Keeping Busy

Back at it today. It was a nice break.
Odd. Waking up on that first Saturday morning with all that free time stretching out in front of me is so full of possibilities and thoughts about fun things to do. Of course I didn't do most of them. I had thoughts about painting a picture or two. I really do want to. And nope. Didn't.
Didn't even manage to clean off my desk, which is in dire need of cleaning.

So I went back to work after not getting anything done for the last couple weeks.
I can't say I feel bad about it, but I can't say I feel good about it, either.

So.

My work kids are like that old joke.
Men don't want to know what's on, they want to know what ELSE is on. That's why they always want the remote.

My kids don't want to know what we have to do, they want to know what's next.
I've been trying to come up with more things that are hands on and interesting. Although it's not fashionable to say boys and girls are different, most of them really are.

When they're in Kindergarten or first grade, the boys are more likely to play with the dolls or doll house stuff, they usually move to more hands on stuff by third grade.

I've always had a variety of stuff around, but the group of kids I have is always different, too.This is the first place I've worked where most of my young humans aren't attending five days a week.

I have kids whose parents share custody. So for example I have Ryan every other week when he's with his mom and then when he's with Dad, he goes home on the bus.
(once again I don't use real names)

Several attend two days a week, but not all of them attend the same two days, so maybe I have kids who are there Monday and Thursday and two other kids who are there Tuesday and Wednesday and another one who's there Wednesday and Thursday. It's a lot to keep track of in planning, but not too bad in actual practice.

We have an app that lets us know when they're going to be there. If a kid isn't on the schedule, no worry.

But there are some activities that I plan for specific kids, knowing that he or she will really enjoy it and not wanting them to miss out.

I've finally started (most of the time) just doing the activities and telling kids who are upset about missing out that we have so many schedules that sometimes they're going to miss something.

Today was the day I finally brought out the cardboard and cardboard tools.
I won't allow the kids to cut corrugated cardboard with scissors, it's dangerous and I really don't want accidents. Once in awhile I have saved up a bunch of cereal boxes and other thin cardboard and we have a 'trash day'. They go through a lot of masking tape. LOL.

So the cardboard tools are pretty good. They're child safe. 
I am hoping the next time we do the cardboard thing they'll get a little more creative.
They did seem to enjoy it, though, which is the whole point.

This isn't one of 'my' kids, it's an internet photo.

We still have all the regular stuff out, too. The LEGO, the game cart, the art cart, dramatic play area. There's a small kitchen set, burners, microwave, sink. I got it from a person on teh Book o' Face Buy Nothing group.

The dramatic play boxes have play food and knitted scarves the kids use as baby blankets/slings to carry their babies. We have five babies. The rule is that we must treat them like real babies. No being mean to them or making them do things like fly or hit each other.

It's usually either small kids, K or 1st or some of the older girls. 
They are good parents, snuggling and comparing infant milestones.
"My little boy slept all night long!"

So when we got ready to go outside this afternoon, and the usual crowd had been playing with the babies, I was surprised to see how the babies had been left. I'm pretty sure it was an accident, but there's a little part of me that wonders.

I have introduced a lot of stuff to the company I'm working for. There are now traveling boxes like the one in the photo above, filled with all kinds of interesting things. There's a mad scientist box with lab coats and goggles and test tubes and computer keyboards etc.

A couple dress up boxes with a bunch of different costumes, jewelry, glasses, scarves. You get the idea.

Another idea I had a few months ago is a big bin to make Rube Goldberg machines.

I'll be introducing that to the kids tomorrow. The box contains a lot of different things, marble run stuff, dominoes, croquet balls, tennis balls. String and things that balance.

I will take some photos of all the stuff they're doing if I can.

Part of what I have to do is write up best practices and watch for things that can happen with the items included. Kids get up to all kinds of shenanigans. It's up to us to head them off before they become a problem. Always fun.

Yep, I'm back at it.
Guess it's too late to change career tracks, huh?

Unconditional

My sister in law, Snatchie, tossed me off her Facebook a couple years ago because I got into an argument with my brother Dick in which I said that people who claim to be Christians and don't love unconditionally are assholes and they make their god look like a petulant jerk.

It made me angry at the time especially because my brother was using my cousin Denette to advance his crappy book. Using her influence. Taking advantage of her. And he was too good to sleep in her house and then, after all she'd done for him, while saying goodbye, he hugged her and said, "Well, I don't approve of your lifestyle but I love you."

She is a better person than I am, she merely said she loved him too.
It makes me angry even now.

I have talked about my cousin here before. We did not grow up close friends for a lot of reasons, but when we grew up and had things in common, trying to build families and take care of our homes and just have a life, we found we had things to talk about. We ended up living in the same area for the first time in our lives and our relationship grew.

Denette's daughter became pregnant her senior year in high school. She chose to keep her baby rather than have an abortion. The baby was born six months before her mom graduated from high school.

At 17, most people aren't ready to be parents, and this case was no exception. The baby's father had gotten married (he was TWENTY FIVE when he was messing around with a 15 year old girl) and he and his new wife took the little girl when she was about five.

They tried to get sole custody and deny visitation to Denette and her daughter and the other members of the family. Denette took care of that and after court cases were over, it was agreed the little girl could see her mother. She flew back and forth for school breaks and summer vacations for a long time.

Fast forward to now. The little girl is 15 years old now. And recently came out as gay.

Her father and the person he's married to no longer want to have her in their home.

She's been sent to live with Denette and the rest of the family in Arizona.

There is so much wrong with this.
The worst thing to me is that she's in an entirely new school after growing up in the same place for most of her life. I know she'll be supported in her new life and that she's loved, but a 'loving' family doesn't toss out a young teenager because she is gay. Just disgusting.

This is not unconditional love, people.

And if you're reading here and you think a person who loves the same gender is somehow less than you or that your god doesn't approve of gay people, then you need to get your attitude and your life adjusted. Because you're the sick one.

It can happen...

I told you last week about what one of the grandmas I work with had to say about the ruling that two consenting adults can be married in any state now.

And today she told me that she really doesn't care about who gets married. That she has enough to worry about. And that she has a couple family members who are gay. One who is bi. And that she loves them, and supports them.

I asked her what had changed.

And she said, "My heart."

One person at a time.

Rainbows for Everyone!!

I work with a broad cross section of humanity.
All women at this point, although we've had a few guys on our team in the past.

We're all very different as individuals. It's interesting to me when I stop to really ponder it.

We have a couple grandmothers, more than a few 20 something college students, some mid-30s housewives and at least one gimpy 54 year old.

Different families, too.
Single moms raising children, married man/woman couples, single, unencumbered individuals, empty nesters.

