The Parade Still Has a Place

There's many places that are having their pride celebrations at the moment.  This is a good documentary about some ugly events in recent memory that were done by the government.  I love George Takei, not only for his wit, but for how he educates people on the treatment of the Japanese during the war.  As I live on the west coast, it's something I am aware of.  We have something called the P.N.E. each year (Pacific National Exhibition); it's a place where there's a roller coaster and other amusements.  However, during the war, Japanese citizens were housed in the cattle and horse barns.  Others went inland--their homes, fishing boats and property were seized.  We did not do this to the Germans and Italians with whom we were also at war.

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In this half hour documentary, he and others read and discuss events that caused respected workers to kill themselves.  The red scare in the fifties also targeted gays and destroyed  lives and careers.  When people ask why there is still a need for the parade, it's because people still want to do away with these rights.  There are countries where gay people, or those who are suspected of being so based on having the wrong clothing or hair cuts are stoned to death or pushed of rooftops.
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Government War on Gays
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Lest any Canadian act smug and say this is in the U.S., I have written about my summer job working with the RCMP.  While I did not get asked the question, one of the women I had several classes with was very upset when the hiring officer wanted to know if she was a lesbian.  That was the exact word he used.   He probably had some stereotype in his head and since she had short hair and a square jaw, she matched that image.    Nevermind that she had a longterm boyfriend.   At that time it was okay to ask and it was okay to deny employment.  It was only years later  that somebody fought them on this issue.

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The military continued to deny gay people employment until fairly recently. 

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There are still jobs where, depending on the posting, they aren't always welcoming.  On paper the acceptance is there.  On paper it's inclusive.  In practice, it's another story.

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Start with the Senators

Hand on my heart, I have never stolen anything in my life.  I'm the sort of person who tells the store clerk if she's made a mistake and under-charged me, because I know that at the end of the day, she's the one who gets called on the carpet for any mistakes on the register.  I deeply resent being called a thief and being treated like one.  Increased security checks, such as credit checks of employees when they haven't earned them,  are insulting.

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Canadians are faced with a barrage of headlines at the moment about Senators under investigation for theft.  They are guaranteed a fixed income for life, yet that did not stop them from stealing.  Doing credit checks on regular working people will not solve anything.  Many of these people are divorced and paying for two families.  They are often forced to do overtime.  Some work a second job on their days off.   This may come as a shock to a rarified people who are surrounded by security staff in Ottawa, but it's a fact of life for most people today.  It's embarrassing to live  from pay check to pay check and to not be able to buy your kids the stuff they wanted.  While I don't have any of my own, I hear people talk.  

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How much will it cost to do this credit check?  Did anybody hear about the recent Chinese hack on the United States Government workers?  It's a fallacy that people do untoward things because of bad credit.  Some people do it because they watched one too many James Bond movies.  Over the years, I've seen many do it because they get involved romantically with somebody.  The current situation in New York State is a prime example of this.  Gang involvement is another motivation as is terrorism.  But paying off off a bad line of credit usually isn't  what drives a person.

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And so it starts, the invasion of privacy with the anti terrorism bill..... 

An Update on a Story

I have to give credit when it's due.  They are charging the woman who caused the two felons to escape in New York State.   She may face eight years as it's a felony in the United States.  Congratulations to Cuomo for doing the right thing.

Crossing the Line

As I write this, the cops have locked down a town in upstate New York and are looking for two escaped cons.  The woman who helped them get out of Dodge has a sign posted on her home referencing "just falling in love" and has gone on to greener pastures.  I am livid.  I want to call her names equating   ta female dog, but then I like animals and I won't insult the breed; they don't deserve it.  Here's what I want to know---since I get pulled over or tracked down if I don't have on a seat belt, why is this woman not locked up?  She committed a crime!  At first I did not believe the rumours.  Frankly, I looked at the photos and I know how the press works.   She's a heavy, older woman and she was an easy target.  It made for a salacious story and the system wants an easy out.  Instead of conceding that perhaps these guys should not have cascaded down the system, it's simpler to put the blame on an employee.  But, she then admitted that she had helped them.  All gloves were off as far as I was concerned.

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I have a lot of energy when it comes to this topic and for good reason.  Frankly, I don't understand the double standard.  I just finished a very well written book by the husband of Debra Lefave (Gorgeous Disaster).    Since her arrest and conviction, Owen Lafave has gone on to speak out on behalf of male victims (yes, they are) of teacher assault.  Watch the interview of Debra with Matt Lauer  and then read the book and you will get a full understanding of just how manipulative this woman is.  She talks about being modest, yet her husband writes that she wore provocative clothing to school.  She wasn't shy as she had a career when she was young as a singer that opened for well known music groups.  She taunted a woman in a restaurant (I won't go into details for spoiler reasons).  She seemed to thrive on the interest of the media.

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Had Debra been a male teacher who had fixated on a male student, male commentators would have been outraged.  Yet, as she is a "hot blond," they make light of the matter.  They would not have been positive if she had gone after a female student, or if she had been an ugly woman.  However, men are forever moaning that women are getting off lighter in the courts.  Huh?  All of the women that I know wanted her to get what she had coming.  It was the males who defended her.

