Category: Can We Talk?

Can We Talk?, Politics

Love You – Hate Your Politics

Karen

Vodpod videos no longer available.


(This video is a few years old, but politics will never go away so …).

First of all, I’d just like to air a common pet peeve of mine – just because Republicans demand individual responsibility, do not want government making our decisions for us, like to keep our options open, embrace choices, appreciate our liberty and want to maintain our individual freedoms, does NOT mean we’re cold blooded or lack compassion. Indeed, in a lot of ways, we have MORE compassion than our polar opposites because we choose to support programs that help people get back on their feet after enduring tough times; we DO NOT support programs that ultimately guide (trick?) people toward long-term dependency on a program and/or government “assistance”. I’m referring specifically to the flippant comment in this video about how if one’s arteries have hardened then by all means, he/she MUST be a Republican. (Even though the barb was poorly disguised as a joke, the point was still sharp and a bit insulting – at least to me. And though my first instinct is to return the favor, I will refrain from doing so because it really serves no real purpose to my overall point).

That stereo typical attitude only serves to cast a wide net over very real and valid concerns and dilutes (distracts from?) the original problem or grievance. And yes, I’m talking about ALL stereo types, not just conservative stereo types – it’s petty and childish and in most cases something that is fallen back on because an individual can’t think of an intelligent, or rational, counter point in the debate. (Hence, another big reason I’m interested in writing about Rhetoric and why it’s so important we recognize, understand and apply it in our daily lives).

Moving on …

I’m lucky. Kevin and I see eye-to-eye on politics. Me and my family, on both sides of the fence, agree on politics. I really haven’t run into a situation where me and a loved one disagree on politics, though there have been tense moments about minor issues within an ideology and that’s when my rhetoric training (for lack of a better term) has kicked in and it’s been a challenge to me to first HEAR what the person is saying and then RESPOND with a logical and acceptable rebuttal.

And if that doesn’t work, agree to disagree and change the subject. 😀

I am about 95% certain that if Kevin and I hadn’t agreed on politics, our marriage would be quite different. (And that goes the same for religion, actually. In fact, I feel so strongly about couples agreeing on these two IMPORTANT issues so much that I’ve made a point of teaching the boys how crucial it is that when it comes time for them to choose a life partner, these two issues absolutely must be discussed in the early stages of the relationship. Marriage is tough enough without throwing in ideological differences). We disagree about a few minor points, but overall, we are on the same page when it comes to what we expect from our country.

Here’s another peeve of mine: religion with politics. I understand people believe differently – it’s yet another wonderful freedom our country has fought for. However, our core values, the very foundation of our constitution, is built on religion. We derive our policies and freedoms from our belief and faith in God and His son, Jesus Christ. Is it any wonder that our politics would reflect these beliefs?

Disagree if you must, but I firmly believe that America is as successful as she is BECAUSE of our closely woven ties with Christianity. And though an individual has the freedom to disagree with Christianity, it’s rather insulting to dismiss, or belittle, the impact and importance that Christianity has served in shaping the backbone of our country’s ideals, rules, and creed.

Though there very well may be aspects of our constitution that (feel) dated and need to be tweaked to reflect current times, the bulk of our constitution is timeless – they are the fundamental values of what differentiates our country from so many others. It’s not arrogance, it’s pride. It’s not insolence, it’s confidence. And though the left and I may disagree on 99% of the issues, the mere fact that we have that disagreement is WHAT MAKES AMERICA STRONG. It’s absolutely crucial that we have that checks and balances in place because no one side has the authority, or the objectivity, to completely rule our country. We need debate, we require compromise so that we can, at some point, meet somewhere in the middle, thereby making better laws and providing a more fair alternative to the majority of Americans.

Take the above video for example: It’s completely one sided – all of these ladies are liberals, so everything they say is from the left side. And they irritate me to no end because their ideals are so very different than mine and their presentation is somewhat lame (sorry ladies – I realize a lot is edited out). But I’m choosing to look past their theatrics (and attempts to be funny) and instead, focus on their primary message: dealing with loved ones who have different political views than you do.

