Well F&$% You!!

Ahhh....Civility in our world....who knew it was dying?

lostandtired.com

 

 



I admit there are many things in this world that I'm not good at:

 

1. Calculus makes my head spin
2. I am a HORRIBLE speller
3. Can't draw
4. Have trouble staying up late.....

But I don't consider myself a stupid person. 

 

I'm well read.  I try to stay up on current events. I listen to others' thoughts and ideas before I form my own. I am on a never ending quest for knowledge. But at times I find myself questioning my intelligence - and sanity - before I realize...

 

icebergtees.com

 

 

Our world seems to have gone crazy!  People who use to value my opinion - or at least accepted the idea that I have an opinion that differed from theirs - no longer see the merit in that.  I am "wrong".  My thoughts and opinions no longer matter.  I am yelled at; hung up on; treated like a child.  Simply because I have the nerve to say - I don't agree with you.  Or because I have pointed out the flaw in your logic.  Or because I question the motive behind your anger.  Why have people lost the ability to accept that not everyone agrees with them?  Heck- as the mom of teenagers I KNOW no one agrees with me!

 





What is fueling this great decline in kindness?  In my humble opinion, we need to look no further then the political landscape of our Country. 

There was a time - I know this might be hard to believe! - when even our politicians were civil to each other.  They didn't always get along, but they believed in the concept of the "right to disagree".  But then came the Internet, and 24/7 news coverage, and every little thing that was said or done was noted and commented upon.  Everyone quickly knew if you weren't "following the party line" - and oh my are those lines drawn deep - and the art of compromise went out the window as quickly as the "guests" in a whorehouse during a police raid.  No one wanted their "supporters" (read PACs) to see that they might not be doing exactly what they said they would do for fear that the "support" (money for their next election) would disappear.  So they all became a series of talking heads - quick to point a finger and judge those sitting on the other side of the aisle.  And as quickly as the elected officials started down this road, the people who identified themselves with either party went even faster.

The good state of Massachusetts where I live allows me to participate in this great democracy without identifying with a political party.  Before there was an "Independent" party, I was enrolled as an Independent....now I am a registered unenrolled.  This allows me the freedom - and I like to think intelligence - to look at the issues and the candidates through my own eyes; not eyes colored by some political allegiance.  And this allows me to be more accepting of others opinions and ideas.  I don't have some platform that I have to support; no agenda to fill; no political ideology that I have to live by.  I can listen to a person and say "Why I don't agree with you, I do respect your right to think that way."  People I know use to feel that way about me.  They respected my intelligence; my opinion.  Then politics got in the way.  I became the "enemy".  The person who was always wrong and uninformed because I "God-forbid" had an opinion that was different.  Didn't matter if I had lists of facts and figures - disagreeing was enough to prove that I WAS WRONG!

 

And I am TIRED of that!

 

 The beauty of this Country is that we all can disagree without fear of repercussion....or at least that is how it use to be.  It is true that the Government won't come after me if I work to get a law or policy change, but boy, I can no longer say that about the population; the American people; my friends. The death of civility has made it open season on hate.  Pick up any newspaper - watch any news show - and you can see the hate that one side has for the other.  Each side is better then the other - and yet somehow no one gets anything done....but I digress.....As much as I despise the rhetoric, I can sit back and watch it while being slightly amused and saddened by the show.  But it becomes so much harder to accept that animosity when it is a friend who is attacking.

 



keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

 

I do NOT disagree just for the sake of disagreeing, for much the same reason that I don't JUST agree with you.  I am my own person with my own opinions, values and ideas.  You cheapen me when you say things like that.  I always respects others - even if I disagree with them - so why am I not entitled to that same respect?  I do not believe that it is necessary for We the People to resort to the mudslinging and anger that is rampant in Washington.  How can we ever expect to force our politicians to come together and work if we can't do it with each other?  When civility dies our Country is for the worse.  How can we expect our children - the leaders of the future - to learn to work together when they see their role models, their parents, incapable of doing that?  And is it any wonder that the younger generation seems so angry and disconnected?