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I saw the same thing take place with Mary Kay Letourneau.  Over and over the males would call in  to talk shows and laugh about it.  They seemed to think that it was every male's fantasy to have sex with their teacher.  Oh really?  I ask again, would it be so funny if it were a male teacher and a female student?  Or a male teacher and a male student?  They would be whining and wanting to beat the guy's ass, I'm sure.  And then---the statement that women get off lighter.  Tell that to the women who got lobotomies for being promiscuous, when it wasn't even an offence for males.

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Mary Kay Letourneau's student had his life derailed by her actions.  He had showed great promise at a very early age as an artist.  Who knows what he would have done had she not intervened.  He was forced to raise two children at far too young an age.  He might have gone on to art school.  We will never know because it did not happen.  In a recent   interview he looked defeated and depressed while she acted like she was twelve years old.

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In Canada, we had the case of Karla Homolka and her "deal with the devil."  Every woman saw right through her.  At the time, the panel that interviewed her and gave her the deal was all male.  She was an extremely good looking woman who played the victim card.  They didn't have a chance.  It wouldn't have worked had she looked like Eileen Wournos.   The good looking get away with murder.

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Which gets me to today's manhunt.  I had a friend who crossed the line in her career.   There are many jobs that place limits on employee conduct;  teachers, priests, psychologists, etc are forbidden, for good reason, to get involved with their charges.  It is a breach of trust and it hurts the clients.  As women have moved into jobs once held by men, I'm sad to report that they have also engaged in conduct unbecoming.  Here's my question---if it was an abuse of trust or power when men did it, why wouldn't it be the same for women?  Why do people say it's just love when women do so?   To brush it off as abuse of power for men and love for women is to say that women still don't have the same authority as males.  That's what it comes down to in the end.  That's why it's so insulting.

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You don't get respect---you earn it.  With it comes responsibility.

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This woman should be arrested.  She needs to be held accountable.  She breached security and endangered the lives of the public and her fellow staff.    She abused her position of authority.  She's no better then any male officer who forces a female offender to perform a sexual act.  She has to be charged as an accessory for any crime that these two commit.

This is Not News

Why is this news?
(click on above for link)
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Of all places, this item ran on a British online newspaper.  The article is about an American woman who overdosed on heroin.  She is a nurse's aide, was in her vehicle at the time and while only twenty six, had four children.  I got the feeling that she had sturggled to get her life in order and had had her first child when quite young.  There were several photos of her and I suspect that this is why the story was of interest.  You see, she's attractive.  The people who commented took delight in making fun of the fact that she had obviously been too stoned to  put on her fslse eye-lashes properly.
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There have been a fair amount of drug overdoses where I live, many of them caused by a bad mix of fentanyl.  The only reason to mention it in the paper is to warn the public.  Addiction is sad and can hit anybody.  This story certainly won't help her children.  It's more of the old double standard that female addicts deal with.  It wasn't all that long ago that women had to have an escort in order to drink in establishments.  Those wanting help find that there are fewer beds available than there are for males in clinics.  The addict dad that abandons his kids and doesn't make payments is far too common to get mention in the paper, yet the children suffer all the same.
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The sad fact is that if a parent with sole custody admits they have a problem and goes for treatment, who looks after the kids?  Who makes the payments and where do they go in the meantime?  Not everybody can afford to attend the Betty Ford and many people do not have insurance policies that even cover the basic twenty eight day standard.  So, they struggle and hold on by the skin of their teeth.
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Broadcasting their pain does not help.

Tommy Douglas - Mouseland

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When I was a child, my great aunt and uncle lived next door to me.  Both of them were committed politically and I enjoyed their discussions about civic events.    Until the time cancer claimed him, my great uncle volunteered his time and the politician from his riding stopped by for the memorial held at his home.  In this video, Tommy Douglas explains the origins of the third political party in Canada in a way that's entertaining.  This was the man who fought for medical services being made available to all citizens, at the same cost.  I was excited by politics when I was a kid and it saddens me tht so many people now don't even bother to vote.  I am solidily working class---my father crawled through  attics as an insulator  and my mother was a cleaning woman until her arthritis finally became too severe.  I cringe at comments made by people who assume that anybody with such roots is destined for a trailer and meth abuse.  The working class is a shrinking group, yet continues to shoulder much of the tax burden.  As we move closer towards an election in this country, I hope those who are able to vote for the first time do so and discover that there are decent people still involved in the process.

At least the Kardashians get top billing....

I checked the online paper I often read the other day.  The story about  Syria wasn't there.  It should have been in the headlines.  Iraq was falling to Isis too; a nation that not too long ago had been fairly liberal was now dragging women back into the dark ages.  They had once attended universities and become doctors but were now lined up in a black chain of chattel for sale. The picture sickened me, as it should have done for anybody who saw it.   So, what stories were deemed of importance?  There were three---THREE---stories about the Kardasian sisters---one on top of the other.  They and their ilk are are actually the reason I cancelled my cable so many years ago, but I digress.
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I got told the other day that the reason I wasn't sleeping was that I was depressed.  I ask what's wrong with people who aren't? 

