Once again, Conservatives Show Their Priorities

From This is Not Over:

From reader Andrea:

An outrageous bill has been introduced in the Ohio State House of Representatives. If passed, House Bill 515, also known as the "The Adoptive and Foster Children's Protection Act," will prevent homosexual, bisexual and transgendered individuals from becoming adoptive or foster parents. But wait! There's more! The law reads such that anyone residing with a homosexual, bisexual or transgendered person also faces the same ban.
This act is not only out-and-out prejudice, but will reduce the pool of potential foster and adoptive parents. And this is supposed to "protect" children?
Much worse, the timing of this bill is quite suspect. A divisive bill like this introduced so close to mid-term elections seems like a play to mobilize the conservative voting base.
Shrinking the pool of prospective foster/adoptive parents and slashing family rights all for the sake of mainpulating voters? Congratulations, Ohio Republicans, you've sunk to a new low.
You can read the actual bill here, and Ohioans can contact their reps to complain here.

They really don't care about children. They care about hate. They hate gays, and they want them back in the closet, on the fringes.

I'm not familiar with Ohio's foster care system. I can't find a statewide site, but here are two county sites: Green County and A Child's Waiting.

Look at those faces. How dare they deny these kids a loving home?

I guess it's more important to do bad things to gay people than to help children.

OK, who am I?

As Dumbledore, you are talented, intelligent and powerful! You may prefer to be in a leadership position, and always uphold what is right. You set trends with your crazy beard.




discover what candy you are @ quiz me

Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

Ok, it's really boring at work today.

This does not surprise me

Your IQ Is 130

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius Your General Knowledge is Exceptional

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

Logic was never my strong suit.

But test taking was. While some people suffer from test anxiety, I perform better on tests than I should (based on the amount of studying and what I knew going into the test).

So I don't trust tests, except when I score really well. Then the test MUST be correct.

Writing Update

I haven't blogged about writing lately. I guess it's because I haven't received any rejections lately.

Which is odd, because I have 11 items on the street. Maybe that's a good sign, but I know that isn't necessarily true. I had one book take 10 months to get rejected. 10 months! It is a picture book, the manuscript is 3 pages. Now how long does it take to look at 3 pages and decide if you like it or not? On good days, I like to believe it was considered and reconsidered. On bad days, I'm sure it fell behind someone's desk, and when it finally found, it was promptly rejected.

I'm following my plan. I'm concentrating on my short stories for magazine publication. My reasons are as follows, I haven't been published yet, because:

• My writing sucks
• I don't have enough exposure (read: publishing credits) to attract anyone's attention.
• A combination of the two

But that doesn't matter. Because if my writing sucks, then I need to write more and improve my craft. The best way for me is through short work. And if I need credits to get attention, magazine publication is probably the easiest way to go.

So the solution seems to be the same for both. I have to accept that some of what I'm writing is probably crap. It's easier for me to accept this of my short pieces, than a larger piece (not really sure why...Just seems easier). So that's my plan.

Also, I'd like to put a plug in for my writers group, Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group. They run monthly programs and get togethers. It's great to network with other writers. If you live anywhere in this area, you should try it out.

A Woman who truly Lives up to her Name

Cecilia Fire Thunder.

She is the President of the Oglala Sioux in South Dakota. And she knows how to speak fire and thunder. Undaunted by the new law to ban abortion in South Dakota, Ms. Fire Thunder has decided to take things into her own hands.

I love this woman!

The President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Cecilia Fire Thunder, was incensed. A former nurse and healthcare giver she was very angry that a state body made up mostly of white males, would make such a stupid law against women.

"To me, it is now a question of sovereignty," she said to me last week. "I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction."

You can show your supportfor Ms. Fire Thunder :
You know she is going to get threats after this, some support letters of support would certainly help. But I wouldn't send money, like some people have suggested on their blogs. At least not until this is more than an idea.

Oglala Sioux Tribe
ATTN: President Fire Thunder
P. O. 2070
Pine Ridge, SD 57770

OR: and this may be preferred, due to mail volume:
ATTN: PRESIDENT FIRE THUNDER
PO BOX 990
Martin, SD 57751

And please blog about this courageous woman who is taking on her state government.

