Musings of a Wandering Elf

Just Another Day...With A Boy

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:18:00 +0000

It started as soon as he left the bus. Tim and I could hear the bus driver yelling at a student on the bus. From what we could make out she was telling the student not to say certain things in front of elementary school children. Our son's school is one of those K-12 numbers common in rural America...so the bus is reflective of the student population...18-year-olds sharing transportation with 5-year-olds (certainly not ideal to us parents of younger children).

So, as soon as the kid enters the garage, the grilling begins. In an ultimate Freudian maneuver, he explains that "Assley" wrote "ask me about my wiener" on the window. For clarification, he quickly amended the young lady's name to "Ashley." Sly Tim asks Kyle if there would be a reason for that type of action. The kid feigns total ignorance (I'm so sure). Around and about, and around once more, until mom (that's me) asks, "does Ashley have a wiener?"

Fast forward to our wonderful living room where we are subjected to a "Build-a-Bear" commercial. Teasing Tim tells the kid that Santa is bringing him a "Build-a-Bear." The response is the usual 8-year-old boy's fervent denial. I explain that he should have a teddy bear to sleep with (you know, since I'll be gone and he'll be lonely and all...okay, I admit it, this mom was looking to lay a little bit of a guilt trip in order to receive the usual reassurances that I'm #1 in this kid's life).

Backfire!

The response is, and I quote, "I already have a teddy bear but I sleep with a snake."

Poor kid looks bewildered as his father and I bust a gut on the couch. Tim's making black mamba comments while the kid further explains that it is a "giant stuffed anaconda." It's not getting any better. The teasing is never-ending and finally in a great 8-year-old comeback, the kid accuses me of sleeping with a large anaconda myself. Does it get any better?

Yes, it does!

Tim assures the little guy that I do not sleep with a large snake.

Imprudence

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:22:00 +0000

Well, I'm still hanging in if not around. Spending every single minute I can with my family before I head off to the "graveyard of empires."

The USPS continues to irk me with "imprudent spending."

Insurers Drop Rape Victims Who Take HIV Meds - Politics News Summaries | Newser

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:56:00 +0000

Insurers Drop Rape Victims Who Take HIV Meds - Politics News Summaries | Newser

It's a Material World

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:20:00 +0000

We are at war. No, I'm not talking about Iraq or Afghanistan. I'm talking about a world war against women and children. Those human beings who walk this earth constantly reminded that they are not free. They are possessions, accessories, appointments, appurtenances, assets, baggage, belongings, chattels, effects, equipment, estate, fixtures, furnishings, furniture, goods, impedimenta, paraphernalia, province, real estate, settlement, tangibles, territory, things, trappings, tricks, wealth.

Even in the United States, where women represent more than 50% of the voting public, we find it difficult to stand up for ourselves and effect change that will make a real difference in our lives as mothers, workers, wives, girlfriends...titles which, in themselves, reinforce ownership.

State Rep: In Oklahoma, There’s A ‘Feeling That Women Aren’t Capable Of Making Reproductive Decisions’

In War Zones, Rape Is A Powerful Weapon

Nicole Kidman Addresses Congress on Violence Against Women

Body In Georgia May Be That Of Missing Florida Girl

Action urged to curb child-abuse deaths: Report cites 35 percent rise, calls for more money and tougher oversight

The only solution is ideological change on a global scale, anything less is simply not enough.

This is the world we live in.

Don't our children deserve better?

C'est du jamais vu

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:56:00 +0000

"I have never seen such violence in my life. I swear that this is the first time in Guinea that we have witnessed women's bodies being treated as if they were battlefields. It goes against our culture and traditions. I'm horrified. We're all horrified," she said.
-Guinea Shaken By Wave of Rapes During Crackdown, by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

The above article is horrifying. The events described occurred during military resistance to pro-democracy protests last month. I don't have the energy for any real attempt at commentary on this today but I will say that I am pleased that our Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has joined the chorus demanding accountability for these vile and dehumanizing incidents. Do I think that it will really matter? No, not today, and not even tomorrow, it's going to take a global paradigm shift to make a dent in the incidence of rape around the world...

That is Hot!

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:53:00 +0000

I was over at Joey's Pad and somehow got to thinking about Ewan McGregor. Which led me to thinking about people I think are hot! Of course, the earlier post I did today about Ian MacKaye didn't help much...Skyewriter just had to remind me of this hot Krishna dude that made my insides all warm and such. So, I thought I'd share my list of hot peeps with you.

Ewan McGregor

Not just dreamy but also a Jedi Master (you know what they say about a man's light saber!).

Edward Norton

From skinhead to superhero, this man rocks!

David Bowie

Yeah, I know I'm twisted, but the eyes...I cannot resist...

Jude Law

What can I say?

Willem Dafoe

Intriguing...or I'm hot for Jesus! Whichever...

My husband

What you cannot tell from this picture is that he has the bestest blue eyes...seems like a trend, eh?

Blast From the Past: Suggestion

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:37:00 +0000

Here's a clip of Fugazi performing Suggestion with Amy Pickering on vocals.

I like this song best when Amy Pickering sings it (no offense, Ian), a woman's voice to the lyrics makes my soul squirm. We women know that everywhere we go there's an idiot there saying to himself, or his buddy, "I'd tap that." I just watched one of those Chris Hansen-Dateline-predator shows last night and every single man said they didn't know why they came to have sex with a 13-year-old girl but we know why, don't we? There are men among us who will do anything to get their rocks off. I truly believe that the number of people (not just men) who will do something monstrous, given the opportunity is a lot higher than we would like to even think about.

