TAllen's Blog

  Yesterday my oldest daughter and my grand daughter flew in from Richmond Va. They will be here a week because my daughters best friend is getting married and my grand daughter is in the wedding. Of our 4 girls this is the one that lives the furthest away, and for some odd reason (with the exception of the one still at home) she is the one we see the most of. Yes, we are a typical American family, all with busy lives and problems making time to spend together, so when we do get a few moments they are usually like "Christmas" morning, filled with excitement and laughter and everyone all talking at once while trying to catch up with one another’s lives, but I stray from my original thoughts here.

  I do miss being that "needed" Mom on occasion but thankfully even with them all being adults now they, every now and then make it a point to "need" me. Today I had the pleasure of spending the entire day with my grand daughter who is now 18 months old. Having mastered the skills of running, jumping, screeching and laughing with pure abandon, she enjoys such pure delight in the world around her it is hard to not be affected. Rather than spend the day locked in a Condo, I decided to take her to see the Aquarium in Tampa, and I have to tell you that even though I have seen this place a dozen times, I have never seen it quite like I did today! Holding the hand of this little girl and dashing from tank to tank as we pressed our noses to the glass and gazed in wonder at the creatures on the other side was an adventure like none I have had in a long time. Every new sea creature brought peels of delight as they peered back at us from their world as curious about us as we were about them. We would giggle and laugh and tap on the glass which would send them dashing away in swarms only to return a moment later. From the tiniest of fish to the biggest of sharks each one made our eyes light up, but the best of the adventures was putting out hands in the water and being able to touch what we saw. I am sure we drew some attention with our hand clapping applause when a fish would do a trick, or our dashing from tank to tank to see them all at once but I really didn't care. I was having the time of my life and recording every second of it in my memory.

  On the trip home, she was still excited about all she had seen today and for the first 30 minutes she was gazing at the world out the car windows as it passed us by with much the same excitement. Giggles and laughter filled the air as big trucks passed by, and then in the blink of an eye the car grew quiet. I looked back in my rear view mirror and saw that she had finally given into sleep. She was cuddled up as much as possible with her new stuffed sea horse tucked under her chin with a tiny smile on her face. She was at complete peace and it reflected in everything about her. I drove on listening to the "Disney" channel on the radio, and reviewing the day I had just spent with her. It was then that it dawned on me. Today I let myself actually enjoy life on a level I had forgotten existed. Not once did I worry about money, the state of the country, who would win the election, how many illegals there are, the price of gas or a loaf of bread, taxes, politicians, or Wall Street! Some how this tiny little girl had pushed all those things from my head and filled it with such love and enjoyment that nothing else really mattered, and the truth is...nothing really does. I as one person have no ability to change any of those things, yet I allow them to interfere in my life. The only thing I can change is the time and energy I put into my family and my personal life and thanks to this tiny tot I was given that chance to remember that today. Lets face it in 40 years (if I am lucky) all these man made problems will still be around, but if I fail today to make a memory and an impression on my grand daughter as the kind of person I am then no amount of time will ever be enough to correct that. All I have to insure that I am not just taking up space during my stay here on earth is to insure that the family and friends in my life get to know me and not as some "to busy" to be bothered person but as the loving wife, mother, and friend I am. It is that which will carry them through their lives and it is that, that will make my life so much better.

  It really is that simple. When you make the choice to put family and friends above all else then you are given the chance to see life as a tiny tot does and feel the excitement each new day brings. What a way to live!

I sit here night after night watching the endless parade of campaign ads and wondering to myself if people in this country REALLY DO what things to get better for us all or if they are actually content to let the mess remain so they have something to BLEEP about?

IF we are to see real CHANGE, which seems to be the major campaign promise these days, then don't you think you should consider the following MORE than which guy your gonna put in the BIG HOUSE come November?

IF you want to LEVEL THE FIELD then turn your attention to the ones who are playing the game your SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN!

