Planned Parenthood to run sex ed programs...

(CNSNews.com) – The Planned Parenthood Federation of America is signaling its intention to dominate the national sex education agenda.

Specifically, Planned Parenthood's Web site announced the group is preparing to launch a nationwide “social change initiative” to end the “stigma and shame about sex” in American culture.

The project aims to teach parents and caregivers how to educate children about sex -- from birth. And it recommends telling teenagers about masturbation, oral sex and “where to go for help to prepare to be sexually active.”

The “Real Life. Real Talk” initiative began as a pilot program in communities in Maine, New York, Connecticut, and Arizona between 2004 and 2008, according to a report about the initiative that is for sale on the project’s Web site.

Now Planned Parenthood is preparing to launch the program nationwide, with funding from donors and private groups, including The Ford Foundation.

“Real Life. Real Talk" is based on the belief that reducing the shame and stigma attached to sex also reduces a barrier to sexual and reproductive health services, eventually reducing the rates of sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, and unintended pregnancies.

The initiative is geared to parents and caregivers of children aged 8 to 18. In the four pilot states, parents were invited to attend workshops where they received Planned Parenthood’s guide to “Sex Ed for Parents, Real Life. Real Talk." The events were held at different community venues, including schools, churches, social services facilities and libraries.

The "Real Life. Real Talk" guide, offered in English and Spanish, is tailored to specific groups of parents and caregivers, including grandparents raising their grandchildren, “queer parents,” and parents of children in elementary school.”

A "Parent Tips" section of the "Real Life. Real Talk" Web site says children are never too young to learn about sex. It states, in part:

“A child’s sexuality, sexual feelings, and sexual attitudes develop from the moment of Birth -- even before a child can speak. In fact, children start learning about sexuality through observation of family interaction and surroundings. When you don’t talk with your children about sexuality, you may give them the message that there is something wrong with sexuality and that it is not a topic you’re willing to discuss.”

“You can begin teaching your young child the basics of sexuality — anatomy, reproduction, sexual orientation, personal safety, feelings, relationships — as well as your own values,” reads the document. “As children grow and mature, they will be more interested in details about pregnancy and birth, the changes of puberty, etc.”

Another section, entitled "Conversation Starters," tells parents to be “factual" and to "clear up slang” when answering questions. It offers examples of children's questions, including slang for female masturbation and oral sex.

One talk-to-your-child tip includes the following bulleted item: “Take your child to the drugstore and point out the pads, tampons, condoms, etc. Take your teen to a clinic for contraception and exams, or let your teen know where to go for help to prepare to be sexually active.”

The Web site’s “Teen Reality” tab includes videos, including a “Don’t Dance with Death” video written by high school students in McAllen, Texas. It features a “witch” giving young girls a potion and a condom before they go to a high school dance. One of the girls then gives the condom to the boy with whom she is dancing.

The report on "Real Life. Real Talk" says the initiative will be marketed nationwide through TV public service announcements, print ads, radio, posters, bus shelters and other promotional materials such as T-shirts.

According to its annual report for Fiscal Year 2008-2009, Planned Parenthood’s income from government grants and contracts totaled $363.2 million, up for $349.6 million for the previous fiscal year.

(End of story. My comments follow.)

Somebody at PP is taking a long view of things, hoping that in a decade or so this'll be so commonplace that anyone opting out of these workshops will be regarded as a Neanderthal.

As an example of how this can happen, look at the whole idea of daycare. At one time there was a stigma to it, only single mothers of very young children were perceived as the clientele (can you say "welfare queen"). So most folk would avoid using a daycare center, just put off "Mom" going back to work until the kids became latchkey children.

Now, daycare is all the rage. The wife and I discovered that several years ago when we were still watching TV programs. A local cable access show had an infomercial about "quality" daycare and how important it was in the development of youngsters. The "expert" the interviewer spoke to claimed with a straight face that lack of daycare had been proven to lead to social interaction impediments resulting in juvenile delinquency.

Now I know why that 15 yr. old lifted my car some years back. It wasn't that he was a punk from Jump Street, he was lacking adequate daycare. Poor tyke!

Anyway, the mindset revealed in that particular televised blurb was telling. If you don't send your kid to daycare you must be some kind of weird. Got it. It goes along with the idea that both parents need to work for "fulfill their potential". Noted. Hey, just what is that "potential" anyway? A potential for being a self-centered, narcissistic jerkoff that doesn't give a rat's ass about their child? Now that's a potential I really want fulfilled!

Anyway by taking the long view on this topic, PP knows they'll advance even further into respectability and mainstream acceptance. They're already off to a good start. Look at the venues they choose for these workshops, i.e. schools, churches, social service facilities & libraries. That reeks of acceptance and respectability from the getgo. And don't think a lot of churches will be turning their noses up at this. Au contraire mon ami, all too many have enthusiastically gone into the "I'm okay, you're okay" mode of thinking. Anything faintly judgmental is now regarded as the new heresy. Unfortunately the preceding statements describe too many "Catholic" facilities also.

In the meantime you and I will be marginalized and treated as misfits. The next step is having CPS check our families out by crawling up some parental rears with a microscope. Lots of luck passing THAT exam! Here in Texas there has been only one couple that successfully fought CPS after some bogus allegations were lodged against them. It took over three years of plugging away before they even got their kids back. What are things like in your state, how do bureaucratic nitwits fare against us common folk?

IMO the only way to effectively combat this sort of insanity is to continue pushing for defunding Planned Parenthood. It's bad enough our tax dollars support baby killing, things don't need to get any worse. Cut off the money and they lose their effectiveness.

Texas in the sights of the EPA...

Found via Lucianne.com at www.investors.com

Regulation: The federal agency declares Texas unfit to regulate its own greenhouse gas emissions and seizes control of the permitting process. Jobs, states' rights and the 2012 presidential election are all involved.

While most of America was unwrapping their Christmas presents, Texas Gov. Rick Perry was staring at a lump of coal the Environmental Protection Agency put in his state's stocking.

Actually, it wasn't a lump of coal — that causes global warming. And Santa won't be coming down any Texas chimney unless he checks with the EPA first.

Two days before Christmas, EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz, in a letter to industry, said the agency was taking permitting authority over refineries, power plants and cement facilities in Texas away from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) as of Jan. 2, 2011.

Happy New Year!

The EPA's new rules — continuing an Obama administration pattern of using regulations to circumvent the will of the people in implementing what it cannot get through Congress, such as cap-and-trade — were issued after the U.S. Supreme Court said it had the authority to regulate carbon dioxide, the basis of all life on the planet and what we exhale, as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act.

Texas was not amused and is the only state to refuse to implement the rules, filing suit against the EPA.

In Texas' suit, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said the documented IPCC and CRU fraud, on which EPA findings are based, made any policy decisions based on that work flawed and unjustified.

Abbott cited several examples in which he said climate scientists engaged in an "ongoing, orchestrated effort to violate freedom of information laws, exclude scientific research and manipulate temperature data."

"With billions of dollars at stake, EPA outsourced the scientific basis for its greenhouse gas regulation to a scandal-plagued international organization (the IPCC) that cannot be considered objective or trustworthy," Abbott argued.

Perry , a champion of the 10th Amendment, says, "This legal action is being taken to protect the Texas economy and the jobs that go with it, as well as defend Texas' freedom to continue our successful environmental strategies free from federal overreach."

Two days after the midterm elections, President Obama served notice that the failure of the outgoing Congress to pass cap-and-trade and the unlikelihood of a GOP House pursuing the matter would not be an impediment.

"Cap-and-trade was just one way of skinning the cat; it was not the only way," he said. "I'm going to be looking for other means to address this problem."

Perry, a possible 2012 presidential contender, is a cat that refuses to be skinned without a fight. Perry calls the rules an overreach by the federal behemoth that will cripple his state's growing economy.

"The EPA's misguided plan paints a huge target on the backs of Texas agriculture and energy producers by implementing unnecessary, burdensome mandates on our state's energy sector, threatening hundreds of thousands of Texas jobs and imposing increased living costs on Texas families," Katherine Cesinger, a Perry spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement.

TCEQ is the world's second-largest environmental regulatory agency, after the EPA. Cesinger notes that the state's flexible air-quality permitting system, one that considers economic impact, has led to a 22% reduction in ozone and a 53% decrease in nitrous oxide since 2000.

