I haven’t posted anything today about Memorial Day because, quite frankly, I feel unequal to the task. What can you say about a group of men and women who have given their lives - the ultimate sacrifice - for you and your fellow citizens? What can you say to their families to equal their loss? What words can you offer their children to try to compensate for their absence? Everything that comes to mind seems so inadequate. So I’m once again left with those two small, insufficient words:
Thank You.
Congratulations to Ed of Late Final on his one-year-blogiversary.
*sings off-key* And ma-ny moooooore!!!
“I’m not exactly sure what our ‘nonmilitary strength’ is, but I hope it has something to do with macrame plant hangers.” - Liberal Larry
A recent comment from former Spokanite Don:
You are quite adept at expressing your views. It’s strange how intelligent people can view the world in opposite ways.
Soon I realized that we are opposite in almost every political position. Whatever I think I can pretty much bet you don’t agree with.
Rather than address all of our differences which would take more time than both you or I have I will pare it down to one regarding abortion.
As an allegory to to your belief that a human is formed at conception I would like to ask you when is a car a car?
Is it when the minerals are mined? When it is processed into steel? When it is converted to sheet metal? When the steel is received at the auto manufacturer? How bout when it’s driven off the showroom floor?
There are many plausible answers to complex questions.
I choose to not infringe on the rights of those I consider complete humans, not potential humans.
Dana, with all due respect, you are much more than just to the right of center.
Thank you,
Don
I
consider this the very best kind of comment to get (well, other than
the ones that shower praise and adoration on me, of course *wink*) -
Don doesn’t agree with me, but he’s not an asshole or a troll about it,
either. I’m grateful he took the time to comment so thoughtfully, and
thought a response deserved its own post. My response is in the
extended entry.
You are quite adept at expressing your views. It's strange how intelligent people can view the world in opposite ways.
Thanks. I've often wondered at that very same thing, but I suppose it's because we're all the product not only of our intellect, but also our experiences and education, as well as of our interaction with people we encounter throughout our lives. Different events make impressions on different people, and help mold them into the unique beings they are. Even so, I sometimes wonder at how some people can support things which seem, to me, to be so absurd, or vice versa.
Soon I realized that we are opposite in almost every political position. Whatever I think I can pretty much bet you don't agree with.
You might be surprised. Only a tiny fraction of my opinions are ever expressed here.
As an allegory to to your belief that a human is formed at conception I would like to ask you when is a car a car?
I think this is a fundamentally different process of creation/production. Manufacturing a product like a car requires constant action, involvement, input, and effort. It's not a process that, once set in motion, continues more or less on its own momentum. Manufacturing lacks the kind of momentum inherent in baby-making. It lacks that element of inevitability.
I choose to not infringe on the rights of those I consider complete humans, not potential humans.
And I choose not to include murder as among a person's rights.
Dana, with all due respect, you are much more than just to the right of center.
I think I fall "right" (i.e. toward the conservative end of the spectrum) on more issues than those on which I fall "left", but I have a feeling I'm not near as conservative as you might think. I support gun owner rights, the death penalty, small government (Bush-bloat notwithstanding), low taxes, a strong military, capitalism, and fetal right to life.
I also support equal rights (though not "special" rights), separation of church and state (including such things as posting Ten Commandments in courthouses), free speech, and freedom of the press. I support gay civil unions on a par with straight civil unions, and think the term "marriage" should not be a legal one.
I homeschool my kids because I think the schools are doing a shitty job of it. I believe in God, but do not subscribe to a religion. I own a farm where we grow organic food, co-sleep with our infants, carry them in slings, and I breastfeed. We selectively immunize based on scientific evidence, and we make sure our children recognize the unlimited potential the world has to offer them. I support voluntary and choice-driven charity, and loath governmental welfare.
I don't think that the Palestinian people are the anti-Christ, or that Israel is the Messiah. I see grayer shades than that. That's only one issue, but it's representative of how I think on lots of things. Abortion just ain't one of em. ;)
Norman does his own version of “Friday Five” every week, except he does a Top Ten instead of a list of answers to goofy questions. This week is a doozy - “Top Ten Summer Camps to Send Your Kids To This Year.” (He’s on Blogspot, so just look for the May 28th entry entitled “Summer of 68.”
