Category: Rants


Give Me That Ol’ Time…Religious Freedom

Filed Under: Politics, Rants by Fan of Jane — Leave a comment
August 26, 2010

Freedoms aren’t just for some of the population they are for all. I was listening to a story on NPR about Judge Walker’s decision that Prop 8 is unconstitutional. An official in a small town in southern California near the Mexican border stated that we live in a democracy (we actually live in a republic) and “that” (overturning a vote) isn’t how we do things. First of all, I don’t know who “we” is but in the U.S. “that” is exactly how we do things. Any vote of the people is open to legal and constitutional scrutiny. And…if found wanting…may be overturned. Yep, that’s how it works.

Second of all, just because a majority of people think something should be a certain way doesn’t mean that they are right i.e. slavery, child labor, denying women the right to vote (btw 90 years ago today that changed! huzzah!!)…Really, there should be some sort of civics voter test required periodically just as we have to be tested for a driver’s license. Just because someone can sign their name or read English or recite their address doesn’t mean they know shit about our system of government.

This brings me to my frustration with the uproar about the proximity of the New York community center/mosque to Ground Zero. I don’t know what to address first. Religious freedom or perspective. Let’s start putting things in perspective. Terrorists brought down the towers. They may have used religion to justify their actions or, more likely, to rev up their courage but flying into the towers was NOT a religious act it was an act of terror. An act intended to make a political statement and instill fear in the American heart.

That brings me to religious freedom. I have heard it said that if the center is allowed to be built, then “they” (the terrorists) have won. Well, I beg to differ. “They” only win if we allow the rhetoric to overshadow what is the foundation of this country. The foundation of freedom in general and religious freedom in particular. The foundation that demands a line of separation be drawn between faith and bad acts performed in the name of faith. Let’s face it, if we paint all Muslims with the brush of terrorism, then we have to paint all Christians with the brush of the Crusades. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a Christian anywhere who would go for that.

Have we all forgotten that there were Muslims, other than the terrorists, among the dead on 9/11? I wonder how their families feel to hear talk that a mosque in the community center is a slap in the face of those slain that day?

I can understand the turmoil within the hearts of the family members. I’m sure their pain is still raw and easily inflamed but the rest of us…we should know better…

Some People’s Kids: Stir the pot. Revel in the carnage.

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Prop 8 Overturned!

Filed Under: Politics, Rants by Fan of Jane — 1 Comment
August 4, 2010

Hallelujah! Federal Court Judge Vaughn Walker determined that Proposition 8 “fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license.” This ruling is very similar to the Supreme Court judgement regarding a Colorado law that stated that gays “could make no claim of discrimination.” In that case the Supreme Court found that no state may “deem a class of persons a stranger to its laws.” These are two rulings that really illuminate the responsibility of law to conform to the Constitution.

What I don’t understand is why any citizen would support any law that denies or limits the rights of a subset of citizens. Clearly, that is a slippery slope that once taken can lead to the potential erosion of other rights.

This is not a religious issue. Being able to obtain a marriage license is the first step in a process that enables two people to merge their lives in all ways that matter. Medical decisions. Insurance coverage. Adoption. Property purchases. Public statement of commitment.

Why does anyone care if same sex couples marry? It doesn’t change the legal rights or strength of heterosexual marriage. In fact it could be said that it strengthens all marriage by establishing it as the ultimate measure of a couple’s commitment. Have we forgotten what it feels like to fall in love and realize that we want to spend the rest of our lives with another? And then to realize that through marriage those lives will be entwined in every way? How exciting to know that we would announce to the world that we had found our life partner. Why is it so important to steal that experience from those whose sexual orientation is different from ours? As I said, I just don’t get it!