 

I will always do my best to be respectful to all, but being human I know that I will make mistakes sometimes.  I do my best to admit when I was wrong.  But know this - I will always defend your right to be entitled to your own opinion....will you defend mine?

 

 

 

Poetry Friday - 1/18/13

I work as a substitute teach in the town where I live, teaching preschool to grade 5.  I often use poetry in class to help the students with their creative writing and sports poems seem to be a hit with all the kids.

Most of the students know that I LOVE the Boston Red Sox; if they don't the numerous Red Sox travel mugs I have are usually a tip off for them.  This week a young man in a 5th grade class that I was working in wanted to share with me a poem that he wrote about the Green Monster at Fenway.  I think he did a wonderful job and I would like to share with you his poem....

annexbaseballblog.com

 

 

The Green Monster

 

Towering,

  Green,

   A monster,

    punished so severely,

    when it does nothing but provide shade.

 

Above a field,

  Where no crops grow,

    people choose what

    they "whack",

    with only rounded wood.

 

Once upon a time,

  just a lowly hill,

   surrounded by

    a peaceful

    swamp.

 

One day,

  the swamp,

   no longer wet,

   was just,

   one plain.

 

Dead trees,

  get sat on,

   and watch,

   a sphere

   loses all its good looks.

 

Changes

  come and go.

   A sphere,

   now white,

   no longer stays very often.

 

The hill

  is all torn up,

   from cleats.

   Digging in,

   and tears up that lowly hill.

 

One winter,

  torn up and divided,

   replaced,

   by a tall,

   metal wall.

 

Painted,

  a dark green.

   And given flashing lights

    and moving white squares

    with black lines.

 

Given protection,

  from some of the spheres,

   it is calm enough

   for people

   on its head.

 

'Tis that,

  is the history,

   of the wall.

   Where,

    when you hit the sphere

    over its head, causes

    a great ruckus,

    and awakens,

    The Green Monster.

 

 

I hope you enjoy the work of my student.  And remember - take the time to listen when a child wants to share with you!

If it's in the Constitution

That one sentence is responsible for hours of debate and news footage and general hot air in our Country.  The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.  That most sacred of documents that created one of the greatest countries to ever exist in modern times.  And the debate has never been more vocal or nasty.

We as a nation are still reeling from recent gun attacks - the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabby Gifford, the rampage in the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado and the murder of so many innocent souls in Newtown, CT - and the cry for some sort of national gun control and bans has never been louder.  And instead of being a nation coming together to try and insure that such horrible acts never happen again, the rhetoric over gun control is in danger of tearing this Country apart.

breitbart.com

 

When our Founding Fathers drafted the Constitution and the first 10 Amendments - the Bill of Rights - America was coming off a War of Independence with a country where people saw their rights and freedoms changed at will every time a new ruler was crowned, and those brave men wanted to make sure that didn't happen here.  They wanted there to be a set of core values that would define their new country and stand the test of time. This was also the time where a standing army wasn't fully established and I am sure the early Patriots were concerned that a foreign country might try to take over this new land.  That makes sense.  It also makes sense to remember what sorts of weapons they had back then....no 30 bullet magazines, no semi-automatic weapons.  Wonder what they would think if they saw the weapons for sale now?

 

The central part of the debate over guns seems to be this concept that owning a gun is a right that is not to be infringed upon.  But what exactly does that mean?  What does is mean when something is a "right" in the Constitution and in this case - what does infringing upon on that right mean?

 

watchdog.org

 

 

Even before the Founding Fathers addressed the issue of firearms, they laid out the most central parts of a free society - freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of the press.  Why were THESE principles so important to them?  Because they came from a country - England - where you were told by the Crown what religion you must practice, where you could be imprisoned - or worse - if you spoke out against the ever changing rules governing the country and there was no guaranteed way for people to learn the facts of what the government was doing.  The people were always being suppressed by the government - a non-elected government - and the men who created America wanted nothing like that here.  BUT - even these most sacred of rights are not without limits.  As a society we understand that even these freedoms must be curtailed at times.  No one can walk into a movie theater and yell "fire" if there isn't one, no one can print known untruths about another person and no religion can commit acts that violate the rights of others in the name of their "god".  We accept the fact that even these freedoms have limits to them.  These "Constitutional Rights".  So if we accept that these core tenants of liberty, the First Amendment, can - and should - have limits, then why is there such an uproar over limits to the 2nd Amendment?

