08/03/2005 --
California and Gay Marriage
There are two groups in California, Vote Yes Marriage and Protect Marriage, who are sponsoring the amendment in California to not only restrict marriage to a man and a woman, but to, also, strip homosexual couples of domestic partnership rights.
The first group, Vote Yes Marriage, has even gone so far to sue -- yes, sue the California Attorney General Bill Lockyer because he "inaccurately described the measure."
Oh, Please!
This is the same pull the wool over my eyes stunt that Senator Cathy Stepp tried to pull with me for the amendment banning gay marriage in Wisconsin. The language of the law clearly states that no rights similar to marriage rights can be awarded to same-sex couples. This clearly bans domestic partnership rights -- for gays, not for straights. However, if you ask one of the supporters, you will get the same stock answer -- "We only want to protect straight marriage. It will not eliminate domestic partnership."
Quit blowing smoke up my skirt.
Allowing homosexuals to marry will not harm straight marriages. The American Family is breaking further and further down everyday and homosexuals don't have anything to do with that. Everyday, I see families falling apart and I haven't done anything, so it can't be my fault.
There are, in my opinion, two very big reasons that marriages fall apart. First is being nice to your spouse. I hear, mostly from women, so this is a little one-sided, so many complaints that begin with he's not as nice as he used to be. Or, the man stopped caring, stopped doing the little things that show his wife that he cares about her. Like bringing home flowers or just taking out the garbage. Now, I don't want to man bash, but since I don't really have many straight, married male friends, I don't know what stops their marriages. To be fair, if you're a guy and can explain what kills marriages in men's eyes, send me an email and I'll post them.
Second, people need to understand that marriage is a serious, lifetime commitment. It is so much more than a ceremony and a party. However, a lot of people don't go into marriage with those thoughts in mind. They don't take marriage classes, which can assist them with dealing with the issues that will come up -- and there are a lot of them. Until we rule that marriage classes are mandatory, whether the class is offered at church or by the state, we aren't taking marriage very seriously. Start cleaning your own home, before you show up at mine.
I really just don't understand why Gay Marriage is such a big deal. What does anyone care with whom I share my life? What difference does it make? Who am I hurting? Looking at the religious aspect of it, some religions allow gay marriage, not a lot, but some. And you can't say that a religion that doesn't allow Gay marriage is somehow more of a follower of Christ than a religion that DOES allow gay marriages.
Now, for those of you in California, if you see the petition being passed around, please don't sign it. If it does make it on the next ballot, please don't vote for it.
For those of you in Wisconsin, I believe the amendment needs to pass one more vote on the State Senate floor, BEFORE it will reach the November 2006 ballot. Please contact your state senators and tell them you DON'T support this ban.
God Bless,
Julie
Quoted from: Gay-Marriage-Ban Group Sues Calif.AG
08/09/2005 --
I'd like to say two things today. First, I thank God for keeping my son safe while he served in Iraq and futher, I thank God everyday that he has been allowed to come home safe and sound and doesn't have to go back. I have been blessed that I do not know the loss that Cindy Sheehan knows.
Which brings me to the second thing I'd like to say today. Cindy Sheehan has been protesting Iraq and the President outside the President's ranch. The story has been front page news for a little while now. Mrs. Sheehan meet with President Bush in June. However, now the Drudge Report -- which is the worst excuse for writing I have ever read -- is stating that Mrs. Sheehan changed her tune about President Bush from the way she felt after meeting him to the way she feels now. Leave it to the Drudge Report to take quotes out of context and try to smear someone who disagrees with them.
This is a woman who has sufferred the ultimate loss -- the loss of a child. She will not ever speak with him or hug him or tell him she loves him. He gave his life for his country and THIS is how the Drudge Report smears his mother.
Mrs. Sheehan deserves our thanks and our prayers. She gave us her boy and, in return, the country gave her a flag. She doesn't need to be misquoted to serve the right wing.
Since I like to be fair, read the article in Drudge. And, the origninal article from The Reporter.
God Bless,
Julie
08/08/2005 --
I would like to just say today how saddened I was by the news that Peter Jennings died. I grew up watching him on TV and trusted his judgment above all others when it came to the evening news. I feel as if I've lost a distant relative, as I cannot think of one news story of my youth, when I didn't NOT see Peter Jennings reporting on it. Good bye Mr. Jennings and Godspeed.
