Dear Ignorance,

Some of my mom's friends who are die-hard conservative Republicans seem to think she is as well. So, every once in a while, she gets a crazy anti-this, anti-that e-mail that she shares with me to get my blood boiling. I, personally, can't stand the thought of knowing that someone thinks I'm something that I'm not, but in order to keep the peace, my mom just deals with it.

Recently she sent me this forwarded email entitled "We Noticed." 

I have filled in my own responses...


This was originally written 
by Sherry Hackett, Buddy Hackett's widow.
"WE NOTICED"

President Obama:
Today I read of your administrations' plan to re-define September 11 as
a National Service Day. Sir, it's time we had a talk.

During your campaign, Americans watched as you made mockery of our
tradition of standing and crossing your heart when the Pledge of Allegiance
was spoken. You, out of four people on the stage, were the only one not
honoring our tradition.

America is supposed to be the "melting pot." This means that not everyone will have the same religion. Having said that, why should someone be forced to comply with the "traditions" of a religion that they do not follow...The Pledge of Allegiance is a cult-like chant to God, and if you're religion does not follow God, then why say it?

YES, "We noticed."
During one of your many speeches, Americans heard you say that you
intended to visit all 57 states.

YES, you're a moron.
Obama never seriously said that there were 57 states. It was a joke. He was remarking on how lengthy his campaign trail had been...watch the video below, he even cracks a smile. Perhaps you robots can't pick up on things like humor...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpGH02DtIws

We all know that Islam, not America has 57 states.

Shutup.


YES, "We noticed."
When President Bush leaned over at Ground Zero and gently placed a
flower on the memorial, while you nonchalantly tossed your flower onto
the pile without leaning over.

YES, you're a moron.
Are we seriously nitpicking at the technique in which he placed a flower onto a pile of flowers?...


YES, "We noticed."
Every time you apologized to other countries for America 's position on
an issue we have wondered why you don't share our pride in this great
country.. When you have heard foreign leaders berate our country and
our beliefs, you have not defended us. In fact, you insulted the
British Crown beyond belief.

YES, you're a moron.
Why not apologize for America's screw-ups? We are not perfect, and we should not parade ourselves to be. People respect honesty.
"Share our pride..." ? Should we be proud that we're killing millions of innocent people (both Americans and non) ?


YES, "We noticed."
When your pastor of 20 years, "God-damned America " and said that
9/11 was " America 's chickens coming home to roost" and you denied
having heard recriminations of that nature, we wondered how that could
be. You later disassociated yourself from that church and Pastor
Wright because it was politically expedient to do so.

YES, you're a moron.
So, the only reason he disassociated himself from the church/Pastor was for political backing?...The idea that he was just as outraged as anyone else by the comment is just too out there isn't it--because if he left the church because he was offended that would ruin your whole argument about how he is un-Patriotic.



YES, "We noticed."
When you announced that you would transform America , we wondered
why. With all her faults, America is the greatest country on earth.
Sir, KEEP THIS IN MIND, "if not for America and the people who built
her, you wouldn't be sitting in the White House now." Prior to your
election to the highest office in this Country, you were a senator from
Illinois and from what we can glean from the records available, not a
very remarkable one.

"With all her faults, America is the greatest country on earth."--Um...that doesn't even make sense.
I would like to take a guess: I would suspect that 75% of the people who think America is the greatest country in the world have never been to a different country...
To me, living in a country where not everyone can get married does NOT make it great.
To me, living in a country where being female means you make an average of 75cents on the dollar does NOT make it great.
To me, living in a country where being of a non-caucasian race determines your job/salary/worth does NOT make it great.
To me, going to war, spending ourselves into debt because of it, and killing innocent people (of all denominations) does NOT make it great.


YES, "We noticed."
All through your campaign and even now, you have surrounded
yourself with individuals who are basically unqualified for the
positions for which you appointed them. Worse than that, the majority
of them are people who, like you, bear no special allegiance, respect, or
affection for this country and her traditions.