10. Atkin’s Diet Camp. Why have your youngster just settle for the run of the mill eating disorder when they can have the newest trendy one? Campers will severely restrict their intake of carbs in order to lose weight (hey, childhood obesity is a problem). At the end of camp, participants not suffering from kidney and liver problems will get a Mad Cow BBQ apron.
I hate the Atkins craze (maybe even more so since I live in the middle of wheat country), and #10 alone was enough for Norman to earn a mention here. But wait! There’s more!
5. 9/11 Commission Camp. Learn how to blame a Republican president for failures of a previous administration. Use posturing and dissimulation to advance your agenda. Waste federal tax dollars in the process. Free copy of Richie Clarke’s book for early registration.
[…]
1. Multicultural Extracurricular Socialist Seminar. MESS for short. Yes, it’s just a continuation of the public school curriculum. Little or no emphasis on Math, Reading, or Writing. Special lectures on why America and capitalism are bad. Guest instructors include PETA spokespeople, Al Gore, MoveOn.org, and Hillary Clinton. All campers receive an Anybody But Bush bumper sticker for their two Mom’s hybrid mini-van.
Seven more where those came from.
“It’s so much easier to suggest solutions when you don’t know too much about the problem.” - Malcolm Forbes
The following was sent to me in email from Cpl Bonnelle R. Baerman, OSJA Paralegal, RHHT 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. She ends by saying she made a small impression on the children she encountered, but my guess is it was far more than that. Thank you, Cpl. Baerman, for being a beacon of hope to the girls of Iraq, and for representing our nation so well.
This was brought to mind when I received an email from my sister, who is considering adopting a little girl from China in a few years. She was talking to one of our friends, who then proceeded to get mad at her because there are a lot of Americans who need to be adopted too. I’ve even considered adopting a little Iraqi girl. My sister, Becky, had to describe as best she could my experiences over here for Jenny, our friend, to understand. Once Jenny heard the stories, she’s even thinking about adopting an Iraqi girl. Here’s the story:
I had heard before I arrived in Iraq how females were treated in this society. I'll admit it, it angered me greatly. I always made an effort to smile and wave at the women and girls I saw as I was driving from one camp to another. Most of the time, the females didn't really notice that I too was a girl. I think it has to do with the fact that most military is male. That and I always have on my flackvest, kevlar and reflective sunglasses.
Well, I was out on patrols with Commanche Troop, 1st Squadron, 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment during the first 2 weeks of July 2003. (They don't have females in that squadron, so a few females from Regiment would come over for 2 week rotations to help with road blocks and searches so as not to humiliate the women here.) On one of these patrols, I was out with a squad from Commanche on a Psyop mission - we were escorting the Psyop guys who were delivering newspapers to the communities.
I was dismounted from my HUMMV and talking with a huge group of kids, well, as much as we could talk with eachother. There were a ton of boys ranging from 3 to early 20s and a few girls ranging from 3 to mid-teens. I had on my sunglasses like normal so no one could see my eyes, and the locals kept calling me Mister. I don't mind, because the people will usually listen to me when they think I'm a guy. But a staff sergeant heard them and said, "No, not mister. Madame." All the local males turned toward me and smiled brightly, slowly advancing. The girls just stared at me, with open mouths. Finally, that same Sergeant took off my sunglasses for me. They saw I have blue eyes. Talk about pandamonium! The local males came even closer!
I had something wrong with my kevlar helmet and had to take it off to fix the problem. Everyone saw I had blonde hair. The girls went absolutely berserk! They were all cheering and clapping! One little girl brought over the head and shoulders of a doll (that was all that was left of it) and kept pointed at the doll and then me, smiling broadly. There was a group of girls over by a gate and they were cheering and clapping, they asked my name and started chanting, "Bonnie! Bonnie! Bonnie!" over and over again.
