Tag Archives: News

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Learning about Boundaries

I remember in grade school how we had to learn about “personal space”. This was demonstrated to us by making us hold our arms in front of us, like we were zombies and walking to make sure that we didn’t touch the person in front of us. We had to hold out our hands when we sat down. A stiff punishment of a recess detention would be doled out if we crossed into someone else’s space. This naturally caused us to go into “I’m not touching you” mode. We did learn boundaries of staying where we belong and don’t belong. No freedoms were impeded on.

In Massachusetts, the Supreme Court is looking at whether this law that places protest free zones around the entrances to abortion clinics. Now as someone who sees these “buffer zone” markings often by my son’s specialist, I can say that it blocks off areas around the entrance to the parking lots into clinics that performs abortions so people can freely get in and out of these parking lots without being blocked by people with signs. It also makes it so people like me can get to the medical office building behind the clinic without having these people with signs harassing me. They have all this space outside of those spots to march and protest. And there is a lot of space.

I’m for your right to protest. You should be able to take a stand against whatever you want. This does not mean my right to protest takes priority over your right to seek medical treatment or anything legal you want to do to your body. News flash: the buildings with clinics in it also have other medical offices in there. Also another news flash, sometimes people go to the clinic for birth control or OB/GYN checks though I’m not sure the exact statistics because I believe that it’s none of my damn business why they are there. Final news flash: abortion is legal and if someone is going to do it, your graphic signs and religious rhetoric are not going to stop them any more than gun control prevents gang members from shooting up school buses.

I wonder how they would feel if people were just outside their private residences to protest. Obviously, not on their property but just at the end of their driveways in the public street. Or what if I went to a church and started a protest blocking their entrance into mass? Would they say “okay, it’s your right to protest wherever you want so have at it guys, we’ll work around you. God bless!” No, they would be pissed that I’m interfering in their business.

I wish I had a larger following. I would call for these sort of protest because I’m all for seeing social theory play out. I like watching hypocrisy try to rationalize itself. I’m interested to see the results of these actions and how the various media outlets report it. I think we should test this theory. See how that affects this law and how the people opposed to it react.

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What is “News”?

In reading through the news for something that would inspire a post, I stopped. It started with a nice story of a child who died of cancer and received a full police funeral, usually only reserved for people who had served on the police force. It was a nice story, and I left it alone. There was nothing to say about that story other that very positive things that had already been said. Then I read over the “headlines” on the Google news feed, and I see this: “New York City”, “Detroit”, “Maui”. Okay, obvious news stories there.

Then I see “Chimpanzees”. Okay, I’m interested Google. I will read this for article. My husband loves watching shoes with chimpanzees and anything else monkey, so we’ll see what this says. “NY Lawsuit seeks ‘Personhood’ for Chimpanzee”. I lied, I won’t read that article, that is ridiculous. My dogs act like people sometimes and I would never consider them anything but dogs that eat their own poop and spend all day sleeping and licking themselves. At the end of the day, a chimpanzee is still an ugly hairy chimpanzee that throws poop. That headline was a waste of time.

But then, at the bottom of the list I see: “Kim Kardashian” and “Tom Daley”. I didn’t even bother reading about the Kardashian because I figure slowly people will stop caring and she will fade into an oblivion that is the tape she was in that started this insanity with her. The “Tom Daley” category sounded interesting, he’s an Olympic guy so what happened? Did he hurt himself? Did he also die in some freak accident related to what he’s most famous for? Ooooh, maybe he’s a new guy to see in those Subway commercials? You might have redeemed yourself, Google. I appreciate this. I read it with anticipation, this was going to be interested at least. Right? I’m on this. “Tom Daley is dating a man”. Officially disappointed in you, Google. You were better than this… weren’t you?

