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Tell Me Thursday for:
Being Elegant is Hard Work

When I first posted my photo for Wordless Wednesday (oops… a little while ago) I was mostly wanting to show off the little cuties from my son’s kindergarten class dressed up for an “Elegant Tea Party”.

But then, while looking at the other photos and thinking about the entire “race debate” with Obama and Clinton in this election, one particular photo struck me:

You see, this photo of the children walking back to their classroom has several races, but there’s something even more interesting than that…

This school was once a segregated school for African Americans. It is now a Pre-K and Kindergarten with an African American principal, who by the way, is FANTASTIC.

I recently went on a field trip with the class to a ranch with exotic animals. All children were paired up with a partner to hold hands with. When I arrived, my son held one of my hands and his little partner held my other hand… not by force, but by the children’s choice.

The little boy didn’t care that my son is white. He didn’t care that I am white. My son didn’t care if his friend that held his Mommy’s hand was black. It was just really cool that Mommy came to hang out with them.

Are children color blind or are they taught racism? If it’s taught, then I’m impressed with my son’s class, their parents, teacher, principal and school. Would Dr. King be proud? I’m not an expert, but I think maybe so.

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Dear Democratic Presidential Candidates (and voters):

This has been bothering me for awhile. I start it, then I delete it. It’s just such a touchy topic. The more touchy the topic becomes, the more it bothers me.

First of all, let me state for the record, I voted for one of you, but I’m not 100% certain I’d trust either of you as far as I can throw you. I could have voted Republican, but I’m not impressed with our front runner there either. I voted for the one of you I think will get the job done. It had nothing to do with your sex or race.

Despite the fact that I’m not tickled pink by either you, I took my right to vote very seriously. I even took my two youngest children with me and let them be part of the voting process to ensure they grow up and take their right to vote seriously. I’d like to think I voted for the best person, but this constant bickering and refusal to team up or bow down is enough to make a person want to slap their Grandma.

Politics are dirty. We’ve all accepted it. We might not like it, but we see a long history of proof. I don’t see that changing any time soon. So why don’t we just cut the crap and stop acting “Holier than thou”?

While we’re at it, let’s stop dancing around some specific issues. If people are dancing around these issues now, we’ll only be more divided when either of you are President. Please, give us a break. Let’s get it over with now and get this country back on track.

Let’s talk about Hillary Clinton:

I’m so sick of hearing what a bitch Hillary is. What choice have you left her? If Hillary shows compassion , you accuse her of being too soft. If she’s firm, you make remarks about hormones. Frankly, in my house, sometimes it takes a bit of PMS to get the job done.

I’m so sick of hearing what a liar she is. Maybe she is. It’s not a great trait, I agree, but aren’t we all liars to some degree? Some of our most loved Presidents were also liars. I can assure you Barack Obama has also told a lie or two.

I’m sick of hearing her say she doesn’t agree with what her supporters say about Obama to save face. At the same time, it’s not like she can agree with them or she’ll be accused of racism. Let me remind you, one of these supporters was NOT white . She was Hispanic and her feelings were valid.

Let’s talk about Barack Obama:

The man gives a good speech. It’s called Persuasive Speaking. Indeed, it’s nearly impossible to not be moved by his words, but I’ve been married to man that had a way with words. He was all talk and the beautiful dream he weaved exploded like a mine field. Can Obama put his money where his mouth is? Can he deliver or will we be left to clean up the mess after we discover he isn’t a saint?

Obama had a very unique childhoood abroad and a blended family. You’d think this would be a positive aspect for us all, but what do you really know about him? Have you read his book, Dreams From My Father ? There seems to be a denial of his true biracial self and white family background and upbringing. Can someone so conflicted with himself be the person to unite us all as a nation?

If race truly isn’t an issue for Obama or voters, why do so many tiptoe around the issue? Those that voice anything related to race are pegged a racist . Some are so diligent in trying to prove how much the issue doesn’t matter that they fail to see they are being racist in exactly the opposite end of the spectrum.