I think that's one of the best things since I've been here. Letting the women and girls know that they'll be able to be what they want to be, to make an impression on the females here. They just seemed so in awe of seeing a female where once only men had been. I took a picture of that group of girls and I know I'll always treasure it. I know that they've made an impact on me, and I hope I've made one on them... small as it may be.
“If the human mind was simple enough to understand, we’d be too simple to understand it.” - Emerson Pugh
Me: Sweet dreams, Kayla.
Kayla: No!
Me: No? You want to have rotten dreams?
Kayla: No.
Me: OK, what kind of dreams do you want to have?
Kayla: Have baby dreams.
Sgt Hook (from whom I got a card today, w00t!) wants to know what books bloggers would put on their “101 Best” list. Now, 101’s a big number, so go! Suggest! Voice!
Norman asks the age-old question (it comes up every couple of months or so): “Why do you blog? What do you want to get from it?” (I dunno what he’s talking about with the whole Bill Gates thing; it’s immaterial for the purposes of THIS entry).
For me, it changes over time, at least a little bit. I no longer believe people who say they blog only for themselves, and not for an audience. If that were the case, they’d all be writing in journals, or in .txt documents they stored on their own hard drives. Or at the very least, they’d disable comments and trackbacks. We all blog for each other. Hell, for me, the answer is different from day to day (and that’s probably evident in how and what I post).
Sometimes, I do it to reach out to people I wouldn’t otherwise know.
Sometimes, I do it to rant, and to rant publicly.
Sometimes, I do it to make people laugh.
Sometimes, I do it to document things that have happened in my life, or in our world.
Sometimes, I do it to galvanize support for a cause.
Sometimes, I do it because I have a question I want answered, and blogging is the most expedient way to do it.
Sometimes, I do it because I want to weigh in on the issue of the day, and to not let my voice be drowned out by the drumbeat of national media.
Sometimes, I do it because I’m profoundly sad, or profoundly happy, and feel compelled to share that.
All too often, I have no reason, but feel like I owe my readers something so they know I haven’t gone into labor. ;)
My posts aren’t all good. In all probability, most of them are crap (most things are, you know). But I like to think that, every now and then, something I say resonates with some of you, and gets you talking. And I like the way that feels. And most of the time, THAT’S why I do it.
Editor's Note: I did have links to specific posts for each of those "Sometimes" statements, but when I moved from Movable Type to Wordpress, the links didn't stay the same. I don't remember what things I linked to anymore, so now they're unlinked.
Today, my niece is getting married. I don’t even know if she reads this site or not, but just in case:
Candi-Cane, I wish you all the success and happiness the world has to offer. You’re a very mature young woman, with your head screwed firmly into place. I’m proud of you, and I know you’ll make good choices. Jimmye loves you, and together the two of you will continue to forge a life together that others envy. Keep each other first, and know that your “Northern Extension” of the family loves and supports you, and thinks of you often. I wish to God I could be there today - I miss you so much. I know you’ll be a beautiful bride, and will radiate all the poise and grace you naturally possess.
One word of advice - try to keep the burping to a minimum. ;)
We love you.
This is Candice, at my wedding five years ago tomorrow (she was my flower girl):
At the suggestion of a reader, dan, I read an article by John Ross about what men want from women, to make the men happy. I have to suspect a lot of it is bullshit (like this bit:
There is no lonelier feeling in the world than having the woman who you’ve vowed to protect and care for show no interest in sex with you. The easiest fix for this is for women to have a paradigm shift on the way they view sex. Start thinking of sex with your husband as equivalent to comforting your children over mild injuries (skinned knee, etc.) You wouldn’t dream of blowing off your child’s need for you just because you were tired, would you? You’d never act like your child with the skinned knee was being a nuisance, would you? Don’t do it with your husband about sex, either. Ever. Not even once.
Come. On. Do you REALLY want us thinking of you as having precisely as much restraint and understanding of OUR feelings as the kids do? Surely not. I can certainly see the need to be all-around more empathetic when it comes to sexual needs (I’m way more turned on by turning SexyHusband on, for example, than in my own gratification), but who wants to be an item on someone’s “to do” list?
