Yes, I asked the question. Has Martin Luther King, Jr.’s message been subverted? Before you blurt out an answer, stop and think about it first.

In a time where the Democrats have taken a great man’s legacy, who was a registered Republican, by the way, and made him their defacto mascot for all things liberal (guess they forgot Dr. King was a preacher), where black men are always complaining about how the white man is keeping him down and they are forced to resort to violence and criminality to survive, then the short answer is yes.

Dr. Martin Luther King’s message has been crumpled up, torn apart and taped back together so poorly that it resembles nothing of the original. This man wanted peace and equality for all people, regardless of their race. He wanted a man judged by the content of his character, rather than the color of his skin.

He wanted us to all get along and respect one another, not try to destroy each other.

And what have we done? Have we honored his life by trying to be what he believed our society could be or have we spiraled down so far that we may never get back up? I believe, at least for a large part of our society, that it’s the latter. And it makes me very sad.

Would he like that his dream has been destroyed by the very people he dreamed it for?

You see, Dr. King is one of my heroes. Even though I was born after his assassination, learning about him in school made him come to life. I believed that his dream could and should become a reality. But that has not happened and I still do not understand why. There should be no racism, bigotry or hatred of anyone based on the color of their skin. As Dr. King said, a person should be judged solely on the content of their character. But that is not something that is done in this day and age. Even with a black President.

I have been called a racist because I don’t like President Obama — nothing could be further from the truth. I have been called bigoted by white Europeans because I did not know that Willie Wonka was a euphemism for white colonialists. Clearly, I’m not ‘enlightened’ enough. I am married to a Hispanic man, which makes my daughter half. Her Godmother is black and I have a black adopted brother.

Still want to call me racist?

The word racism has become a verbal slight for other ethnicities to lob at white people. It’s reverse racism. Yeah, I said it. If I had a dollar for every time I or my husband were deemed bigots because of our dislike of Obama, I’d be living on my own island in the South Pacific. It’s OK to dislike or even hate someone’s actions. It doesn’t mean you feel that way because they have a different skin color than you. I took Dr. KIng’s speech to heart and I have never judged anyone solely on the color of their skin.

But I have judged them on the content of their character. And I have run into people who call me racist because they were of bad character and black. Apparently anything said to those kind of people, even if it’s true, is considered bigotry, And don’t tell them you didn’t vote for Obama. You’ll get called the White Devil for that.

Does racism still exist in this country? Yes it does, but with a black man holding the highest political office in the land, it should be apparent that we have made great strides towards its eradication. You all need to realize that it has stop on all sides of the fence before racism will truly be dead. That means that blacks cannot use the N-word, ever. Even to your own race. No one should ever use that word again. It is the foulest one in the English language.

I want you all to think about this: If you don’t want to be treated like a stereotype, then stop acting like one. Stop shooting yourselves in the foot.

It’s just that simple.

I share Dr, King’s dream. I want everyone to be judged by what’s inside, not what color they are. The Civil Rights Movement in the 1960′s spawned the Black Power Movement. Unfortunately, some of those groups advocated violence and anarchy to achieve their goals. Still others birthed a whole generation who blame the rich white men for every problem they’ve ever had. I think Dr. King would agree that if you don’t like your circumstances, then you need to do something to affect change in your own life. Blaming a group of people for your woes is a cop-out.

Rappers need to stop promoting the Thug Life. Who in the hell wants to be a criminal? Always looking over your shoulder, wondering which car is going to pull a drive-by on your house and knowing you will eventually end up in prison or a body bag — sounds like such a great life now, doesn’t it? The Rap community needs to understand that they have glamorized murder, drugs, rape, misogyny and gangs. There is a whole generation of kids who have been stunted by this shit. And many of them believe this is how you act if you’re black. Or Hispanic. Or disaffected. Or just plain stupid.

It has to stop. NOW.

This is not what Dr. King was talking about when he said he wanted everyone to be free. Not by a long shot.

Aaron McGruder, the writer of The Boondocks, illustrates perfectly what I have been trying to get across in this post. This episode, Return of the King, explores what could happen if Dr. King did not die, but instead was in a coma for the last 30+years. How would he feel about what his dream has become?

…I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today…

 …And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

Has Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Message Been Subverted? is a post from: Last Shreds Of Sanity | Blog Designer | California Mom Blog

Anyone Who Tries To Call Me At Home: Why don’t you ever answer your phone?

Me: The Diva gave it a bath a while back and it doesn’t ring anymore.

AWTTCMAH: Why don’t you just buy a new one?

Me: It works fine except for the not ringing part. Oh and I dropped one of the handsets, so the caller ID screen doesn’t work on that one anymore. Plus the one I would want to replace it with is over $200 and I can’t justify the expense right now. I also kind of like not being disturbed by a ringing phone every 10 minutes.

