Confirmation

I'm sure most people throughout the nation are feeling somewhat bruised by this entire debacle.  The horror of sexual assault is real but so is being wrongly accused of that crime.  You cannot pile the bars of justice on one end of the scale.  That is not how this country works. 

How can you be a woman and not believe her, I've seen women asked.  What? A woman cannot understand due process?  Do we need a man to explain it to us?  Isn't that contrary to what feminists argue?  I say no.  All of us should should be thankful for the justice system we have in place.  Has it failed some? It has.  But we dont abandon it because we should blindly "believe her."  Let juris prudence prevail.

Kavanaugh

I watch cable news.  Its how I get my news.  It used to be CNN but now its Fox News.  Could no longer take what I was hearing on CNN.  I think a lot of people feel that way since their ratings are down.  But with what's going on with the Kavanaugh hearings, I can't believe what I'm hearing no matter what the channel is.

I guess things were not going the way the Democrats wished and so as a hail mary pass, Feinstein whips out a letter from someone who said she was assaulted by Kavanaugh 40 years ago.  In this Metoo# era, well, that's all you need and the guy is a cad.  Or worse.  All his experience, all his knowledge doesn't matter now.  Its irrelevant.  The Metoo# movement may have been necessary to begin with but what has it become?  Its being weaponized and aimed at any man at will and now men are told to "Shut Up."  Impossible to believe what we've come to.  The burden of proof has shifted to the accused and due process is out the window.  And to make matters worse, the victim can now dictate to the Senate when and if she will testify.  If she doesn't testify, then this whole thing was nothing more than a drive by shooting.  And we sit here and say nothing.

As if these hearings were not a circus already with Senator Spartacus and Kamala Harris who acts like she's on Law and Order.  And then there's the paid protestors and women saying they will die if Kavanaugh is confirmed.

Dear Lord help us.

What's the deal?

Wasn't everyone friendly with Putin?  Let's not be hypocritical here.

I hate Christmas

Is it ok to hate Christmas sometimes?  I'm not talking about hating the true meaning of Christmas, but rather hating the fact that the true meaning is completely eclipsed by the business of the season.  Once Thanksgiving is over, there seems to be a feeling in the air, one of hurriedness.  Hurry and make your crafts.  Hurry and decorate.  Hurry and shop.  Hurry, hurry, hurry.  And so many commercials.

There are things about Christmas that I love.  Such as the lights, images of snow covered trees, the scents, all of that.  But the rest of it just brings me down.  I don't want to go shopping right now.  I don't want to put up a Christmas tree when its 80 degrees outside and the fans are all running.  The calendar dictates our lives to us and I don't like it.  What would make it better?

How about knowing that December 25 is coming soon and that it's a day we celebrate that Jesus was born.  That he was born humbly and quietly, although he was the creator of all that exists?  How about we then humble ourselves and plan to use this time to help others in need, those that don't have everything we have?  What would be wrong with that?

Oh yes, the economy.  Let's not forget that.  The car industry needs to move those cars after all.  I would never want a car for Christmas, as odd as that sounds.  It's NOT my birthday.  A car for MY birthday would be awesome.  But not on someone else's birthday. I know the three wise men came bearing gifts but the gifts were for Jesus.  And God the Father gave Jesus to us as the greatest gift of all.  But the business of giving gifts to each other has muddled all of that.

I always liked the story of the Grinch because after he took away all the trappings of the season, the people of the town were still joyful and still singing on Christmas morning.  If I had any say, I would take all the trappings away, except gifts for the kids, who are too young to understand, and hope that everyone else would have a sort of epiphany about the true season.

Love your enemy.  Love those that despitefully use you.  Use the birth of Christ to make amends with those you are harboring bitterness against or who maybe you have hurt in some way.  Help your elderly neighbor or the homeless person you see every day.  Be a friend to someone who needs one.  Imagine if that is how everyone spent Christmas day.  You could take the most beautiful Christmas scene imaginable and I don't think it would come close to the beauty of what that day would become.

WWJD

I remember a few years back, there was a fad where kids were wearing bracelets that said WWJD.  I think even non-Christians were wearing it because it was en vogue.  Anyway, what would Jesus do?  We never really answered the question.  And then the fad passed, as most do.  What should have happened, is we should have found out what Jesus would have done - and then gone and done exactly the same thing.  But we don't.  And the reason is, because what He would do is so contrary to what the world would do that it baffles us. 