We also need to learn to listen to each other and rationally weigh what he/she is saying before offering a rebuttal. All too often, we jump to conclusions or refuse to HEAR the message behind the theatrics – and make no mistake, there are theatrics from both sides. Often times it’s unintentional due to rising passions, but other times, it’s a deliberate ploy to distract individuals from the REAL issue and I think the danger is that too many people are unaware of this tactic.

Again, this is yet another reason why it’s SO IMPORTANT for people to learn the art of Rhetoric because if one can’t see past the red herrings, then it’s nearly impossible to discuss, and solve, the core issues.

Confused? Let me give you an example – I’ll even pick on the conservatives in the hopes that you will see my point instead of jumping on the defense wagon.

Conservative talk radio ….

WAIT! Did you just snort? Did you roll your eyes? Did you contemplate on clicking out of my blog and going elsewhere?

Then you just proved my point. You made assumptions and lumped your preconceived notions on those three little words before you even attempted to hear (read) what I had to say.

And just think, I don’t even have the dramatic music or voice inflections to further distract you from what I’m saying.

Rush Limbaugh … relies way too much on satire. A lot of people don’t get satire and take him too literally. The media also LOVES to take snippets of what Rush says, taking a piece of that satire out of context, and running full speed ahead with it. As always, one should never totally rely on what the media says (in any form) and go straight to the source – transcripts. Exactly what DID Rush mean when he said that. Nine times out of ten, it makes sense and means NOTHING what the lame stream media tried to portray it as meaning. Lesson: don’t take things out of context. I like listening to Rush because he’s been in politics for years – he has the experience and the knowledge to accurately peg people and events.

Glenn Beck … is annoyingly doom and gloom. His tired “end of the world is coming if we don’t do something soon” spiel really gets old. He’s also way too dramatic for my taste. However, looking past his trademark shtick, he does have a point – our government is really veering WAY off the constitution mark – it’s like they’re making the rules up as they go along. He tries to illustrate this point to people by scaring them and it just comes off as paranoid, in my opinion. Lesson: don’t allow either your fears, or what others fear, to sway your reasoning. Calm down, think it through.

Sean Hannity … is probably my favorite of the talk show hosts. (Plus, he’s hot. But I SWEAR that’s not the reason I listen to him. Well, okay, maybe one of the reasons I listen to him). In my opinion, Hannity is the most professional out of the talk show hosts. He gives people a chance to offer their two cents and then responds with his thoughts, often times citing sources to back his opinions. He rarely interrupts and he always (sincerely) thanks the people who come on his show. He’s also committed to educating the world about Obama and his radical agenda (all proceeds from his book go to a charity) and he’s quick to pick up, and elaborate on, what the lame stream media leave out. My only complaint with Hannity is that he repeats himself, show after show, after show, after show … it’s really quite annoying. He also has a habit of driving his point home SO much that the listener has a tendency to tune him out sometimes, I think. (“Okay Sean, I see your point. I got it about fifteen examples ago.”) Lesson: If you have an opinion and you feel confident in expressing it,you better have the proof to back it up or risk looking like a fool.

Mark Levin … is obnoxious, in his attitude toward those that disagree with him and his voice. I know he can’t help his voice, but wow, that voice. I get extremely impatient with his rudeness with people. He has no qualms calling people idiots and insulting their intelligence. He also likes to cut people off and I would even venture to say, his hearing is a bit selective (not allowing people to make their points before cutting them off. However, to be fair, some people never GET to their points so …). I respect Levin though. He has an in-depth knowledge of the constitution and law and I learn so much listening to him talk about the constitutionality of various issues. I’ve never been an Obama fan, but after listening to how he’s shredding our constitution and decimating America’s core values, I now loathe the man. Lesson: Respect the process and the information, not the presentation.

Michael Savage … is a thug. But I think that’s his shtick. He talks tough (and I’m sure he is tough) and doesn’t care what people think. He’s touted for being a big freedom of speech proponent and I like to listen to him because he does get passionate about our freedom of speech rights. There’s a disclaimer at the beginning of Savage’s show about it being for mature audiences only and it’s true, he gets pretty rough with the issues and people sometimes, but it’s refreshing to hear him refuse to play the politically correct game. I don’t listen to Savage very often simply because he’s on past my bedtime, because I’m old and I need sleep. *grin* Lesson: Don’t be afraid to speak up for what you believe in.