 

bumperstickersinc.com

 

 

 

 

People seem to lose all sense of civility and general decency when the debate centers around guns and that is something that I truly don't understand.  (For the record - there are no guns in my home.  There are however many knives from my oldest son's knife collection and we have several air soft rifles - that are secured with trigger locks.)  It is troubling that so many people can not separate the need to have better control over the sales of weapons in our Country and the thought that those limits are infringing on the right of people to own weapons.  I do not see how those two are the same issue.  We, as a Country, accept that there are some limits necessary to the rights guaranteed to all citizens in the First Amendment.  So why can't we accept the need for there to be some limits on the right to own guns?  I fail to see what the problem is with requiring universal background checks on ALL gun sales.  No more sales made at gun shows without there being a record of the sale and, even more importantly, no more sales without making sure that the person buying a gun can legally do so.  Why is that so upsetting to some people?  Will it mean that guns can not be obtained on-the-spot?  Most likely yes.  And that is a problem why?  I can't vote without registering in advance - isn't the right to vote a bit more important then the right to walk around packing heat?  I am at a lose to explain this mentality - perhaps because it is so far from my own.

 

keepcalm-o-matic.com.uk

 

There seems to be a theme running through those who are the most vocal about not letting anyone get between them and their guns - they don't trust the government and they see conspiracies everywhere.  Or maybe it is fairer to say they don't trust anyone who doesn't agree with them.  I am saddened by how narrow minded many of these people are.  People I consider my friends.  I have been told that I have "every right to be wrong" when it comes to guns.  My wish to have universal background checks and to limit the sale of some of the high-capacity "assault style" weapons doesn't sit well with many.  My wish to not own a gun is met with scorn.  It really is amazing how judgemental people who want unlimited gun ownership can be.  I am the problem...fascinating.  I have repeatedly stated, that with the exception of "assault-style" weapons, I do not wish to prevent people from legally owning guns.  Yes, it is a right guaranteed in the Constitution, but as we have seen throughout history, the Constitution can be amended and interpreted by the Judicial branch of government.  Our Founding Fathers realized that they were just mere men and as such, even they didn't know what would always be good for America in the future, so they gave us the means to make changes to those rules when necessary.  Am I saying that we need a Constitutional Convention to deal with the issue of gun control?  Maybe I am.

 

spankmymarketer.com

 

After President Obama addressed the Nation this week outlining the action he was going to take as a result of the work done by Vice-President Biden and his committee, a news poll the next morning showed that 98% of the people polled where in favor of tougher and universal background checks for people who wanted to purchase guns.  That number is staggering....even if it is inflated, it is safe to say that the majority of the Country wants tighter rules when it comes to buying and selling guns.  The WILL OF THE PEOPLE needs to be listened to and acted upon.  Not the will of major lobbying groups; not the will of the gun manufacturers.  The will of the People.  The government exists because of the People - not because of the NRA and their money.  Universal background checks for gun purchases is - and SHOULD be - something that every single American can agree upon.  It does NOT prevent anyone who can legally obtain a gun from getting one.  If it takes you five days to get your gun?  My response is SO WHAT?  Other then someone in law enforcement or a soldier, I find it hard to believe that there is any reason for someone else to need to purchase a gun without a waiting period.  And if it costs you extra to get that background check?  Sorry - there is NOTHING in the Second Amendment that says you get your gun for free.  The Courts have ruled that the government - State and Federal levels - can make laws pertaining to the ownership of guns; it isn't unconstitutional to do so. So just deal with it. 

 

The issue of guns in the United States is far more complex then I have time for here and now - but this part, the Universal background checks?  THAT needs to be acted upon now.  Doing that clearly won't solve the problem.  But it is a start - no matter how small.  And isn't that what we need to do?  Actually stop talking and start doing something? 

