Latest Hoopla

Everyone's up in arms over the current situation at the border.  People are being detained in former Big Box stores, as the Gov't sorts out papers on who's legit and who's not.  What's really sparking the outrage is a video/photo showing kids and parents separated in what looks like cages/holding pens, with no blankets, and kids crying for their parents.

What they don't realize is this video/photo was shot in 2014, when OBAMA was in office, and this law was put into place in 1997 under CLINTON!  Our current administration, with the exception of some senators and representatives, had NOTHING to do with it!

I get it; I know the panic/worry when a parent has been separated from a child.  This happened to me in 2004 when my 12 y/o decided to take the escalator in the Detroit airport, instead of going down the elevator with me, his sister, and his younger brother who was in a stroller.  Instead of meeting us at the gate, he chose to wander through some of the shops.  It took me a good fifteen minutes to find him. 

Then there was the incident with my 11-or-12 y/o (what IS it about that age?) at the Chicago S&I museum.  We were ready to head into the viewing of Our Magnificent Oceans, when we realized W wasn't with us.  Several frantic moments later, I reported him missing, at the exact moment he did the same!  I heard his little voice on the radio, and two minutes later, his guard brought him to me.  That kid stuck like glue to me the rest of the day.

So yeah, I get it.

But 1) If you plan to come into our country, do it LEGALLY. 

2)  Learn our language.  Why should we bend over backward learning yours?  If I move to France, I'd be expected to learn French.  If I refuse to learn the language, no one's gonna hire me or bend over backward to change laws in that country.

3)  By all means, practice your religion.  Don't believe in Christmas?  That's okay.  Believe all Christians should be executed?  Why the hell did you move here in the first place?

I am soooooo sick of the division in this country.  When did it become all right for one group of people to insist EVERYONE conform to their ideals?  If I don't agree that business owners have a right to refuse service to someone, then I'm harassed, sued, and run out of town.  On the other hand, if I don't express that belief, then I'm welcome in polite society.  If everyone agreed with everyone, we'd have a pretty boring society.

Yes, I may come off as ignorant.  I'm not a racist; I'm not homophobic.  Just because I choose not to embrace every ideal out there does not mean slap a label on me.  A lot of it has to do with personality.  If our personalities clash, I have the choice to limit my interactions with you.  It does not mean I'm against everything you stand for.

I also choose not to immerse myself in 24/7 news.  Or 24-7 'fluff TV'.  I'll listen to your opinion; I'll most likely simply let it go in one ear and out the other, unless I actually feel otherwise.

I have friends who are Christian, Conservative, Liberal, GLBT, and polar opposites.  Would I put them in the same room?  Depends on the situation.  I'm a peacemaker, not a pot-stirrer.

As in HS, I cannot be labeled.  My mother was on the faculty, so people thought I was a narc.

I was in band, so people thought I was a 'band fag' or a member of the 'whore corps'.

My BFF was a jock.

My other BFF was an unwed mom.

My prom date was an admitted pot smoker who came from a broken home.

My major was Home Ec.

I worked in the library during my free period.

If I WANTED to do drugs, I knew where to get them.  I chose not to.

So what was my label in HS?  No one knew.

Same today.  I'm married to a racist, but this doesn't mean I am.

My older kids have smoked pot.  I'm not proud of this, but they have learned from their mistakes.  Does this make me a bad mom?  No, it means despite my mothering, they chose to do this.

One of my kids was involved in an interracial relationship.  We tried to be friendly to her, but when she attacked my child and nearly caused him to hit her back, we stepped in and drew the line.

My adopted child is gay.  I will defend her choice to live this way.  I even wrote a 'bi-curious' book several years ago, based on another BFF of mine.

My daughter got pregnant in HS.  I fought for her to finish her education, and am helping her raise my adorable granddaughter.

Don't label me; I'm very tolerant unless someone's opinion is attempted to be shoved down my throat.

Are You KIDDING Me???

Tonight, on the Star Chamber Show, we were joined by someone new in the chat room, and after exchanging pleasantries, this person suddenly turned snobby:

"writing a book is by no means 
a world accomplishment that."

"it perhaps can be self 
soothing...but not an accomplishment that can 
assist the suffering masses."

"the world needs real 
info...enlightening info....sacred info"

This, after expressing seeming disdain for my 22 published works....

"Quality, not quantity is what counts" 

and...

"99.99% of books published are crap"

I tried to stay nice.  I said I'd read a lot of crap, but it was the exception, rather than the norm.  I was commenting on something the host said, that it takes guts to put ourselves out there....

"That's how we learn if we have any talent!"

To which this person replied, "I disagree."

Thankfully, the co-host managed to be tactful in her responses, while I was dearly wanting to type.....

"Are you TRYING to insult us?"

"We also need ENTERTAINMENT!"

"What would YOU consider a 'worldly accomplishment'?"

"What the hell do you call all those self-help books, if not to assist the 'suffering masses', and how do you know a good book to disappear into won't help?"

"Oh, so you're one of those people who only reads non-fiction?"

"I highly doubt the dictionary of the occult/English language is 'enlightening'!"

Then this person commented he'd read Drakula...."though 99% was supposedly true."

WTH?????

I seriously hope that
a) this person was simply bored and decided to see if he could get a rise out of us on Live Radio
b) this person never pops into the show again.

I might not be so nice next time, and actually TYPE the above responses, to see what happens.