There are more, but these are the guys I listen to from time-to-time. They all have their own styles, they all have important things to say, it’s just getting past their personalities and idiosyncrasies so that we can get to the message that’s the challenge sometimes.

*sigh* Sorry. I got off topic, as usual. But this is something I feel passionate about and I tend to drone on and on and on and on ……. about it.

It’s time to step off my soapbox. I hope this article has gotten you thinking and at the very least, didn’t annoy you too much. 😀

Can We Talk?

Talking to Kids About the Economy

Karen

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Our kids definitely know the difference between needs and wants.

This is not to say that they haven’t learned to fully appreciate what it means to want something and to need something, (they’re rather spoiled, yes, I said it), but they know the difference. And I hope, when that day comes when they have to choose between the newest gadget on the market or say, eating, they 1. can first determine which is more important and 2. end up with full tummies.

Short of sitting our boys down and going through our checkbook with them, they know our financial situation. They don’t know precise numbers (and it’s really none of their business, quite frankly), but they know when money is tight and when it’s not so tight.

Money is tight for us right now.

With Kevin out of work and me staying home to take care of him until he can get back on his feet (though he’s on his feet now and we’re fast approaching that day when he will no longer need me 24/7), neither one of us is working. We’re okay, we have some money in savings, our house is paid for, our cars are paid off, we don’t have a lot of debt, but still, we’re penny pinching.

Though our boys have never been the type of kids to nag, beg, or throw fits if they didn’t get what they wanted, they haven’t really wanted much. As long as they have their games, Internet connection, and Mountain Dew, they’re happy campers. And if a new game comes out and they’re dying for it, they can either A. pay for it themselves with birthday/Christmas money or B. wait until their birthdays and/or Christmas comes around.

We do not give our kids an allowance. If they want something, they can work for it (and by working for it they can either do something around the house that isn’t automatically expected of them, or they can continue to be good students so that if they want something, we’re more apt to say yes), or they can play the waiting game and wait for it.

So, our boys have a pretty good sense of how important money is and when they have it, to spend it wisely. Dude is especially good about this. In fact, I daresay he’s cheap (like his momma). But Jazz … is perhaps not so careful about his money. I can see him impulse buying. In fact, it amuses me whenever Jazz wants something and Dude is all like, “Why do you want that? Why don’t you wait a few more weeks when it’s bound to either go on sale or end up free online somewhere.”

In essence, he talks him off that spending ledge.

All of this to say, YES, I think it’s crucial that parents talk to their kids about the economy. About the importance of spending money wisely, of saving money and staying out of debt, of working hard and finding that balance between enjoying the fruits of their labor and managing their money wisely.

Especially now, in the age of instant gratification and this feeling that they are somehow ENTITLED to life’s little luxuries.

Um … NO.

It’s also important to teach them Economics 101. About how supply and demand work and what happens to prices when that gets out of whack. Or how government CAN be a good thing, as long as they don’t become TOO intrusive and want to take control over nearly every aspects of our lives.

Like now.

Oh yes. The time period we’re living in right now? IS THE PERFECT TIME TO TEACH YOUR CHILDREN A THING OR TWO ABOUT OUR ECONOMY.

Just sayin’.

All of these lessons need to be age appropriate, of course, but they need to be taught. If we hope to raise the next generation of fiscally responsible adults, it’s OUR responsibility to teach our children NOW about how the world works and how it can, and will, affect them in the future.

But ACTIONS speak louder than WORDS. (*ahem* Are you listening, Mr. President?). We can talk to our kids until we’re blue in the face (or bankrupt), they won’t truly learn the lesson, they won’t take us seriously, until we LIVE what we preach. So, we teach being frugal? Then we spend wisely. We discuss WHY we can’t go out to eat every night. We talk about how we would rather spend the money on, say, swimming for the whole family instead of buying that new Barbie doll. (Not that our boys WANT a Barbie doll, I’m just using a girly example here because I don’t get the chance to use girly examples very often. Hush). We talk about options and test our children by asking them what they think we should do.

