STEREOTYPING IS A FORM OF RACISM

Everyone is guilty of viewing people through a "stereotyped" viewpoint...some more than others.

We should never judge people by their race, color of their skin, status in life...or by what part of the country/world they live in.

Believe it or not, it is okay to live in a trailer.  I live in a very nice house but it sets my teeth on edge when I hear someone call another person, "Trailer trash."   I hate the "N" word, even though I am white.  I especially hate it when someone refers to a Jew in such a manner as if there is something wrong with them.  Some people refer to the TEA party as being a "redneck" movement which is an outright lie.  Do you get my drift?

We really should not judge a person(s) at all but if we do...it should be on character.  If they are black, white, or purple with yellow polka-dots, they should be judged on their behavior/character and nothing else. 

Let's all take personal responsibility to eliminate "RACE" out of our lives.  Am I being naive to think that will ever happen?

MY HEAD IS SPINNING

If you watch any of the national news networks very much, I am sure your head is spinning also.  We hear "words" that are "spun" so hard sometimes, they don't even resemble the truth.  One example of "spinning words" is pointed out in my July 9, 2010 post dealing with a a statement made by Obama.  He is certainly not the only one who uses/spins words to his advantage.  He didn't outright lie.  He simply left out the "rest of the story."

Obama's words hurt a "white" candidate running against Reid but I have yet to see an uproar from the liberal media, or even a mention of it.  "Leaving out the whole story" went against Shirley Shirrod, a "black" woman and when it came to light, the liberal national media went absolutely nuts in defending her.  Don't get me wrong...I was glad to see her vindicated.

Maybe I am naive, but I think most politicians are reasonably honest...but too many of them deliberately spew out half-truths, outright lies and dramatically slant statements to influence the public-at-large.  Dubious numbers and statistics are thrown about carelessly to add credence to an argument or a debate.  There is almost no limit to what some politicians will do to sway their audience to their way of thinking.

MANIPULATION is the "name of the game" being played out in politics and further propagated by the national news networks. 

What I find sad is that our "civilized" society is becoming very "uncivilized."

"Don't be a baby bird."  Audrey

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

I recently was reprimanded strongly about something I said/wrote that was "politically incorrect."  This person was right, although I was not being deliberately racist.  I got involved by passing along what I thought was a harmless little joke that this person considered to have racial under/overtones.  I did not evaluate the joke appropriately for "political correctness" or I would never have passed it along.  I would never offend anyone deliberately without cause.

I want to say that "political correctness" is a good thing in our society; to remind people to avoid hurting others by insensitive remarks.  Since I am a Southerner, I am frequently dealing with preconceived notions and remarks made by Northerners.  Some Northerners, who have never visited or traveled in the South, view us as "rednecks" and we are considered "backwards" in our cultural progression forward.  

I have actually questioned some Northerners regarding their first time visit to the South and have asked them, "Are you surprised at how civilized and cultured we are?  Did you expect all of us to live in shanties, with outhouses and chickens in the backyard?"   Many of the Northerners have laughingly replied, "Yes."

Side bar:  See...my previous remark might offend some hill country people who still live like that and feel as if they have "the right" to live anyway they want. 

I don't usually get hurt by accidental and insensitive remarks...maybe a little frustrated...and try to let these "politically incorrect" and "stereotyping" remarks roll off my back...EXCEPT...when it is deliberately aimed at me.  Then I take offense.

What is supposed to be the basic concept of being politically correct?  Not to offend anyone!  Right?

Don't get me wrong now...when someone is being outright mean and racist, they need to be reprimanded.  Bear with me...my following statement certainly does not fit everyone who tries to be "politically correct"... but I occasionally run into people who are absolutely "dogmatic" about being "politically correct."  It is as if they have "politically incorrect antennas" just waiting to pounce on an insensitive remark.  It always makes me wonder why they are so adamant.  It is as if they are "itching" for a fight to defend someone. 

Let's all "chill out" a bit about this "political correctness" business.  It is giving me a headache!  It has gotten to the point that most of the things we talk or write about would probably offend someone, somewhere, and in some way.   I am confident that I have offended someone with this blog today.  But...I don't mean to offend...I just want to make people THINK, THINK, THINK about the subject.

MCCHRYSTAL TREATED DIFFERENT THAN SHIRROD

I want to say upfront that I am white and am not racist against blacks. Listening to Shirley Shirrod's full story about her life, I can certainly understand how she might have reacted when confronted with her first white client in trying to save his farm. This was a "human emotion" based on her past experiences with whites. I understand how she might have felt and am in deep sympathy for her.

I was raised in the deep south and "thankfully" did not ever witness any overtly violent actions against the blacks. What I saw was that they had to sit in the back of the bus, did not go to the same schools as the whites, and did not eat in the same restaurants, et al. Even though I never saw any overtly violent actions, I did not understand then, but I do now, and realize how "hurt" they were by way they were treated, as if they were "second class citizens."

Side bar: Discrimination exists in all forms. Examples: A lot of Harvard graduates look down on a simple automobile mechanic. A lot of rich men look down on a homeless person. Get my drift?

Everyone has went ballistic over the firing of Shirley Shirrod and nobody seemed to really care when McChrystal lost his job. Why is that? If McChrystal had been black, would the situation have turned out different as it has for Shirrod?

When McChrystal was forced to resign due to a magazine article written by Michael Hastings for the Rolling Stone magazine, I seemed to be the only one upset about it. It seemed ludicrous to me that a magazine article written by a writer with a dubious lifestyle could possibly have cost McChrystal his job, a man who graduated from West Point and spent his entire adult life defending this country, as if the article was 100% accurate and not to be questioned in any way regarding its validity.

Now, with this Shirley Shirrod case, I feel exactly the same way. Why in the world would anyone representing the White House jump on the bandwagon so fast and ask this woman to resign due to what was posted on a blog. A blog mind you! What happened to "innocent" until proven "guilty." In a warped sort of way, I am actually glad this happened to her because it has brought national attention to the problem of "don't believe everything you see and hear" until you hear all of the facts. Something drastic needed to happen to wake people up! I hate that it happened to her though.