None of us socialize outside of work. The only thing we have in common is our jobs. I like everyone just fine, but we don't spend any time together when we're not required to. That works for me very well. I have had jobs in the past where the staff really was like one big family, but the way we're set up, we just don't spend time getting to know one another. We're all on our own little islands for a majority of the time.

Yesterday afternoon I was asked by one of the grandmas, "What do you think about the new Supreme Court ruling?"

From her disapproving tone, I knew which case she was referring to.

"Well, I don't really care, actually. I think it's fine."

"Hmph. It's certainly not a lifestyle *I* approve of! I mean, I guess it's their business, but I don't understand it."

Ha. As if they need your approval!!

She had asked me what I thought. I decided to tell her.
"As far as I'm concerned, anyone who doesn't accept my entire family, regardless of their orientation, can kiss my ass. Excuse me, will you?"

I walked over to where a couple boys were once again stealing the money from the cash register while the girls had their backs turned and dealt with the situation.

She figured out all by herself that topic was over. :)

One of my coworkers is gay, she lives with her partner. Between them, they have three kids. Grandma still hasn't figured it out, although the coworker takes all three kids with her when she leaves every day.

I am glad to see her in a relationship. She's been lonely a long time.

I ask, in all honesty, how does that affect you, personally? Generic you, of course... since the people who read here have open minds and open hearts.
How does someone's love change yours? Threaten your marriage? Contribute to the downfall of our country?

We'd be a lot better off in our country if people would just butt out when it's not their concern.

And now that we've opened the door to finally realizing religious institutions have no fucking business in government, how about them starting to pay taxes?

Teh EEEEBIL GAYS are coming to take your children!!!

One of the things I enjoy is commenting on some of the news stories on our local station, KATU. I don't read everything that's there because all the news stations are the same. The Kardashians and other dipshits and what they're up to. It distracts us from what's really going on. Bread and circuses for the rabble and all.

If the story is political as in Dem vs Rep, I don't bother reading OR commenting, as I think if you vote based on party affiliation, you're part of the problem.

I love commenting on the stories about how teh eeeebil gays are taking over the world, though.

It's sort of fun to imagine the people I'm responding to sitting on the other side of their screens and frothing at the mouth.

Even if I weren't an ally, believing (rightly, I think) that love between two consenting adults is simply love, I still wouldn't feel that it's the business of government to interfere in marriage.

Passing a law in this state to allow people who love each other to get married and enjoy the benefits of marriage would affect me... uh... wait. No, it wouldn't.

But to read some of the rhetoric and just complete crap that's spewed out in the comment section just amazes me.

It always cracks me up when someone inevitably says something like, "Well if we allow gay marriage, what's next? People will marry their dogs!! Trees in the front yard!! Rocks!! Aiyeeeeeeee!! The sky is falling!! The sky is falling!!!"

Of course a dog, tree, or rock isn't able to consent to any sort of legal contract, so it's just another breathless and screamy argument that means exactly nothing.

Also meaning nothing? " In Leviticus the Bible says it's wrong."
Leviticus says a lot of things are wrong in that same passage. But those other things are never mentioned. Hypocritical assholes.

IF you believe in God and you're trying to live a life as free from sin as possible, that is your only worry.

Not what I have in my pants and who's allowed to touch it. Or who I decide to marry.

Someone always tosses out the phrase 'the gay agenda', too.
I have asked for a copy of it, but so far no one has produced one.

My guess is that the gay agenda looks a lot like my own agenda.

Work.
Eat.
Sleep.
Clean the house occasionally.
Feed the kids.
Put gas in the car.
Hug the people you love.
Do the laundry.
Go to the library, the grocery store, the craft store.
Repeat as necessary.

Even though I've carefully read the arguments against gays being allowed to 'ruin marriage', I still don't understand it.

I don't understand how they're going to crash Social Security, either. Our own "representatives" have done that all by themselves.
Don't gay people pay taxes? Don't they accrue social security?

So as long as people are defending marriage against people who want to get married, I'll keep defending people who want to get married against bigots and crabby old fucks who really should know better at their ages.

And of course will lock up my children at night, because that's when they will come and try to recruit them.

:::shudder:::

Pinball, Fags, and T Parties. PS.. I'm hot.

I know I'm not the only person who has a brain like a pinball machine. Big old steel balls (in my case it's actually a few slightly chipped and misshapen marbles rolling around) bouncing off bumpers and ringing bells and lighting up lights and making electronic noises and generally being the absolute attention whore to beat all attention whores, my brain is. Although there have been occasions where I was pretty sure I had balls of steel, it turned out to be an illusion. They're just marbles. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Todd*'s mom went on a mini vacation with her boyfriend over Spring break and sent Todd and Brian* to stay with her parents in another state.

The boys came back to my program suntanned.

And Todd came back out of sorts, grumpy, and uncharacteristically sullen. It's been very obvious that he's just not the same sunshiny guy he's always been.

And because I've been around kids a long time and have gone through all the required course work to know, I recognize his changes as a possible warning sign that something may have happened to him. My mind wouldn't go there except that I know he spent his vacation time with his grandparents and his mom wasn't there with him.

But there are no other signs. And his mom is a teacher. Certainly well-versed in how to spot signs, too. And it was her parents he was with. So wouldn't she know? Right now there isn't anything concrete that I could report, either.
Can you imagine the phone call?
"I have a kid in my program who's acting strange."
But I'm keeping an eye on him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember Liam*? His dad has seemingly lightened up a bit lately. He came in to get his son twice last week while Liam was (gasp) hanging out with girls. And he jumped up from the table and ran to his dad, jumped into his arms and squeeeezed his dad around the neck. And his dad laughed and said, "Get your stuff." Greeted me in a friendly manner, and as far as I can tell, wasn't too worried about Liam's choice of people to hang out with.

Liam did find me last week though to follow up on the whole gay issue.
He said, "Do you really have a gay cousin?"

I answered yes, I did, and he wanted to know, "How do you know she's gay? Does she, like, tell people?"

I said, "Well, she chose to marry a woman, so that pretty much lets people know, I guess."

And then he asked,"Was her dad mad at her for being a fag?"

I kept my voice calm. Did not change expression.

"Liam, that word is offensive. It's not polite to use it at all here. Can you make sure not to say that here again?"

His eyes got wide.

"Oh!" He said. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. That's what my dad calls them."

And I said, "Well, generally people just like to be called people. Or by their names."

I didn't address his father's homophobic issues.
I can't.

Wouldn't fix anything anyway.

