Fetching Jen

Blogging at Townhall

2008-08-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

Please go to my Townhall Blog for the latest:

http://katygrimes.blogtownhall.com

Hello and Goodbye

2008-08-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

I just returned home from one week in Kauai with my husband and son. We have been planning this trip since last December as a kind of reward to our son for completing his first year at the Naval Academy. He only had a few weeks off this summer. While all of his friends were coming home from college for the entire summer, he was on a training exercise on YP boats, and then on a submarine somewhere in the pacific ocean experiencing his first "Summer Cruise."

Our Kauai trip was wonderful and true "R&R." We are tanned and rested and now back at work. Our son is now looking forward to his second year at the academy, free from the restrictions of being a first year "Plebe."

As difficult as it always is to let him go, nothing will ever compare with Induction Day last year, when we left him at the Naval Academy for the beginning of "Plebe Summer." Later this week, we will take him to the airport and not see him again until either we travel back east this fall, or wait until Thanksgiving when he comes home. We are fortunate to have had a few weeks together this summer. I got to be a mom, and he got to be my kid again. But on Saturday, he will put his uniform back on, stand a little straighter and taller, and immediately get back into academy mode. Our communications will be by email and short phone calls. My house will be quiet and tidy again. However, I've learned to love the mess for all it stands for.

"Abuse In Wicked Hands"

2008-07-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

from my column Friday July 25, 2008

Katy Grimes, Sacramento Union Columnist -
KatyG@SacUnion.com
Published: July 23, 2008

I strongly urge each member of the Sacramento City Council to read “The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson.” The wisdom and foresight in Jefferson’s writings should be mandatory training material for ambitious local politicians. Jefferson correctly declared, “Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms [of government] those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”

Sacramento’s elected officials spend most of their time worrying about getting re-elected and keeping power, making them the best example of power perverted into tyranny. Their focus is personal, and not for the good of the public they serve.

Members of the City Council have been recently quoted saying that our city budget deficit is the result of “the downturn in the economy.” Hogwash. The city of Sacramento has a spending problem, starting with Mayor Heather Fargo and the City Council. They long ago tossed out the books about citizen representation, and penned their own: “The Joy of Political Power and The Pleasures of Ambition and Omnipotence.” They are currently working on “Dodging Accountability in Ten Easy Steps.”

Custodian of Public Trust Thomas Jefferson believed that “Democracy would cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work, and give to those who would not.”
Today’s “leaders” see themselves as God-like, selflessly giving to the masses. What they are really “giving” is not of themselves but an endless supply of costly freebies, welfare and entitlements—food stamps, free rent, bus passes, “job training,” daycare, education, houses, medical care, don’t forget citizenship, rights, power, privilege, benefits and favors. With the numerous giveaways under the auspices of devotion to the welfare of others, our politicians are only plumping up their own ambitions and circumstances. By creating the dependence of citizens, politicians get subservience and submissiveness in return, but it completely kills morality and ethical conduct.

Jefferson predicted “future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”

The allure of power to those who seek it is intoxicating. However, it is best to remember that it is not power that is alluring to pure minds. The idea of serving the people is lost on those who seek power such as our City Council and Mayor Fargo.

Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct. Thomas Jefferson knew men who abused their political positions; he did not know that it would become a way of political life in America. The Sacramento City Council members are such an example: They use politics as a vocation, living off and profiting from politics, rather than being genuinely politically active—they are the very definition of weak people who abuse trust and power and cannot stand on their own.

Only with the silence of good people will tyranny and corruption continue. Jefferson’s wisdom rings true even today: When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

Katy Grimes is a longtime political analyst and Sacramento native. Read her blog at katygrimes.blogtownhall.com.

Obama's "Tour Of Duty"

2008-07-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, you heard correctly: "Obama's Tour of Duty." The liberal news media has single-handedly solved Barrack Obama's lack of military service: They have dubbed his current Middle East travels a "Tour of Duty."

Last night on NBC Nightly News, anchor Lester Holt referred to Obama's trip as his "Tour of duty," as if this is real military service: newsbusters has this.

... Ironic word choice for the candidate who has opposed the Iraq was, said the surge would not work, wants to immediately withdraw our troops, and is now flip flopping and hedging. Will John McCain object and talk about his real Tour of Duty as well as the tours of duty of the real soldiers fighting for democracy and freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan?

The three queasy networks sent along their top anchors to join Obama on his vacation to Europe and the Middle East. The desperation being shown by the media to get Obama elected is unbelievable. It appears they all get "thrills up their legs" when he speaks...(chrismatthews gets chills and thrills)

Obama's trip should be called a "Tour of Doody..."

Buck Up

2008-07-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

Last week I wrote a column that has really angered a great number of "Generation X" readers. Frankly, it should have angered even more.

From ‘The Entitlement Generation’ to the ‘Look At Me’ Generation
irst, there were the Baby Boomers, the original “Me” generation (1946-1964). They produced the next “Me” generation: Generation X, also known as “The Entitlement Genera-tion” (1964-1984). Now, last century’s most self-absorbed generation have produced another “Me” generation, the “Look at Me” generation.

read my entire post at KATY GRIMES at Townhall.com.

The Deafening Minority

2008-07-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

The current column by Mike S. Adams - one of my favorite columnists - titled The Moral Minority, is about an issue I write of frequently:

From his Townhall column: The week after I finished laying my brick path I hopped on a plane heading to Colorado Springs, Colorado. After the flight attendant made her initial announcements, a young couple called her over to complain that she was speaking too loudly into the microphone. Her voice, they said, was hurting their ears. The flight attendant said she was talking into the microphone no louder than she was at that moment. The couple still protested – although no one else on board seemed to have a problem. read it here

Unfortunately, if Mr. Adams had made a big enough fuss about the rude and obnoxious passengers, he would have been tossed from the plane, instead of the jerks. Unless and until normal, decent people speak out against the Deafening, rude, self-absorbed, obnoxious minority, we have only ourselves to blame for having to live through all of their personal dramas and victimhood.