Like I have said before, some people are like baby birds in that they sit with their mouths wide open and swallow anything dropped in without using their brains to question/analyze the facts.

Side bar: Sarah Palin is an example. Hateful and untruthful words were spewed out, over and over again, until she is a "joke" in some people's eyes. The liberal media is almost gushing with remorse over the travesty brought down on Shirley Shirrod. How about Sarah Palin? They are not only unrepentant but actually glad that they have brought "hell" down on her head. Go figure! Would she be so hated by the liberals if she was black?

Another interesting aspect of this event is that the Democrats are jumping on the bandwagon to place all the blame on the Republicans for this debacle with Shirley Shirrod.

Back to racism. There is a lot of talk about racism lately, as if the problem is always "whites being racist against blacks." I live in the deep south and I only know of one person personally who is racist. I realize there are probably still a number of whites that are actually racist but I just don't come in contact with them.

Some people confuse a white's dislike of a black as being racist during some altercation/event/problem when it is simply that they have a very real reason for disliking that person, whether black or white, and it has absolutely nothing to do with race.

On the other hand, I will agree that racism is still alive and well in my area. I realize that this statement is a contradiction from what I just wrote above. Since I was a child, I have seen racism turn around dramatically and now feel that the blacks are more racist towards us whites, rather than vise-versa. The Census Bureau states there is 50% whites and 46% blacks in Mobile. It would be very interesting if someone took a poll amongst the whites and blacks to ascertain the amount of racism that exists between the two groups. One thing is certain, the blacks use the "race card" every chance they get to hedge their bets against a white person. Do I blame them? No! They feel that it is "payback time." It is a "human emotion."

Everybody...well, maybe not everybody...thinks that racism should come to an end. Okay...then everyone should take personal responsibility and do their part to end it. The bible says it well, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I might add...regardless of race...and station in life.

PER AOL: What Congress Bought Itself With Your $1 Billion

For copyright's sake, everything in this entire article was "copied and pasted" from an article on AOL:
See www.aol.com for the article.

AOL News (July 21) -- Congress requires a lot of stuff to keep itself running. Like coffee. And plane tickets. And student loan payments.

That's the point underscored (and underscored again) by figures collated by the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit that uses technology to try to make government more transparent. In early June the organization released its latest massive data dump on the expenditures that House representatives make from their Members Representational Allowances, or MRAs. Separate from campaign accounts, which have to be filled through fundraising, these sums -- ranging from $1.3 million to $1.9 million in most cases -- come from taxpayers' dollars and are meant to cover a lawmaker's operating, rather than political, expenses. Paying for an attack ad with your MRA is a no-no, for instance.

Together, the Sunlight Foundation's three databases of this internal congressional spending -- prepared in coordination with the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call -- show what the House spent on itself in the last six months of 2009 and first three months of 2010. The files provide an unprecedented window on what legislators buy themselves with your money, and AOL News wanted to know what kinds of eye-opening details they might contain. After combing through the info, we found plenty, from the House's bill for bottled water purchases to what it coughed up for new drapes.

So here are the most noteworthy findings. In the coming weeks, we plan to break these numbers down even further, because, whoa, they're a treasure trove!

(Want to know more about where these numbers came from? You'll find that here.)

The Grand Totals $1,013,162,955 the report's tally of congressional spending between June 2009 and March 2010 $674 million What the House spent in the last six months of 2009 $339 million

What the House spent in the first three months of 2010» Biggest spender: The second-highest-spending congressional office during the nine months we looked at was that of Democratic Rep. Jim Costa of California, who spent $1.3 million, with nearly a quarter of that being expenditures on staff. He was topped by fellow Democrat Pedro Pierluisi of Puerto Rico ($1.5 million), who cannot vote on legislation.

» Biggest expense: Benefits for retired federal employees took the largest slice of the pie, with the Federal Employees Retirement System showing some $80 million in expenditures.

Line items that left a dent $114,925

Amount the Democratic Caucus paid for its staff to have a getaway for the weekend to set the caucus' 2009 legislative agenda at the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va. $362,939

Amount that former House Speaker Dennis Hastert received to run an office for outstanding affairs from his tenure. Hastert hasn't been the speaker since early 2007 (or even been in Congress since late 2007)Payrolls and BenefitsThe heftiest COST is paying for all those people. They need paychecks. They need insurance. And they need the government to cover those student loans. (Yup, Congress makes student loan payments for federal employees, essentially as a hiring incentive.)Who got paid how much

$552 million in payments for all workers on the payroll

$51.6 million Paid to about 637 chiefs of staff or deputy chiefs of staff $4.4 million

Paid to about 1,045 interns and pagesCovering the benefits $34.9M

Spent on health insurance $854K

Spent on life insurance $12.6M

Spent on student loan repayments

View and share this info as a standalone file.Equipment and SuppliesIT'S GOOD TO BE IN THE BUSINESS OF SELLING PAPER CLIPS TO CONGRESS. Whether it's computers, office supplies or carpet, lots of companies are ready to leap in with both feet to satisfy government contracts.You need a computer to write all those bills on...$18 million

Spent on computer hardware $5.3 million

Spent on computer software (the equivalent of 26,600 Windows 7 upgrades)$6.5M

Paid to CDW -- an IT company that is one of the largest businesses the House deals with $6M

Paid to Cisco -- a networking and server hardware company $2.5M

Paid to Dell -- which means there are a lot of black boxes floating around» ...

And we're a PC: A paltry $22,507 went directly to Apple. We're guessing that's probably enough to buy one of every item in its product line (but not enough for any apps).