Be kind to those that hurt you.  Forgive.  Show love.  Be long suffering.  Be patient.  Be Christ-like.  That's the real answer.  And its an answer that God sets out to accomplish in our lives, if it takes 50 years. Or even longer. 

So he brings that difficult person into our life.  He allows things to happen that shake our core at times.  He does those things because he's conforming us to his image.  What we don't realize at times is that we want to conform him to our image.  That will never happen.  We justify our actions at times and sometimes use God's grace as a safeguard but the end result is that we are going to continue to deal with the same issues until we get to the end our ourselves and then do what Jesus would do. 

And that's place where you find out, if you are marching to the beat of the only drummer that matters, and no one else is with you, then so be it.  You have decided in your heart to allow God to begin and continue that work in you, that work that began in the spirit until the rest of the world see's Christ in you.  And that's where the peace comes.  That's where joy resides.  And we think, why didn't we follow him sooner. 

Let's start to do what Jesus would do this Christmas and into the new year and see how you, yes you, will begin to change the world.

Election

This was one crazy election.  I'm so glad its over.  And I'm still in shock that Donald Trump won, even though I voted for him.  A big part of me thought there was no way he could win.  But looking at the results, it appears that this country really is sick of the same old politics.  I was never that enamored by Trump but I could not stomach voting for Hillary knowing what we know about her.  Whatever his dysfunctions are, he is not a corrupt politician.  And being a Republican and a conservative, there were the Supreme Court nominees to keep in mind.  And Obamacare is a mess. 

I read the negative tweets by Alec Baldwin, who is becoming more irrelevant every day.  And it's not just him, it's lots of others, but I guess that's to be expected.  I don't know how this country is going to unite but we'll have to find a way.  I hope Trump rises to the call and is presidential.  I hope he thinks and listens to his advisors.  I believe he will and I honestly don't think this country is going to be doomed as others think it will be.  We have to be hopeful.

Trumped

Remember when Glen Beck had his own show on Fox News and every day he would go on about the left wing progressives and how evil they were?   He had his chalkboard and all his visuals.  Everyday angry or crying about how our country is going down the tubes.  Then there was Sean Hannity who pretty much didn't hold back how he felt about the progressives.  And of course there was Rush Limbaugh, always angry about something.  Add to that Alex Jones and Michael Savage on you tube and radio.  And then there's kooky Sarah.

The party then split into the Tea Party and the so called "Rhinos."  I personally felt that because I didn't agree with the tea party, that although I have been a Republican my whole adult life, I was now deemed one in name only and therefore not a true member of the party.   So ok.  Whatever.  There was no longer any room for moderates in the Republican party. 

So what did they think was going to happen?  Someone like Trump comes along and all these people that have been listening to the above named personalities glob onto him like he's the second coming.  They've been listening to the anger way before Trump came along.  So no one should really be surprised. 

But - are the things he's saying wrong?  Don't we want jobs to come back to America?  Don't we want this country to be what it once was?  Don't we have a right to secure our boarders just like every other country can? 

Today I read that Trump doesn't feel that he needs to tone down his campaign.  Of course he doesn't, its what's gotten him to where he is now.   He's even willing to act like he doesn't know who David Duke is so not to lose any supporters.  Everything he's doing is very calculated.  I think he likes the violence in his rallies.  If he didn't, he would have already directed his supporters to behave but he hasn't.  And by the way -  he has everything to do with what's going on in his rallies.  I hear pundits trying to spin that the other way but come on.  Let's just be honest. 

Clearly this country has been split for a long time but now it seems like its more quartered.  There's the leftist progressives, the radical right, the moderates and whatever the centrist democrats are called.  And I believe there are some.  We like to think that after the general election, that this country will unite but that's not going to happen. 

So what do we do?  I don't know.  I suppose keep putting the lipstick on that pig for now.

Fair Game

"How will this affect the presidential race? Trump's remarks certainly won't do him any damage in the primaries. Contrary to liberal myth, there are such things as Republican women and they tend to be just as conservative as Republican men.

 

In the general election, however, many more moderate women may find it unappealing that The Donald chooses to personalize politics by going after Bill Clinton and see his remarks as underscoring conservative hostility towards feminists trying to break the glass ceiling."

