TRUE DEFINITIONS: Present day, so-called Grass-roots Movement Groups

The true meaning of certain groups who believe that they are the only true Patriots yet some prove too cowardly to say what they really mean!

BIRTHERS: Radicals who hate anyone not of Aryan descent. Deep down, these people truly admired Hitler (who was a so-called Christian himself) and secretly wish to become his followers of late. These birthers would also love to go back pre-1968 when they truly ruled the U.S. This group is the one I mostly have a problem with and refuse to take them serious or to justify their anger and violent behavior with a duplicated attack - verbal or otherwise. They are ignorant and we are supposed to disregard those types.

TRUTHERS: Honestly, they just want the truth behind the 9/11 attacks. They would like to see “W” and his cronies in the administration at the time be held accountable for questionable actions leading up to the attacks and then to the start of a needless war against a sovereign nation all in the name of “payback”. Yeah, right, “payback” – call it what it really was – control over oil and wealth for those who aided the admin! “W” and his cronies all need a good, old-fashioned “whoop ass”. To the likes of one ignorant Sarah Palin, “W”, Cheney, and their supporters…“how’s all that oil working out for ya?”!!!

TEA PARTY MOVEMENT: Pissed off Americans who are tired of huge government bail-outs of corporate America; the bail-outs which began during the “W” reign but have been more readily scrutinized under President Obama. Taxation without representation…sure I understand that. At least members of the TP Movement have their basic rights. Ask the LGBT community how they fair during these hard economic times? Ask the LGBT community how they pay exorbitant amount of taxes just so that people involved with the TP can vote to deny them their rights. Marriage is supposedly sacred. Yeah, right, hardly so. Most LGBT couples in a relationship stay together longer, are more committed to one another, more committed to the family and more likely to heed the meaning of the word fidelity. LGBT couples do not share the same rights and privileges as members of the TP Movement. If your spouse becomes ill, you have the right to make life-changing/life-saving decisions for him/her, but an LGBT couple is chastised and thrown out of the room. They pay taxes for such crude and neanderthal-like treatments. TP Movement, I see your point but do you have to be so ignorant, radical, loud and violent in trying to get your point across?!! (rhetorical). Bottom line, the TP Movement is as racist as the birthers are and worse. The TP blames too many taxes, bail-outs and health care as the reason behind their cause when in actuality they are like the birthers who are pissed off at the fact of a Black man in the White House. Surely they remember times being worse during the "W" reign. The TP Movement automatically reverts to screams of bloody-murder ala socialism. They don’t want to share their wealth with the less fortunate. I understand that. No one asked them to completely and totally finance and support the poor, they are just being asked to act like the Christians they claim to be and lend a hand. I hate involving Christianity (I firmly believe in a true separation of church and state) but since the TP Movement claims it to be part of their foundation, I too shall go to that "place". Oh, and providing health care for over 35 million Americans just pisses off the TP Movement. Are they scared that for once in this country that everyone will have equal treatment on the health care scale. That the minorities, the low class, the no class, the poor, the tired will be on the same level as them and that the elimination of such scum will be minimized because fewer have to die from lack of medical attention and affordability? (rhetorical). Jesus would be for health care and He is probably totally disappointed and pissed off at such negative actions by these people. Did they learn nothing from biblical teachings to treat others fair and equal? (r) I do not wear my limited Christian beliefs on my sleeve, but I d0 know right from wrong, and therefore I do not get irate at lending a hand to those less fortunate especially when my own home has been so greatly rewarded. Some of the TP Movement members go around all indignant of so-called socialism with one hand making a fist and the other hand guarding their money. Reminiscent of a three year-old as he goes around not wanting to play fair nor to share his toys while all the time reciting the words…“MINE, MINE, MINE!”

My friend said it best the other day…

~Tea (Party) is bitter these days, I will take Coffee (Party) - it's much sweeter!~

Arizona: LULAC Finds New Immigration Law Unconstitutional

April 15, 2010

Contact: Lizette Jenness Olmos, (202) 833-6130 ext. 16

The law will lead to more racial profiling and discrimination.

Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation's oldest and largest Hispanic civil rights organization, will sue to block an Arizona immigration bill as unconstitutional should Gov. Jan Brewer sign it into law.
“We are horrified," said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales. "This law opens the doors to racial profiling. It requires police officers, if they form a 'reasonable suspicion' that someone is an illegal immigrant, to determine the person’s immigration status.”
LULAC is opposed to an existing program known as 287(g) allows local police to enforce federal immigration laws, contending that it has been ineffective and subject to abuse. LULAC has always opposed involving local police in immigration matters because they do not have the resources or training to enforce immigration law.
First Lady Michelle Obama in a trip to Mexico today stressed that immigration reform is necessary and that more Democrats and Republicans should support its enactment.
“We're seeing children who are trying to cross the border just to reconnect with their parents, and their family members and their lives are at risk,” said Rosales. “A strong immigration reform policy would help alleviate some of those challenges.”
Until Congress passes an immigration reform bill, states will continue to take matters into their own hands and communities and families will remain separated.
LULAC is the largest and older Hispanic Organization in the United States. LULAC advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide. For more information on LULAC, visit www.lulac.org.