I can just be there to talk to.
And I will as long as possible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time for a T Party.
I sent the flyers home with parents last week. Time to bring in a plain 100% cotton t shirt in either pastel or white for our tie dye event.

Lyssa's going to come out to the school and volunteer to help. Usually when it's time to do an event with kids is when I really get the urge to experiment with the dye. Which of course doesn't happen, I don't have TIME while I'm teaching kids how to do this.

The parental deadline is April 21.
A Friday.
So I can go to Sprawlmart and purchase a few shirts for however many kids whose parents forgot theirs over that weekend and no one will go home sad 'cause they didn't get the opportunity to dye a shirt.

But this year? I am charging the parents five bucks per shirt if I have to furnish it. Does that seem outrageous?
If they forgot to get their kid a shirt, and I have to drive to the store, crutch in there and pick up a few shirts for 3 bucks each, is two dollars for my trouble over the top?

Last year I had to furnish six shirts and two families never even bothered to pay me. Would you be pissed if you forgot your kid's shirt and they got one anyway and dyed it and then the teacher asked you to pay for it?

Speaking as a parent, I think I'd appreciate that the teacher planned ahead and took care of the possibility that being a busy parent, I may have forgotten... and just pay for it with a 'thank you.' 

But that's me. And really, I don't want to offend anyone, but doesn't that seem fair?

I'm NOT going to have a kid who wants to dye a shirt feeling left out. And the people who did not pay me last year... well, I know the kids will not know that, they'll just remember that they got to do a shirt.

In fact, I don't even remember which parents didn't bother to pay. Doesn't really matter. The kids were proud of their creations, which of course is the point.
I'm overthinking this, aren't I?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eric and Lyssa had a date on Saturday. They went to a Chinese strip mall. Grocery store, clothing store, a place that sells Tchotchkes and out for lunch. Brought home a bunch of chopsticks for me, I wanted some for a craft project at work.

I recently purchased plastic communion cups from Amazon for a project, too. I'll have to show you some pictures once we do it.

Eric contributed to that project, too.

I know I've mentioned once or twice that my job is a family affair.
It's one reason I'm so good at it, I have a LOT of resources.

Speaking of resources, Tami is always finding things for me at Goodwill for my kids. She's stopping by with a delivery of fuse beads between the time I write this post and the time it publishes. She's going to be treated to a vision of beauty... bright blue thermal shirt over a dark blue one, plaid pajama pants and my hot pink slipper boots.

At least my hair is clean and my teeth are brushed.
:)

I know. You think I'm hot, don't you?
I don't blame you. Everyone does.

What if...

Jack* asked me last week, "What if your kids were gay? Would you still love them?"
He just walked up to me and said that. It was sort of strange, but I said, "Yes, of course I would. Why would who they love change MY love?"

And Jack* said, "Well, sometimes people end up gay and their parents don't love them because they turned out that way. My mom has a friend who won't talk to her own son anymore because he likes guys."

A few kids had stopped to listen in on their way from here to there caught by the "g" word. One of them was Liam*.

Jim* volunteered that he knows 'like four gay people' plus, "One of my uncles is gay. His boyfriend lives at his house and they're just like, married. They sleep in the same bed and they share everything. When we have Thanksgiving, my uncle brings his man with him."

Rachelle* said, "Susan has a gay cousin." They all turned to me. "It's true," I said. "My cousin is a woman who is married to a woman."

"Do you still like her?" Fischer* wanted to know.
"Does her mom still like her?" Jack.

I assured them that yes, I love my cousin and her wife a lot. They're good people and fun to be around. I expressed regret that we don't see each other often because they live in Arizona, but said that I'm always really excited when they come to visit Oregon, and that I don't miss the opportunity to see them when I can.

I sort of glossed over the question of her mom still liking her, because my aunt, although she still loves her daughter, worries about her morality and wants her to 'get right with God.' The religious divide in our family frustrates me and causes me to be a little angry at times... and I definitely don't want to get into that sort of discussion at work with my kids.

Rachelle knows about my cousin because last school year I uploaded a bunch of group activity photos to Snapfish, and while I was ordering prints, ordered a print of Denette and Stacey. Picked up the photos on my way to work, and was letting the kids look through them when that one came up.

The kids wanted to know who was in the picture, so I told them. "My cousin and her wife." and went on with whatever it was I had been doing. I guess it made an impression, although there wasn't really any conversation about it at the time.

So Jack wanted to talk about his mom's friend some more. It seems that as long as she thought her son might not be gay, he could still live at her house and go to college, but that when he brought his boyfriend home to meet his mom, she asked them both to leave and not come back anymore.

"Isn't that sad?" he finished. "To not love your kid anymore?"

I agreed. Said that no matter what, I'd still love my kids.

Liam said that some people 'start out' like boys and then turn into girls.

I gently corrected him. Don't forget that he's learned this from his father... and that he LOVES his daddy. More than anything.

I said, "Well, some people believe that. But I don't. I think that you are whatever you are when you're born, and that it's not going to change. And that there's a place for everyone, and someone for everyone to love and be happy with. Sometimes that person is a girl, sometimes it's a boy. And that's okay."

There was some more chatting... seems everyone knows about being gay, and that some kids are okay with it, and some think it's weird. But it wasn't a huge discussion. There was no argument or 'eww, gross' stuff.

It was sort of low key, and didn't really end. It was near snack time, and we wandered toward the back door to go wash our hands for snack, still chatting.

So I'm guessing it will come up again, as stuff usually does. And I love that it was a calm, matter-of-fact thing that was just... a conversation. Nothing epic. Not huge. Just talking.

I have now been called stylish.

According to Things That Bother Me I deserve this award.
Okay. I'll take it.
:)

Before I do, click on that link and go read at least three posts. Guarantee you'll laugh, end up adding the blog to your reader, and then laugh every time he posts.

Here's a recent quote, chosen at random from the zillions of possibilities.

Do you know that there were 109 Grammy Awards given out? There was even one for "Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album". Did they say Rap Gospel? What, does 50 cent have a new song called; " Yo bitch, lets find Jesus?"

The guy is consistently funny.

Here's what I'm supposed to do about this award.

First, I'm to thank the person who gave it to me.
Thank you, Mr. Bothered.
I love getting awards. But I never know whether it will be appreciated when I pass it on, so I usually chicken out and don't pass the award on.

And I'm not going to this time... unless you want it. And if you do, please. Take it. Follow the rules if you can. Don't if you can't.
If nothing else, it gives you something to write about if you're suffering from 'what am I gonna say today-ish-ness'.

After thanking Bothered, I am supposed to tell you seven things about myself.
I've been writing here for a long time, but I know there are still some things that you may not know. In fact, I'm sure there are things I don't want you to know.
:)

I'm fairly certain that none of the following things about me will surprise you.