...and lots (and lots) of ink to print them all out

$7.5 million spent on office supplies (like toner cartridges and pencils)

» Holding their own: Despite all the biggies in this category -- CDW, Staples, Office Depot, Boise Cascade (better known as OfficeMax) -- the No. 3 recipient of congressional cash might be the most interesting: Alliance Micro, a local firm that describes itself as "a service-disabled-veteran-owned small business" and caters to printer needs, which received $502,233.

The cost of a well-kept House $565,373

Spent on carpet during the nine-month period $317,304

Spent on new drapes during the same stretch» Finishing touches: The office decorating didn't end there -- another $2.5 million was spent on furniture.

View and share this info as a standalone file. Food and BeveragesAll those warm bodies need nourishment to get through their meetings. And between catered spreads, individual meals and thirst-quenchers, there's a lot being spent to meet that need.Keeping staffers fed

$2.6 million spent on food and beverages for House reps and their staffers $604K

Spent on bottled water -- in 19,000 individual line items, many for Nestle's Deer Park water-delivery subsidiary $169K

Spent on CapitolHost -- the biggest congressional caterer, it describes itself as "your co-host for events from casual to elegant on Capitol Hill" $3,061

Spent on Chantilly Donuts -- Minority Whip James Clyburn's office bought $900 worth of doughnuts, and the Republican Conference ate the rest...Drinking it all in $84,794

Spent on companies that specialize in coffee $9,450

Spent on Coca-Cola products, the equivalent of 7,000 20-ounce bottles» Coke or Pepsi? It doesn't matter which party is buying it -- House Democrats and Republicans can agree on soft-drink brands, with Coke getting a line item while Pepsi does not. Democrats may drink it a little less, however: The Office of the Majority Whip spent around $4,543, while the Office of the Minority Leader spent $4,651. California Rep. Wally Herger, a Republican, also spent $256 on Coke for his own office.

For more on what Congress spent to keep itself well fed and hydrated, click here. Communication and DataCommunicating is a huge part of Congress' job. Be it through e-mail, Web, phone, mail or simply shuffling papers, it may be the most important thing our representatives do. And they do a lot of it -- aided in part by a perk most Americans don't get. (Hint: It's "franked mail," which doesn't require members of Congress to pay postage, at a cost to taxpayers of $22.6 million during the nine-month period.)Dialing up the dollars $11.3M

Spent on telecom service from Verizon -- mostly its wireless service but also including subsidiaries like MCI and long-defunct WorldCom. $4.4M

Spent on telecom service from AT&T, which doesn't separate its iPhone-centric wireless service from its legacy landline service in the data $454K

Spent on other notable phone companies -- Qwest, CenturyLink, Sprint, Nextel, Cincinnati Bell, nTelos, T-Mobile, Alltel and U.S. Cellular» Congress loves Verizon: Verizon Wireless, which is known for servicing BlackBerrys popular with Congress, has the largest expense in the broad-ranging telecom listing, which also covers cable service, Internet service and numerous other loosely related things. Congress spent $7,693,508 on Verizon Wireless alone.

Staying abreast of the news $11 million spent on newspapers and other resources

431 Number of line items for The Washington Post (wonder why)

287 Number of line items for The New York Times

147 Number of line items for Wall Street Journal owner Dow Jones»

Premium payments for specialized info: Congressional Quarterly, which publishes dozens of very specific publications just for Congress, earned $3.3 million from the House during the nine-month period.

LexisNexis, which specializes in archival articles, netted around $735,000.

Logging on, racking up $5.8 million spent on Web design, e-mail and hosting services

Shredding for confidentiality $9,809

Spent on shredding services during the study period 7.4M

Estimated number of sheets of paper shredded (based on the going rates of Shred-it*)* The company, which is the leading shredder for congressional offices, charges $150 for every half-hour of on-site service, or $5 per box if you drop the paper off.

For more on what the House shells out to get its news fix, click here. Travel Reimbursements. Those flights back home mean the plane tickets really pile up. Especially if you're the delegate from Guam or Alaska's only congressman -- but they're hardly the only well-traveled lawmakers. Note: We've focused here on expenditures labeled travel reimbursements and commercial transportation, and have not included mileage, which is recorded separately.$12.5M

Spent on travel for representatives and staff 21,760

Number of separate travel charges on the taxpayers' dime 45

Average number of trip expenditures for each representative» Frequent fliers: The top two travelers in the House? Democrats Chellie Pingree of Maine, who has 197 travel expenditures, and Ike Skelton of Missouri, who had 163 expenditures. Neither was close to being the top spender, however. One high-spending traveler was Republican Jerry Moran of Kansas, who had 145 expenditures and an $82,000 taxpayer bill.

» Traveling cheap: Around 158 representatives spent less than $20,000, but only 37 spent more than $50,000. And distance plays a a factor with travel, too: House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., for example, spent a grand total of $297. D.C. delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton doesn't have much of a need for travel, either; she spent just $57.

» Costliest route: Madeleine Bordallo, the delegate from Guam, put in for $127,368 on 33 separate travel reimbursements or charges. (She didn't take all the trips herself, as some were listed under staffers' names.) Her average reimbursement was $3,859; one reimbursement, possibly for multiple flights, cost $22,000. The flight to Guam we found on Expedia would take 27 hours and have two stops.

» Flying to Alaska: Also not inexpensive, or fun: Alaska Rep. Don Young rang up $125,510 in travel charges in 113 separate travel expenditures during the period. The average reimbursement for his trips was $1,110.

Note: We've focused here on expenditures labeled travel reimbursements and commercial transportation, and have not included mileage, which is recorded separately.

Ernie Smith is the editor of ShortFormBlog, a news site equally obsessed with numbers and bad jokes.
Filed under: Nation, Politics

2010 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.

RACISM - NUTS - FALSE ACCUSATIONS

Racism has always been around but it has moved to the forefront in the national television news lately.  I personally think one of the reasons it has arisen so venomously again is because the radical, left-wing liberals are "desperate" to squash the TEA party movement.

