The Soccer Mom Vote

Why does this keep happening?

This is an example of the stuff that drives me so insane about the immigration question. Why is the INS/ICE wasting time trying to deport the spouse of someone who is serving our country in the Iraq war?

This is the second example I have seen of this here in Massachusetts so it's hard to tell how many examples of this occur all over the country.

Last year, it came to light the wife of a soldier who had been captured by al Qaeda was under threat of deportation. What I couldn't understand then, and I still have not found an adequate explanation for, is why marrying an American citizen doesn't still automatically make you a citzen yourself. What has changed?

Happy Mother's Day

Mother’s Day has got to be my favorite holiday.  It’s the one where we sit back and are told well done. It may be hard today.  Your child may be sick, ungrateful, cranky, but joy comes in the morning.  You get your mother’s day.  You’ve earned it.

I gave birth to my 7th child in March. I would have been thrilled anyway, but was extra happy that she was born healthy.  My sixth child hadn’t been so fortunate, and after 6 ½ seizure-filled months, she died.  So I’m in the strange position of having had seven children, but really having only six. 

And I’m used to the stares and the head counts, and I feel what women who don’t have husbands but do have many children must fell like; people can’t look at you and know your situation.  I also had a tumultuous youth where my irresponsible acts left me pregnant before I was ready.  I know what all that stuff feels like, and I unfortunately know what abortion is like up close and personal.

So I know that if Barack Obama knew what he was talking about, he would not so cavalierly thrown out that irresponsible remark about not having his daughters punished with a baby.  Having lost three children, one to abortion, one to miscarriage, and one to brain damage, I must say that the baby is not the punishment, but rather the reward.

Now we’re back to the issue that makes it impossible for me to support Obama.  I can't support Hilary Clinton, who views abortion as a female empowerment issue. Can I support McCain?  I had heard that he was as liberal as a Republican can be, so I had to check the one issue that means anything to me. 

And here’s what I found.  In 1993, the McCains adopted a girl from Sister Teresa’s orphanage.  She has not surprisingly been a blessing to their family.  I read about McCain and his family back before the Michigan primary, and I found it hard to be against him in light of this one view. 

Because babies are not obstacles to a better life.  They are life itself, and if you are blessed enough to conceive one, you should not deceive yourself into calling it a curse.  And if you have the presence of mind to see a baby for what it truly is, you owe it to others to spread that news.

Happy Mother's Day

When McCain won the nomination, I thought, here is a Republican elected by Democrats.  The only people I talked to that were excited about McCain were Democrats that had no intention of voting for him in the actual election.

I was hopping mad about that, even as I couldn’t get excited about anyone who was running on the Republican side.

Now I’m hearing about Rush Limbaugh’s operation chaos,
and I see the same kind of thing happening on the Democrat side.  Are Republicans choosing the candidate they think could better lose the general election?

Leave it to Obama to make John McCain look conservative.  I feel for the man.  It’s unintentional, I’m sure, it’s obvious that he is running in earnest, I mean he is a serious candidate, but according to Cokie Roberts,
he’s not getting votes for being earnest, but rather for being black.  That’s rather stinky.  This is what I’d always suspected, that Americans in general and Democrats in particular are too racist to elect a black president now.  Why Democrats, you may ask?  All this exploitation, including voting for this man because he is black and smart.  The classic case of overcompensation.

Personal example alert:  When I was in High School, I had a new guidance counselor every year.  I’m not sure what the point of that was.  It’s not like you could build a relationship with someone that was helping you plan your future or anything.  I had to prove to each counselor that I wasn’t a loser just because I was black.  The new counselor in my senior year greeted me with “so you’re going to graduate—you hope,” without having looked at my transcript or spoken with me at all.  I told him why yes, I hoped to graduate, and in fact I only needed 3 credits.  “We’ll see,” he informed me, and then was falling all over himself apologizing after having checked.  He then tried to advise me to finish my high school career off with half-days or a semester early, seeing as how I only needed three credits.  I thought that wouldn’t look good to colleges, and declined the offer.  After I was accepted to a big 10 University for college, he advised me to look no further—how could I do better than that big 10 school?  Needless to say, I didn’t use him for more than mailing out applications—guidance counselor he was not.

