The Monthly Cycle

If you're expecting a post about menstruation, you are going to be vastly disappointed. The world has become too liberal with talk of personal body habits and happenings. I am not one of those people who feel the need to expound on every motion, illness, ache, or passing of air that my body incurs. No, dear readers, I speak today of the other monthly cycle. The utility bill. Every month I get a vast array of providers demanding money for the often shoddy service each supplies. Cable, phone, electric, natural gas. Oh yes, they all want their due for dropped calls, interrupted internet, power outages, and hiccups. I understand imperfection, for I myself am full of such. But what I do not understand is the bitter exchange of false hope that manufacturers and suppliers sell to us. All of us. Walk with me down the vicious cycle a moment. Your dryer took a shit. It happens. We know anything built in this modern day by China or India is going to break sooner rather than later. You head off to Lowe's or Home Depot or wherever to purchase a new dryer. The new ones are all fancy with their singing switches and wrinkle releasing auto starts. But what really draws you is that lovely star on the front with it's magical money saving glittery trail of ka-ching. Energy Efficient it boasts. Could save you $600 annually on your electric bill it falsely promises. The dryer is $1200. Please note: this product now costs more than my first car and will likely last half as long. $1200 for the dryer. It hopes to save you $600 on your electric bill every year (fine print warning: note it suggests how much laundry one does to save that money. Three 12 pound loads per week. If I only did 3 loads per week, I would probably save $2500 per year on my electric bill). Ok, fine. Let's pretend we do only 3 12 pound loads per week to save us $600 per year. Grab your calculators, folks. We will save $50 per month. $50. Ok, that's a trip to Wendy's we can now afford because of the magic dryer with its spell casting ka-ching star on the front. Here's what they didn't tell you. Electric Company no longer has to provide you with 110 kilowatt hours of electricity because of your magic dryer. You're only using 100 per month. At $.13 per kilowatt hour they just lost $1.30 that month from you. $1.30. That's $15.60 per year they lost on you. No, it's not that much. That's barely a T-bone steak at the Road House. Who would miss $15 a year? No one, right? Besides, they're getting you with a $35 per month delivery fee (I have never seen an electric delivery man. I think we're getting shafted here). Now let's say 12,000 of Electric Company's customers have same said fancy magic ka-ching dryer. $187,200 per year Electric company just lost. That's the CEO's salary. Gone. So your magic dryer is now going to result in one of two things; Either the employees of Electric Company taking a voluntary pay cut (yeah, right) or Electric Company must start charging more per kilowatt hour to compensate for the loss. We said they charge you $.13 per kilowatt hour right? This month, you got your regular bill with a notice informing you that due to blah blah blah operating costs, the service charge will be raised to $.20 per kilowatt hour plus a delivery fee hike of just 10%. Know why they say 10%? Because it sounds less scary than $3.50 more per month. That's on top of the $35 dollar delivery charge you're already paying. Ok, so $3.50 more per month for delivery and $.07 more per hour of electricity used. Oh, that's not so bad right? Break it down yearly, my friend. Your original, pre-magic dryer bill was $171 per year (110 kwh x $.13/hour. Let's keep it simple, people. My writing skills far out exceed my math skills. Have you read my posts? I suck at writing. Now consider how bad my math skills must be) plus your $35/month delivery fee. That's $591 per year. Your new, magic dryer bill shows 100 kwh @ $0.13 per hour which dropped you down to $156 per year if all numbers stayed static for 12 month. Plus your $35 delivery fee, so $576 per year. YAY! But they didn't stay static, did they? Electric Company needs to compensate for 12,000 magic dryers. Your new bill is 100 kwh @ $0.20/hour plus $3.50 more per month to deliver it making your annual cost making your new magic dryer bill $702 per annum! What the hell happened to saving $600 a year?!?! The manufacturer's of our lives LIED!! And I just lost my single combo, no onions, from Wendy's! See, they produce these things knowing full well the ramifications of them. And not only did they screw us on the magic dryer and its energy efficiency (time to really mind-screw you), they screwed you on the actual cost of the dryer, itself. You paid $1200 for it, right? Parts and assembly only cost Dryer Maker $200. Know why? Because some guy in Detroit lost his dryer making job 10 years ago because it was cheaper to make the dryer in India. The savings of outsourcing weren't passed on to we, the consumer. It was absorbed by the Dryer Maker. 10 years ago it cost him $400 to make the 'sell for' $800 dryer. But, then he discovered that he could make his $400 dryer in India for $200 but charge $1200 for it. People, we're really getting screwed here. We're getting screwed for convenience. For popularity. And it's on all ends. Dryers, cars, food, clothes, houses, cupcakes, toys, and batteries. Why are we rolling over, believing magic stars and allowing the rich to get richer? I don't know how to end this rant. As mentioned, my writing skills are sub-par. Perhaps I'll allow you, dear reader, to close this for me. Thoughts?

