Remember the Victims, Not the Violators

Yesterday, the world witnessed yet another senseless act of violence in the mass shooting carried out at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  I first began to see the news on the event while I was working at the public middle school where I am employed, and when I came home later yesterday evening, I found myself unable to watch the details unfold on the nightly news.  It wasn't only that I didn't want my own young son to hear the words "children dead" or "teachers killed" spoken repeatedly on the broadcast—although that was certainly a factor—I just could watch the video clips being shown over and over with both moving and still images of children running away from their school, crying and terrified, or parents being tearfully reunited with surviving children or being comforted upon discovery that their children had not been spared.  It is terrible.  It is heartbreaking.  It is horrific.  And I cannot begin to imagine the devastation of that community.

Unfortunately, these types of incidents continue.  I don't know what the solution is.  Is it more gun control?  More investment in identifying and treating mentally unstable people?  Arming school faculties?  More security at schools?  More religion?  Less press coverage?  All of these have been bandied about on the news after each terrible act of violence carried out against innocent people over the last several decades.  But to tell the truth, I don't know, and I don't profess to have the answers.  I don't think that I can find a perfect solution for senselessness.

Conflicted Former Ticket: Romney & Ryan Offer Different Views on Election Loss

It's been slightly less than two weeks since the election that saw the incumbent Obama/Biden Presidential ticket win reelection over the challenging Romney/Ryan ticket, and already the vast differences between Romney's and Ryan's views on the causes of their loss are rearing their heads.  Much to my surprise, I find that Ryan, although I still don't agree with his politics, is not the scary Palin-like monster I was afraid he would be.

Paul Ryan has openly said that Obama's campaign "did a better job of getting the voters to the polls" and ultimately "won fair and square," according to the Journal Times.*

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney is quickly receiving criticism from all sides over his recently heard comments where be basically said that Obama only won because he gave "gifts" to minority groups.

On November 14th, Romney spoke to a group of donors, saying, "It’s a proven political strategy, which is, give a bunch of money from the government to a group and guess what? They vote for you."†  In the few short days since that statement, Romney has been hemorrhaging political allies as more and more noticeably distance themselves from his viewpoint.

And The Winners Are.....

Barack Obama & Joe Biden!

As the numbers come in, it it becoming evident that the Obama/Biden ticket has won both the popular vote and enough states to secure the electoral vote as well.  The last numbers I saw had them with a 303 electoral votes to Romney/Ryan's 206, and a 2½ million vote advantage in the popular vote.  Of course, there are ballots yet to be counted, but I don't see any way Romney/Ryan could win this now.

4 More Years:

Yes We Did!

Update Sunday, 11/11/12: As of yesterday afternoon, Florida has been officially called for Obama as well, putting him at 332 electoral votes.  He won the popular vote in Florida with 50% of the vote to Romney's 49.1%, a margin of roughly 74,000 votes.

Our Election Day Adventures

At 7a.m. On the dot this morning, Kaleb and I left home heading for my polling location roughly a half-mile from the house. When we arrived at 7:03, we almost couldn't find a parking spot! Having voted at this same location numerous times before and having never seen more than 3 or 4 voters there at any one time, I was totally unprepared for the crowd. We pulled into a spot after waiting for another voter to vacate, and climbed out to join the line outside the polling place (St. Andrew's United Methodist Church on Michigan Ave.). Kaleb pulled the hood of his jacket onto his head and over his ears, and stood excitedly beside me in line as we waited for our turn, 15 minutes in the line outside and then another 10 minutes in line on the inside of the building.

During the entire wait, Kaleb was on his better-than-best behavior. I'd been coaching him for days on what to expect when we went to vote and what behaviors were and were not acceptable at the polling place. We had added new words to his vocabulary: polls, ballot, election, vote. I had told him over and over how important it is for grown-ups to vote, and how important it is for kids to learn about voting so that they know what to do when they get to be grown-ups. Kaleb had learned the names of some of the bigger candidates, and has been watching the news with me over the last few weeks. He has been asking intelligent questions (relative to his age) about the candidates and how voting works. As someone who takes a real interest in politics, it makes me proud to see Kaleb so interested. I honestly think he knows more about the voting process, at this point, than many of my middle school students!

