Faking It

I suppose its human to tell the occasional white lie here and there. Lets be honest..who hasn't bent the truth slightly when faced with either hurting someone's feelings or opting for the much easier.."No those don't make your butt look big at all" approach.

Shocking as it may seem...I will even admit there have been a few times in my life when I have faked illness to get out of school or work for that much needed mental health day. But this guy I just read about took the fake cough and sniffle skip day to a whole new level.

When going with his girl friend to her Doctors appointment...He decides to swipe a blank doctors note from the office to excuse himself from work for a few days. Seven days to be exact. Which in my opinion was a little excessive and probably the very thing that drew attention to him.

Now I'm in no way saying it was a good thing to swipe the note or fake the sick days. However, I would almost give him points for being creative enough to think up the note scheme for himself. If it were not for one thing.....

The Doctor his girlfriend was seeing was a gynecologist. I have to ask...what was he thinking? If youre going to go to the trouble of stealing a note..at least do it from a doctor you could have actually seen...Because unless I'm mistaken....one of the main requirements to be seen in this office is possession of a uterus. Which I'm guessing this guy more than likely didn't have.

His employers who were as you can imagine slightly suspicious of his note from a gynecologist decided to call him on it and take him to court. They wanted reimbursement for his sick pay. Understandable.

End result: A Judge in his infinite wisdom told the guy to pay back half of the sick leave he had been given, and to basically stop faking doctors notes and pretending to be pregnant.

I think that's good advise.

Moral of the story: There are some things in life you can fake...but having a uterus is not one of them.

Inhumane Or Genius? You decide...

I got this in an email the other day about Sheriff Joe Arpaio. I had heard about this Sheriff before, seen interviews and commentary about him in the news. His views on prisons and care of prisoners had been very controversial. I personally think the man has his priorities in the right place.

However..Ill let you decided. These are the reasons that this sheriff of Maricopa County Arizona keeps being re-elected.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio created the "tent city jail" to save Arizona from spending tens of million of dollars on another expensive prison complex.
These tents were purchased from Army surplus and are the same type our military use on a daily basis.

He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.
As a law abiding citizen don't you also have to pay for your meals?

He banned smoking and porn magazines in the jails, and took away their weight lifting equipment and cut off all but "G-rated" movies. He says: "They're in jail to pay a debt to society not to build muscles so they can assault innocent people when they leave."
Doesn't sound harsh or cruel to me.

He started chain gangs to use the inmates to do free work on county and city projects and save taxpayer's money.
Sounds to me like he's giving them a job that gives back to the community.

Then he started chain gangs for women so he wouldn't get sued for discrimination.
We have to be fair to everyone don't we?

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 but only allows the Disney channel and the Weather channel. When asked why the weather channel he replied: "So these morons will know how hot it's gonna be while they are working on my chain gangs."
Ok using the word "morons" is sort of harsh. Shame on you Sheriff Joe!

He cut off coffee because it has zero nutritional value and is therefore a waste of taxpayer money. When the inmates complained, he told them, "This isn't the Ritz Carlton. If you don't like it, don't come back."
Sounds like wise advise and career counseling all in one.

He also bought the Newt Gingrich lecture series on US history that he pipes into the jails. When asked by a reporter if he had any lecture series by a Democrat, he replied that a democratic lecture series that actually tells the truth for a change would be welcome and that it might even explain why 95% of the inmates were in his jails in the first place.
Now this does sound slightly inhumane...But since I have never actually heard Mr Gingrich's lecture series..I have to withhold my opinion until I am better informed.

With temperatures being even hotter than usual in Phoenix (116 degrees just set a new record for June 2nd), the Associated Press 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.
He cant control the weather....can he?

Hundreds of men wearing pink boxer shorts were chatting in the tents, where temperatures reached 128 degrees. "This is hell. It feels like we live in a furnace," said Ernesto Gonzales, an inmate for 2 years with 10 more to go. "It's inhumane."
No Mr Gonzales...its prison. Hell wont allow you to wear the pink boxer shorts, live in a tent or chat with your friends.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who makes his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches,is not one bit sympathetic. "Criminals should be punished for their crimes -not live in luxury until it's time for parole, only to go out and commitmore crimes so they can come back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoythings many taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves."
What a concept...criminals not being pampered while in jail. Possibly saving tax payer money in the process..Is the man insane???
FYI: They wear pink because for a time it became a fad to purchase clothing that had County Jail stamped on it. By makeing the clothing pink it made it less appealing to buy. Its hard to look like a badass in pink.