1. I think everyone in our current elected government is stupid, short sighted, selfish, on a power trip and has done and will continue to do irreparable harm to our country.
This isn't new. We continue to vote for fucking morons who can't hold a real job, allow them to shit on everyone, re elect about half of them even though they've never done a goddamn thing to deserve it, and worst of all, support some of them for life.

WHY????
::shrug::
I have no idea.

I take small consolation in the fact that most of the time, the people who win the elections are people I voted against.

That consolation is balanced by the fact that if the 'other guy' had won, we'd still be receiving an abysmal fucking, just in a different position and maybe with more K-Y.

They're all stupid assholes. Every damn last one.

Thing is, to be elected, especially to a national office, you have to be rich.

Eric and I were talking about that the other day. In his line of work, he has met many people who are well off.

And a huge percentage of them are just... dumber than a box of hair.

It almost seems to go together... the pairing of good (monetary) fortune and not so good brain power/common sense.

Which of course makes me feel a lot better... clearly, I'm too smart to be rich.
:-D

So only really wealthy people get elected, get their hands on the controls, and inevitably make things worse. And they're too stupid to figure it out.

Evidently, we, the voting public, are stupid, too.
I almost think it's smarter not to bother voting. No matter how I vote or who wins... I always lose. So do you.

2. I am fairly even these days.

The preceding bit of political rant aside, my crazy has mostly been medicated into submission.

I resisted the clear fact that I needed help with it for a long time.

It's shame, more than anything. Even though what my doctor said to me is completely true. She said, "If a diabetic comes to me and cannot regulate his or her blood sugar, I give them medication to help them balance that. You are not able to regulate your chemistry any more than they are. That's why we have medication."

So I take the medication.
And occasionally read back over the diary I kept at the beginning. I was having such a horrible time. And all the gut wrenching and awake all night obsessing are just... gone for the most part. However, sometimes, despite the fact that I'm on enough medication to make a horsie happy, I can still wake up and worry. But I can usually go back to sleep and wake up calm.

Impossible before the meds.

It's not related to happiness, people. Otherwise I would definitely not need the assistance.

But I still mostly keep the fact that I'm on drugs to myself and a few close friends.
Well, and the whole goddamn internet. But 99.9% of the internet has never heard of me. They don't know I'm Mental.

Neither does my extended family. Even though more than a few of them are far beyond mental and off into the land of what-the-fuck ness.

At least four of my family members could use some serious therapy of some sort... either medication or counseling. Or both. But they won't admit there's a problem.

I know it's hard to admit.

Can you imagine me sharing my medical stuff with parents as they arrive to pick up their children?

Hell, I am taking medication and I'd be concerned about leaving my kid with someone who has to be medicated.

How screwy is that? And what is there to be done about it?

3. Maybe there are some types of crazy that can't be medicated.
One of my kids asked me the other day, following a discussion about the amount of money I've spent making my program the way I want it, "If you won like 10 million dollars in the lottery, would you quit your job?"

And I really had to think about it.

This may not surprise you. I'd stay where I am, at least for awhile.
Then, I'd open up my own before/after school center.
And still work with kids.
I love it.

But I'd take more time off.

4. I am comfortable with a lot of different viewpoints. I may not agree, but I am fine with allowing people to feel the way they want to. As long as it doesn't hurt someone else.

You may notice that on my reading list over there on the left, there are blogs written from several different perspectives. I read blogs written by Christians, Pagans, Atheists, gay people, straight people, Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians... I feel that I get a broader view of the world because of it. And I'm learning things I would not otherwise have known. I like that. I can agree to disagree, as they say, and feel fine about it.

5. I have (gasp) gay relatives and friends.
They're just... people. You know... relatives and friends.

And it awakens my own intolerance to hear people say stupid things to them like, "Well, I don't approve of your lifestyle, but I love you anyway."

Really? Could you be any more demeaning?
Who the hell are you?
Oh I remember. You are a condescending and superior asshole, that's who you are. You're sanctimonious and somehow under the impression that your religion gives you an excuse to be a fucking jerk.

I was recently told by a family member that he 'refuses to take sides' in the argument.

Okay.

It's your right to do so.
Even if I think it's chickenshit.

But by not taking sides, you are doing exactly that. If you won't stand up and say, "It's wrong to voice your disapproval or judge someone," then you're taking sides. Like it or not.

I don't refuse to take sides, though.

And the recent blowup in the family (a certain family member thinks that not allowing his children around his sister because 'teh gay' might be catching is just fine...) has me steaming.

Why can't people just... love? Accept?

I prefer to stand up and be honest about what I really think. And if my cousin and her wife (for example) are not welcome somewhere, then I won't go there, either. My children have the right to decide for themselves, and I'm beyond proud to say that they believe in giving love and respect to the people who have earned it.

Regardless of their 'lifestyle choice'.
As if it's a choice.
Grr.

Why are people so frightened by the love shared by others?

6. I swear. Often. Cheerfully. With great gusto. Internally and externally. The word fuck is like a comma in my thoughts.

I don't do it around the children I work with. I don't do it in the grocery store (well, not audibly) and I know not to say shit in front of people who might be uncomfortable with it.

But here? On my blog? I have no problem using words that would have made my grandmother blush. Or telling you stories that would have done the same.

I don't set out to deliberately offend anyone who reads here, but I say things that some people would definitely find offensive. The best suggestion I have for you does not involve profanity or judgement... just don't read here. You're likely to find almost anything on any day.

Click here for something that's less offensive than my blog .

7.   This 'mother' pisses me off. There's something to be said for taking responsibility, but her first responsibility would have been for her to supervise her children. After she screwed that up, she made things exponentially worse.

I'd like to kick her in the taco.

I wasn't speechless. I just kept my mouth shut at the right times.

Imagine that.
Repeatedly.

I kept my mouth shut through several opportunities to spit in indignation and anger and incredulous disbelief.

But not because I didn't have anything to say. It was more because I was trying to make sure I didn't say the wrong thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So when we last checked in with Liam Smith, he told me that he was not allowed 'to play with girls ever again forever.' And when asked why, he told me that his dad thought he was turning into a girl.
Remember that?
Yeah.

And I ended up having a conversation with Georgia*, my area manager. She said she'd give Dad a call and discuss the situation with him on Monday.

Monday afternoon she called me to let me know that she hadn't had a chance to do it and was leaving the office early due to a family emergency.

I told her not to worry, I really felt okay talking with Dad myself. I'd had the weekend to consider it and gotten some great advice from friends and family.

