Sarah Palin: Dominionist Stalking Horse

I urge you to look beyond your ovaries and one track, one issue voting mind and see this election for what it is: big trouble. You do not have to like Obama, but you really cannot like McCain/Palin. You have no idea what voting for them will do to this country. You think we are bad off now?

She also is trying to get Creationism taught in the schools as actual science.  Does the phrase "Jesus Camp" hit anyone especially hard? Good, because that is exactly the type of church/belief Palin has and supports.

Caution, people, caution. Get out and vote this year, but do so based on facts not lies (like the whole Obama being muslim thing). Do so based on who can turn this country around, not who's the most pro-life/pro-family. There is more to this election, to any election, to being President, to anyone being President; than "pro-life" or "pro-family".

~~Toni

First, let's tackle the "is it really homeschooling?" issue. See, in his book, he states that his mother (an english teacher) got him up at 4 am to educate him prior to both of them  leaving the house for the day for school (her work, his learning).  Now, if we split some very fine hairs (which some at a certain message board seem to be doing), one could call this "after-schooling" or "pre-schooling". Either way, I'd say he got his primary education at home, which would make him a home-schooler.

That he went to a brick and mortar building after he was done at home, means nothing  simply because I can apply that (faulty) logic to those of you who after-school or even send your kids to school part time--you wouldn't be a homeschooler (according to this board's logic). That's not going to sit well with some of you, so why "name call" if you don't want to be called the same?

Obama, for all intent and purpose, was homeschooled during his formidable years--". . .His mother taught him history, math, reading and social studies, waking him at 4 each morning to give him special tutoring, pouring her knowledge into his agile brain. . . "
.

He's also stated that he never had any other intention other than to honor the choice of families, be it homeschooling or otherwise .

Yet some, are making the claim that since the NEA supports him, he can't possibly be in support of homeschooling. Now ignoring the obvious Straw Man here and ignoring the fact that McCain himself also stated he supports "school choice" (be it in the home, public or private), the fact that the NEA endorses Obama means nothing for Obama supporting homeschooling. He CAN do both and it looks like he will.

The proof:

Obama has expressed a clear, supportive, recent opinion about homeschooling. On p. 344 of his 2006 book Audacity of Hope:

" . . . Of course, none of these policies need discourage families from deciding to keep a parent at home, regardless of the financial sacrifices. For some families, that may mean doing without certain material comforts. For others, it may mean home schooling or a move to a community where the cost of living is lower. For some families, it may be the father who stays at home -- although for most families it will still be the mother who serves as the primary caregiver.

Whatever the case may be, such decisions should be honored. If there is one thing that social conservatives have been right about, it's that our modern culture sometimes fails to fully appreciate the extraordinary emotional and financial contributions -- the sacrafices and just plain hard work -- of the stay-at-home mom. . . . I want my daughters to have a choice as to what's best for them and their families. . ."

You must really be desperate if you believe that Obama is against homeschooling, is going to turn all 50 states into another California, and can't possibly be in support of both teachers (which we are) and homeschoolers (which we are). There is no "us or them" in this. And that's part of the problem--those of you who believe that it has to be an "us or them" situation. It does not. We are already divided with the rest of the country, why do we have to further divide amongst ourselves? Don't you realize that this only proves everyone else's point about us?

In reading the stupidity that is this board, I am seeing comments like:

Um, EVERY parent worth a child's hug teaches their child is some fashion, be in 4am or 4pm. I taught my children history, reading, literature, religion, gymnastics, etc BEFORE we ever homeschooled. Does that make me a candidate for sainthood. Not likely. It does make me a proactive parent.
Joe Blow across the street also educates her children before she sends them off to their respective schools. Sounds like Mr. Obama is placing Momma Obama on a pedestal instead of giving her a big thanks for helping him learn the basics.
Sorry, but I think he's full of hot air and hope he's simply a foot note in poli-sci textbooks next year.

AND:

He went to live with his grandparents when he was 10, so if they did homeschool, before school, it couldn't have been for very long.
A ten year old is in about 4th grade.

I'd like for you two morons to tell this to an after-schoolers face. Please. I'd like for you two to say this to someone who has their kids in public school, please. Natural Selection wouldn't work fast enough for me. I hope the after-schoolers of that board chime in on this thread and rip you two and the others, a new one. I hope they make you feel like the pathetic wastes of space that you are. How dare you say that that his schooling at home, no matter how little it was, is "hot air" and not worth anything.  And like someone said--"so if you only homeschool for 4 years, it doesn't count?"

