If You Disagree With Me, You're WRONG

God can keep forgiveness... I'll take vengeance...

So a Facebook friend has been keeping me updated on the disappearance (now apparent murder) of a little girl in Florida.  The friend mentioned that she felt as if she couldn't bring a child into a world where people are so callously murdered.  The response she got was bible-scripture talking about judging not lest ye be, etc. etc.  That God wants us to forgive, 'cause it's the Christian thing.

Look, I'm all for forgiveness.  Someone takes your sandwich from the fridge at work?  You forgive them!  Someone doesn't put a fresh roll of TP on when they use the last one up?  Forgiveness!  Someone rapes, tortures, murders your child???  Sorry, I'm not Jesus -- forgiveness ain't even on the list.  In that case, I leave forgiveness squarely in God's hands.  And I?  I want some vengeance.

Because as far as I'm concerned, people like that don't deserve to live.  They do not deserve to breathe the same air that my children breathe.  They don't deserve to live a life that a child doesn't get to live -- because of them.  What they DO deserve is to die.  Yeah, yeah, the death penalty isn't being carried out fairly, it's not a deterrent,  blah blah blah.  That doesn't mean it's inherently wrong.  It just means that we have to change how it's carried out.  But carried out it should be, and for more than just what we apply it t.  Selling government secrets should not be considered worse that raping a child.  And while sometime there's a darn good reason for murder, there's never a good reason for raping a baby.  THAT is a crimes wothy of death.

So don't quote scripture to me.  I'm human.  I'm allowed to be a sinner.  And if doing the "right" thing means forgiving a child molester, I don't mind being "wrong."

The road to hell is paved with goods intentions... and stupidity...

As you probably know by now, I have little tolerance for idiots.  I am not, however, unreasonable about it. I can forgive a little bit of ignorance, with the expectation that if someone IS ignorant, they will make every attempt to educate themselves, especially with regards to their child's safety.

I admit that I am a bit of a carseat nut.  When I was very young, I once witnessed the aftermath of an accident, in which a baby (held on its mother's lap) went through the windshield of the car.  Until you've seen something like that, you can not appreciate the horror of it.  So I figure that if there is ANY way to prevent something like that from happening, then I will do it -- and quite frankly, I expect others to as well.  I am usually disappointed.

Once, while wearing a jacket with the name of a government agency on it, I actually followed a car that had an improperly installed carseat, and when they pulled over I got out, approached them, and then installed the seat properly for them!  Given the name on the jacket, I'm sure they were a bit frightened, but at least I can rest easily knowing that there's one more child out there that is a bit more protected.

There aren't that many things that you can do to protect someone else's child, but there IS something simple and easy: stop donating your old carseats!  Or, rather, don't donate a carseat that is outdated (too old, not just an older model), one that is inherently less safe (an overhead shield), or, most importantly, that has been in an accident.  For god's sake, any carseat that has been in a moderate to severe accident must be destroyed.  If you know a carseat is unsafe, then you should destroy it (overhead shield carseats, as seen here, are actually shown to CAUSE injury).  And if your carseat is over 6 years old, it should be destroyed (the plastic breaks down after five to six years, and is therefore more likely to fail in an accident).

There are services available to get free to low-priced carseats if you can't afford one (thanks to bellaonline.com for writing up the information).  There are people who are willing to directly donate or sell carseats that have a verified background.  And there are even low-cost NEW carseats available (for as low as $50, not even on sale).  Even carseats that are made by terrible companies (*cough* Cosco *cough*) are better than anything you're going to get at the thrift store.  As long as you use the carseat properly EACH AND EVERY TIME, and you keep up with recalls, you will be protecting your child to the best of your ability.  But using a carseat wrong is even more dangerous than any of the problems that I listed.  If your carseat resembles any of these photos, then your child could DIE, understand?  So be careful.  Because no matter how YOU feel, your child matters to ME.

Death by Stupidity isn't murder

At one point my parents were involved in what amounts to (but was never named as) a cult.  Two very bright, but rather absurd people, were conned in their quest for enlightenment and answers.  The cult drained them of hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of their obsession.  Had their "leader" suggested that a few hours in a sauna would be beneficial, I have no doubt they would have done it with minimal to no hesitation.  And if they'd died?  Well, it would have been their own damn faults.

But a bunch of people willingly put their lives in the hands of their "guru" and suddenly it's called murder.  Lawsuits are threatened.  Compensation will be made for the families of the 3 people who died.  One was a mother of three!  Nothing is said, however, about the sheer stupidity of the people who choose to do dangerous things -- of their own free will.  The mother of 3 was selfish enough to ignore common sense, putting her life at risk, knowing that she might leave her children motherless.  If she herself didn't care whether her children were left motherless, then why should someone else take the blame?