I am glad that Mark Williams showed his true colors in his satirical blog and got himself thrown out of the TEA party movement.  Everybody needs to realize that "nuts" show up everywhere there is a meeting and some of the TEA party meetings are "deliberately" infiltrated with left-wing liberal idiots holding up signs with the full intention of being caught on television.  Williams' blog has brought racism to the forefront in a good way...to make it clear that the TEA party is not racist and to make everyone think...think...think about where we stand in this country in dealing with racism.

The name TEA originated/based upon the fundamentals that drove the original "Tea Party of Boston" to rebel against taxation by the government but I heard someone say that it stands today for:  Taxed Enough Already.  Taxes are not the only thing driving this movement; they are generally standing up for their "rights" as Americans.  We have had decades of mismanagement by our government, by both Republican and Democratic leadership, and this movement wants to bring about change that is good for all Americans.

Bad mouthing the TEA party and making false accusations is the kind of thing that drives all of us apart at a time in our country when we need to pull together.  Our country is in deep trouble in more ways than one.  Remember the Roman Empire...one of the great empires of history...that it fell due to internal problems...with immorality and strife among its citizens.

WHEN DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ARE IN LOVE?

I don't know who the author is but I once saw a small plaque that said,

"You know you are in love when your reality is greater than your fantasies."

Think about it lovers...

WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF HAPPINESS?

The definition of happiness is different for everyone.  Some people define happiness as:

• Being successful in chosen profession
• Being rich
• Owning a large home, car, boat, and all the trappings
• And more tangible material possessions

Some people do not measure happiness by material possessions and success.  Some people define happiness by the following:

• Being truly loved unconditionally by someone
• Having a good relationship with spouse, significant other person, and family members
• Having good friends
• Having a best friend
• Owning a loving pet(s)
• And more intangible but positive possessions

Having been both "rich" and "poor" in my lifetime, I can certainly tell you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with working toward the achievements listed in the first set.  The problem is...the first set can be a "temporary" situation and can disolve almost overnight in the event of unforseen tragic circumstances.  The second set is primarily a "permanent" situation.  The thing is...I have personally found that the people involved in the second set sticks with you through "thick and thin" while some/many of the people associated with the first set will abandon you in a "heart beat" when you are no longer on top of the world.

Think about it...what makes you truly happy?  Don't waste a lifetime chasing dreams that leave you "empty" and wanting more out of life.

A "MUST SEE" MOVIE: INVICTUS

I just watched "Invictus."  This has just jumped to the top of my "favorite of all time" movie list, bumping "Gandhi" to second place.  It would not be wise for anyone to form an opinion about "who I am" based on these two movies because my third place winner is "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

First of all, I would like to point out that I am not a "cry baby" when it comes to movies.  In fact, it takes a lot to make me cry period.  For some illogical reason, I fought the urge to cry throughout most of the movie.  Invictus, for those who have not seen it, is based on a small part of Nelson Mandela's life.  He spent 27 years of his life in prison for resisting (attempting to sabotage) the Apartheid National Party Government of South Africa that ruled from 1948 to 1994.  This government forced extreme segregation between the blacks and the whites.  The policies of this government were very inhumane and that is why Mandela fought for the freedom of the blacks in South Africa.

Mandela was released from prison in 1990.  He was elected as President of South Africa and served from 1994 to 1999.  The movie/story/plot tells how he used the Springboks, the National South African Rugby Team, to unify South Africans after he was elected as president.  Mandela was not only a highly educated man, he was blessed with an abundance of "common sense."  He believed in "forgiveness" rather than being driven by "vindictiveness."

While in prison, a poem made a mark on his life and kept him going through all the hardships he encountered while incarcerated all those years.  Title and author unknown:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Note:  We are born with a God given soul.  It is up to us what we do with it.  It would be well if people in "hopeless" situations would read this poem and apply it to their lives.  Life can be hard for some people.  There is a saying, "What doesn't kill you will make you stronger."  Prison life did not kill Mandela and appears to have made him stronger.

DID OBAMA RECENTLY TELL AN OUTRIGHT LIE?

My ramblings today are to further warn everyone not to swallow everything that is written and reported on, no matter how much you might respect the media outlet or the person making the statement. The political high jinks that are going on with Reid vs Angle in Nevada is typical of what is happening to our entire political system.

I just saw a “sound bite” where Obama, while stumping for Senator Reid, was accusing Sharron Angle, a republican running against Reid in Nevada, with a closed ended statement that “Sharron Angle is worse than most of the Republicans in office in Washington in that she wants to do away with Social Security and Medicare.” My first emotional reaction was to brand the statement as an outright lie.

BUT…trying to keep an “open mind,” I decided to investigate the matter. No, Obama did not outright lie but he deliberately slanted his words to imply, or lead people to believe, something that is not completely true in order to advance Reid’s campaign against Sharron Angle. Here is what I found out. I have “copied and pasted” bits and pieces of some of the interviews on television and reports online regarding Sharron Angle’s positions on controversial matters:

FOX AND FRIENDS:

Angle is asked about the rumors that she plans to dismantle Social Security and Medicare. She responded not just by denying this, but by turning it around into a call for a “lock-box” around Social Security and Medicare, and against the Harry Reid’s of the world who have been “raiding” those funds for a whole host of unrelated purposes. She argues that seniors have paid their money into those funds “in good faith”, and that we need to “personalize” Social Security and Medicare “so that the government can no longer raid it”. To view her personally making this statement:
http://www.redstate.com/georgeinla/2010/06/14/sharron-angle-personalize-social-security-and-medicare/

WASHINGTON POST ONLINE – June 30, 2010:

Las Vegas Political Program: FACE TO FACE

In her TV appearance Tuesday, Angle said that she now believes in protecting Social Security by placing the funds needed to pay for current obligations in a "lockbox" while also allowing some manner of privatization for future recipients.