Why can't i walk down a street free of suggestion?
Is my body the only trait in the eye's of men?
I've got some skin
You want to look in
There lays no reward in what you discover
You spent yourself watching me suffer
Suffer you words, suffer your eyes, suffer your hands
Suffer your interpretation of what it is to be a man
I've got some skin
You want to look in
She does nothing to deserve it
He only wants to observe it
We sit back like they taught us
We keep quiet like they taught us
He just wants to prove it
She does nothing to remove it
We don't want anyone to mind us
So we play the roles that they assigned us
She does nothing to conceal it
He touches her 'cause he wants to feel it
We blame her for being there
But we are all guilty

Every time I hear this song it just smacks me upside the head. Does it get any better? I saw Fugazi live in Boston sometime in the early 90s (probably '90 or '91). It was the kind of show a girl could go to by herself and not be scared that some punk was going to rape her in the restroom. It was important that everyone treat everyone else well, including in the mosh pit, otherwise the music would stop. Just like that, until Ian was satisfied that the idiots had realized that bully behavior just wasn't welcome.

Ian MacKaye is a man that is easy to respect. He is a man who never sold out to commercialism during a period of time when it seems everyone else in our world has. Including the politicians sitting fat in Washington DC allegedly representing us while in fact they are paid off by special interest groups with the sole goal of padding their own pockets. Ahhh, Ian MacKaye you are refreshing.

I tried to embrace the straight edge philosophy and still support that way of life, there are far worse things for young adults to get into. I was just too much of a beer drinker to spend any large amounts of time stone cold sober. The straight edge lifestyle took its name from a Minor Threat song that advocated a drug and alcohol free lifestyle. There are always those that can appreciate a good thing but cannot resist taking it even further.

In Charlottesville, MacKaye discusses the troubling evolution of straight edge from personal philosophy to humorless dogma. "People who beat people up for getting high are looking for a line to draw," he says. Militant straight edge became a dizzying game of one-upmanship--some punks even went so far "straight" (no drugs, no sex, no meat) as to become Hare Krishnas.
-Andrew Beaujon, Spin

Really, Hare Krishnas? The food was great, and free. I did always feel bad about leaving my leather Doc Martens on the shelves prior to entering the temple, but was always warmly embraced. While learning with the Krishna's I also met a wide variety of people including hardcore rockers and even once-popular television actors. Krishna Consciousness and straight edge hardcore was a match.

P.S. Some excellent vegetarian recipes can be found here.

Women (and Men) in the Military: DADT

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:06:00 +0000

Women were dismissed from the military for being gay at a greater rate than men last year, according to new statistics obtained by a California research group.
-CNN

Being a woman in the military is a tough gig. Not only are you reminded daily that you are substandard, though policy, standard operating procedure, attitudes of male members and the general public but being a woman in the military is a lot like being a lighthouse. You have a big light on your head that gets brighter and brighter with the preconceived expectations of your chain of command and your fellow service members.

The Pentagon will not go on the record about why the data has rolled out this way. So, I will have to go out on a limb and make a guess. I can think of two reasons that military women are disproportionately harmed by DADT:

1) The military attracts women who are not classified by society as feminine.
2) If a female member rejects a man's advances, she must be gay.

This reminds me of that old "joke"...a slut will screw everyone, a bitch will screw everyone but you. We can just add a little to the end, and a lesbian won't screw anyone.

The only traditions of the Royal Navy are rum, sodomy and the lash.
-Quote falsely attributed to Winston Churchill

The ironic thing is that even if the military were successful at eradicating GLBT and female service members from its midst it would still not eradicate so-called homosexual acts. Look at prisons, sodomy is rampant, homosexuality is rare. Take a peek at Afghanistan, homosexuality is forbidden in Islam and punishable by death however sodomizing boys and young men is a-okay (and I am not equating homosexuality with pedophilia). I agree that these men are not homosexual, they are merely using other men and boys as objects for sexual release whether the recipients consent or not (just as women have also been used since the arrival of human beings on the planet). It is simply a fact that anytime men live in close quarters for extended periods of time (or in the case of Afghanistan, women are inaccessible) both consensual and non-consensual sexual acts occur. So, to get back to the irony of DADT...DADT is directed at homosexual acts and (supposedly) not directed at service members who identify as homosexual (as long as they keep it to themselves) but in practice it actually attacks service members who identify or are perceived as homosexual and does nothing to curtail the, gasp, feared and reviled homosexual acts.

The presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.
-§ 654. Policy concerning homosexuality in the armed forces

The problem is, as I have not very eloquently and probably not inoffensively illustrated above, straight men are just as likely (if not more likely) to engage in homosexual acts. So, while the military is kicking out qualified patriots they are keeping assholes who are merely looking for an object with which to relieve themselves...the world would be so much better if they just used a freaking toilet.

DADT is stupid, discriminatory and, yes, even dangerous. There have been homosexual acts for as long as there has been a military. That is probably only surprising to homophobic macho men but I think that the more homophobic and macho a man is the more likely he is to participate in rape regardless of his victim's gender. DADT also works to deter reports of sexual assault by victims, how can a young man report a sexual assault committed by another man if he fears he will be labeled as "homosexual" and discharged from the military? He cannot and thus he is denied justice and treatment. How many times has DADT been used to coerce a woman into unwanted sex? Once is too many times.