Or just blog about it because you KNOW it pisses off the Right.

Thanks to Biting Beaver for this.

Cinderella

I had an interesting conversation with Darling Daughter the other day. We are reading the book, Just Ella, by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This is a great young adult book (ages 12 and up). It is a variation on the Cinderella tale, starting where the original story left off. The author has removed the magic elements (they are rumors and gossip) and given Ella a feminist viewpoint.

My daughter and I read together almost every day. She has a learning disability that manifests itself in her reading. She IS intelligent, and that isn't just Mom talking. She faked her way through 6 years of school, using memory and deduction rather than reading and studying. It wasn't until 7th grade that I realized that she had a problem reading.

So we read together.

Now Just Ella is a clever book. When I first read it, I was critical of the language and attitudes of the main character, Ella. She seemed too modern for the story, not authentic. Of course I realized this was based on a story with a fairy godmother, mice who turn into horses, and love at first sight.

We were discussing the story, and my daughter surprised me by defending the original Cinderella. She was upset that the book portrayed Prince Charming as a dullard, and he and Cinderella weren't really in love. When I pointed out that the Prince only choose Cinderella because of her beauty, my daughter became defensive. She insisted they were truly in love, even though she admitted that the Prince didn't even bother to ask Cinderella her name. (Of course, I'm referring to the fairy tale/Disney versions not the multi-cultural/politically correct revision of the Rodgers and Hammerstein version). While she agreed with me, she still insisted they were in love.

This amazed me. The kid obviously saw the faults with Cinderella, but instead of accepting them, she decided to claim they didn't exist.

Finally, she relented with the statement: "But I LIKED Cinderella when I was little." That was the telling statement. She wanted Cinderella to be a "good" story because she liked it. I don't even remember her liking that story so much, so it could be a nostalgia thing.

I explained that it was just a story, and that if we didn't believe that pumpkins could turn into coaches, why would we believe the falling in love with beauty myth? There was nothing wrong with enjoying a silly story, as long as you realized it was just a story. That no fairy godmother was going to save you and that a woman is more than just her looks.

Is this when people first learn to blindly believe?

Is this when people start ignoring the facts that contradict what they want to be the truth?

Is this when it starts? When their childhood treasures are challenged?

This is definitely something that requires my attention.

Places I've Been

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

I was quite surprised at how many states I have visited. I got this from Oral Report.

Sopranos

The Sopranos are back. I really missed them, but I was nervous about the new season. Too many times, when television shows are continued after they should have shut down production. Sometimes for years after the show stopped being interesting. But they continue to produce episodes and people continue to watch. I think it's because the show becomes like an old friend and is comfortable. Viewers are no longer critical, just happy to see their friends.

I hate that. It is an insult to what the show once was.

Fortunately, the Sopranos did not disapoint. Below are spoilers, so if anyone TiVo'd it and did not watch it yet, don't read the rest of my comments.


I was surprised. The show started out slowly, doing the "catch-up" thing. I hate that. Doesn't everyone have HBO on demand? I guess not. But I was able to watch the entire last season the week before the new season started, so I'd remember everything. It started out slowly, and I know some people have complained, but it was just a set up, to lull you before the big finish.

I never expected for Junior to shoot Tony. I should have been expected, because senile dementia (which is most likely what Junior has at his age, not Alzheimers) patients revert to their youth. Obviously, Junior was reliving his past.

Some of my more imaginative friends have suggested that Tony will be dead or in a coma and the rest of the show will be his visions or dreams. I don't know about that, afterall, they were the same folks who insisted that Adreana could still be alive after last season because we didn't see a body. Yeah, like Silvio would disobey orders.

I loved the scene with Carmela and Big Pussy's widow (I can't remember her name, and I'm too lazy to look it up). I always saw Carmela as a tragically sympathetic character. However, her greed has just become too much. Yeah, she was sympathetic while attached to the Mafia teat. Last season we saw her cut off, and damn, did she lose points with me! Of course, that answered the question, "Why did she put up with Tony for so long?" Obviously, it was the money. I think I like her better as a money hungry whore than the long suffering martyr.