We help them manage their own money by “guiding” them to make the right decisions. We trim the fat and instead of paying for high speed Internet, we make due with the slower speeds because it’s cheaper. Or we buy a pay-as-you-go cell phone plan instead of going the iPhone route.

Life is all about making sacrifices and finding YOUR OWN personal balance.

I hope we’ve been successful in teaching our boys that lesson. I’d like to say, yes, we have, but we won’t truly know how we’ve done until they are in a situation where they are required to make their own decisions without us.

I’m rather looking forward to seeing how they do.

There’s no shame in talking to your kids about your financial situation. It’s reality. I wouldn’t scare them, and like I said, keep it age appropriate, but it’s (fiscally) irresponsible to NOT teach our children about the importance of maintaining a healthy economy.

A healthy economy doesn’t just happen. It’s not handed to us. It’s not created for us. WE all have to pitch in and work to make it happen – not just for our benefit, but for the benefit of our children and grandchildren.

Can We Talk?

Respect the Flag

Karen

Respect the Flag

Happy Flag Day! Do you know what Flag Day / Week represents?

From whitehouse.gov:

When the Second Continental Congress adopted the American flag on June 14, 1777, the thirteen stripes alternating red and white, and thirteen white stars in a blue field, represented “a new constellation.” On Flag Day, and throughout National Flag Week, we celebrate its lasting luminosity, and the enduring American story that it represents.

Although the configuration of stars and stripes has changed over the years it has been flown, its significance and symbolism have not wavered. The flag that once helped unite a new Nation to confront tyranny and oppression still flies today as an unequivocal emblem of freedom and liberty. The same flag that has been raised on beaches and battlefields still adorns the uniforms of our heroic sons and daughters serving in America’s Armed Forces, including our troops serving in harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 2010, as Flag Day and the week beginning June 13, 2010, as National Flag Week. I direct the appropriate officials to display the flag on all Federal Government buildings during that week, and I urge all Americans to observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by displaying the flag. I also call upon the people of the United States to observe with pride and all due ceremony those days from Flag Day through Independence Day, also set aside by the Congress (89 Stat. 211), as a time to honor America, to celebrate our heritage in public gatherings and activities, and to publicly recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America.

Are you proudly displaying YOUR American Flag?

WE ARE!

Aren’t you PROUD to be an American?!

WE ARE!

Doesn’t it make you crazy whenever you hear about people who diss the flag and/or get offended whenever someone wears a flag t-shirt or displays the flag at a gathering/office/school?

YES IT DOES!

I saw a tweet on Twitter this morning and it’s been eating at me ever since.

Capture1

Now I ask you who, in their right mind, would be offended by his/her own country’s flag at any given moment?

I truly don’t understand where people are coming from here.

Care to enlighten me?

I mean, if people truly hate this country SO MUCH, then why don’t they move to another country? If flying our nation’s flag, the flag that represents the struggles and the lives of so many men and women who died to defend her, truly offends people, then why in God’s name are they still on American soil? WHY do we kowtow to these insensitive, unpatriotic boobs?

I, for one, will not tolerate anyone bad mouthing or decimating our flag, or our heritage. And people, if we don’t stop these “offended” nutjobs all in the name of being “politically correct,” then what the hell kind of message is that sending to our military men and women?

To our children?

Have we really become a nation with our tail between our legs?

What kind of message is that sending to the rest of the world? Exactly how is that honoring the men and women who have DIED for this country these nearly 234 years??

I say, let’s grow a freaking backbone here!

Here are some examples of people getting offended by the flag just these past months:

Earlier this week, Debbie McLucas, a supervisor at Kindred Hospital in Mansfield, Texas, was told she would have to take down a 3×5 American flag that she had hung near her desk in an office she shares with three other supervisors. Her boss told her a fellow supervisor, who had immigrated to the United States from Africa 14 years earlier, found it “offensive.” The hospital says it received other complaints from visitors. These must be the type of hospital visitors who stumble upon staff offices as well as close their eyes walking into the building, since the stars and stripes waves proudly outside.

source:

Here’s another gem:

By now you may have heard the story of five students at a California High School who were punished and forced to turn t-shirts inside out because they depicted the American flag. Principal Nick Boden and Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez of Live Oaks High School in Santa Clara County admonished the boys for their displays of patriotism because it was May 5, or Cinco de Mayo in Mexico. The students were sent home, and their parents are now justly fighting the district over the school’s ill-concieved actions.