Also, I thought that if I spoke to him about it instead of having my supervisor do so, it implied that I was the only person aware of what was going on and that I wasn't pointing the 'you're a bad parent' finger at him by passing the story on up the line, if that makes sense.

So we agreed that I'd talk with Dad, and that I'd get back to her about it.

And it wasn't 10 minutes before Liam's dad showed up to get him.

::gulp::

I didn't even have time to get nervous about talking with him, we still had 18 kids with us and various activities going on.

So as I walked up the hallway with him to a place where we could talk without being overheard, I was mentally making a list of goals.

Number one.
I didn't want to make him angry.
What if he took it out on his son in some way?

Number two?
Same as number one, but for a slightly different reason.

I did not want to make him angry.

If I made him angry, the first thing he'd do is pull his kid out of my program... and how would I be able to make a difference to the little guy if I am no longer a part of his life?

So I just told his dad the exact same story I wrote here. That his son had sat alone on the playground for an hour while everyone else played and had a good time.

And that when questioned, he had told me that he wasn't allowed to talk to or play with girls.

His dad started into a litany (no other word to describe it) about nature vs nurture, (a boy becomes a 'homo' due to 25% nature and 75% nurture.. "the research says so,") sexual identity confusion, his four psychology classes at college and how 'the mother' (yes, he referred to his wife not by name or even 'my wife' but 'the mother') has spoiled him and taught him to want to be a girl.

That his 'confusion' about whether he is a boy or a girl all started when he was a baby and the mother began reading him books about princesses. The situation became worse when 'the grandmother' bought him a princess dress when he was three and allowed him to wear it when he visited her.

He said that the mother has said that "He is what he is, that people are born homo or not and that you can't change it," and that his son is, right now, confused and that she's done nothing to stop it. That he wants to play with girl toys and girls all the time. That he has personally observed that in games where there is role playing, he always wants to take the feminine role.

He said he's told Liam that he will be picked on in school, and the boys in high school will beat him up if he's different, and that he's just trying to teach him that he's a boy, not a girl.

He continued talking in the same manner for a few minutes, and I just let him ramble. I knew before we even started talking that attempting to change his mind wasn't a possibility, so I wasn't even going to try.

But I did have a goal. To get him to allow his son to be one of our group without regard to whether or not he plays with boys or girls.

To not be set apart the way he had been.

So when he started to run down a bit and took a breath, I jumped on the opportunity to say, "I'm sure it wasn't your intention for Liam to be alone and lonely. Obviously it's not healthy for him to come here and not be able to enjoy the friends he's made. He's such an engaging and outgoing little person. He has a lot of friends here, both boys and girls. Everyone likes him and wants to play with him."

And he looked flummoxed. I hadn't disagreed with any of the crap he spouted. I let him say what he believed and didn't attempt to change his mind at all. I didn't even address any of it. I just let him say what he wanted without argument.

And he stammered a bit and sort of danced around the issue of his son being allowed to play with girls.

I told him that, "Of course you're his father and I would never undermine you with your child. What would you have wanted me to do when he was sitting alone on the playground? Would you have wanted me to let him know it was okay to play with a mixed group of kids, both girls and boys... or just leave him sitting there? I tell ya, they're my kids four hours a day, and seeing him sit there so sad was difficult for me. I can't imagine how bad he must have been feeling. It's really important to me that the kids have a good time while they're here. I work hard to make sure that they're having a lot of opportunities to have fun and learn things together. Within the scope of my job, of course, I could never tell a child that he or she wouldn't be able to play with another child because of an issue like that."

And ya know what? I won!
:)

He said, "Um, well, no, of course I don't want him to be alone. I want him to have a good time here. He can play with girls, but I really don't want him to play just with girls all the time. Can you encourage him to do boy things?"

"Of course I can, " I said firmly.
I did NOT say, "Of course I will." I chose my words most carefully.

We ended the conversation on a cordial note, he thanked me for taking good care of his son, and then?

Then he said something that just melted my heart.

"Of course I love him no matter what." he said.
"I just want him to be happy."

There is hope for Liam.

And that makes me really happy.

NOW what do I do?

It's been awhile since I wrote about Liam.

He's still in our program.

His dad has expressed concern to staff members about Liam's choices of toys to play with, saying that he doesn't want his son to play with 'girl' toys.

All summer, when Dad came to pick him up, he expressed disapproval if Liam was playing with girls or girl toys. Dad's thinking is that if he's not playing with (appropriately colored) Legos or cars, he's not playing correctly.

We've always tried to just make sure things are cleaned up when Dad shows. We avoid friction that way. And of course that way Liam can do what he wants to do while he's with us.

On Friday afternoon, Liam wandered aimlessly around the playground, kicking a chunk of bark and looking lonely.

Rachelle* pointed it out to me and said, "Do you know why Liam is sad?"

When I said I did not, she said, "He's not allowed to play with girls anymore."

So I went and sat next to Liam. By that time, he had parked himself on the playground bench, all alone. He was watching the bigger boys playing football and watching the rest of the group, mostly girls and two little boys, playing a version of follow the leader.

I asked him, "Don't you feel like playing?"

"I can't." he answered. "Loren and Joe* aren't here today."

"Well, you could play with someone else," I suggested.

And Liam said, "No. I can't. My dad said I am never allowed to play with girls anymore forever."

::gulp::

"Why did he say that?" I wondered aloud.

"Because he thinks I am going to turn into a girl," he answered.

"Oh goodness!" I said.

"So I can't play with girls. Not even Brooke*."

Brooke had been his best friend until this week. They'd had play dates at each other's houses and hung out during program, doing little art projects and reading knock knock jokes to each other.

"Can't play with girls, huh?" I asked. "How does that make you feel?"

"Sad." he answered without hesitation. "I can't hang around with my friends anymore at all."

I was speechless.

Despite my feelings about it, his father is his father. I am just the babysitter. I can't tell him, for example, "Hey. Did you know your dad is full of shit?"

Or, "Well, why don't you go ahead and play with whoever you want to and I won't say anything?"

So Liam sat on the bench the rest of the time we were outside and watched everyone else play.

Now the thing is, Liam may very well be the most effeminate little boy I've ever met. I don't know if that means he will grow up to be gay or not. Frankly, I don't give a shit. But if I had to point to a child I thought was going to grow up gay, it would be him.

All Liam wants is to please his father.
All his father wants is for his son to be a he-man.

So I can't do a whole lot.
I did call Sunshine and chat with her a bit. I wanted to know if she had any ideas. Obviously I can't undermine a parent in any way. She was stumped and told me to give Georgia* a call. Georgia is our area manager, and Sunshine thought perhaps there was something we could do.