The point? What is “news”? Is a famous person coming out of the closet news? No, I don’t think so. It’s great for younger people who need someone to look up to that they can relate to so they know that it is okay to be out and proud of who they are. But this isn’t news. I think that all people are people, and I don’t care if they are gay or straight and it isn’t my business whether or not they are. And anything Kardashian related is also new. I get peed on too (Hazards of baby boys), but you don’t see me milking it for an obscene amount of money. Though, she has inspired me that maybe I should. Where the discussions of injustices happening? I care more about Government reform, the budget, why politicians are more concerned about party lines than the people that put them into office. These things should be in the news. When the Supreme Court listens to the Hobby Lobby case, I want full coverage on that. These are things I think are news. Maybe I am old fashioned, also every time I walk by Hobby Lobby I can’t bring myself to go in. A.C. Moore for life here… plus I don’t like the idea of a craft store that only wants to cater to one type of people. I want news. I want unbiased, old school journalism news where we don’t care that Michelle Obama wears clothes from Target. I don’t mind reading the fluff stuff, but I want some substance too. Just because I enjoy the mindless reading of Cosmopolitan, doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy my classic literature. But I would rather the substance than the mindless crap they try to pass off as actual news.

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Ladies and Gentlemen, Our Latest Covergirl!

I never wanted to be a model growing up. I never wanted to be an actress. I didn’t like fields where people would base their opinions on me based on looks or anything physical. My best asset is my wit, at least I think so. I’d rather be the clever girl than the pretty one. Prettiness can fade, but a certain level of cleverness will always be retained. Looks only take you so far; you need something in that little head of yours to really make it in whatever goes you have. Even models need a certain level of intelligence these days to create empires based in their images. You even have to credit Kim Kardashian (as much as we all kinda hate her) because she marketed herself and created this entire empire on nothing but looks and a sex tape.

I buy magazines. I admit a soft spot for Cosmo, because sometimes you need something brainless to sit and read. You learn interesting tidbits that you might get a great use out of in the real world. Like who would’ve known that you can order “roofie tester” coasters for when you go to a bar? I certainly didn’t and I appreciate the fantastic invention. Also it’s great to read those confession stories, because let’s be honest we all enjoy laughing at people. I even find myself seeing a funky make-up idea in there that I end up trying and looking terrible in because I lack any ability to do those girlie things. Sometimes I’ll buy magazines because I see the cover and say “I need that”. Usually I have this urge when it’s Game of Thrones related, and I have a Rolling Stone from over 10 years ago because it had Kurt Cobain on the cover and I do enjoy my Nirvana.

Then I hear about this latest covergirl. Sorry, I meant “coverboy”. Wait, is it “coverman”? I’ve got this: “coverterrorist”! I’d like to thank Rolling Stone for putting that terrorist on its cover. Seriously, it’s not every day you get to have the pleasure of being so disgusted at desperate attempts of stirring up controversy for the sake of sales. Or is it because the magazine is a dying medium and they needed a bump up? How about they make a Osama Bin Laden cover and talk about how he was misunderstood? I’m sure that would be an awesome read. I’m not sure critics are right about how this will validate him as a cult icon of teen angst and that everyone should go make bombs and kill innocent people because they don’t celebrate the same radical ideals as you. I’m absolutely sure that this is in incredibly poor taste. At first I thought they should donate the proceeds from their distasteful magazine to the One Fund. But then I decided that is almost like giving them blood money. No, they should do the world a favor and go with the Patriots model of “swap this magazine for one that is less evil”. Refund people’s money for running such a filthy edition, and reprint the entire thing with Jay-Z or Willie Nelson on the cover.