Despite my cynical nature, my expectations of the stupidity of the human race... I'm still sick of a society that refuses to take responsibility for their own actions.  Stop blaming everyone else for your own actions!  No one was holding a gun (figurative or literal) to the heads of those who got into that tent.  No one made these people take risks.  And no one, but those who blindly followed someone's directive is actually at fault.

Unfortunately, so long as there is money to be made, there will be lawsuits to make it.  And society, what good is left, will continue to be hurt by the ripples caused by the waves of the idiot majority.

Tattoo Designs...

Some ideas -- no black background, just the colored lightsabers, with the words above them (the words will be larger than this, but I just put this together quickly).  My skin is very pale, so the colors will show up really well.  So which one? (Click on the pictures for a larger image.

I am the Sith Lord!

So The Boy is obsessed with Star Wars.  As far as any of his obsessions go, this is probably the best one to date.  He watches SW pretty religiously, and he loves to play "Jedi".  Every day before school we have a mock battle, either with his play (read plastic) light sabers, or with sticks.  He picks which characters we play.

Me to Boy:  Who are you?
The Boy:  The Emperor!!!
Me: Who am I?
The Boy:  Darth MOM!

Okay, people, that's like the cutest thing ever.  So I've decided to get "Darth Mom" tattooed on me, somewhere.  But where???  I have 2 requirements.  1) it has to be in a place that I can see it (my tats are for MY enjoyment, not anyone else's), and 2) it has to be somewhere that isn't greatly effected by weight loss or weight gain.  My ankles are already taken.

So... any thoughts?  I'm taking any and all suggestions!

Edited to add:  There's one more reuirement -- it has to be able to be hidden when necessary.  So nothing on hands or lower arms (and I would prefer not upper.)

I was thinking... maybe on the top of my foot, with two crossed light sabers??

So. Much. Smut...

Uncle Walter just built me (well, us) a new bookshelf.  The dear man built it, as we're wont to do, out of reclaimed wood.  Isn't as fancy as what someone would buy, and sure, some of the shelves are a bit warped.  But that's okay.  It's 100% recycled materials, custom made and made with love.  Needed to be big, for all of our romance novels.  How big is custom made/big? 84" x 50".  And it's FILLED.  To the brim.  With smut.  The bookshelf next to it, which is about 40" x 14" is filled.  The shelves in our walk-in closet are filled.  The shelves downstairs are filled.  There are still some under the bed, still some in boxes, and maybe some still out in the garage.  Soooo much smut!

Birds of a feather rape together...

*sigh*  I'm getting really tired of reading about rapists and deviants.  You think I *like* having to comment on these types of stories?  I don't, truly.  But what else am I supposed to do when I read about things like this?

In case you didn't know, or didn't read the link, the French Culture Minister, Frederic Mitterrand, has written a pseudo-autobiographical novel in which he describes, in detail, hiring young (child) male prostitutes while in Thailand.  While he DOES admit to hiring prostitutes, even YOUNG prostitutes,  he claims that the boys were "his age, or maybe five years younger."  Even though he refers to them as "garcon" -- which is a commonly associated with young males -- he's claiming that the implication that they were children is the "fictional" part (or a misunderstanding of his intent).  I'm not buying that, at all. When called on to resign, since this is not the image that most French citizens want presented to the world, he has claimed that he is being persecuted as part of a political conspiracy.  Couldn't possibly be out of disgust for his actions.

Mitterrand has shed tainted light onto his position as a representative of his country.  In addition, as an openly gay man, he has also given fodder to the ignorant, who will now use this as fuel to continue to claim that homosexuality is somehow linked to pedophilia.  He has set back gay rights by his actions, and for that alone he should not receive acclaim.

Who, you might ask, would GIVE this man acclaim?  Why, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, of course!  He has said that Mitterrand is "courageous and talented."  Really?  Writing "My boy didn't say a word, he stood before me, immobile, his eyes still straight ahead and a half-smile on his lips. I wanted him so badly I was trembling" is courageous?  How about disgusting?  Reprehensible?  Sickening?  Nauseating?  I can keep coming up with adjectives if you want.  Either way, it says a lot about a man who can read that and then admire the author.  Then again... it's not like Sarkozy is a model of good behavior, taste and tact.  His marriage history would rival many a dysfunctional hollywood relationship.

And finally, of course, the nail in the reprehensible coffin of the charming man that Mitterrand clearly is (note: sarcasm), he has publicly stated, in regards to Roman Polanski: "To see him thrown to the lions for an old story that really has no meaning, and to see him alone, imprisoned, when he was going to attend a ceremony where he was to be honored, that is to say, he was trapped, it's absolutely horrifying."  Yes, I suppose to a man who rapes young boys, this IS horrifying, as it could just as easily be him one day.