I bring this story up to say that I smell the same kind of thing with Obama.  Ok, so here’s a successful black man, not a loser like we expect, so let’s elect him PRESIDENT!  It’s not like he has any experience or anything, just the slightest of credentials.  Let’s just blow it way out of proportion and maybe then we’ll have atoned for slavery. 

Call it far-fetched, but that’s what it smells like to me.  And I’m not alone; maybe that’s just a song conservatives sing.  But that wouldn’t explain Cokie Roberts, a Clinton supporter.

Will Obama pull off the nomination?  The general election?  I have a hard time believing it.  But I’m counting on his not winning the election, so I might not be the most partial observer. 

So far I’ve been wrong.  I thought Edwards would win the Democratic nomination, and Romney would win the Republican one.  That’s 0 for 2 for all those keeping score.

Then I thought that no matter how well Obama did, Hilary would never concede.  That remains to be seen.  So does my other assertion that she would win with the super delegate support.  So far, the only thing I've been right about is how interesting this race is.  The finish line is in sight. 

Immigration

It’s a huge topic. Huge. I have wanted to cover it in some form here for quite some time but it’s so gigantic that I have hesitated. I have been intimidated. I admit it. What is the first step to understanding immigration? Where do I begin? Well, I live in Texas, so it's fairly obvious that I should probably begin with Mexico. And because it’s just my nature, I think I should probably begin at a very basic level. I’m going to start small. I’m going to start by simply bringing it up. This is me bringing it up: Immigration.

Please think about immigration. If you don’t already think about it often, please start thinking about it. Think about what you think about it.

Do you have a strong opinion? Any opinion?

What do you think about border control? Should we increase security personnel? Increase technology at the borders? Increase our military presence? Build a really big fence?

What do you think about immigrants who are working here illegally? What do you think about the employers who hire these immigrants? Do you or someone you know employ illegal laborers? I don’t want to make accusations or false presumptions, but I think a significant number of Texans would be hard-pressed to say no to this question.

How do you think the U.S. government should react to employers who hire undocumented immigrants? How do you think the U.S.government should react to immigrants who are in good standing in our country?

Do you have an opinion about English and Spanish and how they are used in the U.S.? Do you think we should be a bilingual country? Are you put off by those who don’t speak English?

What do you think the U.S.government should do, if anything, to promote economic development in Mexico?

What do you think Mexico should do to decrease illegal immigration? How do you think we should react to the children of immigrants in this country?

Do you know when and how your own relatives came to this country?

If you don't know what you think, you have time to do some research and make up your mind. Then, before you cast your vote this fall, make sure your ideas are in line with your candidate’s ideas. See the following links to find out more about the major candidates and where they stand on immigration:

Where Hillary stands

Where Barack stands

Where McCain stands

I have read the statements at each of these three links, and unfortunately, in my opinion, there are a lot of broad generalizations about what needs to be improved and not a whole lot of how exactly those improvements will be implemented. But it’s still well worth the read. We need to know where these candidates stand. And this is after all, only the first step…

Tearless Onions—That’s Just Not Natural

Recently, scientists announced that they have developed a tearless onion. Dr. Colin Eady of New Zealand is the primary researcher. He collaborated with scientists in Japan to create this new veggie that apparently looks and smells and tastes like an onion, but doesn’t act like one. The New Zealand Herald reported this onion won’t make you cry when you chop it because it has “up to 500 times less of the irritant that induces tears.”

When you chop a regular onion, you set off a chain of chemical reactions, including the release of an enzyme which is an irritant for human eyes, and basically, makes us cry. These scientists have used something they call gene silencing. They leave alone the genes we consider “good,” in this instance, those responsible for a certain taste or a certain smell and they silence the “bad” genes, in this instance, the ones responsible for making us cry.

Wow. That’s something, and it certainly seems like a great idea in the world of science, but I am not convinced that it’s the best thing inside the kitchen.

A significant percentage of my childhood memories are set in and around the kitchen. I planted onions with my grandmother and picked them with my grandfather. I washed the dirt off them and put them in a basket on the kitchen table. Later, I loaded the extras into paper bags and carried them down the street to give away to my aunt or my great uncle or a neighbor. There was no shortage of onions.

I sliced onions for brisket at Christmas. I finely chopped onions for salsa at family reunions. I diced them to cook with green beans and new potatoes. I cut them into big chunks for beef stew. I placed clean round circle-slices on plates with cucumbers and tomatoes for lunch in the summertime.