 

 

 





 

 



 

 



 

 



You have a lot to prove

Dear Boston Red Sox,

Last year was a very tough year.  Oh, it wasn't your dismal record that depressed me.  It was how YOU the players gave up on the team long before we fans did.  I have been a fan of the team since birth - closing in quickly on 50 years - and during that time I have seen more teams with losing records then winning ones.  And while not "okay" that is just how it was...and no set of fans perfected the cry of "There's always next year!" better then we Red Sox fans.  But what I always did come to expect was that the team year in and year out tried their very best.  They CARED every time they took the field and winning was the only goal.  I can accept and love a losing team full of players who played their hearts out.  What I can not accept is what the 2012 Red Sox turned into.

empowernetwork.com

 

 

Two year olds on playgrounds tried harder and complained less then the boys (sorry - you do not deserve to be called men) who resided in that hallowed ground known as Fenway Park.  And really?  During the year long celebration for the Grand Dame's 100th Birthday that was the best you could do?  The lot of you should be ashamed of yourselves.  The slide into irrelevance began in the waning days of the 2011 season when all attention was focused on "Chicken-gate" and the team's epic collapse.  In the real world which none of you understand, when an employee (And let's not forget that is all you really are.) fails to meet the standards of the organization, that person gets fired.  But in the crazy world of sports it is the manager who gets fired for not being able to motivate a bunch of over-paid athletes to go out and win!  So out with the old and in with the new....

 

the Bleacher Report

 

 

 

 

Oh - that's right.....you guys didn't like Bobby V.  He made you work hard...took your beer and chicken away....called you out when you didn't play well.  Imagine that - he was the boss and he wanted to hold you accountable!  (Off the record - do you really think Robert Kraft would have ever agreed to meet with members of the Patriots behind Bill Belichick's back so they could bitch about how mean Bill was being to them?  I'm pretty sure he would have told them - Get back on the field and do your jobs before I find someone to take your places!) So what did you boys do?  Did you prove him wrong?  Did you show him and everyone else that you were BETTER then Bobby V said you were?  Nope.  You acted just like you did for Tito...you gave up.  You sat back and pouted.  You took your bats and balls and checked out. 

 





Congrats!  You got what you wanted....a new manager.  A new manager whose old team went on a spending spree to significantly upgrade the team AFTER they let him out of his contract. Hmmmm...  A team with 273 catchers and no one to play first base.  A team that pretty much has its starting rotation in tack from last season....and we all know how stellar THEY were....yes please read that last statement with lots of of oozing sarcasm.  We fans are pretty much faced with the same ship and a new captain.  And this fan?



Look, we have all worked for bosses that we haven't like - but that doesn't mean that we roll over and stop working!  Every single one of us in the real world have had days were we just didn't feel like working...we are human after all...and sometimes we called in sick or we went to work and didn't give it our full effort.  I understand that happening....but the entire season?  Seriously?  With few exceptions, how is it possible that so many of you had so little regard for the game and for the fans that you just stopped trying?  And don't give me some BS story how it was Bobby V's fault!  It most certainly wasn't!  YOU - all of you - could have risen about the din in the clubhouse and came out swinging if your hearts were in the game.  And that is what saddens this fan the most....your hearts weren't there.

soxsticker.com

 



We now find ourselves on the cusp of the 2013 season...Truck Day is but a few weeks away....and you - ALL of you who are members of the Red Sox organization have some very tough decisions to make.  For each and everyone of you has something to prove to this Red Sox fan and to members of the Nation both near and far.  Are you going to go out and actually PLAY baseball this year?  Are we the fans - the fans who spend our hard earned money to pay your salaries - going to see the fire-in-your bellies every time you take to the mound or the batters box?  Will we fans see you take the field each day with a renewed sense of purpose?  Will we see that you actually love the game as much as we do?  Or will you just be setting us up for disappointment again?  Each of you has a decision to make.  But please do this fan a favor - if you can not love and respect this crazy game as much as I do, then please, have the decency to step aside and let someone else take your place.  We fans will respect you for that.

It IS the next season that we have been dreaming about Boys...make it count.