I am allergic to obnoxious people, and I let them know it.

Save the drama for your mama.

Wanna Be Popular!

2008-07-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

I remember junior and senior high school student body elections. The person "qualified" to be class president was not the candidate who ever won. The winner was usually some good looking, popular stud who immediately assigned the work to the groupie girls. These girls, who waited with baited breath to be spoken to by His Highness, squealed in delight at being able to plan dances, rallies and senior cut day, while the Pres made appearances and did interviews in the school newspaper. His campaign promises usually involved less homework, better cafeteria food, and new cheerleading uniforms, which made him very popular with the masses.

Barrack Obama's campaign rhetoric is about as substantive as the class president's. Except that Obama is offering lots of free stuff in the form of additional welfare programs to "the working man" at the cost of higher taxes for everyone - even that working man will pay more for his increased free stuff. And just like the class president who never accounted for the costs or ramifications of his absurd promises, Obama really doesn't care as long as it gets him elected.

His insatiable desire to be popular is pathetically apparent, even to his supporters. His flip flops on key issues are designed only to attract more voters, while counting on his ardent followers to not stray. His whining about being teased about his ears, or his dominant wife, or his verbal gaffes (57 states), show that he is more consumed by his image than even his image handlers are.

Obama is a carefully crafted image, and one that cannot take a hit of any sort. He is not lasting, nor enduring. He is not ready for prime time - which in American politics, is a little more involved than promising better cafeteria food to the voters.

California Youth Reprimanded For Singing National Anthem

2008-07-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

California youth Reprimanded For Singing National Anthem... in the State Capitol. Would they have preferred Songs of the Communist Youth?

From the Capitol Resource Institute:

Students attending a youth leadership conference were reprimanded by capitol security yesterday afternoon for singing the National Anthem and God Bless America in the state capitol rotunda. The patriotic expression was apparently so egregious that state troopers were called in to the rotunda to rebuke the students.

As the students ended their singing, several armed troopers entered the rotunda along with capitol sergeants-at-arms. They confronted conference staff and informed them that such singing is prohibited in the state capitol without a permit from the Rules Committee.

Undeterred by their shocking treatment at the hands of government officials, the students have applied for a permit to sing this Saturday, when they will visit the capitol for a mock legislative session on the Assembly and Senate floors.

The forty-five young people from all across California were at the capitol to attend the City on the Hill Youth Leadership Conference, where they learn the legislative and political processes. After spending the day meeting with lawmakers and their staff, the youth aged 14-18, engaged in a spontaneous expression of passion for their country by singing the National Anthem and God Bless America. Tourists walking through the capitol stopped to listen to the singing and clapped enthusiastically.

Among the students attending the conference were two young people whose father was held in a Communist prison in Romania. Another student is a Russian immigrant.

"This was a ghastly overreaction to some students expressing their patriotism in the seat of government," stated Karen England, Executive Director of Capitol Resource Institute and director of the youth conference. "These young leaders have sacrificed a week of their summer to come learn about our government system and this is the 'welcome' they receive from the government."

"I am deeply saddened by the treatment these young patriots received at our state capitol," stated Meredith Turney, legislative liaison for Capitol Resource Family Impact and a graduate of City on the Hill. "This invaluable program equipped me with the tools I use every day in my job working with lawmakers. Unfortunately, these future leaders have seen first- hand how we are losing our liberties-including simply expressing our patriotism in public."

Despite their treatment, the City on the Hill students have applied for a government permit to sing the National Anthem in the capitol rotunda this Saturday, July 12, at 1:15 p.m. Citizens are encouraged to attend the performance to encourage these fine young leaders' patriotism.

The following is a clip of the City on the Hill students singing the National Anthem (without a permit!) two years ago---

CIty on the Hill 2006

Read God Bless America-If You Have a Permit

Voting for Someone Who Despises you

2008-07-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

The next time someone asks me who I am voting for this fall for President, I am going to say, "The white guy."

Sounds really stupid, doesn't it - a dumb reason for voting for a President.

That's the reasoning behind most of Obama's followers: Vote for the black guy. And Hillary's followers were just as bad : Vote for the woman.

Using that logic, I should have voted for Hillary - a middle-age, educated, white chick. She was even a little blonde... that's good enough for me.

We all need to identify with our public figures. But we should be thinking a little more critically about their ability to lead, of their qualifications, their motives, ambition, and ideology.

I know some very intelligent persons of color - educated, experienced, talented - who gave me the "black guy" reasoning for wanting Obama as President.

Every person in America has been maligned, and discriminated against, typecast, generalized, stereotyped and the like. Black Americans were enslaved. Orientals were forced into labor camps. These are ancestors. My ancestors were persecuted and discriminated against, as were most peoples sometime during the course of history, and usually by their own people. Africans have been far more cruel to blacks than slave owners every were. The genocide that is still taking place in African countries is horrific.

however, victims will continue to be persecuted. Obama is playing on this. He keeps telling the media not to use the race card, when he is the one who keeps talking about being a black guy. What about his white mother and grandparents? Are they Irish? English? German? He's not only black, any more than most Americans are 100% of anything - except for being American.

I am an American first. I am of Irish and Welsh decent. So what. Thus far, my vote is predicated on the one guy who appears to be a leader with many years of experience. Not because he is caucasian, not because he's the same age as my dad or because his wife is a blonde - all dumb reasons.

