Have you seen this email? These scenario comparisons got me thinking about how the U.S. has “evolved” in the past half-century.

Scenario: Jack pulls into school parking lot with rifle in gun rack.

1955 - Some other kids come over and ogle a kid with a vehicle.

1973 -Vice Principal comes over, takes a look at Jack’s rifle, goes to his car and gets his to show Jack.

2006 - School goes into lockdown, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers. Lawsuits pending.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.

1955 - S-o-o-o-o?

1973 -Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up best friends. Nobody goes to jail, nobody arrested, nobody expelled.

2006 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it. Lawsuits pending.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario: Jeffrey won’t be still in class, disrupts other students.

1955 - Teacher raps Jeffery’s knuckles with a ruler. Jeffrey knocks off disruptive behavior.

1973 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by Principal. Sits still in class.

2006- Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability. Future lawsuits coming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his father’s car and his Dad gives him a whipping.

1955 - S-o-o-o?

1973- Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.

2006 - Billy’s Dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. Billy’s sister is told by state psychologist that she remembers being abused herself and their Dad goes to prison. Billy’s mom has affair with psychologist. Lawsuits pending.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some headache medicine to school.

1955 - So-o-o-o?

1973- Mark shares headache medicine with Principal out on the smoking dock.

2006 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons. Lawsuits pending.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario: Mary turns up pregnant.

1955 - Mary and father of baby have to get married, move away in shame.

1973 - 5 High School Boys leave town. Mary does her senior year at a special school for expectant mothers.

2006 - Middle School Counselor calls Planned Parenthood, who notifies the ACLU. Mary is driven to the next state over and gets an abortion without her parent’s consent or knowledge. Mary given condoms and told to be more careful next time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.

1955 - Pedro?

1973: Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.

2006: Pedro’s cause is taken up by state democratic party. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro’s English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he can’t speak English.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.

1955 - Ants die.

1973 - Ants still die.

2006 - BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny’s Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary, hugs him to comfort him.

1955 - The teacher definitely doesn’t hug him and he doesn’t cry either because the other kids would call him a crybaby.

1973 - In a short time Johnny feels better and goes on playing.

2006 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Lawsuits pending.

…what has happened to us???

Here’s Dobby sporting some chainmail that Honey’s been crafting…clearly, he’s thrilled to be modeling it for us!

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. Just haven’t felt I had much to say. But now I do!

I decided to host Thanksgiving at our house this year because I love to entertain. Honey’s parents and his sister and her boyfriend were all scheduled to come, bringing side dishes to share. I pulled out my wedding china and crystal that I’ve never used and polished and arranged them with great care. I found some of grandma’s old silver and spent hours cleaning and polishing the pieces. I have just enough for six people.

Today, in the midst of cleaning and preparatory cooking, we got a phone call that sister’s boyfriend’s family will be joining us as well. They were invited a month ago but I was told two weeks ago that they weren’t coming. Which was fine with me since I only have enough pretty princess china and crystal and silver for six people. But now, all of a sudden, FIVE more people will be here. That means an extra card table, non-matching plates and wine glasses, silverware, placemats…….AHHHHHHH! I panicked for about 15 minutes then I bitched and moaned for 15 more minutes. Finally, I succumbed to the blissful ignorance of imperfection. I’m keeping the china and fancy stuff out at one table and using not-so-fancy at another table. I mean really, who cares if the table settings at one table don’t match the other table or if JoeSchmo’s wineglass isn’t as breakable and expensive as MoSchmo’s? Nobody better tell me that I shouldn’t go to all the trouble of using the fancy stuff. It’s my fancy stuff and when else am I supposed to use it?! I wanna and I already got it out and cleaned and ready so ifanyonetellsmeIshouldn’tI’mprobablygoingtosmack
themupsidethehead!!!!!!

I love my family and friends. I’m looking forward to tomorrow with a warm heart because Thanksgiving is one of my two favoritest holidays.

Now….is it too early to open a bottle of wine????

Seriously. How hilarious are these cats! I have the ‘flavor’ one on my desktop now. Cracks me up every time I see it!

Did you see last week’s Desperate Housewives?!? HOLY CRAP! I love that show and it’s always good for a crazy laugh but when Nora got shot it literally made me scream from surprise! And Lynette….OMG I so wish I could be Lynette. The way she kicked in Nora’s door and threatened her last week…that rocked my world.

I normally don’t enjoy reading other people’s analysis of their favorite TV shows so I refrain from doing so here. But I finally just had the time to sit down and watch Sunday’s episode and I’m still in shock. Had to share.

Carry on…