Some resources to learn more about sexuality and homosexual acts in the military:

Boys at Sea: Sodomy, Indecency, and Courts Martial in Nelson's Navy
Gay Men and Lesbians in The Military
"Rum, sodomy, and the lash": what the military thrives on and how it affects legal recruitment and law schools

Defense of What?

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:43:00 +0000

On October 1st, 2009, Senator Al Franken of Minnesota submitted an Amendment for consideration to the United States Senate. After consideration, the Amendment was agreed to with a vote of 68-30. That's good, this is an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill that will prohibit federal defense contractors from receiving federal funds if they “if they restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court." What's totally not so great is the 30 senators that voted against it.

Why would a senator vote against this amendment?

Some options:

They are receiving financial incentives from these companies.

They think that women belong in the kitchen and those that dare to venture out get what they damn well deserve.

They think that these uppity bitches are just trying to make trouble.

They think that women are mere objects to be used.

I'd be interested in hearing each one of these 30 senators explain to Jamie Leigh Jones, and the other women who have been sexually abused by their freaking co-workers, why they voted against this amendment. Here are there names: Alexander (R-TN), Barrasso (R-WY), Bond (R-MO), Brownback (R-KS), Bunning (R-KY), Burr (R-NC), Chambliss (R-GA), Coburn (R-OK), Cochran (R-MS), Corker (R-TN), Cornyn (R-TX), Crapo (R-ID), DeMint (R-SC), Ensign (R-NV), Enzi (R-WY), Graham (R-SC), Gregg (R-NH), Inhofe (R-OK), Isakson (R-GA), Johanns (R-NE), Kyl (R-AZ), McCain (R-AZ), McConnell (R-KY), Risch (R-ID), Roberts (R-KS), Sessions (R-AL), Shelby (R-AL), Thune (R-SD), Vitter (R-LA), Wicker (R-MS). Note that they are all Republican (big business always trumps real people, huh?). You can Call Out these senators here.

Defense contractors are a supreme waste of tax dollars. A) They are doing jobs that the military can do, B) they cost a whole hell of a lot more than the military, C) several of the companies have defrauded us in the past yet we still let them play, D) they are stupid assholes.

Some examples that point directly to option D:
Akal Security Inc.
Coherent Systems International Corp.
Combat Support Associates
KBR Inc.
Raman International Inc.
Wackenhut

Above, Wackenhut security guards at the embassy in Kabul...acting like stupid assholes on our dime.

Shame, Silence & Safe Haven

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:02:00 +0000

There is so much shame surrounding sex in this country that it is simply maddening. It is a shame that a 16-year-old girl will work to conceal her pregnancy rather than talk about it with her parents, with her school nurse/counselor/trusted teacher, and seek prenatal care (by the way, a woman can obtain prenatal care at Planned Parenthood).

Baby Found On Doorstep In South Fulton

The story is short but the most revealing aspects of this case are in the comments which reflect the views of the society surrounding the teen.

Many of the commentators mention the Safe Haven law as if the teen should have known (duh?). Have you ever seen any literature about the Safe Haven laws in your state? Perhaps you are like me, you have heard of such laws, have a general idea of what such laws entail but have never seen a definitive breakdown of how the law is applied in your state. As with all the other popular state laws, this one is not written nor applied the same in every state in which it has been enacted. In 2008, Nebraska and Alaska passed Safe Haven laws bringing to total to 50. Unless you live in Washington DC, there is a Safe Haven law in your state, and that's great. What's not so great is that the necessary information is not getting to the people who may actually benefit from the knowledge of these laws.

Below, an example of the ideology that works to keep pregnancy education and information from our youth.

Protecting Children - Jessica's Law

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:22:00 +0000

John Couey passed away on September 30, 2009 due to complications from cancer. He had already been sentenced to death in 2007 for the rape and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunford in early 2005. Couey's extensive criminal record includes one prior sex offense against a child in 1991. He was sentenced to five years in prison and served less than two. Completing his sentence would not have prevented him from murdering Jessica but I would argue that the early release of an adult convicted of indecent assault against a child under the age of 16 really illustrates the true value that our society places on the lives of children.

Jessica's Law was passed in Florida in 2005 with the intention of reducing the ability of sex offenders to reoffend. The Jessica Lunsford Act was also introduced in 2005 at the federal level but was never enacted. Key provisions of Jessica's Law in Florida include mandatory minimum sentences of 25 years in prison and lifetime electronic monitoring of adults convicted of "lewd or lascivious acts" against a child under 12 years old. Rape and sexual battery of a child under 12 carries life imprisonment with no chance of parole. Jessica's Law has been enacted across the nation with just a few states holding out.

The electronic monitoring is especially important. You see, John Couey was actually living at a residence other than the one he reported when he registered as a sex offender. Megan's Law ensured that sex offenders had to register and Jessica's Law followed it up to try to plug the holes that were missed. It is Jessica's Law where you find those definitions of how many feet away from a school a registered sex offender may reside, or ever physically be. The idea is that if we know where these offenders are every moment we can prevent, or at least reduce, the ability of an offender to reoffend.