Obama is an inexperienced politician. He's had only 146 days of elected experience. Do you want a surgeon with less than one year of experience operating on you? We are talking about the President of the United States.

And together with Obama's lack of practical experience, he has no horse sense, no common sense, no patriotism, no nationalism, no American identity. Why would we elect a President who shuns an American identity? Obama is embarassed to be associated with America - that's the change he's talking about. And people will be dumb enough to vote for him when he thinks that they are just a bunch of dumb hicks?

When is the time you supported someone who despised you?

Obama the Rocket Scientist

2008-07-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

Speaking at a recent campaign event, Barrack Obama showed his liberal, socialistic, marxist, and stupid side once again:

I don't understand when people are going around worrying about, "We need to have English only." They want to pass a law, "We want just, uh, we want English only." Now, I agree that immigrants should learn English. I agree with that. But, but, understand this. Instead of worrying about whether, uh, immigrants can learn English -- they'll learn English -- you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish. You should be thinking about how can your child become bilingual. We should have every child speaking more than one language. You know, it's embarrassing, it's embarrassing when -- when, uh, Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe, and all we can say is, "Merci beaucoup."

He is just an embarassment. I find myself cringing everytime I hear him speak, for fear he will make yet another, stupid comment. His inferiority complex is coming through loudly and clearly. He wants to be more like the cool kids in Europe, who speak French and German. Could it be they speak French and German because they live in France or Germany? What a moron.

Imagine traveling Europe by car, and you drive as far north from Italy as you can, you will drive through Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Copenhagen, and Sweden. That's seven languages. Why do you think English is spoken in nearly every corner of the world including at all airports, on airplanes and in air traffic control towers?

Yes, being bilingual is interesting and useful. But we still live in America where our primary language is English. Still. Spanish will never take over as the primary language in America. Given that America has thousands of foreign countries represented in our immigrants, it is arrogant to think that hispanics are the only group worthy of having their language spoken.

Yet, Obama is such an idiot that he believes that we need to accomodate the languages of our immigrants. Does he speak Mandarin or Tagalog? His French doesn't sound very good. How about Swahili - isn't his father's family from Kenya?

With American students barely able to pass their high school exit exams, and American kids unable to even put a grammatically correct sentence together, how about we put more effort into learning English - our own language. Parents, don't teach your kids another language; make sure that can speak, read and write English correctly first.

Obama is an idiot. It seems that American's are finally waking up to his true colors.

Obama the User

2008-07-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I wrote about bullies at work, and Democrat party bullies... a truly distasteful bunch.

Today, it's Users and specifically, Obama the User.

Waking up one day and realizing that you've been used by someone else is a disheartening feeling, even if it was only mild using. But being used is still being used, to any degree.

What will America do collectively when the Obama followers realized they've been royally used? I mean the biggest use of all uses. It's bad enough when someone uses you to get to someone else - a female friend used our friendship once to get to a guy friend I worked with. Very distasteful. We are no longer friends.

Famous people get used all of the time for their rock star status and access to star treatment and riches. Groupies are users. People who can't make it on their own or are just too lazy to lift a finger are users. Unfortunately, if they put the energy into succeeding instead of scheming and scamming, they might be something.

Obama is using the people of America to grab the brass ring. He has no plans to follow up on any of his promises - he's just another narcissist who craves the public spotlight so badly, he'll say and do anything to occupy the greatest office in America. He's using his faithful flock. He cares more for the people he rubs shoulders with than for any of the regular people in middle America he's scamming.

Obama is an elite. He values Europeans more than Americans. He apologizes for America and Americans wherever he goes, the way yur mom apologizes for the weird kid in your family. He blames the American people - the taxpaying American people - for what he perceives as American unpopularity around the world. He asks that Americans make more sacrifices - sacrifices that he is unwilling to make himself; driving an ugly tiny hybrid mini car, volunteering instead of taking a well-paying job, giving to charities, cutting back on our personal energy use in our homes, reduce your carbon footprint, do more with less - is Obama willing to do any of the things he's demanding that middle-America do? No. he lives in a big, beautiful home (that a criminal helped him lowball purchase), in the most beautiful part of Chicago, sends his kids to private schools and summer camps and music lessons, his wife accepted a very high paying job the moment he was elected Illinoois Senator, he doesn't volunteer his time or money to charities nor does his wife, they both went to Ivy League schools as part of affirmative action - (neither was a stellar enough student to have earned admittance), they benefitted from student loans and grants and now whine about having to pay them back, they both are attractive, well coifed and fit, they have beautitul orthodontic teeth, and beautiful clothing.

What's to hate about the country that made all of this possible? Nothing unless you are a horrific snob and feel that you are better than or embarassed by people who go to public schools, or to the University of North Dakota or Oregon State, or work on your own farm, or own your own small manufacturing business, or waitress, or drive a cab or work at an airport. Michelle and Barrack Obama think that they are the only people, together with other elites, who should be able to make $500,000 a year, travel to Europe and stay in Villas, rub shoulders with Tony Kennedy in France, and attend think tanks. And the American taxpayers should pay for all of it.

The snobbery of the Democrat Elites is telling: it tells a tale of people who can afford to be socialists because they want to rise to power on the heavily taxed backs of the waitresses, farmers and business owners in America. They are selling their souls by using their faithful followers to gain the ultimate power - leader (and co-leader) of the free world. What users.

But who is more pathetic? The users or those who are willingly being used?

Democrat Bullies

2008-07-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

Have you ever worked with someone who undermines you at every turn? Instead of working diligently at their own job, they do everything they can to make you look bad, or discredit your work, or get you in trouble with the boss?