A Matter of Trust

Hello, my dear readers. I'm sorry I stayed away for so long, but life throws us hurdles with unbridled passion and so I am left jumping, moment to moment, day to day. But, today is a good day. By this, I mean the young ones are at school and the infant sleeps. Let us expound of theory, of philosophy, of theology. Or, we could just talk about how fucked up the world has gotten. Surely I haven't the time to list each way; every pimple of society in the broad span of an infant's nap. We shall narrow it. Today, I bring you the idea of trust. Millions and millions of consumers world wide exhibit trust of their lives to foreign and domestic producers. What do I mean by this? I would like to take you, dear reader, through my average day of trust. One day, and how many people, companies, countries and entities I allow to dangle my life from their product making marionette strings. I allow myself a shallow night's sleep and awake to the sounds of Zombie Baby growling from his crib. Simply put, in the ten or so steps to his baby cage I have already risked my life in the short jaunt across the room. See, I have no idea who built my house back in 1871. Granted, I put more faith in the builders of the 19th century than those of this 21st, but still.... How long until that floor board gives out? Has that nail rusted from the leak in 1978? Did the tornado of 2011 do unseen damage? As I pull him from his sleep station I sigh in relief that he made it through the night. This is a constant worry of mine. Life is fragile, you know. So I traverse more man built house containing flaw to our kitchen, down 15 stairs that I trust my life to 17 or 18 times a day, and into the arena of HOLY SHIT. Gas stoves, electrical appliances next to water sources. A Pitt Bull. Demon cat. All these dangers. And I haven't mentioned the biggest yet. The jar on the counter. The jar of baby formula. The product I allow Zombie Baby to ingest up to 8 times a day. The jar of formula. The bottle manufacturer. The nipple manufacturer. And the folks that sell sterile water. 4 little items mean the difference of life and death to Zombie Baby. Who made them? How many people touched these products before they got to our home? How many trucks, boats, trains, and planes have they traveled on? How old are they? What cancer causing agents are the canisters made of? And how many impurities are in the cream colored powder, itself? I have just spent the first 9 minutes of my day putting the life of Zombie Baby into the hands of people who don't care about him. Migrant workers. The sick. People who may want him dead because he's white, or atheist, or new, or just based on the geographical location of his birth. People who don't care who dies as long as they make a buck. Let's move on. I take a shower as Zombie baby naps in the crib manufactured by who only knows with whatever material they produce. I chemically enhance my hair, trusting the manufacturers of Pantene to my being clean. The makers of Tone to my skin. The people of my township and their bungling of the water supply. Lotion, make-up, Gillete razors, and the guys that assembled my poofy scrubber. The people who thread the bath towels. The painters of my vanity mirror. The panty liner people. All this trust in one 15 minute process. A shower. A basic human necessity- to be clean- comes down to about 5000 different chemicals and 5000 different people to achieve. We move to my own breakfast. Who made my coffee? Who mixed the French vanilla creamer? How was the damn mug made and with what? Did my dishwasher make matters worse with its toxic cleaners? The box of dish detergent itself says "harmful if swallowed" but I'm spraying all of my eating ware with it? Trusting the "rinse cycle" to remove every ounce of possible harm? One hour of my day has produced this many risks thus far. And it's not even 9 a.m. Let's take a drive, shall we? Let's put Zombie Baby in a car seat that has already been in at least one accident at the manufacturer's plant. We'll trust Chevy, a good ol' American company that outsources their entire product line to a cheaper, more profit making country, with that already purposefully damaged car seat housing my future in it, and drive 12 miles to the nearest Wal-Mart. 12 miles. And 12,000 opportunities to die. Semi-trucks with 18 tires ready to shred. Deer. Bear. Dogs. All very real threats. The little Mitsubishi whose driver just HAS to get to work on time. Even though he hates his job, he's willing to die for it, and he's willing to kill me and Zombie Baby to get there punctually. The state workers who paved the road and didn't think anybody would notice that gaping hole in the left lane. Who cares who hits it and blows out a tire, a tie rod, a CV joint and crashes their car? They don't. They got paid, that's all that matters. We're going to grocery shop and buy food that was brought to the store by who knows who from who knows where. And we're buying it with the sole intention of ingesting it. Produce, we're told is so good for us, that contains more chemicals to make it LOOK good, than to actually BE good. Sprayed with man-made toxins to kill the bugs. To make the apples redder. To make the peas greener. To make it only seem appealing. Like the woman with large, fake, silicone breasts and 8 pounds of make up who looks great, but has herpes. Manufacturers have clearly played on our need for visual appeal, as opposed to the need to actually live and be healthy. And we've let them do this. Medications: enough said. We have bought a week's worth of risk, and now must travel the same semi-truck tire shredding, Mitsubishi weaving, bridge failing, pothole filled high-way back to the flawed, rusty, rotting home in our built by the lowest bidder Chevy truck. It's not even noon at this point and I have have risked my entire family's lives 10,000 times. I haven't even gone on to mention the variables; Comets, satellites, tornadoes, cell phones, pollution, bacteria, random car with failed brakes who has just smashed into my front door, fire, flood, or snow storm. The chemicals I clean my house with. Our clothing. The very Earth beneath our feet. Some things I can't control. Some things I can. Some things the authorities have taken away the choice to be able to. The entire purpose of this article was awareness. Be aware of how much trust you put into "them" every. single. day. And if you decide you want to bungee jump- remember; every bite of processed meat you take offers more risk to your life than the rubber band around your ankles. Carpe Diem, my friend.

Gas Pedal is on the Right

I have a big truck. A 2 ton, gas-guzzling beast of a thing with 8 cylinders and a pansy ass horn for it's size. It's a burgundy truck; No camouflage markings on it of any kind- therefore, the only thing it would blend in with is a bloody crime scene.
I have 8 lights on the front of my truck. My regular headlamps, my high-beams, my running lights and my fog lamps. 2 out of 4 sets of lights are on at any given time. No where on my truck exists any insignia, advertisements (save the Chevy logo) or even a bug shield for that matter.
I describe my truck to you because I want you to draw a mental picture of it driving toward you at a high rate of speed. Can you see it? Big, isn't it?
Fully insured, too.
So I ask, do you think me and my truck being a full 20 feet away from you moving at 65 miles per hour is a good time to pull out of a street/your driveway?
No? Then why does this happen 72 times a day?
I take this time and space to educate you on how to drive. It seems your 5 hour course has escaped your memory. Let's refresh:


This is a Stop Sign. Say it with me: Stop Sign. It means STOP. Now the trick to this sign is that once you have stopped and checked for on-coming or crossing traffic- you can go again. Granted, I agree this sign should be changed to "Pause for Safety" but until that happens just remember this: Stop, look, clear, NOW FUCKING GO. This sign does not mean stop, check your make-up, send a text, change the radio station, masturbate, pick your nose, then go when the person behind you honks. Let's review: Stop, Look, Clear, NOW FUCKING GO. That easy. Pay attention, though; there will be a test on this.
Our second lesson brings us to speed limits:
This is a speed limit sign

This is how fast you can and should go. We know you have no where else better to be, but we BEHIND YOU do. You can tell you are not doing the speed limit when you have a line of cars behind you doing the NASCAR pace motions. We are just itching to get by your 25 mile per hour ass. Please pull over and let us by before we are forced to pass you~~ endangering both yours, mine, and some poor schlubb's life who just happened to be in the other lane.
While we're on the subject of speed limit, let me introduce you to the state route sign.


This is an average state route sign. They are generally black and white and have some amount of numbers in them. THIS SIGN TELLS WHERE YOU ARE, NOT HOW FAST YOU SHOULD GO. Please bear this in mind as the NASCAR pace motions line up behind you, again. In the event of such a mistake, please see directions for Speed Limit Sign.

Sticking with motion, let's review the common brake and gas pedal

.............. STOP..................................GO
See how this works? The long up/down pedal make car go.
The wide left/right pedal make car stop.
The one on the right- go
The one on the left (now look at your hands and make an "L" with your thumb and first finger. That's your LEFT HAND) stop.
Oh, and one final thing:


If a car is parked on your side of the street, YOU MUST WAIT BEHIND IT UNTIL ONCOMING TRAFFIC CLEARS. Does this make sense? This is how the majority of side-street head-on collisions occur. Because some impatient asshole forgot he does not have the right of way. Well, let me remind you with both tons of my truck and all 8 of its cylinders. If you're looking to play chicken with me in your little mini-cooper, YOU WILL LOSE.

I would also like to offer some general advice:
If you can't see over the steering wheel, get off the road.
If you can't reach the brake and/or gas pedal, get off the road.
If you cannot distinguish red from green, get of the road.
If you have ever confused the brake pedal for the gas pedal, get off the road.
If you feel compelled to fuck everyone else over because you need wind in your hair and must do 110 mph to get to the red light; get off the road, then shoot yourself.
If you feel you don't have to use your turn signal because it is not the business of others where you are going, get over it and then get off the road.
If you are drunk, get off the road and pass out somewhere. Better yet, call me and I'll help you finish the case. But we'll drink it OFF THE ROAD.
And finally:
If you drive a mini-cooper, get off the road. You just look ridiculous.

Where has all the respect gone?

So, I am driving home today and happen to stop at the light on 67 waiting to turn left onto Camby Rd.  I notice a lot of flashing lights headed my way and think, "Wow, there must really be something going on".  So, I already know that I am not moving, even if the light for me turns green before they get to the intersection.  But, I notice that they are moving rather slow.  A police car comes into the intersection to block traffic, then I notice that it is a funeral procession.  I am not sure who the procession for, but by the many fire trucks included in this particular procession, it tells me that this person had a part in the fire department.  Then, the light for the south bound traffic turns green.  The people at the line continue to wait.....which, out of respect, I was always taught that you do.  You stop when you see a funeral procession.  Does not matter if you are going in the opposite direction or not.  And, you do not pass a funeral procession.  So, while watching the procession pass while I sit still waiting to make my turn.  I see that I am going to be there awhile because I can barely see the fire truck that is at the back end of the procession.  I start to hear the impatience coming from the drivers waiting at the light that has now turned green.  Mind you, the police car is still sitting in the intersection with his siren blaring.  I hear the drivers hitting their horns, not out of respect, on the contrary.  They wanted those that were sitting at the green light to move.  I sat and watched at least 40 drivers continue on their way as the procession still passed through the opposite side of the intersection.

