12 Years After

This past July I had the chance to visit the 9/11 Memorial in NYC. I saw the pools. Don't get me wrong, they were nice, but they didn't tell a story. Close by the memorial site is Engine 10. Engine 10 were the first responders. They are literally in throwing distance of were the towers stood. Outside of Engine 10, a man shows up every day to make sure that people know the what really happened that day. He witnessed it. He doesn't get paid to do this. He does it because he truly wants everyone that walks through to NEVER FORGET. 

I'm not a big picture taker, but I took two pictures outside of Engine 10 because they struck a cord with me. 

This is the beginning of a wooden mural that runs on the side of Engine 10. The sadness, the exhaustion, the dedication are all capture in this one piece of the mural.

I took this one because pictures of the faces speak louder to me than names on a memorial. Looking into the eyes of those who sacrificed all to help their fellow man bring me to tears than any man made pool.

After Engine 10, I had a chance to visit the 9/11 museum. They have a TV towards the back that plays people personal stories of that day. One father lost both of his sons that day. One was a firefighter, the other a police officer. The father is sad, but not to the point of hate that his sons died. (Time might have played a part in that). When he speaks of them, he speaks more from the perspective of pride. He was happy that his sons were selfless when it came to saving people. 

I leave with two more pictures. Both are from the memorial. The first is a piece of World Trade Center steel. You can see how twisted the steel became.

The second one, the New York skyline sculpted from WTC steel. 

I hope and pray that we never forget how on September 11, 2001, and the days that followed, we as Americans came together and show a unity that we quickly throw away at times. 

Hand Over Your Man Card

The shooting death of Chris Lane and the beating death of the Delbert Belton  (World War II vet) this week done by "bored" male teenagers got me thinking about some things in this culture.

#1 ~ When I was bored as a teenager, my friends and I would play basketball or football. Sometimes, when we were alone, we would listen music or watch TV. Most scandalous of all, if we got bored, we got jobs. The nerve of of us, I know.

#2 ~ I grew up in a rural/redneck type culture. If you fought someone, it was one on one. That was the man way of fighting. If you ganged up on someone, you were considered a coward. Don't get me wrong, your friends would be there at the fight, but would only step in to save you if you were losing.

Now, that you're more on my wavelength, I can continue with my thought. If you need a buddy to help you beat up an 88 year old man, YOU ARE NOT A MAN. 

Hand over your man card.

If you need two of your 'homies' (I'm not using the other word) to help you shoot a man. YOU ARE NOT A MAN.

Hand over your man card.

If you do either one of these despicable things, no matter what the group around you says, YOU ARE DEFINITELY NOT A MAN!!

Hand over your man card NOW!

Don't worry. I'll keep it safe. There's a chance that you can earn it back. There are rules. Things like getting a job, staying out of trouble, wearing your pants OVER your pants. 

Good luck!

My #SGS13 Review

First of all, I want to thank Stacy Mott, Teri Christoph, and the rest of the Smart Girls for putting on a wonderful conference. I know there was probably a lot of bumps behind the scenes, but you all made it look smooth. Also, thank you for the extras you had this year. I hope we can do gun ranges more often! 

This was my second Smart Girl Summit and it won't be my last. I met so many inspiring and powerful women in 2012 that I had to come to the 2013 one. One of the things that I loved, was that this was a first conference for a good percentage of the women that attended. Another thing that I liked about this year, the bloggers were in the same room as the speakers. Makes it easier to talk to my friends. The food, mainly, the banquet dinner. You can't leave with an empty stomach. Steak & asparagus? Yes, please! 

One of my favorite highlights of the weekend, happened during the Q&A portion of the panel about "Minority Outreach". A star was born! Her name: Cecilia Johnson. Remember that name. She is from Kansas City and heads a group of "Hood Cons". As much as I would love to say she's shy, I can't. Keep an eye out for her. I have a feeling this weekend was just a launching pad for her.

The other highlight, The Sausage Cookie Showdown. I was asked to bring a couple dozen to the summit by the one they are named after. Little did I know, someone else was going to bring their own cookies. Mine were your run of the mill type chocolate maple sausage cookie. (I'm told they tasted like devil's food cake) His were called 'gourmet' sausage cookie. He used chorizo and cayenne pepper. (They had a bit of a kick) 

I learn more every year about activism, politics, and how big of an impact each one of us can have. I can't wait for SGS14. They never disappoint. I love the speakers. I love the panels. So full of information and they're willing to share and to help. This will be an annual conference for me.

Presidents Say The Darnedest Things!

How well do you know the US Presidents? Here are 20 quotes to quiz you. 
For true trivia lovers, get a pen & paper and grade yourselves 

1. There are plenty of recommendations on how to get out of trouble cheaply and fast. Most of them come down to this: Deny your responsibility. 

2. Social equality is not a subject to be legislated upon, nor shall I ask that anything be done to advance the social status of the colored man.

3. I have not been able to think out any solution to the terrible problem offered by the presence of the Negro on this continent... he is here and can neither be killed nor driven away.

4. Negroes are excited by a freedom they don't understand and are not equipped to handle the demands and privileges of citizenship.

5. May God save the country, for it is evident that the people will not.

6. I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer.

7. If the American people don't love me, their descendants will.

8. Three things ruin a man: power, money, and women.

9. In the matter of Chinese and Japanese coolie immigration, I stand for the national policy of exclusion... We cannot make a homogeneous population of people who not blend with the Caucasian race.