These "reactionary" laws sound good on paper but are they really worth it? Jessica's Law in California has contributed to the situation in Antioch, California where Philip Garrido kept Jaycee Dugard for 18 years. Antioch is home to 122 registered sex offenders who have found residence in other cities impossible due to the residential restrictions enacted by Jessica's Law. At least we know where they are, right?

Let's take a look at Philip Garrido. He was a registered sex offender. Law enforcement knew where he was. They even visited his home in 2006 that he had children living in his backyard but officers did not bother to go into the home or the backyard to investigate. It's quite possible that with the supervision demands of 122 offenders that things slip. Recently, we also received news about a group of offenders camping in Georgia because they have no where else to go (Georgia's law prohibits convicted sex offenders from residing within 1,000 feet of areas where children gather). Unintended consequence to be sure, but we need to remember that if we force these individuals to far away we will cease to know where they are.

Garrido had previously been convicted of violently kidnapping and raping a woman in Nevada and received a sentence of 50 years, of which he served a mere ten (incidentally, Garrido nearly got away with this one too as the officer who first came upon the scene initially believed Garrido's assertion that he and his victim were merely lovers in a spat ignoring the woman's desperate pleas otherwise).

John Couey was also interviewed twice by police during the search for Jessica Lunsford and she was still alive the first time and may have been during the second. Surely, the police positively identified every person they spoke with and would have known that Couey was a sex offender. Is there any way within the law to increase scrutiny of sex offenders in an investigation such as the one that followed Jessica's disappearance in 2005?

Had Philip Garrido served his entire sentence he would not have been free to abduct Jaycee Dugard. But, again we see a little snapshot of the long-lasting ideas that the lives of women and children are inconsequential. Society frequently cheapens the effects of a sexual assault against a woman. It's as if they are saying to victims, "well, it didn't really hurt, did it?" Or even, as Whoopi recently said, "it's not rape-rape." I mean come on, why else do you have that hole there, you slut?

Reactionary laws are rarely the answer to our problems and some of these laws may even bring into question Constitutional issues. We need to find a better way to protect our children from sex offenders and I have a few small suggestions:

1. Pay attention to how we talk about sex offenses and especially the victims of these crimes. Really, does anyone else find it ironic that Woody Allen is defending Roman Polanski? Look at all the language surrounding Mackenzie Phillips' recent revelations.

2. Be specific in our terminology when labeling offenders, allow judges the ability to apply common sense to sentencing (i.e. remove mandatory sentencing guidelines) and use sex offender registries effectively. Wisconsin's age of consent is 18, there is an abundance of "Romeo & Juliet" sex offenders required to register in that state that do not belong in the same places as Philip Garrido and John Couey. There are more than 500,000 registered sex offenders across our nation, now many of these are "Romeo & Juliet" cases that should come off of the rolls thus relieving the burden on law enforcement (which would actually make our children safer)? Sex offender registries need to be reserved for those most likely to reoffend and the most dangerous. Get the public urinators off the list. Additionally, legislation in many states is unfairly slanted against GLBT people (think about sodomy laws, would consenting adults be guilty in your state?).

3. Most importantly, be a person that your child can talk to. I never told my dad about the abuse I experienced because I was afraid of how he would react. I did tell my mother. She called me a slut. I'm certain that additional children were abused because of my silence. Most abusers are known to the family putting the child in a precarious position. We see the monsters on TV but we need to remember that there are a lot of other monsters that never make it there and they are infinitely more dangerous. Additionally, I believe that if sex offenders are driven underground by increasingly restrictive residence laws they find themselves in an environment like Antioch, CA…where it's easy to reoffend.

4. I am also a fan of "family" restrooms and nearly have a panic attack any time I wait for my young son to emerge from the men's room. A repeat offender in my area accosted his last victim in a public restroom. My panicky response is natural but I know that my son is much more likely to be abused by someone we know rather than by some sicko stranger in a public place. In other words, he is much more likely to be abused by someone who is not on that list...

These are not enough but they are a start.

I referenced the following articles and websites for this post:

Jessica's Law Eyes Sex Offenders
House 1877: Relating to Jessica Lunsford Act
Florida Gets Tough New Child Sex Law
Convicted Child Killer Couey Dies in Prison
Florida Department of Corrections
How Jessica's Law turned Antioch into a Paedophile Ghetto
Whoopie Goldberg Defends Roman Polanski: 'It wasn't rape-rape'
Questions Arise on Monitoring of Sex Offenders
Hysteria Hits Home - Michigan's Unfair Anti-Sex Laws
A Sad Lesson in 'Know Thy Neighbour'

Shut Up, Huck!

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:56:00 +0000

Seriously, this is all old news but I'm in a snit today because I heard his voice.

"The reason we have so much government is because we have so much broken humanity," he said. "And the reason we have so much broken humanity is because sin reigns in the hearts and lives of human beings instead of the Savior."

Yeah, those people never do anything bad. Sunday school teachers don't molest and kill little girls, right? Christian abortion foes do not murder people...in church. I agree that human beings are the source of sin...regardless of their religious beliefs.

"I'm often asked why taxes are so high and government is so big. It's because the faith we have in local churches has become so small. If we'd been doing what we should have -- giving a dime from every dollar to help the widows, the orphans and the poor -- we now wouldn't be giving nearly 50 cents of every dollar to a government that's doing ... what we should have been doing all along."

Gee, I'm not so sure that the church can spend the money any better than the government. See. See again. Once more.