It made me very sad.  Not for the person being taken to their final resting place, but for those that decided they could not stop and wait for 5 minutes to let this procession pass peacefully.  For those that found their day more important to continue on when the person in that casket can no longer kiss their family good night.  I am sad that I am trying to teach my children that when they start driving, they will pull over and let a procession pass, only to get the bird flown at them by someone who does not realize what they are stopping for.

I still made it home, maybe a few minutes later than I would have, but I am home.  I still walked in the door and had my children open their arms and greet me with their smiles and kisses.  Even though I stopped and waited for the funeral procession to pass, my day continued.  

Would it kill the rest of you to stop and pause for a few minutes to let a procession pass you?  Think about that the next time you see a funeral procession.

Just last month, we buried my grandmother.  While riding to the cemetery, I saw only a few cars stop and pause while we passed.  I also saw a few that decided they would pass us in the right lane, just to turn into the fast food joint, or the shopping center along the way.  Was that taco so important that it could not wait another five minutes?  Was that sale going to end before you made it to Kohl's?  No, it wasn't.  You disrespected my family, my grandmother, simply by driving by the hearse to get to your sale and fast food.

On the same note, however, there were people that stopped...a few.  And, those few that did stop, they made us smile.  I smiled because I knew that all hope was not lost.  That there are still a few people out there with some respect for the dead that they would stop and block a lane on a highway just for a few minutes.

So, this brings my little rant to a close.  I hope that you will all take a moment to pause the next time you see a funeral, even one that is heading in the opposite direction.  And, for those of you that did not take anything that I just took the time to type out to heart.....FUCK YOU!

Don't cry over spilled milk

I was watching the news this morning; an event I rarely partake in. I was amused to hear that a semi-truck full of milk had spilled all over an on-ramp to the highway. The driver had minor injuries, and fortunately, didn't shed a single tear.
The next item on the news was about 'good cholesterol' and new studies showing that it may not be so good for people after all. The odd thing about this is that medications
have been prescribed to 'up' good cholesterol in people who apparently had low levels of this chemical. Medication was prescribed for a condition that was never thoroughly studied. This is a frequent and frightening scenario in these United States. Ever watch those anti-depressant commercials? "This drug is thought to increase this happy feeling".. "No one knows how this drug works but..." ... Sign me up for that one. I love popping pills that no one knows how they work, or why they should be prescribed, or even the long term effects of ingesting them. Gotta love this country.
Then we moved on in the news to the uproar over gay politicians. Look folks, you all know I'm agnostic. I don't know what the hell is out there. God, aliens, chance, circumstance. Who knows. But like the medications, those who are opposed to gay anything are thought to have a moral compass even though they don't really know how the universe works yet. Basing your morality on something that has never been proven or even seen for that matter is like taking the Utopia pill that is only thought to control depression even though no one knows how it works.
My advice to all the bible beaters who hold on to a notion of 'maybe' is to move on and get over it. Because someone is practicing, participating or otherwise being something you don't agree with doesn't make them wrong, weird, freaks or anything else. It doesn't make you wrong, either. It makes us all DIFFERENT. I have gone over the 'different' position before. Who gives a fuck really? How is their life really affecting yours? Is my friend being gay really having an impact on whether your belief system allows you to go to your heaven? No, it's not. Therefore, it's not really your concern. You have not been charged with "saving" anyone and all your signs that say "God Hates Fags" are erroneous. You don't even know for sure if there is a God, no matter how much faith you have, to be able to convey who he hates. And, if 5 years of going to catholic classes allows me to recall: Your God is love, therefore it's oppositionally inaccurate to assume he hates fags. Truly I say to you, first, discover if your God actually exists... Then you can ask him who he hates.
Ok,
Rant over
Ragi out.

She's Always a Woman to Me.

I have a crotch.
No, really, I do. A bone fide, genuine, 100% real vagina. It's there. It leads to various parts of the female human body like the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. I got all those. I got boobs, too. Well sort of. They're small and hardly note worthy, but in the right push-up bra, they're there. Know why I have all these things? Let me tell you.
I am a woman. A chick. A gal. The softer sex. I am female, hear me roar.
I grew up in the 'tweener generation. This was post bra-burning but pre-"career woman". When women were still trying to get recognized as contributing members of society; after women got the vote, but before they got the pay raise.
The role of 'woman' in humanity has been so skewed we don't know if we're coming or going. But who do we blame? Bad news, ladies., it's us. And our mothers. And their mothers, too. Women can be held accountable for single-handedly messing up the dynamic of "family".
We wanted the vote, we got it. The 14th amendment says so. Here's what sucks: Only 73% of women over the age of 18 are registered to vote. I am one of them. But only 63% of women actually vote. I am not one of them. (see: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womencensus1.html)
Then we wanted jobs outside the home because cooking, keeping a clean environment, raising our children, loving our husbands, running errands, helping with homework, cheering our young athletes on, braiding hair, defeating that stain on her favorite jeans and filling the air with the scent of cookies and pies wasn't 'respectable'. It was 'slave work'. It was demeaning. It was beneath us. Right. Sure. No, sorry, I can't agree with that.
For starters, let me express the fact that I like my bra. I love it in fact. Without it, everyone would see when I was cold.
Second, to all those power-women who just had to have careers, who had to show they were better than men I would like to say thanks. You have proven the age old sentiment that one gender is not better than the other, and is in fact just truly different.
We're different.
Men were built to be men and women to be women. By God, Allah, Aliens, natural design or whatever you believe; there has always been a left to a right, a stop to a go, an up to a down and a man to a woman. Its just the way it is. And like everything in life, one is not better than the other, they're just different. And equally true, one option may be more appropriate in certain situations over the other. Its just the way it is.
I should point out that I am in college right now. I am working my way towards a career that I'll probably never have and don't really want anyway. I love being in school, but honestly nothing could ever take the place of being with my husband and children. I love going on the kids' field trips. I love being home when the school nurse calls to say they can't make it through the day. I love not having to rush around for a babysitter or day care and most importantly; I love not missing a moment, as they go by so fast. I love being a mom and a wife and what other women would call "a disgrace to the gender".
I love the struggle of a one income household. I love that when I don't know what to do, my husband does. I love that he coaches soccer and opens jars. I love that he holds the door for me. I love when he says "mmmmmm" when I make pork chops. I love being a woman. I just hate being one in this, the 21st century.
My female cohorts think I'm nothing.
But here's the facts:
Before woman left the home and decided raising kids wasn't a good enough endeavor, there were no school shootings, there were no piercing's of the eyebrows, there were no metal detectors at the roller rink.
Before women left the home, a "gang" was 4 guys in a Thunderbird playing mailbox baseball and rumbling with other gangs, which seldom (if ever) lead to street wide hysteria and drive-by shootings. I'm not saying there was no violence, I am saying the violence was honorable and face to face. When a person had a beef with someone, they confronted them, toe to toe, fist to fist. They didn't sneak up on a house filled with children while holding an AK-47 wiping out half a neighborhood in the wee hours of the morning.
Before woman left the home, "sexual harassment" was called "chivalry". It was not only okay to tell a woman of her beauty, it was desired. It was not only okay to hold a door for a lady, it was expected. It was not only okay for a man to protect a woman, it was the noble thing to do. And it was not only okay to love your husband to the point of complete submission; it also meant he probably loved you, too, to the point of complete submission.
Before woman left the home, a man took pride in his ability to provide for his family. He didn't commit suicide because there was no work to be found, thanks to the quotas companies have to fill by providing positions for women.
Before women left the home, there was a tenderness in the air. The fairer sex really was fairer. We didn't brag about how many dicks we sucked at the party the night before. We didn't use men just for their money. We knew who our babies daddies were.
Fine, I'll play the Devil for a moment. Yes, some men looked at women as though they were property. Yes, some men thought women the lessor. Yes, some men would have never changed a diaper, cooked a meal, vacuumed a rug or washed a tee shirt. Some men. Not all men.
And before women left the home, I didn't have to puke through laundry commercials with a dad folding clothes. I didn't have to hear the term "at-home-dad" which is ridiculous. It just doesn't make sense.
What women don't understand is that its not about tradition. Its not about slavery. Its about what we were built for. If dad was meant to raise the children, he would have been given a uterus.
When there is love and acceptance of differences in gender, those "some men" are few and far between.
Don't believe me? Ask your parents. Ask your parent's parents. There was a tenderness between a man and a woman. There was a mutual respect for position. There was kindness, understanding, compassion, the ability to just be considerate.
Men and women took care of each other.
Men and women took care of their children together.
They are a compliment to each other and not meant to be competition.
I am going to continue being a worthless woman. I am going to continue to disgrace my "sisterhood". And I am going to raise my kids, not miss a moment, remind my son to protect his sisters and my daughters to respect their brother. I am going to allow my husband to spoil me with attention and affection simply because I have a crotch. And I am going to admire and revere my husband for having the strength of ten men, yet being able to hold me in his arms like I was made of ceramic.
But for the women who complain that men don't know how to treat a lady, blame yourselves.
You wanted equality (which is impossible).
It seems to me that you girls wanted the right to hold the door for yourselves, but wanted some guy to applaud you for it. Can't have your cake and eat it to, ladies. Let him hold the door. Just because we are capable of doing something, doesn't mean we have to do it.
Maybe instead of being woman and roaring, you might just try being woman and just saying "thank you".