10. If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?

11. Thanks for the poncho. (upon given the national flag of a country he was visiting)

12. Unemployment insurance is a pre-paid vacation plan for freeloaders.

13.  I think that's self-evident, but not true.

14. Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.

15. Let me give you a little serious political advice. One single word. Puppies. Worth the points.

16. If being a conservative means turning back the clock; denying problems that exist, then I'm no conservative.

17. I'm not interested in the suburbs. The suburbs bore me.

POTUS Last Words 

18. That's very obvious.

19. Is it the Fourth? I resign my spirit to God, my daughter to my country.

20. I have tried so hard to do right.


Let's see how well you did...

ANSWERS:

1. Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
2. Ulysses S. Grant (R)
3. Theodore Roosevelt (R)
4. Woodrow Wilson (D)
5. Millard Fillmore (Whig)
6. Abraham Lincoln (R)
7. Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
8. Harry S Truman (D)
9. Woodrow Wilson (D)
10. Abraham Lincoln (R)
11. Bill Clinton (D)
12. Ronald Reagan (R)
13. Bill Clinton (D)
14. John F. Kennedy (D)
15. George H. W. Bush (R)
16. Richard Nixon (R)
17. Barack Obama (D)
18. John F. Kennedy (D)
19. Thomas Jefferson (DR)
20. Grover Cleveland (D)

If you got all 20 right, let me know! I'll figure out some prize.
If you had 15 or more, well done. Your history teacher would be proud.
If you had 10 - 14, be proud. You are smarter than most Americans.
If you got 4-9, you paid attention to internet memes!
The rest of you, can I interest you in some exciting products from Amway?

Thoughts of the Weekend

Last night, after watching the Zimmerman verdict read live on air, then reading Twitter for the responses. Wow. It was definitely eye opening. Crowds of people blood thirsty. Threats of killing innocent ruled the interwebs.

I saw tweets about killing all the whites in America. A few others saying they were going to shoot Mexicans. HUH?

I don't think these people even followed the case. They only heard the headlines that mainstream media wanted them to hear. They made it all about race. Showed Martin in the most angelic light they could. (In reality, no teenager is angel. Sorry, facts are facts on that one)

Zimmerman didn't kill Martin because he was black. Nor did he follow him because of his skin color. This all started because someone was somewhere they didn't belong at night acting suspicious. 

Back to my original thought, this weekend, I have been called & accused of being racist (amongst other things). Do I see race? Yes, I'm human. To say otherwise makes you a liar. Do I judge you because of your race? No. The only time I'm concerned about the color of your skin is if its blue. That's usually an indication of not enough oxygen in your blood & you need medical attention STAT!

I have also found that most people who call racism are the most racist of them all.

That's it. That is all I wanted to say. You want more, too bad. Its Sunday, my day of rest. God bless you all.

Call for Sacrifice

Increasingly over the last few years, I've noticed a call for sacrifice. It started with the federal government calling me to sacrifice my income in the form of taxes for those who don't work. They've also asked me to sacrifice my freedoms in the name of security. 

Those aren't the sacrifices I'm talking about. Those are but mere annoyances. The ones I'm talking about take on a much larger scale.

In the political world, the sacrifice could be one's personal freedom or life. As the famous quote goes....

The founding fathers put everything on the line when they declared independence from England. They knew that they may never see freedom in their lifetime, but went ahead and fought anyway.  We've witnessed twice in Egypt them taking control of their government. Both times, no guarantees of the outcome. 

But we do nothing but complain to each other.

The other sacrifice I'm talking about is the one for God. Am I (or are you) willing to leave all that I have behind to follow Him? 

Ever heard about the trials of the pilgrims? They had to meet in secret because not belonging to the Church of England was treasonous. They sold everything they had in hopes to afford a boat ride to the Netherlands. They were jailed. Families were separated for over a year. This was before the trip on the Mayflower, which they had to leave half of their church family behind to go. 

What about the Iranian pastor, Youcef Nadarkhadi? He was sentenced to death for his belief. 

So, I've been asking myself, am I really ready to sacrifice what is needed? Am I willing to leave my comfort to fight for what is right? Could I leave my family and friends behind? Can I survive with only the clothes on back? Am I willing to sit in jail for the rest of my life? Can I be reckless?

So as I ponder these questions, I am reminded of this song that written because of the Iranian pastor.

Do you have a call for sacrifice?

Want to fix immigration? Ask an immigrant

At the start of my shift today, one of my coworkers came up and asked me how I felt about the president's job and how he's doing. He started talking about the nuclear disarmament, then I mentioned immigration. That set a whole new tone. He was upset about the weapons being destroyed, but furious about the new bill.

I should let you know, my co-worker was born in Guatemala. He came over when he was in his teens. I'm not sure of all of the specifics, but I do know he was adopted by an American couple and he still had to hire a lawyer at a cost of $10,000, out of his pocket. 

He's not the only one I work with that has that kind of story. I work with people from Latin America, Vietnam, South Korea, and Eastern Europe. They all came here legally. They all got green cards and kept them current. They waited patiently in line, did their paperwork, and paid their dues. They wanted their chance at freedom.

The ones that have become naturalized citizens, celebrated. You could see a difference in their face. They earned it. 

This administration has decided to allow the ones who broke the laws to jump to front of the line. I don't know about you, but I get upset when people cut in line. When I was in elementary school, if you were caught cutting in line, you went to the back of the line. Plus, if it was pizza day, you were out of luck. No pizza for you!

Instead of having all these lawyers and out of touch with reality congresspeople, let's ask the people who went through all the loopholes to become citizens what they think should be done to make the process better. I mean since they've been through it and all.