 

This is from a CNN article by Tim Stanley, view link here http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/04/opinions/stanley-bill-clinton/index.html

 

Anyway, I consider myself a moderate woman and I don't find it unappealing that Trump chooses to personalize politics by going after Bill Clinton... .  I remember being so horribly embarrassed when the news of Monica Lewinsky leaked and the full deposition transcript was printed in the paper.  I was mortified.  This country was a laughingstock.  So, its fair game really.  And honestly, I'm not so concerned about feminists trying to break any glass ceilings.  I think its more important to elect the right person, not someone based on their gender just so a glass ceiling can be shattered.  How many people voted for the current president only to have the first black president?  And where did that leave us? 

 

I like the line that says contrary to liberal myth, there are Republican women.  I suppose because of the social issues concerning women, all are expected to be liberal.   I don't meet a whole lot of Republican women but I know they are out there.  Its probably because I live in California.  But I don't like being lumped into one group just because of my gender.  I have a choice you know.  Isn't that what liberals are all about, choice? 

This is Not Life

Last night I saw a show on CNN called "This is Life."  I've seen this show before and I notice a common trend about it.  The show highlights the aspects of life that are very seedy.  Past shows were about strippers, motorcycle gangs, heroine users, etc.  Reaching an all time low, last night's show was about Satanists.  This group wanted to erect a 9 foot statue of baphomet in Detroit.  The group behind it was the same group that had the statue of the Ten Commandments removed from a courthouse in Oklahoma.  Their argument was religious freedom and not having one religion forced on people by the government. 

The host of the show, Lisa Ling, who strikes me as one big knucklehead, interviewed key individuals from the group as well as some of their members.  Then there was an unveiling of the statute of baphomet and church groups in Detroit gathered outside of the building to protest it. 

I think the thing that bothers me is twofold.  The first is that Christians are always portrayed as the enemy or as a group of "weirdos" on television.  The second is that this issue is not really one of religious freedom.  Its veiled by that cause but in reality, its so much deeper than that.  Christianity, in its truest sense and purpose, is not a religion.  It is very far from it.  Jesus did not come to create religion but rather to create relationship with God the Father.  It is through Him that we are reconciled to God from the sin of Adam. 

Satan is the enemy of your soul and those that follow him are sorely misled.  They worship the statue and engage in all forms of debauchery thinking that this is freedom.  And yet the evil they worship is the same evil we see in terrorism, hate, violence, corruption and all other ailments of the human race.  Even sickness.  What is it that Satan has that anyone would want to even be associated with him?  These people have no idea that Satan hates all mankind, is a serial killer and would slash their throats in an instant. 

Does that sound harsh?   This isn't a game, you know. 

This show inadvertently promotes evil by showing this type of "journalism."  There was the mother who's son was gay and was made fun of and he overdosed accidentally.  They show her sadness and her longing to belong to a group that does not promote a religion that rejects homosexuality.  Then they showed members of this group going into pregnancy counseling offices to secretly tape them trying to talk women out of abortion by telling them about the health risks.  And that they must be Christian organizations.  Again, Christianity is bad.  That's the message.   

I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  The Bible talks about the day when evil will be seen as good and good will be seen as evil.  This must be that day.  And it will get worse.  Pretty soon, any mention of Christianity will be deemed politically incorrect, intolerant and discriminatory against anything and everything the world deems as proper.   Is the this "blurred lines" people talk about?

I am led to believe that the dangers of being lukewarm in a person's faith in God are very real.  If you are not serving the one true God, then you are serving the enemy.  You might think you are a casual observer but think again.  If you take part of this promotion of evil as good, you will have to explain it one day.  Claiming it was just journalism won't save you.  And I wouldn't want to be in your shoes.   

Paris

Clearly the battlefield has moved from the wars of yesterday.  Before you had to "go to war," whereas now it comes to you.  And the citizen becomes the reluctant soldier.  And how exactly do you fight an enemy that doesn't give a nickel for their own life? 

Close the borders, don't close the borders.  Common sense would say to close them.  But then people feel bad about the genuine refugees who have no place to go.   The President plans to allow a large number of refugees in next month.  We cannot be so ignorant to believe that some terrorists will not be in that group. 

Some say that if we had guns, the terrorists would quickly be shot down.  Then lets all carry guns.  This is a war after all isn't it?  Maybe that's not the answer either.