"I didn't get into politics because I thought government had a better answer. I got into politics because I knew government didn't have the real answers, that the real answers lie in accepting Jesus Christ into our lives."

Sounds like you should go back to preaching buddy. Americans have the absolute right to not share your religion. Any single person who states that they want to bring religion to public office should be automatically disqualified. You want to preach...be a preacher.

All Huckabee quotes from here.

Do ask, I’ll tell

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:47:00 +0000

Do ask, I’ll tell

Please click on the link above to view a powerful new video by A World of Progress. Sexual orientation is not an indicator of patriotism nor is an indicator of talent or ability. The focus of the military needs to be retaining talented members not ferreting out, humiliating, and persecuting.

Our military attracts members from every "walk of life." I've served alongside the rich and the poor. I've served with people of all races. I've served with men and women. I've served with gays and lesbians. I've served with conservatives and liberals. I'm concerned with two things only: can that person do their job and can I trust that person to have my back and my country's back?

Trust is vital among our military men and women. You simply cannot do your job well if you are worried that there is someone, on your side, out to get you. You cannot do your job well if you are worried that if you say the wrong thing that your team will turn against you. It's just not possible.

Finally, those in our government and associated with our government such as Senator Coburn's chief of staff, should be a bit more mindful of the people who are sacrificing their lives so that he may retain the freedom to spout such hateful drivel.

Major Margaret Witt has a court date scheduled for September 2010.

“I joined the Air Force because I wanted to serve my country. I have loved being in the military – my fellow airmen have been my family. I am proud of my career and want to continue doing my job,” said Major Witt. “Wounded people never asked me about my sexual orientation. They were just glad to see me there,” she added.
-ACLU of Washington

There is a shortage of flight nurses in the Air Force, barring Major Witt from performing her duties only serves to compound that fact. The actions of the Air Force in Major Witt's case serves no one.

Wandering Time is Near

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:36:00 +0000

This wandering elf is soon to embark on another adventure in her life. Within the week, I will travel to Virginia.

The Good Part:

I will actually score a visit with a Constance. Haven't seen her in a few years (well, maybe more like four...but before that it had been like 16 years, so time between visits is improving).

The Bad Part:

I'm sure that I will spend countless hours doing absolutely nothing; hurry up and wait.

I remember the first time I traveled to Norfolk. I remember being a little bit concerned that I'd be living in the south. Really, I'm from Maine, Virginia is pretty much the deep south to me. Anyhow, I was young, fresh from boot camp and "A" school, dressed in my best (well, my only) Service Dress Blues.

That's not me (I'm way cuter), but I was wearing the slacks version (I never wore any of the silly skirts that served only to take up room in my sea bag-geez, I was in the military, going to work on a ship, hardly the place for a skirt...I think I'll come back to that later). I had all of my uniforms and a few civilian items crammed into a big green sea bag that weight about two tons. It was virtually everything I owned with the exception of some items left with my evil mother and my good friend Fred. I arrived on a cold and rainy night. I remember it was the kind of rain that feels like pin pricks on your skin.

I was dropped off at the end of the pier, no brow-side service for a lowly fireman (the navy engineering rate kind, not the worshiped heroes who slide down poles). I hoisted that sea bag on my shoulders and began the long trek down the longest pier to the farthest brow (the enlisted brow apparently was closed at night) only to be greeted by a salty, grizzled, scrawny old dude with teardrops tattooed down his cheek. It was after hours, the ship was quiet, it seemed like ages waiting for the Messenger of the Watch to find a female from the Duty Section to find me a rack (at that time, I'd have taken any place just to lay my head).

Your rack is the only space that you have to yourself on a ship so it's a pretty bad thing if you find that someone has been sleeping in your rack (we're not like those submariners, no hot racking for shipboard Sailors, thank you very much). Well, this chippy that came to get me, didn't feel like waking anybody else up and stuffed me into someone's rack. That the person whose bed I was in became one of my closest friends is totally besides the point, I nearly got my ass kicked way too early in the morning for a defensive response and I was more than a little pissed off.

The ship was scheduled to go on a six month deployment shortly after I reported but it was canceled and we were scheduled for decommissioning instead. My travels on the ship were limited to Boston, Newport (RI) and Charleston (SC). I was fortunate to connect with some old college buddies in Boston and eat a ton of seafood all along the east coast!

This was my ship following 1996 decommissioning. She looks pretty sad, huh?

Bring on the Sith!

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:12:00 +0000

Or, bring on the shit!

Sometimes I cannot help myself. Well, last night my ears were burned by the sound of Limpdick as I flipped through the radio stations...the nightmares kept me up half the night and the indigestion took care of the remainder. So, I'm on no sleep and desperately seeking the sweet solace that I can only find (or that only I can find) in Star Wars (or at least silly Star Wars references).

Funding vs. Access

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:21:00 +0000

Dr. Charmaine Yoest, President and CEO of Americans United for Life Action met with White House officials today to express her concerns that taxpayers would pay for abortions under any new health care reform. I just saw her on FOX stating that they did not want to block access to legal health care procedures but that her group does want to prevent taxpayers from having to pay for something they don't advocate.

