How is it that I disagree with Rochelle Riley?

Rochelle Riley is a columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Her writing style is an easy read and her thoughts usually get my brains cells to come to life. But last week, Ms. Riley and I disagreed. I suppose that if I were more resolute in my political opinions, we would disagree more often. I like being flexible politically-speaking and admittedly, can often be encouraged to learn a multitude of ways - issue by issue, but this time, I'm not leaning Rochelle's way.

Like many of us, Ms. Riley was incensed at Joe Wilson's shout-out during President Obama's speech last week. She denounces his timing, his word choice, and his ethics, and she now believes Mr. Wilson owes the American people an apology.

I agree until that last point. Mr. Wilson broke with tradition. He showed rude behavior. He spoke from anger. For all those things, he has apologized to the only person deserving of an apology, President Obama.

Does Mr. Wilson have a right to be angry? I suspect so when I hear that there is currently no provision in the bill for a person to prove citizenship in order to receive health care. That matters to me, too. Will this specific bill, if passed into law, cost me dear tax dollars? Will this bill lessen the caliber of health care I receive now? I sincerely believe the answer to both is yes.

Are there other avenues for Mr. Wilson to express his anger? Of course. But
does Mr. Wilson owe ME an apology for disrespecting tradition and Mr. Obama? He does not. Have the politicians who have booed or hissed previous presidents, thereby interrupting their speeches, apologized to anyone? Have you read about apologies to those presidents? I certainly never received an apology either. Nor have I received apologies from politicians who interrupt presidential addresses with politically-charged ovations or those who openly disrespect a president by not clapping before, during, or after those speeches. And I'm still waiting to hear an apology from the pols who sneer whenever a president is being lauded.

Ms. Riley believes that Mr. Wilson has ruined his political future, but I continue to hear people who feel Mr. Wilson spoke for them that night. As one caller said during a radio show, "It just felt so good!" Perhaps there are many other South Carolinians who feel that way, too.

Mr. Wilson was doing what he was elected to do. He was voicing an opinion and speaking for his electorate. I like free speech. I like it even better when it is done with care and in appropriate settings. And I like it best of all when someone knows that they don't have to shout because they will be truly heard if they speak quietly and appropriately.

You know what, Rochelle Riley? We may not agree on this one, but you're still my favorite columnist.

FF: The I'm Watching You Edition

To the lady who had a cell phone ear piece tucked under her hair, but came up next to me and made eye contact and smiled, how did I know you were talking to the ear piece and not me?

To the karate sensei who came to the elementary school this morning to enroll his daughter, but stopped first to greet all his own students and tell them he was proud of how hard they were working:

To the Weight Watchers people out there who claim they're so full that they can't even eat all their points in one day: I am so hungry that if I could get up there, I would eat my roof. Every.single.shingle.

To my family who has sat on the floor all week because the clean and unfolded laundry has been on the one and only couch? I love you anyway! But, because I know you each know how to fold and put laundry away:

To Blogger, who informed me that I was already following each of the 10 blogs I signed up to follow yesterday and to the sophomores who talked to my freshman daughter on her first day on the high school bus: a virtual hug since any other type would make you throw up.

To the bus driver who is determined to leave the high school before the students from the other side of the building can get to the bus and to the city of Detroit which hovers on the verge of bankruptcy even while its 13,000 city employees demand lay-off negotiations with their 50 labor unions. Yes, 50.

To some mighty special ladies who have agreed to be my healthier living accountability partners (even though I feel that having accountability partners exposes me about as much as if I danced naked at work):

AND

To the student who signs every email, "The girl with the pink hair":

To the stores which put away their school supplies the second day of school and before my child got his final supply list:

To Fiber One who tells me that their products may cause gastrointestinal discomfort: put that in larger print next time so I see it before I eat.

And finally, to

and

for letting me be fragmented each and every Friday:

A Nasty Stop and then Justice

We forced our children into humiliation yesterday by stopping at Kmart for some last-minute school supplies. Kmart! What were we thinking? Could they have been any more embarrassed had we announced their names over the PA system?

"Excuse me. Is there a high school student here by the name of Daughter Flag? Is she really in KMART with her parents and three brothers? If so, could she come up front because a t.v. crew is here to record this to show at the high school tomorrow."