There are so many analysts on cable news channels these days that go on and on about the situation and I have to wonder if they are just there to hear themselves talk on the subject, as if they have any idea.  We listen to them and maybe nod our heads but that's where it ends.  Maybe talking about it makes some people feel better.  The President talks about it, Hilary talks about it, the GOP candidates give their 2 cents about it. 

To be continued...

Sleep

Sleep, you are a thing I contend with every night.  Its almost as if you've taken on physical attributes.  I think you are a woman because you are fickle and moody and we are like that.  Some nights you are my happy friend and other nights you are distant and aloof.  You arrive eventually but every morning you overstay your welcome.  I can't get you to leave when I have to go to work. 

Sometimes I want to say to you - I don't need you.  You are a big waste of time to me and I'm tired of dealing with you.  But my body won't let me do that.  I wish God had created us with a mechanism to recharge that was easier to manage, like plugging into an outlet for an hour.  But that would be weird.  And imagine all the dreams we would miss. 

I acknowledge that when sleep takes long to arrive, its my fault.  I give in to my wandering, roaming mind as I lay down when I'm supposed to be still and quiet.  I'm like a little kid who doesn't want to go to bed because the play time is over.  That must be it.  My evenings are my play time and when I wake up, its work time.   So I have to make my peace with Sleep.  She's not as difficult as I make her out to be.  Sometimes the answer lies within ourselves.

Five things I wished someone had told me about aging parents.

“Oh, are you sending your kid off to college?” a woman asked me as she saw the twin extra-long sheets in my shopping cart.  I just smiled and nodded at her.  I didn’t want to tell her the truth which was that a hospital bed was delivered to my mother’s home and the bed happens to be a twin extra-long.  It hit me later that she wasn’t completely wrong – I was in a way a parent now, not to college bound kids but to elderly parents.  I never had children of my own, but at this stage in my life, the word “diaper” has appeared when I thought I was never going to use that word.   

 

Sometimes I think the realization of the switch came soft and gently and other times I feel as if it smacked me in the face.  It was two years ago when my parents began to fall.  My nearly 88 year old dad has recovered and seems to be on stable ground, whereas my 80 year old mother has been in the nursing home 4 times now.  People are living much longer these days and we’re going to see a lot more people hit 100.  Are we ready to take care of them? 

But what I’m talking about is keeping your own sanity while caring for parents that love and need you.  I have a friend whose 80 year old mother is a caregiver to her 100 year old grandmother.  That’s rough.  I’m 50 and there are days when I want to lay on my mother’s hospital bed.  

At 20, I believed I would be young forever and so would my parents.  Their aging was the furthest thing from my mind.  At 30, I still to some degree believed that the golden years were too far away to even consider.  I would have laughed if anyone had come up to me then and told me to make sure I was prepared for caring for my aging parents.  Even in my early 40s, my mother could walk faster than me.  And my dad spent hours out in his garden.  And I was happily living in the stupor of my own naiveté. 

 Of course hindsight is 20/20 but still you wish you had someone tell you what to expect, whether you were really listening or not.  What would I tell my 30 or 40 year old self now?  That’s what this article is about.  So if you’re 20, save this somewhere and bring it out when you turn 30.  Remember it when you are 40 and you will thank me by the time you are 50. 

How do you prepare for the increased life span of elderly parents? Here’s some tips:

 1.  Remember that you are not alone.  So many have dealt with these issues before you.  Keep a circle of friends your age who are going through the same things or join groups that are.  Solidarity always makes it easier to go through things you are not sure of and you can always learn from each other as well. 

 2.  Regardless of what your age is, when your parents reach 65, that might be a good time to talk to them about what their plans for the future are.  I know 65 is young these days and many don’t want to think about unpleasant things.  You could just say you want to be prepared.  Talking about finances and available resources are very important topics.  Should they take out a long term care insurance policy?  This would be the age to figure some of this stuff out.

3. Have a sit down with your siblings.  I see time and again when an only daughter or an unmarried sibling is left with the responsibilities to care for the aging parents.  Have that talk now about what each of you think would be fair.  These parents raised all of you and this should be a joint effort.  If not, resentments can form and make things worse.  If you are the only child, then do some research on caregivers. There are many good ones out there.