I propose the following:

1. TERM LIMITS of 8 years max. If we do not allow our President more time than this why on earth do we allow those who DO have the power a life time? History shows us that those "new and eager" members work the hardest for their States because they are trying to prove something, while those who have held seats for years become less and less interested in bettering the States they represent in favor of their OWN gains. New blood every 8 years keeps the NEW IDEAS, NEW OPINIONS, NEW COMMITTMENTS and NEW ETHICS FLOWING! It also goes a long way to keep the "lobbiest in check" because they have to start all over gaining allies!

2. WAGE AND BENIFIT LIMITS: Ask yourself, "what is the real purpose of having Congressmen and Senators for each State"? The answer is: To have the people of each State represented by one individual whos main focus is to improve their State and their lives by submitting, voting, and working for the betterment of all they represent. So why then do we allow them to earn salaries and benifts that most of the population of their State will never share? I believe to LEVEL THE FIELD and get the most good out of those that represent us we need to limit their earning and benifits to the SAME LEVEL AS THE AVERAGE FOR THIER STATE! What better incentive would there be for them to then WORK TO IMPROVE the lives they represent? It would increase their earning and benifits the more they could increase the earnings and benifits for others. Instead we see them sitting on their butts passing yearly pay raises for themselves and FORGETTING those back home. POLITICS SHOULD NEVER BE A GET RICH QUICK OPTION!

3. PRODUCTION ACCOUNTABILITY: Why do we allow those we trust to avoid accountability when they are speaking on our behalf? HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR WORD AND DEED! If they are not doing anything (voting present) wasting time and money on things that have no benifit to their State, abusing the "perks" of office and in general selling their State for Personal Profit...HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE by REVOKING their nomination and banning them from holding public office again. Should we not send the CLEAR MESSAGE...YOU WORK FOR US, WE DO NOT WORK FOR YOU and unless you ARE working for us then you better find a new field.

4. RETIREMENT LIMITS: When they have served their time and return to the comfort of Civilian life then they should not be allowed to benifit for those years served in the form of HUGE LIFETIME RETIREMENT PLANS. Let them be responsible like all those they represent to provide for their own futures in the form of Retirement Accounts, 401K's and savings. If they choose not to prepare for their own futures then that is their problem and they should have to deal with it in the same manner those they represent do. No special retirement packages with "perks" for life!

There you have it America...A plan for REAL CHANGE. The question is now...do you have the guts to DEMAND it or are you content to point the finger, mumble, bi*ch, and groan then shake your head and walk away? When will you as a colletive nation take back what is yours and stand up for your rights, demand accountablility, insure those you place your faith and trust in are worthy and say LEVEL THE FIELD!

If your not part of the Solution....YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!

I am at a complete loss as to why people take all the presidential campagin promises being made seriously. Has it not dawned on anyone that the President has limited power and in most cases has no power to enact any of these promises being made without the backing of the Senate and Congress? Yes he has the power to "veto" something he doesn't like but he has no power to enact anything he wants unless they vote on it first. So really why do you take it seriously when either of them tell you that they will do this or that as President?

AND, I am also at a complete loss why people come unglued over campaign ads? Isn't the point of it to discredit your opponent and show him or her in their worst light? Doesn't anyone realize that most are sound bytes taken out of context for a reason? Do you REALLY base your opinions and decisions on this crap?

AND, I am at a complete loss as to why there is a fight going on over Obama vs. Palin? She is running for VP not President so what does it matter, unless the Obama camp is truly running scared.

AND, I am at a complete loss as to why anyone listens to the garbage being spouted about what these canidates will do that they will say we will see the effects of 10 years down the road? Does anyone really believe that what they do in their 4 years is not going to be undone by the guy that follows them? So what is the point of telling us what WILL be when they no longer have control?

AND, finally I am at a complete loss as to why the population of this country seems so much more concerned about electing a "FIGURE HEAD" to office than they are about electing the men and women who ACTUALLY DO have the power to make our lives better or worse. It seems to me that if one was intelligent then they would place far more interest in who they put in the SENATE and HOUSE than who they put in the WHITE HOUSE!