This is only part of the point. I don’t read Rolling Stone for human interest pieces, or in this case, Terrorist interest pieces. I read them for articles about music. Actually, that’s a lie. I don’t recall the last time I read a Rolling Stone magazine. I don’t even remember reading my decade or so old Kurt Cobain edition. I appreciate people using controversy in their publications. I find controversy to be thought-provoking and allows for a good debate. I think there’s a line you don’t cross though. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I think making victims of this horrible incident stare at one of the people responsible for their pain is completely disrespectful of this tragedy. We don’t want to pity him; we can honestly say we want his blood. You can feature him, but don’t try to make him out to be a misunderstood human being that is a victim of his circumstances. Plenty of people come from crappy circumstances don’t end up to be terrorists. Don’t defend him. We won’t pity him. Or maybe not show him and let him go away in oblivion because he no longer exists and shouldn’t be allowed to think he’s a martyr.

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When Beer and God Collide

I’m not a beer drinker. I’m more of a wine fiend myself, a nice delicious good Merlot preferably.  After two years of not touching a drink, I swore that the minute I stop providing my son’s milk, I was going to go to the store and buy a nice bottle for myself. Then when I got home, I will proceed to drink the entire thing. No, I won’t waste any time with a glass. The bottle will be plenty, then I will take some aspirin and down a gallon of water and go to bed. The trick is to hydrate to avoid the hangover. Truth. Not exactly though, I don’t have the luxury of just downing a whole bottle of wine since I need to be fully functioning for my boys. That, and I’m at a point in my life where I think that getting completely drunk not the type of thing I find appropriate for me. But this isn’t about a love of wine.

I wonder if anyone really thinks about God or anything about religion while drinking. When I chose a beverage, I can’t say that religion has any influence on my beverage choice. I know some religions don’t approve of alcohol or its consumption. That’s perfectly okay. But I never considered the two being mutually exclusive. Does God have a favorite beer? I’d like to ask him. If he did, I bet he would be a local brewery sort. Maybe God would even make his own at his own distillery in Heaven. Silly me, if God wanted beer he wouldn’t make it; he’d snap his magic God fingers and BOOM! The most perfect beer would appear. I bet it’d taste pretty awesome too. Maybe it would even taste like… wait for it… heaven. (Too much?)

That whole paragraph sounds a little ridiculous, doesn’t it? The idea of mixing religion and beer. That’s exactly how ridiculous I found the whole Sam Adams beer debate. I see where the commercial was going. Sam Adams signed the Declaration of Independence, so what better beer to celebrate the holiday than theirs. Why not hammer it home by using the words of the document to pull at our patriotic heartstrings. If I love freedom, I should love Sam Adams beer. Plus, it’s a state grown brewery, bonus points right? The revolution started here in Massachusetts folks. Maybe they shouldn’t have used the part where it talks about the Creator and omit it. But they are a private company and I thought we’re not supposed to be telling them what to do? I don’t feel offended by this. I don’t think I should declare what people find offensive, though I can say I don’t get it. I don’t understand why God should be mentioned in a beer commercial. I don’t understand the big controversy. I think people are starting to drum up “the war against Christians” because they’re running out of examples of this since it’s not Christmas season. Shame on us for only attacking the Christians and their religions. They are the victims in everything. They never were the victims in the Crusades and World War II. Oh… wait.

The point is simple. It’s a commercial. I think I need to repeat myself. It’s a commercial. There’s no big conspiracy to bring down the Pope. There’s no conspiracy to bring down Christianity at its core of beliefs. There is a conspiracy to sell beer, however, so watch out for that. Maybe even sell mediocre beer. What if another beer company used God in their commercials, wouldn’t there be an uproar of implications of targeting children because God loves kids and so does beer? What if the commercials used another religion in their purposes to sell beer? Where would the outrages be there? I think there’s enough going on the in the world where we should worry about that and not whether or not a commercial referenced God properly. Next you’ll see beer commercials promoting guns, and we’ll see what the real slippery slope is. Also, I doubt God would want to be a part of selling alcohol for the purposes of drunken debauchery. I think that’s against the Bible.

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Why Do We Even Bother?