AWTTCMAH: But what if there’s an emergency? Don’t you want to know about something like that?

Me: They’ll call back if it’s important. Or leave a message.

AWTTCMAH: That’s another thing. Your machine is always full. Why is that?

Me: I have messages saved.

AWTTCMAH: Why?

Me: Evidence.

AWTTCMAH: Of what? What could you possibly need so much “evidence” of?

Me: Well, there’s my Evil SIL saying she’s sorry and won’t do the things she’s been doing to me anymore. Which, of course, she’s still doing. And a former landlord admitting to the shitty things he did to us and why. Those are kept for the lawsuit. And the current landlord giving permission for us to add deadbolts to the doors to keep Ro from wandering the neighborhood while we sleep. Probably a couple of phone numbers of people I don’t want to lose. Hubby’s nieces singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Ro when she turned 1 year old. Stuff like that.

AWTTCMAH: Why not just record it on a voice recorder?

Me: I don’t have one. And I need the time stamp stuff for proof.

AWTTCMAH: So you’ll just drag your phone to court if you have to? And how old is that thing, anyway?

Me: Yes. Why? That’s not OK? It was bought when Ro was about 4 months old. So, what? Almost seven years old? It’s a good phone. Corded base with answering machine and two cordless handsets. And when the power goes out, I can still call out for help.

AWTTCMAH: There is something not right about you, Shan.

Me: You’re just realizing this now? Boy, are you slow on the uptake.

AWTTCMAH: I got nothin’…

Me: Admit it, you still love me. I’m very loveable. And? You know no one else like me. I’m unique.

AWTTCMAH: Still, nothin’.

Me: That’s harsh, dude.

Conversations About My Phone is a post from: Last Shreds Of Sanity | Blog Designer | California Mom Blog

May all your troubles fade away at the stroke of midnight and be replaced with happiness, love and peace. Well, at least until the apocalypse happens on December 21, 2012.

Enjoy your last 355 days before then.

Happy New Year 2012!

Happy New Year 2012! is a post from: Last Shreds Of Sanity | Blog Designer | California Mom Blog

Remember the Halloween light show I posted about? It was very cool and  at the time was the most popular light show in the country. Well last night I was watching the AMA’s and LMFAO closed the show. I thought, “Ok they HAVE to do at least some reference to the Halloween light show”. And they did! They used the whole thing on the screens behind and below the band! As they went into a second song, I figured they’d also used one of Kevin Judd’s light show and I was right.

This is from Kevin’s YouTube Channel:

LMFAO contacted me two weeks ago and wanted to use my Party Rock video for the AMAs, but also wanted me to create a new light show for Sexy and I Know It. It was all last minute, but it was fun working on this project. Thanks to LMFAO and their management/team for asking me to be part of creating the performance. A big thanks to Vidaroo for working so hard on the video. The performance was great and I had a lot of fun. The only somewhat disappointing part was the AMA started the house video 2 secs late and the sync was off. Oh well…who’s complaining…it was on the AMAs!!

I think that’s pretty cool, Kevin. And to think,  you got all this from doing a home holiday light show! Maybe YouTube will finally let you be a partner now.

LMFAO Uses Light Show From One Of Our Local Residents On The AMA’s!! is a post from: Last Shreds Of Sanity | Blog Designer | California Mom Blog

We all need tips for surviving the Zombie Apocalypse. Pay close attention and you will learn the best ways to kill, hide from and distract Zombies so that you can make a safe get away. I’m not kidding. These are skills we all need to have. No one knows when this will happen so it’s best to be prepared. Californians know this well. We’ve been preparing and bracing for The Big One since I was child. So far it hasn’t happened, but we all have earthquake survival kits in our houses.

Think about it, how likely is it that there will be some kind of super-virus that annihilates most of society sometime in the future? Considering that a virus can spread worldwide at an alarming rate, it actually is very likely. Even the CDC has an article on how to survive the Zombie Apocalypse and what to expect from them when it happens. This is not a joke. They actually wrote this themselves.

I say zombies are more dangerous a threat to civilization than 2012 or earthquakes.

But I’m weird.

And usually right about this stuff.

So there.

Or you can just trip your real friends so that they get eaten while you go on to help eradicate those smelly zombies and repopulate the world. Because that’s what real friends do…they sacrifice themselves in order to let you live.

My Husband and I love SciFi. We also have a thing for Zombies. Since last year, we have been watching AMC’s The Walking Dead. It’s a great show. With Zombies. Although, I must admit, I wasn’t always so keen on them. Or anything horror related, for that matter. Horror movies scare the shit out of me. And where did my husband take me on our first date? To see Halloween #something! I had my face buried either in my hands or his shoulder the whole time.