 4.  If your parents are 75 and traveling the world over, great.  But anyone can slip in the bathtub.  Talk to your parents about when to take precautions by putting in safety rails, bathtub benches, etc. 

 5.  Most important point – take care of yourself.  I saw a poster the other day that said “When caring for others, don’t leave yourself behind.”  A close friend of mind told me once that in an effort to keep my parents alive, I was killing myself.  That really stung.  I was so wrapped up in meeting other’s needs that I had left myself behind.  I had to learn to let go and stop trying to be superwoman. 

 So my advice is, find time to nurture your soul when caring for aging parents.  Do the things that bring joy to your life, no matter how simple those things might be.  Renew and refresh your own life on a regular basis and when the waters rage, you’ll be better equipped to handle the storm.  Once a woman who saw me helping my mother in a public bathroom told me she that got to care of her mother also and that I was blessed.  I didn’t feel very blessed at the time but I chose to believe that woman because she had gone through the experience.  She knew the ups and downs and with her mother now gone, I could see she held no regrets.  That’s where I hope to be, with no regrets.

Frank Underwood's God issues

Francis Underwood has some God issues.  The last episode I watched, he was in a church and spit on the crucifix.  Just prior to that, he asked a bishop why Jesus allowed himself to be killed and the bishop had no answer.  Would a real bishop know the answer or is this art imitating life?  Personally, I don't see how you can be in the church long enough to become a bishop and not know why Jesus had to die.  Its a basic premise taught in Sunday school.

I was not so shocked at the scene where Frank spits on the crucifix.  God is so much bigger than that.  And the scene is just there to make the show edgy.  But what is interesting is that Frank seems to be torn between doing what is right and doing what he wants to get ahead.  The notion of love your neighbor has no use in his life. 

That's ok for a fictional character but what happens is people are sitting on the couch watching this.  Through these shows, television tells people what to think, how to think and what is ok.  Viewers begin to assimilate to the characters they watch on these shows and take on their characteristics.  I know that sounds ludicrous but it happens more often than not.  No one wants to admit it because  they'd be embarrassed.  How many men started acting like Don Draper after Mad Men first came out?  I imagine a lot. 

So we watch these scenes and feel like we get some kind of "hall pass" to enter into a place where otherwise you feel like there's no access, because after all, Frank Underwood did it.  The only problem is, where does it take you and is that really a place you want to be?  I think we have to remind ourselves that this is just television and we really should think for ourselves.

Immigration

My parents are immigrants.  My father came her from Peru in 1955 and my mother from Argentina in 1960.  They met in Chicago.  But before they came, they got their papers in order and came here legally.  They went through the citizenship process and have paid their taxes all these years.  I don't remember once where my father ever had the idea or the inclination to take a hand out.  He knew that hard work was the only way he would ever get anywhere and the only way he would ever want to get anywhere.  I remember once he told me the story that he got into a car accident and the doctor got mad at him because he would not fake injuries.  I think the doctor called him stupid for not taking whatever money he could have from a claim.  But that was my dad and he wanted to be able to look at himself in the mirror every day.  He wasn't perfect but he had integrity. 

I am a first generation American and I was born here.  So that makes me an American citizen and I am proud of that.  I've never seen myself as anything but American, even though my heritage is not.  How would I feel if I were born here and was not given citizenship?  I think pretty bad.  I don't have a connection with South America because I didn't grow up there.  So would I feel like a person without country?  Maybe.  I don't think that's right.  Do I agree with what Donald Trump proposes about the "anchor" children?  No.  We do have a right as any other country to secure our boarders but there are so many issues involved that I think deserve careful consideration. 

Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.  

Please Hit the "Like" Button

Facebook is creating a very fragile society where if what you say or do isn't liked, then your self worth is diminished.  Being from a generation that didn't have computers or cell phones growing up and even out of high school, I can leave the Facebook world and its subliminal message of conformity very easily.  But what about the younger generations that know nothing but this?  What are the adults of the future going to be like?

I ask this in the aftermath of the Supreme Court making gay marriage legal in this country.  I'd like to believe that I would be sober enough to argue that the non-elected justices in the Supreme Court should not create laws, regardless of whether I was in favor of the issue or not.  It so happens I am not in favor of gay marriage so its an easier conclusion for me. 