Every time I read the news or watch a news program, I’m guaranteed to have more questions than answers. Usually not always questions like “oh why does that even matter?” or “I don’t get what they are trying to say”. Usually they involve more of “seriously?” or “why?”. Is it a result of inadequate reporting on every news outlet? (I specify every because I want no misconceptions of what I mean, because I always point out that I think that they are all shams.) No wonder satirical news websites and television shows do so well: because we figure if we’re going to laugh at the regular news, might as well have one that is purposely trying to be funny. Or… is it that we live in a world that is so “shot to hell” that the news really is that terrible all the time.

First point, arming “rebels” or the “other guys” in Syria. (As always, I preface this commentary with I’m not a political or war genius, but these are questions the everyman/everywoman should be asking.) If there’s something we probably should have learned by now, it’s that training and arming “rebels” anywhere is a terrible idea. Why? I point out about Osama and the Soviet War in Afghanistan. Sure, we didn’t train them but we sent money and weapons to help them. And we all know that worked out well in our advantage 30 years later… oh, wait. It didn’t. It’s a hard position to be in, because there are innocent people caught in the middle of this but what would happen if we went in and fought a war? Those innocent people are really going to be harmed no matter which way this table turns. And how do we even know who the good guys are? Are there even any good guys to help? Or are we just going to flip a coin to decide which side is “less bad”.

And then there’s the IRS thing. As if there’s not enough actual problems with them, now they need to make more scandals up? I saw a news report about how the IRS are getting semi-automatic guns and being trained how to use them. “That’s a terrible idea” it was said. “Why do we want an organization that’s targeting the conservatives to have weapons? Oh, they keep having accidents with those weapons. I don’t get it.” I don’t get it either. It’s okay an everyday person to have any gun they want without training, but let’s not give a gun to a Federal Employee and train them so they don’t do something stupid with it. Have you seen how some people react when they get their taxes done? I’d want a gun if I were an accountant or IRS agent. Let’s stick to what they actually did wrong and get them on that. You really don’t need to make something up to make it known they did a terrible thing. Maybe next we shouldn’t allow a President to have a gun because “why does he need one?” Though, I suppose with there still being people out there who thing Obama is a sleeper terrorist, they probably don’t want him to have a gun either. Welcome to America, where they will fight for Gun Rights for everyone because it’s a constitutional right,  but not the IRS.

On a final note, I would like to thank the Supreme Court for announcing that a big company cannot patent my highly sought after ginger/alcoholic genes. I know, it’s a heartbreak to everyone that wanted access to my awesomeness. It’s really more of a surprise that the Supreme Court had to rule on whether or not my genetic makeup could be used by a big company to profit from while I get nothing but “stabby stabbies” by doctors for an obscene amount of money. Really? What next, they can take my eggs and patent them. Oh, I know… they can make me take an ultrasound on my own dime for a medical procedure they have no business being involved in to begin with… oh.. wait.

Happy Friday Readers, and enjoy your weekend. And make sure you get the men in your life a videogame or some other gadget to make them happy for Father’s Day, they really hate ties.

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The Generation of Apathy

The Generation of Apathy, those are the now twenty-somethings and increasingly getting older. We’re the ones who don’t believe in our politicians or political process enough to vote, and the ones that believe that the only real news reporters on television are Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. We’re the generation in between the ones that believe in partisanship… wait, I meant bi-partisanship. Now people are growing into a world where different news channels only focus on whatever political agenda they want, completely disregarding that so many people are fed up with being told what to think that they don’t trust anyone in politics or news.

All I ever hear are talking points. During the election, all I had to hear was how Ronald Reagan was the greatest president who had ever lived, and Romney was going to be our nation’s next Ronald Reagan. I don’t dispute whether or not he was a great president, though I believe he was as good as presidents can be. What I wonder is, if he was so great how come he wasn’t mentioned at all during the previous administrations during their crises. I didn’t hear about how he was Clinton’s moral opposite, or how he would’ve handled the start of the downfall of the economy at the end of Bush’s terms when bailouts started happening. I didn’t even hear about how awesome he was during Obama’s first term, until the election time came and it was “Reagan Time”. I wonder how many of those Hollywood Communists he nabbed we actually Communists. Do I mean this? Not really sure I don’t have the proper information on the validity of this point.