When I was pregnant, he took me to see not one, but TWO zombie movies. The first was Dawn Of The Dead, the second was Shawn Of The Dead.

I was pregnant. With his daughter.

When she was a baby and I needed a break one night, I left him to care for The Diva for about an hour. When I came back, I heard NOTHING. No noise, no crying. I was concerned. I walked in the bedroom to find him sitting on the bed with the baby in his arms while watching DAWN OF THE DEAD. I almost blew a gasket thinking he was going to warp my infant daughter’s succeptible mind.

But Ro was perfectly quiet and transfixed on the screen.

I still think that her young mind was somehow damaged by that movie. But I probably won’t know the answer to that until she’s a teenager.

Pray for me.

Tips For Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse is a post from: Last Shreds Of Sanity | Blog Designer | California Mom Blog

Just because you can’t see the visible scars of war on a Veteran, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Some come home physically unscathed from a war but are hiding the real scars that lie within their heads. Please be kind to them and help them if you can. Because it’s their sacrifice that allows you to live free in this country. So listen to the war story you’ve already heard a thousand times, thank the soldier in your life for fighting for you and thank God that we live in America, because freedom is never free. I am honoring the Veterans in my life today: My Father, Uncles, two brothers, paternal Grandfather and my Husband (even though he doesn’t think he deserves this status). Thank you for fighting for freedom.

And remember:

All gave some, but some gave all.

SOLDIER

Author Unknown

The soldier stood and faced his God

Which must always come to pass

He hoped his shoes were shining

Just as brightly as his brass.

“Step forward now, you soldier,

How shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek?

To My Church have you been true?”

The soldier squared his shoulders and

said, “No, Lord, I guess I ain’t

Because those of us who carry guns

Can’t always be a saint.

I’ve had to work most Sundays

And at times my talk was tough,

And sometimes I’ve been violent,

Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny

That wasn’t mine to keep…

Though I worked a lot of overtime

When the bills got just too steep

And I never passed a cry for help,

Though at times I shook with fear,

And sometimes, God forgive me,

I’ve wept unmanly tears

I know I don’t deserve a place

Among the people here,

They never wanted me around

Except to calm their fears

If you’ve a place for me here, Lord,

It needn’t be so grand,

I never expected or had too much,

But if you don’t, I’ll understand.”

There was a silence all around the throne

Where the saints had often trod

As the soldier waited quietly,

For the judgment of his God

“Step forward now, you soldier,

You’ve borne your burdens well,

Walk peacefully on Heaven’s streets,

You’ve done your time in Hell.”

To all that serve …

Thank you to all of you that have served or are currently serving our Country. You are so appreciated and loved. It is because of all of you that we have our freedom. The protester is able to do just that because of your blood, sweat and tears. Americans can speak out against our government because of your sacrifices.

Because of you, our Veterans, and all active duty soldiers, we are free, and I thank each and every one of you for that gift.

Honoring Our Veterans Because All Gave Some, But Some Gave All is a post from: Last Shreds Of Sanity | Blog Designer | California Mom Blog

My husband found this video over the weekend of a pretty cool Halloween light show set to music. The best part? The guy lives in our area so we can go by and see this in person. Kevin Judd has gotten over 5 million hits on YouTube and the band LMFAO shot a video at his house last night because they love what Kevin did so much! How cool is that? His creation has also been featured on CNN and local newscasts across the country. Not bad for some LED lights and a laptop, eh?

I wonder what he does for Christmas? LOL

Enjoy! Happy Halloween!

Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO

This Is Halloween from The Nightmare Before Christmas

The Most Famous Halloween Light Show In The Country Is In My Area! is a post from: Last Shreds Of Sanity | Blog Designer | California Mom Blog

You will have to blame The Bloggess for this. It’s her fault. She posted the link to the Rick Perry video. Then I went exploring. And I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. And I needed that today, considering what happened on Friday.

So these genius guys with WAY too much time on their hands decided to have some fun with lip-synching/lip-reading. The results are below. And if you don’t laugh out loud at any of these, there is something seriously wrong with you.

Just sayin’.

Someone Finally Revealed The Hidden Messages In These Videos. Thank GOD! is a post from: Last Shreds Of Sanity | Blog Designer | California Mom Blog

Is your kid chomping at the bit for all things Halloween? Satisfy their craving by giving them Disney’s Spooky Buddies: The Curse of The Halloween Hound on Two-Disc Blue-Ray/DVD Combo Packs! A movie the whole family can enjoy! The movie was released on September 20th.