This is not about the environment, but about power. It's about whether we will remain a constitutional republic in which the states retain the powers not given to the feds by the Constitution, or whether the feds can arbitrarily control our lives and usurp our freedoms based on flawed science and political ideology.

"Remember the EPA!" may soon rival "Remember the Alamo!" as a battle cry for freedom. The year 2012 may turn out to be a very interesting and pivotal one.

(End of story. My comments follow.)

Liberals hate our guts down here.

Call it a tinfoil-hat-level conspiracy theory, point to the enclaves of liberal thinking we have such as the city of Austin, cite all the MSM outlets that pour progressive tripe into our brains. If that all helps folk feel better about how Texas is perceived, they should go for it.

I'll say it again, liberals hate our guts.

We're the home of BOTH Bush Presidents nor are we backwards about it. We're the ingenious bastards that can deepfry anything, even beer! We still have "Christmas" down here, when shopping in our stores at this time of year you'll hear hymns over the announcing system (sorry, no Gregorian Chant). We're known as rednecks and proud of it. Our governor has been one of the leaders in referring to the 10th Amendment of the Constitution when talking of state's rights. He's also the one that faced the President after his landing here and asked to speak about illegal immigration problems. B.O. said they'd talk "later", as far as I know that never happened but hey, Rick Perry did what he could!

So as the EPA starts taking over our day-to-day lives, where would the liberal, tree hugging, Birkenstock wearing, sissy-assed, prancing, Segway riding metrosexuals that pull the strings set their sights (the only time they could be remotely accused of aiming anything, even when they pee the girlyboys have to sit down).

Here's where the final battles begin ladies and gentlemen, the fights that decide if we take back our nation or just keep on becoming a country of limpwristed, bicycle seat sniffing, perfectly coiffed eunuchs.

No retreat, no surrender. And that lardassed butch "First Lady" will get my corndog when she pries it out of my cold dead hands.

I might be a Yankee but I live down here and like it!

Remember now, the Lord loves a cheerful giver.

(H/T Creative Minority Report)

US Naval Officer: Set up or busted?

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A U.S. Navy officer jumped to his death at Manila’s airport after he was arrested with what was thought to be cocaine, Philippine officials said Tuesday, but tests later showed the white powder wasn’t an illegal drug.

Lt. Cmdr. Scintar Buenviaje Mejia died of head injuries after jumping from a second-floor staircase Monday while a security guard escorted him to the bathroom, aviation police chief Pedro Desuasido said.

The 35-year-old Mejia, a U.S. citizen of Filipino descent, was arrested a day earlier at an airport X-ray machine after security officials found a plastic packet containing what was suspected to be cocaine in his bag, Desuasido said. He was about to board a flight to Los Angeles.

Desuasido said Mejia shouted and threw the packet at security officials. He denied the packet was his and claimed he was set up.

Dionisio Santiago, head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, said chemical tests on the powder in Mejia’s bag showed it did not contain drugs. The tests, however, didn’t determine what the powder was.

Wossie Mazengia, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman, said American officials were aware of what happened to Mejia. She said Philippine National Police officials were investigating.

(End of story. My comments follow.)

There is more here than meets the eye.

First, in my own experience it's extremely unlikely that anyone at the rank of LCDR would be moving coke. Those involved in doing that are almost unfailingly users themselves and that little fact would have come to light way before this. If we're supposed to believe the man just started at the age of 35 then we're to believe he spent his adult life immersed and supporting an anti-drug culture, only to basically turn his life in a 180 degree direction in a short time. It might happen, I once knew of a senior chief petty officer who was discovered to be a coke head. But that sort of thing is sooo unlikely it isn't even funny.

Second, dying from a two story fall? C'mon doesn't that sound a bit unlikely? Broken legs, yeah. If he was a world class klutz, maybe. But again this is highly unlikely. Unless he was helped (more on that possibility in a bit).

Third, the police we're talking about aren't from Mayberry RFD. I've always respected Filipinos but the fact is the Phillipines are a Third World Country. They're not too far removed from the time of Ferdinand Marcos. While the man was a staunch ally of the USA he would never be confused with a soft & snuggly advocate of human rights. As a matter of fact, damned few countries in this world would be as soft in that area as we are. Try citing your "rights" when you get busted overseas, I'm sure the local cops will enjoy a good laugh. This isn't to denigrate our allies, I'm merely trying to state we take a lot for granted.

As for the topic of human rights being observed by our allies and the possibility this man was "helped" to jump that staircase, let me relate a story from my last command (yep, it's seastory time!)

Aboard the Usetafish we were rigged to support SEAL operations. During the time I was on her there was a SEAL Team assigned to us, they're interesting folk to say the least!

Anyway, shortly after their assignment they were joined by a team member who'd been held in a Spanish jail for three years on charges of assault and public mayhem. Seems the Guardia Civil busted into a hotel room he and a high school classmate were sharing, I forget the reason for the bust and to be truthful there may have been none. As I said, this wasn't Mayberry.

So the upshot of it was the SEAL team member was roughed up (and as big and strong as he was, that must have took some doing!). He lost three front teeth in the deal. His classmate supposedly leaped out of the hotel window (a five story drop). Three front teeth is cheap, all things considered. That leap happened only in the presence of La Guardia Civil, you can fill in the blanks from there.

Anyway, this elite fighting man cooled his heels in a Spanish jail for three years until the judicial system got around to hearing his case. When it came up it was dropped with no explanation. That ends the story. No reason given, no apology, zippo. Just a kick in the ass out the door.

Fortunately for him, SEAL Teams are unbelievably close. His mates stood by him and held his billet open until he could return.

But this is what can happen in any nation in the world. You think we occasionally have crooked cops? We're pampered here, we don't know anything about corrupt police. Seriously, we don't.

So, could I be wrong about this American naval officer? Maybe. But I'd bet my next retirement check there is one hell of a lot more to this story than we'll ever know.

That "big tent" will be too small for the likes of you and I.

Mitch Daniels Has No Regrets on Abortion, Social Issues Truce
by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com 12/27/10 4:31 PM

Indiana governor and potential 2012 presidential candidate Mitch Daniels says he has not changed his position on the social issues truce he advocated this summer that drew a sharp rebuke from pro-life advocates.

Daniels, himself a potential candidate to take on pro-abortion President Barack Obama next election, told the Weekly Standard the next president “would have to call a truce on the so-called social issues.”

“We’re going to just have to agree to get along for a little while,” he said in July.

In a new interview with the Indianapolis Star newspaper, Daniels said “No” when asked, “You haven’t changed your mind that that’s the right course?”

He admitted he received “some” criticism for the comments but added that he “got a ton of positive feedback, too.”

Daniels’ response to the new questions over the truce were curious as his previous comments made it clear to pro-life advocates that he wanted to put aside social issues like abortion. At the time, he also would not commit to overturning President Barack Obama’s reversal of the Mexico City Policy that prevents taxpayer funding of groups that perform and promote abortions overseas, though he later walked back that comment.

In the Star interview, Daniels talked about the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, and said that those who favor repealing the policy would have to get along in a time of war with those who don’t.

“I say that with enormous respect for the people who want to see gay marriage legalized or who have a strong view on some other such question and want to see don’t ask, don’t tell go away,” he said.

The response is curious because it has Daniels making it appear the truce is directed at liberal social activists and not conservatives, though, on abortion, the activists bringing up legislation and talking about the issues are on the pro-life side.

To that end, Daniels repeated but modified his remarks that, during the legislation session, he doesn’t want to see votes on pro-life legislation “get in the way” of votes on his top issues — the economy and the environment — though he admitted he thinks lawmakers can do both.

“Here’s something that hasn’t changed much. Every year people say ‘well that seems like a lot to do’ and I say ‘nah, we can do more than you think we can.’ And we always do,” he told the newspaper. “As long as it [pro-life legislation] doesn’t interfere with one of the largest opportunities –the ones I keep talking about: the big reform categories, the budget. And it needn’t. But that would be my only concern. If it threatened to crowd out or stop business in a way that meant we couldn’t leap forward for our school kids and all these other issues, then I’d have a problem with it,”

Daniels also talked about his timetable for making a decision on seeking the Republican nomination for president.