Now, it’s all about Nixon. Richard Nixon was a horrible person with scandals up the wazoo and Obama is the new Nixon. Every time they bring up any of the scandals, all you hear is Nixon. It’s now “Nixon Time”. Nixon was a smart man, but a corrupt and paranoid one. He is the Republican Obama. Or is Obama the Democratic Nixon? I don’t quite think they have that part of it worked out, but I’ll be sure to pay attention to see.  Obama is almost as bad as Nixon, they say. Worse then, Nixon never let people die. Nixon… Reagan… Nixon. They need to slow down, the way that people don’t know the difference between Chenya and the Czech Republic, I’d be concerned they’d mix up the two.

My point is I’m tired of it. I’m tired of being told what to think, and there should be more people upset by this. It isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue, it’s an American one. We need to actually be informed by our journalists, not made a part of a grand agenda saying one party is more corrupt than another. We need to be able to trust our politicians to do what’s right for us, their constituents, the ones who voted for them not filled their pockets with an obscene amount of money to push through whatever the highest bidder wants. They are the reason the Apathy Generation exists.

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Random Musings From BooBoos to Another Plan

The best thing about weekends aren’t just the family time with my boys that I enjoy. It’s getting to sit around and listen to the current events so on Monday, I can run a nice commentary on. From the incredibly joy of headlines, and face-palming at others, Mondays are a day when I can share them with you. I admit, some of my comments today will be silly and childish, but sometimes things bring that out in me.

1) Not the Biebs! I have a soft spot for reading celebrity news. Sometimes you  just need the mindless crap those type of stories come across. Imagine my squealing with glee when I read the headline “Bieber was attacked!” I know, that might make me sound like a horrible person. I decided to stop making Bieber jokes a while back, after a Jimmy Fund girl had been treated very kindly by him. I changed my mind not too long after, deciding that based on actions and the way he presented himself, that a kind act can be forgotten if you’re a spoiled rotten and entitled brat. So seeing that he was attacked delighted me in such a way, until I discovered that he was merely poked or something similarly painless. I don’t want the kid dead, but I certainly think anyone who behaves as he allegedly behaves, could benefit from a little rough up. It builds character.

2) How about a “Plan C”? In the middle of crisis, we sure know how to put things in perspective and get our priorities straight. They have recently made Plan B accessible by 15-year-old girls. People are opposed this because “abortion is wrong” and “15-year-olds shouldn’t have sex anyways”. Let’s ignore the facts that “Plan B isn’t an abortion drug” or “15-year-olds are having sex anyways”. Or that so many people are morally outraged they teach sex-ed in schools or tried to make condoms accessible in the nurse’s office or hand them out to students. How’s teaching abstinence only working out? Oh right, it’s not otherwise 15-year-old girls wouldn’t need Plan B. Maybe we should consider educating our children properly so maybe we can reduce the amounts of “oops”, and there wouldn’t be as much of a need to make this medication accessible to kids.

3) World’s Most Eligible Bachlorette is no more. I tried to watch Honey Boo Boo once and I’m going to be completely honest here: I wanted to bash my head against a wall repeatedly in hopes that it’d dumb me down so much that I would understand what was going on. When I saw on the news that her mother got married, all I could think of was “really, that’s news? A dumb redneck married another dumb redneck, but it’s ok because they exploit their daughter and profit from it so this whole thing is newsworthy?” Sure, I detest her because her family is full of white trash you think really only exists in crappy movies and that’s how they are edited on television. Maybe they have some sort of intelligence, realizing that people enjoy watching stupid people do stupid things.