While there should absolutely be freedom of speech, there must also be accountability for what you write -- but most especially for what you DO.  And these men have already gotten away with too much.  Rather than lauding them, Sarkozy would do better to distance himself from both of them and show us that he's not someone who sympathizes or empathizes with child rapists.

Let's talk about sex, bay-bee, let's talk about you and me... and prison...

I am a fairly tolerant person.  I accept differences in people, cultures, and religious beliefs.  To an extent, I should say.  I can honestly say that I'm intolerant of Scientology, which I don't even consider to be a religion.  I consider it to be sheer stupidity.  Have you read about it?  That is one sick-ass cult, and it's followers are nothing short of creepy.  Really, really creepy.  Maybe that's one of the reasons I can't enjoy anything with Tom Cruise or John Travolta.  Like I said, I'm completely intolerant.

Having said that, I can accept just about anything else, including religions that don't really make sense to me (*cough* mormonism *cough*).  That doesn't mean, however, that I can agree with how religious beliefs are carried out.  I see this a lot with Islamic culture, unfortunately.  It seems, for some reason, that whenever I read about a case of religious persecution that upsets me to a great degree, it is an Islamic country or area in which it happens.

Most recently a man was sentenced to 5 years in prison and 1000 lashes.  What was his horrible crime, you may ask?  He bragged about his sex life.  Isn't that awful???  A man claimed to have had consensual sex with women.  He's not being punished because he DID have sex, just because he claimed to have had it.  Due to an interpretation of Islamic law, in Saudi Arabia it is against the law to have pre-marital sex.  It is also illegal for unmarried men and women to interract.  So... by claiming to have sex, this man (Mazen Abdul Jawad) has committed a crime worthy of a lengthy prison term and severe corporal punishment.

If followers of Islam expect to be accepted and expect religious tolerance, they're going to have to stop behaving like ignorant beasts (with no insult meant to any animals).  We look back with horror and repulsion at the Crusades and the Inquisition.  Eventually these behaviors will be treated with the same disgust that we grant to other crimes against those who seek only religious and sexual freedom.

When will people learn that religion, any religion, is open to personal interpretation?  No religious text is 100% clear, and no person can ever truly understand God/Gods/Yaweh/Jehova/whatever the hell you worship/'s will?  If religion is based on a higher power, then what man (human) could possibly have the gall, the sheer arrogance, to claim to understand this higher power?  And thus we must use our best judgment.  And if this is our best judgment, why the hell are these people allowed to remain in control of the lives of others?

Again, I say, assassinate these fuckers, put some sane people in positions of power (sane, not necessarily good -- politicians are, afterall, politicians), and then ditch these archaic, sick and horrifying practices.  Because trust me, if given the chance, they'll come after you, too.

(Oh, and one more thing before I go -- shame on the media agency that put this on air, knowing that they were subjecting this man to punishment.  It's probably too much to expect a media outlet to behave with decency, but one can always hope.)

I banish you to Hoboken!!!

So Conan O'Brien has pissed off the mayor of Newark, NJ by making jokes about them.  Um... this is a surprise???  C'mon.  Look, I was born in New Jersey.  I have nothing against it personally.  Other than that it rather stinks.  I mean that literally AND figuratively.  We never called it the Garden State.  We always called it the Garbage State. It's also got poorly maintained interstates, and famously doesn't allow most left turns or u-turns.  Which is an absolutely huge pain the ass if you don't know your way around.  Hoboken was where the continuum transfunctioner would banish you to, and in Being John Malkovich you would wound up on the Jersey turnpike at the end of your "ride".  New Jersey is made for taunts and jeers.

Look, I've never found Conan O'brien to be particularly funny, but Cory Booker needs to grow a sense of humor.  What's he going to do?  Complain about it each and every time someone says a dispariging remark?  Ban someone ELSE from visiting?  Oh, now THAT is going to work.  How will someone survive without going to the beautiful, scenic land of...  Passaic???  Does this guy not realize that he's merely making NJ more of a laughing stock than it already is? It doesn't HAVE to be bad, but anywhere that the people in charge lack a sense of humor is going to be ridiculed even more.  And given the exchange betwwn the two of them, it seems it will be a long time before NJ will be able to hold its head high (or at least above belt level).  As it is now, Hoboken is looking like the wastland it's supposed to be, and the New Jersey Turnpike is making a turn at John Malkovich seem like a waste of money.

Hey Jersey?  Maybe you should just grow a set of balls and get over it.

Harry Potter made me a pervert...

Really!  I never thought of myself as a perv.  I mean, sure, I'm adventurous, but in a relatively mundane kind of way.  Until I was watching "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" the other night.  Then I realized that I MUST be a pervert.  There's no other explanation for it.  I can deal with getting hot bothered by a 21 year old who looks sexy as all get out.  Especially when he's naked, even if it is with a horse.  And even when he does get a bit of the hamster penis.