Rantsom

HELP! Our news media has been hijacked by politicians - that is scary.

Why, oh why, does the campaigning last sooooo long? Surely, it can't take that long to make people aware of your policies and where you stand on major issues like foreign policy (eg. the war in Iraq), health care, education, infrastructure issues, etc...

I suppose the premise is that all of these debates and public speaking will allow the people to get into the hearts of the candidates in order to get the true picture of what exactly they stand for. Like I said, I guess that is the premise - doesn't seem to be the case (maybe time will tell?). Seems like the same things are said over and over again, or changed slightly based on what another of the candidates said.

I just can't believe that they are going to continue this until the end of 2008. From some polls I have seen, it is hard to get people to watch the debates now. Imagine in a year from now...it could be called the 'saturation effect'. Many people have probably already heard and seen enough.

The only good thing to come out of all of this is that George W. Bush will be replaced. Now, to quote Martha Stewart, "That is a good thing!"

Would Donald Trump please just close his mouth (for lack of being too crude and saying JUST SHUT UP)…maybe he could use some of his extra hair to muffle the noise coming out of his fat lips.

All he has to say is that everyone else is a loser and everything he touches is successful. What a joke! If I were a big-time real estate mogul, why would I have to do a reality TV show? And even more importantly, why would I feel the need to trash every woman who is older than 25 and has an opinion. Oh, I suppose that is because they are no longer considered marriable.

Here Donald sits on the Larry King show trashing every woman on The View for whatever reason – Barbara is a liar, Elisabeth isn’t very smart, Joy is not even funny and we all know what he thinks about Rosie – fat, lesbian loser. And in the same interview, he defends poor Terra Connor and Lindsay Lohan. Let’s not forget what just happened with lovely Lindsay just yesterday…crashing her car while driving under the influence of alcohol and probably drugs…and it wasn’t just ‘under the influence’, she was trashed drunk. Yes, I agree, she is young and definitely could use some help. But, apparently, she was out the night after indulging in the same behaviour. This behaviour is criminal, not just something I don’t personally agree with.

Oh, Donald, a few words from someone who really doesn’t matter but, is simply annoyed. Please keep your pouty lips closed. No wait, keep talking because the more you open your mouth, the more arrogant and ridiculous you look. However, Donald, if you feel the need to go on another talk show or interview to push your own so-called successes, then please come up with some new words. Pull out a dictionary or thesaurus and find another word for loser, ugly, fat and stupid. I and many other people are tired of hearing your kindergarten insults. At least make them sound intelligent.

No, you cannot buy class - even if you think you can.

Just take a look at Donald Trump. He apparently has a lot of money - I don't really know. What I do know is that he has absolutely NO CLASS! Congratulations Donald - what an inspiration you aren't!

WOW! I just heard a funny thing on FOX news - not funny ha ha but, unbelievable funny.

As much as I would like to avoid anything to do with Ann Coulter, I just have to comment.

According to a news pundit on FOX news, when comparing Ann Coulter and Rosie O’Donnell, he stated that at least Ann is an intelligent woman. LOL. Perhaps I shouldn’t be so quick to judge. After all she is a lawyer, right? That must mean that she is smart, right? I am still pondering that one.

Truthfully, the reason I did the LOL about Ann Coulter’s intelligence is quite simple. I saw her on an interview with, I believe, a Canadian reporter a little while ago. When there was mention of the current war with Iraq, the topic quickly turned to why Canada isn’t in Iraq with the United States. After all, as Miss Intelligence herself stated, Canada went to war with the United States in Vietnam, so why wouldn’t they go into Iraq. LOL LOL LOL LOL. I still laugh (in disbelief) when I see her indignant face stating these words. The reporter had to let her know that Canada did not participate in the Vietnam War. She was so sure of herself and actually had the ‘balls’ to reiterate her nonsense and say with conviction, “Yes, they did.”

No, Miss Intelligence, Ann Coulter, Canada did not participate in the Vietnam War. That is a fact. Perhaps you should start to read something other than your own hate filled articles and books, and then maybe, just maybe, we could use the 2 words/name - Intelligent and Ann Coulter - in the same sentence.

You can't expect me to RANT all the time, can you? Here is proof that I have good things to say too...read on...

I confess – I am a cat lover. And for good reason! My beloved cat, Max, has taught me a great life lesson.

Max is one of my 2 cats. He is an absolutely wonderful cat. His attitude towards life is an inspiration that humans could take lessons from, and hence, this story.

From the time we saw him in his cage at the SPCA until now, he is the most content and tolerant cat I have ever known.