He told all the inmates who were complaining of the heat in the tents: "It's between 120 to 130 degrees in Iraq and our soldiers are livingin tents too, and they have to walk all day in the sun, wearing full battle gear and get shot at, and they have not committed any crimes, so shutyour damned mouths!"
AMEN! If its good enough for the men and women who defend this nation..Its more than good enough for those who contribute nothing to it.

So tell me what do you think about this Sheriff? Would you vote for him?

I personally think this man is a genius. I would gladly vote for him. As a matter of fact. Put him in charge of our prison system on a national level and he will have my support.

You want a crime deterrent? Then follow this Sheriffs example and make the place you send someone who commits a crime an unappealing place to stay. Even if your not bright enough to keep yourself from the first visit to this type of prison...Id be willing to bet you wont be a repeat customer.

My thanks to Adrian who sent this to me. I do agree with it. Consider it passed on.

If He Did It?

OJ Simpson is back in the news again. This time we aren't sitting there glued to our TV's watching him on a football field. Or waiting to see if he will be convicted of his late wife Nichole Brown Simpsons murder. His glory days of football are long since over. And as we all know...the once famous, now infamous ex football player was found not guilty of killing his wife Nichole and her friend Ronald Goldman.

This time he's written a book. Purely fictional according to OJ.....The book is called If I Did It. Its a written account of how he would have killed his wife had he actually done so.

IS ANYONE ELSE BOTHERED BY THIS OR IS IT JUST ME?

There are so many reasons why this is so wrong, where do you even begin? First of all the victims families. Isn't it bad enough they lost their son and daughter? Then to add insult to injury they had to watch the man they thought committed the crime go free. And now this same man is writing a book describing how he would have murdered their child!!

Even if this man has no remorse or consideration for these families....I have to ask doesn't he care for his own children? He does after all have a son and daughter from his marriage to Nichole. Children who maybe the biggest victims in this crime. Children who lost their mother. Who had to endure the publicity of their fathers murder trial. Who now have to endure the publicity that will go along with this book their father has written about killing their mother.

This book, fiction or not...is wrong. We have laws that keep criminals from writing tell all books about their crimes and then making a profit on those books. But since OJ wasn't convicted of this crime he doesn't fall into this category.

Is this the his way of flaunting the fact he got away with this crime? Or is it just all about money or fame?

I guess we no longer have to ask the question Did OJ kill his wife. Now the only question will be....

HOW MUCH MONEY WILL HE GET PAID TO TELL US ABOUT IT?

Who's Your Daddy?

During the recent elections there was quite a bit of candidate mud slinging going on. There is always a little of that during every election. But this time around in my view, there seemed to be a lot more than what could be considered normal.

But...not all the mud slinging of this years election went to waste. I actually managed to learn something. Yeah, I know it surprised me too. Just when you think the kids aren't looking....guess what....we are.

I don't always take all that "He said... She said" stuff that goes on too seriously. You know as well as I do there are always two sides to every story. How a story is spun to the public usually determines whether the person in question comes out looking like a hero or a villain. But I have learned that if you take the time to read and investigate a little bit...You can usually get enough of the pieces of the puzzle to determine what the real story is.

Which brings me to the 2006 compaign prior to the elections......This year they were talking about something they referred to as the Scarlet Letter Law. It was 106 pages of legislation concerning adoption. The law states that when a woman offers a child up for adoption, if the father of the child cannot be identified...the woman is then required to publish the details of every sexual encounter she has ever had that could have caused pregnancy.

Yep that's right....She has to name names if she has any, along with descriptions of the men to the local news paper where the sexual encounters occurred. The idea being, that if any would be father is out there, he could read this...possibly recognize himself....and come forward to claim his rights to the child if he so chooses.