We finally made it to the front of the line and the check-in table. I presented my voter card and my driver's license to the lady at the table, and Kaleb handed her his photo ID as well (it's actually his emergency info card). Everyone giggled a bit, and Kaleb beamed from ear to ear, feeling very grown up. The lady made a show of finding “us” in the book and having me sign the register. She handed me our slip to take to the next table and have our ballot issued. This time, there was no line, and we were able to hand the ballot issue slip right over to the lady at that table. She handed me my ballot, and went over the basics, as I suppose they are required to do with everyone. She then handed Kaleb a sample ballot (the kind that shows you how to shade in your selections), and we stepped away toward the voting area.

Hometown Happiness: Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show

On November 12, 2011, Dad and I took Kaleb to the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show at Naval Air Station Pensacola.  I had seen the Blues in the air practicing plenty of times, having grown up here in Pensacola, but it was only the second time I had attended an official performance.

At last year's show Kaleb managed to take a 45-minute nap on the ground (see photo, left)—surrounded by thousands of strangers, 50 feet from a crazy-loud speaker tower, in the bright sunlight, with the roar of various aircraft directly overhead.  It was amazing, and baffling, to discover that anyone could sleep in such a noisy, chaotic environment.  We all had fun, though, and Kaleb still remembered last year's show vividly when I began talking about attending the show again this year.  In fact, he spent plenty of time over the past two weeks talking about the Blue Angels to anyone who would listen.  It was clear he has been excited.

This year, I was afraid there would be no nap happening at the show, and I hoped that Kaleb would stay interested.  We had thought ahead and had remembered to bring along a blanket to sit on this time, and the weather was much warmer than last year.  After a bit of walking and looking a some of the static aircraft displays, we picked out a patch of grass, spread out our blanket and sat down to watch the early acts.

It was a very sunny day, and I was glad that we had all sunblocked before leaving the house.  I had brought along Kaleb's hat, but hadn't considered how I would handle the bright sunlight myself.  As someone who neither owns nor wears sunglasses and hats, this just isn't something that often comes to mind for me.  During the course of the show, we ended up having to buy a hat for me, just so that I could keep my eyes open long enough to see the show!

The Faces of American Presidential Hopefuls

As I've said before, I'm already certain who I'll be voting for in the November elections.  However, I got curious about who the "lesser" party candidates were, so I pulled up my sample ballot to have a look.  I know the options might vary some from state to state, but here are the 12 options available to me in the 2012 Presidential race (V.P. candidates not included).

Barack Obama
Incumbent POTUS (Democrat)

Mitt Romney
Republican

Mike Rowe Testifies about the Need for Skilled Labor

Plenty of people know who Mike Rowe is.  For those who don't, Mike Rowe is the host of a television show on the Discovery Channel called Dirty Jobs, on which Rowe travels around the country highlighting and testing out different "dirty" professions.  Episodes have included him trying his hand at plumbing, farming, construction, fishing, and many other jobs.

In May of 2011, Rowe testified before the U.S. Senate.  I only just now learned of this and read an article on his testimony.  He had some good things to say, and I want to share a bulk of it here.

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Testimony of Mike Rowe
Creator, Executive Producer and Host, Dirty Jobs

Mike Rowe's Testimony Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
May 11, 2011

"Chairman Rockefeller, Ranking Member Hutchison and members of this committee, my name is Mike Rowe, and I want to thank you all very much for the opportunity to testify before you today.

Jazzing Up Presidential Debates

Did you think the Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates were just boring?  Lots of folks do.  Well, here are some videos created by a couple of guys who wanted to add some musical style to the debates.  Check them out, and let me know what you think in the comments section!

First Presidential Debate


Vice-Presidential Debate

Lots of fun!  Can't wait to see what these guys come up with for the next Presidential debate next week!