The look on her face when she saw the Vett that other woman was driving. Carmela must have realized that being a mob whore was not the only way to have material goods. Just loved that! I guess I never liked Carmela that much.

I wish they had gone into the gay Vito thing. Or what the hell happened to AJ's hair. But maybe next time!

I have more comments, but no more time.

Every Sperm is Sacred

I found this at Feministing.

Every sperm is sacred!

What a Week!

Once again, I've been a lazy blogger.

Like I said, I do most of my blogging at work. I have 4 network drops at my desk, but I've had to use all 4 for work related activities. I have been so bored! Watching 4 laptops load software for 8 hours is pretty much a definition of hell.

But I've had some good news, too. Last week, I attended a local writers group. I was happy that it is a large group (about 30 people there) and it was run in a professional manner (I have a thing for Roberts Rules). The members seem to be an eclectic mix of writers. Fiction, non fiction, poetry, journalism, professional newsletters and travel guides were just some of the areas these people were writing. A woman read from her recently published chick lit book, and there was a speaker, whose topic was point of view.

It was good and interesting, but there was something else. A vibe. I left there so jazzed up, I completed and submitted 3 short pieces I'd been playing with and not finishing for about 4 months.

The other interesting thing was a writers workshop that was at Barnes and Nobel. Once again, it was good, but nothing spectacular. However, the woman running the workshop was a published author promoting her book on writing. While I was talking to her, she asked if I had any paper with me. I gave her my notebook and she wrote the name of her agent, and suggested that I contact the agent. Now I just have to write a killer introductory/query letter.

All in all, it's been a good week for me, even if I haven't had time to blog.

South Dakota Abortion Ban

Yeah, I'm that pissed off.

However, over at the Den of the Biting Beaver, there was a great suggestion:

I've got a pile of wire hangers and am hunting for a box as we speak. Everyone should be doing this. Preferably with a letter that says something like "We realize that after you sign the anti-abortion bill, your state health agencies will need vast stockpiles of these to handle the demand. Here is our meager donation."

The address for the governor's office is:
Office of the Governor
500 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501

If you think this is as awesome an idea as we do, post it on your blogs and messageboards and anywhere else you go. The more, the merrier!

Yeah, I've got a bunch that I can send. How about you?

Almost forgot, Thanks to Republic of T, where I stole that graphic.

I'm back!

I've been such a lazy blogger. Truly a disappointment. My only excuse is that I do most of my blogging at work.

And I've had to work at work. Now before any one decides they need to warn me about blogging about work, let me assure you, my boss is well aware of my work time blogging.

Most of my work revolves around installing and testing software. Which means I get to spend much of my day watching software install and computers reboot. While the computers are doing this, I have time to blog, read website, write, etc on my computer.

But these last few weeks, I've had to go out to our schools and work on site. Now I don't mind that. I figure that whatever time I spend in my car (and depending upon traffic, this can be up to 3 hours a day) is my time, like an extended break. But I can't blog while I'm out of the office.

Not to worry. My major responsibility is laptops and out wireless labs are not cooperating with our newest Windows image. It takes almost an hour to image a laptop (this is all automatic--you start it and come back when it's done) so I image, test, change, repeat. This process can go on for days, until I track down all the bugs.

So as soon as I'm done with my current project, I'll be blogging with some regularity.

Blogs

The Highlander, who blogs at Miserable Annals of the Earth has asked me to announce that he is making his blog members only. You can email him at docnebula @gmail.com (space inserted to prevent spammers) to become a member.

The Highlander has an interesting blog. Go there, you'll enjoy it.

Lie to me!

This is a great post from All Kinds of Writing. It is quoting the article from Times Online The Facts. Don't Give me the Facts.

If you followed the James Frey big brouhahaha (ha), you will be interested in this:

From The facts. Don't give me the facts:

AFTER READING JOHN BANVILLE'S Man Booker prize-winning The Sea, a slim volume trumpeted as fiction, I was startled to discover, upon perusing my hefty atlas, that this supposedly fantastical place named Ireland was an actual island. While reading, I thought it sounded familiar, yet I let it slide, not wanting niggling particulars to ruin the experience.