What prompted this law to come about? That would be the several high profile cases of fathers appearing after the fact, contesting and attempting to reverse adoptions of their biological children. Those organizations that back the law, say that it ensures that fathers are not excluded from the adoption process.

David Wilson founder of Fathers Awareness of Rights and Custody Equality in Cocoa Beach, Fla. said "Allowing mothers to put their children up for adoption without notifying the father is just another attempt to take the father out of the picture".

Is it really?

Now, I would have to say that I acknowledge a fathers rights to parent. I will be the first to admit fathers provide a valuable contribution to their children's lives. But what is the reality of these pregnancies? Is this some woman trying to shut out her babies daddy? Or could this be a girl who maybe got herself into a situation and decided that abortion wasn't for her.

Because lets face facts here. If you really want to shut the guy out of the process...That's the way to do it once and for all. Some of the attorneys who handle these types of adoption cases regularly..... are saying that more and more of their clients are deciding to go with the abortion option rather than be put through the public humiliation of the current law.

Several adoption agencies through out the state have even reported a dramatic decline of adoptions taking place since the law was passed. To add insult to injury and making the entire process even more difficult...Some news papers are refusing to run the ads...others put them so far to the back of the news paper in small tiny print that they would be almost impossible to find unless you were looking for them. Which basically means the woman is still put through this indignity and the end result is that it was for nothing.

I do have to say that I am surprised at those groups that have stood up to oppose this law. It seems like when there is so little most groups can agree on lately...Anti-abortion and Pro-abortion groups alike think this law is a bad idea. Those two groups alone being in agreement should send up a red flag about this law..... Lets face it they don't agree on anything...EVER! Not to mention several of the clergy and religious organizations all believe this law is ill conceived.

Here's my take on this drama....First of all..I have to tell you...I wouldn't put myself in the anti-abortion camp. But I am a woman who feels that life begins at conception. I think once you shove that sperm and egg together...its a done deal. Having said that, I'm not here trying to debate or judge anyone who has a different point of view than my own. But I do think that there are a lot of people out there who would LOVE to parents. Some who would actually take the job seriously and do a good job raising another human being to become a normal healthy adult. This law in my opinion lessens the likely hood of that occurring. The fact a woman finds out she has become pregnant unexpectedly is traumatic enough, without heaping on public humiliation of her sexual behavior on top of that.

I will be the first to admit that there are those individuals out there male and female who need to give some serious thought to their sexual behavior. Lets face it..if you cant recall who the dad might be or even know his name..It maybe time to rethink your social life somewhat and possibly get a new hobby.

But in my eyes...If you find yourself pregnant and you realize that becoming a parent isn't a good idea for whatever reason. Then placing that child with a family that is ready.....is the most responsible and unselfish thing you can do. Its giving that child a chance for a good life and giving two people who want that child a chance to love it and raise it. Why would we want to put a law into place that would discourage women or anyone from doing that?

Another reason this law doesnt make sense is because in this country at the moment there are Safe Haven Laws in each state with the exception of two. That means if you have a baby...and do not want that baby. You can take it to a designated place...such as a church, hospital, fire station, police station etc...and hand the child to a responsible party and just say I don't want this baby. That's it...no questions asked. The safe haven concept was designed so that there would be an alternative to placing the child in a dumpster or leaving it in a bathroom stall. How many stories do we hear similar to those each and every day? They happen because the female giving birth is more afraid of someone finding out that she gave birth rather than the consequences of what she has done to her child after the fact. How tragic and sad is that?

I suppose I just don't get the thinking of some legislators or for that matter some of the general public. Each generation of children will be the future of this country. When are we going to start treating them as a priority. Making them precious and a valuable. Making sure that there are measures in place that make it easier for children to be put in safe and loving hands instead of being disposed of like so much garbage.

If you don't ever think about this aspect of your country....maybe its time you should. None of us are getting any younger. One day not only will these children be running things, but they will be the ones to decide what's to be done with YOU. How you treat them now may determine how valuable they view your life when you get to be too old to contribute any longer.

Think about it.