If your not part of the solution YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!

This is generally not a popular topic but it is one that we just can't ignore and hope that it goes away. In recent months we have seen various news articles about black bears, gators and snakes showing up in all the wrong place and at the wrong times. I wonder how many people actually stop to consider that it is man's doing that has created this situation.

For years we as humans have thought that we know whats best when it comes to nature and its critters. We have micromanaged many into near extinction and have changed the course of nature itself with our "controlled" hunts, herd thinning, and transplantation of many of our wild creatures all because it was the only way we could continue our endless need for urban sprawl.

Now we are in a situation where we MUST continue to manage nature in a way that is anything but natural. We have engineered a situation where animals that would normally be consumed by natural prey are left to weaking the remaining population by breeding subferrior offspring often in overbreeding to the point of horrific results. That requires us to maintain our diligence and find ways to control populations so that they don't become problems. We have lost our ability to see the "beauty" in nature because we are focused on keeping it in order.

We fool ourselves into thinking that by taking endangered animals out of their natural habitats and confining them in zoo's and selective breeding facilities that we are prolonging their exsistance when in fact we are doing nothing but limiting nature. Our desire to have polar bears, seals, bengal tigers etc for our children to enjoy is denying those same species the ability to evolve and produce new and more wonderful animals. We fail to see the cycle of life as a positive matter and believe that if it is here today then it must be here tomorrow as well. We discount "natural selection" because it plays against our logic and when we do so we in the end hurt ourselves.

No one ever likes death but thats not the point. EVERYTHING MUST DIE at some point if we are to keep moving forward. You would think with the higher intelligence that man possess he would figure out that nature was here long before man and was doing a wonderful job of keeping things in order and nature will be here long after man, rebuilding and reorganizing what man messed up.

No for those of you that might read this and decide I am some "tree hugging, bunny loving" nut case, you could not be further from the truth. I do support "controlled hunts" and managing the animal populations but not because I WANT to but because I understand that we MUST if we are all to survive at this point. We don't live in a perfect world but if we stop our efforts now the animals will not be the only ones to pay the tremendous price. Man will too.

I guess for me it is just one more example of how "superior intelligence" with out common sense has lead us as humans to be really stupid sometimes.

Thoughts?

  For the most part I don't pay much attention to the political arena because I have long believed that regardless what the American people want, it is a select small group that decides what we get. I just don't have the desire to bash my head into a concrete wall and at least not make a dent in something besides my brains. So this commentary is out of the ordinary for me and perhaps that is why it may just be a totally wacky political theory.  :shock:  

When this entire campaign started I was not at all surprised to find Hillary with her hand in the cookie jar. I actually would have been more surprised to not see her, so I was not disappointed when she stepped up and made a run at it. As I watched with mild interest as the weeks unfolded I remained fairly confident that even with her best shot she would not make the nomination. Towards the end however I started pay attention a bit more to what she was actually saying and I found that this new possibility started to form in my own head. It was not so much what she said but more what she didn't say that caught my attention. Like her or not this is a smart and ambitious woman and she is not about to just give up and walk away.

When the decision was made to place the "pretty token one" on the ticket I really started to consider the possibilities for Hillary. I was sure that she would not accept had she been offered the VP slot for what I thought were pretty good reasons at the time. She didn't want to take second, and she knew if she did it would limit her ability to make a run again in 2012, and you can bet that she is going to do just that. Like I said this is not a woman who gives up.  :?  Anyway...I started listening to her and watching her and that little seed that had been planted started to grow.  :shock:

  It is not what she says now but more what she doesn't and if you listen to her that is a lot. When McCain placed Palin on his ticket I could almost feel the ground shake as Hillary clapped her hands and grinned. This is what she wanted to see more than anything else. The Republican's were going to pave her way for her right into the White House and it appears that few if any are paying attention to that. So here is my theory....

