'It's The End of the World As We Know It..."

Sorry; I couldn't resist.  Seriously, for a 9/11 tribute, go see Molly; she's pretty much said everything I wanted to say.

Not that I'm making light of our nation or complaining...oh wait; yes, I'm going to complain.  Because a lot of what is happening is either Too Little Too Late; Over Kill; and proof our country's leaders have lost their minds.

TLTL:  Yeah, we thought we were invincible.  But didn't the Oklahoma City bomb teach us ANYTHING?  Or about the 1st attack on WTC?  You'd think the US would have gotten a clue something BIG was coming.  (And yeah, blame Clinton and the media....maybe if we hadn't have been sooooo concerned with his sexual exploits, we would have paid more attention to what was ALSO going on in the world???)  I know I was THRILLED that gas prices were less than a dollar.  I was THRILLED I could buy meat for under a dollar a pound.  And my milk was $1.19.  And no one cared that CEO's everywhere were making money and handing out bonuses equal to lottery payments.  Hell, my bonus in 1990 was $150.  Would it actually hit $200 the next year?  No; I didn't get one because I was on 'maternity leave'.  My 'bonus' that year was the extra tips I'd received after telling my favorite customers I was getting married.  But I digress...

In 2001, I could safely walk down the halls of the high school I worked for.  A year later, even though everyone knew me, I still had to stop at the office, sign in, and wear a badge saying I was authorized past the office doors.  WTH?  Oh....a new teacher might freak out and think I was there to kidnap someone/pull a gun/plant a bomb in a locker.  Get real....there's only 300 students in the WHOLE BUILDING, K-12!  EVERYBODY KNOWS EVERYONE!

But that's a moot point now; I've moved and in the HS, I can move around undetected if I choose (I've gone upstairs to the guidance counselor many times!), but in the elementary, I need to check in at the office, and they lock the doors to the actual education wing.  Go figure; I guess elementary kids are the baddies....(Actually, I think this is due to the high population of child molesters in the area.)

Over Kill:  I understand taking precautions in the airports, thanks to those idiots who caused this attack.  I've actually only flown twice in the last ten years, but let me tell you, it was a pain in the ass.  First of all, our trip in 2004 to Ottowa.  1)  At first, it was funny.  I'm getting patted down while my 12- and 10 y/o are having to handle the diaper bag, stroller, their own carry on luggage, AND their baby brother.  I told the attendant, 'Take your time; my kids are doing all the work'.  LOL!

2)  The last leg of the trip was horrible.  Because my father could not come to the luggage carousel, he had no idea I was dealing with 10-month-old who'd exploded his diaper and was out of wipes, PLUS, there was NO BATHROOM FACILITY in that area, not to mention I was filling out the forms for our missing luggage.  Thank GOD I'd had the foresight to pack the child an extra set of clothing in his diaper bag.  I ended up throwing away a onezie and wrapping his pants in paper towels until we could get to the motel, plus go shopping the next day for baby wipes and more clothing!  (And thanks to the motel, which had guest laundry facilities!)

Our trip to Disney six months earlier had been better.   We'd sent our luggage with my father and oldest son, who drove, so we didn't have to worry about pesky details such as checking our luggage.

And the reason I've not flown lately?  Prices; the fact my ear has been acting up (if I don't load up on the Sudaphed, I'm in agony until we level off, and don't get me started about the descent!); and the restrictions...OMG....might as well leave your toiletries at home and buy the travel-size once you get there.  No, flying is now a pain, so we're rediscovering the beauty of our country as we travel.  And since portable DVD players exist, my kids are happy when we travel.  And I'm enjoying seeing the countryside I missed as a kid, because my nose was buried in a book.

POCLHLTM:  I'm probably going to piss off some people, but hey, this is my blog and I get to say what I want.  So if you don't want to hear about me complaining about our current leaders, STOP READING RIGHT NOW!

Okay, Obama got himself elected because 1) He was a better choice than Hilary (I admit, I voted Democratic in the primary to keep HER from winning in our state!); 2) McCain sealed his fate when he chose Sarah Palin (imho!), but now she's actually starting to sound intelligent; 3) Obama promised 'change' and 'less spending' and 'no special treatment for lobbyists'.  Hmmm.....'change' has been for the worse (unemployment; gas prices, Big Businesses failing...); 'less spending'...he's spent money like a kid who's suddenly won the lottery and turned loose in a candy store; 'no special treatment'...from what I've seen, he's reneged on every single one of his campaign promises!  I would not be surprised if his own damn party refused to nominate him again!

On the republican side (and let me state, I in no way vote a straight ticket!), things are heating up all over the place.  Ron Paul.  Michelle Bachman (I think that's how she spells her name??).  Mitt Romney.  And all anyone can talk about is 'create jobs'....'lower spending'.....'blame everyone else for our credit rating'.....I want a definite plan of action.  Not just vague topic sentences; I want to see a cohesive plan to get our country back on track.  And if that means (gasp!) stop sending money overseas to bail out countries who don't do anything but drain our economy, then so be it.  Where was Japan when the towers fell?  Katrina?  Irene?  What about Libya?  We helped oust Gadaffi; are they sending any relief money our way?

Remember the Cheers episode when Woody got elected to public office, all because Frazier wanted to prove a point about voter mentality?  People, stop voting with your hearts and use your intellect!  I'm beginning to agree; the recent earthquake was actually our founding fathers rolling over in their collective graves.  Time to get these career politicians out of Washington and get someone in there with a solid plan and the backing to get it done.  And one who's NOT a dictator, but rather one who motivates the country to pull together and WORK together.

Apologies if I've angered anyone; I warned you to stop reading!