YES, you're a moron.
Unqualified?
Joe Biden:
-one of the youngest Senators in history.
-one of the longest serving Senators in history.
-former chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee which helped bring US military assistance in the Bosnian War
-former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee which dealt with issues related to drug policy/prevention/civil liberties and led to the creation of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act and the Violence Against Women Act.

Nancy Pelosi:
-the 1st female Speaker of the House (which means she is next in line for the Presidency after Biden)
-having said that, she is the highest ranking female politician in American history.
-the 1st female in US history to hold the position of House Minority Whip (second in command to Minority Leader)
-the 1st woman to lead a major party in the House (as Minority Leader)

Gosh, they sound so unqualified...


YES, "We noticed."
You are 14 months into your term and every morning millions of
Americans wake up to a new horror heaped on us by you. You seek to
saddle working Americans with a health care/insurance reform package
that, along with cap and trade, will bankrupt this nation.

YES, you're a moron.
This nation was heading toward bankruptcy LONG before Obama was elected. No single person is to blame for the debt that we're in. It is a snowball effect.


YES, "We noticed."
We seek, by protesting, to let our representatives know that we are not
in favor of these crippling expenditures and we are labeled
"un-American","racist", "mob". We wonder how we are supposed to let
you know how frustrated we are. You have attempted to make our protests seem
isolated and insignificant. Until your appointment, Americans had the right
to speak out.

YES, you're a moron.

Peaceful protesting is one thing. Throwing bricks through politician's office windows and placing coffins on politician's front lawns is a completely different story. The reason you are being labeled "un-American", "racist", and "mob" is because you are acting like that.


YES, "We noticed."
On September 11, 2001 there were no Republicans or Democrats, only
Americans. And we all grieved together and helped each other in
whatever way we could. The attack on 9/11 was carried out because we are
Americans.

YES, you're a moron.
This is perfect proof of the problem with our country. It took a violent attack on our soil to bring us together...and how long did that last? maybe a year or two...then we went back to "us" and "them." Times of tragedy shouldn't be the only times we are united.


And YES, "We noticed."
There were many of us who prayed that as a black president you could
help unite this nation. In six months you have done more to destroy
this nation than the attack on 9/11. You have failed us.

YES, you're a moron.
PLEASE don't bring race into this. Race has NOTHING to do with qualification, expectations, or duties.
Also: what exactly has been destroyed since Obama has been president? The insane number of people without healthcare? Because millions of people now have healthcare and 98% of working Americans got a tax cut because of Obama.


YES, "We noticed."
September 11 is a day of remembrance for all Americans. You
propose to make 9/11 a "National Service Day". While we know that you
don't share our reverence for 9/11, we pray that history will report
your proposal as what it is, a disgrace.

YES, you're a moron.
Oh please! Because of this whole flower ordeal you think he doesn't care about 9/11? Get a clue. Stop scraping for reasons to lash out at him. He's doing something respectful and honorable and you're trying to say it doesn't make a difference because he doesn't "share your reverence" ? How would you know?! I sincerely doubt that.


YES, "We noticed."
You have made a mockery of our Constitution and the office that
you hold. You have embarrassed and slighted us in foreign visits
and policy.

YES, you're a moron.
Obviously, ordering the closure of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp is an act of mockery against the Constitution.
Obviously, signing the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (that provided coverage to an additional 4 million otherwise uninsured children) is an act of mockery against the Constitution.
Obviously, proposing new regulations on power plants, factories and oil refineries in an attempt to limit greenhouse gas emissions and to curb global warming is an act of mockery against the Constitution.
Obviously, signing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (which expands the US federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability) is an act of mockery against the Constitution.
Obviously, trying to repeal stupid legislation like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is an act of mockery against the Constitution.

Wow, all those things really embarrass and offend me...OH WAIT--no they don't. And those are just a FEW of the great things he's done.

Educate yourselves people.