INTERVIEW WITH HANNITY OF FOX NEWS:

HANNITY: What do you - look, Harry Reid is attacking you in this latest ad that he's got out there, saying that you want to phase out Medicare and Social Security. What is your reaction to what he said?

ANGLE: Well, it's nonsense. I want to save Medicare and Social Security. I'd like to put some of that money back in the lockbox that he has raided and put an IOU in. He's had 20 years to fix Social Security and Medicare. And what we have is an empty lockbox.

And what we need is to make our senior citizens feel secure once more with their own Social Security and Medicare. But going forward we need to personalize that program in a way that the government can't go in and raid it any more.

HOWEVER, Sharron Angle has made some statements about Social Security, Medicare, Department of Education and other governmental programs that can be twisted or slanted into “evil” statements. She needs a Paul Harvey interview where “the rest of the story” is told. This is an example of an interview with her.

LOCAL NEVADA NPR AFFILIATE:

Greg Sargent reports that in a radio interview with a local Nevada NPR affiliate on May 19, Angle talked about how the VA and Medicare were not covering medications for her father -- and she suggested that they shouldn't, "not if you're working towards a privatized system."

Going on in the interview, Angle talks about how as a Senator she would work with other legislators to formulate a proper solution for her idea, haggling over the details and implementation of privatization without giving up on the main idea itself: "The idea of privatizing and getting out of Medicare and Social Security is not up for grabs."

THE REST OF THE STORY…

Sharron Angle feels that Social Security, Medicare, Education programs and more are “broken” and that she wants the Senate and Congress to come up with a “better plan” than what is in place now. What is amusing to me is that Harry Reid’s people have dug up what they feel is a “slam” against her by republishing an old web site of hers, thinking that we can see the “real Sharron Angle” on this site.

If Harry Reid thinks that this “old website of hers” will turn conservative people against her, he is absolutely wrong. It will only turn the liberals against her because they will view her policies as radical...but they are the radiacal ones.  This maneuver on his part shows just how low our political system has sunk.  It has begun to look more like “running with the bulls” in Spain rather than our politicians coming across as level-headed elected officials who are honest, competent and are looking out for the American people.

If interested in viewing Sharron Angle’s old web site that has been reinstated by the Harry Reid people to slam her, visit: http://www.therealsharronangle.com

We need to follow an old IBM method of influencing their employees. When I was eighteen years old, I went to IBM for an interview for a job and everywhere I looked, I saw plaques that simply said in big, bold letters: THINK! Some people are like baby birds and simply sit and open their mouths for someone to feed them and digest it without concerning the consequences. Don’t be a baby bird. THINK, THINK, THINK for yourself.

RELIEVE STRESS WITH MENTAL BREAKS

If you are suffering from unrelenting stress, of course the smart thing to do is to figure out how to get out from under the problem(s) that is/are causing the stress.  If you can't for some reason, then consider taking mental breaks...

"Mental breaks" can help a person who is "stressed out" to prevent "mental breakdowns" and physical maladies. What do I call a "mental break?" Read to the end of this article.

This blog came about as a result of my trying to offer support to a relative of mine. My opinion about this subject has come about through personal experience but is also based on some factual information garnered during my registered nursing education, my brief experiences when working in a mental facility, and Wikipedia information.

My relative is a real live "superwoman." She is a high powered, workaholic, superwoman, class “A” type of personality.  While these types are not only successful people, they inadvertently bring enormous stress into their lives. It is a “catch 22” type of situation. While these types both love what they are doing, they sometimes want to get off of the merry-go-round of stress that they have created for themselves.

However, you don’t have to be a “super” anything to suffer from stress. The "definition of stress" is defined by a person’s individual personality. While some people can withstand an enormous amount of stress without it seriously interfering with their lives, some people get overwhelmed at problems that I would define as minor issues. BUT they are not minor issues to them and that is what is important. Stress is stress when something impacts a person’s life in a such a negative way that it dramatically impacts their emotions.

Note: For copyright’s sake, the majority, except for additional notations, of the material stated below has been either copied and pasted or paraphrased from the Wikipedia site.

Stress, physiological or psychological stress; some types include:

• Chronic stress, persistent stress which can lead to illness and mental disorder. She does not suffer from mental problems but she has contracted cancer and has had some serious cardiac surgery.  Neither of these maladies have stopped her for very long.
• Eustress, positive stress that can lead to improved long-term functioning. While she suffers from stress, she would have it no other way because it represents “who she is” as a person.  Success brings a lot of kudos into a person's life which continues to drive a person forward in their careers in spite of the stress encountered.
• Workplace stress, stress caused by employment. She owns a company with lots of employees, good and bad clients, financial ups and downs, etc.

When a person gets overwhelmed with stress, they go into the “fight-or-flight response.” This was first described by Walter Cannon in 1929.

His theory states that animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, priming the animal for fighting or fleeing.  If a stimulus is perceived as a threat, a more intense and prolonged discharge of the locus ceruleus activates the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system.  This activation is associated with specific physiological actions in the system, both directly and indirectly through the release of epinephrine (adrenaline) and to a lesser extent norepinephrine from the medulla of the adrenal glands.

These catecholamine hormones facilitate immediate physical reactions associated with a preparation for violent muscular action. (Gleitman, et al., 2008) These include the following:

• Acceleration of heart and lung action
• Paling or flushing, or alternating between both
• Inhibition of stomach and upper-intestinal action (digestion slows down or stops)
• General effect on the sphincters of the body
• Constriction of blood vessels in many parts of the body
• Liberation of nutrients (particularly fat and glucose) for muscular action
• Dilation of blood vessels for muscles
• Inhibition of the lacrimal gland (responsible for tear production) and salivation
• Dilation of pupil (mydriasis)
• Relaxation of bladder
• Inhibition of erection
• Auditory exclusion (loss of hearing)
• Tunnel vision (loss of peripheral vision)
• Acceleration of instantaneous reflexes
• Shaking

Males and females tend to deal with stressful situations differently. Males are more likely to respond to an emergency situation with aggression (fight), while females are more likely to flee (flight), turn to others for help, or attempt to defuse the situation – 'tend and befriend'.