When I first saw my mother without hair, post-breast cancer and still recovering, she was in my grandmother’s kitchen chopping onions. Once, I spoke to my grandfather about the Rwandan Genocides. I was just waking up to the world’s cruelty and realizing what political powerlessness felt like. With the melodrama apropos of a twenty-two year old, I asked my grandfather, “What are we going to do now?” And he said, “Chop the onions like your grandmother told us to.”

Maybe that last statement is more responsible than anything else for my latent onion-love. Of course, some people don’t like onions. You might be one who, for the sake of your tastes buds or a delicate stomach, is forced to make a habit of holding the onions. But the vast majority of the world consumes onions like gangbusters. It is a staple in many countries and doctors say that onions can cure what ails you. “Evidence suggests that onions may be effective against the common cold, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other diseases.“

Regardless of how you order your burger, the onion has been around for eons. Ok, maybe not eons. But there is reason to believe it dates back to 5000 BC. And now a few guys with Ph.D.s say they’ve made one better? Really? I just find it hard to believe. Perhaps I should be embarrassed by my lack of scientific complexity; perhaps I’m just being old-fashioned. But I am overwhelmed by a very strong sense of Don’t Mess with Mother Nature.

To me, it seems to be a whole lot for not much. I wonder how many years of research went into this new fandangled scallion: the money, the time, the testing. It’s all a bit off-putting to me. It might be a little different if the new improved onion was simply a by-product of important research being done toward some other, more noble end. But it seems that this is an end in itself, and I just don’t get it. Dr Eady said:

"What we're hoping is that we'll essentially have a lot of the nice, sweet aromas associated with onions without that associated bitter, pungent, lachrymatory factor... We have a burgeoning population to feed, and with climate change and other challenges, available resources are being reduced… They are such a versatile and nutritious vegetable, that if we can manage to get more people cooking and eating fresh onions, then that has got to be a positive outcome.”

All true. But I must say, I hardly think those truly suffering from a lack of food to eat are hesitating to choose onions because they are a pain in the ass to chop.

Is it so inconvenient to shed a tear or two? Isn’t that part of the inherent nature of an onion? Isn’t that part of life? You take the good with the bad, outside and inside the kitchen.

Obama's chickens coming home to roost

I have read emails about Baraq Obama’s Pastor for months. I knew he went to the church of the afrocentric diety. (not really, I know it was a Church of Christ with Rev. Wright in Chicago). I really thought the whole email campaign was an attempt to stir folks up about this pro-black black man running for president. I still think it is, and I don’t know if I believe the hype. When I say hype, I mean that these radical afrocentrists are more bark than bite.  they have no real power, and they do not affect change.

But what I do believe is that Obama is an extremely liberal man, and it is that reason that he is dangerous. He is reinterpreting the Bible for liberal causes. He is positioning himself as a savior of the country, and that is dangerous. His religious beliefs have been a focus from the beginning. First all the hoopla was, ‘is he or isn’t he Muslim?’ When it was established that he was no longer Muslim, that became a non-issue. Now that his Christianity is tied to this extreme Afrocentrism, that’s a problem.

Will he continue to consult these radical advisers once elected? Given the fact that he refuses to disavow them even under fire, yes, it is most likely that he will continue to consult Wright and Sharpton and Shabaz (of the New Black Panthers) after the election. And what will that mean to our country? I know the whole fear mongering of white guilt that would say that their chickens will finally come home to roost is being stirred up. 

I doubt it would come to much. That stuff never comes to much. What is much more likely is that Obama will wriggle out of the controversy, receive the popular vote, only to lose it to Hilary’s super delegates. THEN it will get interesting.

I'm sorry too.

Where have all the good guys gone?

By now you've heard that New York Governor Elliot Spitzer issued an apology yesterday for behavior that "does not meet my or any standards of right and wrong."

I suppose we should be used to this. Getting caught in a sex scandal is becoming a rite of passage for the self-righteous. Somehow though, we believed that this guy was different. He presented himself as a crusader of sorts, pursuing Truth, Justice and the American Way. You know the drill. His manner, and of course his name, so invited comparisons with Elliot Ness that you could almost see the fedora.