“The History and Practices of St. Patrick’s Day”

Read full story click here: Why we really wear green, why we pinch those who do not wear green, etc...

Icon: Does Anyone Really Know What It Means Anymore?

First of all, thanks to Sara for including my quote (verbatim) on her "Tortillas Quemadas Blog" as I wrote it on my FB wall. I was so pissed off when the Academy left off Farrah as well in their Memorial Tribute to actors we lost in 2009. I clearly remember us asking one another...'did they leave out Farrah or did we not see her photo?'...'surely they (academy) would not leave her off, after all, they did include Michael'. Again, it was this AH of an entertainer who took the limelight away from our beloved Farrah. Enough of MJ tributes already. MJ should be of no importance here and the fact that he was remembered during the American Academy Awards (AAA: what an acronym) Memorial Tribute sans Farrah Fawcett just makes me livid.

MJ is "persona non grata" in my book. I have had a bad dislking of him dating back to 1995.  I grew up liking his music, but his character flaws (1993) ultimately proved too much for this one-time fan so I dismissed him as a musical artist in my book by 1995 especially after he started putting out awful music.  The main reason for my complete abadonment of MJ as one of my fav artisits was after his second accusation of child molestation and stint in court (2005). Jesus Juice is not my flavor of the day. Having been molested by a family member when I was a little girl does not leave me with any kind of sympathy for the likes of the Wacko-kid. "He loves kids too much"...that came from his own mouth in his ignorant and so not believeable attempt at justifying why he loved having kids (little boys) around him all the time. It may have been a reason I could accept until he admitted he slept with these little boys. Now what reason could any adult have for sleeping with little kids like that?!! (rhetorical)...I don't know any adult who would do such a thing. Not even in a family does one do that if the child in question is clearly not your son or daughter. You just do not do that, and it sickens me that MJ admitted to having done that with other people's kids and so many other people did not even think twice about it or worse yet, it did not sicken them enough to want to forget the likes of this guy...Michael, who much like Peter Pan, did not want to grow up. Just because a person of ill character dies does not warrant anyone pay him any kind of respect or tribute like thousands did for MJ when he died last June 2009.  I disliked him long ago and just because he died, it did not mean I was going to go against my own beliefs and ethics and pretend he was a person of good morals or feel any kind of sympathy for him.  Thousands of people had bad childhoods, MJ, but they never put other people's children in harms way, never abused them or never used them and then add it all up to not having had a childhood.  Hell, most children in this world never had or never will have childhoods.  Millions don't even have a home, millions have no parents, and every single day these millions of poor people suffer with not very much to eat if anything at all to eat.  What in the F--K made you so damned special, MJ? (rhetorical).  I stopped listening to his music long ago, even before I knew Sara in 1996, who some people may believe is the person who, in some weird, bewitching way had something to do with why I quit liking MJ.  Like I don't have a mind of my own.  People who know me should clearly know that I have free-thought and have never been afraid to say what I feel or how I feel, and that I am seldom influenced by what others think or say!   That I do my own research and reach a conclussion to all things in life all on my very own.  MJ died a long, long time ago dating back to the mid 90's for me. Yes, Siree, I feel a little perturbed that some people may think I quit liking MJ because of Sara. SO NOT TRUE! I stopped liking or following MJ long, long ago. I have never encouraged any of my nieces or nephews to listen to his music - certainly NOT after 1995.  I am sure if one asked any of them post 1995, they would all agree that I never played MJ music in their presence or advised them to listen to his music.  If I had kids of my own, I would NOT-NOT-NOT encourage them to listen to MJ much less to like him or to think this guy was ever a musical genius. Many have said that Hitler was a genius, but we do not regard him in the way people regard MJ now after he died. Matter of fact, it is a proven fact that many of the serial killers were of genius level, and we also do not consider them heros by any means. So why after MJ died did so many people forget every negative thing he did? I remember living the ordeals of MJ the first time he was publicly accused of child molestation (I backed him up and defended him that first time).  I also remember the second time which was the final breaking straw for this person, I could not go on defending him when my gut instinct said otherwise. In remembering everything so vividly and how it bothered me somewhat the first time MJ went to court and how it just made me want to throw up the second time he went to court to answer for those charges, it does not bode well with me that he was ever an innocent person. He was filthy rich and had it all yet he succombed to such hideous and negative ways of living his life. I remember seeing interviews with his family, mainly Janet, in which they all worried about him and his need to be around children. I remember they said they would often plea with MJ to stop having kids around him all the time. Janet even said it bothered her that he had such a need. I also remember his family saying they missed MJ and wondered why he chose to stay away from them and why, after he had those kids of his own, why MJ did not allow the kids to be around his family. It seems MJ had long ago kicked his family out of his life and when he died, his family acted like they loved each other so much and that they were all so close. That made my stomach turn as well. But, they have an excuse. After all, they are his family and sometimes family tends to turn a blind eye to a loved one even when said loved one has fallen short of being a good person or  law-abiding. The Jackson family now feels that they have to put up a front to appear like a "loving, true blue American family" in hopes that everyone forgets what their past family life was really like.  