Christ in Christmas

Every year, and it has started, already, this year, people post that some are taking Christ out of Christmas. Good Lord! How is that even possible? It isn't. So what, if someone in a retail store says "Happy Holidays," instead of "Merry Christmas?"

There are many different religions, in the world, and in this country, There are many different religious holidays, many of which are around the same time as Christmas. As a former business owner, I understand greeting customers with "Happy Holidays" then you are covering any holiday they might be celebrating.

 Almost always, if you say Merry Christmas first, the store employee will respond with Merry Christmas. I admit, it is not always a sure thing, you may say "Merry Christmas," and get a "Happy Holidays" in return.

Personally, I don't, always, need to say "Merry Christmas" to every person I see. Seriously, do you really think that is taking Christ out of Christmas.

   

Trump

President Elect Trump, God, how I hate the sound of those words! But, he is our, soon to be, president. He ran such a hate filled campaign, insulting nearly everyone.

On Sixty Minutes tonight he was asked about his supporters attacking Muslims, and yelling insults at people. He acted concerned and said "That saddens me, that makes me sad." The man seems to forget that is how he ran his campaign. 

Well, time will tell what we are in for over the next four years. There is, already talk of impeachment, horrible thought, because the only thing I can think of worse than Trump being president, is Pence being president.

Oh, well, we shall see how we survive.

Politics

It seems this political season has lasted much longer than necessary. One problem is the way the primaries are held, and who can really understand the caucus. This country should simplify the process, have a day to vote in the primary, all states vote the same day, and then we know who the candidates are. In stead of this long, drawn out circus.

If I hear one more person say, and I have heard reporters say it, that Donald Trump has spent less money, and how does he do it? Stupid people, Trump gets media coverage all day, every day. He says something outrageous, or totally stupid, and then we talk about him constantly. Sorry to use the word, "stupid," so often, it seems the situation calls for it. It would be great if we all took one or two days, and no one talk about Donald Trump. It would be interesting, and maybe drive him mad, he seems to thrive on attention.

Social Media Idiocy

Stressed a little over having surgery tomorrow, the doctor's office called and they want me there at 5:30 am instead of 7. But, that has nothing to do with the amount of stupidity on Facebook this morning.

Really annoying is the posts that have no basis of fact, just some outrageous nonsense to rile people. "The American flag, should not be banned in this country."

No matter that the flag has not been banned, people still jump on the bandwagon. People I know to be intelligent, decent people, still repost this crap.

Seriously, some post are so radical, they can be damaging, and cause people to rise up against other religions, races, etc., all because someone either has too much friggin' time on their hands, or are deliberately out to stir things up.

What is it About Games

Why, oh why, does every show on television have to have a game segment. No matter what kind of show, especially talk shows, all make a guest play a game. I wonder, is the guest warned in advance that they will have to play a game? I would think so, unless they are all good sports. I hate game shows, I always have, with the exception of Jeopardy, I suppose. But that seems to be the rage today, everyone has to play a game. I, sometimes, mute the game segment, change the channel, or put up with it and be grateful it didn't last long.

Parenting

My kids are all grown, and being divorced, I was the custodial parent, as hard as it was then, I wouldn't have wanted it otherwise. I notice these days that sometimes the father gets the home and the kids, and that is great as long as he is a good parent.
As I look back, it would have been a lot easier being the non-custodial parent, if they had had another responsible parent. Working all day, then having dinner and a good night's rest before doing it again. Having time to go out with friends, instead of going home from work to fix dinner for a family, making sure they had what they needed for school, and that the laundry was done, clean up, get what sleep I could and wake up tired to do it all again the next day.
It might have been nice to have visitation days,  when we could enjoy time together, really talk to them, and listen to what they wanted to say. Spending quality time with them, instead of being hurried, and worried, sometimes to the point of exhaustion.
It might have been nice being the fun parent.

Bathroom Law?

Indiana has joined several other states trying to enact a bathroom law.

The law states that, “people must use the bathroom that corresponds to the gender on their birth certificate.”

How in the world could that be enforced, are they going to post a guard, must everyone carry their birth certificate, is someone going to check their genitals?