Stop interrupting my regularly scheduled programming!

I understand that we need leaders.  I get that.  But, why does everyone that calls themselves a leader/politician have to be a liar?  Why can't there be honest politicians?  Do those words just clash so much that they can not go hand in hand?
Today, here in the great city of Indianapolis, IN, we re-elected Mayor Ballard.  Great, congratulations, you did it again!  Now, let's move on to the important issues.  Let's stop our city from circling the drain of that large toilet we call the American economy.  Let's put our teachers back to work.  Let's stop building sound barriers around our city and start fixing roads that actually need it.  Let's stop buying $1,000 hammers that never get used.  Let's stop buying $800 bar stools in our lottery offices!  Let's do something for our city.  Stop interrupting my regularly scheduled programming for your election results that are not final yet!
I am getting ready to get my workout on, I do my cardio while watching the Biggest Loser.  While getting into the show, I am interrupted and shown the Indiana Roof Ballroom and the Democratic candidates supporters awaiting the results of the vote.  I am shown a room full of people sitting at tables, the candidate is not even in the room.  I am shown a reporter telling me that these people are supporters of said candidate who has not yet arrived, and they are just sitting here waiting....Thanks, I can see that myself!  I am shown another reporter standing in the Murat Center with the supporters of the Republican Candidate, he is there with them. I am told by the reporter that they too are awaiting results.  This BREAKING NEWS goes on for about 10 minutes, only to take me back to the Biggest Loser commercial break!  They cut off the Biggest Loser and then bring us back to see the commercials that I always fast forward while watching my DVR!
So, tell me why it was so important for you to interrupt my workout for some rooms full of people waiting for some ballots to be tallied?  I have been watching the little ticker go across the bottom of the screen.  That had more exciting news than those rooms of people!
Now, we will have to hear about how the Mayor will get four more years, for the next 4 weeks!  Yeah!  But, it was important to cut into our regular programming.  Not to mention that they had all of that streaming live on the news website.  If I was really interested in what was happening in that room full of people just waiting, I would have went to the computer, sat on my fat ass, and watched my computer screen!
They always seem to choose the most exciting moments to cut into your shows with their boring news too.  Doesn't matter what show you are watching, or what Breaking News they have, it couldn't come at a more inconvenient time!  And, it is always something that could have waited a couple minutes more.  Just until the end of the show when the 11 o'clock news comes on!  Or, in some cases, the 10 o'clock news!
It is not always the politicians that break into our regular programming, it could be the drunk that decided it was a good idea to park his car in a local convenience store.  Just an example, that I have seen here in this city before.  Now, 9/11/01, that was Breaking News.....Osama Bin Ladin dead, Breaking News (I like how Obama credited himself for this one btw)....Heavy D passing away, not breaking news.  Do you see what I am getting at?
So, what have we learned today?  I am a huge fan of the Biggest Loser.  Don't interrupt my show, I won't get cranky!

It's Been Awhile!

Though I know it has been well over a year since we have shared any of our rants and raves with you, I felt it was time to get a few things off my very large chest!  ( said it before Ragi had a chance to!)
Anyway, the world has pretty much gone to shit.  It is not just the US.  People are stealing babies, parents are killing their children, hell you can't even go to the local Village Pantry without looking over your shoulder to see who is holding the gun!  Have we all gone mad?
Blame it on the economy, blame it on Obama.....I blame it on CPS!  We can't spank our kids anymore and they no longer know right from wrong!  They have grown up knowing that they can do whatever they want cause all they get as punishment anymore is a few minutes in the timeout chair!  Damnit, smack your kids on the ass!!!!!!  My parents did it to me and I turned out just fine.  I have never stolen a thing, I knew that if I did, my dad would first make me return it, then I would have about a 2 inch thick welt that would go the entire width of my ass!  I knew that there was a consequence that I did not want to happen!
Though I do blame the government for a large portion of our toilet drain circling, the people have a lot to do with it as well.  People are just plain stupid anymore!  Grow up, lose your sense of entitlement, get a job (McDonald's is always hiring), get off your lazy ass and contribute to society!
Don't even get me started on the rich folk either.  I am so tired of them whining all the time that they have to pay higher taxes.  You should, you have more money than you know what to do with.  All of these pro athletes going on strike cause they don't get paid enough.  I call BULLSHIT!  Your 5 million a year is plenty to live on.  And, if it isn't, then you need counseling for your spending addiction.  I get it that you want a fancy car and house to show that you are a pro athlete.  Nothing wrong with that.  If I made $5 million a year, I would want that too.  Yes, get a whole new wardrobe.  You deserve it for throwing a ball in a hoop and running up and down the court several times a night.  But, there should still be plenty for you to give back to the community that supports your team and pays outrageous amounts of money on tickets for lousy seats to your game.
Why are we wasting so much time and money fixing roads that don't need to be fixed?  Fix the ones that have pot holes in them first, then worry about the rest when the time comes.  How about we put those prisoners to work with some hard labor, out in the summer sun or blistering cold, working off their debt to society.  Why should they get three square (hot) meals a day and a bed with a blanket and pillow, and a TV room, and a weight room, and play time every day when they committed a crime?  Punishment is just that, punishment.  No one wants to do it, that is why you don't get into trouble, so you don't have to go to jail!  Put these bad guys and gals to work by cleaning up crappy neighborhoods, working on the bad roads, painting over the obscene graffiti that covers our bridges!  We have United States Veterans that are sleeping on park benches, yet someone that committed a crime against society has it far better behind prison walls!
Don't even get me started on these idiots that run the oil companies.  Bunch of thieves!  They are posting higher profits every quarter while I am scrounging for change so that I can fill my gas tank and their pockets!  If I could have a horse and buggy I would, but that just can't happen.  There just isn't a hitching post outside of my work.  I could ride a bike, yes, if I had one!  But, I can't afford one since I have to hand all of my extra cash over to Uncle Sam!
This used to be a great country to live in, then we started electing government officials.  If we must have someone run this country of ours, why not hire someone that will get the job done, not just go on vacation once a month?  I vote for Joe Arpaio!  I wish he would stop running for Sheriff of Maricopa County, AZ and just head to Washington, DC!
So, that is my rant for tonight.  Don't worry, there is much more where that came from!  Until next time, this is Ricki and that was my two cents!

