Never Forget 9/11

My husband has a great post up on the 9/11 attacks. I must warn you the photos, from the Moussauoi trial, are extremely graphic. You should view them, however, as they serve as a solid reminder of why we are at war and why our brave women and men in the military risk their lives each and every day. Each of these victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks have family and friends who mourn their horrific deaths every waking hour and to allow this to fade from our memories would truly be a tragedy.

An Open Letter to a Dumb Ass

Dear Dumb Ass,

If you think for a moment that your comments have done anything to hurt my feelings or cause any kind of anguish, you are wrong. You are nothing more than a 2 second "click-delete" in the blogosphere.

Do you really believe you are a waste of *my* time? Fuck no. If you weren't such a waste of a human being, I might actually feel sorry for you. Yeah, you...a person who is such a loser they spend half their life writing meaningless comments on someone's website every day. Talk about a person with a "broken brain." It sure sucks to be you.

And for those who come to my site and see your comments prior to deletion, well, the only one that looks like a fool is you.

It Takes a Village, People!

Oh, a day in the post-famous life of a person not so famous, really:

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- The "cop" from the original Village People has been arrested again.

Victor Edward Willis was back in court Monday in California. The judge decided there's enough evidence for him to stand trial on drug charges.

He's got three cases pending, all of which involve drugs. He failed to show up twice for a sentencing hearing last December.

Disposable Children?

I always look around the various news sites to see what the headlines are. Today there were a number of headlines that just screamed out to me.

Man Convicted for Drowning Children in Lake

Woman: I Slashed Baby's Throat for Revenge

Entwistle Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Wife, Baby

Babysitter with AIDS Appears in Court on New Charge

Ricky Holland's Parents to Stand Trial

Woman Charged in Newborn's Death Held on $3M Bond

Summarizing these articles: A man kills his girlfriend's three children by drowning them in a lake, a woman puts a baby face down in a snowdrift and slashes its throat to retaliate against its mother, a man pleads not guilty for killing his wife and less than one year old child, a babysitter with AIDS sexually molests the kids he babysits and possibly infects one of them with the disease, a baby's parents are charged with his murder and a woman is charged with killing her healthy newborn and dumping the body in a 55 gallon trash can.

...and it doesn't stop there. There are *dozens* of stories out there about parents killing their children, people killing other people's kids, babysitters harming the kids they are responsible for taking care of, and the reasons don't add up. Nor do the pleas. "I'm not guilty for killing those kids...I'm insane." "...this story about me sexually molesting these kids is b.s. (and so is the possibility that I may have infected them with AIDS)" "...I didn't do it...I found their bodies and decided to fly back to England because I'm sooo alone."

I know there have been stories like this for some time, but it seems as though we have been overwhelmed with one case after another where adults make the decision to harm or kill young kids. Do they think their lives are that meaningless and disposable? How does one get to point A to point B...like the decision to slice a baby's throat as revenge for getting kicked out (um, because the killer wasn't paying rent and was causing problems)?

I know that throughout the history of this blog I've raised all of these questions independent of one another. I can't help but see a very ugly trend here - kids seem to be expendable to these parents...to these babysitters and these "boyfriends" or "stepparents." Where the hell do they get the idea? How in the hell would they rationalize acting on it?

I'm sure it's because they are wired differently. There are many people in this world who are faced with almost cruel fate - unexpected deaths of family members, mental illness, poverty, abuse. But the majority choose to rise above it and, while struggling, still understand the sanctity of life. When I read these articles, the decisions these criminals made are a direct slap in the face of those who walked away versus acting on their heated emotions.

I may never fully understand the mindset of these murderers and life destroyers, but I do understand one thing. Regardless of their path to make the decision to murder, the punishment should fit the crime. A child murderer should never freely walk the streets again.

Jack's Back for Three More!

Oh Yeah! Three More Seasons!

NEW YORK — Jack will be back — despite all the firepower the bad guys rain down on him. Kiefer Sutherland has signed on for three more seasons as superhero agent Jack Bauer on FOX's "24."

...and just as I'm drooling for the Tivo'd episode tonight!

Stream-of-Bloggingious

A few random thoughts are going through my head and thought I'd throw them in a post.