But as a page-by-page analysis of The Sea turned up a plethora of verifiable facts, I believe a comprehensive investigation is in order. If the sanctioned percentage of fact (to be determined by James Frey) exceeds the appropriate percentage of fiction, I suggest that it would be prudent for the Booker committee to strip Banville of his award.

This feeling of being cheated and of violation to my very soul led me to contact a lawyer who is at present engaged in writing a class action against authors who have mis-stated fact for fiction.

Well, I believee that says it all...

I was in Hell

Yesterday. I was in Music Hell.

I was working in an office that listens to some softrock, nonsense, easily forgotten radio station. I was replacing hard drives and reimaging laptops, actually enjoying myself, when the radio station played the Carpenter's "Close to Me." I tried to block it out (I'm usually good at blocking out bad music, I have a teenager) but that particular song has a way of entering the brain as if it had a purpose.

One of the women in the office commented that the radio was playing all music from the 70's that hour, and wasn't this just a wonderful song? They played it at her prom. The song ended and I thought 70's does not need to be all bad. When I think of 70's, I think Springsteen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Doors, The Who, Rolling Stones. Even music that wasn't great, such as Queen or possibly Meatloaf, was at least fun. And there was some great R&B music like Sly, James Brown, Aretha, Gladys Knight. I was hopeful.

The next song was "Chevy Van", by some artist that I've obviously chosen to block from my memory.

The point to remember is that this is not my office and I have no control over the music. I just have to put my head down and work. And these are songs that stay with you, stay in your head, and bring the agony to you throughout the day.

I was almost done with the machines, and I just knew this station couldn't play anything worse.

Of course, I was wrong. I heard laughing from within the gates of hell.

The next song was "Clap for the Wolfman".

I was definitely in hell.

Now it isn't all bad. When I left that office of terrible music and got into my car, I heard "Funeral March for a Marionette". I knew I had escaped from my personal hell.

Shoes! Glorious Shoes!

This is an open question to anyone who happens to read this:

Are you a woman, or do you know a woman, who becomes absolutely orgasmatic over shoes and shoe shopping?

The media tells us:

• Women love shoes
• Women love to shop for shoes
• Women want to have a closet full of shoes
• Women buy more shoes than they could possibly use
• Women like spiked heels and open toe shoes

I see this in commercials, TV shows, books, magazines, and movies. My question is, who are these women? Because I've never met one of them.

In 40 some years on this earth, you'd think I would have met one woman who had this shoe addiction. I've met 2 women who came close, but I don't think either one qualifies.

The first one has one foot 1/4 size smaller than the other. She has trouble buying shoes that fit and are comfortable. She has many shoes she doesn't wear because they didn't work out. She buys a lot of shoes because she has to, not because she wants to.

The other woman is a compulsive shopper. When she is off her meds, she has been known to buy 20 pairs of shoes at one time. Of course, she is just as likely to buy 200 boxes of cake mix. It doesn't matter what she is buying, as long as she is buying.

So who are these "shoe-women"?

If it were just commercials that were promoting women as shoe-whores, it wouldn't bother me. If you were trying to sell women's shoes, it might be a good marketing ploy to show shoe shopping as a fun and exciting adventure. But it's not just commercials.

And it's not just that women are portrayed as shoe-whores. It is the shoes they are buying. I don't understand why anyone would want a pair of these:

Just looking at these makes my feet hurt!

I can hear the comments: But they are so sexy!

Really? Why are these considered sexy?

Could it be that it makes women seem helpless?

You can't run in them. You can't stand for any length of time. You can't take a long walk in them. They offer no protection from the elements. And you'd better have a recent pedicure! Because we don't want any of those ugly calluses showing!

Is this any different than Chinese foot binding? Except for the temporary nature, I don't see the difference.

Is it that some men are so frightened by a powerful woman, that she needs to don this restrictive footwear to seem attractive? The patriarchy is a scary thing.

The 11th Hour

My cousin's ex-wife died of breast cancer on Saturday. She was 46. She was diagnosed with cancer 10 years ago, and seemed to have been in remission. However, it came back, with a vengeance. The end was quick.