“I haven’t made any decision, can’t for at least awhile, need to think about it. When we were sitting here a year ago, I guarantee you I had no plans and haven’t made any. But I’m astonished at the number and the caliber of the people who have asked me to consider this,” he said. “I haven’t encouraged it, I haven’t solicited it and I haven’t lifted a finger to do anything about it. There’s no exploratory committee running around out there somewhere.”

“More than that I cannot say. You’ll see. I said, if not a year ago certainly in the course of the year, watch what we do, and we did what we said we would. We tended to our knitting here in Indiana. That will continue to be the case. I’m going to be completely focused on this General Assembly and our agenda, and that’s going to take the next four months,” he added. “I certainly wouldn’t pull any trigger on such a thing till then. Some folks say to me that could be too late. If it is, it is.”

(End of story. My comments follow.)

This is an example of how a victory for Republicans in 2012 (if they even manage to get one) will be a hollow one for those holding conservative social values.

The "big tent" philosophy, often accredited to Michael Steele, will insure that at best the Republican platform for 2012 will be focused only on the nation's pocketbook and not it's soul. Issues such as abortion, embryonic stem cell research, cloning, gay marriage, euthanasia, etc. will all be conveniently placed on a back burner while the "real" issues are wrangled over.

At the end of it all those of us holding traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs will be urged to go along to get along, compromise just a bit for the greater good of the nation and stay mum on any strong opinions regarding social issues.

At best, it'll insure another four years of B.O. and company. Faced with "Democratic Party Lite" the electorate will choose the devil they've come to know vice the two faced entity they don't. THAT is the best that might happen. This is the best scenario because with another four years of the present administration there will still be a strong resistance to it's progress exhibited by the Legislative Branch. This happens along party lines if for no other reason.

At worst, some RINO will be placed at the head of the Executive Branch. We'll see an enthusiastic closing of the ranks from the Congressional Republicans in the name of partisanship. Any prioritizing that places those embarrassing social issues to the fore will be swept away. Concerns for our economy will trump all and promises of new support from the likes of Planned Parenthood, GLAAD, etc. help to push support for those aforementioned social issues into the shadows. Marginalization of Jews, Catholics, Mormons, and other strong proponents of traditional morality will accelerate as "freedom of religion" is increasingly discarded for "freedom of worship".

None of this is inevitable. It's entirely possible that newly awakened social conservatives will take over the Republican Party, some might even say "hijack it" in much the same manner the Democratic Party found itself hijacked by radical liberals back in 1968. We can only hope.

But that also has it's down side. With a strongly emphasized stance on Judeo-Christian values the Republican Party would find itself in a much sharper contrast with the Democrats. Those who champion "gay rights", the right of a "woman's choice" and other evil practices (if they're not evil then what the hell are they?) won't back down readily. They fight and that might entail physical conflict as much as passionate & inflammatory rhetoric. Remember that those who willingly discard morality feel the ends justifies the means.

So under those circumstances, should 2012 end with a return of Democratic leadership in the Oval Office for another four years we'll see an enthusiastic ramping up of attacks on believers in traditional morality. This will be in payback for a very contentious run up to the election.

Again, under these same circumstances, should a Republican Party that is refocused on morality and it's true importance find itself in the White House, we'll see a lot of violence and discord at the grass roots level. This will be done in hopes of turning John & Joan Q. Public against that renewed moral emphasis. The idea of "go along to get along" is very ingrained in the present day cultural mindset. Using that same mindset to ostracize those pesky moralists would be seen as very desirable and feasible.

All in all, it looks like a very contentious time is upon us in this nation and it won't let up soon.

I could always be as wrong as a football bat, in the past I've often been. Who knows, we may see a spontaneous renewal of cherishing morality spring up across this land as an unlooked for time of religious renewal comes upon us. Reading the little bit of history I have shows that it's happened before and there is absolutely no reason it can't happen again.

But I wouldn't bet the farm on it this time.

UPDATE: (Sigh) Here's more of the same coming down the pipe at us: Inclusion of Gays at CPAC Divides Fiscal and Social Conservatives

No title for this one...

Found via Creative Minority Report at www.boston.com

MELROSE — Everybody was waiting for Rudy.

On Tuesday night, Patty and Rick Parker were in their cramped kitchen with their 8-year-old son Ben. Dinner was over. Bedtime was near.

Ben’s twin brother, Sammy, lay on a cot in the narrow hallway just outside the kitchen. Unable to see or speak or control his limbs, he coughed or let out a little moan every now and then. Rick and Patty took turns feeding Sammy, who has cerebral palsy, through a stomach tube. He cooed when they kissed his face or stroked his cheek, and when they cooed back, he opened his mouth into a wide, joyful O.

A few feet away was the narrow, winding stairway that is the family’s biggest burden lately.

Which is where 17-year-old Rudy’s simple, life-changing act of kindness comes in.

Until recently, Rick carried Sammy up those 14 stairs to his bedroom each night. But a few months ago, Rick had major surgery for a life-threatening heart condition, and now he can’t lift much at all, let alone a 75-pound child.

“We thought Rick was going to die, and we were terrified,’’ Patty recalled. “We knew right away he had to stop carrying Sam.’’

Patty couldn’t carry him, either. Desperate, she called her pediatrician, who put her in touch with Elizabeth Paquette, the nurse at Malden Catholic High School. Paquette said she’d take care of it. The boys at Malden Catholic are taught to embrace service: She’d find plenty of students to help.

Rudy Favard was the first kid Paquette came across after that call. At Malden Catholic on a partial scholarship from the Catholic Schools Foundation, this son of Haitian immigrants was one of Paquette’s treasures. The linebacker, cocaptain of the football team and honor roll student was always willing to lend a hand.

The nurse had barely begun telling Rudy about the Parkers before he said he’d help. Another boy would fill in for Rudy on game nights. And a third boy was on standby in case neither of the others could make it.

When Paquette brought the boys to meet the family for the first time, the Parkers cried.

“Just to see this outpouring of people,’’ Rick Parker began, his eyes welling at the memory. “To see that these people were willing to put their hands and feet to what they believed. . .’’

It is profoundly isolating to have a child as severely disabled as Sammy. It’s hard even for well-meaning friends to understand the immense strain of his all-consuming needs. Patty and Rick — who tried for 8 years to get pregnant before Ben and Sam were born — grieve for one son’s lost potential every day, even as they struggle to give the other as normal a life as possible.

“You plan for your child’s future, but it’s hard to do that for Sam,’’ Rick said. “You have this pathway he should have taken, and the pathway he did take, and you don’t want to look at either one.’’

And over it all hangs the certainty that Sammy’s condition will never improve — even as he gets bigger and heavier.

Into this world of love and hurt comes Rudy. Four nights a week, he leaves his homework and makes the 10-minute drive to the Parker house. Around 8 p.m., he carries Sammy upstairs, chats a bit, hugs everybody, and heads home to finish his work. After considerable effort, the Parkers convinced Rudy to take enough money to cover gas, with a little left over.

In the few months the Parkers have known him, Rudy has become not just a help with Sammy, but a salve for their pain. He and Rick talk about football. Patty quizzes him on girls. Ben usually parks himself as close to Rudy as possible, looking up at him adoringly. And most nights, Sam will tremble with excitement as Rudy picks him up.

“It’s like family,’’ said the shy senior. It goes both ways: The Parkers were on the field with Rudy’s mother the night Malden Catholic honored its senior football players.

And so Rudy had barely knocked on the door Tuesday night before Ben was at it, jumping up and down, yelling, “Rudy is here! Rudy is here!’’

He greeted the Parkers, and went over to Sammy, gently lifting the boy’s left arm and sliding his hands under his back, the way Rudy’s father, a professional caregiver, had shown him. He lifted Sammy and held him close to his chest, and as the boy made his joyful O, Rudy carefully maneuvered him around the corners on the narrow stairway.

You couldn’t help but be struck by the painful contrast between the two boys: The robust athlete cradling the pale, helpless child; the young man preparing to go out into the world carrying someone who never will.

It’s a comparison lost on nobody, least of all Rudy himself.

“Can I ask you something?’’ he said, sitting in the Parkers’ living room after Sammy was asleep. “Is it OK if this article is more about Sam than me?’’

Why?

“He’s done more for me than I’ve done for him,’’ Rudy said. “There are times when I don’t want to go to practice, and then I look at Sam. By God’s grace, I can do what I’m doing, so I should keep it up. I’ve never been one to complain a lot, but just seeing Sam reaffirms everything, you know?’’

