...In a *Shopping* Basket

Meaning, how society is going all to ruin.

Honestly, after previous years, we weren't surprised to hear that someone was trampled at a store during Black Friday sales, but the severity and aftermath were shocking.

I mean, when you can't even get people to stop shopping for a death, WOW. And the people rushing into the store were trampling the other employees trying to help the man who'd been trampled. WOW.

Or how about when people are so feeling the holiday spirit that they erupt into a fistfight and then shoot each other in a Toys 'R' Us? WOW.

Hubby and I have been talking about the Wal-mart trampling incident since yesterday, and we sure hope the people involved are identified and prosecuted, because no matter how tearfully said, "but I had to get that TV!" probably won't make a very good defense in court... and it would only increase the human cost if everyone involved gets away with it simply due to being a mob.

Sending prayers to the victim's family and to the police working on identifying the guilty parties on the tape...

(Irony of the day: As I'm wrapping up this post, the Taco Bell "Not It" commercial is playing - the one where two friends are watching a third friend get chased around by a bull, both claiming "not it" to go help him...)

Prayers to India

Sending thoughts and prayers to India and the victims and their families there after the horrific attacks... (beware the copious graphic coverage).

And more prayers for the hostages still being held...

Time to Get Our Houses in Order

Not "again."

STILL.

$700 billion has all of a sudden ballooned in size to $7.4 TRILLION. (h/t: Drudge)

Things are going to get a heck of a lot worse, a heck of a lot faster.

All I can say is to get your house solvent, because our country is not... and it will never be as long as our runaway government keeps promising more of our FUTURE INCOME.

Also, CALL your representatives, senators, and the President. Tell them to stop the madness. Do your part to fight this grand theft while you're still allowed to do so.

Tagged!

I've been tagged! (And it sure took me a while to get this out there... started it last Friday!)

It's Just Me at Regular Voices tagged me as having a Fabulous Blog. *blushing* Thanks! I feel very flattered and more than a little overwhelmed! Regular Voices is a great blog that normal people can actually relate to, and from the conversations we've had so far, It's Just Me is not only honest, but open-minded and fair. Makes blogging a real treat, and I get a sense of how other people who are thinking, are thinking.

1. You have to pass it on to 5 other fabulous blogs in a post.
   So here, in no particular order (except as they occur to me... and only 5? I could go on for ages! As busy as these bloggers are, I'm not going to insist that they pass it on, though - no pressure! :-)):
   • Trying to Grok - Sarah is just all-around great to read. From politics to knitting to military life, she's got it covered, and her resources rock, too!
   • A Homeschooling Momma - Such a great resource for educational activities! Ann is thoroughly dedicated to teaching her sweet little girls, and she comes across the neatest sites!
     
   • Jen's Poetry Picks and Politics - Great issues and sources, and I love the poetry posts! What a way to nurture both sides of our brains!
     
   • Young Survivor - Jenn has not just survived, but thrived since her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. She's worked incredibly hard and competed in the Gold's Gym fitness challenge two years in a row now, on top of taking care of her family and doing her job; she was even selected to be on a national panel this year. Such an inspiration!
     
   • Peaceable Walk - Wonderful site. It's a refuge, and a place for relief, uplifting thoughts, and reminders of what's really important.
     
   
   
2. You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.
   • Umm... blogging. Definitely blogging.
   • Following the news/issues;
   • Chocolate (although with recent illness, that's taken a backseat, and, if the universe were "fair," it would stay there!)
   • Information - reading everything I can, which is tough as a mommy;
     
   • Political discussion... although I'm generally non-confrontational in "real life" in the interest of putting people before politics. Spouting off into the ether about politics and principles - well, that and a lot of prayer - is how I keep my head from completely exploding.
     
   
   
3. You must copy and paste the rules and the instructions below in the post.

   Instructions: On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them. When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well. To add the award to your post, simply right-click, save image, then "add image" it in your post as a picture so your winners can save it as well. To add it to your sidebar, add the "picture" gadget. Also, don't forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by emailing them or leaving a comment on their blog.

Too Real?

Oh, here's one big reason Gov. Palin was so noxious to the traditional media:

She knows how real life works, and she's okay with it.

Not the whited sepulchre of modern politics, (perhaps... although she might know more than the condescending jerks give her credit for); but REAL LIFE. The vital side.

She wasn't bothered by the turkey slaughtering behind her in her recent press conference because it's REAL LIFE.

Eew, the MSNBC commentator sneers.

Yes, Mr. Commentator, much of real life is "eew-y."

What's more, this incident is highly illustrative of the what "the media" doesn't understand about what a lot of people call "Real America:" We in the latter might not want to be in on the slaughtering, but we DO (largely) understand and appreciate where our turkey comes from, and we don't sneer at those who deal with the vital parts of life. They're real, and we're real. The talking heads' powder, teeth, and hair, on the other hand...

Hummmm...