Isn’t the great thing about America that we can celebrate more than one culture at a time, regardless of the day? Will wearing an American flag on St. Patrick’s Day offend the Irish, or during Oktoberfest offend Germans? And isn’t it a bit condescending to assume that Mexican-Americans don’t also revere the flag of their adopted nation?

source:

And the kicker?

Remarkably, Cinco de Mayo, which commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over French forces at the Battle of Peubla is hardly celebrated in Mexico itself. It is voluntarily observed in America as a celebration of Mexican-American heritage.

It absolutely boggles my mind that any person, lucky enough to live in our great nation, would dare to complain or criticize the symbol of our country. And it disheartens me that more people are not willing to take a stand against these radicals and say ENOUGH ALREADY. This is our country and we are proud of her. We will NOT tolerate your disrespect or cater to your attempts to belittle, or excuse, what we’ve fought to obtain.

The ideals of America’s founding are timeless. And yet the cause of Freedom is never complete, but requires eternal vigilance. Not only the cloth and colors of the flag must endure, but the liberty it represents must not perish from the earth. In the words of the National Anthem:

O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On this symbolic day, not only Americans, but free people everywhere should pause to ponder the meaning of this red, white, and blue flag.

source:

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

You got a problem with our constitution? You don’t agree with our foundations? You think the Bill of Rights is negotiable?

Then I have one word for you: LEAVE.

If we want to maintain our precious freedoms, then we must FIGHT for them. Stand UP for your country, folks.

Proudly display our flag and to hell with anyone who doesn’t like it.

(Sorry for the IN-YOUR-FACE post, but dog gone it, I’m sick of people not standing up and saying something about the crap that we’re being forced to endure right now. NO MORE KOWTOWING!).

Can We Talk?

What If …

Karen

I love these moral delimma questions.

You’re a policeman. You pull over a car that’s speeding in a school zone. The driver is a neighbor’s son. Do you let him off with only a verbal warning?

My answer: Maybe, it depends. If this is his first offense, then I would most likely give the kid a warning. However, if he has a record (whether speeding or not), then I would absolutely give him a ticket and most likely say something to my neighbor, too.

Your turn!

Can We Talk?, Monday Stuff

Monday Muse

Karen

Here are some interesting articles I’ve found over the past week.

Hyper parents and coddled kids

We’re all a little hyper sometimes, aren’t we? It depends on the situation. My mother thinks I’m crazy that I provide homework help when my kids need it. She just doesn’t get it.

There is a fine line, isn’t there? What matters is the big picture overall. OVERALL, are you the type of parent who lets their kid do it for themselves? Do you give your kid age-appropriate responsibilities? Who’s in charge? You? Or your kid?

I’d like to see the rest of this documentary. For me, I scoff at helicopter parents. Let them be kids! I scream. And yet … looking back at parenting my boys and seeing them today, indecisive and sometimes afraid to make their own decisions, I wonder – was I a helicopter parent? If I were to be perfectly honest? I’d have to say, yes. And I’d have to say, I regret being so overly protective then, and now. It’s something I struggle with constantly.

Pa. Man Dies After 10 Calls to 911

Everyone relies on 911 in an emergency. However, in Pittsburgh recently, a man called 911 10 times over the course of a weekend, complaining of severe abdominal pain, without getting an ambulance. He died without receiving help.

Really. There’s nothing more to say about this one. Tragic.

Lone Republican Senator blocking a million-plus Americans from receiving unemployment benefits

Since cutting health and unemployment benefits isn’t the most popular thing to do in a job-starved recession, the Senate had reached near unanimity on extending these programs. But near-unanimous isn’t enough when senators are looking to stretch out the lifespan of benefits about to lapse-they need to reach unanimous consent. And that requirement has delivered a great deal of power into Bunning’s hands– power that has allowed him to block the extension until the Senate find $10.3 billion in spending cuts elsewhere to fund the safety-net spending.