They have another good reason for trying to appear as a good family...MONEY.  And they seem to be able to rake in as much money now than when MJ was alive.  But, as people who were watching from the outside - not being blood related - why or how could so many people have forgotten how shady MJ's past was and how inappropriate his behavior was which lead to people accusing him of being a child molester!...(rhetorical)!  And Oh boy, I can hear how some will defend MJ and curse his accusers especially because some of his accusers took money from MJ.  It was indeed hush money and it may have been wrong for the accusers to take it, but how would we defend the action if money were waived around in our respective faces to remain "mum".  Many people already stay quiet during times of "alleged child molestation" when no money is being offered so why think it would be different if money was offered.  9 out of 10 people would take the money.  The person with the money and the fame is the one with all the power.  Personally, the offering of money by MJ to his accusers makes him look way more guilty.  Maybe MJ did not physically molest those kids, but sleeping with them makes him guilty in my book. It is just sickening to no avail when I think of that in itself. Like I said, having no kids myself puts me in a position of wanting to care for other's kids and making sure no harm comes their way. Having endured years of torment with what my uncle was doing to me when I was a child and no one was around to help me or to defend me and me being too scared to tell on him, I have no patience or empathy for the likes of one MJ. I was sad when he died. I mourned his songs; the original songs true to MJ himself dating back to his "Black and White" (1991) album. Any and all music post "Black and White" was IMO just awful and not worthy. I was also sad that this guy died the way he did. In the end, I personally do not blame his doctor(s), I blame him. How stupid are we in this society if we keep blaming everyone else for all the rotten things which happen to us instead of us accepting part blame or full blame. Blaming others is why this society is so screwed up and why we do not learn anything from previous mistakes. The only reason I felt bad for MJ was because he never had the opportunity to change and to live a decent life. To me, he will always be the entertainer who made music I loved in the late 70's, 80's and half way into the 90's. He will never be an icon in my book. He left behind such a blemished legacy that I can only remember that he was NEVER comfortable in his own skin, he had issues loving his family and he loved kids way, way, way too much for me to think it innocent. I remember MJ's trials w/no tribulations, and his court trials..."lest we forget"!  My gosh, I remember so much of the bad that it compeltely overpowers any of the good. Charles Manson paints good portraits, but because of what he did (or made others do in his name), I would not buy one of those pics and then hang it on my wall and call it art and then encourage my kids to follow the man or his art. I am not sure why so many people have chosen to forget what MJ really was. It disappoints me even more when I see people with kids who want their kids to be MJ fans and followers. I would never encourage my nieces and nephews to follow that guy (MJ) who had such a perverted guise anymore than I would tell them stories of that one uncle of mine who was very perverted himself and then try to paint a positive light when speaking of him. I would never allow that uncle the excuse of "loving kids too much". So, if I would not make such allowances for my own family (BTW: that uncle was not a blood relative of mine), why would I ever make excuses for a shady character like MJ whom is clearly someone that I never even met.  As a person (MJ) who was twice plagued by child molestation charges (and, yes, found innocent in court the second time but monies were exchanged for an out-of-court settlement the first time) but refused to do anything by which to reverse the negative image which he left behind for all to judge the actions, he made himself a huge target for future controversy and for people like myself to believe he had issues associated with children that normal people do not have.
In ending this story and posting it to blog, I will be brazen and bold enough to rightly state and reiterate that Michael Jackson is NOT an ICON.

Excerpt below is copied from an ABC online story written by JIM AVILA, CHRIS STRATHMANN and KATIE ESCHERICH, June 26, 2009:

 http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/MichaelJackson/story?id=7936528&page=1 

Jackson twice faced serious allegations of child abuse, allegations he always strenuously denied. A multimillion dollar settlement was reached in the first case in 1993, and Jackson was found not guilty in a circus of a criminal trial in 2005. But that ordeal left him deeply in debt and under suspicion for the remaining years of his life. Many felt he had been convicted in the court of public opinion.