  Hillary knew she didn't stand a chance this time around. Yes she had a lot of support but this country was just not ready to see a woman President. Hillary caught on to that early on but kept pushing because she also knew that she had to at least make a plausible attempt at presenting the idea if she had any hopes of seeing the White House again some day. She hung in and keep that idea in the minds of many, but she really wasn't looking to win this time. Her goal...make the idea of a woman President something to think about, and lord knows we are now doing just that. Mean while over in the Republican camp, some advisor who was paying attention saw that maybe there was something to this game she was playing and while the American population and the electoral college may not put a woman in as president they might just very well accept a woman as a VP. Thus McCain's party started looking for the right one to offer up in the hopes of picking up all those (and there were a lot) of votes that Hillary had reached. It was a smart move for sure and Palin is an excellent choice. She can and will appeal to many who will over come their fears of a woman in office and she will see that VP in the end. This is exactly what Hillary wants and needs! Palin is going to do what she couldn't, she is going to pave the way by spending 4 years opening the eyes of the population to the fact that a woman in office can be a good thing. She is going to prove that she was the right choice and that her abilities, even being limited are going to be a good thing for this country and Hillary is going to sit and wait for her to do just that. She is even willing to let a Republican take the White House this time around because in 2012 she is going to be in a place where she CAN and will have a real shot and all thanks to Palin's hard work. The fear will be far less and the desire far greater. She also knows that Palin will not run in 2012 against her and she is banking on that. The more I listen to Hillary support Obama the more I hear her supporting McCain. She is placing doubt in the minds of those who would be voting Democratic knowing that she has to in order for this to play out the way she wants. Unless we start to really take notice and unless the Republicans can bring real change to a badly in need nation I have no doubt in my mind that come 2012 we will all be saying "Madame President" and Hillary will be grinning from ear to ear at being the FIRST woman to hold the office.  

  I don't like her and I never will but I have to give her credit for being one damn smart woman! That’s just my theory...as wacky as it may be... :lol:

Thoughts?

A Response…

While I appreciate the “spirit” in which this was written I can not help but wonder at the purpose of the author. On the surface it appeared to me to be a comment of encouragement but the more I read and processed the words and phrases use, I became more aware of what was really be said. This author starts out reminding us all that it does not require a building or a fixed place to worship for us to live a “Christian” life. One where we are kind, compassionate and understanding not only of our own faults but the faults of others. With this sentiment I can agree even thought I am not one of the “believers”. I addressed much the same thoughts in another blog I wrote from the vantage point of being an Atheist living in a “religious” society. Being thankful for each new day and each new chance at being a “good” human being is not the exclusive territory of only those who believe in god nor should it be, but the message is important.

As I continued to read, I found this message being diluted by the emergence of the author’s sanctimonious attitudes. The positive was turning into the negative as the author was “judging” the readers and pointing out what they believe stands them above others. Comments pointing to personal deeds that then question others if they do the same and implying that unless they do they are not “as good as” the author left me cold.

The final part of this comment the author fails to acknowledge that while they may not feel the need to sit in a church once a week that there are many that do and by doing so find great comfort, strength and hope for their own futures. The author touts the “bible” as man’s book of answers but I don’t believe it was ever intended to be such as there is no two people who will read it and come away with the same understanding. Yes it may be a guideline but the danger fall when we have those like our author here that imply it is verbatim instructions for living ones life.

 For those that do believe in god, the question of whether or not he is with them at all times is not a question at all, for those who maybe having difficulty in believing, it is a hope that keeps them searching and for those like me who don’t believe, it is a mute point, but none of these is better than the others nor more important in its lesson. Life is a series of choices. Sometimes we make the correct one and sometimes we don’t. What is important is that we never stop trying. If it requires someone to have god in their life to continue the journey then for them that choice is right, but it never lessens the choice of those who do not feel the same.