The Parkers won’t have Rudy for long. He’s already been accepted at four colleges, and others are courting him. Where he goes depends on financial aid and football.

The Parkers hope to be out of this cramped house and into a bigger one — with no stairs — before Rudy leaves town in search of his degree.

Until then, Rudy will bound up to the modest, pale green house on Fairmount Street. He’ll carry Sammy up to his cozy room. Then, for a little while, he’ll carry the Parkers somewhere better, too.

Uh-oh, I don't think I made the "nice" list...

BUSTED!! For possession of a "Sharpie"...

Found at The Smoking Gun via Moonbattery:

DECEMBER 22--A 13-year-old boy was arrested Friday for using a permanent marker while in class at his Oklahoma City middle school, a violation of an obscure city ordinance.

According to an Oklahoma City Police Department report, the boy was spotted “in possession of a permanent marker” by Roosevelt Middle School teacher DeLynn Woodside. The 50-year-old educator told cop Miguel Campos that the student was “writing on a piece of paper, which caused it to bleed over onto the desk.”

Woodside reported that the child, whose name was redacted by police from the report, attempted to hide the marker when she asked him for it. Strangely, Woodside’s Facebook page reveals that her “likes and interests” include the official “Sharpie Permanent Markers” page on Facebook.

Campos reported that he allowed Woodside, a seventh grade math teacher, to “sign a citation” against the boy, who was then transported to the Community Intervention Center, a juvenile holding facility. A police sergeant subsequently “booked the marker into the property room.”

A police spokesman referred to the student’s bust as a “citizen’s arrest” effectuated by Woodside.

The marker ban--which apparently is aimed at curbing graffiti--stems from a city ordinance making it illegal to possess spray paint or a permanent marker on private property (without the owner’s permission).

(End of story. My comments follow.)

I guess when Sharpies are outlawed only outlaws will have Sharpies.

Planned Parenthood expanding it's operations...

Planned Parenthood Confirms Nationwide Abortion Expansion
by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com 12/23/10 12:18 PM

Planned Parenthood officials, in a new interview, have confirmed a LifeNews.com report issued Tuesday about a new mandate for its affiliates to operate at least one abortion center.

The report focused on the Corpus Christie, Texas based Planned Parenthood of South Texas affiliate that announced it is resigning its status as a network of clinics aligned with Planned Parenthood because of the new abortion mandate.

CEO Amanda Stukenberg told the Corpus Christi Caller newspaper that PPST doesn’t do abortions because local abortion businesses already operate in south Texas and her organization has no plans to do abortions.

In a new interview with The Daily Caller, Lisa David, senior vice president of Health Services Support for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, confirmed the abortion expansion and the mandate — called a “new patient services initiative.” David said abortions must be offered by at least one center operated by every Planned Parenthood affiliate, except waivers would be granted in certain “unique local circumstances.”

The new mandate also calls for more emphasis on the non-abortion services of Planned Parenthood — used as method of attracting more abortion customers and painting a picture of Planned Parenthood as something other than an abortion business.

“From well-woman exams to lifesaving breast and cervical cancer screenings, more patients will now have access to the full range of Planned Parenthood services,” David said in a statement to The DC. “To meet the needs of our patients, Planned Parenthood affiliates will now offer a unified set of core preventive services.”

David also confirmed another LifeNews.com report — that the national Planned Parenthood abortion business plans to expand into the territory of offering sexual assault examinations in order to boost its abortion business. The news outlet said Planned Parenthood “will expand immediate access to testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections.”

Jim Sedlack of Stop Planned Parenthood says Planned Parenthood is the last place women victimized by sexual assault or abuse should turn since the abortion business has a history of covering up such cases by doing abortions and failing to report them to authorities.

David also told the Daily Caller that every Planned Parenthood center will be required to “provide the full range of birth control method options, such as the IUD, in addition to well-woman exams including critical cancer prevention screenings.” That would have the abortion business lining up more with the Komen for the Cure Foundation, which donated $730,000 to Planned Parenthood in 2009 for cancer screenings despite the fact that abortion increases the risk a woman will contract breast cancer.

“Planned Parenthood continues its massive expansion of its abortion business while phasing out those centers that do not commit surgical or medical abortions,” Sedlack says. “Planned Parenthood leaves no stone unturned in dredging up money to build its facilities and expand its abortion business. It is time to inundate our elected representatives with the message that we must defund and repeal ObamaCare and that no government funds should ever flow to Planned Parenthood, the world’s largest abortion chain.”

The newly-revealed abortion mandates come after Planned Parenthood released an annual report showing it received $363 million in grants and funds from federal, state and local governments, made more than $1 billion in profit, and upped its share of the national abortion business to more than 26 percent.

(End of story. My comments follow.)

A Planned Parenthood office is the last place a recently assaulted woman should go. At a time like that you can just bet the victim would be emotionally vulnerable and easily swayed by suggestions to have an abortion in the event she tests positive for pregnancy. In my own experience I've met far too many women who were convinced they "needed" an abortion, only to deal with a lifetime of regret after the fact.

Mandating an abortion clinic for every affiliate makes abortion on demand more available and visible. What positive effect can that have? I see where an increased prevalence of human slaughterhouses will encourage a numbing of any outrage with a corresponding acceptance of unborn human genocide. That's certain to further the aims of PP.

I'll close by noting that a $1 billion dollar profit for a supposedly nonprofit organization is pretty good. Nice to see our tax dollars at work.

Moloch must be so proud.

Jewish witches sic their familiars onto hapless Muslim detainees...

You just can't make this shit up. Found at The Blaze:

Walid Muhammad Hajj, a man who had been detained at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility for several years before being transferred back to his native Sudan in 2008, sat down with Al Jazeera earlier this month to give an exclusive account of what transpired during his captivity. But unlike other former detainees who told questionable stories about torture and abuse, Hajj claimed Gitmo interrogators — Jewish interrogators, according to his account — used witchcraft to get him to talk.

“The most common method to wear down the brothers was witchcraft,” Hajj told Al Jazeera. “There were, of course, Jews among the [staff of] the Guantanamo base, and they would set traps for the guys.” Hajj explained, “Witchcraft was used on most of the guys.”

Hajj was asked to give examples of how this supposed Jewish sorcery worked. One detainee urinated in his milk because of a Jewish spell, Hajj said. (click here to view the video)

Walid Muhammad Hajj: I remembered an incident with a guy who sat next to me in the morning. When they brought the milk, he began to urinate into the milk.”

Interviewer: “In front of you?”

Walid Muhammad Hajj: “Yes. I said to him: ‘Why are you urinating in the milk?‘ That’s when we knew that he was under a spell. After he had recovered a little, after we read Koranic verses to him, he said to me: ‘The birds on the barbed wire would talk to me, and tell me to urinate in the milk. When the guards pass by my cell, the sound made by their pants talks to me.’”

Interviewer: “They tell him to urinate in the milk?”

Walid Muhammad Hajj: “Yes.” [...]

The former detainee also claimed that supposed Jewish witchcraft spells made him feel that a cat was trying to “penetrate” him.

Interviewer: Did they ever use witchcraft on you?

Walid Muhammad Hajj: There was one attempt.

Interviewer: How did they do it?

Walid Muhammad Hajj: Once, when I was sleeping – on the floor, not on a bed – I suddenly felt that a cat was trying to penetrate me. It tried to penetrate me again and again. I recited the kursi verse again and again until the cat left.

Interviewer: But there wasn’t really any cat there?

Walid Muhammad Hajj: Absolutely not.

(End of story. My comments follow.)

The sad part of this? We'll undoubtedly see a lawsuit filed for this "cruel & unusual punishment". Why not? It's right on a par with flushing a Koran down a toilet.

Anybody else have kids like this?

I made strawberry ice cream the other day. None of my kids like it, only chocolate will do.

Last night I made a loaf of chocolate & apple bread. Nobody likes it, too much fruit.

On Monday I made sugar cookies. They're gonna last a looonnnnggg time at the rate they're being consumed. Two out of three rugrats turn their noses up when they're set out on the table.

Breakfast is a hit-or-miss affair, sometimes they'll eat and sometimes they won't.

I think the word is S-P-O-I-L-E-D, but my wife assures me this is normal.

Funny, my childhood was fifty years ago but I certainly don't remember being picky. About the only things I refused eating as a kid were onions, brussels sprouts and asparagus (nowadays I love onions).