I find it baffling that everyone is down on Bunning for daring to say no to yet MORE spending.

I, for one, applaud this senator for standing up and saying ENOUGH SPENDING!! It’s time to make some hard choices. We have got to get this spending under control, period. We are printing money so we can spend it. A healthy economic environment doesn’t work that way.

The last I heard, the unemployment benefits were extended and that they cut some other program in order to pay for it. Again, not an easy decision to make, but I think we’ve reached the point where we must start trimming the fat from our country’s budget. We need to stop raising taxes and take a good, hard look at our existing programs to see if we can cut back, and/or eliminate these programs all together.

Throwing more money at a problem simply doesn’t work. Hasn’t that been proven in the past year?

Powerful unions, big spending put Democratic states in deepest fiscal holes.

The five states in the worst financial condition–Illinois, New York, Connecticut, California and New Jersey–are all among the bluest of blue states.

Why do Democratic states appear to be struggling more than Republican ones? It comes down to stronger unions and a larger appetite for public programs, according to Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political studies and public affairs at the University of Illinois’ Center for State Policy and Leadership.

If states that have adopted Democratic programs/ideals are going bankrupt, what makes us think that these same policies won’t bankrupt America as a country?

I think this article speaks volumes for Obama’s “hope and change.”

Jenny McCarthy’s Son May Not Have Had Autism After All

After years of speaking publicly about her belief that MMR shots (immunization for measles, mumps, and rubella) caused her son to suffer from autism, Jenny McCarthy now faces the reality that her 7-year-old son Evan — who no longer shows any signs of autism — may likely have lived with completely different illness.

I’ve seen A LOT of blog topics about this article – most of them are not very flattering to Ms. McCarthy.

I think ya’ll know how I feel about this whole topic, what do YOU think?

Obama’s Malignant Narcissism

Sure, we’ve had lots of evidence of his oddities over the last two years — Obama giving the finger to Hillary during the campaign; Obama thrilling to the sound of his own voice echoing at the Berlin Victory Monument, using Karl Marx’s own words in Marx’s old haunting grounds; Obama speaking to the whole Muslim world from Al Azhar Mosque in Cairo; Obama rushing to Copenhagen to rescue a scientifically phony climate treaty; Obama suddenly looking enraged last week when Rep. Paul Ryan demonstrated with impeccable logic that ObamaCare just doesn’t add up. It’s simple arithmetic. That C-SPAN shot of Obama’s sudden expression of rage when he couldn’t answer.

Here’s a partial checklist. You decide.

Given the sheer number of public appearances and speeches our president has given over this past year, and that it’s nearly twice that of Bush and Clinton in their first year in office, and the fact that he uses “I” so much in his speeches, I think this article is pretty valid.

I think our president is incredibly narcissistic. It’s either that, or he’s trying to appear more confident that he really is to help disguise the fact that he really doesn’t know what he’s doing.

Either way, the man seems to like the sound of his voice.

You can’t take God out of American history

The teacher, by the name of Bradley Johnson, got into trouble with the district, which said “it had to come down on Johnson because the banners advocated a Judeo-Christian point of view that was not in sync with the nonreligious mission of public schools.”

Johnson went to court on the grounds that his first amendment rights were violated and he also reasoned that other teachers posted religious and non-religious material without being penalized.

The court ruled in the math teacher’s favor:

A federal judge ruled that Poway school officials violated the constitutional rights of a math teacher when they ordered him to take down classroom banners that referred to God.

Now, that the First Amendment decision is out of the way, it should be noted that American history was also endangered.

The Big Problem with Health Care Is Cost, Not Access

Since 85% of the population is insured, the primary concern for most of the currently insured is cost control, not expansion of access. The great majority of the population do not believe that the various reform bills are “paid for” (with Medicare cuts, tax increases, and new fees), regardless of what the OMB says and what the bills’ advocates claim.

The so-called “doctors fix” on Medicare physician payment rates will cost $250 billion over ten years, and double that in the following decade. This cost was excluded from the bill, to allow Democrats to claim the bill cut the overall deficit in the first ten years. Many are properly skeptical that a Congress which loves to spend will in fact allow half a trillion to be cut from Medicare in the next ten years, particularly since some of the savings are expected to come from the “waste, fraud, and abuse” category.