This past weekend, I received State Senator Cathy Stepp's response to my email regarding Eminent Domain. According to Senator Stepp, she and her colleagues are working on drafting legislation. On whether or not Senator Stepp is working on this legislation with Representative Jeff Wood of Chippewa Falls and Senator Dave Zien of Eau Claire -- whom Representative Lehman named as the people working to limit the broad Eminent Domain ruling by the Supreme Court -- I am unclear. Her letter did not name the colleagues with whom she is working. I can tell you that the legislature is not in session again until Sept. 20th, so it is possible that when Representative Lehman answered my email, Senator Stepp had not yet started working with Representative Wood and Senator Zien. I will, within the next week or so, post the entire letter that I received from Senator Stepp.
Well, that's all for now. I just wanted to let you know that I had received a response from Senator Stepp -- didn't want to leave you hanging. When I hear more about this legislation, I'll make sure to write about it to keep you informed.
God Bless,
Julie
08/04/2005 --
Animal Protections -- Not just a left wing issue
I wasn't too sure about Mark Green (R-WI). Yes, he's from my own state, but he's a Republican and conservative, so I always tread lightly. However, Congressman Green has proven that sometimes an issue isn't just one-sided.
Green is sponsoring HR 817 -- the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act. Under current Federal law, animal fighting is considered a misdemeanor. This act would make the penalty a felony.
I encourage all of my readers to contact their Congressional Representative and let them know that you support this bill. For more information, visit the ASAPCA website.
God Bless,
Julie
08/10/2005 –
Have you heard? The Dukes of Hazzard is the number one movie in the country. I really can’t believe it. First, let me state that I loved the TV show. I religiously watched every single episode from its debut until its final season. You could always find me in front of my TV on Friday nights watching Bo and Luke Duke confound Boss Hogg and Roscoe P. Coltrane. (Come on and admit it, you watched it, too.)
Of course, now that I’m a responsible adult, I don’t even watch the reruns, but, still, I was looking forward to the movie version of the series. I never missed an episode of Charlie’s Angels and I loved the movie version. I think Drew Barrymore, Lisa Lui and Cameron Diaz did a terrific job.
Getting back to the Dukes…
I’m not impressed. The previews I’ve seen have left me feeling embarrassed that I’ve even desired to watch this movie. On top of that, have you seen Johnny Knoxville and Scott whatever his name is? They look like bums. Tom Wopat and John Schneider were always clean shaven. And, yeah, they would look or talk with girls, but one of the previews I’ve seen has Luke in bed with two girls – are they kidding? Okay, I know some things have to be updated, but really, two girls? All I can say to the Luke Duke of this awful movie is: Pig.
Where’s the good, clean fun? The old Bo and Luke were too busy ruining Boss Hogg’s life to chase after sluts. Besides, if they didn’t act like gentlemen, I’m sure Uncle Jesse would’ve kicked their butts.
Now, that brings me to casting Willie Nelson as Uncle Jesse. Hmmm, that’s pretty interesting. Although, I always considered Uncle Jesse to be the moral compass of the show and I really can’t see Willie Nelson being a moral compass to anything. (If you’re reading this, Mr. Nelson, I am a fan of yours. I just think that this was casting way against type.)
However, casting Burt Reynolds as Boss Hogg is pretty much genius. Burt Reynolds plays bad guys with a comedic brilliance. I find him to be an even better actor now than he was years ago. (If you’re reading this, Mr. Reynolds, I’m a fan of yours, too. But, I’m still mad at you for divorcing Loni Anderson.)
Now, where was I?
Oh, yeah, the movie. Have we really stooped this low that a movie that has taken a much beloved TV show and degraded it beyond recognition, is the number one movie in the country? Wait, since it is the number one movie in the country, I guess we have.
Am I the only person who misses Cary Grant? Katharine Hepburn? Rosalind Russell? Henry Fonda? Jack Lemmon? Bogie and Bacall?
What happened to the screwball comedies? Like His Girl Friday or Bringing Up Baby?