I think we've all been exposed to this type of person; they gravitate to middle-management jobs and exercise power and control over rank and file employees - through cheating, lying, stealing. They are like a cancer in the organization; until the cancer is cut out, no one knows the extent of the damage done to people and/or the company.

The Democrats are this person. Instead of diligently working hard, they work only to undermine and discredit our country, and make us look bad, and do this through lying, cheating, and stealing for power, and control. The Democrats are just like the little workplace bully - insecure, obnoxious, rude, truth-challenged, self-absorbed, mean, self-aggrandizing little cheats who should be fired and denied unemployment benefits.

When backed up against a wall on specific issues, they lash out - call names, make personal attacks, try to hurt to disarm. Whether Democrats are on a neighborhood level, or running for national office, with few exceptions, they feel that whatever it takes is okay to get what they want - just like the middle-level power hungry manager, who will sacrifice an hourly employee, lie, cheat, and dish out personal attacks, to get what they want.

I know only a couple of Democrats who are not like this. Most however, will justify any behavior as a means to an end. Bullies. Cheaters. Mean, despicable behavior. What is this country coming to when these are the choices for leadership?

From "The Entitlement Generation" to the "Look At Me Generation"

2008-07-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

From ‘The Entitlement Generation’ to the ‘Look At Me’ Generation
Katy Grimes, Sacramento Union Columnist
Published: July 4, 2008

First, there were the Baby Boomers, the original “Me” generation (1946-1964). They produced the next “Me” generation: Generation X, also known as “The Entitlement Genera-tion” (1964-1984). Now, last century’s most self-absorbed generation have produced another “Me” generation, the “Look at Me” generation.

Why should we even care? Their kids are more self absorbed, self obsessed and desperate for attention than any previous people that ever walked the earth.

Don’t know what I am talking about? Open your eyes. The spoiled, hyper-sensitive, self-esteem children of the Baby Boomers are reproducing. The bratty, self-indulgent, spoiled and disloyal Gen Xers are now having kids. Today’s entertainment supports this, with YouTube videos, MySpace Web pages and “reality” TV shows where people act stupid, eat bugs, have sex and sing out of key in front of a camera and a live audience. When I was growing up in the 60s and 70s, there were no “reality” programs on TV. If you were stupid enough to make a fool of yourself in public, you went into hiding and prayed no one recognized you.

The “Me” generations of parents think that everything their kids do is worthy of a “wow” and a reward. Doing what used to be expected is exceptional today; eating one bite of dinner elicits clapping and immediate dessert. Getting in the car gets a high-five and a “good job.” Interrupting a conversation between adults by saying, “excuse me, excuse me, excuse me, excuse me” begets the child an excited “Thank you honey,” instead of a stern “shh.”

Parental guilt, shame and fear are driving today’s Gen X parents. Yet what do they have to be guilty about? Living well? Growing up spoiled? Spoiling themselves as adults? Today’s young parents fear responsibility; they deny themselves nothing, even if it means bankruptcy, because as children, they were denied nothing. They were never told that they could not have something because their parents couldn’t afford it—that would have been scandalous and shameful. Baby Boomer parents “afforded” whatever their kids wanted, resulting in resentment and guilt.

Sociologists have traced the “Me” phenomenon back to what they called the “self-esteem movement” that emerged in the 80s, asserting that the effort to build self-confidence has gone too far. Former Democratic Assemblyman John Vasconcellos established a task force on self-esteem and social responsibility in 1987 to get public funding for self-esteem research in California. He misguidedly thought that the state could “gift” self-esteem upon kids, instead of teaching them how to work for it. Consequently, the Self Esteem Police produced self-obsessed adults who resent authority.

Unfortunately, Gen X parents demonstrate that permissiveness is a component of their parenting style; most ignore the horrible behavior of their kids in public. When a correction is finally offered, it is over-analyzed and explained to the misbehaving child, instead of just saying “no.” More authoritative parenting and less indulgence in the child’s natural narcissistic behavior is called for; but that would require the Gen X parent to recognize that a parent’s primary duty is to raise a responsible and independent child.

Instead, Gen Xers have bad manners and think everyday is casual Friday. They whine incessantly, have contempt for authority, they show disrespect for elders and thrive on empty chatter about themselves in place of substantive communication.

A little advice to Gen X: Shave your stupid computer geek goatees, wash your greasy hair, replace the flip flops and skuzzy jeans with wrinkle-free appropriate work clothes and access some of that self-esteem you’re always whining about. Your kids are brats and so are you. Time to grow up—or we’ll cut off your allowance.

Stand Up For America

2008-07-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

With 4th of July tomorrow and families questioning whether they should purchase fireworks, this could be an opportunity instead to plan a patriotic celebration for kids and family.

The 4th of July, Independence Day is an excellent time to reflect on America's rich history and shut the liberal doom and gloomers up. When you stand up for America, you show what you are made of, you show the strangth this country was built on.

Today's convenient Americans buy in to everything America has to offer except American identity. Asian-Americans. African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, come to America, prosper, raise families and still shun calling themselves "American."

Teddy Roosevelt described this problem October 12, 1915: There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all. This is just as true of the man who puts “native” before the hyphen as of the man who puts German or Irish or English or French before the hyphen. Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance.

The liberal left in America stand for nothing. They complain, they criticize, the try to tear down and destroy, but they stand for nothing.

Today's children are bombarded at school by liberal, anti-American teachers. These teachers rewrite history, and tell our children that America is evil, bad, a bully, arrogant and must be neutralized. Parents can combat this by making sure that our children know American history, and are proud of America.

Misery loves company, so the liberals drag innocent children into their web of deceipt. And since they stand for nothing, they are so emotionally invested in anger, misery and hatred, that they cannot pull out now.