Prolonged stress responses may result in chronic suppression of the immune system, leaving the body open to infections, however there is a short boost of the immune system shortly after the fight or flight response has been activated. This may be due to an ancient need to fight the infections in a wound that one may have received during interaction with a predator.

Note: End of Wikipedia and the rest is from me (Audrey):

Although it is rarely discussed or considered, some stress can be good, such as with retired folks who suffer from lack of stimulation. A little adrenaline is good in that it keeps a person more alert and makes the heart pump a little stronger, among other things.

Let’s get back to the topic of taking “mental breaks.” Having dealt with a lot of stress in my lifetime, I have developed a “coping mechanism” that has gotten me through life. I take “mental breaks.” They may last anywhere from five minutes to all day, or longer. It is a “conscious” effort to completely turn off the stresses in life (quit worrying, plotting and planning) for a short duration in order to let the body regroup and gather back its equilibrium from the onslaught of the adrenaline and other hormones that constantly attack the body’s system during unrelenting stress.

Mental breaks can include a simple phone call to an upbeat friend; time out to enjoy lunch with a loved one or a friend, an overnight trip away from the stress, etc. For these “mental breaks” to be successful, one must be able to completely remove all thoughts of the problems that have created the stress. It does no good to take an overnight trip away from the stress if the mind is still constantly dwelling or dealing with the problems.

Think about it!  A rested and refreshed brain can function much better than a stressed out brain.
 
I could write a book about this subject so I will shut up for now with the hope that my ramblings have helped someone who is suffering from unrelenting negative stress. If you are interested in more information on these subjects visit the following sites:

“Fight-or-flight response”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/fight-or-flight_response

“Stress”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress

BENEFITS OF LAUGHTER

The study of humor and laughter, and its psychological and physiological effects on the human body, is called gelotology. Gelotology is the study of laughter and its effects on the body, from a psychological and physiological perspective. Laughter Therapy, aka gelotherapy: Gelotherapy is an innovative adjunctive therapeutic activity program, typically called Laughter Therapy or Therapeutic Laughter, developed by psychologist Steve Wilson (Ohio), founder of the World Laughter Tour. This is a way to help people re-connect with the natural, authentic laughter which is every human being's birthright.

A general theory that explains laughter is called the relief theory. Sigmund Freud summarized it in his theory that laughter releases tension and "psychic energy". This theory is one of the justifications of the beliefs that laughter is beneficial for one's health.  This theory explains why laughter can be as a coping mechanism for when one is upset, angry or sad.

See the following links for more information on this fascinating subject.  For copyright’s sake, the information stated above was “copied and pasted" from:     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughter and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelotology 

I overheard my husband once tell someone, “Audrey loves to laugh.” It stuck in my mind because I did not know he could be so cognitive when evaluating my personality. Actually, one of the reasons I married him was that he was a “walking joke book” when he was twenty years old. He was the wittiest person that I have ever known. His mind was razor sharp and he could come up with a lightning fast quip when he deemed it necessary. However, the hardships encountered in our lives diminished this talent somewhat over the years.

My sense of humor and the ability to laugh at some of life's tragedies have sustained me through many hardships. I have a best friend named Mary that I met when I entered nursing college in 1977. We have been best friends ever since. The nursing profession can be very stressful and when Mary and I worked as nurses, going through particularly hard times, we would get on the phone and share “war stories.” Somehow, we would be able to laugh at the ludicrous situations we encountered while trying to function as registered nurses.

I am frequently talking to one of my friends on the phone but my husband told me once, “I always know when you are talking on the phone to Mary.” When I questioned how he knew that, he responded, “Because you laugh a lot.”

Mary and I have been though many hardships in our lives but we still manage to laugh a lot. I am a happy person and I give Mary some of the credit because she has always been there for me, through “thick and thin” as the old saying goes. Somehow, through the muck and mire of our troubles, we still find time to laugh at the absurdities of life that overtakes us at times.

For good physical and mental health, engage in activities and cultivate friends that make you laugh a lot.

CREATE YOURSELF A HAPPY LIFE!

In spite of what many people think, happiness does not just "happen."   It takes work...sometimes hard work.  Some people are oblivious as to why they are unhappy and are jealous of other people who appear to be happy.  While I have suffered many hardships in my life, as a result of some of my bad choices, the consequences of the bad choices of others, and simple fate, I have learned to be happy in the middle of unhappy circumstances, thanks in part to God and my grandmother's influence in my early formative years.  No, I am not crazy...well...maybe just a little.

What has brought about my ramblings for this blog?  Well, yesterday I spent the afternoon at the home of Vicki, my youngest daughter.  She has been married to Lee for about twenty three years and they have a twenty one year old daughter named Ashton.  They are a very happy family.  Do they have problems?  Of course, but they all work together to resolve them. 

Almost from the beginning of their marriage, Vicki and Lee made a commitment, whether it was conscious or unconscious is unknown, to have a happy marriage and to create a happy life for themselves.  This philosophy also included the way they raised Ashton.  While their lives are too complex to go into on this blog, they have had plenty of problems but have struggled to do like the old Johnny Mercer song which says, "eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive."

This "happy pursuit" has required a serious commitment from all of them.  They are all committed to God which helps.  Vicki works as an elementary school teacher which needs no explanation, Lee works in a plant that is fraught with poor working conditions, and Ashton is a senior at the University of Alabama where the courses do not come easy.

Yesterday, my daughter and her family "cooked out" for Lee's parents and myself.  It took quite a bit of effort on their part.  They wanted to do things for us that would make us happy.  It worked.  This made them happy in return.