So what am I saying?

It’s all verbal vomit. Let’s stop talking about man vs. woman and black vs. white so we can fix our country or find a way to convince Oprah to run for President and solve the entire idiotic situation. We can then listen to voters bitch and moan about how a celebrity has no business running our country (Ronald Regan was an actor and successful President, so why not?).

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Columbus Day irks me, it truly does. Even when I was a child and had the entire “Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492″ lesson, this day of celebration never really added up for me.

Seriously, we give the US Post Office and our banks the day off because a man “discovered” the new world (only because he was lost… completely off the beaten path of India) which happened to already be inhabited by… Native Americans. Don’t even bother mentioning the fact that we were also taught that the Vikings and others had been here before Columbus.

Yeah, seriously. Why don’t the rest of us get to celebrate and take a day off when we can’t find our head or tell the difference from our rear? Can’t we all convince a royal entity to fund our good fortune of stupidity? Can we all be given a “get out of jail free card” to do whatever we want to others for our own personal gain and glory?

If our children are going to be forced to learn about this day every year of their elementary career, perhaps they should be taught the actual facts and not the Mary Poppins version.

Students are tested to ensure they have mastered what they have been taught and they are expected to show respect to their teachers and classmates as well as be honest (no cheating or copying).  Yet this lesson in history reeks of a man that could not navigate, took credit for other’s accomplishments and profited from the misfortune he brought upon others. If you think Native Americans were not affected by this “discovery” then take your birth control pill NOW, please.

Biscuit and Wrangler’s schools did not have the day off this year, but they did not go. Both announced that they felt badly this morning and I let them stay home. Honestly, I didn’t even realize it was Columbus Day. I’m a bit glad they missed this lesson today. They still learned about it, but I told them the story of Christopher Columbus without all the cutesy rhyming stories of the Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria and sailing the ocean blue. I told them the story in which Christopher Columbus is not a great hero or role model but instead, a man in the wrong place at the right time that dramatically altered life for many there after.

The United States of America is truly the “melting pot” of the world and it’s time we put aside our differences and learn from our past. My own bloodline is a mix of European and Native American… possibly more than that! I’m sure if you’ll dig far enough back in your own family history, you’ll find similar results.

Are you satisfied with the history of Columbus Day? Should we really celebrate this day for what it is or should we simply recognize the errors of our forefathers and learn from their mistakes?

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Dear Martha,

You can thank Michael Jackson for this apology.  Today I was feeling guilty about the things I’ve said about you and the time you served in prison.  I really have to admire you for your strength and sophistication during your trial and most importantly, the graceful manner in which you accepted your punishment.

I “grew up” listening to Michael and trying to moonwalk in my geeky parachute pants.  Gosh, he was soooo cool.  Today, the songs “BEAT IT”and “BAD” have a new meaning to me.  I watched “Good Morning America” this morning and I was appalled when I watched the segment with two women jurors.  I really don’t care if the victim’s mother was a crazy lunatic or a liar.  The focus should have been on the child.  I don’t care if they couldn’t prove Michael never touched the boy.  He acted inappropriately and used his position as an adult and celebrity to get away with it. 

Sorry for the digression, Martha.  I promise now, that I’ll lighten up on the jokes.  Shucks, I might even subscribe to your magazine soon.  Thanks for being a great role model, even the one time you were busted by temptation.  =)

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Look, Martha, you might as well give your day job up.  I know its been rough now that you officially have a “record”, but now you have to deal with some legitimate competition as well! 

This is Gran Neisler’s (pronounced NICE-ler) Famous Bunny Cake and her assistant bakers.  We WILL give you “honorable mention for  inspiration” (Wrangler carried your magazine around for 2 weeks telling every customer in our store that Gran was making him this cake) but other than that, you take second place in this contest!  Martha, we’ll continue to let you say “It’s a good thing” and we’ll say,  “It’s a NICE thing”.

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I have absolutely no self control today.   I’m in rare form.   Everything is annoying me.  Where shall I start?  Let’s see… (more…)

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