Celebrate in Ireland

The votes from Ireland began to roll in and it looked like the referendum indicated that the majority of people felt the church no longer had a place in denying equal rights.  I  recalled this scene from "The West Wing," which is a wickedly witty jab at Dr Laura and groups that quote parts of the Bible, but don't follow others.  Freedom to practice religion for themselves is wonderful.  They should not expect that all others subscribe to their doctrine, especially when that means unequal protection under the law.  Harassment and discrimination has no place in a just society.  In fact, by it's very definition, it would be an oxymoron to allow such conduct to continue and then use the term "just" or "equal."  As Ireland was once very bound by the Catholic Church's dictates, this is extremely historical.

A Positive Change at Work For Once

When I left work the other morning, there was a rainbow flag at the entrance.  I was explaining this to my buddy in the prairies, who had called to lament the sudden May snow storm that had coincided with the crash of his furnace.  "Times  have changed," I said, and I told him that the work site was actually recognizing gay staff.  It was a long time coming, especially for males.
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My friend Scott tried to  assist  one of our early "out" staff.  "L" was in trouble for something he had unwittingly done prior to being hired and was not getting any  help.  Even though Scott wasn't on the union, he stepped up to help.  We had the meeting at my house.  "L" didn't really want to push the issue, as his partner was a padre in the Military.  At that time, they would still fire people if they were gay.  Thus, "L" ended up losing his job.  Since that time, the Armed Forces has come to their senses and changed their policy. A lot of the people I worked with at that time had transferred over from the military.   I used to have discussions with many of my coworkers and they would argue that they didn't want to think about it---that they would worry in the foxholes about somebody's sexuality.  Sorry.  I can't imagine if the attack is happening that anybody is going to be checking you out.
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When I was a student I had a summer job with the R.C.M.P. as a Supernumerary Special Constable.  It was an interesting experience as I looked fifteen and had to wear a uniform.  There were only three women in the detachment, so everybody stared at me. I met wonderful people and I learned a lot.  I am forever grateful and I mean to write about it.  I did a research study that was written up in the local paper.   There was a very invasive background check, but I didn't have the  experience that one of the women did.  I could tell by her expression that she was upset by something;  we had classes together and I knew her.  I asked her what was going on.  She told me that the interviewer had asked her outright if she was "a lesbian"---his actual words.  I wasn't asked that because I had long blond hair, after all. She had short hair, so he must have had some gender stereotype in his head.  She had a boyfriend and he was really off the mark, by the way.    I should add that at this point it was legal for the RCMP to not only ask this question but to discriminate and not hire people if they answered "yes" to that question.  Need I remind people that this was for a summer job?  They also refused to hire people to be full time staff until somebody took them to court.  What was their logic?  One of my friends who has a great sense of humour suggested that back in the l950's when these guys were born  it was perhaps  thought that the stereotypical  limp wrist meant they couldn't fire a gun.  Just like women couldn't chase bad guys in high heals holding a cookie tray.
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Ironically, there are jobs that almost  concede that a woman has to be gay.  After all, why else would she want to work in a man's job.  I know that I was asked that question.  My response was that I worked there for the same reason that men did---money.  No;  I did not hate men.  No---I did not have power and control issues.  No---I did not have anything to prove.  My sexuality was not anybody's business.  I wasn't here to date anybody.  I was here to earn a living wage, just like they were (now leave me the f@#k alone, thank you very much).
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When people go on  about "unions"  and how there's no need for them, I look back on my experience.  There's way more that I could write about, and I will at some point.  If it weren't for them, that rainbow flag would not be at the entrance of my work site.  There would be no gay staff.  They certainly wouldn't be entitled to take off a bereavement day when their partner died.  I am well aware there's many people who feel that there shouldn't be any gay staff, but they've always been there.  They've always done a good job.  They've never demanded special rights.  They've only wanted the same benefits that straights have had that they've had to pay into.
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I blogged about my wise eighty year old father who pulled me aside and he said, "I don't care who people love, I only care that they are good people."  I miss you Dad.

...while Rome burned.

(The above photo is common on the net and no longer has a credit attached).
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Nero fiddled while Rome burned; I guess we watch reality shows. That's the reason I cancelled my cable. I keep expecting that things cannot get any dumber and that at some point they'll run out of old programs to pillage. For a generation that likes to rub its street cred into everybody's face, the lack of originality is getting old. I see that they're now redoing Charlie's Angels. I suspect that the bodies will be thinner, but the 'assets', so to speak, will be more enhanced with silicone. They'll still be chasing bad guys in those ridiculous high heels, though.
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If a person were lucky, they could totally have tuned out and missed the banking crisis, foreclosure situation, Iraq war and the environmental disaster in the Gulf. With all of the drama and staged cat fights between the high maintenance women on various shows, who knew? Pass the Doritos. Yes, it might be overwhelming and depressing at times to know that there could be a nuclear meltdown at any second. But it's in Japan...not China as somebody actually suggested to me. Turn off the tube, or at least stick it onto a news channel every so often.
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However, even the news isn't what it once was in the day of Cronkite. It's now become a perp walk and shots of somebody being chased by the LAPD; especially if that somebody happens to be a celeb. It seems that more time is devoted to new movie releases and break-ups then hard stories. This is most noticeable on the morning news (ahem), which alway follows its formulaic schtick of a male, female and a weather person who really wants to be a comedian. The weather guy is the only person allowed to have weight issues. All of them want to be in Hollywood and none of them want to be in the field gathering "hard facts." Spare me the talking heads.
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The same story can be found in almost any print media outlet. Somebody, somewhere releases the copy and it gets reprinted. There is no longer an original or distinct voice.
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I am actually starting to suspect that people, despite all of their talk of individuality and their bodies adorned with tattoos and piercings are very uncomfortable with anything that's different. They don't really understand it; they need things laid out for them. Gone is that ability to discern that some stories might have one slant, while another displays a different voice. For example, in France there could be numerous papers, some left wing and some right wing. People want their lives, like their music, homogenized. It's safer and easier. It's also really scary.