Why I'll be Voting for the Guy Who "Lost" the First Debate

People who know me know that I'm a committed liberal in nearly every way.  I dutifully tuned in to the first of the Presidential debates, which took place this past Wednesday.

I didn't expect that either candidate would say anything embarrassing or outright stupid.  I was right.  I didn't expect either candidate to say anything explosively wonderful.  Again, I was right.  In fact, while I didn't hear everything I expected to hear, I also didn't hear anything unexpected either.

I had already made up my mind to cast my vote for Obama in November 2012 just as I did in November of 2008.  That hasn't changed, and is unlikely to change.

Leading up to the 2008 election, I was heavily pregnant and excited at the prospect of bringing my baby into an Obama-led United States.  I cast my vote proudly at my local precinct, with one hand on my swollen stomach the way I imagined some good church ladies might lay their hands on their Bibles as they cast their votes for their chosen candidate.  That night, I stayed up later than usual to watch the election results roll in to the news networks, and I had tears in my eyes as I watched Obama officially acknowledge his victory.  I breathed a sigh of relief and watched as the monstrous Sarah Palin faded from all but the most radically conservative news headlines.

Less than 2 weeks after my son was born, Obama was inaugurated, and I watched the event live on CNN while Kaleb peacefully slept in my arms.  Again, I had tears in my eyes, though by this time I had decided that it was because pregnancy had forever ruined my hormones, leaving me vulnerable to crying over nearly anything at nearly any time.

September 11th: Fallen Heroes & Innocent Victims

What I am publishing here today is neither original nor unique.  We all know that there were nearly 3,000 people killed on September 11th, 2001.  It will be another one of those dates in history that people look back and can all very specifically say "I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when....."

In several places today, I have seen people posting lists of people killed on that day.  There were firefighters, police officers, paramedics, Port Authority, airline passengers, civilians on the street, military personnel at the Pentagon, and thousands of businessmen and women and children all going about their normal workdays.  I would say that most every person in the nation was affected personally in less than the standard "six degrees of separation."

The sheer numbers of people are shocking and tragic. Here I have combined all the (reliable) lists I can find.   The list below contains 953 names, representing roughly one-third of the 9-11 related deaths.  As you scroll down the list, allow yourself to take in how very long the list actually is.  Let us not forget that, while this attack changed our country forever, many people were affected on a much deeper level because of the loss of someone they loved.

Fad Activism

A few days ago, a friend posted an observation online about the sudden disappearance of all the "Kony" videos and other posts.  They have vanished from common conversation as quickly as they appeared.  The Kony hysteria was a wave that passed over us all, then dissipated without effect.

So, that must mean that this Kony guy has been stopped from continuing to commit further atrocities, right?  Well, no.  It just means that the media hype and activism fad have ended.

In our world these days, billions of people around the modernized world are interconnected through social environments on the internet.  Facebook, of course, is now the largest of these, but they are certainly not the only game in town.  A quick glance at the data listen on this Wikipedia page will give you an idea of just how much a part of our lives these online social environments have become.

In many ways, these digital connections have helped to bring about improved quality of life.  Families and friends who are separated by geography have a simple way to stay in contact.  Scientists and medical professionals can quickly and easily share data with one another across the globe.  People who, because of handicap or illness, have a hard time getting out of the house have a way to connect to the outside world from within the safe confines of their own homes.  Students at all levels of education can access information that they might not otherwise be able to access, and some of them are even taught remotely by teachers who are hundreds or thousands of miles away, interacting through a digital campus.  News travels quickly these days, both the good and the bad, and emergency aid can be dispatched with life-saving speed when a disaster occurs somewhere in the world.

Unfortunately, living our lives at the speed of digital means that we misperceive the seriousness of some situations.  People also misunderstand what is needed to help some situations.  It is very common for people to share videos and news articles among their online social circles, and many of these videos and articles focus on issues that are controversial or need to experience change.  So we read these articles and watch the videos posted by our friends, family, and colleagues.  We get fired up about the issues represented in each, and we decide we want to "do" something to help.  So we repost the link to the video or article, thus sharing it with everyone in our own online social circles.