Oh, wait, but I digress. There’s a bit of dialog in that article that was just too good to miss, and had me laughing for two minutes, straight. I don’t want to excerpt it, so just click, and Ctrl+F for “beauty pageant” and start reading from there. Priceless. :)
Do you suppose a woman’s water has ever broken during cunnilingus? If so, what do you suppose happened (the first one who says “she probably had a baby” gets a smack-down)?
Norman of Espresso Sarcasm has his own top ten list today, of “Summer Movies (not likely coming to a theater near you)”. A few picks:
7. The Day after Election Day. Al Gore walks around with a sandwich board sign saying the sky is falling because of global warming. Special cameo by Chicken Little.
I hope that one goes into sequels this fall. ;)
5. Menage a Troy. Madonna, Britney, and Christina perform the Greek epic. Madonna pulls out the old cone bra.
[…]
3. New York 15 Minutes. The Olsen twins are way over their Andy Warhol fame allotment and will likely be working Times Square really soon.
“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” - Elbert Hubbard
Can’t excerpt, but must link. Trust me, if you blog, or if you’re married to a blogger, or if you read blogs (and if you’re here, you do), you’ve GOTTA read it.
On a related note… I wonder when I’ll be able to fit back in my
red gold lacy things again…
“Even more proof of how severely Bush has squandered the golden showers of international goodwill we received after 9/11.” - Liberal Larry
mlah mentions in this post about how he recently got his car washed by a bunch of cheerleaders. As a former member of a drill team (think “cheerleaders with rhythm"), I’ve slopped my share of suds for spare change. Since I was only (at most) 13 at the time, I really hope there were no men leering at me. Frankly, I wasn’t all that much to look at at the time, and my fellow team members were generally much more developed than I, so I doubt I attracted much attention.
The cheerleader pyramid’s a novel approach, though. Wish we’d thought of that for reaching some of the roofs of those vans. On second thought, it’s probably a good thing we didn’t. We were always so soapy, we probably would have slipped and fallen into a soggy mess on the concrete.
What?
Just so you know, Pam RULES. Those who can (that’s her), do. Those who can’t (that’s me), really would do themselves a service to ask those who can!
Yeah, that’s teasy. I’ll post more when I can.
“I just set up a car seat. Next, I will do something simple, like launch a space shuttle.” - Mike of miniluv
Uma Thurman, at a recent news conference about the character she played in “Kill Bill", said this:
“She’s fatal, but not too femme. Actually she was quite unfeminine. There was very little vanity about the character, quite the opposite.”
After I recovered from the whiplash that statement gave me, I was quite indignant. So now “femininity” is equated with “vanity"? I can understand if she’d said The Bride wasn’t “girly” or “frou-frou” or “coquettish", but to say she wasn’t feminine?
And that got me thinking - what qualities DO I associate with femininity? That’s a pretty tough question to answer. I’d like to believe I think of women as powerful (and many of us are), but when I hear the word “feminine” the first things that spring to mind are “gentle” and “nurturing.” Definitely not “vain", though.
What do you think? What makes someone feminine in your mind?
In honor of Armed Forces Day, I bring to you the lyrics to one of my favorite songs - Letters From Home, by John Michael Montgomery. Lyrics are in the extended entry, for those who aren’t country fans.
"My dearest son, it's almost June.
I hope this letter catches up with you
And finds you well.
It's been dry but they're callin' for rain
And everything's the same ol' same
In Johnsonville.
Your stubborn old Daddy ain't said too much,
But I'm sure you know he sends his love,"
And she goes on in a letter from home.
I hold it up and show my buddies
Like we ain't scared and our boots ain't muddy,
And they all laugh like there's somethin' funny 'bout the way I talk
When I say, "Mama sends her best, y'all."
I fold it up and put it in my shirt,
Pick up my gun and get back to work,
And it keeps me drivin' on -
Waitin' on letters from home.
"My dearest love, it's almost dawn.