REMEMBERING THE SEATTLE QUAKE IN LIGHT OF TODAY'S EVENTS

In February of 2001, I was having a bad morning. I didn't know it yet, but my well had gone dry. I had lost my water, but I was awaiting the final diagnosis. I thought my water pump was messed up. The well wasn't all that old, so it should not have happened. All of the homes in the area were on wells at the time, and one doesn't have to go too far, usually, to hit water. The water had gone the day before, and I'd had to go to work without showering. Just call me stinky and don't stand too close.
So, there I was...just gotten off work. It was an unsesonably nice day for that time of year. I had worked the night shift, and I was sleeping upstairs on a camping mattress. Suddenly, something woke me up. My hips were smashing against the tile floor. I had been bounced off the foam mattress onto the hard surface. What the??? I could feel the ground moving up and down in waves and instantly knew that it was an earth quake. I'd been through them before. As a child, I had once woken up at night to my mother running into the bedroom. Something had fallen off the wall, and I recall her yelling "Earthquake" in Swedish as she ran into my room. On another occasion, I had been laying on the couch, watching television, when I heard an odd rumble. Nothing moved, but the sound was bizarre.
There was no mistaking this. I stood up and could still feel the movement. I opened the door and went into my loft. My lights were swinging back and forth. My cats, even as round as their eyes always are, looked like cartoon cats. They were absolutely freaked. One of them I only located a day later, firmly encased in a safe place under the bed. Cats seem to feel that the place under the bed provides protection from all things evil and all angry owners. They looked at me as though I could give them an answer. After the shaking stopped, it took a while for the lights to finally stop moving.
This came to be known as the "Seattle Earthquake", and it registered 6.8. As it was fairly deep within the ground, it did not kill people.
Interestingly enough, this being a small town, I found out later that many people had had their wells run dry at the same time mine did. Or, so the gossip went. Coincidence, or had the water tables somehow shifted? The water was totally gone from the well.
Right now, nobody knows how many people have died in the quake in Japan. There had just been the horrid one in New Zealand. At this moment, all I can do is think of them, and their families. My experience was only a small one. We keep getting told that we are well overdue for the "big one" on the west coast. There are many wonderful Japanese people in the area where I live. One was actually in Kyoto when the last quake hit, and told me what it was like. Let's hope that the fires, still burning, get contained, and there is luck in finding those trapped.

ISN'T IT IRONIC?

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With New Year's approaching, people are going to be making the usual resolutions about losing weight. I was reminded of the comment that Sarah Palin made a while ago. She made fun of Michelle Obama's attempts to get the public moving and eating in a healthier fashion. Sarah Palin felt that it wasn't the government's business telling anybody how to raise their kids; that they would know best how to feed them.
This of course, is where I wanted to remind Ms Palin of the definition of irony. She seems to have a problem with understanding words, so she might need reminding, after all.
Honestly, I hate being nagged at. But, Ms Palin is the last person who should talk. While her party decries big government and praises personal responsibility, they certainly want to be the town fishwife when it comes to the issue of sexuality (specifically, freedom of choice for women and recently, "don't ask, don't tell.") Isn't this the most private and personal arena of all? It really doesn't infringe on the rights of anybody else, so why are they getting involved?
Ms Palin was the person who pushed abstinence. It was her party that wanted to force prayer in school. They wanted to make it difficult for people to get access to the Plan B emergency contraception. Back when Reagan was in power, they introduced drug testing---not for people sitting with their finger on the button of a nuclear silo. No; for a person loading groceries at some local corner grocery store. The purpose? To get information so that some large insurance company could deny them coverage should they develop cancer ten years down the line. Whatever happened to unreasonable search and seizure?
Every First lady has a platform, and Michelle Obama seems to have taken up matters of personal health as hers (I look forward to seeing what the first "First Gentleman" does). She's in good shape and has two daughters, thus she understands the challenges faced. Michelle Obama certainly wasn't suggesting that junk food be taxed or removed from the shelves. It's obvious that Sarah Palin reacted without understanding the concept---again. However, if a person is going to make a negative comment, they had best make sure that their own house is clean first. We certainly know hers isn't.

IDIOTS UPDATE(just because it's a bad day and the cats don't deserve my venting)

The ones on the left are the nuts. The better dressed on the right, are normal.

`The freaks from the Westboro Church did make their appearance at the funeral service of Elizabeth Edwards. I thought that I would toss together some photos of them in action. Note the common themes: ignorant hateful comments, making a nuisance in public and no dress sense.

`I'm always amused that these people are so fearful of gay men. They must be kept out of the military, because, after all, who knows what sorts of hanky panky could unfold otherwise? These men would surely start making lustful, come hither eyes at Mr Macho.