I have to admit that we have never watched any of these movies before, but this one looks like tons of fun. I am very excited about having a family movie night with this DVD. Besides, what’s cuter than talking dogs?

Nothing, that’s what.

Here’s a little plot summary:

It’s Halloween, and Disney’s irresistible talking puppies are back in an all-new movie that takes them far across town to a mysterious mansion where something very spooky is going on. With the help of some unexpected new friends, including a friendly ghost, this trick-or-treat adventure is howling-good Buddy fun.

In a race against the Halloween Hound, the Buddies and their new friends, Pip, Zelda, Rodney and Skip must stop Warlock the Magician – and save the world from his dastardly deeds.

Doesn’t it sound like a cute movie? The Diva is looking forward to watching it. I think she said something about wearing her Cinderella dress and wielding a wand…

Head on down to your local store and pick one up today!

Check out the snazzy widget below for some cool interactive stuff. I found out which Buddy I am, but I’m not telling! Which one are you?

Disney’s Spooky Buddies: The Curse of The Halloween Hound Now Available On Blue-Ray & DVD Combo Packs! is a post from: Last Shreds Of Sanity | Blog Designer | California Mom Blog

Ever notice how society expects women to do it all? We are supposed to be wife, mother, breadwinner, chef, chauffeur, doctor, accountant, maid, teacher…should I go on? Because of these demands, we are all stretched so thin, I’m surprised we haven’t ripped apart.

Well I’m surprised I haven’t ripped apart, I should say.

Then we beat ourselves up because we aren’t SuperWoman, SuperMom and SuperWife. Is it any wonder that we are the most stressed out gender?

And hungry. I never get to sit down and eat a decent meal. I’m always on the go and my health suffers because I’m not getting the nutrients my body needs.

But this month, I’m taking it all back. I want to be a better moi.

(As I’m sitting here writing this on a Saturday night when I should be in bed…)

I can’t clone myself, I can’t afford a staff to do all the things I have to do each day, so I’m just stopping it all. How can I be what my daughter and Husband need if I’m trying to be all things? I need to concentrate on what I’m good at, what makes me happy and what’s best for my family.

That was really hard for me to say. I was a psychiatric nurse another lifetime ago in the state prison system. I quite successfully managed the medications and mental health files of a couple thousand inmates. I had it all running like clockwork. If an inmate didn’t show up for a scheduled appointment, I called out the dogs. Especially if they had a medication that was about to expire.

I once had an inmate come two hours late to her appointment with accompanied by a staff member. She was a prisoner. Where the hell could she have been that was so important? I was told that said inmate was busy rehearsing for the “friends and family” show they were putting on and was it really necessary for her to take time off for this appointment? I replied, “Well her psychiatric meds are expired and unless you want this prisoner to lose it in the middle of the show, I highly suggest she sees the doctor so they can be refilled. A psychotic break in front of family members and state officials would not bode well for you keeping your job.”

I miss that job. But I no longer have the energy for it.

I no longer have energy for much of anything anymore. I need to start taking my vitamins again. I know the benefits of being on a good regimen, but more often then not, life gets in the way. While I was pregnant, I made sure to take my prenatals and my Omega-3′s. I took the latter four times daily because I had read that it would help your baby have good eyes and greatly increase brain development. My Husband and I both wear glasses, so anything I could do to prevent my child from a similar fate was mandatory. I also have a tendency of becoming anemic, so the prenatals helped my iron levels stay normal.

And what do you know, The Diva  has perfect vision and is extremely smart!

Score one for mom and the power of vitamins!

I’m forty years old, I’m not exactly a spring chicken anymore. But I have a young child I need to keep up with and a good vitamin regimen will help me accomplish that. I should also mention that I run an online graphics/blog design business from home in addition to all of my other daily duties. Unlike a woman who works outside the home, I don’t get a steady paycheck. Trying to make my business a success is exhausting!

Finding a balance between work, home duties and having family time is three times as exhausting. And I barely leave the house!

So here is my plan: Omega-3 for overall health, Ginseng for energy, Prenatal to help make up the shortfall in my diet, B12 for that pesky PMS. I also need something to help with sleep. I haven’t found anything yet that, but I will. I plan to vigilant about this; I need to be the best I can be. That doesn’t mean that I will have a house that looks like it was cleaned, organized and decorated by Martha Stewart, nor does it mean that I will suddenly become a Top Chef. What it does mean is that I will be taking my life a little slower and not working so much. I need to be present in my life. I have a little girl who is growing up in the blink of an eye; if I turn my gaze away for too long, I will miss something important.

And that? That is just not acceptable.

 
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Taking It Back So I Can Be A Better Moi is a post from: Last Shreds Of Sanity | Blog Designer | California Mom Blog