And Georgia is going to give Dad a call on Monday and talk with him a bit. She is going to point out that Liam is spending an awful lot of time alone while at our program, and that it's not really healthy for him.

And seriously... I mean really think about this... if you're afraid your kid is going to be a gay boy, wouldn't you want to expose him to more girls rather than putting him with other boys?

So I can continue to treat Liam with respect. I can laugh with him, try to come up with group activities that he can participate in, and do what I can to make sure he doesn't look like he's doing anything 'gay' when his father shows up to pick him up.

I know I have a lot of smart people who read here. What would you do?

Bear in mind that I cannot undermine a parent, and cannot go against their wishes in a matter like this unless it's a safety issue.

If Dad doesn't want him to play with any girls, I can't encourage him to do so.

I can look the other way if he talks to girls or plays with them, but that's about the extent of my subversive activities.

This makes me so sad.

So what do you all think? Help me out here if you can. Please.

Gay people are scary!!!

So everyone who clicks on my blog knows that I support marriage between consenting adults.

Or you should know it, anyway. Over there on the right is a pretty obvious indicator.

Really, I support marriage of any sex or combination(s) thereof. I don't care if 17 adults want to get married to each other. Or just hook up.

Seriously.

How will that affect me? Just because I'm hetero and monogamous (Eric wishes for me to point out that being monogamous is only my choice) doesn't mean everyone else has to be.

Gee whiz.

Actually, I was thinking just the other day how handy it would be to have a couple extra husbands around the place.

I just now ran that idea past my hubby, who's definitely on board with the idea and he offered a couple crude (yet strangely enthusiastic) remarks. I'll leave them to your imagination. But they were pretty funny.

I'm really not trying to make light of a serious topic. It's just that I digress. If you've read more than, oh, half a post here, you already know that.

Christy asked me last week if I'd  heard about this and if so, what was my take.

Here's a link to KGW and a couple excerpts Student teacher ousted by Beaverton for gay marriage comments | kgw.com | KGW Home

"A candid conversation between a student teacher and a 4th grader about gay marriage led to his abrupt dismissal from the Beaverton School District.

Seth Stambaugh, a student teacher at Sexton Mountain elementary school, was apparently dismissed after answering a fourth grader's question about his marital status by saying it would be illegal for him to marry because he would choose to marry a man."

Later in the story, this: 

"There were two complaints filed against Stambaugh, according to (Stambaugh's lawyer Lake Perriguey.)

And let me interject here that I really like this guy's name. Lake Perriguey. It's so... lyrical. And it makes me think of iced tea and house boats and men in Sp33dos...

Yes, technically this is another digression. Do you have a problem with it?

The father of a student reportedly complained that Stambaugh had dressed inappropriately. Stambaugh was wearing pressed slacks, an oxford-style shirt and his grandfather's cardigan. The complaint was dismissed by the school, according to Perriguey.

The second complaint came after a conversation Stambaugh had with a student.

He was leading a writing lesson when a fourth-grader asked him if he was married.
Stambaugh said no.
The student then asked why.
Stambaugh replied that it would be illegal for him to get married because he would be choosing to marry another man.
The student then asked if Stambaugh hanged out with guys and he said yes."

So anyway.
I don't care about someone else's sex life. I have important things to think about.

But I'm thinking that student teacher won't ever have to work again if he wants to file suit. And I think he should.

I can't see that he said or did anything inappropriate.

What do you think?

 

More stuff I'm thinking about.

When I drive past a business where a person is standing on the sidewalk outside, holding a sign (or dancing and groovin') for the business, I am not any more likely to stop there than I would be otherwise.

Do sign wavers influence your purchasing decisions? I have to say that if I am influenced, it's in a negative way. As in, nope, not gonna spend money at that business. Having someone dancing around waving a sign at me as I drive past is distracting and annoying. And seeing those sign holders in all kinds of weather makes me feel a little sorry for them, too. 

Who looked at the first sign waver, said, hmm, great advertising, and hired sign waver #2?


Sort of like who first decided that cooking meat was a good idea, got other people to try it, and started the whole BBQ thing?

;)