`Honey Child....hate to break it to you....but no---just no. Perhaps I'm stereotyping, but every gay man that I've known has always been well educated. The congregation at this church is hardly Mensa material. I doubt they'd be able to sit down for a fireside tete-a-tete to discuss the bestsellers as listed by the New York Times. Maria Callas' sad odes to lost passion would not be appreciated in a revered hush. "Callas? Isn't that a type of wine? I'm a beer man myself."

`What amazes me is that they even manage to make some of their signs garish. The colour scheme doesn't match on any of their outfits, and even their pickets clash. They are somehow able to violate several male fashion "don'ts" in one outfit. Something tells me, too, that these men have never bought any clothes for themselves. My guess is that these are the types of guys who let their wives purchase their outfits for them. As children, Mom dressed them. As adults, the wife does. When left to their own devices, it really goes to hell. This is why somebody needs to design "Grr-Animals for Men." You remember Grr-animals, right? Those were the kids clothes that had animal designs on the label, so that a tiger matched with a tiger would equal a decent ensemble. But, I guess if these guys lose their wife in a hunting accident, they can always order up a new mail order bride.

`Listen up Mr Macho from Westboro church. If a gay man ever approached you, it's only because he's from a reality television show doing make-overs. Somewhere, a hidden camera man is tsk-tsking over the horror. Trust me, he isn't interested. You have nothing to fear. But, somewhere, right now, Tom Ford is probably cringing at this fashion faux-pas and the lack of black.

`By the way, I normally don't judge or comment on the basis of appearance. But, since these people have chosen to condemn others based on race, colour, sex, religion, etc., it's a free for all.

THAT'S RADIOACTIVE POND SCUM AND IT GOES WITH THE STORY

`````I'm calling you out, Westboro Baptist Church. It's thanks to people like you that there's been a decline in attendance at mainstream places of worship.
`````You people are a living example of why inbreeding is a bad thing. I'm a person who rarely speaks badly of others, especially in a public forum, but I'm going to let it rip.
`````You "good Christians" want to picket the funeral of Elizabeth Edwards to spew your diatribe and hate. I'm all for free speech, as the more idiots are given an open platform, the more it becomes apparent that they have little of worth to contribute. Most people of any class understand that there is a time and a place; something which you people lack. Home schooling has its limits, I guess. Well, pull that hay seed out of your mouth and listen up: "People are sick of your nonsense." You show up at the funerals of fallen service members and picket. Your signs speak not of the love most religious services offer those in their time of need, but of damnation and doom.
`````You have no balls, as you pick your targets well. You always go where you know that people with much better behavior then yourselves will restrain their temperments. They won't give you what you truly deserve. Most people know that it isn't right to hit others while at a funeral. When you pull your crap in a public forum, there is very likely going to be a police presence.
`````Just once I'd like to see you show up, unannounced, at some bad guy's funeral and try your bull---without the media and the cops to help you out. Do you truly believe the Lord will bail you out then? What, the convictions not always so strong? You wouldn't go to some biker's service and say bad things about him in the middle of no-where? Hypocrites. All you want is attention.
`````Elizabeth Edwards had the intellect to make it through law school, the grace to carry herself through controversy and the ability to connect with all walks of society. There's a couple of terms that I would suggest you look up in the DSM (a guide covering mental health)---transference and projection. Don't worry; I won't tell if your lips move when you read.

ANOTHER BAD STORY (this one local)

This photo was taken inside the trailer.
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Disabled girl left alone with mom’s corpse for nine days: family
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`````This story took place in a town not far from where I live; a town which prides itself on the amount of churches it has and on being a caring community.

`````I have provided a link to the story, but here it is in brief. A woman, who was a known alcoholic and drug abuser died in her trailer. Her daughter, who had Down Syndrome, was left alone with her corpse for nine days. The poor girl, who another news source reported as being quite affected by the illness, did not realize that her mother had died. Instead, she tried to help her mother by giving her macaroni and cheese and her medication. These items were found strewn around her body. The girl had lost a huge amount of weight herself and was reportedly near death also.

`````The story, as troubling as it is, becomes more so when other facts come to light. Her two sons had gone to Social Services with their concerns about the fitness of their mother. They had reported her substance abuse and the condition of the home; that it resembled something out of an episode of Hoarders. The CBC reported that the brother removed the girl and was told by Social Services that they would investigate. He was then contacted and told that he had to return the girl to the mother, or else he would be charged with kidnapping.

`````What kind of professional, had the individual gotten off their butt, would have allowed a child to have stayed in a filthy home with a drug addicted parent when her own kids complained about her abilities? This reminds me of a case a few years back when a toddler was found crawling in a downtown dive hotel with a dead junkie mother. She had been dead for days and the child was tugging at her body amidst the needle strewn apartment. The scene had been so upsetting that veteran cops needed help to deal with it.