Light Refracting Off Venus Into Swamp Gases.

The above title is somewhat true, pending on who's perspective you entertain. Certainly the thousands of people who have witnessed UFO phenomenon can attest to that. Maybe it was swamp gas, maybe it was aliens. We don't know. And there are things in this world I can graciously admit to being ignorant of. However, there is one thing I can not... And that is the logic and reasoning behind the family court system.

Go ahead and roll your eyes. "Rags is on another rant about the family court, doesn't she have anything else to talk about?"

No, in fact, I don't.

The epiphany I had yesterday occurred just after seeing my ex husband, the complete asshole that used me as his personal punching bag for nearly eight years, drinking beers with my 13 and 11 year old in tow...... at my 5 year old's father's house. This situation jarred me a bit. The idea of these two men, both of which are lousy fathers and even worse spouses, socially mingling together was quite disturbing. And to know that my 5 year old has not been a priority in her father's life (he has no time for her) made it ultimately betraying.

Back to my enlightenment of an idea that still bears no answer for me.

The question really is "Where is the line?"

Side tangent with me if you will...

It's Wednesday, and the trash can is over flowing. The garbage truck is due to come Thursday morning at the crack of dawn. I say to my husband:

"Baby, can you take the garbage out?"
"I'll get to it"
time lapse 1/2 hour
"Honey, the garbage, can you take it out?"
"Yup, in a minute"
time lapse another hour
"My love, the garbage really needs to go out"
"ALRIGHT! I TOLD YOU I WOULD, NOW QUIT NAGGING ME!!"


Nagging....

Ok, Same scenario. Wednesday night, the trash is over flowing. I say to my husband:

"Baby, can you take the garbage out?"
"Mmm Hmmm"
time lapse to crack of dawn Thursday morning as the garbage truck passes our house
"Honey, the garbage truck just passed. Did you take the trash out?"
"Dammit! Why didn't you remind me???"

So you see, there is a fine line between reminding and nagging....

There is another fine line- in the family court world... Its the line between educating and alienating

Any normal, loving mom, who has lost custody of their child to an abusive dad can attest to this. I am about to go off on my rant now. Bear with me.

A family lives in a neighborhood for many years, and one day out of the backpack of your child do you find a letter from the school that Pedophile A has moved within blocks of your home. Well, aren't we all tickled by this prospect. So, you take your daughters and sons to the kitchen to have the talk. The stranger talk. You pull his picture up on line to show your baby what this bad bad man looks like and you tell him how to stay safe. You map out a route for her to walk to school in, you even follow behind for extra precaution. You point out "safe homes" and teach him to use a pay phone. Or buy her a cell phone 'just in case'. You educate her. Educate, educate, educate. Every day, driving home the need to stay safe.
The teachers hear her talking to classmates relaying what to do if approached by this pedophile. 'She is so smart! Mom did a great job educating her. Now she's sharing her safety tips with friends. That pedophile doesn't stand a chance in this neighborhood!' And his teacher calls you. Praises you for your preventative measures! You're a PTA hero!

Now, after all that education, all the time spent trying to keep your child safe. All the countless hours going over back up plan after back up plan... What if some Judge forced you to send your child to that same pedophiles house, because you EDUCATED her on how dangerous he is.

The family courts do not see this as pro-active planning in the effort to protect. They see this as Alienating.

When that pedophile you are trying to protect your child from is that child's father, the family court system does not allow the mother to keep that child from harm's way. Mom is ORDERED to hand her child over into the hands of the devil. The judge will even arrest and jail the mother for interfering with dad's access time. And then the unthinkable happens. For daddy dearest, raping his child on the weekends isn't enough. He takes mom to court and sues for sole custody and guess what? He is almost guaranteed to get it. Then he can rape her at will. And there is nothing mom can do about it. Dad has arranged it that mom can no longer see her because she has alienated him from his child's life by EDUCATING HER, she is no longer allowed to see her baby because Dad now needs to 'deprogram' her from mom's verbal abuse.

So the child is forced to live with her father. Forced into being raped and beat. Neglected and abused. Tortured. And mom is forced to dump thousands of dollars and hours into a system that failed to protect her child to begin with.

This is how it is everyday for many of us. We are forced to hand our children over to someone who will continually abuse them. We are forced often with our lives and freedom to watch the assaults unfold. We are forced to endure the shame and humiliation with our child because it is the aftermath we most often witness. We are forced stand by, and wait on our lawyers or a law guardian's word that this time will be different. New judge, new laws, new Law Guardian, new county. But the result is always the same if not worse. The new judge grants dad more time, or strips mom of all her parenting rights. Forces mom into living in a car because dad needs child support. That is his right as sole custodian. It is his right to interfere with mom's access because its in the best interest of the child to not hear bad things about dad from mom... far better is it for dad to abuse the child than for mom to protect her.

So where is the line between educating and alienating?
It must lie somewhere in the vicinity of that other line.... the one between Justice and Family Court.

A failure to communicate?

Most of you, if you had been following us on the dailybs, will know my plight with the American Custody Battle.
In the 3 years since I started that series, oh how educated I have become. I have gotten beat up web wise by some of the more illustrious father's rights' groups. And the threats to my inbox have been amusing at best. Oddly enough, they prove my point about what that gender is truly like at their core.
Some of you may remember from earlier stories that I was married oh so many years ago. This man, and I use that term loosely, was the most violent of people. He wasn't always that way however. In the beginning of our relationship he was kind and loving. That changed almost immediately after we got married. No, that's not true, it was happening before we wed but not with such frequency. However, it was after we wed me being a whole 18 years old, that it really started to turn.

What I find confusing about the whole situation of victims in a violent marriage is the shame in which people look upon us. We get the gambit of questions;
"Are you stupid?"
"Why would you stay?"
"I can't believe you're dumb enough to put up with that"
"How can you be so stupid"

Ladies and gentlemen, let me ask you something. If your son or daughter, or mother or father for that matter went to war and got captured by the enemy, was held as a POW for 7 years and then finally managed to be released but not without damage.. Would you then ask that person why he stayed or how she could have been so stupid to get caught?