Oh someone please hit up that board and go to the "Obama was Homeschooled" thread. I want to watch the shit hit the fan on these idiots. I want to watch SWB crawl into a corner, sucking her thumb, crying for her mommy, because she's the Queen Asshat who started this mess. And if you aren't a member of that board, become one, go to that thread and be sure to tell these "nice ladies" just what you think of their opinion on you not being a legit homeschoolers simply because of your chosen time of day to do it.

For me. Please.

I'll love you forever.

~~Toni

We've been hacked. Not sure how or why, but I've got a support ticket open right now. Do not log in, do nothing. Leave the board alone until I figure it out. Log OUT of your name.

toni

Obviously, as an atheist, I watched this with some trepidation, what with it being held in Saddleback Church, the home of Rick "Purpose Driven Life" Warren and his 20,000 some followers.

Click here for the CNN write up on it

I have to admit that this was handled in a most professional, and surprising way. He truly was unbiased with his questions and questioning, he did not play to either side, he did not favor either side, he truly remained unbiased. That's a big kudos in my book.

Let me start by saying that anyone who votes in this election based on only two things --pro-life and pro-homeschooling-- really needs to sit down and re-evaluate your life and what's actually important, not for you, but for the entire country. I love homeschooling as much as you, but it is not something I am wasting my vote over. I am unapologetically pro-CHOICE, but I also would not waste my vote on that.

No, people, we need to be voting in a President who's going to get us OUT of this war, get us out of this debt we have, and repair this country back to the standards of life we had before dumbass Bush took over. Sadly, even if Obama accomplishes all of this, someone will still blame all of our ills on him.

And as much as I respect those who are serving our country, as much as I love my grandfather, listening to McCain talk was like listening to my grandfather after I asked him "what's for dinner tonight" and getting no answer but how everything was the "japs" fault and all the hell he went through to put that food on my table.

Ok, I get that.

Everything Obama  said tonight took balls and it's about time, too. It's about time we had someone who is not afraid to speak his mind and isn't spending his time pandering and playing the masses like in-bred fools. I'd like to know how McCain's "I don't want to tax anyone but let's give everyone a $7,000 per child tax break" speech is actually going to work. Where the hell is he going to get this money to give us? And he's got a lot of nerve saying he doesn't want to "pigeon hole" what "rich" means when he comfortably owns 8 lavish homes, a private jet, and wears $500 shoes (public record people, google it).

And don't get started on the whole "But Obama wanted to legislate homeschooling" shit either. You know, I'm beginning to think we need some type of legislation--what with idiots actually believing their Creation "Science" and "Judeo-Christian" History lessons are real "learning" and that their kids are smarter for it.

On the whole, both Obama and McCain, surprisingly agreed on many factors. They just disagreed on the execution of those factors. Obama is unapologetically Pro-Choice (took balls to say that, sadly it might cost him votes because dumbass Christians actually use this as a basis for voting), believes in marriage as one to one BUT feels strongly for Civil Unions. Obama wants to end this war as humanly as possible. McCain wants to remove a woman's right to choose, wants marriage legislated(and he admittedly said "some rights given to some type of unions"), but he wants to put us in another 8 year long war.

Good luck with that one.

I think anyone who survived torture in a prison camp has the right to speak of it anyway they wish. Anytime they wish.

Spoken by a pCm (the one who likes to lie and backstab) on the WTM board when someone said that they felt McCain used the Christmas story to pander to the audience. Oh how I could not disagree more. I am sorry he was so badly tortured(along with others, including my own grandfather, thankyouverymuch). But using it as a means to pander to your constituency and win votes? No thank you.  I do not like nor do I appreciate him using my grandfather's and hundreds of others suffering and pain as a means to win an election.

Can't tell you who to vote for. But if you vote for McCain, I'm organizing a grass-roots campaign to run your asses out of this country.

It's about time someone stepped up and forced YOU to leave. I'm staying right the fuck here. Go form your own doomed island and have fun blowing yourselves up with scripture. I don't want it here.

~~Toni

Ok, you have to seriously check this stuff out. I am ROFLMAO here. And of course, we've some prudes over at the Board That Shall Not Be Named (oh what the hell--WTM), talking about how they would not want their little preciousness catching a glimpse of these ads.

Link takes you to a blog that did a good job of explaining the ads--only they don't like them. Surprise. Be sure to click on the other links at the bottom and check out the other ads.

European Burger King Ads

Of course, the title should tip you off, but these are ads from all over Europe--not here. In Europe--where they have a much healthier attitude about sex, and have a sense of fucking humor. A sense of humor that apparently some prudes lack. I think the ads fucking rock!!! About time someone had a decent sense of humor. And I think these prudes need to give it up more. Yeah, ladies, your husbands enjoy those porn mags and such because you are a prude.

Grow up, get a dildo and get laid. Oh and get over it.

In other news, I just finished watching Lost Boys: The Tribe.