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Random Thoughts That Might Make You Hate Me

I can’t help but to sit and let my mind wander. And it definitely wanders all over the place. Elections, current events, whether I have pity for people, and people and their opinions. Then, while my mind ran away from me when I sat down to make my post, I realized I had no idea what to post about. Rather than admit defeat though, I decided to share my wandering thoughts with you. Then I thought, “I’ll probably upset a lot of people with them”. Then I considered that and realized I would probably upset those people in real life anyways. What do I have to lose? So here are my random musings of the day.

To start with, I was watching a morning show I tend to watch and they were discussing about how a ESPN commentator was discussing Jason Collins and his announcing his sexual orientation. He said about how sex outside of marriage was a sin, and so was being gay. I didn’t care, he’s a guy saying his opinion. Everyone who didn’t agree with him about homosexuality being a sin became nasty, spiteful people. Do I agree with him? Absolutely not. But I didn’t see people who disagreed about sex outside of being married was a sin also feverishly defending their views. Last I checked, he was a “commentator” and that means he is paid to give his opinion. Not everyone is going to agree with everyone. If you someone based solely on their opinions, what makes you really better than they are? I don’t agree with him, but he’s not on a soap box, calling for homosexuals to be tossed into a fiery pit. He stated an opinion. Now, if they force their opinion on other people and it affects their business life, then you can get aboard the “fight for your freedom” train. Until then, let a guy who’s paid to give his opinion have his opinion, it’s his right to have it whether you agree or not. Welcome to America, the land where you can tell other people how to think by bullying them. Besides, people shouldn’t think too much into it, I never even heard of either guy until this whole thing happened and I’ll probably forget the commentators name tomorrow.(I did need to look it up, and kept forgetting it so I felt that it wasn’t actually important to the point.)

I thought about pity and the type of person I pity. I realized I don’t actually “pity” anyone, that seems like such a negative term.  I feel bad for people who are forced into a life they can’t seem to get out of because of bad luck after bad luck. I don’t feel bad for ones that don’t try. I feel as bad for people like that as I do a drunk driver that kills himself in an accident. You knew better than getting into that car after drinking, and you died a horrible death. No, I don’t feel sorry for you for causing your own misery. People don’t realize consequences and actions, and these days no one ever makes people face them. Life can be crappy, but are you going to sit around crying about it or are you going to stand up and do what you need to in order to make the situation better? If the answer is “sit on your butt and feel sorry for yourself”, then why should I feel bad for you? The answer is “I shouldn’t”. We were given free will, and no one commands our lives but us. You want that job, work your butt off and get your dream. Eventually it’ll happen, with enough will and effort.

I know, these two paragraphs have probably upset some readers. But I write to put my opinion out there, and if you don’t agree then you don’t agree. I don’t think I should have to change what I think to make people like me, I’m only me. I don’t ask you to agree with my opinions anymore than I ask you to agree with opinions of people I don’t agree with at all. (See above.) Overall, my main point is that everyone should have the right to say what they believe without a fear of people egging their house or stalking them into the streets assaulting them. I don’t want to have people accuse me of being anti-gay because I said someone who believes homosexuality is a sin should be allowed his opinion. The great thing about people talking about their opinions, is if you don’t agree with it you can ignore it. That doesn’t mean they don’t have the right to say it.

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Hate

Normally I try to come up with as witty of a title as possible, but there’s no place for wit today. When the marathon bombing happened, I saw the best of humanity. I saw people running to help others though they knew another bomb could explode and kill them. That didn’t matter; they wanted to save lives and help. We stuck together and caught the guilty parties. We saluted and applauded our men and women of the law for their hard work in keeping us safe as if they were celebrities. They were not celebrities, all these heroes for their courage in such a dark time in our state. Did I mention we caught the guilty parties? This distinction comes into play later on, I promise.