His tolerance spreads to everyone including small children who might occasionally brush him the wrong way J. As one of my friend’s 4-year-old daughter said as she approached him, “He doesn’t run away!”

But, even more inspiring about this cat is his sheer contentedness. It is unstoppable. If his purring is an indication (and I believe it is), he is a very happy cat. He purrs and purrs and purrs. He purrs so much that we have nicknamed him Purr Machine. His purring is also very loud…louder than any other cat I have heard. And you don’t need to pet him to get him purring. All you have to do is look at him and talk to him, and he will start purring.

Recently, he became ill and was on death’s door. The vet could not diagnose his illness with 100% certainty but she suspected that it was a deadly virus. Sadly, I didn’t think he would make it through that week. After various medications and vet visits, he appeared to be getting better. Then, after a few weeks, he started to take a turn for the worse again. He has not been eating or drinking regularly since then. He has lost most of his weight and his future is uncertain.

Throughout all of this, with the exception of the first week when he could barely move, he has maintained his content disposition. His body is frail and weak and yet still, he will simply look at me and start purring. Or, he will get on my bed and purr without any type of stroking or petting. I am amazed that he still has the energy and attitude to maintain his happy nature. Perhaps his positive, happy attitude is what is keeping him going?

Certainly a lesson we humans can learn from. Don’t stop being happy when things are not exactly as you wish. Instead, find happiness with what you have right now.

I have heard from a few sources that the brains of young kids and especially teenagers are not fully developed. It must be true. I believe it because I have proof.

Being the mother of a few children reaching (and have reached) the teenage years, I used to be able to make viable excuses for my children when they did something stupid. I could justify it - "They are just children."

However, once they reach the teenage years, you figure that they would have more sense and responsibility built-in, right? Apparently not.

This morning, one of my kids missed the bus - he was fully dressed in his winter garb - hat and all - lunch ready - school bag ready and standing at the front door ready to leave - and he still missed the bus. I have to ask myself, "What the heck is going on in his 'little' brain?" What happened here? I just don't get it.

So, because I have no other plausible explanation, it MUST be because his little pre-teen brain is not fully developed yet. With my forty-something, fully developed brain :-), I can deduce that this must be the answer!

It seems interesting, and perhaps, coincidental that Iran is becoming a popular subject in the news these days. A few weeks ago, I seemed to accept the information freely. However, now that I think about it a little bit more, it seems somewhat suspicious that suddenly, Iran is posing a great threat to the Middle East.

If in fact they are such a huge threat, haven't they been a huge threat for some time now. And if they are not in fact a huge threat, why are they now being pegged as the new evil empire of the Middle East. It has been reported that they are producing nuclear weapons. I say, "it has been reported". Could these reports be similar to those about the WMD's NOT found in Iraq?

Is it possible that George Bush has decided (along with his cohorts in Israel) that it is time to invade Iran? If so, the public will have to be first convinced that this is justified. Hence, the new media focus on "evil" Iran.

I think things were easier when I was younger and believed most things provided to me by the media. Now, as I become more wise, or some would argue, jaded, I must evaluate the world around me with my own perspective...built around my experiences. Unfortunately, the information provided to me by the government/media in the past has been filtered and/or selective. 911 is a perfect example of how the government hid and/or made-up the facts...and the media followed. In order to see more investigative analysis of this attack, you have to look to the underground media, the Internet. As a result, my trust in the government/media machines has been broken and now, is very weak.

Moral of this story: Question everything you hear...and make up your own mind.

I have just had some experiences on eBay, which aren't going quite as they should.

It is not eBay itself. eBay is a great place / thing / shopping mall / institution on the Internet. I have sold some of my many past treasures on eBay with some success. As a seller, I have always maintained a position of the seller selling a product to a client. That translates into a sense of "the customer is always right."

We all know that the customer is not always right - that would be crazy to suggest. However, it is the ideology that I like. You treat your customers like they are right - they have the right to question you - they have the right to not be happy and state that - and as a seller, I should do everything I can to right it. It is only then that I have succeeded.

In the same right, as a customer, when I buy something on eBay, I somewhat expect that I will be treated as someone who is making the seller money - therefore, I deserve some respect, right?

Apparently not! There are some eBay sellers who I cannot understand for the life of me. I have an immaculate record on eBay - NEVER NOT PAYING, EVER! And yet, you have sellers who give me a hard time about not paying when they think I should have paid. As a specific example, I am currently dealing with some lady who insists that I pay for an item I bought outside of the stated payment time period. The listing states that I have 7 days to pay. She has already emailed me several times and it has only been 2 days. This in itself wouldn't bother me so much except that I am bidding on another of her items which ends within this 7 day period. I even emailed her to ask if she would wait for payment until the second auction is finished. She had the gaul to email me back with a very pleasant (being very sarcastic), "NO". This was exactly her response. Note the friendly tone and salutations. And correct me if I am wrong but, doesn't capitalization mean YELLING?

