Not So Funny "Jokes"

In the past two weeks I have received several emails with jokes that made my stomach turn. I wonder if people know that they are spreading hate when they decide to forward these emails or if they have been so desensitized that they don’t see the underlying messages in them. Just think of how much hate a person has to have in them to think up a joke about American women walking around naked to get Muslims to commit suicide. Are we so ignorant that we can complain about people hating us and not realize we are shoving hate down their throats every day with the click of a button? Have we all forgotten that in America there is Freedom of Religion? Have we all reverted back to burning women on the cross because they might be a witch? Do people feel so threatened by differences that they would rather someone die than be their neighbor?
Just because a group of people that are Muslim commit terrorist acts doesn’t mean that ALL Muslims are terrorists. There are Christians that commit terrorist acts in the name of God; does that mean all Christians are terrorists? How is it that we’ve allowed ourselves to become so hateful toward a group of people that most of us know very little about? Why do American’s feel it is their right to judge the rest of the world and decide how they should live? One would think that over the 400 years we’ve been a country, we would have learned a little something about tolerance, acceptance, equality and humility. But here I am, on August 22, 2008, feeling sick in my stomach because of a hateful email that was sent to me by someone I love that didn’t see the underlying message that was being shared. Think of the Muslim children in our public schools that hear these jokes, how exactly are they supposed to feel about us?
It’s just a joke you might tell yourself. But aren’t jokes supposed to be funny? Does saying hateful things in the form of a joke make it okay to say them? What is so funny about a joke created from hate? Hate hijacked and crashed 4 planes on September 11th killing 2,974 Americans. Hate killed Martin Luther King Jr. Hate killed 22 students at Virginia Tech. Hate killed five little Amish girls as they sat in their classroom.
So tell me again what is so funny about hate?

To Fry or Not to Fry

I read today that it was deemed cruel and unusual punishment to sentence a child rapist to death. That the punishment somehow doesn't fit the crime. I'm sorry, but when did we put sappy human rights activists in our supreme courts? I guess they're right in a way, a more suitable punishment would be torture, rape and then death by lethal injection, hanging or electric chair. Is there a crime worse than the rape of a child? They say the victim has to die in order to justify the death penalty for the rapist; what are these people thinking? We have got to stop letting lawyers run this country with their twisted interpretations of the constitution and lack of common sense. This country is becoming weak with it's everyone is special, humiliation is bad, no more kickball allowed, it's not your fault, sue whomever for whatever, you owe me, I'm not working at McDonald's, my kid is better than your kid, have to keep up with the Jones', buy a house I can't afford mentality. What's next, are the human rights nut jobs going to try and free all the prisoners because it's inhumane to keep them locked up like animal? I think the death penalty could be used a lot more in this country, I'm tired of keeping these useless, evil bottom dwellers alive with my tax dollars that would be better spent educating our children so they can fix the mess that has been made by idiotic policies and extremist groups that don't have their heads screwed on tight. Human rights my A$$, lets protect the victims instead of the perpetrators and criminals. It's insane that these extremists have anything to do with the decision making in this country. How did the Majority get taken over by the Minority?

Drinking From A Corn Cup

I recently noticed a sign at the local coffee shop I stop at every morning that reads "The cup you are drinking from is made entirely from corn". At first I thought that was a cool idea until I really started to think about what it meant to drink out of a veggie cup. There are starving people all over the world because we have decided to feed our food to vehicles instead of humans. So if I'm drinking out of a veggie cup, that means someone isn't eating the veggies that were used to produce it. While I understand the environment needs to be protected from PVC plastics and other harmful materials, does that come with a price of human life? Why can't using recycled materials be the answer? I know a lot of people don't recycle, but a majority of them would if they had the tools to do so. I recently visited a friend that lives in an upscale neighborhood with big homes and big lots and beautiful golf course and pool and clubhouse. But they didn't have a recycling program, go figure, half of them are now driving a hybrid, but are still throwing their Evian water bottles in the trash. What is so hard about recycling, it has been done for years and still, no one has come up with a solution to make it better and more accessible to people. So why, when we have an environmentally friendly way of making a disposable, biodegradable, compostable cups out of recycled goods would we instead make them out of our food? The human race will eventually kill itself off, and for what? A cup made of corn.
Aren't we smart.

Parental Advice, To Give or Not to Give

What does one do when a friend asks for parental advice and you know they will be offended? Do you tell them like you see it, or try and soften the blow and risk that they won't or can't "read between the lines" missing the entire point?
Well, the way I see it, if we are close enough friends that they feel they can ask for my advice, they already know my parenting style and therefore will be prepared for what I am going to say. That's not to say that every time I am asked for advice I will say something they don't want to hear, sometimes they are doing exactly what I would do.
However, with the old fashioned parenting skills that I so thankfully learned from my own mother and father, I find myself offending more often than agreeing. I guess I don't understand the mentality of parents today. Why wouldn't I want my child to feel humiliation, it's one of the best lessons a person big or small can learn from. Why would I want to be my child's friend, he has plenty of those at school. I am his parent and as such cannot be his friend. Of course we laugh and play and tell jokes and stories, we dance and sing in the kitchen together and watch movies, but he knows I am his mother, the boss, the decision maker, the teacher, the nurturer, the punisher, the provider...the Parent.
So when a friend asks me for advice I will always tell it like I see it. If they don't like what I have to say, they will stop asking, but for the most part, they just need support from a strong willed honest person to help them be the best parent they can be. After all, not everyone had great parents growing up and need a little guidance from a friend every now and then.
The best advice I have ever gotten and used is to have consistency and follow through. If you are going to set rules, stick to them, if you are going to make a threat, make sure it's one you are absolutely willing to follow through on. Don't threaten to cancel the trip to Disneyland that you've already paid for, we all know that is an empty threat. But if you say there will be no friends over for a month, then there will be no friends over for a month. Write it down so you don't forget and set consequences for begging or continuously asking in hopes that you will break down. Kids are smart, they learn fast. If you are consistent, they will learn and in turn be consistent with you. If they know you will follow through with your threats, you will see their behavior quickly change. If you are a new parent, starting early makes life much easier as your child grows. You don't have to be a tyrant to raise a well behaved child, you just have to BE the PARENT.

Why do kids "rule the roost"?

More and more often I notice kids making the everyday decisions that parents once made. Decisions such as what is served for dinner, what groceries are purchased at the local market, what kind of beverages or snacks they consume throughout the day. I'm sure we've all seen the chubby kid stuffing a donut in their mouth, or the hyperactive child sitting at the table with a Mt. Dew in front of him or her. Are American parents still so ignorant that they don't know fat and sugar cause disease and death? Would they rather their children like them than be healthy and disciplined?
I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure that when I became a parent, I took on the responsibility of raising a decent human being, not a spoiled, inconsiderate, disrespectful, temper tantrum throwing, uncontrollable, blameless child that our world is sadly being inandated with. Is it really that difficult to say no to the child that looks to you for guidance and knowlege, or to take the sugar loaded soda away that is known to cause diabetes?
Who thought it would be a good idea to throw parenting out the window? And why don't these people see what they are doing tho their kids in the long term? I think the saddest part is, I see more "educated" parents turning children into these monsters than those without a degree. It makes me wonder if higher education sucks the common sense right out of us.