Guess what? Marriage to an abusive man is the SAME EXACT THING..
He beats on us, starves us, drags us out of bed for no apparent reason at all of hours of the night. Our bones get broken, we get raped and tortured... the only difference is its happening in our home and not in some foreign country somewhere. We are held prisoner for years. Threats of and actual abuse forces us to stay. And then comes the terror of knowing that if, IF you can escape, chances are he'll kill you. 80% of domestic violence homicides occur AFTER she leaves for help. That means a victim has less that a fifth of a chance of surviving.

Now here's the bloody part. We escape, and somehow manage to survive long enough to get to court and file for divorce, file for custody and basically beg our GOVERNMENT for help in protecting our children... And some family court judge, an idiot in a black robe, hands our young children off to that very same man we escape from. The one that decided raping us wasn't enough, he had to move on to our young daughters. So that now, we worry about how much torture our children are suffering. When we intercede to protect a life that cannot protect itself we get held in contempt of a court order and thrown in jail.

Why do we stay? Because its so much less stressful and damaging to be able to protect our children from him, than it is to protect them from the family court system.

That's why.

Ricki's Rave: Sheriff Joe Arpaio

This is from an email that I received.  I have raved over Sheriff Joe ever since I first heard about him.  We need more Law Enforcement officials that are more like Sheriff Joe.

You all remember Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona, who painted the jail cells pink and made the inmates wear pink prison garb. Well..........

Mericopa County was spending approximately $18 million a year on stray animals (cats & dogs).  Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over and the County Supervisor said okay.  The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners.  They feed and care for the strays.  Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily.  He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior.  They give great classes for anyone who would like to adopt an animal.  He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given the to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows.

The best part?  His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million.   [The writer] adopted a Weimaraner from a Mericopa County shelter.  He was neutered, and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day he was adopted.  Cost = $78.

The prisoners get the benefit of about $.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day.  Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc.  He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals. 

I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs his jail system, and copy some, if not all, of his ideas.  He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetable, doing all the work and harvesting by hand.

He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat, and fertilizer.  It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6-$8 for the Holidays, then plant it later.  [The writer] has six trees in his yard from the prison.

Sheriff Joe was re-elected in 2008 with 83% of the vote.  He painted all the buses and vehicles with a mural, that has a special hotline phone number, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens.  Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border. He's kind of a 'Git-R Dun' kind of Sheriff.  

TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO:

He is the Maricop County Sheriff in Arizona.  He has been elected to five consective, 4 year terms as Sheriff.  Why does he keep getting re-elected?  Here's why: 

Sheriff Joe created the "Tent City Jail":

He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.  

He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took away their weights Cut off all but 'G' movies.  

He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects.  

Then He Started Chain Gangs For Women So He Wouldn't Get sued For Discrimination.
He took away cable TV until he found out there was a Federal Court Order that required cable TV for jails so he hooked up the cable TV again only let in The Disney Channel and The Weather Channel.
When asked why The Weather Channel he replied, "So they will know how hot it's gonna be while they are working on my chain gangs."
He cut off coffee since it has zero nutritional value.  When the inmates complained, he told them, "This isn't the Ritz/Carlton....If you don't like it, don't come back."

More on Sheriff Joe:

With temperature being even hotter than usual in Phoenix, the AP reports:  About 2,000 inmates living in a barbed-wire-surrounded tent encampment at the Maricopa County Jail have been given permission to strip down to their government-issued pink boxer shorts.   On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 degrees inside the week before.  Many were also swathed in wet, pink towels as the sweat collected on their chests and dripped down to their pink socks.  "It feels like we are in a furnace", said James Zanzot, an inmate who has lived in the tents for 1 year.  "It's inhumane."  Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic. He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and our soldiers are living in tents too.  And, they have to wear full battle gear, but they didn't commit any crimes so shut your mouths!" 

Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.

United States Overhaul?

Obama just signed a ground breaking bill for these United States making it against the law to not carry health insurance.

Forgive if I don't jump up and down... bad back, you know.

A bad back which I have chosen to let get worse.

A bad back that has been injured and re-aggravated by a 'tough love' father and futher harmed by a growth spurt in junior high.

A bad back that then got tortured and tormented by 3 pregnancies, an abusive husband and lousy lumbar support in the Pontiac.

A bad back, which has gone unchecked in 30 years - Not because I lacked medical coverage- as I can count the amount of days on one hand in my whole life I was uninsured- but because I don't particularly care to venture to a doctor. My own choice, ergo, I have no one to blame but myself. But when it hurts bad enough (by this I mean I can't walk, or reach the IB Profren, or the bottle of vodka) I 'll go see the back doc... and he will work his magic, prescribe me a miracle pill whom only the pharmaceutical companies profit from because in the midst of curing my back, this divine medication will also cause me to have diarrhea, headaches, rashes, spontaneous muscle movements, a loss in appetite, and my cervix to grow a vine of grapes. All of which I will need to purchase more pills for to combat the side effects for the wonder pill that cured my back.

But, thank God, Obama overhauled American health-care.

And he did so without a majority to be in favor of it.

He did so without permission from me or anyone I know for that matter to fuck with our bodies and paychecks.

And who makes the money from this?

I'm not... in fact I believe this bill will cause me to lose a few more dollars and many more nights of sleep. Simply because the land of the free and brave has now become the land of "Shut up and do as you're told"

Ok. I can accept that. I can do as I'm told in the name of 'its good for you'. Sweet Jesus knows that's exactly how tough love dad raised me.

But if the man who is president can illegally pass socialist legislation, why must we only attack the medical profession? Let's open the drawing board up to my idea.

Wait... you might love this one... read on:

Ready?

CLOSE THE FUCKING BORDERS.

That's it. Shut down the entrances to the U.S of A.

I'm not simply referring to illegal immigration.

I mean the whole ball of wax. No more Chinese made yo-yoes. No more sneakers from India, Japan or England. And no more petrol.

If it can be made in the States then it stays in the states.

Sounds horrifying, doesn't it? True, true, I'll relent to your fear of losing ninety nine cent jewelry. And your car. And your plastic, well, everything.

But hear me out.

By closing the borders and shutting down our need for foreign oil we also shut down our dependency on foreign dollars. And we force auto makers in these here united states to revamp their cars, trucks, bikes, gators and whatever to GREEN POWER hence making it environmentally friendly; saving our kids thousands of dollars and diseases. And somebody has to build these new transports THUS GIVING AMERICANS JOBS!

Wait, I got more.

We also open industry back up in the states because now, we still need shoes and clothes and dog food and somebody has to make these products> MORE JOBS!

We lose the possibility of some psychotic jabbering towel head habeeb from blowing up any more of our buildings because NO ONE IS ALLOWED IN ANYMORE!

Americans having jobs and buying American products.. oh wait for it... GENERATES CAPITAL FOR THE GOVERNMENT!!
Well HOLY FUCKING DUH!

Shutting down our borders decreases the risk of tainted foreign food products being shipped here! No more mad cow, unless it is an American Mad Cow (no, I don't mean Hillary).

No more work visa's for a camel jockey to come here and produce psycho babble in our convenient stores because God Dammit I want to buy my beef jerky from an American Asshole, not a foreign one who can't find 64 different English words to curse me down in. And this makes more jobs for... YOU!

And with more jobs, because people have no choice but to buy American, comes more money to go have my fucking back checked out in the first place!

Buh-Bye Welfare! Everyone works now so we no longer need you!

Buh-Bye emissions! Everyone can look at a clear blue sky without haze and smog because we have electric or french fry oil powered vehicles built by french fry eating Americans.