YES, "We noticed."
We have noticed all these things. We will deal with you. When Americans
come together again, it will be to remove you from office.

Stop trying to be intimidating, it's not working.

To Sherry Hackett: 

you look like a moron.

Yours Truly & pusshej,

Jules

ps--my responses were the ones in blue...if you couldn't guess lol

Freedom of Speech Should Have Purpose

right now, i'm pissed.
right now, i'm sad.
right now, i really don't even know where to begin.

this entry is about politics. so if you want to stop reading now i'll understand, but i hope you read it to the very end.

i am not ashamed of my political views so i'll just say upfront for those of you who are reading and don't personally know me.
i'm a democrat. i'm a liberal. but most importantly, i think for myself.

i come from a catholic family.
i went to PSR, i had my first communion...i hated it. to be fair, i've come to dislike most religion, not just catholicism, but that's a different story.

my mom is not very religious anymore, but my dad still is. i'm giving all this background so i can firmly say that i did not just follow my parent's political ideologies. my mom is a democrat, my dad is a republican.

i have lived in missouri, illinois, and tennessee and have been exposed to many differing political views. having said that however, i'd like to say that TN has been the most different. (different doesn't mean bad...just for clarification lol)

the one thing i've noticed, no matter where i am, is that there is always ignorance. BOTH in democrats and republicans. what i, and probably tons of other people, find irritation is when those people make an ass of themselves and give their respective parties a bad image. EDUCATE yourselves people! i don't care if we have different views or similar views, all i care is that you have REASON to back it up. please don't just rely on mean comments. i'm STILL talking to everyone, regardless of party affiliation.

currently, i've been hearing and reading "the president is a douchebag" or "the president is sooo stupid"---THESE TYPES OF COMMENTS DON'T PROVE ANYTHING. if you think the president isn't doing a good job at least state something factual, name-calling is just incredibly pointless. and yes, i know just as many democrats were saying similar things during the Bush administration--but i don't approve of them either.

i think EVERYONE who chooses to speak without thinking is not worth hearing.

just this morning i saw a Fan page on facebook called "i hate it when i wake up in the morning and Barack Obama is president."
as much as i hate to see things like this, i can't do anything about it. it's freedom of speech, just like me writing this blog right now.
however, being the curious person i am, i wanted to see what types of things were being said in said group.
the majority of what i read was just what i was afraid of.

here were a few things i read:

Alex G. says: "Of course hes still blameing Mr. Bush! All him and his "people" can do is blame others for their problems!"

Ryan W. says: "is it possible to just slap the hell out of Obama, i just want to full swing bitch slap Obama. Slap that SOB so hard god damn bob dole feels it."

Bartolo Z. says: "f*** obama...tht piece of sh**"

Justin A. says: "i just know we got a N***er in office and he did what ll of em would do bribery,mafia type shit and people act like he is God well in my own mind F**k that!!!!"

@Justin A., Hunter H. says: "i agree justin .. i mean come on look at JFK he was fckin russian mafia and he got his head blown off .. im just surpised the kkk hasnt knocked him yet"

@Hunter H., Jan B. says: "yeah the good ole boys might be ridiing some time, just sayin!"

Alicia P. says: "people only wanted him president because hes black, now that he is president everyone hates him and they feel stupid as hell."


i do believe that people who voted for Obama solely because of his race were in the wrong--however, people who did NOT vote for Obama solely because of his race are just as much in the wrong.

all of these comments really made me sad/angry, but the comments that pushed me overboard, however, were in regards to sexual orientation.

in response to the so-called idiocy of "fixing something that isn't broken (don't ask, don't tell)" this is what was said:

Sam H. says: "All the social studies show that outward homosexuals throw a wrench in the combat effectiveness of close quarter squads. Being sensitive and politically correct isn't worth risking lives."