I read about a young man, born a girl, who had cards printed explaining why he was in the ladies restroom, if he should encounter a woman who would naturally wonder why he was not in the men’s room. I am sure that did not completely solve his problem, but maybe it helped.

What about a transgender woman, born a boy, is she supposed to go into the men’s room? How long before some good old boys decide to straighten her out. Think about the violence this law could inspire. How long will it be before some woman, who looks somewhat masculine, and there are some, is attacked as she leaves the restroom.

Of course, this hoopla all started because of discrimination against transgender people. It may be hard, for some people, to understand, but, if a person is born one gender and feels they should be the opposite gender who are we to say that they shouldn’t? So did the writers of this bill think they can put a stop to transgender behavior if they pass a law making it difficult to use a public bathroom? I am sure it doesn’t work that way!  It is a mean spirited way for so called, self proclaimed “Christians” to protest something that they don’t want to accept. If you can’t accept, ignore it!

Birth Control

Birth Control became legal in Connecticut in 1965, Griswold v. Connecticut, if you really think, it seems impossible that birth control was ever illegal in this country.

 The Connecticut law stated: Any person who uses any drug, medicinal article, or instrument for the purpose of preventing conception shall be fined not less than 50 dollars, or imprisoned not less than 60 days, or more than I year, or be both fined and imprisoned.

In 1873, the Comstock Law outlawed the distribution of information about safe sex and the use of contraceptives.

 In 1914 Margaret Sanger began to provide women with information and contraceptives, she coined the term, Birth Control. The nurse, sex educator, and writer, was prosecuted for her book, Family Limitation. She escaped to Great Britain for a while, returned in 1916 and opened the first birth control clinic. Opponents of Margaret Sanger accused her of wanting to eliminate the black race when she tried to help black women with birth control.  She became the first president of Planned Parenthood and served until she was 80 years old.

Still the country, at least the men running this country fought against birth control.” Free love,” was the term associated with birth control, funny since in the 1960’s during the “Women’s Liberation” movement, the term Free Love was used often. I guess sex without pregnancy was free love. That was likely what men who were fighting against the movement were afraid of, that they couldn’t always be sure of what their women were up to, after all, she could have sex and not be pregnant.

Anyway, birth control was not illegal in every state but was certainly discouraged, and difficult to obtain, until 1965. Young girls, today, should be aware that laws change according to who is in office, and some of the fanatically religious Republicans in Congress today might take away birth control, given the chance. After all, they think women’s reproductive rights are everybody’s business, and that needs to change.

Abortion

More than 40 years since Roe v. Wade, and we are still fighting for the right of women to make their own reproductive decisions. People are screaming too much government, except when it comes to women’s issues, then, let’s pass another law.  Women have fought for far too long for the right to control their own bodies.

Until the late 1800’s women healers provided abortions and trained other women to provide them. There may be several reasons why laws were made to try to stop abortion. Male doctors wanted to eliminate women healers and midwives, who provide a great deal of the care of women. The declining birth rate among whites, and the urging of white women to reproduce may have had some bearing on the decision.

For sometime after it became illegal, abortionists continued to practice and juries refused to convict them. In 1902 the editors of the Journal of American Medical Association endorse a policy of denying a woman, suffering abortion complications, medical care until she confessed and named all persons involved in her abortion and the name of the man who got her pregnant. During the 1920’s approx. 15,000 women died each year from abortions.

Now, women are still struggling for the right to have a legal medical procedure, and time after time, for many women, it is made difficult, if not impossible. Where is the privacy? Women should have the right to medical care without government, other people’s religions, or anything, getting in the way. What a woman decides, and believe me it is not an easy decision, should be a private medical matter between her and her doctor, not a crime.

POTUS

POTUS, FLOTUS, SCOTUS I may be only person in this country irritated by these terms. When I first saw POTUS in print, I thought it was another way of showing contempt for our President. Then I realized it goes along with the whole social media way of communicating. I prefer to use complete words in some instances, like titles of the leaders we elect to run this country.

I have heard the president, news commentators, and countless others use the terms, so it may be here to stay, or hopefully, a passing fad. I, still, find it hard to not write the complete words when texting. If anyone should read this and think I am an old fuddy duddy, or worse, all I have to say is, OMG I can’t please everyone!