I've been lyin' here all night long
Wonderin' where you might be.
I saw your Mama and I showed her the ring.
Man on the television said something
So I couldn't sleep.
But I'll be alright I'm just missin' you.
And this is me kissin' you."
X's and O's in a letter from home.
I hold it up and show my buddies
Like we ain't scared and our boots ain't muddy,
And they all laugh 'cause she calls me "honey"
But they take it hard
'Cause I don't read the good parts.
I fold it up and put it in my shirt.
Pick up my gun and get back to work,
And it keeps me drivin' on -
Waitin' on letters from home.
"Dear Son, I know I ain't written.
Sittin' here tonight alone in the kitchen it occurs to me
I might not have said it so I'll say it now:
Son, you make me proud."
I hold it up and show my buddies
Like we ain't scared and our boots ain't muddy.
But no one laughs 'cause there ain't nothin' funny when a soldier cries,
And I just wipe my eyes.
I fold it up and put it in my shirt.
Pick up my gun and get back to work,
And it keeps me drivin' on -
Waitin' on letters from home.
I was all set to make a snarky comment about how wrong it is for someone to name their daughter “Apple", until I read that Gwyneth Paltrow’s baby was weighed 9 pounds, 11 ounces at birth. Anyone who gives birth to an all-but-ten-pounder (especially when Hollywood is so obsessed with physique that they routinely induce birth a month or more before due date) has the right to name the baby any damn fool thing they want, without criticism from me.
Today is National Armed Forces Day. Blackfive has a number of posts today about both the history of the day, and about specific men and women serving us. I haven’t anything near as worthwhile to say, so I’ll just point you in his direction.
I wish to extend my most heartfelt gratitude to those Americans who - directly or indirectly - put themselves in harm’s way when their nation calls them. Our military has been given a black eye in the last couple of weeks by the despicable, inhuman acts of a few. But as Sgt Hook points out, that is not the prevailing attitude nor conduct of our armed forces. It’s not what they’re about.
So to those now in arms, and to those who’ve gone before: Thank You.
“I just lost my thighs in the postpartum depression of 1991 and I believe that woman has them. How much?” - Miss Emma
Leaders of Germany’s ruling coalition called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Wednesday, warning the West would be held collectively accountable for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.
By golly, that cinches it, dunnit? I’ve got the feathers, who’s got the tar?
Incidentally, I refuse to intentionally look at any pictures of the Abu Ghraib abuse (I have seen a few accidentally, and was horrified), and I also refuse to watch the video of Nick Berg’s murder. Horror leads to anger, anger leads to stress, stress leads to high blood pressure, and high blood pressure is a VeryBadThing for me right now.
I don’t have an ear for classical music. Frankly, I don’t like it, and I couldn’t tell you the difference between a well-played piece and a klunker. So it’s a good thing I’m not a music critic. Harvey has a run-down of the Ten Dirtiest Secrets About Professional Music Critics. My favorites:
8) Critics should not be confused with “crickets", although both tend to make annoying “scree! scree!” noises.
[…]
3) When discussing the virtues of a particular composition with a professional music critic, remember to use small words and short, simple sentences, much as you would when talking to a small child, or a particularly bright Chihuahua.
#1 is, of course, the best one, but you’ll have to go read the list to find out what it is. :)
A woman hid a grenade in her vagina and smuggled it into a Colombian prison, where it exploded and killed three inmates on Tuesday, prison authorities said.
Ya know, sometimes I think internet access should be preceded by a simple IQ test. Or maybe a little class, or tutorial you have to take. Something quick and easy, explaining the basics of things like email communication (don’t delete the entire message you’re responding to; leave in pertinent parts; HTML cutesie blinking add-ins are stupid and make you look like a moron), basic Net security (no, ***** is not what we changed your password to; yes, you, too really MUST supply us with a password; no, it doesn’t have to be your social security number, mother’s maiden name, or password to your email account), and general netiquette (don’t TYPE IN ALL CAPS).
