OBL

I have this weird, creepy feeling about the news about bin Ladin. I don't know how to express my creeped-out-ness because on one hand, I believe he should have been stopped but on the other I am dismayed at the celebration in the streets over his death. I found this quote on a blog I read regularly:

While it's necessary to stop terrorists, sometimes with violence, it is barbarous to gloat over the execution of an enemy. I find the chanting crowds cheering over the corpse disturbing, and the triumphal tone of our leaders is misplaced. We killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and threw away trillions of dollars, and our trophy is the bloody corpse of one old man? There's no victory in that.

I thought he did a good job summing up my thoughts. Too bad I can't put my own thoughts so eloquently.

funny website

and my favorite entry so far....


see more funny facebook stuff!

interesting....

My dear hubby just sent me this article. Any of you that know me well know that I am a strong opposer of the death penalty. This article shows how some other smart people think it's a load of crap, too.

“Law students who take first-year criminal law from 2010 on,” he said, “will learn that this same group of smart lawyers and judges — the ones whose work they read every day — has said that the death penalty in the United States is a moral and practical failure.” -NY Times.com

Duh.

Civil Rights

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

fitting

I, Too
By Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.

Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

"the mightiest word is love"

Love it!

Join the Impact

Click the banner to find your state's protest location.

oh so happy

Last night rocked. McCain's speech was fabulous, Obama's was inspiring, and I can't believe how far our country has come.

But what is with Michelle's dress? Yikes.

YES WE CAN!!!

My favorite Obama quotes:

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

" I opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. It should be repealed and I will vote for its repeal on the Senate floor. I will also oppose any proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gays and lesbians from marrying.

"It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to where we are today, but we have just begun. Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today.

"My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington.

"There is not a liberal America and a conservative America - there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and latino America and asian America - there's the United States of America.

"We have an obligation and a responsibility to be investing in our students and our schools. We must make sure that people who have the grades, the desire and the will, but not the money, can still get the best education possible.

"We're not going to baby sit a civil war.

"Why can't I just eat my waffle?

"I've got two daughters, nine years old and six years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby.

tee tee tee!

Here we are, getting ready to go "Tee-Tee-Tee-ing!" Check out our awesome bags from our friend Wilma!!! (Yes, our mother knows she has not sent an official thank you note. She sucks very much.)
Mr. Man, cheesin':

Magoo: "'sup?"

The first (and only) house! (We got too scared to visit anyone else)

"What's in this bag???":

We did enjoy walking down the sidewalk, though. Just don't show us any costumed kids or candy or we'll scream!

Of course, this year's pumpkin masterpiece:

love this!

I can't figure out how to embed this video, so you'll have to just click the link. It's so cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxlwYP0HNdc

some things that are annoying me right now

LYING. If you are going to take money out of your budget to buy ad space, can you please make it truthful? While I do not understand how anyone can be undecided at this point, there are 7% of them left. Stop the lying. Just be a good person.

Oh, and if I see one more "Democrat for McCain" sticker, I may scream. You can't be a democrat and vote for McCain. If you do, you aren't a democrat, but merely a Republican who might have voted democrat before. If you believe in a woman's right to choose, and you are voting for McCain, you are not a democrat.

Yeah, and if one more person says that Obama is a socialist who pals around with terrorists and wants to raise your taxes, I might scream. Just go to his damn website and read his plans. They are very clear. Be educated if you are going to take a stand.

Oh, one more thing that is annoying me. The hatred. I have never seen so much hate towards anyone in my lifetime as I have seen from many republicans. People are screaming "Kill him!" and "Terrorist!" and "Off with his head!" at McCain/Palin rallies???? WHY IS THIS OK?????? WHY????? Hatred like this is NEVER OK. And besides, Obama is a really likeable guy. There is nothing to hate. I feel sad for people who hate. What's the point? Why waste your energy?

Are you in the 7%? One site that gives a good idea of who you might lean toward is http://www.selectsmart.com/ Click the presidential election quiz.

And if your choice doesn't win, suck it up, come together as a country, and support your President.