My ability to choose to marry is the same today as it was yesterday. For me, nothing has changed. But for all of the gays in California much has changed. Think about that. Should the electorate or the government really have the power to control another’s life in that way? What if someone could say tomorrow that your marriage was void because you fell in love and married an Italian? Ridiculous?! Of course. The government shouldn’t be able to tell you who you can fall in love with and marry. Frankly, the government shouldn’t be involved in the love lives of consenting adults at all.

If you don’t think that gays should be able to marry, then don’t go to their weddings. If you think that gay marriage shouldn’t be recognized by religion, then don’t go to a church that does. But if you don’t think that gays should have the exact same rights as you, then you should find a country that isn’t governed by a constitution that was written to protect the rights of the few from the “tyranny of the majority”…

Some People’s Kids: Misguided. Just plain wrong.

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Paperwork the Great Rathole

Filed Under: Health, Rants by Fan of Jane — 1 Comment
August 3, 2010

I hate paperwork! I hate paperwork! Did I mention that I hate paperwork!!! I have just returned from my second trip to the doctor’s office to take care of an authorization to release medical records, arghhhhh! Seems the one I dropped off two hours ago wasn’t specific enough although I would think a general release should be perfect but noooo…

It just seems sometimes that bureaucracy was invented specifically to drive me CRAZY! Ok, so maybe now I feel just a titch better. Maybe I should explain my walk on the sanity precipice. I have been out on short term leave for a number of weeks and I can’t tell you how many days have been taken up with phone calls, paperwork, tests, and gazillions of doctor visits! Not sure where the idea of rest and healing comes in but sometimes it feels like at least a part-time job. I know, definitely a wah, wah, wah kind of day. I hate it when I turn into a whining baby but sometimes the metamorphosis is unavoidable. Perhaps a little Kafka is in my future…

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So You Think You Can Survive, Survive, Survive…

Filed Under: Health, Media, Misc Stuff, Rants by Fan of Jane — Leave a comment
July 22, 2010

So my girls are back and we are making up for lost time and missing each other! We had a little breakfast, a little shopping, and watched a little “So You Think You Can Dance.” Another week another injury. Three great dancers down. This spate of injuries is a first for the show and there is confusion as to why. Really? Well, let’s look at what’s changed. The format, that’s what! There is no luxury of a top twenty within which to build skills and stamina. A group of 10 young dancers go from 0 to 100 working full out on skills outside of their skill set with professionals working mostly within theirs. I just think that’s a recipe for injury. After all, about 65% of dance injuries are from overuse and an overwhelming 90% of injuries occur when a dancer is fatigued.

The elder daughter was a dancer for nigh on upon a gazillion years (ok, 13 years). I watched her body change to enable her to do more and more. However this growth was over years not days or weeks. The younger was a gymnast and again tricks and complexity were added as her body and mind were ready to tackle them.

And I guess I wonder why the format change anyway? Ratings? Seems to be since I can’t see how it really benefits the dancers. Sure, it’s great to dance with the all-stars and clearly they push the younger dancers, however they wind up with less time to learn as well as to strengthen their minds and bodies.

It’s important for any athlete (yes, dancers are athletes) to constantly assess where they are and how their body is handling what’s being asked of it. For instance how many hours are being danced each week? How many new styles of dance are being introduced to each dancer for which they don’t really have the technical expertise? Are they being provided sufficient warm up before rehearsals and/or performances? Do the dancers know how to warm up properly for the workload they are experiencing? Is there appropriate conditioning activities provided other than dance such as swimming, yoga, Pilates, gym aerobics? I know that there are limited hours in a week but if there isn’t enough time to make sure the dancers are safe then maybe ratings should take a bit of a back seat.

Given the injury waterfall, I think the SYTYCD producers owe it to the dancers as well as the public to evaluate the entire process. After all I’m not thinking that the public would have sent Alex or Ashley home.
Anyway, it’s just kind of troubling to me. Most of the time mucking with a TV show just impacts the quality of the show and though it may lead to a cancellation the actors are still able to go on to other projects. But if you muck with the format of a dance show, you just might be mucking with safety. Just a thought…

Some People’s Kids: Hard working. Talented. Young. Competitive.