See, to participate in TheThing, everybody has to register, and make up a unique username and a password. Just like on practically every other web-based business on the Internet, right? You’d think people would know what they were doing once it came time to participate in TheThing. But you would be sadly mistaken. For you see, far too many users (particularly those with a-o-somethingorother.com in their email addresses) do not grasp this basic concept. Here is a recent email exchange (edited only to remove identifying information) between me and someone who is trying to participate in TheThing:
Them: I have been receiving your letters and messages for a long time. I have not changed my email address. It’s ***@AOL.COM - (all caps not necessary). Please make sure I get back on your mailing/e-mail list.
Me: I’m sorry, but I don’t show a registration for this email address, nor for [anyone by your name]. You can register with this address by visiting https://www.quiltindex.com/MallCrawl/register.aspx
Them: Why has my password been printed on the internet. I thought this was to be secure and not published. Please explain.
Me: Where is your password printed on the Internet?
Them: I don’t understand your question. I give out my e-mail address, which you have, but I thought the password was not given out. I obviously do have a password - but have not been asked to give it before. I am disabled and do lots of shopping online. Mostly quilt fabric and pattern sources. I’ve not been asked before for my password. Can you explain?
I voiced my frustration to SexyHusband, who suggested this as a response:
Dear ***,
Sorry.
You must be at least this high to participate in TheThing +
“Attacking Bush for being stubborn is like charging a rhino with a Nerf bat.” - Oberon of North Georgia Dogma
Harvey finally did it. He finally moved away from Radio, and into MuNu land. With the move comes a new name - Bad Example (rather apt, if you ask me). So now, I no longer have to wait a day and a half for his site to load when I ask it to, nor do I have to set aside a browser window just for Harvey. :)
Welcome to Movable Type, Harvey!
Conversation had this morning, as I reviewed the Reuters RSS feeds:
Me: (to SexyHusband) Boy,
Chechnya’s not
a place to be today, is it?
SexyHusband: Nope.
Son: Why not?
Me: Because people are doing bad things there.
Son: Called what?
Me: Called “killing each other.”
Son: Then that means they have to stop.
If only it were as simple in the real world as it is in his.
“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.” - Anonymous
I’ve gotten a lot of unexpected comments on a recent post I did (April 27 entry) about Operation Take One For the Country - everything from people wanting me to hook them up, to people who have moral objections to the concept of OTOFTC, to those who think it’s patriotic as hell and would sign up if they could. For the record (and I thought this was obvious, but…) I am not affiliated with OTOFTC, any more than posting about a broken toe (October 28 entry) makes me equipped to dispense medical advice. I do not know - all you horny sailors, soldiers, and marines - how you would get in touch with these girls (even if it is “priority"). You see, I am a pimp, not a madame.
Now, here at Note-It Posts, I have a comment policy that is one of respect. I don’t allow people to flame me or other readers, and I don’t allow just blatant meanness. It just ain’t fittin’. But this morning I had a comment that I just can’t parse, so I don’t know if they’re being mean or incoherent or just really, really outraged (those last two are ok here). So you decide. Is this a flame?
You guys are Fucking wierd, do you honestly think that form of manipulation is positive, well enough about you knuckle heads the AWB sunset is a far more pressing matter.
I had no idea what an “AWB sunset” was, so I did what any self-respecting
blogger would do: I Googled it.
Ahhh, ok. The Automatic Weapons Ban sunsetting. Mmm, yes, that *is*
important. But you see, Mr. John Ho, I never promised you seriousness
here at Note-It Posts. In fact, I never promised you a damn thing. I’m
not obliged to post about what *you* think is pressing, or even what
*I* think is pressing. I generally tend to post about what I think is
*interesting*. If you want to make a comment about the AWB sunset, I
suggest you get your own soapbox weblog, and post your own opinion, rather than telling people what to spout off about on theirs. MM-kay?*
*With a nod to Miss Emma
In shopping for a gift for SexyHusband for our upcoming fifth anniversary, I stumbled across this listing for a miniature smoker.