It's not so much the sex, as it is the alleged hiding of money, disguising of transactions, and engaging in something he was prosecuting others for. It was the fact that this was so calculated. The irony is punishing. I'm not just disappointed, I feel like someone has died.

Having lived in both New Jersey and the Boston area, I'm no stranger to political corruption. I sort of accepted it as a way of life. Big Business would continue to have too much influence over our government and would continue to ride roughshod over its employees, its shareholders and in the case of the defense industry, a balanced budget. Writers like me would continue to point this out, try to effect some small change here and there, but that this was the way the world worked. Period.

Elliot Spitzer made me believe that it didn't have to be that way; that someone was really watching out for the little guy in a way that didn't involve protectionism, or socialism, or anything more drastic than enforcing existing laws. This was apparently too much for Big Business. It speaks volumes that a cheer went up on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the news of Spitzer's troubles.

But while Spitzer was making enemies, I was entertaining hopes that he might run for President someday; that there was still a good guy who could be a leader on the national stage. That there was someone to believe in.

I've been watching and participating in politics for a long time now, and I'm used to supporting and voting for flawed, multi-dimensional, candidates. I should have known that these expectations were too much to place on one man's shoulders. Yet, I hoped, until of course, it turned out to be too good to be true.

Just as Elliot Spitzer's public career has more than likely come to an end, so has my belief in good guys going into politics.

And that makes me very sorry.

I want a strong First Spouse, thank you very much.

She was shy and not particularly attractive, but she was smart and socially aware. She married a man who was destined to be a leader, and as he worked his way through various positions in government, her interest in, and support for, various social issues grew.

When she first discovered her husband's infidelities, their relationship evolved into more of a political partnership, and when he became President, as First Lady she used his office and her own considerable influence to push for change.

Her work and her efforts were met with both high praise and considerable criticism and ridicule, but she soldiered on, serving as a model for women pushing the boundaries and taking on new roles. When her husband was no longer President, her own political career continued. She continued to work in the public sphere until her death in 1962.

Eleanor Roosevelt remains my hero. When I was a child, hers was one of the few biographies of women available to third grade girls doing reports on influential public figures. Reading about her shaped my view of what women should be doing with their lives, even if they are also mothers. It's the old "to whom much is given, much is required" philosophy. If your husband is in a position of power (or you are), you had better be taking the opportunity to make the world a better place.

It's been 75 years (to the day) since Eleanor became First Lady, but I'm not sure that we are yet comfortable with having an active woman with her own opinions and agenda in that role. I think the dislike of Hillary Clinton began with her role as a First Lady with ideas and influence. Even in this day and age, is America afraid of that?

I want a strong first spouse, thank you very much. The simpering "I leave all the decisions to George" ways of Laura Bush make my blood run cold. Yet, I wonder if that isn't the model that appeals to most Americans. Think about it. Hillary has been attacked since her first days on the national scene. So was Theresa Heinz (-Kerry); Elizabeth Edwards has her decision to campaign questioned again and again; and now people are starting to go after Michelle Obama. And isn't it interesting that it's the Democratic spouses who seem the most likely to step out of their husbands' shadows and into the harsh glare of the lights.

On the Republican side we have a disturbing parade of helpmeets and trophy wives. Cindy McCain, Ann Romney, Jeri Thompson, and  wait, has anyone actually seen Mike Huckabee's wife outside of that Christmas ad? What's her name? The only exception to this was possibly Judi Giuliani, and well, we all know how that went.

Ladies, at least take a page out of Nancy Reagan's book. If your husband should win, you will have an office. Use it.

My mother used to say that the more you stick your neck out, the more people are going to want to chop off your head. It was her way of warning me to develop a thicker skin; that strong women make quicker enemies. I'm not sure it's just a resentment of strong women, really. Madeline Albright didn't have to put up with this garbage. Condoleeza Rice has had a few personal attacks leveled at her, but they were pretty short-lived. As a nation we seem to be okay with women in these positions, but First Lady remains this pedestal position, reserved for redecorating the White House, dressing well, and greeting visiting dignitaries.  It seems like such a waste of resources.

For a while there, I was hoping that our First Spouse this time around would be male, that he would have some ambassadorial role and that maybe we could put an end to this "First Ladies should be seen and not heard" prejudice once and for all. But if that doesn't happen and the Obamas go to the White House, I hope that Michelle is polishing her armor. She may just need it.