If your kids watch television this weekend, watch the History Channel. Take a look at the Military channel. Read Lynn Cheney's books America : A Patriotic Primer and A Time for Freedom.
Study up on the Constitution. Read everything Theodore Roosevelt wrote. A great book is Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris. I am currently reading Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt by David McCullough.

We successfully raised two patriotic sons. One has chosen a military career. The other believes in the American free market and is in business with us. Both vote and are proud of their country. They grew up secure and proud to belong as Americans - they believe in America.

Do you believe in this country? Because liberals don't believe in anything and don't stand up for America, they are insecure and fearful. Patriotism and nationalism allows us to feel confident and secure in our confidence in the goodness and strength of America. Stand up For America and you are standing up for you, your family, and your friends and neighbors.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. -Theodore Roosevelt

Girly Men and Girly Sons

2008-07-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

I have written a great deal about the feminization of America's boys. While Feminists have become more masculine with every passing year, men and boys have become wimpy, feminized and afraid of their own shadows.

About five years ago at a Boy Scout meeting for my son who had been recently promoted to Boy Scout from Weeblos, I looked around the room and shivered. I leaned over to my husband and whispered, "There's not a single male role model in this room." Shortly after that meeting, my son changed Boy Scout troops to another where men ran the troop - although many pushy mothers tried.

Between the teachers, pushy feminist mothers, lawyers and Hollywood depicting men as idiots, men have been relegated to the dufus category and boys are cry babies. On the playground, boys can't play chase - someone might get hurt. Boys can't fight - someone might get hurt. They can't play on the monkey bars or jungle gyms, or play King of the Hill, or tackle soccer, or anything that might involve getting roughed up. Even in dodge ball, boys get in trouble for throwing the ball too hard at girls.

In 1st grade, my son was asked not to return to the snooty school he attended. I wondered what egregious act he might have committed to elicit such a strong, negative response from the school. The only answer I got from his teacher is that he got in trouble for being squirrly in the PE line. This was a female-dominated school, where natural boyish behavior was supressed and they were made to learn French. Obviously, it was a blessing that my son did not continue attending such a female dominated, effeminizing, snob school. And today, he's at a Midshipman at the Naval Academy - manly stuff.

Feminists are miserable women - they want to dominate men, and then when they succeed at that, they hate the men they dominate. Feminists have become so masculine over the years, it's often difficult to differentiate between a "feminist" and a gender-bending woman. It used to be attractive to be feminine. Manly men liked us, and we where happy being pretty, wearing dresses and makeup, being good mommies and wives, and often managing work.

I heard a recent interview with columnist Kathleen Parker. Her new book, "Save The Males" is an accurate depiction of our anti-male culture and the ramifications. We are living the evidence.

In September 2006, I wrote The Selfish Pursuit of Feminism, and later turned it into a newspaper column here.
And in 2005, I wrote my first post on the Feminizing of Boys here.

It's a problem, and a big one. A boy with a feminist mother does not have a chance; he's been terrorized for years. When he realizes who he is, he's already married to a demanding, pushy wife.

Parents must take charge of their boys and refuse to allow schools and female teachers to dictate medications and treatments that render them docile.

I'd like your thoughts and experiences. And if you wear socks with your sandals, don't bother.

The Nip & Tuck Generation

2008-06-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Baby Boomers, the first of the self-absorbed generations - also called the "Me" generation, aren't aging well. I am a boomer, but at the very end of the group - sometimes called a "Tweener," between the Boomers and Gen X.
I thank GOD I was raised by a War generation father and not a Baby Boomer. Consequently, I have values that all don't involve my personal gratification and security.

The Boomers are obsessed with aging; most accurately, how it looks on them. It's not just women either; Baby Boomer men are having plastic surgery, going to tanning salons, getting their hair colored, getting Botox injections, waxing for hair removal, wearing invisible hearing aids, invisible braces, having vains stripped, getting manicures and pedicures, and shopping - like women.

Spare me. It's obnoxious enough that so many women are obsessed with their looks. I'm a little vain, I admit it. I get my hair highlighted. But other than expensive hair, I am pretty low maintenance - by choice. I don't get my nails and toes done, I don't wax or tan, or get skin peels, and I will never have plastic surgery, Botox injections or plumped up lip injections. I find it disgusting. It's a personal choice, I know. It's not how I want to spend my money. I prefer to focus on skin care, my health and fitness. I am aiming for being fit when I'm old. That's good looking.

All of this focus on "Me" by the "me generation," is not surprising however, the lengths to which they will go to keep youth, is. The money is usually a waste; you can usually tell if someone has had plastic surgery (not always), and for some people, it's such a boost for their self-esteem, that fixing a crooked nose or big ears or a turkey neck is understandable. Again, it's personal. But the men and women who get addicted to plastic surgery and constant "self-improvement," is tragic and sick. They never grew out of the "it's all about me" stage. The money spent on plastic surgery improvements should have been spent on good running shoes and a Therapist.

But it's the men I don't get... I don't think I'd like a guy who spends more time in front of the mirror than I do. The self-absorbed Baby Boomers take everything too far.

(sorry for the scary photo of Jocelyn Wildenstein - the Cat Woman)

Sneaky Senator Dodd

2008-06-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

Communist Party hack Chris Dodd is up to it again. as long as he gets his low-cost mortgages, the little people can support Congresses spending crack habit:

Washington, DC - Hidden deep in Senator Christopher Dodd's 630-page Senate housing legislation is a sweeping provision that affects the privacy and operation of nearly all of America’s small businesses. The provision, which was added by the bill's managers without debate this week, would require the nation's payment systems to track, aggregate, and report information on nearly every electronic transaction to the federal government.