This baby can be used on stovetop (if you’re really fond of the sound of smoke detectors), with a can of Sterno (not included, you have to get your own darned jelled alcohol) or on a campfire which is not only not included but is one of the stupidest things I’ve heard in a looooooooong time. “Hey Ralph, nice campfire! Why don’t we enclose that (extremely small) trout in some stainless steel contraption so we can get some smoke flavor with it!”
Incidentally, the fifth anniversary is “wood". Any suggestions are welcome, as I’m rather stumped on this one.
You know, I’m all for freedom of expression, but with that freedom needs to come some consciousness of who your possible audience is, and what impact your work might have on them.
An angry Milan resident put an abrupt end to a shock art exhibition in one of Milan’s busiest squares by climbing up a tree to cut down two large plastic dolls hanged by a noose before himself tumbling from the tree.
Did the “artist” (and how much artistry does it take to string up dolls in a tree?) consider the effect such a display would have on children who might see it? I mean, these are dolls, after all. As the mother of two toddlers, I can tell you that young children often are unable to distinguish between playthings - even imaginary ones - and real things. Such a spectacle as this would be virtually impossible to explain to young children. Hell, *I* don’t even get what the point is. Does Italy have a big problem with lynchings?
“The work itself is a commentary on violence, so it’s a bit ironic if not depressing if it comes down because of an act of violence,” said [the “artist"] Cattelan.
[…]
“You can appreciate it or criticize it, without forgetting that free thought and creative expression are fundamental to our civilization,” [Milan’s mayor] said in a statement.
So a guy climbs a tree to cut some dolls down, and that’s an “act of violence", but some nutbar hangs them up there in the first place, and that’s “creative expression"? Sorry, does not compute. If the guy wanted to put this in a museum or gallery somewhere, with entrances to the exhibit clearly marked and warnings posted, I’d be just fine with that. But a busy public square, traveled by unprepared people of all ages, is not the venue for this.
It’s been quite awhile since I did one of these, so I
think it’s time. Special nod to all the Bloggers With Boobies.
Redneck Woman
by Gretchen Wilson
Well I aint never been the Barbie doll type
No, I can’t
swig that sweet champagne
I’d rather drink beer all night
In a tavern or in a honky tonk
Or on a 4-wheel-drive tailgate
Oh, I’ve got posters on my wall of Skynyrd,
Kid and Strait
Some people look down on me but I don’t give a rip
I stand barefooted in my own front yard with a baby on my hip
Cause I’m a redneck woman
I ain’t no high-class broad
I’m just a product of my raisin’
I say “Hey y’all” and “Yeehaw”
And I keep my Christmas lights on on my front porch all year long
And I know all the words to every
Charlie Daniels song
So here’s to all my sisters out there keeping
it country
Let me get a
big “Hell Yeah” from the redneck
girls like me
Hell Yeah
Hell Yeah
Victoria’s
Secret well their stuff’s real nice
Oh but I can buy the same damn thing on a Wal-Mart shelf
half-price
And still look sexy
Just as sexy
As those models on TV
No, I don’t need no designer tag to
make my man want me
You might think I’m trashy
A little too hard core
But in my neck of the woods
I’m just the girl next door
Hey I’m a redneck woman
I ain’t no high-class broad
I’m just a product of my raisin’
I say “Hey y’all” and “Yeehaw”
And I keep my Christmas lights on
on my front porch all year long
And I know all the words to every Tanya
Tucker song
So here’s to all my sisters out there keeping
it country
Let me get a big “Hell Yeah” from the
redneck girls like me
Hell Yeah
Hell Yeah
I’m a redneck woman
I ain’t no high-class broad
I’m just a product of my raisin’
I say “Hey y’all” and “Yeehaw”
And I keep my Christmas lights on on my front porch all year long
And I know all the words to every old
Bocephus song
So here’s to all my sisters out there keeping it country
Let me get a big
“Hell Yeah” from the redneck girls like me
Hell Yeah
Hell Yeah
Hell Yeah
Hell Yeah
Hell Yeah
Hell Yeah
I said, “Hell, Yeah!”