Spoiled. Rotten.

I'd bet my next retirement check on it.

"We'll sortakindamaybe say the Pledge of Allegiance"

Found this via Creative Minority Report:

Brookline — A Brookline public school is bringing back the Pledge of Allegiance next month — and the principal is asking parents to fill out permission slips before their children participate.

“It’s uncomfortable. The pledge is a promise, and I’ve always taught my kids to think very carefully before making any promise. It’s not a decision I want to make for them,” said Judi Puritz Cook, who has two sons at the Devotion School.

On Monday, Devotion Principal Gerardo J. Martinez sent a letter to parents telling them that the school would begin weekly recitations next month of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag that he’d lead over the public address system.

He said teachers and students can’t be mandated to participate in the pledge under the Constitution, and called it a personal choice to participate.

“I urge you to have a conversation as a family to help your children understand why I will be reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and to support them in feeling comfortable and confident in the decision on whether or not to participate,” Martinez said in the letter.

But Sarah Wunsch, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union in Boston, said she hasn’t heard of another school using permission slips to handle the pledge.

“It suggests that this is a decision for parents alone. Are they going to enforce that?” asked Wunsch, calling the use of permission slips “really strange.”

She said that the permission slip raises the issue of what would the schools do if a student’s wishes differ from his or her parents.

“I think that’s really strange that they’d do that… even children don’t lose their right of expression simply by walking into a schoolhouse’s doors,” said Wunsch, herself a Brookline resident.

In an interview, Superintendent Bill Lupini said that no student would be compelled to participate or not participate in the pledge based on how a parent filled out a permission slip.

He said the town’s school principals recently discussed how to enforce the district’s policy for the pledge. (It calls for teachers to recite the pledge with students at least once a week, according to the School Department website, www.brookline.k12.ma.us.)

Lupini returned a phone message left for Martinez by a Brookline TAB reporter.

Lupini said this was the first time he’d heard of a school using permission slips to choose to participate in the pledge; each school principal handled meeting the district’s policy in different ways, he said.

In a follow-up e-mail, Lupini said the permission slips are intended to encourage discussion among parents and their children about the pledge.

The Devotion School also sent home a copy of the pledge with definitions of several of its terms, including “under God,” which was defined as “there is one Supreme entity for every citizen.”

But Lupini said that was a mistake: Martinez’ letter was reviewed by Lupini and Associate Town Counsel Joslin Ham Murphy, but neither reviewed the handout that included the reference to “under God.” Lupini wasn’t aware of it until a Brookline TAB reporter pointed it out.

“It unfortunately didn’t get reviewed and ended up as part of the packet” sent to parents, said Lupini, who noted that school officials will meet on Wednesday to discuss how to contact parents regarding the mistake.

School Committee Chairwoman Rebecca Stone said she hadn’t seen Martinez’ letter, and referred to an existing School Department policy.

She said the School Committee hasn’t recently addressed how the pledge is handled in classrooms. She said Devotion may be trying to comply with the school system’s existing policies.

Massachusetts state law requires public school teachers to lead students at the start of every school day. Public school teachers who don’t recite the pledge for at least two weeks could face a token fine of up to $5, according to the law.

But that law isn’t enforced, as state courts have ruled that teachers and students don’t have to participate, said Wunsch, the ACLU attorney.

Cook said there was no parent notification that officials were dealing with the pledge before this note went out; she said the school hasn’t held a pledge for about seven years.

She said she checked off “No” on the permission slips for her seventh grader and second grader at Devotion, along with a written note explaining why.

She said one son won’t say the pledge, but the other one worries that he’ll get a detention if he doesn’t participate.

“They want to do the right thing,” she said, and noted that having the school’s principal lead the pledge every week could pressure students to join in.

She said she supports the school’s efforts to be inclusive of everyone, and feels that restarting the pledge after at least seven years was contrary to that.

“We’re celebrating diversity and including people… and then to be the one sitting there, waiting for the pledge to finish, [that] doesn’t feel inclusive,” said Cook, who later noted, “Yeah, it’s weird. That’s the right word for it.

(End of story. My comments follow.)

This is just off-the-charts ridiculous. Fretting over "what-to-do/what-not-to-d0, can-we/can't-we include/not-include "Under God", my kid will/will-not feel intimidated."

Good. Fucking. Grief.

Gimme a break.

Why not just send out a note stating the Pledge will be recited at the start of every day, those who don't want to can just stare at their shoes while it's being said. Period. End of story.

Just how ridiculous does it get? Will someone get their panties in a twist because students are lined up according to height before walking to an assembly? Will taking roll in alphabetical order be deemed "discriminatory" in some fashion? Where does the stupidity end?

Thank God I live in Texas (although there are large enclaves of moonbats even here). To give an example of how great it is, my kids are now on CHRISTMAS vacation, not "winter solstice vacation", "winter equinox vacation", "midyear break" or any other such lunacy.

It's nice. But to be honest, at times I hear a little voice telling me to enjoy it while I can.

Christmas carolers canned by cranks...

Found this via The Blaze. My comments are in bold:

HAYMARKET, Va. (WUSA) -- They call themselves the "Christmas Sweater Club" because they wear the craziest ones they can find. They also sing Christmas songs at school and try their best to spread Christmas cheer.(URRPPP! Sure sign of troublemaking tendencies!)

Now all 10 of them are in trouble because of what they did at their school.

"They said, 'maliciously maim students with the intent to injure.' And I don't think any of us here intentionally meant to injure anyone, or did," said Zakk Rhine, a junior at Battlefield High School.
The boys say they were just tossing small two-inch candy canes to fellow students as they entered school. The ones in plastic wrap that are so small they often break apart.(Shrapnel hazards?)

Skylar Torbett, also a junior, said administrators told him, "They said the candy canes are weapons because you can sharpen them with your mouth and stab people with them." He said neither he nor any of their friend did that. (A candycane shank. Now I've heard it all. Scotty, beam me up because there's no intelligent life down here.)

Next thing they knew, they were all being punished with detention and at least two hours of cleaning. Their disciplinary notices say nothing about malicious wounding but about littering and creating a disturbance.(Yep. Because "Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer" is an anarchist's song from the getgo.)

"It was at 7 in the morning, before school even starts, so I don't know what we'd be really disrupting," said Cameron Gleason, also a junior.(There was probably a janitor cowering in fear nearby, it's those sharpened candycanes again.)

Principal Amy Etheridge-Conti says she can't comment on the students' discipline but did say there was a lot more to it than handing out candy and that the discipline was warranted.(This is like, "Trust me, it's for your own good." Am I the only one who learned that phrase & attitude hides a wealth of bovine excrement?)

The boys admitted their incident may have caused litter since some kids dropped their candy canes on the floor. But Cameron Gleason said he spent an hour cleaning up the dropped candy.

The boys' parents think the school went overboard and maybe administrators were trying to stop their boys from spreading Christmas cheer.(Ya think?)

Mother Kathleen Flannery said an administrator called her and explained "not everyone wants Christmas cheer. That suicide rates are up over Christmas, and that they should keep their cheer to themselves, perhaps." (Because smiling, singing adolescents will drive anyone over the edge, right?)

Patti Gleason, the mother of Cameron Gleason says, "I am 100 percent sure they did nothing wrong. We've gotten so many different stories. It went from maiming kids with candy canes, to littering. And then when we received the referral (disciplinary notice) it said 'disruption.' So nobody really knew what they were getting in trouble for, they were just making up a whole bunch of different things." (Careful there lady, you'll land your kid in double secret probation!)

But, like Who's of Whoville, the boys are still singing, not letting what happened to them dampen their cheer.(I'd say any relative of these boys who can reasonably croak out a Christmas carol should visit this school soon for a "spontaneous" acapella performance.)

It's that one day that'll just suck on toast...

Found this via Lucianne.com at www.twincities.com:

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano might want to take another look at her department's schedule.

The Department of Homeland Security is working "24/7, 364 days a year," Napolitano said Monday in an apparent gaffe.

"We are thousands of people are working 24/7, 364 days a year to keep the American people safe," the former Arizona governor said on ABC News.

Napolitano also commented on the Monday arrests of 12 suspected terrorists in the United Kingdom. "As far as I know, we have not yet found any connection between those arrests and any threat to [the] homeland or to the United States," she said.