Thank you for letting me share my thoughts,

Now while you may not deem this important to the issue, take note that, I did try to comment on this authors blog. I was met with one judgment after another as well as accusations that have no foundation other than by what the author saw fit to use and that in itself leave me wondering at the true character of the author. How does one make such professions and justify such responses? Isn’t it like saying you are only a “good Christian” by my standards? Something to think about for sure.

ALL responses are welcome.

I about fell out of my chair this eveing when I heard Grandma say she took the clothing out of that car the she KNEW Casey was wearing the last time she saw her and Caylee and WASHED IT because it smelled like the car did.

OMG...there is something wrong...its smells like a dead body!

Why? Why would she wash anything?? Maybe the reason is the same as why she waited to report this grandbaby missing, why she waited to report the car missing, waited to report the credit card stolen, waited to report the clothing the boy friend delivered to her home, waited to tell the police about the bogus tip that Caylee had been seen in Georgia??? Sure seems like she is doing a lot of waiting! But then so is her daughter....she is waiting for that baby to become something unidentifiable.

When will they charge grandma with "tampering with evidence" in a criminal case, "obstruction of justice" and "interferring with a police investigation"? How about lying to the police? Mom and Daughter both seem to be good at that as well.

Another question I have is why the name Juilette Lewis? Is it any small wonder to anyone that the very next day after Casey told the police this woman was one that introduced her to the babysitter, Grandma does and interview the none other than JUILETTE LEWIS of Mike and Juliette in The Morning? 

The saddest part of all this is that I can see her walking....simply because with no body there is no case and she KNOWS that. Final outcome would be she could then go on forever...claiming HER BABY WAS KIDNAPPED and no one could prove otherwise.

Hopeful thoughts are with you Caylee...

Having just spent 3 weeks in paradise I had the opportunity to clear my head and enjoy the simplicity of life itself. While pondering many questions I came apon a personal enlightenment that life is indeed filled to the brim with illusions.

Much the way the Mindfreak Criss Angel relies on illusion to create things that seem impossible, illogical and frightening, people across the board do the very same thing every day of their lives. It makes no difference if we are talking religion, politics or something on a more personal level, the art of illusion is what drives everything these days. It takes so little to weave a web of deception that others will take for gospel truth and that leaves me questioning why? Are we all so blinded by self importance that we are willing to let it slide? Is it that we are all just so fed up that we are willing to believe anything we are told? Is it that we are all just so afraid of the alternatives that we are willing to accept what is handed us? Or is it that we have just become a nation of liars and cheats so we no longer can spot those who practice dishonesty on a daily basis?

Life illusions like smoke and mirrors cloud the judgements that affect lives. While it is expect, and that is a sad statement in itself, of our politicians to lie to us, are we not the ones to blame for allowing them to? What really would happen if we demanded honesty and refused to settle for anything less? No, that will never happen because people today are far to "self important" or see themselves as "to intelligent" to be scamed or lied to. We just point the finger and blame everyone else and thereby relieve our selves of any real responsibility freeing us to create our own illusions. For example, so very often I hear and see people yelling about their "freedom of speech" but it seems that freedom is only good when it can silencing others thus making it an illusion itself.

 Not one day goes by when we all are not lied to by someone. Be it friend, family, enemy, or stranger, few can tell the honest truth. Doing so requires a commitment to something other than our selves and it requires us to be honest about who we are and not many are comfortable doing that. Like idiots we bury our head in the sand instead of looking in the mirror. Afraid that the reflection we might see is not the one we try so hard to sustain...yet another illusion.

When will we find the strength to stand out from the crowd, hold our head high and say to our selves and those around us...this is me...warts and all, I am a work in progress and if I am to succeed in life then I will accept no more illusions. I will hold my self and you accountable and demand not your respect, not your obedience, not your friendship, not your loyalty, not your assurances...the only thing I will accept is your HONESTY and if you can not offer me that DO NOT offer me your ILLUSIONS!

Just my thoughts...