John McCain doesn't know how to do what?

I heard on the news the other day that John McCain does not know how to operate a computer. Now, I know I am not supposed to believe everything I hear on the news (or should I say trust) but I have strong reason to believe he doesn't have a computer in his personal office. Why? Because he hasn't responded to my letter that I sent via a "fill in the blank" to his office in D.C.

I had convinced myself Senator McCain would reply to my letter as it was filled with much passion and a plea for help. I sat up until 4 AM reading testimony about the abuse of nonprofit organizations which are supposed to serve our veteran's of the armed services. I do not want to admit my disbelief, as I know there are many, many questionable organizations, yet I sat there, reading and re-reading testimony that broke my heart.

I wrote to Senator McCain asking for help, asking for guidance and asking for action to be taken against organizations that use and abuse service members - using them as "front men" to secure funds for one thing and have the board simply turn the other way as money is funneled into roundtrip airfares, country club memberships, bonuses and the like. I wrote to Senator McCain because of his involvement with veteran's affairs and the fact he too is a veteran. I thought I'd at least get something from his office...but now that I know he doesn't use a computer, I know someone in his office didn't feel it necessary to pass on the info. Do I think it will be any different if I send a letter? Perhaps not - but then I won't have an excuse for him not writing back...

Got any ideas who else I should write? Maybe I'll try Senator Obama...I'll let you know.

what am I thinking????

You know - I'm turning this blog into something quite ordinary and boring - I've always prided myself on being able to really look into issues, offer a different viewpoint and support my views with evidence, yet since I've been out of school I've been terribly lazy! I write about my kids and where we've been, why am I not discussing things with more passion?

Well, I've had a few days in the car to think about many things, politics and religion mostly - things your aren't supposed to bring up at family reunions and such, but when you aren't able to discuss the foundations of our country what is left? Sports? Movie Stars? The Weather?

Well, if I were to discuss sports, I'd bring up women's softball. Why on earth do they wear shorts? If I were to discuss movie stars I'd want to ask why star power automatically gives you credibility. If I talked about the weather, I'd casually mention today hit 113 degrees F and the hot weather must have a relationship with the price of gas as entering California the gas jumped an entire dollar ($5.29 a gal.).

So. If I could discuss politics, I'd want to pick the brains of those with Homeland Security. Did you know there is a form for those who are not American citizens to fill out - the first question on it asks point blank "Are you a terrorist? Yes or No." Are you kidding me? The only thing we can figure is the government has to ask for legal reasons - hell, the only way Al Capone served any time was because he was cited for tax evasion. Go figure...but it is something to think about - and I also have to consider the notion - there are those that say "I wasn't asked if I was a _____? I put blank because you can put in your own words such as "I wasn't asked if I was a theif" says the man who runs the cash register or "I wasn't asked if I was a sex offender" says the teacher in an 8th grade classroom. I think you get the picture.

Yet, what is the perception of the TSA when they hand someone a form with the leading question "Are you a terrorist?" Are we allowed to ask someone if they are in this country illegally? Even if it is legal...haven't we found it may not be politically correct? Just something to make you think...

Maybe I'll bring up more later - but just think about what I've said for now. I'll make a pledge to write more compelling posts for the future. Have a wonderful 4th of July and remember why this day is so important and what it really means to be an American.

Where is the time going?

I can hardly believe it is the first day of July. The kids have been out of school for three weeks now and while we have accomplished much, it seems as if summer is slipping away! Yet, these past few weeks we are having a ball. The last week of June we enjoyed having a house full of people - we canoed the Rogue, biked to the ice cream store, jumped on the trampoline, went to the movies and had a blast on the lake. Having the cousins was a delight and of course, Janis was in her glory.

We headed to Springfield, IL to hang for a few days to see grandpa and the rest of the cousins and enjoyed a gymnastics/dance recital. Grace did a great job and I think she was the best of the group - she was able to execute multiple back handsprings and kept a smile the entire time. Leaving there I think I had the best pizza in my life. Gabatonis (I think that is how you spell it) - it is worth the trip to Springfield that is for sure.

Leaving Springfield to start our road trip started with a trip to Cozy Dog - there the kids met a man driving the "Mother Road" in his Austin Healy (I am not a car person so I don't know if I'm spelling it right or not) - the kids thought his car was so cool and they were so polite, he let them climb in for a picture. What a way to start our trip - a little history on Route 66 - and then we were off.

We are road tripping it - stopping a places along the way and seeing the sights along the way. I'll write more later - but as it stands, we all still love each other and the kids are actually making the trip without the help of electronic devices......that in and of itself is cool.