loves despite the physical and mental toll. I am so proud of him and of the work he does. I will always be proud to be a miner's wife!!

I know there are many other dangerous jobs. There are many men and women who risk their lives every day to do what they do to make the world a better place and many families who love and support them as they do it. I respect each and every one of them immeasurably and am not writing this to take away from them. I am writing this because I want the world to be aware of the amazing job that miners do every day and the stress they face to do it. They deserve more miracles such as the one we are watching today.

Heck yeah!! Finally some truth!

I like to read the news. I have a compulsion to read about crime. Yes it is a filthy addiction but one I can't seem to curb. For some reason reading/watching about the way human beings can torture each other is riveting. Not in a "Yay, that's awesome." way but more of a "I can not believe people can be so low." I tend to follow crimes against children the most as I want to see if justice prevails or once again the system fails and more children are at risk. Something about these crimes tears at me and breaks my heart so I try to keep tabs to make sure those precious ones get what small peace they can. I habitually check CNN and their justice page as well as Nancy Grace. I ran across this story today. I know she pled guilty to avoid the death penalty and that's fine. I am just glad she admitted to what she did to that sweet girl. When a child is harmed that is the age of one of my children it really just makes me so sad. I am glad that there can be some closure in this case for the Cantu family and that the responsible party will have to pay for the crime for the rest of her life.

Seriously?

Found this article. I am speechless. Really. Very rare thing, that.

Bullying, an epidemic.

I am a huge reader of crime news and I watch Nancy Grace a lot more than I should. Part of it is really for research. I see a situation and I use it in a book. The biggest reason is just morbid curiosity. I read these stories and hope for better endings even when I know how bad they are. Our news is covered in violence. Violence for stupid reasons usually. The stories that hit me the hardest are the ones about violence against kids. Those of you who know me or who read my blogs know how passionate I am about children's rights and safety. All of you who read or listen or watch the news have heard the name Phoebe Prince. If not I'll fill you in. Phoebe was 15 years old and after repeated and horrible bullying she chose to take her own life in the stairwell outside of her apartment. Her suicide brought to light just how many kids took part in the systematic torture of this girl. Having been a very geeky and awkward teen I know how bad it can be. In junior high in Utah I can remember two girls in particular who loved to torment me. I was shoved down stairs. My house was egged. I had my locker torn apart and nasty things left in it. I had lovely notes about me scribbled in bathroom stalls. Even younger in Texas I was teased. I was the chunky girl who didn't shave her legs or wear a bra. (I was raised by a guy who was a bit behind on a girls needs.) I was teased relentlessly. Friends turned on me. I tried to cover by making myself more interesting. (Yes LYING) I still shudder at some of the things I would make up to try to not be that nerdy girl. Of course my "stories" always made things worse and when true tragedy was in my life no one believed me. It just seemed like another made up story. I lied about boys, I made up a mother who was missing from my life for all sorts of cool reasons, I created "cool" friends just to try to seem less stupid. Those early teen years flew until one day, like poor Phoebe, I tried to take my life. I didn't try hard that first time. I think I wanted someone to take me seriously. I wanted someone to see me. Really look at me and get me and love me despite the fact that at my core I was a book loving dreamer with the imagination to match wrapped in a plump body and without any girly knowledge. I tried a couple of times to kill myself, each time getting a little more daring then the last as things got worse and worse. Thankfully I met someone who did see me. He saw the stupidity and the beauty that was me and he loved me anyway. I wish Phoebe had found that someone. As a teen parents really don't count. We crave the love and closeness of a peer. We want that girlfriend we could talk to about anything and still be friends the next day or that guy who saw us and thought the sun rose and set with us. Phoebe did not find that and she took her life. Now the kids who bullied her are all up on charges and frankly I think that it is too little to late in so many ways. Yes the school responded to the acts that staff knew of with a firm hand. Good for them. BUT so many who are bullied tend to take it or try to fix it themselves. So many never tell and witnesses rarely say a word. Can you imagine if someone had said something; if students had reported the threats and degradation, if bystanders and made themselves heard on Phoebe's behalf? I wish more people would comment when they see someone being harassed and demeaned. The only way this epidemic will ever be dealt with is if we as communities stand up and refuse to take it. If you see someone being pushed around don't be afraid to call the police or whomever can fix it. Give these kids the voice they rarely have.

People are cheering this little **** on?!

Last time I was cruising online, and figured I'd hit up CNN.com before heading to bed. One article that immediately caught my eye was about a small island not too far away. They have had a rash of problems due to a kid whose apparently made it his life goal to drive everyone in the small community to the point of a lynching.

This little idiot was first arrested at the age of 12 for burglary and was given the nickname "barefoot burglar" because he'd leave barefoot tracks in the business and vacation homes he terrorized. He's now graduated onto stealing and wrecking planes, including one that buzzed the Olympic No-Fly Zone before crash landing back on Orcas Island.

All of this seems odd to me, seeing as the kid grew up in the area, but well, it still isn't a large area. How hard could it be? Police put out a huge manhunt after his latest stunt (including helicopters, dogs and heat-signature equipment) but eventually scaled back and never caught a clue.

But the oddest part is, this kid has fans. No more than fans, he has a stinking cult following. He even has a fan club. Why would people want to encourage and support this guy?! He's not some freedom fighter, he's a punk ass kid full of teen-angst who apparently has a knack at getting out of sticky situations.

Today I looked around and read several articles, including his fan club site. I'm reading a lot of things about how he's ADHD, and very smart, but was raised by a single mom who is inattentive and blah blah blah. This in now way makes what he's doing okay. According to CNN, he is suspected of recently breaking into a grocery store for food and supplies. People were cheering the act on Facebook, saying to stick it to the man. The only man he's "sticking it to" is the owner of the small shop whose slept there every night since the intrusion.