Well, that and artichokes. Who tried eating one, said OMG this thing tastes like shit and it's BITTER.. hey, let's cook it and try it again!? Really. I can't be the only one who thinks that's weird.

~~~~~~~~~~
Spray-on deodorant. I like it on occasion because one doesn't have to rub a deodorant stick on the old razor-burned pits I mentioned in the last post, but wtf is up with the huge cloud of, what, propellant? Deodorant dust? that surrounds me and lingers in the air for an hour after use?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dust in general.
Why does it settle all around? I mean, it was flying through the air to get here, why did it pick my house to settle in? Why doesn't it keep flying? Or stay where it originated?

And why do I even care about the dust all over stuff in my house.
Isn't it really some kind of protective layer?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cobwebs. They're not harmful either. I think they help collect dust, actually. This idea is based on the fact that the longer the webs stay up, the more visible they become. They eventually start to sag from the weight of the dust that lands in them. Of course, none of the ones in MY house do that, I'm very careful to always clean daily.

Yep. That's me. A cleaning machine. I know you're impressed, as you should be.

So instead of sweeping them away, perhaps I should be strategically using fans to blow dust toward the webs and let the spiders do part of my work for me. I have worked hard to teach 'my' kids that spiders are useful and mostly harmless, after all. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heat. Have I mentioned I hate the heat? I am grateful that it cools off beautifully at night here most of the time. This heat wave of 90+ during the day sucks, but the night time temps in the low 60s really help. But I hate the heat. Hate hate hate it.

And because it's not already hot enough, I have to wear this big-assed robo cop leg brace and pants every time I go out.

I'm actually supposed to wear it at home, too. I get around that by sitting a lot and saying to the people who ask, "But I'm sitting down now. Don't need it."

Now the pants I wear are cotton and are fairly thin.. but still pants. Because if I don't wear them, the stupid thing falls down when I walk.
The. Brace. Is. Hot.
And heat makes me physically ill.
Ugh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gay people. They're on my mind, too.
All the screaming and ranting about Prop 8 in California. All the rabid, foaming at the mouth "Christian" emails I've received telling me how gay people are a threat to my marriage, my children and social security. Not to mention truth, justice, and the American way.

Give me a fucking break, willya? Anyone who actually believes those things is seriously lacking in logical thinking skills.

How is love a threat to me or mine?

Before you fwd fwd fwd all that crap, you might actually take the time to learn that not only do I have relatives and friends who have same-sex partners, I fully support their right to be married if they wish to.

I'll show up for the wedding and cry on them and give them wedding presents, too. I'll send them cards on their anniversaries. I'll throw baby showers when they have babies.

So stop sending me that crap.  Mind your own marriage and relationships. Stop worrying about everyone else's.

Love is a GOOD thing. The world needs MORE of it. If you want to legislate against two consenting adults being able to be married and allowed to enjoy all the benefits of being married, then you're not my friend. And you're sort of a jerk, really.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tie dyeing. I have some stuff dyed that needs mailing... and need to order some more stuff to dye in a couple weeks. I found some pillowcases the other day and have about 8 shirts to dye for friends and family. Nothing for myself right now, but I don't really need anything else. I have a LOT. But then, I saw these plain white cotton pajama pants, and I may end up ordering them from Dharma even though I don't need them because I want them. And why not order a shirt to go with them and make a set? Will keep me warm in the winter. And make me smile when I wear it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time. Thinking about time. And how fast it really goes. School starts in three weeks and three days. 24 days.

Wow. Is it just me, or was summer kind of short?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blogging. I am not going to stop blogging. I may even still post daily. But I am going to allow myself to skip a day or two or three now and then. You should be reading this in a reader anyway... then you'll know when I update.

Love the sinner...

Even the least-churchified among you can complete that sentence.
That condescending, holier-than-thou, 'I presume to know WWJD at all times' comment.

I don't like it.

I've never liked it.

First of all, IF I am sinning, it's none of your business. It's not up to you to point out what you perceive as my sin, or, in a magnanimous gesture forgive me for that sin.

What a crock of shit!!

And not only is it utter crap (last I heard, no one on this planet is qualified to judge me or my actions), it's shitty manners.

I was not raised to be rude to people. Neither was my brother.
As we've discussed before here I don't set out to hurt people. And if I do hurt them, I will say I'm sorry and mean it.

Much easier not to hurt them in the first place, I think.

My brother has headed down a very religious path. That's fine. If it provides him comfort and he's happy, I don't really care. I don't have to share his beliefs. They're his. I have mine.

My beliefs seem to be more conducive to decent manners, though.

I have a cousin who, after years and years of trying to live as a straight person, finally came out. There was a lot of speculation in the extended family as she married three different men and ended up divorced three times, and although Eric had her figured out years and years before she admitted that she is gay, I didn't have a clue.

Not that it matters. I think everyone who's been reading here awhile knows that I don't care what two consenting adults do, and that no matter how hard I think about it, no matter how many foaming-at-the-mouth-rabid Jesus emails I have forwarded to me by the staunch believers in my family, I can't for the life of me figure out how gay people are a threat to my marriage, the morals of the country, or my children.

My cousin is happier now than I've ever known her to be, and her wife is a beautiful person, inside and out. They're happy together, and despite the fact that most of the family won't even talk to her anymore, she's at peace with who she is and doing great.

I talked to her on the telephone a bit ago and she passed on a lovely comment made to her by my littlest brother.

He said these words to her, "Well, I love you even though I don't approve of your lifestyle."

Not being encumbered by religion seems to make people MORE accepting rather than less, have you noticed that?

Of course it's not up to him to approve or disapprove. Not up to me, not up to you.

And I am not going to mention the issue to him the next time we talk.

He'd know we'd been talking about him and it would probably stir up a shitstorm.

But if the opportunity ever arises, I'll tell him, "Not only are you exhibiting an appalling lack of manners, you're a sanctimonious prick."

And I wonder, if there really were a Jesus, if he'd approve of my brother treating his family like shit.

Don't homeschool! part 7 of 10

4. Homeschooling could breed intolerance, and maybe even racism. Unless the student is being homeschooled at the MTV Real World house, there’s probably only one race/sexuality/background in the room. How can a young person learn to appreciate other cultures if he or she doesn’t live among them?

Of course, thanks to the plethora of taxpayer-funded, politically correct curriculum and anti-bullying programs, there is no racism, intolerance, homophobia or hate present in the public schools. Those programs are so effective that bullying has just ceased to exist.

:::eyeroll:::

But since you've started the game, I'll play.




If by intolerance you mean that I've taught my children that any person, no matter their color or gender, can be a racist asshole, a bigot, or homophobic.. then yes, we're intolerant.

If by intolerance you mean that I've taught my children that everyone should always do the right thing without regard for what someone else may think... and that those who don't stand up for what's right lack integrity, yes. We're intolerant.

If you mean that I've taught them that everyone is entitled to their own religious beliefs and that even if we don't agree, it's not our place to comment in front of those people... yeah. Guilty.

(We certainly discuss it later, though. My kids have a basic understanding of and respect for many religions.)

If you mean that making sure my kids understand that saying politically correct things like, "We should shop at only white-owned (or Chinese-owned or Black-owned or Native American or Christian-owned or Buddhist-owned or woman-owned) businesses." is divisive and narrow-minded and isn't going to help foster any kind of racial, ethnic, or religious harmony, then yes, we are intolerant.

Or, if you mean that we believe people like Jesse Jackson and my cousin's neighbor, who thinks all black people should 'go back to Africa' are equally racist, then yeah. My kids are intolerant.

I've taught this scary worldview to them, too..

Love is love, and consenting adults of any gender or mix of genders should be free to be in love.

The only people who have a stake in it are the people in love. Everyone else should just mind their own business.

You see, I don't think you (generic you) have any right to comment or be concerned over it. It's not your place to do so.