A lawyer is challenging the music industry's anti-piracy lawsuits, proposing alternate solutions and charging that:

...the Digital Theft Deterrence and Copyright Damages Improvement Act of 1999 is unconstitutional because it effectively lets a private group - the Recording Industry Association of America, or RIAA - carry out civil enforcement of a criminal law.

and that:

...the music industry group abused the legal process by brandishing the prospects of lengthy and costly lawsuits in an effort to intimidate people into settling cases out of court.

Agreed.

I'm not certain about the implications, though. RIAA really does seem to have morphed into a vindictive, petulant organization, but those who knowingly downloaded illegally DID break the law. But fining college students hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of dollars? (And so on with the "buts" - back and forth, back and forth...)

In a way, I think it's kind of like seat belt violations: it's a common violation; most of the time nothing happens; and the potential costs to others are huge. And actually, seat belt violations are more important, in a life-and-death way.

On the other hand, there's nothing inherently wrong with not buckling yourself up; whereas there's definitely something inherently bad about wrongly possessing someone else's property. That's where my problem lies. I don't think I have any legal objection to people doing whatever they please with their own property, for their own use.

While the fines and lawsuits are simply ridiculous, there has to be a penalty for wrongful property possession - especially doing so knowingly.

Maybe the problem isn't with the legal system, per se... maybe it's with judges and juries who issue such outlandish fines.

And with the whiny, maliciously-behaving RIAA.

And with the whiny downloaders who - while seeming apathetic rather than malicious - obviously don't have a real principle to cling to.

A Good Reason to Care Whether We're Becoming Russia

The latest in an evil series.

The article lists previous incidents, as well, but the latest is that yet another journalist has been attacked for investigating corruption in Russia. Just local government, so there was no Polonium involved... "just" thugs.

Wonder What the Stop Fee Would Be...

[Update 17Nov2008/18:12 - thanks to commenter Jason for pointing out that there is Congressional oversight; I've updated the pertinent section of the post and must say I feel marginally better... ;-) ]

Looks like there's a movement to act on the little "buyer's remorse" in Congress over Hank Paulson's recent coronation: Sen. Inhofe (who, I must add, DID NOT vote for the Bailout that granted Sec. Paulson unlimited taxpayer funds with no strings attached and no oversight) has called for cutting off the funds.

To quote just some of the gems in the article:

Last week the Treasury secretary announced he was abandoning his plan to free up the nation's credit system by buying up toxic assets from troubled financial institutions. Instead, Paulson wants to take a more direct action on the consumer credit front.

"He was able to get this authority from Congress predicated on what he was going to do, and then he didn't do it,'' Inhofe said.
...
Inhofe recalled earlier comments opposing Paulson's plan because the administration's point man did not have answers for a number of questions. He also recalled questioning the rush to get the bailout passed.

"I have learned a long time ago. When they come up and say this has to be done and has to be done immediately, there is no other way of doing it, you have to sit back and take a deep breath and nine times out of 10 they are not telling the truth,'' he said.
...
"Congress abdicated its constitutional responsibility by signing a truly blank check over to the Treasury Secretary,'' he wrote.

"However, the lame duck session of Congress offers us a tremendous opportunity to change course. We should take it.''

*happy dance*

I'm considering moving to Oklahoma just so I can vote for him.

I Like Anderson Cooper

He's real, he's thoughtful, he's funny, and he's FAIR. I remember him from Channel One days, LOL, and it's great that he's been doing so well. He calls things as he sees them, (which doesn't always coincide with how I see them, and that's okay), and he's earned my respect. Lots of it.

A couple interesting things from last night's episode of The Tonight Show (pertinent segment is "Chapter 3," right after the second ad break, and around the 20-minute mark and continues through the next segment... if I can get a better link from Hulu, I'll post that instead.):

• He said Sarah Palin was very capable. Jay, of course, had to crap all over that assessment, but Anderson's initial statement is actually what jives with statements from people who have met her, not via Katie Couric, but in person.
  
• His comments on the bailout totally caught Paulson's flipping and flopping (and continually changing demands and plans), to the point that suggested we could question whether they actually know what they're doing.
  

He is one of the friendliest, most politically un-readable people I've ever seen on TV. I have no idea how he votes, but he listens, and he appraises people fairly, at least in my estimation. And that independent, fair nature makes me a fan.

Manners

As in, what we've largely forgotten in today's society.

Just basic decency and respect for others.

A gay "rights"*** group interrupted a church service, yelling and throwing fliers at people (which, I might note, is technically assault), as well as protesting outside the church.

This kind of intimidation is absolutely unacceptable. What are the consequences of the "protest?" Let's see:

churchgoers were unclear as to the purpose of the demonstration.

The Eaton County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene Sunday but no arrests were made.

Moral of the story: It's okay to act like a violent, spoiled child, as long as you're acting that way toward the politically-unpopular people who disagree with you - those oh-so-threatening religious fundamentalists who, I hope the "protesters" noticed, didn't attack them and yell hateful things back...

***in quotes because they already have specially protected rights - it's not a matter of rights anymore, but rather a matter of shutting down those who disagree, which is neither right nor respectful of others' rights.