Buh-bye health care overhaul that makes this a fucking communist state because this COUNTRY WAS BUILT BY ME, FOR ME AND OF PEOPLE LIKE ME!

And I will gladly sacrifice the lumbar crushing, broken door, no horn working Pontiac to be able to shit in peace!

My favorite quote from nearly 20 years ago:

"I'm the enemy, 'cause I like to think; I like to read. I'm into freedom of speech and freedom of choice. I'm the kind of guy who likes to sit in a greasy spoon and wonder, "Gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the jumbo rack of barbecued ribs with the side order of gravy fries?" I WANT high cholesterol. I wanna eat bacon and butter and BUCKETS of cheese, okay? I want to smoke a Cuban cigar the size of Cincinnati in the non-smoking section. I want to run through the streets naked with green Jell-o all over my body reading Playboy magazine. Why? Because I suddenly might feel the need to, okay, pal? I've SEEN the future. Do you know what it is? It's a 47-year-old virgin sitting around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake, singing "I'm an Oscar Meyer Wiener". "

Thank you.

America and Nazi Germany......Do we see the similarity?

 Truly is the Greatest Country in the World. Don't Let Freedom Slip Away

  By: Kitty Werthmann

What I am about to tell you is something you've probably never heard or will ever read in history books.

I believe that I am an eyewitness to history.  I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history.  We elected him by a landslide - 98% of the vote..  I've never read that in any American publications.  Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force.

In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression.  Nearly one-third of our workforce was unemployed.  We had 25% inflation and 25% bank loan interest rates.

Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily.  Young people were going from house to house begging for food.  Not that they didn't want to work; there simply weren't any jobs.  My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need.  Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people - about 30 daily.

The Communist Party and the National Socialist Party were fighting each other.  Blocks and blocks of cities like Vienna, Linz, and Graz were destroyed.  The people became desperate and petitioned the government to let them decide what kind of government they wanted.

We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany, where Hitler had been in power since 1933.  We had been told that they didn't have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living.  Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group -- Jewish or otherwise.  We were led to believe that everyone was happy.  We wanted the same way of life in Austria. We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family.  Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back.  Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler.

We were overjoyed, and for three days we danced in the streets and had candlelight parades.  The new government opened up big field kitchens and everyone was fed.

After the election, German officials were appointed, and like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order.  Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed.  The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service.

Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women.  Before this, it was a custom that married Austrian women did not work outside the home.  An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn't support his family.  Many women in the teaching profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been required to give up for marriage.

Hitler Targets Education - Eliminates Religious Instruction for Children:

Our education was nationalized.  I attended a very good public school.  The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler's picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn't pray or have religion anymore.  Instead, we sang "Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Alles," and had physical education.

Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory attendance.  Parents were not pleased about the sudden change in curriculum.  They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff letter of warning the first time.  The second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they would be subject to jail.  The first two hours consisted of political indoctrination.  The rest of the day we had sports.  As time went along, we loved it.  Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free.  We would go home and gleefully tell our parents about the wonderful time we had.

My mother was very unhappy.  When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me in a convent.  I told her she couldn't do that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful.  There was a very good curriculum, but hardly any fun - no sports, and no political indoctrination.  I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate it.  Every once in a while, on holidays, I went home.  I would go back to my old friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing.  Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me.  They lived without religion.  By that time unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler.  It seemed strange to me that our society changed so suddenly.  As time went along, I realized what a great deed my mother did so that I wasn't exposed to that kind of humanistic philosophy.

Equal Rights Hits Home:

In 1939, the war started and a food bank was established.  All food was rationed and could only be purchased using food stamps.  At the same time, a full-employment law was passed which meant if you didn't work, you didn't get a ration card, and if you didn't have a card, you starved to death. Women who stayed home to raise their families didn't have any marketable skills and often had to take jobs more suited for men.

Soon after this, the draft was implemented.  It was compulsory for young people, male and female, to give one year to the labor corps.  During the day, the girls worked on the farms, and at night they returned to their barracks for military training just like the boys.  They were trained to be anti-aircraft gunners and participated in the signal corps.  After the labor corps, they were not discharged but were used in the front lines.  When I go back to Austria to visit my family and friends, most of these women are emotional cripples because they just were not equipped to handle the horrors of combat.  Three months before I turned 18, I was severely injured in an air raid attack.  I nearly had a leg amputated, so I was spared having to go into the labor corps and into military service.  

Hitler Restructured the Family Through Daycare:

When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the government immediately established child care centers.  You could take your children ages 4 weeks to school age and leave them there around-the-clock, 7 days a week, under the total care of the government.  The state raised a whole generation of children..  There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people highly trained in child psychology.  By this time, no one talked about equal rights.  We knew we had been had.  

Health Care and Small Business Suffer Under Government Controls:
 
Before Hitler, we had very good medical care.  Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna .  After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone.  Doctors were salaried by the government.  The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything. When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full.  If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn.  There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine.  Research at the medical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries.

As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80% of our income.  Newlyweds immediately received a $1,000 loan from the government to establish a household.  We had big programs for families.  All day care and education were free.  High schools were taken over by the government and college tuition was subsidized.  Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing, and housing.

We had another agency designed to monitor business.  My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables.  Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because people might bump themselves on the corners.  Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar.  He couldn't meet all the demands.  Soon, he went out of business.  If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control.

We had consumer protection.  We were told how to shop and what to buy.  Free enterprise was essentially abolished.  We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers.  The agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it.  

"Mercy Killing" Redefined:

In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the Alps.  The villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed off with snow, causing people to be isolated.  So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded.  When I arrived, I was told there were 15 mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good manual work.  I knew one, named Vincent, very well.  He was a janitor of the school.  One day I looked out the window and saw Vincent and others getting into a van.  I asked my superior where they were going.  She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach them a trade, and to read and write.  The families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not visit for 6 months.  They were told visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesickness.  

As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these people died a natural, merciful death.  The villagers were not fooled.  We suspected what was happening.  Those people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months.  We called this euthanasia.  

The Final Steps - Gun Laws:

Next came gun registration..  People were getting injured by guns.  Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns.  Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms.  Not long afterwards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns.  The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily.  

No more freedom of speech.  Anyone who said something against the government was taken away.  We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up.

Totalitarianism didn't come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria.  Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath.  Instead, we had creeping gradualism.  Now, our only weapons were broom handles.  The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.

After World War II, Russian troops occupied Austria.  Women were raped, preteen to elderly.  The press never wrote about this either.  When the Soviets left in 1955, they took everything that they could, dismantling whole factories in the process.  They sawed down whole orchards of fruit, and what they couldn't destroy, they burned.  We called it The Burned Earth. Most of the population barricaded themselves in their houses.  Women hid in their cellars for 6 weeks as the troops mobilized.  Those who couldn't, paid the price.  There is a monument in Vienna today, dedicated to those women who were massacred by the Russians.  This is an eye witness account.

"It's true..those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity.

America Truly is the Greatest Country in the World. Don't Let Freedom Slip Away

"After America, There is No Place to Go"

Had to pass on this email......

JOE LEGAL vs. JOSE ILLEGAL

You have two families: "Joe Legal" and "Jose Illegal"..

Both families have two parents, two children, and live in California ..

 

Joe Legal works in construction, has a Social Security Number and makes $25.00 per hour with taxes deducted.

 

Jose Illegal also works in construction, has NO Social Security Number, and gets paid $15.00 cash "under the table".

 

Ready? Now pay attention...