Call Congress and Tell Them to Oppose The eBay Reporting Provision in the Housing Bill: 1-866-928-3035

FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey commented: "This is a provision with astonishing reach, and it was slipped into the bill just this week. Not only does it affect nearly every credit card transaction in America, such as Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express, but the bill specifically targets payment systems like eBay's PayPal, Amazon, and Google Checkout that are used by many small online businesses. The privacy implications for America's small businesses are breathtaking."

read the entire story here: freedomworks

I Am Ashamed of Michelle Obama's America

2008-06-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

With Michelle Obama still defending her statements about "being proud of America for the first time in her life," I must say that with people like Michelle Obama rising to power, I've never been more ashamed of America. Conversley, up until recently, I've always been proud of my country.

With Liberals knowingly trying to defund the war in Iraq, handing out more government welfare, trying to take control of corporate oil companies, taking "windfall" profits from private business owners, increasing regulations on businesses, forcing business owners to provide company paid health insurance, voting to support gay marriage, allowing foreign terrorists access to our court system, Homeland Security employees terrorizing innocent Americans through airports, congress causing the rise in oil prices, congress refusing to address alternative energy exploration and drilling, unions runnning local elections, liberal-run schools not being able to graduate literate kids, 50% drop out rate in colleges the first year, affirmative action still being practiced in a state that voted to end it...

Must I keep going? These are all failed liberal programs, liberal ideas. With so many Americans abandoning the work ethic of our parents and grandparents, and instead, holding their hands out for freebies, I am ashamed of Michelle Obama's America.

While she is escorted around in limosines, wears designer clothing and jewelry, has makeup and hair stylists, whines about the cost of music lessons and summer camp, and tells regular Americans thast we need to work harder and not be so greedy...While Michelle Obama received a plush corporate job on the Board of a major hospital once her husband was elected to the Illinois senate, and tells tomorrow's college graduates to skip the corporate job and instead become a teacher or nurse, we need to remind each other of her words versus her how she lives.

Michelle Obama is as big of a hypocrite as is her husband. She's loving the fame, the fortune, the star treatment and status, but thinks that those of us who run businesses and work at 8-5 jobs should pay more taxes (because we are greedy), to support more welfare for those who don't work. She obviously isn't living in fear of her own tax status with her fame and wealth: she' got loopholes now and a bevy of lawyers and accountants to keep her taxes unnaturally low (think Theresa Heinz Kerry with her 5% tax rate). She's a phony and she's scary.

Michelle Obama makes me embarassed to have to share a national identity with her. She's militant, angry, and extremist and now she's the latest media darling. Who are the dummies that don't see Michelle and Barrack for the opportunistic phonies they are?

Visit My Townhall Blog

2008-06-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

I also blog at Townhall; please visit my Townhall Blog at http://katygrimes.blogtownhall.com/

Barrack Obama's Biggest Problem: Michelle Obama

2008-06-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: I received this link Bob Beckel On Fox & Friends: 'Bombshell Heading Michelle Obama's Way' (Updated)..
with this explanation:
The Michelle Obama Rant Tape was filmed between June 26th - July 1st 2004 in Chicago, IL at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Conference at Trinity United Church: specifically the Women's Event.

Michelle Obama appeared as a panelist alongside Mrs. Khadijah Farrakhan and Mrs. James Meeks.
Bill Clinton spoke during the Conference, as did Bill Cosby and other speakers, but not at the panel Michelle attended.
Michelle Obama spoke at the Women's Event, but referenced Bill Clinton in her rant --- his presence at the conference was the impetus for her raving, it seems.
For about 30 minutes, Michelle Obama launched into a rant about the evils of America, and how America is to blame for the problems of Africa. Michelle personally blamed President Clinton for the deaths of millions of Africans and said America is responsible for the genocide of the Tutsis and other ethnic groups. She then launched into an attack on "whitey", and talked about solutions to black on black crime in the realm of diverting those actions onto white America. Her rant was fueled by the crowd: they reacted strongly to what she said, so she got more passionate and enraged, and that's when she completely loses it and says things that have made the mouths drop of everyone who's seen this.
The "tape" is a DVD that Trinity United sold on its website, and possibly offered free for download up until March 2008 when Trinity's site was scrubbed and the DVDs were no longer offered for sale.
This outburst happened just one month before the 2004 Democratic Convention, when Barack Obama delivered the keynote address.

Original Post:
The buzz about a tape surfacing of Michelle Obama ranting about "Whitey" together with Louis Farrakhan and the Reverend Jeremiah Wright is interesting, if not a deal breaker. When it comes out, Barack will be permanently branded with the Nation of Islam - not a good tag when running for President of the United States.

There is no coincidence that Barrack Obama "quit" his controversial church yesterday, just as news of this tape hit.

But his ties with the Nation of Islam do not get cut just because he "quits" the church. "Barack hired two members of the Nation of Islam to work on his staff—Jennifer Mason and Cynthia K. Miller. If Jeremiah Wright and Michael Pfleger (now placed on leave by the Cardinal of New York for his recent rant) had kept their yaps buttoned none of this would mean much. But the fact that both men have been—until scrubbed from the website in recent weeks—listed as spiritual advisors to Barack Obama and also are very close to Louis Farrakhan, forces the question about Barack’s faith and beliefs." (hat tip NoQuarter)

The word is that one of the Republican candidates no longer in the race (Rudy) acquired the tape. Republicans will most likely hold the tape until the fall. Because if Hillary had it, she'd let it out now to get rid of Obama.

Things will only get more interesting. Either way, Michelle Obama has using her own mouth, put her husband's foot in it.