Play Ball!

Jules

Friday Poetry - 1/11/13

A bit of culture is food for the soul.  So Fridays will be all about poetry.

Some will be my own...some will be verses that inspire me.  I hope it will always be something that will give you a smile.  Enjoy!


               Freedom for the soul
               Rituals repeating
               Ice cold beverages
               Dizzying dance tunes
               Amorous embraces
               Your place or mine?

 

Jules

 

 

 

allposters.com



The Hall is empty this year

 

The votes are in!

 

And no one was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame from the class of 2013...and I believe that the sports writers got it right.  This year had the first list of eligible players to include a number of known, or suspected, steroids/PED users and it really was the first time that the baseball writers - the voters - had to deal with this issue.  Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa were all eligible to be inducted and none of them came even close to being elected.  Rocket Roger received 37.6% of the vote, Barry Bonds received 36.2% and Sammy Sosa received 12.5%.  All three fell way short of the 75% needed to be inducted and this baseball fan is VERY glad of that.  I have been quite clear in my feelings - if you used, or have been suspected of using, then you do not deserve to be in the HOF.  And I know that I am not the only one to feel that way.  Listening to some of the HOFers who called into the MLB Network, it seems that many of them would consider boycotting the HOF induction ceremony in Cooperstown if a known steroid user was voted it.  If the players are not tolerant of drug users then why should we fans be?

 

 

unrulywordpress.com

 





There were a number of worthy candidates on the ballot this year who will have a chance to be elected next year - Craig Biggio received 68.2%, Mike Piazza received 57.8% and Curt Schilling received 38.8% of the vote in his first year of eligibility.  For some players, who received less then 5% of the vote, their journey for election has ended on their first try - Bernie Williams, Kenny Lofton, Sandy Alomar Jr and David Wells had their one shot.  And to me, that seems unfair to them when players like Clemens and Bonds and Sosa and Mark McGwire get another chance.

amazon.com

 

 

 

Which brings us to a bigger discussion - should players who have been found guilty of violating MLB's drug policy be banned from consideration from the Hall of Fame?  If I had a vote, I would vote yes.  Pete Ross - Charlie Hustle - one of the BEST to ever play the game, has been banned from baseball for life and will NEVER be elected to the HOF because he violated baseball policy; he gambled on baseball while playing.  Yes, he broke the rules but is what he did any worse then what someone like Manny Ramirez or Barry Bonds did?  I think not.  And yet Manny and Bonds and all the others who actually CHEATED while playing can be voted into the Hall and I do not think that is right.  I often do not agree with Bob Costas, but I do agree with what he said today on the MLB Network after the vote was announced.  He said that MLB needs to change its rules so that going forward, any player who is found guilty of violating the League's drug policy would not only face much stiffer penalties and suspensions, but they would also become permanently ineligible for election to the HOF.  THAT is how you send a strong message that drugs have no place in baseball.  That is how you maintain the integrity of that hallowed shrine in Cooperstown.

 

 the situation files

 

 





I know this is a complicated issue that has no simple answer.  But for all those great players who have been inducted in years past - players like Gehring, Yaz, Mantle and Williams - do they deserve to enshrined next to players who cheated?  Next to players who purposely flaunted the notion of fair and honest play?  Baseball and the greats of the past deserve better.  And all the great players to come deserve better.  I beg the voters - PLEASE keep the cheaters out. We fans of the game deserve that.

Blame the PS3

You can't pick up a newspaper, turn on the evening news or read a news story online without learning about how violent the United States is becoming.  The rallying cries on both sides of the gun control issue are deafening.  We either need more gun control or we need to start arming everyone at birth. In the middle of all the noise about guns another battle that is heating up.  In our era of "don't blame me" people are quickly looking for something, or someone, to blame for the growing body count and a new target is on the horizon and most likely you have at least one in your home...

 

 

 

A video gaming system.

 

 

Even the Governor of New Jersey is blaming video games for the rise in violence that we are experiencing.  As the mom of two teen aged boys who play some of those games, all I can say is the answer is NOT as simple as banning those games.  And people who think that is the answer are either naive, short-sighted or are simply looking for the easy way out.  Or perhaps it is easier to blame the games then to do the really hard thing and look at how we are raising our kids.