`````However, they have removed kids from foster homes because they've deemed the parents "too old". These were people who had taken in many kids in the past and the image of the two sisters crying was very upsetting. The couple was in great health and they had been willing to take both girls, rather then splitting up the siblings. They removed some children from one home because the parents had a pet snake. The list goes on.

`````I realize it's a difficult job, but this case needs to be looked at. Somebody really dropped the ball. I also hope the girl finds a new care-giver who understands Down syndrome. I know a girl with it, and thanks to the hard work that her mother has done, she is high functioning. In her case, the mother started working with her very early on, but I would hate to think that this poor girl is going to end up in some facility. Let's not let her down again.

SEND HER PACKING

I am not a sports fan, but I must admit that I am cheering David Beckham on. Go team! It's the principle of the matter. Everybody knows the story by now of how a woman who claims to be a $10,000 a night callgirl sold her story to "In Touch" Magazine. (I had planned on blogging about this when it first happened, but I had the pings on my computer which sounded like a pinball machine. Operation Aborted, as Internet Explorer could not open the site). Anyways, this lady purports to having trysted with David Beckham in a New York hotel. I think her story is about as false as her eye colour, cleavage, lips and those stencilled on eyebrows of hers.

`````To be frank, I am not surprised that somebody like her has crawled out of the proverbial swamp. There was money to be made and she caught the scent. After all, she'd just witnessed a number of other ladies sell their stories about Tiger Woods. Another hooker, or excuse me, V.I.P. party hostess, managed to get herself a fancy penthouse and hush money out of the deal.

`````I guess she didn't think he'd fight back. I suppose I care because there's probably not a woman out there who hasn't been subjected to false speculation or innuendo of a sexual nature at some point. It's embarrassing and it is unwarranted. It may be started by a bored or jealous female coworker. You know...."She got the job because she's dating the boss." Sometimes, the lie is spread by a guy who wants to further his reputation. The feeling of outrage and lack of control is horrible. There's that hope that nobody believes the nonsense and that you're not being discussed behind your back. Face it; a woman's stock goes down if she's talked about in such a fashion while a guy gets high fives.

`````It's pathetic when this goes on in highschool, but to some degree, that's the mindset of many a sixteen year old male. Little kids have imaginary friends; these losers have imaginary naked friends. But, there are actually morons out there who continue to engage in this nonsense well into their twenties and thirties. It's bad form to kiss and tell, but when it never happened in the first place, you start to skirt the territory of stalkerville.

`````I once knew a man in his thirties who had the nerve to suggest that he'd slept with a friend of mine. This was after she had turned him down many times. But, to address it would only make the rumour seem true. Another individual that I knew insisted that that he had "gone out" with a woman I was acquainted with. He went around and told people this, somehow oblivious to the fact that she was not his type. Absolutely not his type---she was a lesbian.

`````I really hope that the I.R.S. (Internal Revenue Service and not the terrorist group), was paying attention to the hooker's claims. At the very least, you know she got paid for this story. But, if she was making as much money at night as she claims, you better hope she filed her taxes properly. That's how they nailed Heidi Fleiss and Al Capone when all was said and done.

`````If she then admits, as I suspect, that she really didn't earn that amound of cash per night, she will be proved a liar. Then, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, if she lies about one thing, she's going to lie about the other.

`````I always found it suspect that she came up with that number (the ten thousand). After all, it was that amount, $10,000, that Linda Evangelista needed to drag her ass out of bed in the morning. That quote created quite the stir and it was oft repeated. I think the hooker stole it.

`````Incidentally, models have been purchased for sex by rich oilmen. Perhaps they'd pay that amount for a high class, famous model, but not for this woman. She looks like typical Eastern European bad news; the kind that'll sell your information on the side after she's dealt with you. Hello identity theft.

`````When they're done nailing her for tax evasion, what about slander? That's a crime in many jurisdictions. Then find out if they can send her packing back to where she came from. Who needs a felon over here. There's enough that are born and bred on this continent. Make an example out of her.

`````Yes. Team Beckham all the way. Incidentally, one would have thought that she would have purchased some expensive under garments with all that money she made. I understand that Agent Provacateur has some nice items (not that I can afford them).

`````By the way, this disgusting lady had the nerve to countersue David Beckham for defending himself. She felt that she suffered at his hands when she was served with papers. That's akin to us being served with papers and sued for damages if we take somebody to task in court for assaulting us or damaging our property. This woman has no shame. But then really, would you expect her to? The nonsense with these hookers/bimbos/trash making money from people has got to stop. Please stop rewarding them by giving them their own reality shows.

STUPID HEADLINES

`````The headline was in a well known, leading paper, yet it was vulgar and offensive and was the sort of thing that one would expect in a tabloid. It began with some tag line having to do with "Obese Teen Dies in Fire..." It went on to relate how she was too heavy for the fire personnel to rescue her. I started checking other papers and the song, as they say, remained the same.

`````Her name was Jamaya Herron and she was eighteen years old. Evidentally, she loved to attend the church where her father was the Baptist preacher. Those who knew her said that she was a very nice, girl, with some health problems. There was a photo of her in the paper and she had a beautiful face with glowing skin. When I looked at the picture, I could see that her eyes radiated warmth. I won't say what her weight was, as there's enough focus on that.

`````I wrote the other day about how so many comments have become hateful; well, I rest my case. People are spiteful, making references to Darwinism at work. This story makes me very sad and angry. This home was a single story structure. The family had no running water and no electricity, yet there were two other younger children living in it. The fire happened around four in the morning, as a candle got knocked over. It would seem to me that they must have been using this as a source of light. I would think that they'd need it to find their way to the washroom at night, especially with kids in the house, so they'd probably leave one burning. Even without hot water, I think that the toilet might still flush in Madison Wisconson, as they wouldn't be on a well water system. I looked at the weather network, and saw that, while it wasn't cold that night, it wasn't exactly warm either. Think about that; no heat and fall is starting to sneak in. There's that nip in the air.

