I awoke this morning to breaking news that President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Since the nomination process for the prize closed February 1, 2009, I wondered exactly what accomplishments he had in his resume two weeks into his Presidency that would justify this award. Hmmm…Iran and North Korea are testing missiles and enriching uranium, increasing the possibility that they will have nuclear weapons in the near future and the capability to launch them. Israel and Palestine are no closer to reconciliation. He sent more troops to Afghanistan and is now contemplating sending even more into a situation in which he admittedly has no strategy. Genocide in Darfur. Egregious human rights violations in China. These are interesting qualifications to say the least.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Go Figure
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The Blame Game
When my daughter was growing up, as a single parent, I didn’t have to worry too much about figuring out who was responsible when something was broken or awry in our house . She didn’t have anyone else to blame. I remember a Family Circus cartoon in which there were imaginary “gremlins” named “Ida No” and “Not Me” flying around the house who got blamed when the question, “who did this?’ was asked. Those two didn’t live in our house. If something was broken, and I knew I didn’t do it, my daughter must have. She couldn’t blame anyone or anything else. Since there was no one else to blame, she learned how to take responsibility early in life no matter how unpleasant the consequences were.
I for one am tired of hearing “It’s not my fault.” OK. So let's all agree that none of this is President Obama’s fault, but he was there when it began, and it’s his problem to solve now. If he wants to have a second term, it is high time for him to stop looking over his shoulder and claiming things are worse than he realized, and that the previous administration is the root of all our problems. He needs to leave the late night TV appearances to actors and comedians. He should stay home, find and work with those who can help solve these problems, and get on with the job of being the President. He must stop apologizing, but most of all, he must take responsibility. He must stop the blame game and move on.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Thoughts on Afghanistan
The two hottest topics on the political horizon right now are health care reform and the war in Afghanistan. While I have definite ideas and opinions on both, the health care debate is not my primary focus right now, so instead I will ponder the war in Afghanistan. I am not really an unbiased party here. I work with the Marine Corps, the Regiment in which I work deployed there earlier this year, and my husband has been deployed there.
(Photo courtesy of SgtMaj Stacy Lehfeldt a dear friend who retires Friday after 25 years of honest and faithful service in the USMC)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Second Chances
Where would each of us be without second chances? We have each had times in our lives where we made poor judgments, bad decisions, and even hurt family or friends in the process. Afterwards, without the grace of God and friends and family, we were able to regain trust, repair relationships and move on. Whether we deserved the grace or not, we took advantage of it and were able to put things behind us.
In the news recently we have NFL quarterback Michael Vick. What he did to fall from grace in the public’s eye was at the very least poor judgment and at the very worst horrific, evil behavior. I lean somewhere more toward the latter in my opinion. As a participant in a dog-fighting ring, he was responsible for the maiming and deaths of many dogs. I am honestly still not sure how personally involved in the actual activities he was. I don’t know whether he provided funding and locales, wagered on results, or whether he actually was present when the dogs were trained and fought. No matter the level of his involvement, I personally hold him responsible for what happened to all those dogs that were maimed or killed during the time of his participation.
Michael Vick served time in prison for his actions. When he was released, though, there was an outcry that he should not be allowed to play in the NFL again. Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, had a tough decision to make, and in the end, decided to allow him to play. I would not have wanted to be in his position, but I do believe he made the right decision. Don’t get me wrong. I am an animal lover. I believe what Mr. Vick participated in was horrible, cruel and inexcusable. Not only did those dogs die from wounds suffered while fighting each other, they were killed for poor performance in training. The manners in which they were killed at the hands of the humans responsible were also horrendous. I am not sure what has happened to the others involved, but I hope they have paid dearly. Many people still feel he should not be able to play. I totally understand their feelings, emotions, and the rationale behind those thoughts, too. There is the argument that what he did was so unspeakable that he doesn’t deserve to play. There is also the idea that, as a role model for young people, he lost the right to play and serve in that capacity in the NFL.
Friday, September 18, 2009
FYI
Pet peeves
We all have them. Those little things people do that just get under our skin. For some hearing one or seeing one of them can just ruin their days. Me, I get a little irritated then move on.
1. Inconsiderate drivers…you know the type. When you are trying to change lanes or merge, these bozos speed up to prevent you from making the move. How about those who pass you on the highway or interstate then cut you off only to exit as soon as they do? There ought to be a law! Tailgaters…. no explanation necessary. People who drive too slow in the left lane. Then there are those who keep turning left across traffic even though the green turn signal has already gone from yellow to red. My husband figures all these folks must brain surgeons rushing to get to their next emergency surgery. Just so you know, Virginia Beach has a BUNCH of brain surgeons.
Anyone ever heard of Arlen Spector? Jim Jeffords? Michael Bloomberg?
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Queen of “As Seen on TV”
We’ve all seen them…infomercials, those half hour commercials selling anything and everything under the sun to make your life better, your wrinkles go away, your housework easier, your wallet fuller. You flip through the channels late at night while your spouse is snoring away beside you keeping you from getting back to sleep. You stop on one to see Vince exclaiming that Sham Wows are “made in Germany. You know the Germans. They always make good stuff!” Or extolling the virtues of the Slap Chop saying “you’re going to love my nuts!” And then you are hooked.
The steam mop…got it
The hand held steam cleaner… got it
Mighty Mend It…got it
Those miracle hangers…got it
The Iron Gym…got it
Exercise Bands…got it
The Titan Peeler…got it
Oxy Clean and KABOOM(before they were mainstream)…got it.
QRB-Quickly Restores Beauty…got it
Ab Lounger…got it
Ab Roller…got it
Space bags, furniture moving disks, Pedi Paws, Cindy Crawford’s Meaningful Beauty, P90X…got it, got it, got it, got it, and GOT IT!!!!
Sham Wows are the best kitchen cloths ever. I even bought sets for Christmas gifts. The steam mop is a dream come true…clean floors no chemicals. Mighty Mend It is perfect for those hem jobs I hate. Love the hangers. Space bags work. We still use the furniture moving disks. Meaningful Beauty actually made a difference…if you didn’t know how old I was how old would you think I am??? The Ab Lounger and Ab Roller got me back exercising again. The Iron Gym is helping me master a pull up (uh, yes, I did say a pull up….as in 1). I use the exercise bands while I do my P90X workout, which has worked miracles on my body…really!! The Titan Peeler is absolutely the best of them all. I have actually peeled a pineapple with it. I even gave my daughter one for Christmas!
Seriously, I have been lucky. And even for the ones that didn’t work out, I only spent $19.95 plus shipping and handling. My Aunt Betty says I inherited this tendency from my grandmother. I don’t remember that about her. Shoot I didn’t even know she had a TV. My Dad did have a glasscutter and rock polisher. I seem to remember a whole set of glasses cut from those green bottles of Tom Collins mix he always had dozens of. He was the only one who would drink from them, though. The rest of us were afraid of drinking glass slivers. And then there were all those shiny rocks just lying around the utility room. I’d look at them and think, “How pretty.” Even so my brothers don’t buy this stuff, and I don't think any of the cousins do either. Therefore I am not convinced it is an inherited trait.