Childhood Obesity

I don’t know how to say it nicely: Americans are fat. And American children are getting fatter and fatter. I really hate to see it. I know that the standard of glamour for American women is ridiculously thin, and it’s obvious that young girls today are impacted by that. I don’t want to imply that that standard is what we need to be pushing our young girls (and boys) toward. But we need to do something to solve this pendulum of extremes between childhood obesity and eating disorders.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “the number of overweight children and teens has continued to rise over the past two decades.”

Doctors and scientists are concerned about the rise of overweight in children and youth because being overweight may lead to the following health problems:

·         Heart disease, caused by:

o        high cholesterol and/or

o        high blood pressure

·         Type 2 diabetes

·         Asthma

·         Sleep apnea

·         Social discrimination

It’s clearly not just about looking good. Studies have repeatedly shown that overweight children and teens are more likely to become obese as adults. As an average American woman in my thirties who has struggled with my own weight all of my life, I believe that maintaining a healthy weight can impact your health and your well-being more than most people realize.

Last month, CNN reported about Chef Ann Cooper, the “renegade lunch lady” and the difference she’s making in American schools . I think her story bears repeating. You can also read her blog. 

The following is an excerpt form the CDC’s web site. Check out this very helpful information and do your best to keep your children and yourselves healthy.

Child and Teen BMI (Body Mass Index) Calculator
Worried about your child’s weight? For children, BMI is used to screen for overweight, but is not a diagnostic tool Click on the link below to measure your child’s BMI.

We Can!
This national education program is designed for parents and caregivers to help children 8-13 years old stay at a healthy weight. The booklet "Finding the Balance: A Parent Resources" offers an array of easy to use practical tips and tools for parents and guardians to help their children and families eat healthy, increase physical activity, and decrease screen time.

Nutrition for Everyone: CDC’s Quick Tips: Healthy Children, Healthy Choices
Quick tips that you can use to serve your children nutritious foods.

MyPyramid.gov
Provides a tailored explanation of how to balance your meals and includes an interactive game for kids.

Energize Your Life!
Provides information about physical activity for you and your children.

FruitsandVeggiesMatter.gov
Great recipes and information about how to incorporate fruits and vegetables in your daily meals.

How to Avoid Portion Size Pitfalls
Confused about portion sizes? Play the CDC’s portion control game!

campaigning while black

I know.  It's getting redundant.  The black chick blathering on about being black.  Bear with me here.  I remember being in college when the only thing worth reading in the University paper was Bloom County.  Then they started having racist incidents in school, and everybody perked up.  I am sure circulation went through the roof when these things flared up, because every little anecdotal thing was reported with the utmost of attention to detail. And everywhere you went on campus, someone was reading the daily campus newspaper.

So when I heard about Michelle Obama's recent comment, my ears perked up.  I would like to thank Mrs. Obama for fanning the flame.  Just when I thought I had nothing to write about, she piped up.

I have been watching for a Michelle Obama incident.  I remember watching her introduce her husband when he won the Senate race.  She listed his credentials, and added a big "MY MAN!" at the end of it.  I thought, she's a little ghetto.

So now we have this statement that she is proud of her country for the first time in her adult life.  She sounds black. 

You mean, *gasp* black people are dissatisfied with America?  You mean, that's like scandalous to announce?  Um, slavery anyone?  Jim Crow, lynching, Driving While Black?  This dissatisfaction with America?  It's like widespread.  But when a presidential candidate's wife says something that alludes to this widespread black sentiment, then it's all of a sudden a death sentence.  Now everyone's noticing this big pink elephant in the middle of the room.  Psst, guess what?  Barak Obama has a black wife.  And I'm not sure, but he may be black, too.

Of course, this is something the Clintons have wanted to talk about all along. And now Michelle has provided them with the perfect opportunity to do so.

It's hilarious to see these broad, open minded liberals falling all over themselves to talk about how angry and ungrateful Michelle Obama is.  Because she ought to be very happy that her husband is allowed to run for President, right? And he's allowed to do well in the race.  *Because we're so broad and open minded.  She better stay in her place.  Because we put her there, and we can take her back down, too.*

Michelle Obama just got caught campaigning while black.