Spring is here! We spent a nice part of the day raking (4 lawn bags just from the front yard!) and getting ready for the "big improvement." Our back yard has sucked for quite some time. We recently had a tree removed and now we're taking the plunge....new front deck and patio, new big patio in the back, actual *landscaping* and a new privacy fence. Needless to say our back yard looks like the badlands at the moment, but the improvements commence this week! And other than some scratches and burning nose (damn allergies), we had a nice outdoor day!

Easter is coming. Got the required eggs and dye. Woot! We're ready to go!

The Sopranos is on tonight...and 24 is on tomorrow night. That likely means I won't be blogging until Tuesday. Heh.

The man and I went out and had some adult time Saturday night. A great meal, and a couple of drinks. We didn't know what this whole "dating" thing was all about so we picked up the kids and went home. ;-)

Hubby's evil boss comes back tomorrow and my new boss is supposed to get us all in a room and tell us about the "great secret" he has been working on all week. I brace myself. Between wiping away my hubby's tears (and hiding his guns) and spending hours and hours trying to figure out this new boss, I may not blog until *next* week. Between all of that and my extreme lack of creativity lately.

Saddam is bad, Osama is bad, murders, child abusers and molesters are all bad, too. The weather is good, except for those tornadoes in Tennessee, I was basically told today that I'm evil (along with a few of my friends) and I need to cook dinner. Wow....that was a bit streamy, wasn't it?

Take care and see you all around!

Students Disciplined for Wearing American Flag Shirts to School

Suspended, even! And one was wearing a D.A.R.E. shirt with a flag in the background! Has this country gone insane?

DENVER -- Several students at a Denver-area middle school have been disciplined for wearing shirts that depict the American flag -- an act that is in direct violation of the public school's recent ban on all flags, depictions of flags, or flag colors on student clothing.

One of the students at Shaw Heights Middle School said he was suspended for wearing a D.A.R.E. program shirt with a flag behind the logo. Another student said she was sent home for wearing a Marine Corps shirt. Another student told reporters that she was told to turn her Marine Corps shirt inside out and when she did and then later turned it back the right way, she was suspended.

All shirts with flags are banned due to the "immigration debate." Welcome to Middle School in middle America.

The schools fly the American flag in the classrooms and other areas.

....and I'm off to get ready for work. ...and to find one of my American flag shirts.

Heartless Jerks

The leadership at this company in Copenhagen is certainly embarrased by the actions of their employees:

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - A Danish security firm said Tuesday it had fired three of its guards for stealing toys and DVDs from critically ill children at Copenhagen's main hospital.

The guards were caught on video tape after managers became suspicious when toys intended for the children -- many of whom have cancer or need heart transplants -- started to disappear.

What heartless jerks.

This Won't Look Good on a Resume

Certainly due process and time will get to the heart of the situation, but if these boys were truly going to carry out this plot, it's good that it was uncovered.

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - Four teenagers accused of plotting to kill about 25 people in a lunch-period massacre at a high school were charged Thursday under a terrorism law created after the Sept. 11 attacks.

The boys, ages 14 to 16, were arrested Wednesday after police heard about the alleged plot from administrators at the school, where three of the teens are students. Their names were not released because of their ages.

Authorities said the teens planned to attack students, teachers and others at Winslow Township High.

The four boys appeared in family court, and a judge ordered them held for psychiatric evaluations.

Understandably, the parents of at least one of these teens is in disbelief.

The father of one of the boys said the charges were a mistake: "I think it's just kids hanging out together and having a little wild time, that's all."

I can appreciate how he must feel from the parent perspective. How hard would it be to come to the realization that one of your children would be part of such a plot? However, from the outside looking in, I can't help but be reminded of how out of touch some of the parents were in cases that kids actually *did* kill their classmates (Columbine immediately comes to mind). It also reminds me of how important it is for me to remain in touch with my own kids as they get older.

They're Children!

It disgusts me what some "parents" do to their children.

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- A September trial has been set for the mother, stepfather and grandmother of two children in what doctors call one of the worst child abuse cases they've seen.

The three are accused of locking up the two children in their Nevada home and starving them for years. A judge compared the 16-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother to Nazi death camp survivors. A doctor said their health problems may be irreversible.

The 4-foot girl weighed about 40 pounds when she was found in January. The 3-foot-6-inch boy weighed 31 pounds. He has deformed feet and the girl is scarred from beatings.

The 16-year-old said she and her brother got by on sandwiches, hot dogs or hot cereal, and often went three days without being fed.