If the love other people share is a threat to you, you're an idiot.

I guess that's intolerance, too. I make no apologies for any of it.

And homeschoolers are not in a room. We're in the world. We see people of other races, sexual orientations and cultures more than kids who are in a school building all day.

What kind of sheltered idiot thinks all homeschoolers are white and homophobic anyway?

Here's a fact for you... there are GAY people who homeschool!

There are many towns and cities right here in the US of A that are completely white. No Mexicans, no Black people, no Chinese or Japanese or anyone different. But that's okay. There are lots of books and movies about people with different lifestyles and ideas. Even the public school students who live in those places can learn about other cultures. Really.

Your arguments against homeschooling are silly.

I just can't take you seriously.

Doofus.

It's only love.

I believe that any consenting adults who wish to be married and spend the rest of their lives together should be able to do so.

They should be able to raise a family, make medical decisions for their spouse, and be given the rights of any other married couple.
Why shouldn't they?
Why is it even a question?














Edited to add this family picture, swiped from Jason's
blog (with his permission.) If you have a good half hour to an hour to read, go to his blog and read his story, linked on his sidebar. You'll laugh, you'll cry... you may even gain new understanding.


If you believe homosexuality is wrong, and as impossible as it seems to me, some people actually do believe that... how is it your business?

If your religion says it's wrong, please point out any biblical reference that makes you the judge or gives you the right to decide who is allowed to be in love?

Show me where it says you have the right to legislate your definition of love and marriage on anyone else.

(Generic you, of course... I'm pretty sure that everyone who reads here has an open mind and heart and would never deny basic rights to adults who want to be married.)

So I went to the Courage Campaign and signed the petition.

They do ask for your email address and zip code. Your name is optional. I had no problem putting my name on there.

If you think like I do, please go sign.
And if you don't think like I do, why are you reading here?

From the website:

("Fidelity": Watch the video and join our letter to the (California) state Supreme Court, signed by over 250,000 peopleTell the Supreme Court to invalidate Prop 8, reject Ken Starr's case, and let loving, committed couples marry. DEADLINE EXTENDED: March 2)

I think we should allow all people the right to love and marry the person of their choice.

As it says on my sidebar... It's okay. It's only love. The whole world could use more of it.

The Gays are coming! Hide your children!!

According to my local newspaper this morning,

" A group of people opposing Oregon’s new domestic partnership law for same-sex couples failed to gather enough valid signatures to block the law.

According to state election officials the group fell 116 valid signatures shy of the 55,179 signatures required to suspend the law and place it on the November 2008 ballot for a popular vote.

On January 1, 2008, Oregon will become the eighth state to have spousal rights in some form for same-sex couples. "

Well, it's about damn time!

( I'm still waiting for the constitutional amendment that creates a separate state for those who have appointed themselves guardians of what's in my pants and who can touch it, but I think it will be a few years yet.)

I don't care much for our governor, but I think he somehow managed to do the right thing when he signed this bill back in May.

Since I personally know at least two people who will not greet this news with joy, I am posting a link to my favorite Roy Zimmerman song/video.

I *can* sing, but am not as eloquent as he is.

Slovenia says...

Someone from Slovenia typed in "Lesbian are poople like us" in the Google search field and found my blog.

I don't get it. But it's funny.

Today's time waster

It snowed today. (Thanks, gay people.)
That means I don't have to go to work this afternoon since the schools are closed. Many people use that sort of 'bonus time' to catch up on correspondence, or clean the house or do the laundry. Well, I'll probably do a little of that today, too. But during my wake up time, I like to play on the computer. While I was looking at videos this morning, I found this one. I had seen it before but forgotten it.

So you think the homosexual agenda doesn't affect you?

Think about this.
Yesterday I saw a pink cloud over the Portland Metro area.
During the night, it snowed. Now the entire metropolitan area is paralyzed. Schools are closed. People are all in a panic.
Now. Consider. Which county in Oregon legalized same sex marriage a couple years ago? MULTNOMAH!! And which county is frozen today? MULTNOMAH!
Coincidence? No, I don't think so. I think it's the homosexual agenda !

And do you think they're going to stop there? I seriously doubt it. While we're all in our homes, trapped by the ice, they're probably going to go door to door and try to convert our children. I think they're responsible for global warming, the scarcity of fossil fuel, the demise of our social security system and for pet overpopulation. Where will it END??? Be ready. Being gay is contagious, you know.

Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Have a Sanctimonious 2007!

I received the following in my email box this morning:

Hi I checked this out on truth or fiction and this is true *Name removed*
-- Jim Neugent is a coach in Childress , Texas

Jim writes: My name is Jim Neugent. I wrote to ABC (on-line) concerning a program called "THE PRACTICE." In last nights episode, one of the lawyer's mothers decided she is gay and wanted her son to go to court and help her get a marriage license so she could marry her 'partner.' I sent the following letter to ABC yesterday and really did not expect a reply, but I did get one. My original message was: ABC is obsessed with the subject of homosexuality. I will no longer watch any of your attempts to convince the world that homosexuality is OK. ' THE PRACTICE' can be a fairly good show, but last night's program was so typical of your agenda. You picked the 'dufus' of the office to be the one who was against the idea of his mother being gay, and made him look like a whiner because he had convictions. This type of mentality calls people like me a "gay basher." Read the first chapter of Romans (that's in the Bible) and see what the apostle Paul had to say about it.... He, God and Jesus were all 'gay bashers'. What if she'd fallen in love with her cocker spaniel? Is that an alternative life style? (By the way, the Bible speaks against that, too.) --Jim Neugent - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Here is ABC's reply from the ABC on-line webmaster: How about getting your nose out of the Bible (which is ONLY a book of stories compiled by MANY different writers hundreds of years ago) and read the declaration of independence (what our nati on is built on), where it says "All Men are Created equal," and try treating them that way for a change! Or better yet, try thinking for yourself and stop using an archaic book of stories as your lame crutch for your existence. You are in the minority in this country, and your boycott will not affect us at ABC or our freedom of statement. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Jim Neugent's second response ! to ABC: Thanks for your reply. From your harsh reply, evidently I hit a nerve. I will share it with all with whom I come in contact. Hopefully, the Arkansas Democrat Newspaper will include it in one of their columns and I will be praying for you. - -Jim Neugent - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Note: Wouldn't Satan just love it if people stopped using the Biblefor a crutch? Please resend this to everyone in your mailbox. -- Thanks, Jim Neugent I wonder if the person from ABC considered how many people would read this e-mail! This is one we should definitely pass on.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's the rest of the story, since people evidently don't bother to follow up. They pick and choose the parts they want and toss the rest.

First of all, Jim Neugent is from Arkansas,(2.6 million people, three last names) not Texas. He's among the people who can legitimately send out "Happy Birthday, Uncle Daddy!" cards.

Second, the episode of The Practice referred to in the email, was aired in 1999!!! So it's not really urgent to pass it on today or ever. Really. It was eight years ago. How long does the Bible say to carry a grudge? I can't find the scripture about it.

Mr. Neugent received an apology from ABC (check out Snopes.com before forwarding stuff!!) and the overzealous person who originally emailed him lost their job.

Not everyone agrees with Mr.Neugent, however. I sure as hell don't. I am not against homosexuality or homosexuals. I find it utterly appalling that some Christians feel it is their right to decide who is worthy of the love of another person and that they should have the right to decide for me whether or not I should give my love to the person of my choice.

The Bible I was brought up with says things like, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." and, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

I wasn't raised to point out the sins of others, to decide whose behavior or lifestyle is sinful, or to be anyone's conscience. I have enough to do without that! I sincerely don't understand why some Christians are threatened by other people's choice of partners to walk through life with. I'd also like to know who appointed ANY of them to be my moral watchdog. Someone enlighten me?

Oh, and go visit the link in today's title.