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Shirley Sherrod. Honest. Heroine

Filed Under: Misc Stuff, Politics, Rants by Fan of Jane — 1 Comment
July 21, 2010

Oh…the end of worry is near! My girls are getting in tonight and I have missed them like crazy!! I have had the requisite conversation with my long dead dad and he has his marching orders to keep their plane in the air and land them safely. It’s amazing how I immediately feel some semblance of power once they are in my sphere of influence even though I have no more power than when they are away. Mind games, ain’t they swell?!!

Had a girlie day today. Got the old hair and nails done. Don’t know why, not going anywhere but I guess I just needed to feel pretty. Being under the weather for several weeks can do that to a girl. Before the elder daughter left she let me know that the skunk look wasn’t really cuttin’ it and I had to agree so didn’t really want her to come back to the “bride of Frankenstein”…

Here’s something really random for you…What about that Shirley Sherrod case? It just goes to show that anything we say at any time in our life can be taken out of context and used to further an agenda. A three minute snippet of a twenty-seven minute speech was used to portray Ms. Sherrod as a racist. And on the basis of a YouTube airing of this snippet, she was forced to resign her position as the Georgia Director of the USDA.

Don’t be fooled by what you see on that three minute piece! This is propaganda of the worst kind and the best evidence I know of how important it is to get your information from more than one source and make sure you have the whole story before you make judgments. After all, our perspectives are the result of lives lived and as such we think they have a solid foundation. However, some of our experiences lead us to make assumptions and oftentimes those assumptions are just plain wrong. And I guess I would suggest that anytime we allow our assumptions to lead us to snap judgments, then that should be the red flag that says, “take a minute (or twenty-seven) to rethink.”

Now, the full twenty-seven minutes of Ms. Sherrod’s speech takes the audience on a journey that paints a complex picture about the role of not only race but also poverty in American culture. It presents a woman honestly airing her prejudices as well as the epiphany that showed her the error of her position. Oh, that the rest of us could be so honest! Because if we can’t face our shortcomings how will we ever grow and be a agent of change?

What did she get for her courage? Lambasted! Verbally tarred and feathered! Undercut by the very people who should have gotten their information from more that one source, who should have taken twenty-seven minutes before making a judgment! I am disappointed in the NAACP, I am disappointed in the Obama administration, I am disappointed in knee-jerk liberals who were so concerned with appearing to take the high road that they wound up in the gutter. I am disappointed in anyone who painted her a racist before knowing her. Isn’t that what every important civil rights leader in the last half century has asked. Get to know me, him, her, whoever…before judging.

Shirley Sherrod is about as far from a racist as she can get. Because one thing I know about a racist, they don’t question their belief system. They don’t recognize that they might be wrong. They don’t admit that they are behaving badly. And they certainly don’t encourage the choir to sing a different tune. I admire Shirley Sherrod’s willingness to use her life lesson to plant the notes of a different song in the hearts of her choir…

Thanks Shirley!

Some People’s Kids: Courageous. Honest. Deserving of much better treatment…

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The State of the Nation Just Makes Me Tired

Filed Under: Politics, Rants by Fan of Jane — 1 Comment
July 19, 2010

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Socialism as…
1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done

I really can’t mesh the definition above with the reality of life in 21st century United States. How exactly is Obama moving us towards socialism? According to a recent poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research shows that 55% of likely voters believe that the word “socialist” describes President Obama and his policies as “well” or “very well.”

If this is so, then why didn’t he just create a national bank instead of administering a bail out that allowed our banking system to not only continue doing business but also enabled a number of companies to grow even bigger? Why didn’t he have the government take over GM, Ford, and all of the other auto manufacturers that were failing instead of helping many of them to survive? Wouldn’t it have been better for them to go under and then have the government step in to save the workers?

