More Tasty Treats for Americans

I'm really not sure what those with a sweet tooth eat in other countries, but in the United States, we eat this:

The Gummy Bacon is actually strawberry flavored.  The Roast Beef gum is roast beef flavored.  I'm not sure about those gumballs.

The hubby spotted this display while in California.  He sent a photo of the gummy bacon and my daughter strongly encouraged him to buy her some.

Check it out through the "Bacon Viewing Window."  Bacon sells.  We LOVE pork fat products here.  And if we're not eating pork fat, we are eating things that look like it.

Strangely, this candy is made in China.  Now we know what the Chinese think of us.  They just want our cholesterol levels to go through the ceiling and for us to fall dead on our faces and they will take over.  Bwah ha ha ha ha ha!!

All American

In the freezer case at your local Sam's

While stopped at a traffic light on our main street of crappity crap, I hear the tell-tale clanging of a flag breezily flapping on a flagpole.  Sure enough, I spot it over the trees.  Which business has this flag on their property?  McDonald's, of course.  Hmmmm, I wonder what other businesses fly the United States flag.   The only other one I see on this street is at the Waffle House.

Is eating crap food patriotic?!?  I'm thinking so.

My hubby and kid went to Sam's the other day to get our bi-monthly bulk items.  He told me they had seen something frightening and had a photo to show me.   Mmmmmmmmm.  Breakfast of (non)champions on a stick.  I guess this makes it far easier to eat while watching those morning programs.

No, there is no flag on the box (that I can see) but it is red, white and blue enough for me.  And the brown of artificially colored gray matter that comprises those sausages and pancakes.

Salute the box, fire up the microwave, and settle in for an hour or two of fine dining and Fox news.

I'm thinking this is not what they are eating in Paris.

Early

Well, it's 5:30 am and I'm heading out the door to work at the polls for the primary this morning.  Oh, it's gonna be dull.  For once, I miss Rick Santorum.  Couldn't he have just hung around a little bit longer?!?  No doubt he was afraid of losing out to Romney in his "home" state of Pennsylvania.

And we're expecting snow.  And nobody of any consequence is running against Bob "I'm doing what the Bishop wants me to do" Casey.

I'm expected a handful of elderly and some hopeful students.

And I have to inform the folks that, come November, if they don't have a photo ID they aren't going to be able to vote.  Yep.  All of those students who wish to cast multiple votes -- can't do it.  Those voter-fraud-happy-hat-wearing old men better be able to cough up the proper identification.  And as the first volunteer in line to help our voters, I'm going to get an earful.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Is it Spring Yet!?!

Well, I suppose the withdrawal of Santorum is like a tulip bulb ready to bloom. A fresh promise for the future.

But, frankly, everything else is still wintery to me.

Wednesday I had some errands to do. Errands usually take me to Target, because aside from Target, there's nothing else but Wal-Mart. I'm NOT going there.

There I stood in the parking lot, ice pellets peppering my face and blurring my vision. Target lay across the frozen tundra to my left. Past three abandoned strip mall stores. In the gray and icy distance stood the brooding hulk of Kohl's, right past the empty lot of dirt and rock. Further into the murky gloom stood the fucking new Cracker Barrel. The sight of this shopping hell turned my shoes to lead and my heart and soul to black stones.

So, unless Santorum changes his mind, I'm pretty much shutting up until I feel warm again. God knows when that will be.

Can't we hang the pope hat next to the KKK hood and keep that closet door closed!

It seems that, lately, we are all promoting ourselves to “constitutional lawyer.” We all claim to know exactly what our founding fathers meant when penning the Constitution. The vast majority of who are weighing in on the U.S. Constitution have no formal education or training to do so. But this seems to be stopping nobody.

So, now I’m hopping on the “I’m a constitutional lawyer” bandwagon. Let’s discuss that Freedom of Religion thing. Why? It’s just a little bitty bit of the first amendment to the U. S. Constitution. A mere 16 words applying to religion in this country. Want to see it? Here it goes:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

I don’t see that it has anything to do with contraception, the good (or not-so-good) folks working down there at the Blue Shield offices, or requiring a European Catholic man to lead our wayward statesmen.

Seems to temporarily-self-appointed-constitutional-lawyer me, that the first amendment states that the government cannot pick one church to rule us all. In law speak that’s the “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” part. The second part, “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” seems to say that if you want to pick a religion to believe in or if you want to just stay home and say your evening prayers you’re welcome to do so.

That’s it!

But it seems as if the Catholic Church has done a bit of over-interpretation.

If we’re all going to be forced to fall in with the Catholic Church, then why the hell did our ancestors come to this country in the first place? Are we going to let all of that hard work (of our ancestors) disintegrate under the iron hand of the Catholic Church?