The Pathetic God of Environmentalism

Writing, or trying to write, about God is usually a bad idea. Either there is a God or there is not. If there is no God, then there is nothing to write about. (Sorry, atheists — but if you are right and God does not exist, then why bother spending so much time and energy on…nothing?)

If there is a God…let’s start with a picture followed by a brief explanation:

Is Your Water Making You Stupid and Sick?

The fluoride in your water is actually toxic waste left over after the manufacture of aluminum and chemical fertilizers. – Dr. John Yiamouyiannis, Fluoride, The Aging Factor

Before the 1950’s fluoride was used primarily as a rat and insect poison. Hitler used fluoride to dumb-down prisoners and make them submissive to authority. Fluorine was the critical element that made the atomic bomb possible. After the war big industrial plants faced increased lawsuits stemming from death and injuries caused from fluoride contamination of nearby communities. Faced with lawsuits and hefty disposal costs of this environmentally hazardous waste product, a scheme was devised to add fluoride to the water supply, a plan easily sold to an as-usual gullible American public by spin doctors like Edward Bernays.

The facts against fluoride are overwhelming which is why you will not find one government proponent willing to debate the issue publicly.

Injecting fluoride into the water supply is mass medication of the population and this reason alone makes it unlawful and immoral.

This one sounds too much like a conspiracy theory to me. However, it makes you wonder.

My mom thinks I’m a water snob (we drink distilled, or filtered water, so I guess she’s right, I am a water snob). And one of the things she pointed out to me that I was missing by not drinking tap water, was the fluoride that’s in tap water.

I mean, I grew up drinking water with fluoride, I’ve always thought it was a good thing to have fluoride in your water. But now, I wonder – just what ARE we drinking?

What do you think?

Can We Talk?

My Twitter Account is Worth …

Karen

… well, nothing really.

$300

Created by WhatsMyTwitterAccountWorth.com

But hey man, $300 bucks is $300 bucks, you know? I’ll take it!

Do you Twitter? I do. A lot. Too much, actually. In fact, I often find myself saying SO much about what’s going on with me that writing a blog post after spewing my nonsense on Twitter is rather redundant.

So, I don’t post on my blog.

And I start feeling guilty.

Because this blog o’ mine is my journal – about my life, my thoughts, the funny, off-the-wall humor I find on the Internet. It’s about me – as boring as that sounds (and probably reads).

But Twitter — is a platform that was MADE for me, I think. I like that I only have 140 characters to verbalize my thoughts/feelings. I like that it forces me to be concise, that it forces me to carefully choose my words and the challenge it presents in putting both my statement and my humor out there at the same time. It’s the perfect platform for people who enjoy spewing one-liners.

Like me.

As you all know, I’m rather, erhm, long winded on this blog, so having to stick to that word restriction is so much fun for me.

But am I doing it right? Am I utilizing Twitter to it’s full potential? Is there even a right or wrong way to USE Twitter?

Some people think so.

I see Twitter as a huge party. Everyone is talking at once and though at first, it sounds confusing, there is a certain pattern that emerges if you take a moment to listen.

Or read, as the case may be.

There are tons of conversations going on and I love the fact that Twitter gives you the opportunity to eavesdrop on these conversations and then join them, if one is so inclined. I love the fact that there is SO MUCH DIVERSITY on Twitter – one tweet might be about politics, another about what’s for dinner that evening, another about parenting advice, another about a funny event, another showing a picture of that person’s activities … I love the flurry of activity – it’s hard to get bored on Twitter.

I find it exhilarating that I can be annoyed and/or fired up about a political issue in one tweet and in the very next tweet, talk about something totally unrelated and off-the-wall. I love the see-saw of emotions that accompany each tweet and though it’s exhausting, it’s an adrenaline rush at times (at times).

I tweet because it amuses me. I tweet to connect with people. I tweet to promote my book store. I tweet because it gives me a voice and it’s okay if no one is listening.

The fact that my words are out there, somewhere, floating around are somehow enough for me.

Do you use Twitter? Why or why not? What do you “get” out of Twitter?