What about moving pictures that, well, moved you? Where are the movies like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington? Or, Grapes of Wrath?
No,
There is hope – not all of us are watching. According to an article I was reading, the
movies aren’t making as much as they used to.
But, if you want me to show up at the theatre, you need to make a movie along the lines of Hitchcock’s The Rope or a good comedy like anyone of the Thin Man movies. That’s when I’ll buy a ticket.
I'd love to hear what you think, send me an email.
God Bless,
Julie
8/17/2005 --
Porn
""The Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers, the nonprofit organization that oversees Internet domain names, gave tentative approval to .xxx on June 1 and intended this week to sign a contract to have Jupiter, Fla.-based ICM Registry oversee the domain." Quoted from the Chicago Tribune.
According to the Chicago Tribune article, a member of the Bush administration sent a letter to prevent a porn only domain -- .xxx -- from being initiated. This porn only domain will force all porn sites to abandon .com, .biz, etc. and move to .xxx. Also, this will ban porn sites from advertising to children and not sending spam.
What could the Bush administration be thinking? They claim they've received 6000 letters opposing the idea. We have well over 270 million Americans in this country and you're worried about 6000 of them? I, for one, think that this is a terrific idea. It would allow me to block any site that belonged to the .xxx domain on my pc. This means that no one could download or view anything from one of these sites and I wouldn't even have to work hard at it.
Now, I'm not saying that my family members are all downloading porn onto my laptop, but it would be nice to be able to limit them. In fact, I would like to see all game websites have their own .gam extension, so I can block them as well. While my grandsons were here -- the reason I haven't written -- either my daughter or my son-in-law (I'm not sure which did it) downloaded some game on my laptop. This downloaded one of those behind the scenes ads and other spyware to my pc. Now, I scan on a daily basis and eliminated it quickly, but still, it would be nice to block those sites from the get-go. (Yeah, I know that I can set up password protected accounts, etc., but I don't want to go through the hassle when 95% of the time, I'm the only one using my laptop.)
Anyway, I'm outraged -- and I hope you are as well -- that the Bush administration would stick their noses where they don't belong. Don't they have a war in Iraq to run? In fact, this proposal has been opened for debate for the last five years! And, NOW, you choose to do something? Aren't you a little late?
So, since Michael D. Gallagher is the one who sent the letter, lets all give him a call and ask him to send it again to allow the setting aside of .xxx as a domain for porn. His phone number is: 202-482-1840.
Yes, I do agree with the family groups that say this won't stop all exposure children will have to porn, but it is a place to start. No, I don't think this in anyway legitimizes porn. And, even if it did, who cares? I think by allowing porn sites to operate under .com, legitimizes them even more as regular businesses. Let's not disregard the good this will do. It will assist parents in banning porn from their computers.
Isn't that what we all want?
God Bless,
Julie
8/18/2005 --
J. Matt Barber
I think I can honestly say that J. Matt Barber and I would never find ourselves breaking bread. I don't think he would ever invite my wife and me over for dinner. I'm pretty sure that when the Lord calls us both home, Mr. Barber will be pretty surprise to see me -- a lesbian -- in Heaven along with him. Or, perhaps, we'll both be in Hell, but in either case, I'm pretty sure we're both going to the sameplace.
Apparently, Mr. Barber, a "Born-again Christian", wrote an anti-gay article on his blog or website, I'm not sure which. This article came to the attention of his superiors and in the course of their investigation, Mr. Barber was fired by Allstate. He claims that it is because of his anti-gay views. Allstate claims that it is because he used company resources to promote his political and religious beliefs. Mr. Barber is suing.
Hmmm, this is a tough place to be. You see, I fully and whole heartedly believe in the First Amendment. I believe that our founding fathers always wanted to grant freedom of speech to any and all Americans. But, man, having to defend an anti-gay activist? That's a tough one!
On one hand, I hope this incident helps Mr. Barber understand how it feels when you are fired for your beliefs, religion, sexual orientation, etc. Because, in reality, for all of the Right-wing Christian claims that they are discriminated against, they aren't -- not like blacks, hispanics, women and gays have. They really haven't.