DHS spokesman Bobby Whithorne said the department isn't taking any time off. "DHS can do a lot of things, but we cannot shorten the year by a day," he said. "She obviously misspoke."

(Story ends here. My comments follow.)

What a dumbass. This is the same woman who happily chortled, "The system worked." when last Christmas' BVD Bomber was apprehended. By fellow passengers. In midflight.

I just feel soooo secure these days. The trouble is, this dingbat is the rule and not the exception.

We are so screwed.

Going to Mass...

My youngest son was sick this morning so he and I are staying home while everyone else heads to church. It's just a precautionary measure, right now he's happy as a clam and seemingly healthy so if that continues the wife will pick up both up after Mass and we'll head over to the in-laws for a Christmas party.

Normally I'd just blow off going to Mass, feeling that babysitting my son provided sufficient excuse that I don't need to jump through any hoops on that score.

A few nights ago, at our men's meeting I heard a Filipino immigrant relate how he worked for a time in Saudi Arabia as an RN. There is no other religious worship besides Islamic services allowed in the Kingdom of Saud. So when this man wanted to go to Mass he had to break sharia law and find a clandestine service. It was so secretive that worshippers never had any idea where the next week's Mass would be held until it was announced at the one they were attending. Guess if you didn't go to Mass on any given week you'd have to hookup with someone who trusted you enough to divulge the information.

Anyway, this man thought it important enough to fulfill his Sunday obligation that he risked imprisonment for it. Prisons in the Arab world aren't concerned with human rights, especially the rights of foreign workers from a Third World country.

I'm sure you got the picture ten minutes ago.

I'll be leaving the party for a while today to find a Mass. Once there, I'll probably offer a few prayers of thanksgiving for the religious freedoms my lazy ass takes for granted.

Say goodbye to our military excellence.

Obama to sign law ending military gay ban

That sucking sound you'll soon hear will be from the speedy exit of a lot of good men & women leaving the armed forces. God have mercy on us.

TSA misses handgun carried on overseas flight...

Found this via The Blaze at abcnews.go.com:

Dec. 16, 2010

Last fall, as he had done hundreds of times, Iranian-American businessman Farid Seif passed through security at a Houston airport and boarded an international flight.

He didn't realize he had forgotten to remove the loaded snub nose "baby" Glock pistol from his computer bag. But TSA officers never noticed as his bag glided along the belt and was x-rayed. When he got to his hotel after the three-hour flight, he was shocked to discover the gun traveled unnoticed from Houston.

"It's just impossible to miss it, you know. I mean, this is not a small gun," Seif told ABC News. "How can you miss it? You cannot miss it."

But the TSA did miss it, and despite what most people believe about the painstaking effort to screen airline passengers and their luggage before they enter the terminal, it was not that unusual.

Experts tell ABC News that every year since the September 11 terror attacks, federal agencies have conducted random, covert "red team tests," where undercover agents try to see just how much they can get past security checks at major U.S. airports. And
while the Department of Homeland Security closely guards the results as classified, those that have leaked in media reports have been shocking.

According to one report, undercover TSA agents testing security at a Newark airport terminal on one day in 2006 found that TSA screeners failed to detect concealed bombs and guns 20 out of 22 times. A 2007 government audit leaked to USA Today revealed that undercover agents were successful slipping simulated explosives and bomb parts through Los Angeles's LAX airport in 50 out of 70 attempts, and at Chicago's O'Hare airport agents made 75 attempts and succeeded in getting through undetected 45 times.

Pistole Said Poor Screening Results Led To Enhanced Pat-downs

Despite the results, there is no sign that the numbers have changed as the screeners have been tested year after year, former Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Clark Kent Ervin told ABC News.

"Those reports were classified but it's sufficing to say that reports, both classified and unclassified, are concerning. Too often guns and knives and fake
explosives get through the checkpoint," Ervin said. "And what is particularly concerning is that nine times out of 10 the checkpoint is the most critical layer of aviation security."

Ervin said a combination of factors is likely to blame for the persistent failures on the part of screeners. Low pay, poor training, and the monotony involved in watching bags pass through x-ray machines are a recipe for trouble, Ervin said.

"To be fair to screeners, it's very difficult work," he said. "After so many hours of seeing things that are innocuous, there's really a limit for the human brain
to process something anomalous."

Last month, TSA Chief John Pistole told ABC News that the poor performance during undercover tests helped convince him that airport screening needed to get that much tougher -- and a desire to do better helped give rise to the controversial new regimen that includes enhanced pat-downs and back-scatter machines that can see beneath a traveler's clothing.

"We've had a series of reports actually going back several years from the inspector general, from the General Accounting Office, and our own TSA Office of Inspection, where they do, as you describe, covert testing," Pistole acknowledged to George Stephanopoulos last month during an interview on Good Morning America. "And unfortunately, [undercover testers] have been very successful over the years. And one of the findings is that we have not been thorough enough. And the concern obviously is, if that's an Abdulmutallab -- a Christmas Day bomber -- who is doing it rather than an undercover agent, then that can have catastrophic results."

Seif Shocked That He Carried Gun Through Security

For Seif, the discovery that he had accidentally carried a handgun on an international flight from Houston came as a shock. Rather than let the incident pass, he told ABC News he felt duty-bound to alert authorities to what he considered a gaping hole in security. When he met with Homeland Security officials upon his return to Houston, he said they appeared eager to remedy the problem.

"They were very embarrassed, you know," Seif said. "And -- and they should be, you know. It's -- we're talking about total failure."

TSA spokesman Greg Soule provided ABC News with a statement saying the agency was aware of the year-old incident and had taken steps to address it.

"We conducted an immediate investigation and remedial training was provided to the security officers involved," the statement said.

While it may seem odd for a traveler to walk into an airport with a gun in his carry-on luggage, Soule noted that it happens more often than most people think. Posted on TSA's web site is a count of handguns confiscated by screeners at security checkpoints each week. During the first week in December, screeners found 14 firearms, the website says.

But the agency will not comment on the performance by screeners in undercover testing. Homeland Security officials have determined that any details on performance at checkpoints could provide a road map for terrorists, said the TSA's Soule.

Sen. Charles Grassley, the Iowa Republican who called on the Government Accountability Office to conduct its own, independent covert tests of airport screening, decried the decision to classify the results as a national security secret.

"Those results aren't going to help terrorists figure out how to better attack us, and they certainly aren't going to give them any more motivation to try than they already have," Grassley said on the senate floor in September. "Keeping the results secret will accomplish one thing, however. It will ensure that the public has no idea how effective our airport screening strategy actually is."

(End of story. My comments follow.)

One question comes to me: Why not admit the TSA isn't worth squat and allow anyone who has a license to carry to bring their firearms aboard whatever flight they're on?

Yeah, stupid question. Got it.

Television objectification of teen girls...

Found this via Drudge:

Prime Time TV 'Objectifies and Fetishizes' Underage Girls, Study Says
By Hollie McKay

Published December 16, 2010, FoxNews.com

Long gone are the days when Marcia Brady’s sweet smile and Winnie Cooper’s brains and beauty were how television represented teen-age girls.

According to a new study conducted by the Parents Television Council (PTC), Hollywood is shockingly obsessed with sexualizing teen girls, to the point where underage female characters are shown participating in an even higher percentage of sexual situations than their adult counterparts: 47 percent to 29 percent respectively.

PTC’s report, entitled “New Target: A Study of Teen Female Sexualization on Primetime TV” is based on a content analysis drawn from the 25 most popular shows in the 12-17 demographic throughout the 2009-2010 television season.

“The results from this report show Tinseltown’s eagerness to not only objectify and fetishize young girls, but to sexualize them in such a way that real teens are led to believe their sole value comes from their sexuality," said PTC President Tim Winter. "This report is less about the shocking numbers that detail the sickness of early sexualization in our entertainment culture and more about the generation of young girls who are being told how society expects them to behave."

“Storylines on the most popular shows among teens are sending the message to our daughters that being sexualized isn’t just acceptable, it should be sought after,” Winter said. “It is outrageous that TV executives have made it their business to profit off of programs that depict teen girls blissfully being sexualized by casual partners.”

Examples used by the PTC to illustrate their findings, all taken from prime time broadcast television, included Taylor Momsen’s character in bed with Ed Westwick on “Gossip Girl,” Annalynne McCord taking a swig of alcohol while donning a bra and panties on “90210,” and a lesbian kiss between cheerleaders on “Glee.”