1. Tom Savini. Vampire Tom Savini. Rules.
2. Angus Sutherland. Is it possible that there is not a single ugly Sutherland in existence?

Angus:                                                    Keifer:

3. Ok, so this movie gives the word "camp" a new meaning. But who cares? It's a vampire movie and it wasn't too bad. As much as I used to adore him, the absence of Corey Haim made the movie that much better. But, the presence of Corey Feldman kinda made it suck.

Spoilers are below this sentence. Stop reading now if you don't want to know.

New family, brother and sister, move to Cali, brother is a former pro-surfer. Meets Shane (Angus), invited to his party where sister falls for him and drinks the "wine" (duh).  Of course, Edgar(Feldman) is still a vampire hunter (even quotes the infamous "There is something you should know, no two vampires bite it the same way..." line from the first movie--verbatim. If you watch this part and don't find yourself miming right along with him, you suck (pun intended). So it ends up being your typical teenage angsty vampire movie--just like the first.

The spoilers, however, come at the end, after the credits (don't they all?). You see Edgar underneath a street lamp hollering at someone to stop the "theatrics" and in swooshes Sam (Haim), totally vamped out. The movie ends (officially) with the two of them going for each other's jugular's. That's it. That's the twist everyone is talking about. The twist that sets you up for Lost Boys 3 (ayep, you heard me). BUT, you must watch the alternate endings (both-on the dvd). The alternate endings explain Not-So-Little-Anymore Sammie's vampness and exactly what's going to happen in 3.

*****************Remember Alan Frog? Edgar's brother? He's the Master Vamp and he's coming to the City to get Edgar. Sam spends the two alternate endings warning Edgar of this. And you see Alan driving some type of Vamped Out Muscle Car towards town.

And you remember all the hotties from the orignal one, right?

Above, left to right: Brooke McCarter, Billy Worth, Keifer, Jami Gertz, and Alex Winter. Laddie was played by Chance Michael Corbit.

Below (and look at this ladies, your jaws will drop):

Chance Michael Corbit, Brooke McCarter,  Billy Worth, and Jamison Newlander (Alan Frog)

Alex Winter (Dude, it's Bill, like Whoa):