Shame on you, Kid. And even more so, shame on your supporters.

Women's birthing rights!

I am all about a woman's right to choose. When and how and if are human rights and a woman is a human being last time I checked. I saw this story on CNN and felt a bit surprised that still hospitals are refusing to do certain things for "safety". Yes a VBAC can up the chance of complications but if your doc is skilled and you want to at least try for one then they hospital should support that. I choose a c-section with Squeak because my birth experience with Bug still affects me and I was so glad I had the choice. Every woman should have a choice

Yet another pathetic excuse for a parent.

So I am working on getting rid of a headache and was just catching up on my news. A link on CNN's Nancy Grace's web page said "Toddler found dead in trash." I had to read it because stories like this just rip my heart out. Then I read the story and not only did my heart break but the anger factor went through the roof. I am so tired of reading and hearing about women who kill their children rather than ask for help or give them up. Race is no excuse, age is no excuse, laziness is no excuse, IQ is no excuse. There is no reason that children should die. Infants have safe haven recourse and older kids do have options. You can give up your rights. I know there can be legal ramifications but this has got to stop. I can't have any more children for a variety of reasons but we would love having more. We would adopt in a heartbeat and have actually talked about adopting a sibling pair from foster care once Squeak is older. My husband was in the system purely because his parents didn't want him. It was so hard sure, but better than being neglected and starved and abused due to shear stupidity and laziness. I miss the days when family was the most important and raising the children as a group was encouraged. It does take a village and all of us need to step up if we see a child in need so that these type of senseless acts never happen again.

Site goes Viral!!!

So Maggy showed me this web site and it is sooooo funny but kind of sad too. CNN even did a piece on it because it has gained a lot of momentum in cyberspace. I like that the creators told CNN they do have certain rules to what they post and what they don't. I also could see myself or people I love landing on their site in one of those frenzied mom moments we all have which is why I feel okay laughing at it. I do tend to be the queen of self deprecation though. What do you guys think? Harmless fun or derogatory?

Uplifting news.

So I have been doing my usual news wandering. In all the crime, and economic, and depressing news a story I read really stood out to me. A man who had a heart transplant is competing in Ironman this year. How awesome is that? This guy has had years and years of illness and hardship. He beats one thing ad another jumped him like a street thug yet now he is so healthy that he is running one of the biggest races on the planet. I say 3 cheers for him and for others like him who continue to fight against all odds and come out winners. Even if all he does is finish before the deadline to me he is a huge winner!!!

Palin - Quitter or Fighter?

So I voted republican in the last presidential election. I have always liked McCain and his values and choices were the most in line with what my family wants and needs. I liked Obama a lot to though so was not throwing a fit when he won. I think he deserves the chance he earned by winning to show us that he wants to make it better to be American.

Anyway as most of the world knows now Sarah Palin has resigned as Alaskan governor. Even after her speech I am still feeling in the dark as to why she quit. When she became VP nom I was excited. A woman I could get behind. Then she took a few mis-steps and honestly I couldn't fault her. She was a small town politico thrust into the national and international political field. Who wouldn't stumble a bit? This resigning thing though makes me mad. It also makes me not want to vote for her should she run in 2012. I want someone who chooses the office to remain in that office until death or the public remove them or their term ends. I want someone who will fight for me and for the leadership role they took on, knowing what that entailed. I see this as quitting. A part of me can't blame her. Politics has become a free for all in the media, just as bad as Hollywood, BUT resigning shows she will run when times get tough. I do not want that in my president. What do you guys think?

Tear Gas and Twitter: Update

So following the Iran's Highest Leaders proclamation that the vote was "fair" and that "no one could fake 11 million votes", he promised the protesters that if they continued there would be consequences.

And wow, have their been consequences.

Protesters are getting word out through Twitter, Facebook, iReport and YouTube. A video of a young girl, whom unconfirmed reports are calling Neda (her name means 'the voice') who at 16 years of age, was attending a peaceful protest with her father. She was shot in the heart by the paramilitary police (whom I believe are civilians, like a sort-of militia maybe?) and her final moments were caught on tape and posted on several social sites. It's some of the first footage the confirms what thousand have been saying is happening.

Her death is being re-played worldwide, and maybe people are finally snapping into understanding what is happening. This kind of footage the Ahmadinejad Regime cannot brush under the carpet.

Tear Gas and Twitter: What's happening in Iran?

I've been following the situation in Iran, although not as closely as I should be. I'm amazed by the tenacity of the Iranian people, and their willingness to truly fight for what they believe in. I really don't doubt that the elections were rigged in some way. Obviously I'm not Iranian, so I don't know for sure. And since communications have been virtually cut off, not much is known about what for sure is happening on the inside.

One thing that has been amazing to me is the impact that social sites like Twitter and Facebook have had. 70% of Iranians are under the age of thirty and as TOR mentioned this morning (on twitter, ironic?) Iran has more per capita bloggers then any other country. Since the elections, mobile and text communications have reportedly been intermittent across the country (coincidence?) and Internet speeds have also reportedly been slow.

CNN has posted a few great articles on the subject, here and here. Also here is another amazing article written about the protests and violent suppression surrounding them. One blogger risked the censor that has in place for reporters to get out this story, which was very moving to me.

A friend made a comment on Twitter that I posted earlier as the quote of the day. Which if you didn't see it read, "Can't get Iran protesters outta my head. Risking arrest, ruin, beating & death for personal freedoms & democracy. Puts shit in perspective". And it's so true. Here I am whining about how gas went up 10 cents. I wish I could really put into words how I really feel.

I hope these protests change Iran, hell I hope they change the world.