The data, based on factors ranging from the genre of the program to the gender of the initiator and the participant’s attitude toward the sexualizing incident, also revealed that 98 percent of the sexual incidents involving underage female characters occurred outside of any form of committed relationship, and that 73 percent of the underage sexualized incidents were presented in a humorous manner or as a punch line to a joke.

Winter also claims that TV networks can’t be trusted as 75 percent of the time they leave off the “S” descriptor to warn audiences about sexual content. However, Adam Temple, the Coalitions Director at the TV Watch Organization, a broad-based coalition that opposes government control of TV programming, said that examining the age appropriate rating is the most important factor to take into consideration.

“You have to look at the whole story. First and foremost shows are rated based on age, so before you even get to the point of those content descriptors (such as ‘S’ for sex, ‘L’ for language and ‘V’ for violence) parents have to decide what is appropriate,” Temple said. “As with other PTC studies, it is very subjective, so 'reader beware.’ It is important to remember that parents are the ultimate authority, and that this seemingly ‘scary’ study based on vague methodology is subjective.”

Nonetheless, the PTC and its supporters don’t simply just want networks to slap more warnings on programs – they’re calling on parents, actors, and advertisers to take action and demand that the trend to air content based on teen sexualization be reversed. However, Temple argued that end of the day it is up to parents to take control over what their children can and cannot view.

“Parents understand that all programming is not for all children and, according to polling conducted solely among parents, take seriously their efforts to ensure their children view what is appropriate based on their age, taste and values,” he said. “What is increasingly difficult to take seriously, is a patchwork of studies characterized by vagaries and omissions, apparently intended to raise money because the group has the word 'Parents' in its name."

But another expert not associated with these studies or organizations firmly believes that Hollywood is indeed sexualizing underage characters on its shows for profit.

“Certain shows, advertisers, etc. sexualize underage people, which does double damage: it sends a message to youth that their self-worth depends on their sexuality, and provokes inappropriate sexual responses from adults. This is irresponsible programming and is disrespectful to youth,” Los Angeles-based psychologist Dr. Nancy Irwin said. “This (PTC) study is not being blown out of proportion.”

(Story ends here. My commentary follows.)

For some reason I thought of a portion of "The Godfather" (the book, not the movie) where Tom Hagen is leaving a Hollywood mogul's office and he sights a mother & young preteen daughter he'd seen earlier. The daughter had just come from an interview with a studio head, the interview evidently taking place on his casting couch. Hagen was disgusted.

Mario Puzo supposedly incorporated a lot of fact into that novel. I've no doubt that part of it wasn't strictly his imagination at work.

IMO the article posted above details a sign of our culture in general. TV programs only provide a glimpse of the iceberg's tip, tightening broadcast standards treats the symptom and not the disease.

In our present society younger women are completely objectified as desirable sex toys for boys of all ages. (Disclaimer note: my wife is 22 years younger than I. As God is my witness, when we first made contact the idea of hooking up with someone young enough to be my daughter was the L-A-S-T thing on my mind!)

The idea of young hotties willing to strap on older "studs" at the drop of a hat is so much the norm these days that it raises nobody's eyebrows. FWIW, a few decades ago that idea would have been regarded as vulgar and disgusting.

But not today. Not anymore.

It's more proof that we've lost our cultural bearings, that following the religion of "I'm Okay, You're Okay" and it's implied ban on any moral judgements of one another has been the wrong path to take.

As the article states, parents ARE the ones in charge. Too damned many don't acknowledge that fact. It's time for those of us with Judeo-Christian values to speak up in all venues. That includes the schools, the workplace, the sports bar, every possible area.

Time to speak out against "adult sex workers" and their ilk who may work in the neighborhoods. Time to speak to the manager of the local food store who routinely places magazines with scantily clad women in the racks near checkout stands. Time to be heard. Time to write the editors of various "women's magazines" and castigate them for making their lead stories all about staying sexy longer in life, instead of holding up genuinely intelligent and accomplished women as examples to follow.

Because our daughters don't need to be taught that the size of their boobs and tightness of their butt are whats important in life. They don't need to learn to "show their goods" for all to see as they walk down a school hallway. They shouldn't feel weird if they keep their virginity past high school. They should be encouraged to be smart, competent and independent. They should be taught to expect their men to treat them like ladies, with courtesy and respect. They should have the confidence to enforce that mindset.

When you get right down to it, women are the ones who civilize a nation. Leave it to us men and we're all happily back in the Stone Age, scratching our asses for fleas and wondering whats for dinner.

It's way past time to realize we've gone too far down the wrong road. Time to turn back.

"War On The Weak"

Thats the title of a book I'm currently reading. It's a detailed history of the eugenics movement in this nation back at the start of the last century. Quite an eyeopener, IMHO.

Basically the proponents of eugenics were trying to purify & improve the national populace. This was attempted by laws forbidding miscegenation, statutes providing for mandatory sterilization of "undesirables", immigration screening for those with "problems" in their families. There might be more, right now I'm halfway through the 444 pages that comprise the tome.

It's no tinfoil hat creation either. Everything is well referenced and documented. I do mean E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!

Reading it, I'm constantly seeing how some things never change.

It was all junk science. The proponents used half baked statistics, faulty methodology and personal bias to further their agenda. Kind of like what we've seen with the furor over man made global warming, lots of hype and hyperbole with damned little objectivity.

But there are other areas where I'm seeing similarities also. That would be in the mindset of "they're better off dead" used to justify the treatment of "undesirables".

One of the prime areas for "research" was in the family histories of epileptics, the insane, those who are physically handicapped from birth and a laundry list of other items including (I shit you not) compulsive masturbation and chronic unemployment.

Kind of what we see now when the unborn are screened for defects and then aborted (although a penchant for "pounding your pud" would be hard to discern in boys not yet born). I'm thinking specifically of Downs Syndrome and the like.

The response of the general public to all of this was extremely negative. So a lot of the legislation passed was done by stealth and then never enforced. Seems too many folk really valued human life. The key to combating this prolife attitude was felt to be education of the masses. That got run off the rails once Hitler's use of negative eugenic practices came to light. But the use of education in forwarding an agenda is similar to what we've seen over the years in the dehumanizing of the unborn.

Like I said, some things haven't changed a bit. Convince John & Joan Q. Public that they're not really dealing with humans and the problem of getting approval for sterilization or abortion is diminished.

Back then there was a greater awareness of the place of God in our lives. So in many ways eugenics never really stood a chance.

Today we don't have that awareness and often prolifers face an uphill battle.

Pardon me if this is rambling on, I'm just sorting through my thoughts about this book. Lots to think about, IMO.

In closing I'll quote Gianna Jessen, who survived a very late term attempt at saline abortion in 1977. She's now a well known advocate for the prolife movement. I found a great post about her over at Coming Home.

Here's the quote, "Ladies and gentlemen, there are things that you will only be able to learn by the weakest among us, and when you snuff them out, you are the one that loses.

The Lord looks after them, but you are the one that will suffer.

…and what arrogance, what absolute arrogance, and it has been an argument for so long in this human place that we live, that the stronger should dominate the weaker, should determine who lives or dies.

The arrogance of that. Don’t you realize that you can’t make your own heart beat?

Don’t you realize that all the power you think you possess, you really possess none of it?

It is the Mercy of God that sustains you, even when you hate Him."

Weird dreams....

I normally don't remember my dreams but when I do, they're beauts.

The other night I dreamt I was fighting the diabolical duo of Cthulhu and Rosie O'Donnell for the salvation of the world. Yep, strange.

I kicked their butts from here to breakfast.

In case anyone is wondering, Cthulhu was a pushover compared to Rosie.

Maybe it's something I've been eating. Gotta check that.

Pepsico deserves a butt whipping for this one...

I found this POS over at Creative Minority Report, who evidently got it from another site. One of the commenters divulged that they'd contacted Pepsico which claimed it was only a "suggested" ad from a consumer. Since it carries the Pepsico logo the commenter urged them to take action. Works for me! If it were a "suggested" ad targeting Islam you can bet they'd be on it like white on rice.