WOW - is all I have to say! What a pathetic excuse for a seller. Am I not paying her freakin bills (at least somewhat) - if I wasn't, she wouldn't be there selling on eBay! And she has the nerve to YELL at me - telling me that I cannot do what is stated in her policies. I am floored by this kind of behaviour. Do these people not get it? Or apparently, they don't need to? I don't know. All I know is that I will NEVER purchase anything from this seller again.

So, if you intend to buy on eBay, BUYER BEWARE - both about the products the sellers - something I have had more problems. They can be rude, arrogant and disrespectful. If I ever, as a seller on eBay, treat any of my customers like this, please ban me from the Internet.

But wait, there is still another catch - the feedback system. This seller, unaware of any kind of customer service ideas, has the right to leave me negative feedback...even though I have done nothing wrong...and only followed the policies on her page.

I will have to keep you posted as to what happens. This is just the beginning :-)

Yes, I am talking about the mid-term elections in the US.

It would be nice to see something different in the news...other than scandal after scandal about leading politicians and now, major evangelistic church leaders...well, at least 1.

Sure this news is important...I would not argue that. It just seems that there is nothing else happening in the world besides the war between Republicans and Democrats. Please just get it over with...and end my 'news junkie' misery.

And on a side note, how is it that there are only 2 sides to every issue?...seems highly unlikely to me. Oh, I don't want to distract you...I will rant in another post about that. Stay tuned.

Just watched a brief interview on Oprah Winfrey with the Dixie Chicks discussing the fallout from the controversy which surrounded them about 3 years ago - just before Iraq was invaded by the United States and England.

I don't know where I have been for all these years but, apparently I missed this whole controversy. It must be because I am not an American and I am not a country/bluegrass music fan.

Well, I did hear about it yesterday, as I mentioned, on the Oprah Winfrey show.

To give a brief summary of the controversy...the Dixie Chicks were doing a concert in England, just 3 days before the invasion of Iraq was to take place. The lead singer, Natalie (I forget her last name), made a few comments about her dislike of war and violence in the world. She then proceeded to state that she was embarrassed that George Bush, her president, was from the state of Texas (I assume the same state she is from).

Who would have believed what would happen next? I wouldn't. I couldn't and still don't. Apparently, there were boycotts of their future concerts and boycotts on purchasing any of their CD's. There were public declarations that this group was communists (and so what if they are?). She even received death threats. Can you believe that? I find all of this simply unbelievable.

All she did was speak her mind about the leader of her country. She implied her obvious dislike of him...yeah...and so what? If you were a citizen of a dictatorship, you may agree that this would be an offence. But, she is an American citizen - a country where free speech is 'supposed' to be accepted. Apparently not!

Isn't free speech supposed to be one of the founding principles of the great United States - what some Americans like to call the greatest democracy in the world.

I find this string of events to be an even more powerful message about free speech - or the lack of - than if she was from a country where she would have gone to jail had she spoken words like this. If she was a citizen of a dictatorship, she would have known what the consequences would be. Being an American citizen, she figured she could speak her mind and be free to do so. Oh sure, she is still a 'free, unjailed' woman, but, is she really free? She has been severly punished by her own peers for a simple comment about her dislike of her leader. Her people have made it clear to her that free speech will be punished...and they have done everything in their power to make her life hell. Where is the free speech in that?

I sometimes wonder if any of this punishment has to do with the fact that she is a woman. And then I think some more...and I am sure that she is being punished more severly than she would have been had she been a man.

Take a look at all the ranting and raving conservatives who name call and insult leaders (and whomever is on their target list that day), and I don't hear about the backlash against them. Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and just about anyone on the FOX news network are just a few examples.

Just recently, Rush Limbaugh made a comment about Micheal J. Fox who appeared in an ad for a candidate who supports stem cell research. Michael J. Fox, in the ad, had uncontrollable overall body shaking. Rush's 'insightful' comment was to say that Micheal J. Fox must have gone off his meds the day he made the ad, or he was simply acting out his Parkinson's disease. For anyone who thinks that the comment made by Dixie Chicks lead singer is worse than this...I don't know what to say...except that perhaps you have lost your ability to think for yourself and have lost yourself in partisan politics...SAD.

Even though I cannot agree with what most extreme conservative 'journalists' say, I still believe in their right to free speech. It is too bad that this basic right is not extended to all individuals in the United States of America - without having to pay a price for it.