After centuries of fear of control by other countries, are we now going to let the Pope dictate how our country is run? We are letting a man who is not a citizen of this country rule approximately 68 million of our people. This man is not our elected leader. Do these 68 million Americans think the Pope is a congressman living in a suburb outside of Detroit?

THE LAND OF THE FREE is being eaten by a “holy” man in a ridiculous hat.

Ladies and Gentlemen, no one in this country has the right to tell you not to use contraception. NO ONE. No group, entity, faction, denomination, flock or cluster has the right to tell you not to use contraception.

I’ve been a regular voter for 30 years. Not once have I seen the Pope on any ballot. Never. Nor has anyone else in the country. But way too many of us are voting for him one way or another. Are these people forgetting that their ancestors came to this country to enjoy individual liberty? And now they are going to sign over these liberties and those of their offspring to the Pope?

Freedom of religion means that an individual can believe in God, Jesus Christ, trees, mother nature, aliens, and themselves. Or not. If an individual wants to dedicate his or her life to a church, fine. If they do not wish to use birth control, I will not attempt to take away their freedom to procreate until their eyes bleed, or to abstain until their eyes bleed even more. However, I will NOT stand to have them group together in the millions (or more if we include the rest of the world) and get their business up in my bedroom or my uterus.

The Catholic Church does not have the right to control my reproductive parts. The Catholic Church does not have the right to control the reproductive parts of its members. If the members of the Catholic Church choose to be sheep then I cannot stop them. I do, however, refuse to become part of that flock. I will not be governed by them.

Trudging Toward Old Age?

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter, husband and I went to visit my mother-in-law.

She had selected a newish restaurant for lunch, some kind of chain I think. Sweetwater something? Sweet Grass Grille? I don't recall.

We are seated, and before we receive the menus, I know what is going to happen. Music is playing. Some kind of 80's pop perhaps. It's a bit too loud for a mostly empty room.

Now, we are all just a bit touchy. My father-in-law had very recently died, and the rest of us are trying to go about our business of being a family and supporting each other. My mother-in-law makes a wincing face. My husband knows it's about the music. He gets up to ask the hostess if it can be turned down.

Upon his return he reports: "I told them that this is a restaurant not a disco and they need to turn that music down."

Good God. The man is not yet 50, yet he speaks as if he is waving around a cane. What the hell is he going to be like when he's 60?

Several minutes later, the manager comes over. It is a brisk day in northern Virginia, but he makes it look like it's a sweltering afternoon in Las Vegas. He informs us that the music will be turned down. And changed over to Country. I swear I saw him smirk when he said that. Frankly, I'd rather someone spit into my soup.

I guess this is what the long (or for some of us, not so long) trudge toward decrepitude looks like.

I don't know about my old man, but I'm thinking I might just like a disco.

For about five minutes.

Another Post including the name Rick Santorum

I wish all women in this country were in agreement about women having the right of control over their own reproductive systems. Some women agree with those whipping up those “personhood” bills. Many women agree with Rick Santorum and his wish to abolish birth control. Frankly, one woman agreeing with Rick Santorum is one too many.

Our mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers have fought for women’s right to vote. The fight was too frequently violent. More recently, women have fought for equal rights, equal pay, and reproductive rights. Are women in this country going to give up these hard-fought rights willingly? Are they going to initiate the overturn of rights already won?

As women, we may oppose birth control. We may oppose abortion. We may oppose equal rights. Parents may wish to teach their children to abstain from sex before marriage.

Do we want to teach our daughters that they have little control over their lives? Do we want legislation that will abolish their decision-making. When they decide to reject pre-marital sex or birth control methods, do we want them to do so because they are forced or because they came to these decisions on their own?

My daughter is certainly going to be able to walk into her employer’s office and say, “It’s fine to pay me less than a man for the same job.” She can also tell a boy or man, “I’m waiting until marriage for sex and I won’t have sex unless it is to have a baby.” She may tell me, “Mom, I don’t want to vote because I just don’t think a woman is capable of making such decisions.” She will be perfectly capable of uttering, “I don’t believe homosexuals should have equal rights.” My husband and I will do our best to educate our child to function in the world as a well-rounded individual. Sure, we will bias her in some way or another. That’s what most parents do. But one thing I WILL NOT do, is take away her rights in order for her to comply to my way of thinking.

Women, mothers, fathers, men, uncles, sons, daughters, grandmothers, when you go to the polls, vote for those who will work to enable all of our citizens in this country to flourish while living peacefully among others in their communities. Do not vote for those who seek to divide us into groups. Do not vote for hate, fear and oppression. Do not vote away your rights and the rights of others.