Believe In Something Or Fall For Anything

After my last two posts on crime and criminals....It still has me thinking and a little mad. I think changing our laws and the way we prosecute law breakers is only a small part of the problem. Its like bailing water out of a ship that is destined to sink.

I'm thinking we need to look deeper and look at the things that have brought us here. We have taken political correctness to an unhealthy level. We are so afraid to offend some individual or group...that we are bending over backwards in the opposite direction to keep it from happening. In the process we are giving up some of our core beliefs and values by doing so. What's that quote?..."Evil exists when good men stand by and do nothing".

This country was founded on the principles of free speech and freedom from religious persecution. So that means that we cant just defend those that think like us. It means we have to defend those who's values and beliefs are repugnant to us as well. We have to defend the Devil himself...or at least his right to speak. But allowing someone to voice their opinions doesn't mean that we give them power over us or the right to speak for us and make decisions for us.

So I will ask you...How far are we going to be pushed before we say this is enough? It's time to put away our apathy. I'm not sure if I am considered a conservative or republican or whatever label you want to put on the things I think and believe. I will say this, I am tired of those who think "anything goes" running things. I am tired of them telling me I cant wish someone a Merry Christmas because it might offend those who don't believe in it. Or that I can't pray any place I damn well choose. Or that two consenting adults can't get married if they want to. I am tired of them not taking the time to raise their own children and teach them self respect and basic values. I am tired of being made to feel I am bad for having a faith or being an American.

I AM AN AMERICAN! That is not a dirty word...We are not all the devil as some would like to believe. I AM A CHRISTIAN! Again not a dirty word or a bad thing to be. I am glad I live in a country that you don't have to believe the way I believe to live here. In fact...there are many who don't, who would strongly disagree with my philosophies or beliefs.

You know what....MORE POWER TO YOU! Just don't ask me to bend over anymore and give up my beliefs to keep from hurting your tender little feelings. I'm tired of it. If you don't like the way I believe..or you don't like the fact that I'm an American....then all I can say to you is suck it up and deal with it. The same way I have to when I don't like something you say or do.

I may have to accept the right of those who make music that offends me....or movies and video games. I may have to accept that there are groups, political and religious who have the right to protest against me and or people like me. Trust me, I do accept it. And to be honest I'm even ok with it. Have a different point of view....GREAT! But screw off if you think you can stop me from having mine! If I have to accept it..so do YOU.

When are we going to embrace old fashioned values like Honesty....Fidelity...Loyalty...Hard work. These aren't dirty words either.

When are we going to say that we need to have faith again? To be proud we believe in something. Saying a prayer isn't a bad thing, no matter who you are praying to. It isn't going to bring down the fall of our government or society. If that happens it wont be from our faith...but our lack of it.

When are we going to say we need to parent our own kids and stop letting daycare, video games and rap singers do it for us? Do you think that kids just turn bad? That they take random sexual partners, do drugs or join gangs because they like the cool clothes and the firearms?? They are looking for something. They want to feel like they belong. They want to feel that sense of family...If YOU don't give it to them someone else will. If you don't want to parent...Its simple....DON'T HAVE KIDS.

If two consenting adults want to marry and have a long term committed monogamous relationship....I don't care what gender they are. Let them do it. Is it more important to condemn them because they don't love the same way you do? Or embrace the fact that they want to live law abiding, honest hardworking lives? Would it be so terrible that they may actually provide a postitive contribution to their community and society even though they aren't like YOU?

Just because someone looks like you doesn't make them right or better. When are we going to realize this and stop judging everyone on whether they look like us, live like us or think like us. Its not about what they say, but rather about what they do. To me, actions speak much louder than words ever could.

It comes down to deciding on what kind of country we want. What kind of people we want to be. What kind of society we want to live in and then making a stand. I am tired of feeling pushed. I am tired of feeling as though I cant do anything about this.

They say if you don't stand for something...YOU will fall for anything. Well I'm making my stand. Here's my line in the sand:

I'm 20, I'm an American and I'm a Christian. I am hard working, honest, monogamous, loyal and female and I'm done taking crap!


PS: MERRY CHRISTMAS