Lee's father did own 100 acres of land but gave Lee and Vicki five acres to build a beautiful home on, leaving him with a mere 95 acres.  Vicki, Lee and Ashton own a "souped up" camouflaged golf cart.  Vicki, Ashton and I rode over the 100 acres, winding through narrow trails, making sure that one of their dogs could keep up with us, checked out the small pond/lake, stopped and fed the fish some food, coached the dog out of the water, and continued on to the huge lake where Vicki is running into resistance in trying to convince Lee to build a gazebo overlooking the lake.  The property is heavily wooded with every kind of tree imaginable, thick with underbrush of all kinds of trees and liberally sprinkled with other kinds of plants.  Lee has a large "feeding station" set up in the middle of the land to feed some of the animals.  It is an absolute "wonderland of nature."

Later, the three of them set off fireworks in their front yard.  Many years ago, my late husband started a tradition in our family of taking all of the children, and later the grandchildren, to a fireworks place every fourth of July to buy everything they wanted.  I never asked what he spent but you can bet that he spent plenty.  Under supervision, when they were old enough, he allowed the children to set off a lot of the fireworks, saving the more dangerous ones for the adults.  Lee swears that he was the one chosen to set the dangerous ones off and he could be right.  Maybe it is because he is 6'5" tall, weighs 275 lbs. and looks tough.  Actually, he is a "teddy bear" inside.  He might also have a faulty memory too.

There was always more laughing going on during the Fourth of July event than there were fireworks being shot into the air.  Every year, one of my daughter-in-laws would suggest that we should all go to one of the mammoth fireworks displays in town but she was always met with outrageous howls of disagreement from all of the grandkids.  My children and grandchildren will remember my husband for a lot of good things he did for them, but our Fourth of July celebrations will be high on their list.

Lee has great parents and love their children very much. I think Lee's parents also enjoyed the fireworks although they did not have the same traditions surrounding the Fourth of July as we did. Lee stated that he had never been in a fireworks place until yesterday. His family always went to a local community that had the mammoth displays.

After my husband died and I moved to the island, each year they have come down here to watch the fireworks display put on by the town of Dauphin Island.  Due to the oil spill, the display was canceled this year and that is why my daughter's family has now started their own tradition for the Fourth of July.

As I drove back to Dauphin Island afterwards, which is a 1-1/2 hour drive, it gave me plenty of time to think.  My husband and I made some mistakes when our children were growing up, but one of the things I am proud of is that we taught our children how to have fun.  We took them on vacation trips, camped out at interesting sites, taught them how to water ski, took them hunting and fishing, and more.  We always tried to inject the major holidays with plenty of fun.

We lived in two houses where we had swimming pools.  Our children, grandchildren, and all of their friends spent many happy hours screaming and laughing in our pools.  At one of our houses, one of my sons knew that he had to be home by a certain time.  He would obey that order but bring tons of friends home with him and they would wake us up laughing and talking while swimming in the pool after midnight.

I have been through a lot of hardships in my life and have always tried to rise above the circumstances to create a happy life for all of my family.  One of my efforts included serving a big Sunday dinner, every Sunday, with all of the trimmings.  During a particularly hard time in our lives, I found myself going overboard to bring some joy into our stressful lives.  Among other things, one time I foolishly spent a ton of money, which we really could not afford, to buy three dogs for my girls and my daughter-in-law.  Pets can bring a lot of joy into a person's life.

Once, when I was working as a registered nurse, I worked for hours preparing my usual Sunday dinner with all the trimmings and then went to work afterwards  I worked as a "float" at that time, which meant I had no idea what unit I would be working on before I arrived at the hospital.  I was scheduled to pull a double, from 3:00 in the afternoon to 7:00 in the morning.  This one particular time, I remember standing in front of the scheduler's desk and was thinking to myself, "I can't do this.  I simply can't do this.  I am absolutely too exhausted.  I'll never make it."

But I did and it was one of many times when I left the hospital with my chest and both arms hurting so badly that I could hardly stand it and I would pray to God, "Please God, I don't want to go back into that hospital.  I am sick of that hospital.  I want to go home."  The point I am making is that "creating a happy life" for yourselves and others may require that someone goes "way beyond the call of duty" to create happiness.  I might have half-killed myself, but the Sunday dinners served as a symbol of "everything is okay" and we will get through this difficult time eventually.  I mentioned something about me being a little crazy earlier in this piece...so you see what I mean.

I mentioned my grandmother early on.  I learned how to "create a happy life" from watching my grandmother on my mother's side.  She had very little money because my grandfather was a "vegetable truck farmer" which put them at the poverty level.  You would never know it because my grandmother worked very hard to provide a pretty and happy home for her children.  During her lifetime, she suffered from many hardships, including the murder of one of her children, but she always "rebound" from the hardship and came back fighting.  Sometimes, you have to literally "fight" to have a happy life but it is always worth it.

In case I have not made myself clear in this blog...its like this...the pursuit of fame and fortune to obtain happiness sometimes turns out to be a meaningless endeavor...the way to create yourself a happy life is to create happiness in other people's lives and you will automatically be blessed with happiness yourself in return.  

Everyone would benefit from linking to this pdf article, which is both humorous and stuffed to capacity with intellectual advice, and is written by a writer for writers but works for everyone who seeks a happy life:
http://www.patriciamclinn.com/pdf_articles/positive.pdf

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

If "God bless America" offends anyone reading this blog, then click off and find a blog that aligns with your viewpoint.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

I got up at 4:00 a.m. this morning because I had "slept out."  I am very glad that I did because I watched John Stossel's program "What's Great About America?" which points out how lucky we all are to live in America.  The program pointed out all of our "good points" while revealing our "warts" at the same time.  Our good points far outweigh our bad points.  He compared us with other countries that do not have the same freedoms in life that we enjoy, such as "freedom of speech."  As opinionated as I am, I would have trouble living in another country.  I am proud to be an American.

A MAN WITH COMMON SENSE!