Shameful Voter Turnout

2008-06-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

I stayed up late enough to watch the local news and results of the election. The coverage was embarrassingly "local." When the tree branch fell on the patio at the Heather Fargo party, the drama was unsurpassed. And embarrassing. A tree branch fell. No fireworks went off as was originally claimed by the news guy.

By 10:35 pm, I went to bed disgusted. Sam Shane on Channel 13 should not be allowed to speak without a cue card. The nonsensical and irrelevant comments he makes should be played back at him endlessly until he begs for more education.

This morning, I read that only 50,000 people in the City of Sacramento voted. We are a city of 475,000 residents.

Why don't people vote? I asked several people leading up to the election. The two standard answers were: "I am too busy," and "I am only one vote, and one vote doesn't count."

Only 10 days ago, I received a phone call from my son who was preparing to fill out his absentee voter ballot. He resides across the country at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. We walked through the issues, he voted and mailed his ballot. This morning I received a phone call from him inquiring about the election results. He is a 19-year old who voted absentee and called mom to find out the results from 3,000 miles away. So how is it that locals can't get themselves to the polling place or sign up for an absentee ballot?

People have become complacent and lazy in their prosperity. They also are not learning or caring about history and why every vote matters. Voting is a privilege, and honor. And unless we vote in every election, we don't deserve to whine about the way things are. And that is why Sacramento was stuck with Heather Fargo for so many years, and why she nearly became Mayor for a third inadequate, term.

USS Reagan and USS Clinton

2008-06-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

There are two new Navy ships.

USS REAGAN and the USS Clinton

Seeing the USS Reagan next to the Arizona Memorial really puts its size into perspective... ENORMOUS!BEAUTIFUL!

When the Bridge pipes 'Man the Rail' there is a lot of rail to man on this monster: shoulder to shoulder, around 4.5 acres.

Her displacement is about 100,000 tons with full complement.

CapabilityTop speed exceeds 30 knots, powered by two nuclear reactors that can operate for more than 20 years without refueling

1. Expected to operate in the fleet for about 50 years

2. Carries over 80 combat aircraft

3. Three arresting cables can stop a 28-ton aircraft going 150 miles per hour in less than 400 feet

Size1. Towers 20 stories above the waterline

2. 1092 feet long; nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall

3. Flight deck covers 4.5 acres4.

4 bronze propellers, each 21 feet across, weighing 66,200 pounds

5. 2 rudders, each 29 by 22 feet and weighing 50 tons

6. 4 high speed aircraft elevators, each over 4,000 square feet

Capacity 1. Home to about 6,000 Navy personnel

2. Carries enough food and supplies to operate for 90 days

3. 18,150 meals served daily

4. Distillation plants provide 400,000 gallons of fresh water from sea water daily, enough for 2,000 homes

5. Nearly 30,000 light fixtures and 1,325 miles of cable and wiring 1,400 telephones

6. 14,000 pillowcases and 28,000 sheets

7. Costs the Navy approximately $250,000 per day for pier side operation

8. Costs the Navy approximately $25 million per day for underway operations (Sailor's salaries included).

...and US Navy welcomed the USS Bill Clinton Sunday, July 2, 2006 Vancouver , BC .

Headed for Seattle, WA., the US Navy welcomed the latest member of its fleet today.

The USS William Jefferson Clinton (CVS1) set sail today from its home port of Vancouver , BC.

The ship is the first of its kind in the Navy and is a standing legacy to President Bill Clinton 'for his foresight in military budget cuts' and his conduct while president.

The ship is constructed nearly entirely from recycled aluminum and is completely solar powered with a top speed of 5 knots.

It boasts an arsenal comprised of one (unarmed) F14 Tomcat or one (unarmed) F18 Hornet aircraft which, although they cannot be launched or captured on the 100 foot flight deck, form a very menacing presence.

As a standing order there are no firearms allowed on board.

The 20 person crew is completely diversified, including members of all races, creeds, sex, and sexual orientation.

This crew, like the crew aboard the USS Jimmy Carter, is specially trained to avoid conflicts and appease any and all enemies of the United States at all costs!

An onboard Type One DNC Universal Translator can send out messages of apology in any language to anyone who may find America offensive. The number of apologies are limitless and though some may seem hollow and disingenuous, the Navy advises all apologies will sound very sincere.

The ship's purpose is not defined so much as a unit of national defense, but instead in times of conflict, the USS Clinton has orders to seek refuge in Canada .

The ship may be positioned near the Democratic National Party Headquarters for photo-ops. The Clin-toons Should be very proud.

Great Quotes From Snobama and Wife

2008-05-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

I cannot take credit for this compilation of stupendous quotes.

John Hawkins at Right Wing News has put together a list of more than 50 quotes from Barack Obama, his wife, and Jeremiah Wright among others. You can read it here:

http://www.rightwingnews.com/mt331/2008/05/barack_obama_in_quotes_version_1.php

Some of those quotes include:

"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK. That's not leadership. That's not going to happen." -- Barack Obama

"...White folks' greed runs a world in need..." -- Jeremiah Wright

"(Obama) really has no experience or knowledge or judgment about the issue of Iraq and he has wanted to surrender for a long time." -- John McCain

California Supreme Court Re-Writing Constitution

2008-05-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

Today, the California State Supreme Court decided 4-3 to recognize same-sex marriages in California.

Once again, extremest activists have done what is best for them, for the adults, without any consideration to the wake of destruction left heaped upon the children of these selfish, self-indulgent relationships.

Men and women are not interchangeable. A marriage between a man and a woman is not the same as a marriage between two men or two women. Marriage between a man and a women is what brings the unique power of self-respect, self-confidence and security to children - two opposing viewpoints in one household is mentally healthier for children.