I mean really…look at the definition, “collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods” not helping companies to continue to function independent of the government.

Is it Obama’s commitment to healthcare for all US citizens that makes him a socialist? If this is a socialist idea then your grandma and mine better be ready to give up their Medicare. And I hope you, your siblings, parents, and friends have great retirement benefits because social security will not be an acceptable option for any of us.

What is so scary about making sure that we all have access to affordable healthcare? How are we disadvantaged by making sure that preexisting conditions are covered? Where does it say that the availability of safe medications will undermine the democratic process? Someone please explain the problem because I just don’t get it.

As a nation we are just full of contradictions. We think the Democrats are better suited to run the country but we want to kick the bums out. We like Obama but we hate his policies. A new Time poll paints a schizophrenic picture of the electorate and frankly I’m just feeling tired of it all and a wee bit depressed. It’s not enough that we have to deal with the “party of no” killing any chance for bipartinsanism but we can’t even count on the voters to stick it to the real bums…

Some People’s Kids: Schizophrenic. Ignorant. Wouldn’t know a socialist from a hole in the ground…

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The Unemployed as Political Pawns

Filed Under: Politics, Rants by Fan of Jane — 2 Comments
July 15, 2010

Tuesday will bring yet another Senate vote on whether or not to extend unemployment benefits for those coming to the end of their benefits. A number of weeks ago the vote went against the extension. Why? Because there was no provision to pay for it! Really?!!!

Ok, I’m officially boggled. When we went to war the projected cost wasn’t even included in the budget. When we decided to create huge tax cuts, the cost was subsidized by a government surplus (built during the Clinton administration) that could have paid for that war or any other number of crises that followed. Any yet, when it comes to supporting those who have paid the price (losing their jobs) for years of mismanagement both in the private as well as the public sector, we hold those innocents as political hostages. Fucking crazy!

Passage of this measure seems like a no brainer to me. There are approximately five unemployed for every available job. In other words the labor market is still unable to keep up with the large numbers of unemployed as well as the increase in the population. So when workers lose their jobs and are coming to the end of their benefits, how are these former workers supposed to pay their rent let alone buy food and clothes and cars and houses or just keep the homes and cars they have.

Notice the reference to the term “former workers.” This is a rather important tidbit since one must have worked in order to collect unemployment. These aren’t those dreaded, scary deadbeats, these are people like you and I who have, so to speak, earned their unemployment checks. In addition they prove every week that they are actively looking for work in order to collect that check.

I don’t know if there are very many out in the world who have never lost a job but for those of you who don’t know the drill here are some insights. Each state determines their own guidelines. You only get a percentage of pay based on a predetermined number of months worked. In my state payments are a whopping minimum of $116/week to a maximum of $496/week (now that’s definitely the road to great wealth!).

Wow, now that I see it in black and white, I can see why an extension is soooo hard to vote for. After all, where is the motivation to go back to work? With all that free money coming in and all that free time to do whatever you want! Losing one’s job is simply the best of all possible worlds!

Let’s get real here. The money is barely enough to live on, if that, and looking for a job is kinda like having a full-time job without the payoff. And if you have half a brain, you can see that these are FORMER WORKERS!!! People who want to work, have worked, want to work again. Some have kids in college, homes they are trying to hold on to, elderly parents who depend on them, and a score of other reasons why they HAVE to earn an income.

So what is the benefit of supporting this previously hard-working population? Well, how’s about if they don’t receive financial support while they are trying to find a job they won’t be able to pay the rent/mortgage, buy food/clothing, or support the economy in any other viable way. They might become homeless, go on welfare, commit suicide…Is that what any of us would want for a member of our families?

The national unemployment rate as of June 2010 was 9.5%. So that means that somewhere in the neighborhood of 14.6 million people are unemployed with just under 4.5 million receiving benefits and just over 4.5 million additional receiving Federal extended benefits from the initial extension. What happens to the economy if those receiving the extension money lose it or the others come to the end of their unemployment?