It's bad enough that these people did this to their kids. It's not even anything I can comprehend. But in this case, there were healthy children found in the home as well. In body only, I suspect. How could they possibly have not been scarred for life seeing their siblings treated in such a way? How does a "parent" explain to the healthy kids why they are beating and starving their siblings to the brink of death? I know these questions don't really have any answers, I just have to ask as I have NO CLUE how an adult can do this to their children - or any child for that matter. The human race can really disgust me and this case is no different.

Baked Haddock with Cheesy Crunch Topping Recipe

I made the family some dinner tonight once I was back up and about, and found this recipe to be simply delightful! I served it with some rice pilaf and some fresh green beans with pancetta and shallot. Oh, boy, I smell summer just around the corner!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds haddock fillets, with or without skin
3 tablespoons butter
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
2 to 3 tablespoons minced red bell pepper or roasted red bell pepper
2/3 cup crushed small white Cheddar cheese crackers (I used Cheez-Its)
1/3 cup bread crumbs, plain or seasoned (I used seasoned)
2 to 3 tablespoons cream or half-and-half (I used skim)
salt and pepper, other herbs for seasoning as desired

INSTRUCTIONS:

Arrange haddock fillets, skin side down, in a buttered baking dish.
In a small to medium skillet heat butter over medium low heat. Add green onions and bell pepper; sauté until tender. Add parsley, cracker crumbs, and bread crumbs; stir to blend.

Add cream (skim milk) to moisten. Sprinkle haddock with salt, pepper, and herb seasoning, if using. Sprinkle with the crumb mixture. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Serves 4 to 5.

I had a bit of Italian flavor going throughout my dishes tonight, so for my herbs I used a tuscany dry blend (oregano, thyme, rosemary...the usual suspects). I also put those same herbs in my pilaf and on my green beans. I would add that I used fresh red bell pepper in both the pilaf and the fish topping. In both cases I diced them small (my kids and hubby normally don't like peppers, but when they are small, they almost absorb...a good trick to get veggies into your resistent family members!)

While this may not seem to be the right choice when you are attempting to lose weight, you can make a number of substitutions (i.e. skim milk for cream or Smart Balance for butter, etc.) and serve it with lots of veggies. Even my son loved the fish!

24....the Reason for Heart Problems

Soooo....the most important thing to say here is that my HUBBY FELL ASLEEP ON BAUER NIGHT! Oh, and the second most important thing to say is that I can't wait to get to work tomorrow so I can TALK to someone about this episode. ARRRRGHHHHHHHHHHH!

So....not to spoil anything should hubby hop over to my blog, but I do have a couple of things I *have* to say....

I TRULY hate that weasel Homeland Security Guy...who does he think he is?

...and Audrey.....whaaaaah? ...and Chloe....yeah! ...and Bill. Well, and Bill....

...and Jack...and Wayne....and ole Red....oh, and the VEEP....and that one girl....and.....DAYUM!

GAH....I give up. I'm going to go count cracks on the ceiling as I *try* to get to sleep without TALKING about this episode! GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

UPDATE: Whew, so hubby watched the episode tonight (Tuesday). Thank GOD! I watched it with him (so what...Jack would *demand* I watch it twice, right?) - mostly so I could watch his reaction at the end. "WTF? Logan???" (okay, something like that...maybe not exactly, but close).

All I gotta say is that next week will be a good one, I'm sure of it!

Where's Your Hostess?

Where, oh where has your hostess gone?
Oh where, oh where has she been?
Well, she's felt real crappy
Hence no posts for a while
...and now she just feels like shit.

Okay, so various combinations of medicine have a way to make even the most stupid stuff seem funny to me, so if you don't like my little song above, I apologize profusely!

I've felt like crap all week. Started with a sore throat and headaches and now seems to be something full blown (add sinus, nose and ears to the mix). I hate being sick, especially on the weekend. If I feel like this when I wake up, 1) no work and 2) doctor appointment. I can only take so much.

Bleh. Hope to be back soon!

UPDATE: Woke up this morning late for work (didn't even hear the alarm that I can recall) and feel even worse. Get to see the poor doctor at 11:15am. I hope he gives me some good drugs. I HATE BEING SICK!!!

UPDATE to the UPDATE: I got antibiotics! Sinus infection, ear infection...they didn't test for strep, but suspect I may have it (but the antibiotics will get it anyway) and thought if it wasn't strep, my allergies may have started all of this. Damn body! We'll see you on the other side of 24 tonight, after some much needed rest!