Still, without knowing which side is telling the truth, I have to say that until I hear that Mr. Barber posted his article on actual company time, Allstate needs to hire him back with back pay. This is the United States of America and we're the country above all countries that grants the largest liberty -- that of free speech. There is a line that Michael Douglas says in "An American President": "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating, at the top of his lungs, that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours."
Well, I want free speech, I want to defend it with my full body and soul. And, I hope that Allstate sees the errors of their ways. No, I don't want to sit down and break bread with Mr. Barber, as I'm sure he would not want to with me, but you can be damn sure that I do want Mr. Barber to be able to exercise his freedom of speech.
As always, I'd like to hear what you have to say, email me.
God Bless,
Julie
P.S. I'll bet the ACLU would be willing to defend him. Pretty funny, isn't it, since most Right-wing Christians don't like the ACLU.
Peace
8/19/2005 --
2005 ASSEMBLY BILL 363
Quite a while ago, I contacted Representative John Lehman and Senator Cathy Stepp regarding the ability of insurance companies to deny coverage to homeowners based on the breed of dog that they own. Senator Stepp responded that there isn’t a law such as this and left it at that. Representative Lehman took the initiative and researched the issue and now there is a bill co-sponsored by Representatives Lehman, Hahn and Mursau.
The issue: If you own a rottweiler or a pit bull, there is no legislation stopping your insurance company from canceling your homeowner’s policy or raising your rates so high you can’t afford coverage. AB 363 will prevent this from happening. The legislation is sitting in the Assembly Insurance Committee which is chaired by Representative Ann Nischke. Now, I have been told that this is not a high priority bill because only two Representatives co-sponsored and that no one in the Senate wanted to sponsor it. (That last bit really bothers me because I’ve all ready written my State Senator about this, you would think she would want to be one of the co-sponsors.)
How you can help: You can write to your representatives. Click here to find out who your representatives are.
I encourage everyone who is within her district to send her an email, write her a letter (Madison Office Room 8 North State Capitol P.O. Box 8953 Madison 53708 ) or give her office a call ((608) 266-8580 (888) 534-0097).
To read the bill in pdf format, click here.
Let’s give our representatives a run for their money and get this legislation passed and on Governor Doyle’s desk!
God Bless,
Julie
8/20/2005 –
Before getting to today's topic, I'd like to ask all my readers to say a prayer for Cindy Sheehan's mom, who has suffered a stroke. Mrs. Sheehan has broken off her protest to be by her mother's side. Let's keep them in our prayers in this difficult time.
Soon the new television season will be upon us and I think I’ll be turning it off. Most of the new shows seem to insult my intelligence, but what I really think gets me mad is the advent of so many reality TV shows.
Am I alone in this?
Now, out of all of the reality shows, the only one that I watched more than twice last season was “The Amazing Race” on CBS. And, even then, I don’t think I caught the show all the way through.
I don’t want to watch “The Apprentice” because I don’t care who Trump fires. Plus, the few shows I saw reduced the women into bimbos. Mr. Trump, if you want me to watch, put on a couple of women who are pretty chunky and then I might think you’re really looking for an employee.
“Survivor”, let’s get real, they would never really let someone starve, plus you win if you’re the biggest back stabber. What kind of lesson is that? I know that it makes for good drama, but what are we teaching our children? At least on “Dallas”, J.R. got shot.
Furthermore, remember the show "Battle of the Network Stars"? This would pit TV stars from each of the then three networks in physical tasks. They were mainly specials. Well, it is being revamped to be "Battle of the Reality Stars". Do we really need to give these overblown, do-nothings another 15 minutes of fame? Isn't it bad enough that "The View" hired as a co-host a "Survivor" girl, Elisabeth Hasselbeck? Didn't we all ready hear and see enough of her?
How much more time will we be giving these no talents? Aren't their 15 minutes of fame up, yet?
I guess you can call me old fashioned because I don’t want reality on my TV. I want a good conventional sitcom, like “Reba”, or a good crime drama, like “Law & Order” or “CSI” (the one with William Peterson). Yeah, I do like watching the Biography channel, but only if they have someone interesting on, like Lauren Bacall. I do like watching the behind the scenes shows of popular movies, because I love to see how the special effects happen. Watching “Forensic Files” on Court TV is pretty interesting, but for the most part, I want to sit in front of my television and forget the yelling and the complaining that happens in the world around me. I want to escape and watching two people fight over rice, when there are people in this world who are going to bed hungry, is not what I call a good time!