Even though they were divorced, or perhaps because of it, he is bitter and devastated.

Things were said that shouldn't have been, and things that should have been said were left unsaid.

Their daughter is 14, a terrible age for a girl to lose her mother (not that there is a good time, however the teen years are worse).

If you are inclined to pray, please include this family in your prayers. They are hurting.

Dancing with Republicans

Don't be afraid. The scary white men can't hurt you. Just don't make eye contact.

Thanks to Dependable Renegade. I'm going to have nightmares about this!

Dancing with Republicans:

Who does Bush think he is? Sinatra?

I think these two have been hitting the drink cart on Air Force One.

Blogging for Choice

Recently, a co-worker and I were discussing choice. His main argument was that there are no unwanted children. That except for extreme situations, a woman should not have an abortion, because there is always someone who would want a child.

This reasoning is common among anti-choice people. But it isn't true. If it were true, then why are there over 1,200 children that no one wants, in Pennsylvania? 1,200 kids who need a permanent home. 1,200 kids who are waiting to be adopted. And that is just Pennsylvania.

You can view some of them at the SWAN website. These kids are listed as "Special Needs". If you go through the photo album (a very sad catalog), you'll see that the number one issue that makes these kids "Special" is that they are over 5 years old.

"That's crazy talk!" You say. "Everyone knows that it is near impossible to adopt a child these days. Plus it costs a fortune to adopt."

Wrong. It is near impossible to adopt a white, healthy infant (preferably male). As for cost, these kids are eligible for adoption assistance. Not only will the state cover all the costs of adoption, they are also eligible for a monthly stipend, basically what a foster parent would get to support the child. And this aid has nothing to do with the financial situation of the adopting family. It is based on the needs of the adoptive child.

And it gets worse. These children are living in foster homes, until an adoptive family is identified. But foster homes are supposed to be for children whose permanency placement is not resolved. It is a sad fact, but in most states, children can not be placed in foster care until there is a foster family available. Everyday, children remain in dangerous and abusive households because there isn't any room for them anywhere. They remain in peril because children who are adoptable are in the foster homes.

What kills me is that I hear so often that foster parents "are in it for the money." I was a foster parent, and you want to know what I got paid? .80 an hour. That's not a typo. 80 cents an hour.

Many people could not be foster parents because they could not tolerate the idea of having a child in their home and they having the state remove the child, possibly sending him/her back to the abusive parents. I can understand that.

But adoption is forever. Adoption is permanent. Adoption is for keeps. Go to the photo album of adoptable kids. These little lambs just want a family to call their own.

Now I know what you are saying: "oops, Julia's ADD has kicked in again. This was supposed to be a blog about choice."

Well it is. I am sick to death of hearing about how there aren't any unwanted children. This is just an excuse of the anti-choice crowd. This is a quick sound bite, that is hard to argue against. But it's just a distraction. A diversion. And like a magician, the anti-choice folks use this subterfuge as a way to divert attention from what is really on their minds.

They don't care about children.

They are concerned about sexually active women being in control of their bodies. They don't give a damn about kids, or they would do something about all the kids without homes.

This may sound harsh. It is. I don't care if it makes people uncomfortable. My little darling, who I often blog about, came into my life when she was 6, and I adopted her when she was 10.

Many of you may disagree with me. You're worried about children? Go adopt one, or become a foster parent. But if you aren't willing to do that, don't you dare say you are against choice because of the children. Because I'm not listening.

What a Military Mother Fears

Dariana has a heart wrenching post at Bring it On.

Well it seems I have had another heart-stopping scare this morning. This is two in one week. So thank you very much Mr. Bush (NOT). See, if you would end this insanity in Iraq, my son and all the other fine Military we have over there could come home where they belong. Iraq is not their fight, thats YOUR battle.

Two Army pilots were killed this morning. There was also a car bomb explosion in Baqubah which is where MY son is Mr. Bush. Do you think family members enjoy this type of panic everytime we see a news clip or an internet feed???? NO WE DO NOT. Thankfully, for the SECOND time in less than a week, my son is safe!

Read the entire post, if you can. The raw emotion is intense.

Where are my tissues?