I know the original by heart. Who doesn't? But OMG guys, ummm, what the hell?????????

~~~Toni

Yet another Abusive Moron using the system to hide his abusive ways

And yet even a bigger moron who assumes he knows how to fix this problem:

I noticed that the children had been listed as home-schooled. I know it's just a symptom of the real problem, but requiring testing on what they'd learned (or not learned) might have brought the situation to light a lot sooner.

This quote came from the board I spoke about below. This person's solution is to test the kids and test them often--because that's the only way to make sure "real learning" is occurring. This person comes from the same board that is currently lambasting this guy: Idiot PUBLIC SCHOOL Christian Teacher who branded his student.

Now, from the same board, coming from someone who has "doubted" my ability to "properly" educate my children; this person, when asked (in reference to the above link) if they'd have a problem with a teacher using a Van deGraaf Generator in the classroom, had this gem to say:

Well, I don't want his head on a platter, but I wouldn't approve of your teacher's little "experiment" either. One of the things science classes should teach is the safe use of equipment and chemicals. Misusing a piece of equipment to make a dramatic point is unprofessional and inappropriate.

And she has the nerve to question my ability to teach my kids. At least I am knowledgeable on what the generator is and does and I know that demonstration of said generator is the proper way to use the equipment.

So link 1 and Idiot Know-Nothing Commentator on board: "If they were not homeschooled, this abuse would not have occurred. But since I can't stop homeschooling, test them all and if they fail, force them to put the kids back in school"

BECAUSE

Link 2 and even bigger Idiot Commentator: "At least back in school, they'd get real books with real teachers. Doesn't matter that the teacher is right-winged whack-job fundie who likes to burn crosses in to his student's flesh--we must save all the horribly abused homeschool children!!"

And then we have this gem: Fundies are no longer allowed to use "christian science" as legit Courses, says College . And I could not agree more. But, from the same board, we now have some "raised a Christian, turned bitch" person laying claim to the fact that she learned nothing because her parents homeschooled (for exactly ONE year folks) her using Christian books and she feels they robbed her of her "true" education. So of course she agrees with this ruling as well because after all, if she had never been homeschooled, she wouldn't be able to blame her lack of intelligence on her "barely passing" the Mandated Public School tests for her state.

Yeah--I'm glad I cleansed myself from posting on this board. They have the nerve to question whether or not I can educate my kids, but one doesn't have a clue how the Generator actually works, so she would have poo-poo'ed its use in the classroom and one thinks testing is the end all-befuckingall of everything and the other thinks mommy and daddy failed her because she was raised in a Christian house with Christian Texts. Hey listen, I as against Christian anything as you are, but don't blame mommy and daddy for doing what they thought was right for you.

Sheesh.

~~Toni

Remember Auggie Doggie and Auggie Daddy? Well,  I have Auggie Froggie..

Does this dog think he lives here or what?

She sort of passed out right before we started school.

The nurses spiked what little hair he has.

Now you see why I call this boy Froggie--he's got some LONG fingers and toes. And teeny tiny little legs.

~~Auntie Baloney

YAY!!!!!!!!  My 5th nephew has arrived. Little Noah Elijah was born this morning, 6lbs 10 oz, 21 inches long. Very alert, awake and just as sweet as ever. Big Brother Gabezookey was there to see it!!! I didn't get to hold him yet, as he was a C-section, but SOON!!!

Big Cousin's Britt and Cece, NeNe and Big Brother Gabey...

So now, in birth order, are ALL of the Grandbabies (just so's I can make my Mom feel older, heheheh): Brittany, Christopher, Chyene, Christian, Jacob,  Ashley, Gabriel, Emma, and now Noah.

Sadly though, I now have to scramble to find a way to pay for my husband to get to Iowa for his Father's funeral. He passed away yesterday and they called us while I was in the waiting room.

The Circle of Life continues on....

~~REALLY PROUD AUNTIE BALONEY

(that's what Gabe calls me)

Some images.

He was playing Twister with the girls:

My Booshie and Me, like to sit and watch Baseball--his very first game ever:

I *think* he's trying to tell me something... Or doing his best Popeye...

Rock wall climbing:

Observing some fishies:

This would be why I no longer go in the water:

I told him to do that. I said "Oh, don't be afraid to hold the sword closer to her". HA! I'm such a horrible mom.

~~Toni

That I'd urge all to do. You'll notice, all 5 that read my blog, that my blog roll has decreased in number. And, once I restart my Firefox, that too, will be changed.

You see, I've known for a number of years, that certain places and people can be toxic. Hell, I've even stated as such thousands of times over. But I've never followed my own advice--until now. Funnily enough, this isn't about "The Board that shall not be named"(WTM, HA!) or even Teachingmom. Neither of those boards are worth my time or presence, nor are the people who post there. But we knew that already.

No, this is about another board, one totally unrelated to homeschooling, but slightly about my ability to homeschool. See, a number of years ago, a friend on this board had inquired as to how one might go about homeschooling their child. And up until that point, I wasn't very vocal on my choice to homeschool. I chose that post to defend her and homeschooling because this board chose to rip into her decision to do so as though she was a 5 headed Ghydra with a thousand, flaming eyes. And ever since then, I've sort of become the "one we shall laugh at" whenever the topic of homeschooling does come up (they are like that "well-meaning Grandparent" who "quizzes" you or your kids every single chance they get and when one of you gets it wrong, they triumphantly shout "See! You shouldn't be homeschooling!"). Though I do defend myself and my stance as much as humanly possible, I have to admit defeat.

Well, not defeat actually, but more of an "I give up". The people who post on this board are very much akin to a drunk who thinks he has something important to say--he's going to say it no matter what and everyone else but him is always wrong. So I've decided, that after today's little debacle, I am just going to leave it alone (and take the branding of "typical..coward..she's run off..good, we didn't like her anyway")--because that's what they say when anyone decides to just go away, that's what they did to her and that's what they'll do to me.

Funny as thought that this board was always a much more intelligent place for conversation, people actually proved their points--with citations--and people truly agreed to disagree. Or so I thought. Now that the fog has been lifted from my eyes, I see it is nothing but a den of people who do nothing but argue with each other over whose cite is more factual, whether that cite is worthy of even being considered, whether arguments such as "I am such and such and therefore know more than you" qualify as cites, whether that's even an argument, and who can argue the best, the loudest; by shouting such phrases as "I question your ability to homeschool if you disagree with me".

Yes, that's the straw that broke my back. I was told that my ability to educate my kids was in question simply because I disagreed with her. I was also told that my right to tell my child "no" is trumped by the Law--that if the law says they can drink(or have sex or any number of things), then I have no right to tell my child they cannot.

Not a big deal though. My challenge to you is this: Evaluate your life and eliminate that which is toxic. I've done it 3 times now and each time I do, my life gets exponentially better.

Of course, if anyone from there decides to read this--I'll be accused of "lacking in reading comprehension" skills because I've "misunderstood their point" (read: didn't agree with it) and because I "choose to bring myself to the forefront, so they have every right to say what they do".

Ahh well. Fuck 'em. I've got more important things to do. Like educate my kids and not listen to a bunch of douchebags who think they know who to do it better than I do.

~~Toni