I'll bet that if you asked each and every taxpaying American they could identify something that they don't want their tax dollars to fund. Homeschooling families are probably irked that they have to pay into substandard public education. Peace advocates are probably tired of paying for seemingly endless war. Geez, I'm tired of paying for roads that never seem to be free of potholes. I'm tired of paying for oil subsidies. I'm tired of paying for the luxury lifestyles of our representatives. This list could go on forever.

Groups like Americans United for Life Action have already severely eroded access to abortion and continue to do so in this country each and every day. Preventing American citizens from obtaining a legal health care service is despicable. Just ask the opponents of health care reform...they don't want the government to "ration" their health care but, on the other hand, they have no qualms about telling other people what health care they can have access to (and currently they apparently do not mind that insurance companies ration health care to their customers).

The most recent survey found that 88% of all U.S. counties have no identifiable abortion provider. In non-metropolitan areas, the figure rises to 97%.

Add physical access limitations to a shortage of providers, violence at clinics, various states' restrictive legislation and lack of insurance coverage and what do you get?

NO CHOICE for many American women.

There are several reasons that a woman may choose to abort a pregnancy including health, rape, financial concerns...but whatever they are we would do well to remind ourselves that those reasons are hers and not ours.

Equal Access to Legal Medical Services

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:44:00 +0000

I am quite irritated and will try to keep this post civil as it is only a "pre-post" of a much larger post that I intend to make but here is the crux of it. I am so freaking sick and tired of the country's determination to ENSURE that there is no FEDERAL funding for a LEGAL MEDICAL PROCEDURE that IS NOT ANYBODY'S business except for between the patient and the doctor.

In a statement issued Tuesday evening, Grassley said among the outstanding issues to be resolved are the costs to taxpayers, affordability for individuals, preventing taxpayer money from funding abortions, screening out illegal aliens, limiting medical malpractice lawsuits and lowering the overall costs.
-CNN

Gee, Senator Charles Grassley, you will never, ever, ever have an abortion so shut up!

And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up: Under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortion, and federal conscience laws will remain in place.
-Houston Chronicle

Again, even you, President Obama, won't have an abortion and besides, federal conscience laws DENY legal medical services to American citizens. What if an abortion, a legal medical procedure, is prescribed by a physician to save a womans life? Why should SHE not have access to that procedure? If she has purchased insurance, even a "public option," why should that insurance NOT cover a legal medical procedure.

I, an American, believe that is imperative that all Americans have access to legal medical care. I, not a Christian, have a Constitutional Right to not be subject to anyone else's religious beliefs. I, a sexual abuse survivor, am not naive enough to believe that all pregnancies are welcome.

Finally,

I, a WOMAN, am sick and fucking tired of MEN opining about SHIT that they will never fucking have to worry about.

Sir, You Are a Liar...

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:38:00 +0000

Dear Joe Wilson,

I heard you shout "You lie!" at the President of the United States last night as he stated that there would be no health care for illegal immigrants under reform. You lied last night. HR 3200 specifically prohibits health care coverage for illegal aliens just like our current laws prohibit illegal aliens from participating in government health insurance programs. I know that you called the White House later to apologize, but frankly, that's just too little too late. The damage had already been done.

As I spoke with my husband this morning he said to me that it was probably like that in the beginning of our nation, with our leaders cursing and muttering within the revered halls of Congress much like teenagers in a street brawl. Perhaps that was true but we have these new things now, born from technology, the most important of which (especially for you last night) is live television. There is no slick editing on live television. Nope. They cannot fix it in the cutting room.

As I told my husband, it simply doesn't matter how Congressmen comported themselves in the past. We Americans still hold these very politicians that we complain about on a daily basis as role models to our children. We tell our kids, you can be anything when you grow up, a Congressman representing your great state or even the President of the United States. We like to tell our kids that those jobs are important, that those jobs change lives, that those jobs have the power to do the greatest good for our fellow citizens. What we know to be true is quite the opposite.

We should be ashamed of ourselves because we know that the vast majority of politicians are quite simply, Liars and Cocksuckers! We should be ashamed of encouraging our children to work hard so that they may one day be the Supreme Leader of the Liars and Cocksuckers. We don't want our kids to become the Head Liar and Cocksucker of any state, no matter how great we tell them that state is. The really good thing is that we have great Liar and Cocksucker role models like you, Joe Wilson, to ensure that our children never aspire to such heights.

I have been moved by the speech of politicians. I have been moved by the patriotism of my fallen comrades. I have been moved at the passing of the flag at a retirement ceremony. Joe, your conduct does not move me (well, to be fair, it does move my bowels but that's not really what I was talking about). Your conduct does not make me proud. Your conduct proves to the American people that you and others in your party will do everything in your power to prevent a bipartisan anything during this administration. You will resort to acting like a spoiled brat. I should not be surprised at all, particularly not after all the idiotic blathering that's come from your side of the aisle.

Teabaggers, Birthers, and even Deathers (as in Sarah Palin and her exhausting "death panel" claims). The wonder of it all is that some Americans have actually lost their ability to think for themselves. An ability that would prevent them from jumping on these bandwagons that are nearing a cliff, quickly.

Personally, I am so tired of all of it. If you, and all of your Liar and Cocksucker buddies, cannot grow up and do your fucking jobs, then get out of the way so we, the American people, can find someone who can.

Al Swearengen, perhaps?

Joe, if you think that my rant is childish then good for you! You identified sophomoric ranting and bullying. That's exactly what you do! Yay! Give Joey a round of applause. If you are merely insulted then... "tit for tat" ...you insulted the American President and the American public last night, so back at you, you fucking liar!