UPDATE: I am not Gretchen Wilson. I have never met Gretchen Wilson. I only posted these lyrics, I neither wrote nor sang them. I am turning comments off for this post, as some people are believing me to be her, and posting their sensitive information (mailing addresses, for example) in hopes that I (she) will come visit them. (I won’t, and I’m sure she won’t be pulling up in your driveway any time soon, either.)
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” - Alvin Toffler
Alrighty, blacklist script in, comment queue script out. So far, it seems to be working fine, and my little bit of testing seems to have worked, too. If you tried to post a comment or two (ahem) earlier today that isn’t showing up, please repost it.
Sorry for the grumpiness today, everybody; it’s been a rough weekend.
THIS ENTRY IS NOT G-RATED. IF YOU’RE UNDERAGE, SKIP IT.
Blogging has now officially become a pain in the ass. The comment spammers have managed
to sap just about every single ounce of joy from the experience for me, and now that they
know how to spoof IP addresses, blocking them does no good. I've gotten over 50 of them
in the last 8 hours. Sure, I have a comment queue so their fucked up messages never see
the light of day, but I'm sick and tired of having my inbox filled up with this bullshit,
and with having to rebuild 30 times a day (the mt-rebuild
script I use as part of my comment
queue seems to not be working, and even after reinstalling everything it's still SNAFU'd),
I'm about ready to throw in the towel. Or at least turn off all comments, but then THAT would
suck, because the legitimate comments are - for me, anyway - the best part of blogging.
And whoever is behind the sexmuch.com messages, may you die a slow, painful death at the hands of a million tiny little mice with tiny little claws and tiny little teeth who have a taste for your tiny little dick.
UPDATE: At the suggestion of some of my readers, I'm trying the mt-blacklist plugin. It really was super-easy to install (even for an open-source newbie like me), and I'm hoping it works as well as hyped. Cuz otherwise, I'm seriously thinking about quitting. Thanks for the suggestion, guys.
UPDATE II: *sigh* OK, so the blacklist queue seems to be working, but between it and the comment queue I installed before, at least two legitimate comments have been deleted. I don't know how to fix this, and I don't have the time to make it work. So, I guess, for the time being, you just have to know that comments aren't being logged. Sorry. I'll fix it when I can.
“You’re the naughtiest person I know that I’m not married to. :-)” - Harvey
I had a hard time categorizing this one. I wasn’t sure whether to put it under Sex, Terrorism, or Other. Maybe I need a category for “People I’d Love to Murder With My Bare Hands.”
For the past six years, convicted child rapist Laura Faye McCollum has lived a lonely existence inside the state’s women’s prison. On Monday, she is scheduled to move to the new Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island to live among 190 other dangerous sex offenders all of them men.
McCollum is worried about attending therapy sessions with the men, and many experts say treating offenders of both genders together could be harmful.
[…]
McCollum was convicted in 1990 of repeatedly raping an 18-month-old girl and trying to suffocate her with a pillow. She has admitted to sexually assaulting 15 children mostly girls between the ages of 2 and 3.
Sorry, sister. You’ll get no sympathy from me. As far as I’m concerned, you forfeited your right to breathe - far less have some say in where that breath was drawn - when you first touched that first little girl or boy with sexual intent. I hope your fears are fully and completely realized.
Oh, but get this… here’s the kicker.
McCollum says therapy has changed her. She is nearly finished with her GED and has earned a janitorial certificate. She hopes to move to Spokane one day, get a pet pug, and get a job cleaning office buildings at night, where she has little chance of running into children.
I live an hour and a half from Spokane, and go there often for shopping and entertainment. At least I know what this bitch looks like, and knowing she’ll be so close will motivate me to remember to renew my CCL when it expires next February.
Hat tip to Norman
Happy NSD! As the thing seems to be going along frighteningly perfectly (with all thanks due, of course, to the brilliant code of SexyHusband and BestFriend), I’m going to be celebrating the day scrapbooking pictures! I might even blog here from time to time, so I guess I spoke too soon in my “I won’t be around” post.
Come back! Come back!