My closest friend is one of those coming to the end of her benefits. Although she is currently working a contract job, she will only have two weeks of benefits left to fall back on. See, you don’t get to include contract work in your formula for benefits so even though she is working her available benefits will not grow. So if the contract work dries up, she might face losing her house, her car, all she has worked so hard for since her first job at sixteen.

Multiply her by 4 million! What does that do to the economy not to mention the psyche of a country? We don’t exactly have the strongest economy right now anyway! I don’t have the answer but I do have the feeling that it would not be a pretty sight. I also have the feeling that it will impact all of the rest of us, in ways we can’t even comprehend, for years to come.

These former workers are the backbone of our nation. They made our cars, computers, stereos, and espresso. They fixed our cars, built our houses, and carried our groceries. Think about it. What happens to our bodies if our backbone isn’t cared for or working properly? Maybe your foot hurts, then your head begins to ache, maybe your hand goes numb and maybe you can’t even walk!

We need a healthy backbone to have a healthy whole. Why is that so hard to understand?…

Some People’s Kids: Short-Sighted. Narrow-Minded. Unbelievably Stupid…

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Oh, Those Pesky Pests

Filed Under: Misc Stuff, Rants by Fan of Jane — Leave a comment
July 14, 2010

Caution: Flies were harmed in the making of this blog

Flies…yuck!

Is there anything more irritating than flies?? Sure, there are bad drivers, annoying bosses, philandering spouses, etc., etc., etc…but flies buzz. They buzz around your head, dive bomb your food, and zip off when you try to kill them.

As I sit here writing, one teases me by landing first on the monitor, then the keyboard, and in a move so bold it shakes me to my core, my ARM. Eyew! Then he stops to rub his tiny little dirty feet together (do they even have feet?) and I shoo him away!

Yeah, yeah, I know that flies are part of the ecosystem and they have a job to do. But not in my HOUSE! I have always been of the mind that creepy crawlies and flying torturers should remain outside away from all social areas. If they encroach on my domain in any way, shape, form, then they deserve the ultimate fate that is death. Seems perfectly reasonable to me.

We have tried everything to rid our little bit of paradise of these dirty multi-eyed creatures. Fly paper hanging on the deck and in the house (yes, the house, AND we don’t even live in a single-wide!). A bug zapper that, although glowing merrily on the deck, is desperately in need of Viagra as it is woefully IMPOTENT! I swear, it is a plot to drive me crazy!

We recently purchased a tool that looks suspiciously like a tennis racket but is actually a fly executioner. It has two buttons that, when depressed at the same time, creates a current that courses through the wire strings. If lucky, this will occur at the exact moment when a fly comes in contact with the wire strings on the racket. Bliss!

Oh, let me tell you about the satisfaction created when you hear a pop followed by a sizzle and a fly drops to the counter, floor, or whatever surface, and begins spinning wildly around, and around, and around, and around…hmmm…see what I mean by crazy?!

More and more I find myself crouching and lurking around the house trying to zap some unsuspecting fly. It’s more than a little terrifying and I’m concerned that the crouching and lurching will soon be joined by drooling and talking to myself!

Every single morning there are 6-10 of ‘em out there on the deck partying like it’s 1999. I quickly open the screen to let the furry do his thing in the dog run and try to wait until his tail clears the door before I slam it shut. Sometimes it is a verrrry close call. I stand there watching them buzz around playfully and debate whether I should start the day’s battle knowing that my sanity will drain away as the little winged monsters zig and zag away from my attempts to kill them.

Actually, you know, it’s a little like golf. Just as I’m ready to throw in the towel and the executioner racket…I get one! Pop! Zap! Whirl! Whew…and I am right back in the game. :)

I just sayin’…maybe sanity is just a titch overrated…

Some People’s Kids: Driven. Stubborn. Never Beaten…

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