So, do yourself (and the rest of us) a favor: Turn off the reality shows. If they don’t make money for the networks, they’ll be cancelled. And, television might become a little better place.
God Bless,
Julie
8/22/2005 –
I love reading the daily comics. I have them sent to my email box on a daily basis. Well, yesterday’s Bob the Squirrel struck me as really truly funny. Bob is sitting alone on a rock in the middle of a river. Past him is a breathtaking view – gorgeous. His line is: “Oh sure, you’re all ooohs and aaahs but you’re not stuck on a rock.”
I chuckled as I read it and decided to print out a copy to hang in my cube at work. As I glance over at it, I was thinking, isn’t this more than just the breathtaking view?
Maybe, I’m reading more into a simple little comic, but don’t we all oooh and aaah over someone’s life. We see the big house and fancy cars. We notice the manicured lawn and the family camper, but what we don’t see, while we’re thinking every thing is perfect, is the person out there on the rock – stuck. I know much has been made that American Families are not the Nelsons (Ozzie and Harriet, remember them?) Modern mothers unlike Donna Reed don’t really cook dinner in high heels and pearls. So, while we’re peeking in the windows of someone else’s life, we don’t see the sick kid or the overbearing mother-in-law. All we see are the superficial items.
This brings me to my next thought, on Friday before I left for work, Cheryl and I were arguing about where we should go on our upcoming vacation. I’d like to see the Judy Garland museum in Grand Rapids, MN and drop in on my cousin and her husband who live outside Minneapolis. Cheryl isn’t too keen on the idea, as she doesn’t know what’s in Minneapolis or the rest of Minnesota to see. (I happen to know there’s a lot to see.) Anyway, Cheryl doesn’t know just where she does what to go, so we’re arguing about it. Anyway, I get to work and there’s an email in my inbox from a co-worker. He husband, who has CF and received a double-lung transplant not long ago is in the hospital.
Well, after saying a prayer for them, I thought about the argument I had with Cheryl. Does it really matter where we go on vacation? Isn’t it more important that we are together? Life is too short to argue about such things, isn’t it?
So, let’s tie this together, first, let us take the time to get to know other people and not envy their breathtaking views AND let us take the time to let those whom are important to us know it. Together, we can make the world a much better place.
God Bless,
Julie
8/22/2005 -- 1730 CST
On a normal day, I wouldn't post twice, but I saw this article in the Chicago Tribune and I couldn't help myself. You have got to see this: Click Here
Finished reading? No, that's okay, I'll fill you in...
Apparently, ChoicePoint, Inc. was hacked and sensitive personal and financial data was gleamed from their databanks. So, ChoicePoint, Inc. has offered to sell the information they think was compromised to the people to whom it belongs.
Excuse us, Ma'am, but we don't know what information of yours might have been stolen, but you can purchase a CD and see if anything on it belongs to you.
Tell me this is a bad joke. Has the world gone truly mad? Let me get this straight: My information is ripped off and sold to God knows who. My credit rating could be totally destroyed and the person to let it happens wants to make a buck or two off me and the possibly 150,000 other people this affected.
Now, ChoicePoint, Inc. is raking in $24.95 per client for a check of your OWN identify authentication and CRIMINAL RECORD. I should pay for my OWN records?
I am at a total loss as to how this issue should be resolved. I'm truly at a loss, which is a place I do not find myself in very often. Hopefully, someone smarter than me will come along with a good idea.
I just hope it is soon.
God Bless,
Julie
8/23/2005 --
So, I thought I would take the time to check out my guest book. You know, read all the nice things people have written.
I found 4 entries, one was from my Aunt Winnie, who posted her best wishes when I started the site. One entry was for a blog that no longer exists: http://myrobblog.blogspot.com/. (If you own this blog, please send me the correct address. I'm getting an URL not found message.)
The other two entries were a listing of website links. Don't you think that's rude? To take the opportunity to just list viagra selling websites. I checked them out.
I've since removed them, but I still can't get over the rudeness.