In this era of gross misinformation about the realities of homosexuality, Dawn Stefanowicz, author of Out From Under: The Impact of Homosexual Parenting, whose own father led an openly homosexual life, writes, “From a young age, I was exposed to explicit sexual speech, self-indulgent lifestyles, varied GLBT sub-cultures and gay vacation spots,” Stefanowicz says in a warning to those who would give the nod to same-sex adoptions. “Sex looked gratuitous to me as a child. I was exposed to all-inclusive manifestations of sexuality including bathhouse sex, cross-dressing, sodomy, pornography, gay nudity, lesbianism, bi-sexuality, minor recruitment, voyeurism and exhibitionism. Sado-masochism was alluded to and aspects demonstrated. Alcohol and drugs were often contributing factors to lower inhibitions in my father’s relationships.”

Understandably, such an environment contributed to pathology in her life as well. “Over two decades of direct exposure to these stressful experiences caused me insecurity, depression, suicidal thoughts, dread, anxiousness, low self-esteem, sleeplessness and sexuality confusion. My conscience and innocence were seriously damaged. I witnessed that every other family member suffered severely as well.”

She adds, “Government and judges need to advance and defend marriage as between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others for the sake of our children.” The tragic realities of the homosexual sub-culture have already affected the offspring dramatically. But because the very nature of much of the homosexual lifestyle is one of selfish, self-indulgent hedonistic pursuits, the children are a throw-away by-product, that apparently Judges and gay activists feel is acceptible.

ProtectMarriage.com wrote this about the decision: As over 1.1 million signatures are being validated for the qualification of constitutional marriage amendment for the November 2008 ballot, the California Supreme Court today overturned Proposition 22, the initiative passed in 2000 by more than 61% of California’s voters. The Court declared a right to “same-sex marriage” in direct opposition to the definition of marriage as only between a man and a woman, established by Proposition 22.

In the majority decision authored by Chief Justice Ronald George, he wrote “an individual’s sexual orientation — like a person’s race or gender — does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights.”

"The Court’s rationale for its decision should prompt outrage from the majority of California’s citizens,” said Ron Prentice, chairman of the ProtectMarriage.com coalition. “The will of the people has been completely undermined by four individuals. In November, the people will have an opportunity to overrule the Court’s decision by passing a constitutional amendment – and California’s voters must respond by voting,” concluded Prentice.

ProtectMarriage.com is a coalition of grassroots organizations, churches and voters, formed in order to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2008 ballot. The Supreme Court’s ruling coincides with the submission of 1.1 million signatures to California’s 58 counties. Known as the California Marriage Protection Act, the initiative’s signatures are now undergoing a review for validation. Based on the current projection of valid signatures, it appears the initiative will qualify for the ballot.

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Marvin Baxter stated, “…marriage is, as it always has been, the right of a woman and an unrelated man to marry each other.” Baxter added “…there is no deeply rooted tradition of same-sex marriage, in the nation or in this state.” Concurring, Prentice said, “Since time began, marriage between a man and a woman has served children and societies best. Today, the California Supreme Court dishonored marriage’s tradition and historic purposes, as well as the will of the people.”

The Court’s ruling will take effect in 30 days, unless a “stay” is requested. It is likely that legal representation for ProtectMarriage.com will seek a stay in order to allow the people to vote on the constitutional amendment in November.

The decision is outrageous and unconstitutional. I suspect that there will be backlash.

USNA Plebe Year Almost Over...

2008-05-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

For those who visit my blog regularly, you know that my son is in his first year at the United States Naval Academy - he's a Plebe.

Today, the class of 2011, the Plebes, participate in Sea Trials. U.S. Naval Academy Freshmen, known as plebes, participate in "Sea Trials" at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., May 17, 2005. "Sea Trials" is an 11.5 hour action-oriented event, modeled after the U.S. Marine Corps' 54-hour "Crucible" and the Navy's "Battle Stations" training tests, which requires plebes to use skills they have learned during their first year at the Naval Academy.

Sea Trials, which begins well before dawn, consists of six phases lasting approximately an hour and a half each. During these phases, the freshmen, or “plebes,” are tested physically and mentally in a variety of challenging scenarios.

Under the supervision of upperclassmen, senior enlisted leaders and company officers, the midshipmen navigated challenging obstacle courses, confronted realistic damage control scenarios, and motivated each other through long-distance runs. Squads of midshipmen also tackled riverine training, zodiac boat drills, and endurance courses. More than 1,000 plebes participate in the capstone event, modeled after the Navy’s “Battle Stations” and Marine Corps’ “Crucible."

My son Morgan has actually been looking forward to this day. He is ranked 79th out of 1142 Plebes militarily, and has outstanding scores of 96% in his PRT's (Physical training). He played on the Brigade Championship 6th Company Field Ball team and is described by his commanding officer as a "Warrior."

He is ending his first year having not just survived, but thrived. Academically, he is ranked 377, and overall, ranked 257 - the top 23% of the class. He has worked very hard academically; his grades are stellar, with a solid "B" average. This is how he spent his year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxi_hfRJHFI&NR=1

Click this to watch a short video of the USNA Sea Trials. You'll be glad you are already out of school.

And then The plebes will become third class midshipmen, or sophomores, upon graduation of the Class of 2008 on May 23.

What a Year. What an accomplishment. Three more years to go.

This summer he is assigned to a submarine, with three weeks off in August. Did I already say what a year?

Does your school let you do this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDk5s4WrKcI Great video about the USNA.

and for a quick video of the culmination of Plebe year, watch Plebes and the Herndon Monument Climb and become 'PLEBES NO MORE!" http://wjz.com/search/default.aspx?SearchString=annapolis&TabId=0&NoLog=1

************************

photos: Winter Formal event, Snow for a California boy, C Company warriors