And all of that is wonderful, except....

Give Kids a Smile 2012!

The EscaRosa Dental Society and Pensacola State College are gearing up for the 2012 Give Kids a Smile Day!  The information is being passed out at the school where I work, but I thought putting the information here on my blog as well might help spread the work to people who might not know about this great event.

Give Kids a Smile is an annual day where local dentists team up to provide FREE dental services to underserved children.  Each year, Escambia and Santa Rosa counties team up to provide one great day of these very helpful services to families in the 2-county area who might not otherwise be able to provide for their childrens' dental needs for a variety of reasons.

► Who is eligible?

Children aged 4 to 18, whose families cannot otherwise afford dental treatment are eligible.

2012 State of the Union — My Reactions to Some of the Events of Last Evening

Last evening President Barack Obama delivered the third State of the Union address of his presidency.  As I do every year, I watched the entire speech.  Kaleb got to stay up later than usual, because I didn't want to miss any of it.

I think that it's important to watch, if at all possible, any time the President addresses the nation.  And I don't think that it is any less important if the speech is being delivered by a President you may not be particularly fond of.  When George W. Bush was in office, I watched his SOTU address every year and, while he never said much of anything I agreed with,—and certainly never spoke eloquently on any subject during his term in office—I still was always glad to have taken the chance to hear what the country's leader had to say.

I can honestly say that I do not regret having voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 election, and unless some miracle candidate comes on the scene between now and the 2012 election, I will be voting for him again this coming November.  In 2008 I was excited to be voting for someone with such innovative ideas and grand plans for making positive changes in the country.  I knew that the office of the President was one endowed with only very limited power to affect change, but a Democratic President coupled with a Democratic-majority Congress gave me hope that things really could get better, and I had a renewed faith in the U.S. system of government.

In his first year or so in office, Obama was able to work with a mostly-friendly Congress to begin making some of those changes.  Then, in 2010, enough Democratic Congressmen lost their Congressional seats to Republicans, giving the Republicans the majority control of Congress.  And overnight, the progress being made came to a screeching halt.  Congressional work spiraled downward into a quagmire of mud-slinging and party bickering; too many Congressmen stopped thinking rationally and began voting strictly along party lines, even on issues that many from both parties actually would have agreed upon; the ensuing governmental standstill brought an abrupt end to my tentative hopes for positive change.

SOPA & PIPA: Bad news for Americans!

Update: Jan. 18, 2012, 4:10p.m.
The SOPA Bill had had to be put on hold, as President Obama confirmed today that he would not support (in other words, VETO) the bill if is managed to get through Congress as-is.  Click HERE for a more complete story!

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As you travel around the internet today, you will undoubtedly notice that many prominent American websites -- Google, Wikipedia, The Oatmeal, Cheezburger, etc. -- have "blacked out" for the day in protest against the proposed SOPA (Stop Internet Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect I.P. Act).  I've decided to post, here today, my version of a blacked-out post, and fill it with information about SOPA and PIPA.  Most of the information here will be quoted from other sources, with links back to the original articles/sources.  All clickable links in this post will open in new windows/tabs, so you won't be directed away from this site unintentionally.


Quoted from this article on PBS:

If you normally turn to Wikipedia to look things up, you will have to go elsewhere tomorrow. The English version of Wikipedia, along with other popular sites, such as Reddit and BoingBoing, will go black for 24 hours to protest anti-piracy legislation.

The companies oppose two federal bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act, known as SOPA, and the Protect I.P. Act, known as PIPA. The legislation could force websites to monitor material from users that may include copyrighted content. It could also give the government the right to block entire websites.

Major content providers, including the film and recording industry, say they need greater protection from copyright theft. The Obama administration said over the weekend it wouldn't support the current versions of the bills.