Sincerely,
An American

Sharing

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:49:00 +0000

Keeping It Real: The "News"

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:23:00 +0000

High school marching band can’t wear evolutionary T-shirts

Band parent Sherry Melby, who is a teacher in the district, stands behind Pollitt’s decision. Melby said she associated the image on the T-shirt with Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

“I was disappointed with the image on the shirt,” Melby said. “I don’t think evolution should be associated with our school.”

That damn "theory" of evolution! Don't worry lady, no one is associating that theory with you!

Okay, let's keep it real, Pollitt stated that the shirt was pulled because the school must be neutral on religion. Sir, the very act of pulling these shirts demonstrates that the school is NOT neutral on religion.

'Deviant hazing' alleged at U.S. Embassy in Kabul

"This is well beyond partying," said Danielle Brian, POGO's executive director, after showing a video of a man with a bare backside, and another man apparently drinking a liquid that had been poured down the man's lower back.
...
Among the recommendations from the group: immediate military supervision of the private security guards, a review of whether the contract should be revoked, and consideration as to whether government forces should replace private security in a combat zone.

So the State Department contracts with a PRIVATE contractor to do a job that the U.S. Military is trained to do. No wonder we're broke. My unsolicited response to the recommendations:
1) immediate military supervision of the private security guards. Obviously, Someone needs to provide supervision.2) a review of whether the contract should be revoked. Gee, why not let a company that "has been cited several times for shortcomings in the security required by the contract" continue to be rewarded with a huge contract at the tax payers' expense.
3) consideration as to whether government forces should replace private security in a combat zone. What? You mean that we already have trained personnel who can do this, at a lower cost. WTF, man, get those contractors out of there TODAY!

Michelle Duggar Pregnant: How Long Until The Duggars Take Over The World?

After the next generation of Duggars breeds at this rate, there will be 400 members of the clan (not counting the husbands and wives that married in). The third generation will have 8,000 members, the fourth will have 160,000, and the fifth will have 3.2 million...more than five times the population of Vermont.

Okay, I think it's disgusting that she wants to have that many kids, however it is her choice and not my business. What is truly, truly disgusting is the exploitation of these children by their parents and TLC...truly, the thing that they do, and get paid for (the thing you might call a job) is screw and have more kids. What makes them any different than the "welfare queens" that everybody bitches about? I'll tell you what, welfare moms are treated like crap, don't make as much and are required to actually look for work.

Study: Matt Ryan has the prettiest face in the NFL

Here's one record Brett Favre does not hold: He's not the NFL's most handsome quarterback.

Oh, yeah? Well, he's pretty damn close!

Just behind Ryan on the symmetry scale was Favre, whose face rated 99.78% symmetrical.

Holocaust museum shooting suspect opposes psych evaluation

"Your Constitution guarantees me a speedy and fair trial," he said from his wheelchair during the hearing before U.S. District Judge Reginald Walton.

Apparently he does not think that it is his Constitution. So, what planet is it that he hails from?

"I'm a United States citizen, and as a U.S. Naval officer, I swore to protect my country," he said. "I take my vows very seriously."

Oh, now he is a United States citizen and he was a U.S. Naval officer...what vows did he take seriously? Last time I checked, killing United States citizens was not considered protecting the country. Oh, yeah, he's talking about his country...er, planet.

Blast From the Past: When the Shit Hits the Fan

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:24:00 +0000

Repo Man was released in 1984. I was a 13-year-old kid growing up on an Air Force base in Germany (or more correctly, West Germany). I was just starting to get into punk rock and really easing into rebellion. My step-father, an Air Force Senior Master Sergeant, was quite conservative in his politics but I was closer to him than any other parental figure in my life and I've taken his teachings to heart. This was the man who said he was fighting for the rights of protesters who torched his beloved flag. He believed in this country and he made me believe too. One of the big things he taught me was that we needn't always agree (in fact, we often did not) but we should learn to civilly present our position and keep our ears open to the opposition. They will only shout louder and louder if they feel that they are not being heard. He always listened to me, even though his rule was law in our home.

Most of my friends thought he was an asshole, at least upon first meeting him but he tended to grow on them (even if he did have to ask if their mother's had matching earrings in their jewelry boxes at home). I always knew that when I pissed him off, and steam was pouring from his ears, he still loved me. I think that makes a great parent, that your children always know that you are not being mean to them but you are doing your damnedest to protect them because you love them so damn much.

My dad passed away in 1993 and I still miss him every day. There have been times when I've actually felt him close to me. In fact, shortly after his death I received a phone call...a message actually, that sounded just like him and the message was that I should take a break and do something for myself, specifically go out to dinner. That day I found $80.00 and I did go out to eat. That's exactly the kind of thing that he would have said to me. He knew that I had a tendency to get all wound up inside, he saw my stress and recognized it when no one else did though I could never tell him why I was a bunch of knots (and still sometimes am). I couldn't tell him because I knew that it would probably kill him if he knew that there was a time when he did not protect me from one of the awfullest of horrors that a child can ever experience.