**Edited to Add: My Dad just called me and they went to a local Obama rally and their back car window was busted out and "McCain" written on the car. CLASSY.**

Friday Five

The Five Things I Want Right Now

1. A fruit smoothie. Strawberry Banana.

2. A night out where I have to be driven home and get to sleep in till whenever the next day.

3. A new wardrobe.

4. For kindergarteners to FEAR me.

5. For republicans to stop saying, "We'll I'm fine right now. I don't see the problem!"

Truthiness

I stole that word from the Colbert Report. Hee hee.

Found THIS at a blog I frequent (It's like I'm...mmmagic!). It's fascinating.

I think I may have a heart attack before this election. Or right after. Either way, I need some xanax.

1 week down.

Finished the first week of work. Kids start on Tuesday. Here is my news, bulleted of course:

- I am slacking on pictures...sorry GaGa. I don't even know where the camera is right now. I will take some this weekend.

- My favorite student of all time transferred to another school. He was one of those people that was making my return to school bearable. Now I'm not so sure. At least I still have Clara's Mommy.

- After our bad interview, we hired this rockin' lady to be my music counterpart 2 days a week. After she walked out, I told my bosses that they should fire me and hire her. I will need to think of a nickname for her. I am leaning towards The Bomb.

- Owen and Henry's new favorite word is "no" and it is cracking me up. They say "no" to everything now. Everything.

- Got news that Tuesday got to ride in the wagon today with her sister and even got to make a trip outside. So great.

- That speech rocked. You know what I'm talkin' about.

Saturday thoughts

Some thoughts by me.

1. John Edwards? Seriously? Normally, I don't care whether a politician does whatever a politician does. But this one really ticks me off. What a scumbag.

2. Bernie Mac. I'm so sad! Loved that man.

3. Olympics. LOVED the opening ceremonies. So regal and creative and beautiful and genius. It was so great. (Not so great? W's smug look as Iraq marched out. Also not so great? The non-stop talking from the announcers. Shut up already!)

4. Miss Tuesday. Stable, but still on the ventilator. Progress is slow, but the tumor is showing signs of disappearing after round 1 of chemo. If you are interested in entering a raffle for a bracelet or a tutu, please go see Tonya or Erin's blog. All proceeds go to JK and her lovely TuTu.

5. Great Falls Park. We went today. Lovely. I will do a blog post later today with tons of pictures. TONS.

so, that happened

T took a trip last week and left the car in airport parking. It has a sparkling new Obama bumper sticker on it. When he returned from the trip, there were THREE pieces of gum stuck to the back window. Coincidence??? And if so, what the frick????

What really bothers me

Is not that people think Barack Obama is Muslim....

...but that it would matter if he were.

Blogblast for Education

A blog I regularly read (As I Was Saying....so freaking funny) led me to a "Blog Blast" today. It originated at the blog, It's All About Balance. After reading the posts at these sites, and all the others linked on the latter page, I thought I needed to participate.

First of all, I am a huge advocate for public education. I am against private school vouchers. I also am not a fan of most of No Child Left Behind. Now that that's out of the way, I think there are a few things that can really help our public schools.

1. Money, money, money. Stop spending money on stuff that doesn't even take place in our country. Save our children. Give them the education they deserve. Why are some schools rolling in dough and others have asbestos in the ceiling and no working toilets? If the federal government has the chutzpah to lay down the law, then show us the money.

2. Teachers. (I am one.) Get out there and keep learning yourself. How many teachers do we know that never try new methods, never share with their colleagues, and never go the extra mile. Take classes, get new certifications, go to workshops. Heck! Go to the art museum and pick up some pamphlets. Let's get some fresh ideas, some real-world experiences, and some new methods in our classrooms. Not everyone learns by rote memorization. The drone of your voice lulls some to sleep. Step it up.

3. Parents. Come on. You need to step it up, too. You should know where your kids are. The remote control to your TV has parental controls - use them. Monitor the internet. Be there for them. TALK to them, not at them.

4. Human beings. Speak up. If you see an injustice that involves a kid, DO SOMETHING. Don't wait for the next person. It might be too late.