And the Oscar Goes TO: Sandra Bullock

Defining the parties: CONSERVATIVES versus LIBERALS

See Page / Chart click here...

Let's Move: FOR HEALTHIER KIDS

AMERICA’S MOVE to RAISE a HEALTHIER GENERATION of KIDS!

Children: To Have or Not To Have!

While I sit here pondering my role in this life, I am watching the old 1995 movie Nine Months which stars Julianne Moore and a very young Hugh Grant - whom is one of my favorite English actors. Anyway, the synopsis of the movie is a about a man not yet ready to venture into the yarns of fatherhood but whose girlfriend, after finding out she is pregnant, ends up really wanting to have the baby. The young Child Psychologist played by Grant is not at all in the same spiritual or mental place as his girlfriend is as the movie progresses and is scared stiff about becoming a father. The soon-to-be-mother character played by Moore is a dance instructor and she soon learns that her excitement about becoming a parent is not shared by her boyfriend and the fireworks begin.

I find myself being extremely compassionate towards the man because he was told by the girlfriend that not much would change by her pregnancy then wham, the man discovers so many changes around each corner of his life – too many changes. I also feel badly for the woman because she is understandably excited and overjoyed at bringing a baby into the world only to find her partner at odds with the idea. In the end everything is fine as is often the fairy-tale conclusion with Hollywood movies, but this person is left wondering ‘what if’?!!

Let me explain, I am in my early 40’s and never had a child. Those who know me know my story about the miscarriage I had over 21 years ago. Had the circumstances been different, I would now be Mom to a 20 year old boy. The pregnancy was a surprise and the person whom I was married to was like the Hugh Grant character in that he was rather immature and not very empathetic towards others feelings and a huge failure at putting others needs/wants ahead of his own.

Anyway, after the miscarriage, I decided I needed to do something different with my life and I left the marriage. Until this very day, my motherly instincts have never kicked in as is the case with so many women. My maternal clock was idle I suppose and I never went around paranoid that I would run out of time to have children. Now do not get me wrong, had the opportunity arisen, I would have stepped up to the plate, but it never did. I love children. I believe I would have made an excellent mother. I am attentive towards other people’s children and believe that they are just little adults and one needs to treat them with much respect. The love we give them should be a given, but so should respect. I have always had a great rapport with children and have been able to handle the most difficult ones when others failed.

I have always admitted that my selfishness was the main reason which kept me from having children or adopting them. I am not ashamed to say that because it is true and I firmly believe that most people feel that way but would be quick to deny it. In my admittance of such a thing, I am proud that I was able to acknowledge those feelings and instead focus on other important things in my life.

So what of my legacy - as many will probably question. Well, it may not be embedded in another human being who is of my own body, but it is derivative of everything I have done in this world. Those things may or may not include the many blogs I write, the content writing and stories which I post for other media avenues, the novel(s) I am currently focusing on. Those things may be simple and not so important to those who do have children, but those things are my children – my babies, and I am proud of them all. But let’s not forget other parts of my legacy for which I am certain many would agree are genuine and important, the philanthropy in which I have partaken of in the past and taking care of my family when they were in need or just because I wanted to do so. Then there are my own nieces and nephews whom are as close to my own children in how much I adore and love them. I believe I have been able to form good relationships with them – some more than others. I believe I have helped form positive impressions upon them to help them grow as adults, and into productive and influential members of society. That they all place importance on family no matter what and no matter what their definition of family might be.

Yes, indeed, my maternal clock may not have tick-tocked itself into the realms of motherhood as like with other women, but my life to-date is just fine. The ole proverbial clock was not broken either. Instead, my inner-workings lead me to a much different path and in the end; I believe it was just as gratifying for me. I love my family and I do place it high on my list of priorities, but there is always room for making sure one takes care of #1 and our own needs before we can do right by others. I was fortunate to be on this path and I do not question it and neither do I look back over my shoulders questioning it or second guessing it. I guess I am lucky like that.
So the 'what if' question which I was left querying about this a.m. as I watched Nine Months is...  just wondering what my son would have done with his life, what kind of person would he have been, things of that nature.  I am not regretful of never having had children - I only miss not having known my son.  No matter if I had had more kids, none would have replaced my first-born.  Therefore - I am okay not having any, and status quo is just fine for me...no regrets...none whatsoever!  Life is good "as is"!

The Freedom Riders: New Documentary Recounts Historic 1961 Effort to Challenge Segregated Bus System in the Deep South

The Freedom Riders: New Documentary Recounts Historic 1961 Effort to Challenge Segregated Bus System in the Deep South