@Sam H., Joe T. says: "maybe the answer is to put the outward homos on the first wave during an attack"


this was the straw that broke my back and that literally brought tears to my eyes. i'm ashamed, appalled, and offended by the people who can say such nasty things about fellow Americans.

please, please, please--think before you speak. educate yourself--this only makes you sound more credible and intelligent!
it's almost expected to offend certain people because of differing views, but please do not offend people just because you think you have the right. it's rude, and only makes those people want to lash out and find a way to hurt you like you hurt them--and that is NOT the way to stand united.

talking shit about a politician, political group, or any group of people for that matter, doesn't prove a point or validate your opinion in any way.

don't abuse your right to freedom of speech.

if we, AS A WHOLE, do not stop firing hurtful words at each other, we will NEVER be able to save our country from the racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, etc that enables our division.

pusshej,
jules

Vienna waits

Slow down you crazy child
You're so ambitious for a juvenile
But then if you're so smart tell me why
Are you still so afraid?
Where's the fire, what's the hurry about?
You better cool it off before you burn it out
You got so much to do and only
So many hours in a day

But you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want
Or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through
When will you realize...Vienna waits for you

Song: Vienna by Billy Joel

below is a link to the song. the background has nothing to do with it, i just figured it's better than watching lyrics scroll up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbSg4yVLd_I&feature=related

this is one of my all-time favorite songs. it also happens to be a song i feel like i can relate to fairly often. this may not hold true for everyone, but this song calms me down. it's soothing, and i sometimes listen to it on repeat for god knows how long.

currently, i have it on repeat.

it is the beginning of the semester and i feel like i have jumped into the deep end of the pool that is education (and i'm not much of a swimmer).

for those of you who don't know...i am a women studies major. i had planned to add english as my 2nd major in order to teach at a high school level after graduation, however something changed last week.

when i received the news friday that i would NOT be acquiring extra financial aid this semester i was a wreck.
i was told that i would be receiving a little over $2,000 for which i planned to pay sorority dues, pay off my credit card (from books), and pay my roommate back.

however, i have found that this email was a mistake. in fact, i owe UT $100 still.

in my attempt to NOT break down in tears while crossing campus i headed towards the theater for a informational meeting about the happenings of this semester.

i could tell right away that i was the only non-theater major in attendance, but it did not bother me. i felt comfortable and at ease. these have always been my kind of people.

by the end of the meeting i spoke with a faculty member about the possibility of minoring or majoring in theater.

what i noticed, was that my mood changed instantly once i entered that theater. and my mood changed instantly when i considered adding theater to my education. i had not entirely forgotten my money woes, however, for the time being, i felt content.

i have since decided (with the help and encouragement of my mom, brother, and best friends) that theater will be my 2nd major, not english.

i have a full 18-hour schedule this semester (including intro to theater) and could not be happier...well, about school.

as for money, that's a different story.

i am hoping to get a job at my apartment complex which would provide me with free rent (and would be a huge life saver). i should find out by the end of the month, so keep your fingers crossed.

all in all, i am trying to cut out as much of the unnecessary costs in my life as possible.

which means Kappa.

i have come to terms with the fact that i have to drop Kappa. i am behind on dues as it is and i see no light at the end of my money tunnel. i will miss most things about Kappa, however, at the same time, i will have more time for the job (possibly making me more eligible) and for my 2nd major.

i know that the handful of girls i have gotten close with in kappa will still be around, so, i think i will be alright.
it just always seems that i am making decisions based on what i SHOULD do, and not what i WANT to do.
i am ruled by practicality.
however, i think this is why i am so excited about theater. it is not practical at all. i have no clue what i'll do with women's studies and theater, but i'm equally passionate about both areas, and for once i am doing what i WANT, and it feels great (combined with paralyzing fear of what i'll do upon graduating...).

so for those of you who make the logical decisions every day of their life like me, please--do yourself a favor, try doing what you want for once. it's terrifying but so worth it. now i'm not saying base every decision off of want! that'd be crazy!!! lol

just test the waters.

pusshej,
in limbo jules