`````I know how cruel kids can be, and I am imagining what it's like for these kids to go to school without being able to wash. By the way, these two kids had been taken into this family a couple of years back. They were not the natural children. The girl, Jamaya, was the daughter of the two adults living in the home.

`````For those who suggest that she should have been eating healthier, try doing that when there's no way to cook that food. She would have had to eat only food that was picked up already wrapped and ready to go.

`````The parents managed to get themselves out of the house, yet they left the three kids inside. There obviously was no functioning smoke detector inside the house. People panic in fires, so we can allow them rushing outside, perhaps. Some might suggest that even animals burn themselves in their attempts to get their kittens out of harms way. However, nobody knows what goes through a person's head when self preservation kicks in. That's why the investment in items such as smoke detectors, especially when there are kids in the house is wise. If Jamaya had health issues, she probably felt the smoke's effects before others.

`````I was disgusted in reading the comments on various sites. On the Daily News Online, one man had over 600 people agree with him when he suggested that this indicated that this is what happens when they hire female fire-fighters. At no time in the story was there anything to show that this correlated to that at all. This obviously indicated the bias of the reader. The story laid out clearly that the window wouldn't allow for Jamaya to be passed through, and by the time she reached the door, she had suffered smoke inhalation. Somebody else, who called himself a moniker which indicated that he was a N-hater (insert rest of the N word), went on a rant about it having been a good thing on another site. There was the usual fat hatred and racial crap.

`````This actually brings up a double standard. About a week ago, another girl died in New York. She was 17 and thin, with a different skin colour. She fell out a high rise window. She was also rich and good looking. The comments in her case were different; how sad and what a shame, even though she'd climbed out on a ledge to take a picture after a night of partying. What? Nothing about Darwinism at work? The loss of young people with potential is always a waste and an accident is always just that. I'm sick to death of journalists exploiting it.

WRITING ABOUT THAT DAY

`````Given the date, I want to write about "the event." When I heard about it, I was just getting off my shift. I had one more working day to go and then I was due to start my vacation leave. My friend had booked a suite downtown, as a person he'd met on a diving expedition was going to come here. He was a cryptozoologist from Europe who was interested in sasquatch. So, we were going to give him the full meal deal before he went off into the hinterland to do his thing. When I heard the news and saw that the air-space was being closed and planes grounded, I said to my friend "Don't count on his getting out here." He wasn't due to arrive for a couple of days, but in my heart I knew that this was going to be bad. I went home and watched the replay of the second tower falling.

`````I didn't sleep that entire day, because like everybody else, I was transfixed by the events and the horror of how many were missing. They didn't know at the time. There were reports of 50,000 people working in each building, so the numbers could have been devastating. At some point, the news stations stopped playing the footage of those falling to their deaths.

`````I have always loved that city and wanted to go there. I've written previously of how, as a kid in high-school, I had one of the weekend New York papers mailed to my house. In an ideal world, that's where I would have gone to university. I had a city map of New York in my room as a teen in Junior High. I knew where Lexington was and 5th Avenue. I knew the names of the city buroughs.

`````These were ordinary people, just going on about their lives. They'd begrudgingly dragged their butts out of bed to get to some office job that they might not be crazy about. They weren't soldiers who had taken on some degree of risk to go fight in a foreign country. It was absolutely uncalled for. Who died had nothing to do with beliefs, as the targets were random. There were Muslims who worked in those buildings and were slaughtered on that day. It was about the blindness of ideology and where a lack of understanding takes a person.

`````What I was most moved by was the story of those who obviously knew that they might die on that day, yet willingly took a risk in order to save the life of another. There were stories of regular people who did just that. They would help the injured down the stairs, which impeded their own ability to escape. So many fire staff died on that day. The prospect of having to climb those stairs with all of that gear on them, must have seemed so daunting. I've had to put on fire gear before; the SCBA with the harness isn't light. You have to control your breathing, as you only have a specific amount of air before you have to leave again. To think of having to do it going up stairs...I cannot imagine it. When they passed by the civilians who had severe lacerations and burns, they knew what was awaiting them up there.

`````We checked into the hotel for our vacation, and they asked if we'd give up our suite, as there were so many stranded travellers. We gladly did so and took a smaller room instead. By the way, kudos to the Delta Hotel. There were reports coming out on the news of hotels across the continent increasing their rates for people forced to stay. The Delta bent over backwards and had cots made available at no cost. They had extra food laid out in the lobby and such. Every so often, we'd spot a new "plane-load" of British Airways staff or others coming into the hotel, looking tired as they carried their hand luggage.

`````The hotel has a large, international conference room with a huge screen and circular seating. When the televized minute of silence and ceremony was being held, they had made the room available. I attended it and there were men in suits, obviously from all parts of the United States, with their heads bowed and very pained by the moment. They had probably been in town on business when the incident took place and were now stuck here. It must have been difficult for them to be away from their families at such a time.