The entire piece is great, and you should take some time to watch or read the entire thing by using the link back before the quote.

Wikipedia has more great info on these proposed Acts here.

If you prefer your information in graphic format, click here.

The author of one of my favorite illustrated blogs, The Oatmeal, has blacked out his site with today's post and published the animated gif below, with a note that his readers should "Please pirate the shit out of this animated GIF."  So I did!

So far, I've seen lots of opponents of these proposals suggest that people contact their representatives to let them know that this sort of censorship.  While Congress hasn't been particularly effective lately, it couldn't hurt!  If you're unsure who your Reps are or how to contact them, Wikipedia provides this free resource for locating their names and contact info.  Click here to use that tool.

2011: A Year of Firsts and New Experiences

The Pensacola Pelican Drop Pelican

Here we are at the end of 2011.  At some times during this past year, the days have seemed to fly by; at others, time seems to have been moving soooo sloooowly.  But slow or fast, the time has passed.  It's time to close the book on 2011 and prepare for 2012.

At the end of 2010, I blogged about the year in a post entitled "The Obligatory Year-End Blog Post."  The title, of course, was to make a joke of the fact that pretty much every blogger of any kind writes a New Year or End-of-Year post.  But after putting a lot of work into my blog this year, updating and formatting and improving and writing more often, I've come to see that blogging isn't such a joke.  Even if no one else cares to read my writings, I've learned that writing is my therapy.  Any time I've had a bad day, a good day, a boring day, a challenging day, or any other sort of ordinary or not-so-ordinary day, I can use my blog as a place to chronicle the events of Kaleb's and my life.  And on particularly emotional days, writing is more cathartic than crying, more of a release than talking, and more comforting -- and healthier -- than all the standard comfort foods.

Originally, I had planned to wait and post this on New Year's Eve, but I've decided to go ahead and post a little ahead of schedule.

And so, as we launch into 2012, here is my look back at the past year:

Parents Beware This Teen Alcoholic Trick!

With the abundance of candies available to teens and children of all ages this time of year, I thought I'd share this bit of info about a "new" trend spreading among America's teens: sneaking alcohol by soaking it into candy!

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There will never be a shortage of ways for underage kids to get drunk, and adults will always be a few steps behind. The trend of soaking gummy bears in liquor isn't anything new, but it had remained a secret from most people for years. This past week, news outlets across the country have been warning of this “new trend” of vodka soaked gummy bears, so I guess this teen secret is finally out.

Teens have been increasingly using gummy bears as a way of concealing alcohol from parents and authorities. By soaking the bears in vodka or rum, they are free to walk the streets drinking without having to sneak sips or hide a bottle. While the news segment's intention is obviously to make parents aware of this trend, they may have inadvertently introduced a great idea to a large number of under-age kids who were unaware of the idea. The YouTube tutorial has jumped from 17,000 to 50,000 views since this news clip went live.

Vodka is a powerful alcohol that no teen should be experimenting with, but many do in part because of its relatively mild alcohol odor. Kids think it's harder for their parents, police, coaches and teachers to detect and it's become even harder now that teens are concealing it in gummy candy.

Kids across the country know about it, and police said it's something parents should, too.

Kids are using this as a way to bypass identification of bringing alcohol into events and into school.

Matthew, Part I: Parallel Histories

Matthew Nanny came into my life as a child.  He attended the church where my dad worked at the time (also where our family attended church).  I was in the 4th grade; he was in 6th.

At that time, our age/grade differences put us into different groups within the church.  I was still participating in elementary activities, and he was among the youngest in the youth group.  To those of us in the elementary group, all the youth group kids seemed so much older, and to them, I'm sure we all seemed like such babies.  There weren't many activities that brought the elementary and youth groups together, so most of the interaction between us was in the form of joking and teasing in the hallways of the church during between services and Sunday school lessons and Bible studies and choir practices.  I remember that Matt wasn't mean to those of us who were in the younger groups.  He may have teased us a bit, but it was never mean-spirited.