Joe Legal: $25.00 per hour x 40 hours = $1000.00 per week, or $52,000.00 per year. Now take 30% away for state and federal tax; Joe Legal now has

$31,231.00.

 

Jose Illegal: $15.00 per hour x 40 hours = $600.00 per week, or $31,200.00 per year. Jose Illegal pays no taxes. Jose Illegal now has

$31,200...00.

 

Joe Legal pays medical and dental insurance with limited coverage for his family at $600.00 per month, or $7,200.00 per year. Joe Legal now

has $24,031.00.

 

Jose Illegal has full medical and dental coverage through the state and local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.

 

Joe Legal makes too much money and is not eligible for food stamps or welfare. Joe Legal pays $500.00 per month for food, or $6,000.00 per

year. Joe Legal now has $18,031.00.

 

Jose Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for food stamps and welfare. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.

 

Joe Legal pays rent of $1,200.00 per month, or $14,400.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $9,631.00.

 

Jose Illegal receives a $500.00 per month federal rent subsidy. Jose Illegal pays out that $500.00 per month, or $6,000.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $ 31,200.00.

 

Joe Legal pays $200.00 per month, or $2,400.00 for insurance. Joe Legal now has $7,231.00.

 

Jose Illegal says, "We don't need no stinkin' insurance!" and still has $31,200.00.

 

Joe Legal has to make his $7,231.00 stretch to pay utilities, gasoline, etc.

 

Jose Illegal has to make his $31,200.00 stretch to pay utilities, gasoline, and what he sends out of the country every month.

 

Joe Legal now works overtime on Saturdays or gets a part time job after work.

 

Jose Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family.

 

Joe Legal's and Jose Illegal's children both attend the same school. Joe Legal pays for his children's lunches while Jose Illegal's children get

a government sponsored lunch. Jose Illegal's children have an after school ESL program. Joe Legal's children go home.

 

Joe Legal and Jose Illegal both enjoy the same police and fire services, but Joe paid for them and Jose did not pay.

 

Do you get it, now?

 

If you vote for or support any politician that supports illegal aliens...

 

You are part of the problem!

 

It's way PAST time to take a stand for America and Americans!  

~Ricki

Taboo....

Its long been said that the two worst subjects to discuss while in the company of strangers are Religion and Politics. I have always loved ranting about today's government and the socialists that control it. From Father's rights to the petty debate of health care its always been a great source of pleasure for me to verbally demolish and otherwise destroy that which you have called a free society. But in all my years of writing I don't believe I have ever touched on the insanely popular debate on whether a Deity exists.

My esteemed colleague, co-writer and best friend in the whole wide world and I agreed along time ago to disagree on the subject of supreme power in the heavens. She grew up in a local church... actually, the very one my ex-husband's father preaches at. Not that this influenced my decision any on converting to athiestism, but it sure did spark the questions I had that ultimately led to my education and thus my disacknowledgement of The Almighty.

It was when I was out with my sister yesterday, she being a devout christian to the extreme of the sense, that I opted to share my beliefs with you, my loyal reader. My sister, having faith for many, many moons now was contorted with questions. I could see in her face that the things she had come to believe all this time were not reconciling the drama and pain the world has caused her. Every religion, every bible teaches that faith in God will heal you. Every religion indeed teaches that faith is blind, and God is merciful. And every religion teaches tolerance of others; but it also teaches that their belief is the only TRUE path.

I was brought up Catholic... as most Sicilians are. Rosaries and butter lambs were a daily way of life for me. But even at the tender age of 4 I remember crying in church because some dude was hanging from half a tree bleeding all over the place above the alter. What the fuck kind of shit is that? And they call this a family atmosphere? I can tell you, sweet reader, that I would not allow any of my children to witness such a thing, let alone week after week with very little explanation other than "Give money" and "God's Will".

So, in my twenties, I began questioning existence of a higher authority. How can a God allow hurricanes and disease and hunger if he is so loving? Answer; "God's Will". If he "Wills" this to happen, then that is one sick fuck. Who does that really? If anyone of us, save the lunatics that spark violence and rampage, saw a dying man on the street corner, would we not offer a cloth or a ride to the local ER? Would we allow our loved ones to parish from Cancer, AIDS, Sickle Cell Anemia or any other disease because its "Our Will"? I'm telling you, that is one crazy bastard.

Now if religion teaches us that death and disease are God's will, then wouldn't logic teach us that this Cat in the Sky is the greatest serial killer of all time? And he has never been caught!! In fact, he is revered and idolized for his acts. God's Will. What a crock.

Now religion also teaches us that its not for us to know why it is God's will. I'm sorry, but this guy really has a good thing going for him. He can kill, screw, mame, and otherwise destroy any man woman or child.. even animals, and he gets worshiped for it. I really want his job. If I so much as spank my kid, I could go to jail and this guy gets to fuck up who ever he wants and gets praised???? Talk about job perks. I wonder what his health care coverage is like.

So we die, and its taught that we go to a heavenly place... And its taught that eventually there will be a day of judgment where all dead souls of history will be resurrected to account for their lives. All Dead Souls. Do you know how many people die world wide a day? Its like 1500. EVERYDAY. So you multiple that times history and you get a number into the trillions of gazillions! But they'll all be resurrected? Now that is a feat. And not only that, but His kid will come to decide who gets the permanent axe and who moves on to an Eden like Earth. Between you and me, I wouldn't let my kid decide what socks I should wear let alone who gets to live or die for eternity. I wouldn't be added to the "eternity list" if my kid wrote it... But the guy that makes Sour Patch Kid's would.

Speaking of parenting, is the Almighty not the worst parent you have ever heard of? He lets his kid get tortured for his beliefs his whole life.. starves him for 40 days..... and then has him beaten and killed and we are taught that this was a loving act? Poor kid didn't even have butter for his bread at his last supper. Not to mention he was a rebel 20 year old who partied too hard turning water to wine. Let me find out MY SON is at a party whipping up jungle juice.. I would beat his ass.

Ok, so back to the gruel we are fed.. Does the question arise in your sweet head of why we are taught this? The very same reason we teach our own children that if they do something naughty they will go to time out. Time Out to children is Hell to adults. Same difference. Father Baker's, boot camp, go to your room; These are all variations of Hades.

And yet we look into the sky and hope for someone else, not to worship, but to blame. That's what "God" is for the entire world. A Reason. A reason to blame for the death of a loved one. A reason to go to war. A reason to explain the things our infinitesimal minds cannot understand. "God" is simply the easiest way out. Its easier than saying "He had a heart attack because he stuffed his face with 40 pounds of grease a day" we can rather say "Its God's Will." We don't want to think about our mother's or father's decaying in the ground with worms and roaches spreading feces and carcasses all through their eye sockets so we say "He is with his father in heaven" and that makes us feel better. We have little theory as to why humanity exists so we create a convenient story about ashes and ribs. And this is more believable than a UFO. This is more believable than evolution. This is more believable than horoscopes and ghosts.

Please don't get me started on a talking snake. You and I both know if you were to tell anyone that you and a boa had a conversation in the produce section you would be kindly sedated and escorted to a rubber room.

But Mankind... in fact 80% of mankind, believes in some variation of this bed time story. A tale that was spun with the sole intent to control the masses, the same reason we spin tales to our children. Folk lore and superstition force us to hold on to this belief structure simply out of a "Knock on wood" theory and not for fact.
"God's Will" "Blind Faith" "Dogma" and "He works in Mysterious Ways"

Bull shit.