Of course, it didn't do them any good listing them on my guest book, anyway. No one visits it but me.
Oh, for my daily readers, be sure to tune in tomorrow. I have BIG news regarding the teen non-smoking bill.
God Bless,
Julie
8/23/2005 --
I would think that a Christian would be preaching the Gospel. The words of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. The one who said, "Show mercy and mercy will be shown to you" and "What you do for the least of you, you do for me." Oh, I cannot ever forget Jesus' biggest line: "We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability."
Wait, that wasn't Jesus, that was Pat Robertson. He is referring to Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez. Supposedly, Pat Robertson is a Christian. He is a "Religious" Broadcaster, the founder of the Christian Coalition of America and works for the Christian Broadcasting Network. So, how could a Christian call for the assassination of one of his fellow human beings?
Does this make sense? Or, does it go back to picking and choosing just which Christian beliefs we will follow? Has Mr. Robertson forgotten that it was Jesus who said turn the other cheek? Has he forgotten that Jesus showed nothing but pity and mercy on those who tormented him? Jesus said, while dying on the cross, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do", did he not?
And, yet, Mr. Robertson has chosen not to forgive, not to show mercy and not to follow the teachings of our Lord and Savior who shed his own life blood to give us salvation.
I really don't know what else to say. I am really appalled at the idea that a fellow Christian could dare call for the death of a fellow human being. So, I shall say what I believe Christ would want one to say in this situation. "May God have mercy on his soul."
God Bless,
Julie
8/24/2005 --
Okay, I promised a big update on the teen non-smoking bill and here it is:
On Monday, Representative Lehman sent a letter to his colleagues asking them to co-sponsor the bill. Now, I've posted a copy of the bill for my readers' review. If you read it and believe in it, DO NOT HESITATE, contact your representative. Below, is the exact letter Representative Lehman sent. Click here to read the bill (in pdf format) for yourself.
To: Legislative Colleagues
From: State Representative John Lehman
Re: Increasing the penalty for minors using and
possessing cigarettes and tobacco products
Often teenagers who take up smoking do so because they think it's "cool" and it helps them fit in with their friends. However, smoking takes on a more serious meaning when it becomes an illegal activity and not just something that is discouraged or disapproved of by adults.
In 1989 the community of Woodridge, Illinois put into practice a number of measures to discourage youth from smoking. One of these steps was to implement a $25 fine for tobacco possession. Eighteen months after the program was in place, illegal sales of cigarettes had decreased from 70% to less than 5% and youth smoking rates had dropped by 50%.
Under current law in Wisconsin, it is illegal for minors to purchase, attempt to purchase or possess cigarettes or tobacco products. The only penalty for this action is seizure of the cigarettes or tobacco products by law enforcement officers.
My proposal creates a $100 penalty for the purchase, attempt to purchase or possession of a cigarette or tobacco product by a minor (other than in the course of his/her employment or if he/she participates in an unannounced investigation of a retail outlet).
If you would like to sign on to LRB 3336/2, please contact my office at 266-0634 by Friday, September 2nd. A copy of the bill draft is attached.
Let's not let Representative Lehman's hard work go to waste. Contact your representative or senator today. Tell them that you want them to co-sponsor this bill. How can they possibly say no? It's for our children's future.
With more and more people being diagnosed with lung cancer and dying from it, maybe this could save a few lives.
Find your representatives by clicking here.
God Bless,
Julie
8/30/2005 --
Just a quick line, please say a prayer for all of those people affected by hurricane Katrina. The devastation is horrible and we don't even know the full extent of it.
God Bless,
Julie
8/31/2005 --
Open Letter to Bush
Dear President Bush,
I'm sure that you sincerely wish to help the people who have been devastated by Katrina. I read where you flew over the area to view it on your way back to Washington.
Please, Mr. President, stay in Washington.
The amount of resources you require just to go around the block will make a huge impact on an area that is all ready taxed to the limit. So, stay in Washington, call back Congress and pass a bill that will send much needed supplies to the devastation.
I know some people will criticize you for this, but I happen to be your biggest critic and I promise to stand behind you if you stay in Washington.
So, send money and stay home.
God Bless,
Julie