After Stossel's program, I watched an interview with Govenor Chris Christie of New Jersey.  I have not done any research on this man but he seems to have a lot of common sense.  Some people who know him better than I do may disagree.  New Jersey is in big financial trouble, like the rest of the country, but he does not believe in "spending" their way out of debt.  He believes in "cutting expenses" to reduce the deficit.  He has had an uphill battle in his approach to governing New Jersey and it will be interesting to see the outcome of his actions.

Our governments should be run like our households.  Recently, it became very apparent, due to the ever increasing cost of living, that my "outgo" was putting a severe strain on my "income."  I had to consider where I could cut down on my outgo; to evaluate the areas that were "reducible" such as power, water, eating out, and unnecessary purchases.  I never once considered piling on more debt to a credit card to "spend" my way out of my dilemma.

LET'S ENJOY THE DAY AND REMEMBER WHY WE ARE AT LIBERTY TO DO SO!

REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRAT, OR INDEPENDENT?

Sometimes I wonder if anybody knows exactly what being a Republican, Democrat or an Independent means in these current times?

Today, generally speaking, Democrats are referred to as being "liberal" and Republicans are considered to be "conservative."  Is that all there is to the parties?  

If someone pulled a Jay Leno maneuver and went out onto the streets of any major city and asked people, "What party do you belong to?," and then ask, "Why?"  Most of them would probably state a party affiliation but would not be able to explain exactly why they belong to a certain political party.
 
In my father's day, when I was a child, he explained that Democrats were for the working man and the Republicans were for the rich man.  I thought my father was the smartest man on earth and I did not question his explanation...not until I was grown.  Being a Democrat, I voted for Jimmy Carter but changed parties during his term in office because his policies literally devastated my family's lives by allowing the interest rate to escalate to such high levels.  His "inaction" put my husband out of the construction business.

By the way, has anyone but me ever considered why Carter did not make an effort to keep the interest rates from climbing out of site?  He went into office as a "rich" man and I am sure his investments doubled or tripled during his term in office and he came out even "richer" than when he went in.  What would have been his motivation to try and figure out how to lower the interest rates?

During Carter's presidency, I became a Republican.  Why?  Because the Republican's polices are geared toward businesses...that creates jobs for people.  My husband started another construction business.  Over the years, my husband has provided a living for hundreds of people. 

My uncle James, who was an absolutely wonderful person, worked in a plant.  He always aligned with my father's explanation of what it meant to be a Democrat.  He was always very critical of the Republicans.  Knowing he defined the word Democrat as being synonymous with the working class man, one day I asked him, "What if everyone was a Democrat?  Who would provide the jobs?"  His son worked for our company for seventeen years.  He was stumped for an answer.

Things have changed dramatically since my father's day.  I am not sure myself what each party stands for anymore.  Today, the policies of both parties have become blurred and the politicians are performing more like contestants in a football game, with the same fury that the University of Alabama exhibits when they play the Auburn Tigers.  Politicians seem to be driven more by the desire to get re-elected ,with the power, money and prestige that it brings with the positions, than looking out for the welfare of the American people.

I am changing parties again.  I have decided to become an Independent.

OBAMA AND THE OIL SPILL

by Audrey

Everyone knows that BP is primarily responsible for the oil spill but since they cannot seem to handle the crisis in a satisfactory manner, I think that all of us on the gulf coast expected the most powerful man on earth to come to our rescue.  Instead of getting Superman, we have wound up with Scooby Doo.

Obama is a man of "pretty words" but short on "action."  He is a charming, good looking, and very intelligent man who can deliver a speech better than anyone that I have ever known.  BUT...he is not a leader.  The way he has handled this oil spill has proven this fact.  Leaders are like artists...it is a matter of the way the brain is wired...you cannot "educate" a man into becoming a leader...a leader is "born and not made" who responds primarily on "instinct" in a given situation.

I think Obama will eventually go down in history as the worst president who has ever held office in the United States.  Why?  Not because I disagree with most of his policies but because of the way he has reacted to this oil spill.  

He does not instinctively "think" and "act" like a leader.  When the oil spill occurred, his first thoughts should have been, "I need to contact BP and see what I can do as the president of the United States."  A real leader would not have been stupid enough to say, weeks into the tragedy, "I didn't call them because I knew they were only going to tell me what I wanted to hear."  Why makes him think like that?  Because that is what he does to the American people.  Ever since his campaign days, he is an "expert" in saying what he thinks we want to hear.  He knows how to play the "game" and most people fall for his rhetoric.

Immediately, from the very first day, even though it was a BP mistake, his mind should have automatically and instinctively went into action to formulate plans to start the business of unraveling the red tape involved in getting things done. Instead, he responded in an "odd" way in that he appeared to not "get it." His "Cool Hand Luke" approach and "pretty speeches" are not working anymore. People are beginning to wise up.

As a real leader, he should be putting this oil spill at the top of his list every single day, even above the economy because this spill is going to eventually have a dramatic ripple effect which will affect the overall economy.  A large portion of our gulf waters may become a "dead zone" for years to come.  Thousands of lives have already been altered or devastated and this tragedy is far from over.  How much worse can it get you may ask.  Well, just when you think it can't get any worse, it sometimes does.     

We have just experienced a hurricane that missed the oil spill.  We were lucky this time.  The odds are extremely high that one will form this season and travel right through the middle of the oil spill causing chaos of monumental proportions.  I live on Dauphin Island and if a hurricane hits just right, it will bring a storm surge of oil over the west end of the island and probably sling oil over the remainder of the island.  What will happen then?  We will not be allowed back on this island until the oil is completely cleaned up.  How long will that take?  A very long time, you can be certain.

Usually, when a hurricane threatens us, I only think about boarding up the house and packing enough clothes to last a couple of weeks.  This time, I will have a hard time deciding what items I need to take with me because I may not be able to return for an indefinite length of time.

I am almost ashamed to mention the problems the oil spill is causing me because they are minuscule in comparison with what is going on with other people up and down the gulf coast.  I repeat...I don't think Obama "gets it" and to quote James Carville, "We are dying down here."