For those who care to contact them; http://www.pepsico.com/Contacts.aspx

UPDATE: Evidently Pepsico had more pull concerning this thing than originally thought. Here's a link (http://catholicvote.org/discuss/index.php?p=12096) going to Catholic Vote where it's mentioned the video was actually part of a contest the company was running. They've pulled it in response to all the negative feedback. Should never have gotten that far.

Food Fascists pushing to limit school bake sales...

This is off the charts on the ridiculous scale. What really caught my eye is that many school districts are already complying with this idiotic mindset. But that's easily remedied if enough irate parents put down the remote and start getting involved with their school board. My comments are in bold italics & parentheses: (H/T to Adriennes Catholic Corner)



Hold the brownies! Bill could limit bake sales
By MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Don't touch my brownies! A child nutrition bill on its way to President Barack Obama — and championed by the first lady — gives the government power to limit school bake sales and other fundraisers that health advocates say sometimes replace wholesome meals in the lunchroom. (IMO children are like the Mr. Fusion device mounted atop the DeLorean in "Back To The Future". Just fill that pup up with junk and watch it go nuclear! Kids are the same way. No I'm not a nutritionist, just a retired mechanic. But I've eyes in my head and a fairly good memory.)

Republicans, notably Sarah Palin, and public school organizations decry the bill as an unnecessary intrusion on a common practice often used to raise money.

"This could be a real train wreck for school districts," Lucy Gettman of the National School Boards Association said Friday, a day after the House cleared the bill. "The federal government should not be in the business of regulating this kind of activity at the local level."

The legislation, part of first lady Michelle Obama's campaign to stem childhood obesity, (Big surprise, our fatassed First Lady is trying to dictate to other parents how to raise their kids. Someone should warn her not to dispense with advice until her own are fully grown and safely out of the house.) provides more meals at school for needy kids, including dinner, and directs the Agriculture Department to write guidelines to make those meals healthier. The legislation would apply to all foods sold in schools during regular class hours, including in the cafeteria line, vending machines and at fundraisers.

It wouldn't apply to after-hours events or concession stands at sports events. (That'll be next. Goodbye halftime hot dogs, hello tofu burgers.)

Public health groups pushed for the language on fundraisers, which encourages the secretary of Agriculture to allow them only if they are infrequent. The language is broad enough that a president's administration could even ban bake sales, but Secretary Tom Vilsack signaled in a letter to House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, D-Calif., this week that he does not intend to do that. (He might not. Is there anything that insures a successor won't amend the rules?) The USDA has a year to write rules that decide how frequent is infrequent.

Margo Wootan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest says the bill is aimed at curbing daily or weekly bake sales or pizza fundraisers that become a regular part of kids' lunchtime routines. She says selling junk food can easily be substituted with nonfood fundraisers. (Such as what? I don't see any alternatives being suggested. Not even a good straw man argument here.)

"These fundraisers are happening all the time," Wootan said. "It's a pizza sale one day, doughnuts the next... It's endless. This is really about supporting parental choice. Most parents don't want their kids to use their lunch money to buy junk food. They expect they'll use their lunch money to buy a balanced school meal." (What planet does she come from anyway? What school has these many fundraisers going on, one right after the other? As for parents expecting little Johnny/Sally to buy "a balanced school meal", it seems to me that said parents will have a fair idea of what their little darling is going to purchase and don't want a food cop interfering. State-provided nannies are neither desired nor required!)

Not all see it that way.

Palin mocked the efforts last month by bringing a plate of cookies to a school speech in Pennsylvania. Rep. John Kline of Minnesota, the senior Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, said the federal government "has really gone too far" when it is deciding when to hold bake sales. (No shit Sherlock!)

Some parents say they are perplexed by what the new rules might allow.

In Seminole, Fla., the Seminole High Warhawks Marching Band's booster club held a bake sale to help send the band's 173 members to this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York. One of the bake sale's specialties: New York-style cheesecake, an homage to the destination they'd pursued for 10 years.

"Limiting bake sales is so narrow-minded," said Laura Shortway, whose 17-year-old daughter, Mallory, is a drummer in the band. "Having bake sales keeps these fundraisers community based, which is very appealing to the person making the purchase."

Several school districts and state education departments already have policies suggesting or enforcing limits on bake sales, both for nutritional reasons and to keep the events from competing for dollars against school cafeterias. In Connecticut, for instance, about 70 percent of the state's school districts have signed on to the state education department's voluntary guidelines encouraging healthy foods in place of high-sugar, high-fat options.

Under those rules, bake sales cannot be held on school grounds unless the items meet nutrition standards that specifically limit portion sizes, fat content, sodium and sugars. That two-ounce, low-fat granola bar? Probably OK, depending what's in it. But grandma's homemade oversized brownie with cream cheese frosting and chocolate chips inside? Probably not. (It's for reasons like this I'm glad I no longer live in the People's Republic of Connecticut. But hey, those guidelines are voluntary which means a fair number of parents have the say so on it. If that's how they want to roll, good on 'em. Meanwhile, somebody send me Granny's Oversized Brownie Recipe.)

One loophole in Connecticut: The nutritional standards apply if the food is being sold at a bake sale, but not if it's being given away free, such as by a parent for a child's birthday.

"If a mom wants to send in cupcakes to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, that would not be subject to the state guidelines," said Thomas Murphy, a spokesman for the state's education department.

In New York City, a rule enacted in 2009 allows bake sales only once a month, and they must comply with nutritional standards and be part of a parent group fundraiser. (And some people wonder why theres an exodus out of the Northeast to points south. This might be an indication why.)

Wootan says she hopes the rules will prompt schools to try different options for fundraising.

"Schools are so used to doing the same fundraisers every year that they need a strong nudge to do something new," she says. "The most important rebuttal to all of these arguments is that schools can make money other ways — you don't have to harm kids health." (Oh good grief! Does this Food Fascista think little Johnny is going to flat line over a few fat pills? I know, it's a stupid question. And once again I'll note she doesn't have any concrete suggestions, just vague assertions.)

Honestly, are supporters of this crap so brain dead they don't think parents can responsibly raise their kids to eat more or less balanced meals without outside help? How did millions of kids over the past few hundred years make it to adulthood in this nation without suffering lifelong, nutritional-based health problems?

Here's a thought. Let's scrap all the school cafeterias and let the parents start making their kids lunches at home while at the same time they stop funding their child's every whim & fancy. Think of the potential money saved as our educational institutions get out of the food business. Think of how the parents will learn a little more about their kids (Mom, you give me tofu one more time and I'm heading for the bell tower!). Think of how little Johnny/Sally will be forced to eat the homemade meals or go hungry. Maybe it'll encourage them to take responsibility and make their own! What a concept, fostering family unity, fiscal responsibility, childhood independence all in one swipe.

And we get rid of the Food Fascists. That's assuming they don't start inspecting the meals brought from home, which I have to admit is a real possibility in this Bizarro world.

There goes Freedom of Speech.

Found this at http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/ :

Madrid, Spain, Dec 3, 2010 / 03:58 pm (CNA).- The Organization of the Islamic Conference has sponsored a draft resolution at the United Nations that would condemn the “defamation of religion” and create a global “anti-blasphemy law.”

The draft resolution was presented by Pakistan in the name of the Islamic conference, which holds a majority of the seats on the U.N. Human Rights Council, according to the Spanish daily ABC.

The Muslim organization hopes to secure passage of the resolution by the U.N. General Assembly. However, the resolution has been met with widespread rejection, especially for its condemnation of the criticism of radical Islam by the media.

The United States and European countries have warned that a resolution of this kind constitutes an attack on freedom of expression and could lead to greater persecution of religious minorities. Experts say “defamation” can only be liable to legal sanction when it involves persons and not concepts or feelings.

According to the Spanish daily, many Muslim states have a legal system based on Sharia (Islamic law) and have established anti-blasphemy laws that in practice only condemn insults against the prophet Muhammad but not against other religions.

(End of story. My comments follow.)

I've no doubt that this assault on free speech will pass, if not this year then in coming years. America will sign onto it to and don't think 2012 offers any chance of relief from our Panderer in Chief who likes bowing to any Third World head of state he finds. It isn't carved in stone that B.O. WON'T be reelected. For that to happen there has to be an attractive alternative to vote for. No one of that description is on our political landscape right now.

The world at large seems intent on kissing Islamic ass, soon we'll see anyone not following the Pedophile Prophet relegated to the status of a second-class citizen. Which is what sharia law is all about.

See you in the reeducation camps.