The summer before I entered 8th grade, my dad got a job at a different church, and so our family began attending services at that new church.  I lost tough with Matt, for the most part, only seeing him at activities where the youth groups from several churches got together.  When we did cross paths at activities such as these, Matt would always smile or wave or say hello.

The summer before my Sophomore year of high school (1998), Matt and I ended up at one of these multi-church youth group events at Big Lagoon State Park.  Throughout the afternoon, we ended up chatting several times.  We next met up at a multi-church lock-in that fall.  At the time, I was in 10th grade, and Matt was in 12th.  We didn't attend the same school, but there was a spark of interest that night at the lock in, and before the night was over, I had received my first kiss -- from Matt.  A week later, I got permission from my parents to invite Matt to our family Thanksgiving.  He wasn't the first person whom I had called "boyfriend," but he was probably the first real boyfriend I had ever had.  Unfortunately, relationships between teens, who attend different schools and don't drive yet, are difficult to maintain.  This case was no different, and the entire deal lasted less than a month.  Afterwards, we lost contact again for a while.

Why Must Personal Be Made Public?

There's so much in the news about the private lives--rather, what should be the private lives--of politicians and celebrities.  I just don't understand why it's news.

It began when I was in school, watching the Congress attempt to impeach then-President Clinton over events stemming from his affair with a White House intern.  I wasn't much aware of politics at the time, but even then I didn't understand why his bedroom behavior was on the news every minute of the day and why the Congress was getting involved.

Over the following years, numerous politicians at local, state, and national levels were found to be cheating on their wives...some with other women, and one or two with men.  Each time this was discovered, it filled the headlines and "top stories" for weeks.  And still I thought, "who cares?"

Broken Pedestals

In May of 2001 when I graduated high school, I had been taught by roughly 42 different teachers -- From preschool through high school.  Each and every one of them had the same responsibility to me as to all their other students: to pass along facts and information; to expose us to lots of cultures and world views; and to teach us to think for ourselves, form our own opinions, express ourselves effectively, and stand up for our beliefs.

Well, let me just say now that most of my teachers did a great job at this, however resistant I was to all the lessons they tried to teach me.  As I've grown up, I've found practical applications for more of the things I learned in school than I ever thought I would.  I have even found myself using a pretty good amount of ALGEBRA, of all things, in various life situations.  Really, who would have ever thought that Algebra would be useful?  But, indeed, it is!  Other useful things I've learned have included basic anatomy, history, geography, and English (vocabulary and grammar).

Yet, though my teachers and I spent lots and lots of time together in classes over the years, it is only now that I'm adult that I have begun to realize how little we really know about our teachers when we are kids.  Sure, we get to know about their favorite colors or foods.  We occasionally hear about their spouses or children or pets.  I even remember some smaller details, like the fact that Mr. Woodifn was retired from the military and the U.S. Postal Service, that Mr. Akers liked Creedence Clearwater Revival, that Mrs. Reynolds didn't drink alcohol, and Mrs. Bell had three Bassett Hounds.

The Slightly-Belated, Long-Awaited Proposition 8 Blog Post!

“Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same sex couples.” [U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker]

That's right, the judge (rightly, I believe) has ruled that people cannot enact laws, even with a majority vote, that have no rational or practical basis and are based entirely on the prejudice of the majority against a minority group with a different belief set.

In fact, not only was there no rational basis for such a law to have been passed in the first place, I can think of numerous rational bases for this law not to have passed. Not only that, I can think of rational arguments against most of the reasons people cited for supporting Proposition 8.

What is marriage? Webster's New World Dictionary defines marriage as “an intimate or close union.” While that certainly is an accurate definition, anyone who has ever been married could tell you that marriage is so much more. An intimate and close union, yes. But marriage is also safety, comfort, compromise, sacrifice, fulfillment. Among the multitude of dictionaries available, there can be found many different definitions for “marriage,” and only on rare occasion do these definitions contain any reference to the gender of the persons entering into a married state.