`````I doubt this nonsense is going to stop anytime soon. But, I still think of those people who died and those who were so brave that day. I hunted out something which I wrote at work on my last shift. It took about five minutes, but I wrote it when they were still showing images of the burning piles and the anguished loved ones waving the missing posters.
`
Snow came down this summer,
And midnight seized the day
Calm begat brute thunder
Then concrete gave away.
`
As hell fell out of Heaven
Grey ghosts in shadows walked.
On this September 11
The innocent were stalked.
`
Yet heros rose amongst them
Took battle with their fear
Though sent adrift in Dante's Den
They entered with their gear.o

DON'T GIVE THIS IDIOT PUBLICITY

`````First, I have to state that I've come to note over the years that for some reason, the freaks always have bad facial hair. Every time some guy goes off the rails, bad facial hair is involved. I've started to point this out to people and they've agreed with my theory. All the guys that keep kids in their basement, abduct people, just cause general mayhem...check out the beards and 'staches. I'm sure some therapist could come up with a theory about them having something to hide. As far as this guy is concerned, if he had some fake and bake on him and a mullet, he could pass for that coked out, ex-con bounty hunter. But, I digress.

`````Please, don't give this guy any more air play. His stupid church has only a few people in it. He's looking for power and control; something he is lacking in his inadequate little life. He's never felt so important. I am not going to print his name in my blog. If this guy had any balls, he would go over to a Muslim country and burn their religious book in their own turf. But, of course that's a part of the anatomy which he is lacking. Thus, he will stay here, safely guarded by his gun (he admitted to having one) and police protection if need be and burn it. This, of course, only puts the lives of others at risk. The lives of those who have to serve over seas, because they needed the money to go to school. Not that this hypocrite cares about that. All the while, he will feel like the big man and he will win the support of a few rednecks. The Vatican and other leaders have spoken out against him. I am sure he is too stupid to truly understand religious doctrine. My guess would also be that he's one of those guys that also believes that only his "kind" find salvation. So please, no more publicity. He might find some more idiots to follow his flock.

Follow-up on Prop 8

I want to update on a previous blog; Prop 8 is back in the news again. The Family Value Fascists are trying to shove people back into the closet to join the bad toupees and John Deere ballcaps they have collected there. I am beyond sick of reading their insipid and ridiculous comments. The one which disgusts me the most is that "they just want to flaunt their lifestyle." No; what they want is equality under the law. If you plan to make a career in the military and you're good at it, you shouldn't be kicked out if somebody discovers that you'd rather sleep with G.I. Joe then make boom boom with a woman back in the village. "Don't ask don't tell" is ridiculous and is a ruling without balls. Perhaps the wrong Clinton was in the White House when this one came down. The courts had some gumption decades earlier. What has happened to them? Are they so fearful to what will happen to the elections in the future that they won't make a decision with any teeth? "Seperate is not equal." The courts knew it when they saw it was based on skin colour.

Until they rule fairly on this, a couple can be together for years, but not be granted the ability to decide whether a person on life support can terminate their life or not, even if it was something they'd discussed. They have no rights to pension or spousal benefits. However, a common-law heterosexual couple may, even if they're cheating on each other. There is no justice.

So many people don't care because they aren't affected by this. I'm beginning to realize to some degree what it's like to have that stamp of difference placed upon you. A few years back I was recognized by the official person in government as accommodated/disabled on the basis of chronic pain. It was caused by shift work and now I have severe and steady migraines and am stuck for all eternity on night shifts (even on my days off). I still want to work and don't want to rely on pain medication, so it's hard. I ask for no special treatment except to work graveyards. The chronic pain has been bad enough and so has been losing touch with friends and family. The worst, though, is the suspicion. As I'm never out in the light, I don't know my neighbours. I am constantly having to defend myself to the myriad of bureaucracy. Seperate is not equal. Seperate is just alienated and feeling inadequate. Seperate is why my work partner is dead.

I've read that gay youth have a higher rate of suicide then normal. I absolutely understand that now. When a group of people is constantly feeling the need to explain their actions, over which they have no control and of which there is nothing wrong, you're only going to frustrate them and drive them into depression. After all, there's nothing they can do. It's crazy making. So, they just start to hate themselves.

I've realized something, by the way, since I've been labelled and treated like a gimp. That's how inherently insulting some questions actually are, as I can now see the meaning behind them. When they ask me why I'm not married, what they're really fishing at is my orientation. These people would never pose this very same queston to a person who is married, would they? In fact, they'd probably risk getting hit were they to go around and do so on a regular basis. I once would be polite and answer that I had chronic pain that would cause me to vomit three days in a row; that I literally couldn't move when I was like that and was relegated to bed with a bucket. I could never expect another person to live like that, especially since I was now totally nocturnal. Since I now know that the only reason they ask is to see who I'd rather sleep with, I don't answer. Let them brood about it. It's not an issue to me, so I don't feel the need to defend myself. However, I now get an inclination of what some people must go through on a daily basis. I can see why they would start to avoid family weddings and get togethers.

Getting rid of nonsense like Prop 8 is only a miniscule step, but it's a start. It tells people that this isn't a legitimate excuse to hate. You'll still have the idiot at home in the wife-beater undershirt preaching his bull. But, after the courts stepped in and ruled that it wasn't okay to discriminate on the basis of colour, it took decades but we did manage to get a black man into the highest office in the world. Attitudes can be changed. Maybe we can do the same here and cut down the high rate of suicide amongst gay youth.