Harry Dean Stanton, who played Bud in Repo Man reminds me of my dad and this song reminds me of how things were in the early 80s (mind you, my dad never looked as rough as Harry, but there's just some quality in his voice that makes me think of my dad). There was a severe recession in 1980-1982 following the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The revolution caused an increase in oil prices across the globe which resulted in an energy crisis kind of like that one in 1973. I could now force on you my opinion of the auto manufacturers in Detroit, who have had ample time to make (and sell) more fuel efficient vehicles or the oil subsidies that have effectively made Americans completely unaware of the real cost of oil, but I'll save that for another day.

Right now, I'm thinking about how the world spins round and round. How we come back to these things over and over again. I wonder if we will ever figure out how to break this cycle of recession or if we will just have to take the advice of the Circle Jerks and remember that "we all gotta duck when the shit hits the fan."

Number Four

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:24:00 +0000

It's no little secret that I love the Green Bay Packers.

I also love Brett Favre.

So, how do I feel now that he's signing with the Vikings?

Unlike other Green Bay fans, I do not feel stabbed in the back. I do not begrudge the man a few more years of doing what he loves. He's just a wee bit older than I am and I feel like I can understand wanting to experience just a little bit more. Just a little bit more time playing a young man's game. Just a little bit more of that feeling of the field, the team, the adoration. Just a little more time to decide what the hell he's going to do for the next 30 years or so.

I am disappointed.

Yes, I am and let me tell you why (though you did not ask and likely do not care). I am disappointed that Brett now has a very high chance of leaving the game as a joke when he could have left two years ago as one of the greatest (if you must know my personal opinion, THE GREATEST) quarterbacks to ever play the game. People have a short memory, you know. Apparently, they already have a hard time remembering all those other athletes that cut short their retirement...Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, Roger Clemons, Muhammed Ali, Martina Navratilova, George Foreman, Mario Lemieux...

Brett, I still love you but I will never root for the Vikings...(well, maybe I will if they're playing the Bears, or the Lions, depending on the standings).

Too Stupid to Learn

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:20:00 +0000

More proof that our education system has been failing us since at least the 1960s.

Rush Limbaugh graduated from Cape Central High School in 1969. He followed that with an unsuccessful attempt at Southeast Missouri State University.

Presumably at some period during his education, he passed an English class. Probably was introduced to the various uses of the fabled dictionary. Now he makes his living off of words and he would have his listeners believe that he actually knows what he's talking about. Of course, in their defense, it must be noted that they are products of the same education system.

Now, I've already told the world that Rush Limbaugh is Un-American and for the poor, unknowing (quite possibly under-educated) masses I even explained the differences between Socialism and Fascism to include an accurate explanation of Adolph Hitler's use of the word "socialist" in the phrase "National Socialist Workers' Party." I now know that Rush does not read my blog and I'm deeply, truly saddened. Of course, it may just be that he is actually too stupid to learn.

In his latest foray into stupidom, Rush has compared Obama's health care logo to the Nazi swastika. Gee, I thought it looked more like a caduceus than a swastika. Does he mean to suggest that doctors are Nazis too?

Of course, the comparison of President Obama to National Socialists is actually pretty damn stupid. Hey Rush, remember the 1936 Olympics (...Cornelius Johnson...I bet you wanted me to say Jesse Owens, gotcha!)? Yes, it's true, National Socialists are racists. I even got my ass kicked by Nazis in 1990...real ones...because some of my friends weren't the right color...and I bet they'd like to kick Rush's ample rear right now for sullying their reputation.

Finally, and most seriously, health care is an issue which affects every single one of us. Is there a way that adults can come up with a solution? I believe so but it is not acting like a bunch of crazed children, high on sugar, at town hall meetings. It is not calling fellow Americans Nazis (unless they are, and when the Nazis start feeling real comfortable coming out to town hall meetings we'll know it...even Nancy Pelosi will know it). It is not scaring the shit out of Americans with outright lies.

P.S. I'm no grammar expert (you already know this!). I'm just a lowly historian and wannabe law student who enjoys words. I frequently use a dictionary and I have multiple...I'm sure I could spare one to send to Rush.

P.S.S. Click here to sign the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's petition calling on the GOP to denounce Limbaugh's comments comparing Democrats to Nazis.

Talk (Parts I & II)

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:45:00 +0000

I stumbled across these great films at Jodie's blog, Disabled Acomplishments. They were made by Britain's Disability Rights Commission (now the Equality and Human Rights Commission) but they are just as relevant to the United States. President Obama signed a proclamation just last Friday celebrating the 19th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I'm not celebrating. My personal experience has shown me that the ADA is widely misunderstood by employers (just like the board meeting at the beginning of the first film) and that we Americans still have a long way to go in the arena of civil rights. Sadly, I cannot count the number of times that I've heard employers refer to people with disabilities as "those people" over the past two years.

Oh, Poor, Poor Pitiful Me

noreply@blogger.com (Sidhe) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:35:00 +0000

Doesn't your heart just bleed with sympathy for this Boston cop?

Poor choice of words? Characterizing behavior?

I love the use of the "patriot" card, "I served my country, I volunteered to go to Iraq..." (Guess that's the new one, huh?)

He says he has post-traumatic stress because of this. Well, buddy, you just insulted a whole hell of a lot of veterans and abuse survivors with that claim. You know people who actually experienced trauma. If being called out for being ridiculously stupid on TV is traumatic to you then you don't have what it takes to be a cop or a member of the US military.

Leadership requires a thick skin...and the ability to think before you hit send. It also requires unselfish dedication to those you serve. All I've heard from him is, "poor, poor pitiful me."