 

When I was a kid we didn't have video games or 300 channels to watch on TV. We did have our "Saturday morning education" with Tom and Jerry chasing each other with knives and explosives, with Wile E Coyote trying to drop pianos and safes and anvils  onto the Roadrunner and with the Three Stooges slapping each other and poking everyone in the eye.  And yet I don't think most of us grew up to model any of those behaviors.  Were we smarter then the current generation of children?  Most likely not...they can program all the hi-tech stuff much better then we can...so why were we capable of surviving the violence we were exposed to?  Perhaps it is because we had parents who cared enough to shut the TV off and yell at us to do something else!  Maybe it is because our parents knew the difference between "adult" shows and movies and what was okay for kids to view.  Or maybe it is because our parents cared more about being our parents then being our friends.

 

I have been called an "old-fashion" parent by my peers and I am proud of it!  My boys were not allow to see movies rated PG-13 or R when they were young.  They had to wait until I deemed they were old enough.  AND more importantly they were not watching those movies with their friends - and how do I know this?  Because even though it made me the "uncool" mom I actually TOLD the parents of my boys friends that my boys were not allowed to watch those shows!  Imagine that!  And guess what?  The other parents respected my wishes!!  When a gathering or party involved watching a movie, I got a phone call in advance from a parent asking if the movie they were going to watch was okay for my sons to see.  But too many parents won't do that - won't actually be a parent! It is easy to say "oh well, everyone else is doing it so what can I do about it?"  I say there is PLENTY you can do about it!!  It might not always be the most popular route but they are your kids!

 

bestofweb.com

 

 

 

But now a days it is blame the media!  Blame the video games!  Blame anyone but me!!  Can't be my fault!!  Is it really video games that are causing people in our society to snap?  In South Korea the online game Starcraft is almost a religion.  There are people who make a living playing a game where you shoot and kill people!  And yet the violence in their society is far lower then ours.  Hmmm...in plenty of other parts of the world video games - violent video games - are all the rage and yet those countries do not experience the same level of violence that we do here in the United States.  Why do you suppose that is?  Without a doubt guns are not as readily available in those societies, but acts of violence can also be committed with knives and bats and fists.  And I understand that it is very easy to learn to make a crude bomb from directions available on the Internet.  So the means are there...why aren't they used?

 

Maybe the answer to that question is in the mirror.

 

 

I suggest that the problem with America is that we have become a society of people who live on instant gratification.  A society of entitled brats.  A society who has no concept of the word no.  And I truly believes that goes back to too many parents NOT willing to be parents.  And not the video games.  If you KNOW your kid then you know when they should be exposed to violent games.  The kid who has no ability to control his or her temper should not be playing those sorts of games at all!  But it isn't just games...3rd graders should not be watching Rambo and 8th graders shouldn't be having hot tub parties! (Why yes, those are two real world examples that I had to deal with with kids in my boys' classes.) We no longer let kids be kids; we no longer make our kids "earn" something. We had a couple of gaming systems in my home and my youngest son wanted the new Wii system when it came out...fine we told him, you save up your money and when you have enough you can get it.  Guess what?  HE SAVED HIS MONEY!  He didn't need it right away, it wasn't a necessity. The idea that you have to work for something is foreign to too many people.  People want their kids to "like them".  There is time for your kids to like you - later.  Here's a news flash - No kid has ever died just because they didn't have an iPhone!  Nor has any child died because they were told they weren't old enough to see a movie, or that they were to young to play a game or, GOD FORBID, that the answer to their question was no. We do a grave disservice to our kids when we don't allow them to face adversity - and disappointment - when they are young.  I would suggest that kids who don't have that nurturing environment - where the word "no" is heard and where the kids learn at a very young age that there are consequences to their actions - those are the kids who grow up and commit the violent crimes in our society.  It doesn't matter if they have watched a violent movie or played a violent video game. All that matters is that they had  responsible adults in their lives.  THAT is what society should be looking to fix.