Things did get worse when our middle school boy actually saw someone he knew. They greeted each other in that strange middle school language and then both turned scarlet red.

Okay, back to the post.

On the way in, we noticed these cars parked nicely.

Then we noticed how this car was parked.

On the way out, after spending $5,000,000 for three folders and two notebooks and all the things I deemed necessary for me to begin Weight Watchers, we watched the driver of the white car maneuver to her vehicle.

In a very condescending tone, a big mouth my husband called out,

"Nice parking job."

Then we moved toward our car while watching the driver of the white car as it drove the wrong way down her lane. Checkered shook his head and wondered about the licensing procedure of our state.

The lane the car was traveling happened to be our lane and the white car came right toward us while the passenger offered his/her (impossible to discern) hand signals in commentary regarding what he/she thought of Checkered.

In response, Checkered shared with them yet another insight he had regarding their car. They continued to hand signal us as they merged with traffic and moved toward the busy intersection ... where they discovered that Checkered was right.

They were, in fact, driving with their trunk open.

And so justice was done by Checkered's standards.

Finally

There is a law in Michigan which mandates that public schools may not begin their school year prior to Labor Day. When the law was enacted, it was estimated that this longer tourism season, coupled with businesses having student employees around for a longer season, would generate approximately 10 million extra tax revenue dollars. To date, there has been no proof whatsoever that the added money has ever materialized for the state. One columnist has asked if the researcher who came up with this great money-making plan also has a bridge for sale in Brooklyn.

Nevertheless, Labor Day is over and today is the day.

Godspeed, my children.

FF: THIS IS the longest ff ever

THIS IS Friday, so it's time for Mrs. 4's and Sara to host my jumbled thoughts. They really could be my newest BFF's for doing that.

THIS IS Marlene. She told me I could steal her Facebook image and post it here any time I wanted. I would have loved her even if she had said I couldn't.

THIS IS Hallie and she never said I could steal her FB image. I am, however, going to be a guest on her someday cooking show. She specializes in cereal for dinner. I've branched out to instant oatmeal.

THIS IS Jennifer. She gets more done by sunrise than the Army does. She is also a fantabulous photographer - though she refers to herself as just a farmhand. If, in three summers from now, she isn't the official Obama family photographer, we may well take a ride to Virginia so she can take my daughter's senior pix.

THIS IS my niece. Oh, how I love this girl! We are the only two lefties in the family, and she really gets literature. She also talks to me on FB. That's brave considering how old I am.

THIS IS Jeannelle. I think that if I put her picture on this blog every.single.week she will eventually give in and come visit me -- even if just to forcibly make me stop posting her picture.

THIS IS my dad, Checkered's father-in-law, and grandpa to a whole slew of kids. We're going to help him blow out a few birthday candles this week-end.

THIS IS a picture of two of my children getting ready to walk Pepper.

THIS IS how their brother dressed to walk with them through the neighborhood.

And THIS IS Pepper giving her valedictory address. We were shocked to learn that she's not such a great reader! That may well change where she goes to grad school.

It's Going to be a Long Semester

On Monday, during a class discussion about thesis statements, a student raised her hand and asked a pressing question:

"Um. Could we, like, take a break now 'cause I need to take my birth control?"

Tuesday's Trivia: CORN

Naysayers aside, we grew corn this year! While we delight in our ten corn plants, here's a little corn trivia for you:

*One bushel of corn will sweeten more than 400 cans of pop.
*A bushel of corn fed to livestock produces 5.6 pounds of retail beef, 13 pounds of retail pork, 32 pounds of chicken, or 28 pounds of catfish.
*Farmers grow corn on every continent except Antarctica.
*The main ingredient in most dry pet food is corn.
*The corn cob (ear) is actually part of the corn plant’s flower.
*Each tassel on a corn plant releases as many as 5 million grains of pollen.
*There are about 600 kernels on each ear of corn.
*Pioneers planted 4 corn kernels for every plant they hoped to harvest: "1 for the maggot, 1 for the crow, 1 for the cutworm, and 1 to grow".
*The corn plant has both male and female parts. The silk is the female part while the tassel is the male part.

Source: http://www.cyberspaceag.com/kansascrops/corn/corntrivia.htm