Personally I don't care if gay people get married.  Its not like straight people honor the institution of marriage for what God created it to be.  My problem is that it is going to propel the criminalization of Christianity and that has already begun.  In Oregon, a bakery turned away a gay couple and the State issued a gag order against them, stating that they could not talk about their faith because it was discriminatory.  What a minute.  If homosexuality is against my religion, why do people get to flaunt it?  Isn't that discriminatory against me?

Most of the country is not in favor of gay marriage, to be completely honest.  But you wouldn't know it.  The day after the Supreme Court decision, lots of people on Facebook put the sheer rainbow over their profile picture.  Did anyone put up a traditional marriage symbol?  No.  Because if you do, you get stomped on.  You get called names and might even - gasp - have people unfriend you.  Not like you actually talk to each of those 3,000 people on your page.  Its not like you actually know what's going on in their life or even give a shit.

I posted something on my page.  I posted a sign that said "Keep Calm, Marriage is Between a Man and a Woman."  I got one like.  But I didn't post it to get liked.  I posted it because my conscience wouldn't allow me to just sit there.   Its not like we have to thump the Bible over peoples' heads.  But we should exercise our right to speak up, shouldn't we?  Because at the end of the day, the most important person who should "like" you, is you.

Indiana

What is wrong with this country?  People will not be happy until we've become completely godless.  If you are a Christian and aim to live your life according to God's will, then there are things that you don't want to be involved in and should not be involved in.  But if you stand up for yourself, you are called a hater.  The other side screams discrimination.  And the problem is they scream louder than the Christians trying to hold on to some rights in this country.  The headline in the newspaper that reads FIX IT NOW, the boycotts and demonstrations are just a few examples.  Only one group will prevail.  And its always the louder group. 

We voted on Prop. 8 and it passed.  But then people started yelling and screaming and it was overturned.  Our votes didn't count at all.  We had no voice anymore.  Liberals are all about civil rights but only if their issues prevail.  Christians are being pushed into the closet and there seems to be nothing we can do about it.  Sometimes we're too quiet.

Getting Older

I turned 50 a couple of weeks ago.  This whole year I was terrified of the idea until it happened and now I realize its no big deal.  I don't feel any different.   A friend of mine told me I can now tell people to piss off.  I think there's some truth to that.  We live most of our lives worried about what other people thing, that at some point, we need to drop that burden.  I know I do.  I also discovered that maybe I'm not married because I didn't want to marry.  I certainly had opportunities but there was something there that kept me from doing it.  I always thought it was a bad thing but now I don't think that anymore.  Maybe its just a part of who I am.  Its parents and society that force the idea of marriage upon women (mostly) and that you are defective if that doesn't happen to you. I don't feel defective.  I know that others made me feel that way.  Why is it that married people want everyone else to be married?  If marriage is so great, why is the divorce rate 50%?  And of the 50% that remain married, how many of them are staying together for the kids or because its cheaper than spousal support? 

Being free is not just about not caring what people think about you because you're single.  Its about not caring about anything that they think.  I know people in their 70s who still care what others think and I see how oppressive it is for them.  How horrible to live all those years and never be free of that thing.  

I believe one thing to keep in mind is that appearances can be deceiving.  You might see someone who seems to have a perfect life with everything going on but underneath it all, there's a lot of misery.  And that might be the person who you are trying to get approval from.  Doesn't make sense.  Our thoughts, our decisions, our daily life should never be influenced by what others think, even if they are family members.  We still love them but  we can't live our lives for them. 

Stupid is as Stupid Does

Recently a picture of that knucklehead Kim Kardashian came out that defies all rational thinking.  Is America this dumb?  Why does anyone follow her?  Do we not have our own interesting lives to cultivate?  I'm just at a loss.  Her aim was to "break the internet," I suppose by re-tweeting the idiotic picture of her until the entire system breaks down.  It was re-tweeted a lot but with scathing remarks.  The best thing we could have done was completely ignore it.  But because its too stupid to believe, everyone passed it around, with their heads photoshopped on it, with a donkey's ass photoshopped on it, etc.  Yeah, those are funny but its still being talked about.  That's what she wanted.  I don't think she even cares that people make fun of her, as long as you just talk about her.  She's an embarrassment to the Country.  And her mother of all people applauded her.  WTF?  I know we have freedoms in this country but some people use this freedom to act as inanely moronic as humanly possible.  Oh the fear of becoming irrelevant.