After all this, I realized that soon I’d see the end of this amazing humanity. I’d start to see the worst in it, and it made me lose all that faith in people that I had gained. I was naïve, I admit. I should have known better. I saw in the news about a Muslim woman getting harassed and smacked around and yelled at “You caused the bombings! Terrorist!”, all because she was Muslim. A friend, that though I haven’t spoken to in years but still have great respect for, had her work’s windows smashed in because her and her family are Muslim. All because humans are hateful creatures. This hate against them is no different than the hate radicals have against us. I’ll probably get hate mail for saying this, but really who has the right to make that distinction that one version of hate is any better than the other? Both “haters” cause violence on innocent people. It’s sickening.

The people who did this to our state were caught. They were radical terrorists that happened to be Muslim. All Muslims are not terrorists. Are all white people terrorists because we have a few bad seeds that bomb innocent people? Then why do we consider all Muslim people terrorists because they have bad seeds too? Muslims probably look at terrorists the same way Christians look at the Westboro Baptist Church, they acknowledge the evil they preach under the guise of religious purity but refuse to be associated with them.

Hate is a terrible thing. Hate is just a cycle, one bad deed followed by a dozen more. The way to prove you are truly better than those who cause harm is to get the bad guys and leave the innocent ones alone. We can’t keep generalizing everyone in one group of “bad guys”, because every group has bad guys in it and I refuse to believe everyone on this planet is a bad guy.

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At A Loss

I’ve dedicated this post to current events, but I’m at a loss here. I have 2 different commentaries on this topic, but neither felt right to write about today. One is a topic about racial profiling, and I felt strongly about it but this isn’t the right platform or time to discuss that. Maybe Friday, maybe next week. Maybe a year from now. The other is just a blanketed commentary about terrorism on our home ground, which to me felt wrong because it is so soon and I never ever wanted to exploit a tragedy for my own purposes. Exploit might be a bad word, I have no ill will in posting about the tragedy but it feels wrong to write about something like this for your own personal profit. I struggled with this idea all day, but when it comes down to it I felt I needed to say something and will say it.

I remember watching 9/11, which obviously is no comparison to the true horror that event caused in our nation as nearly 3,000 people died. But I remember watching it, terrified about what happened. That was a war happening in our country, a place where we’ve always felt safe from outside horrors. It was a wake up call that the war can happen in our land, and that was unacceptable to us. We were shocked, our disbelief ruled us for several days even weeks after the event. I felt terror, I felt empathy for the victims, you’d be un-American if you didn’t. We were spectators to this.

Monday, we had news alerts on our phones telling us that there were bombs exploding in Boston after the marathon. My heart sank so low, I wondered where it went. I saw the hotel, a hotel I’ve stayed at and loved on the news. I remembered walking down that street to my first ever geek convention. I remember that Dunkin’ Donuts we got our morning breakfast at, and the chocolate store I drooled at as we passed by it. I remember hanging out in Copley Square. This was different from 9/11 to me, because I had an emotional connection and memory at the places I was watching on the television. This wasn’t just “our” backyard, this was “my” backyard.

Then my mind went to an even more horrifying place. My husband was working out East someplace, I couldn’t think of where. Was he in Boston? No, he said he wasn’t. I remembered a few weeks prior calling him, asking him if he wanted tickets to the Patriots Day game for the Red Sox, because we might have gotten our hands on them for him and our oldest son. No, he had to work and the people gave the tickets to someone else anyways. I sat biting my nails, my family on my father’s side lived there, my cousin on my mother’s side attends school there. I saw on Facebook that I knew people at the marathon there. A child died, a child not much younger than my own. It was horrific and disgusting and a dozen other words that I probably can’t write here.

We like to think of ourselves as safe; we’re really not. The catch is what we do with that knowledge: do we cower and hide or do we continue living our lives? The answer is we live. They say it all the time, and it’s true: the terrorists win if they cause us to fear every day. We learn from this, that we’re resilient and unafraid. We saw people more concerned about helping others than hiding in case something happened to them. We learned that American’s can’t be knocked down, and if we get knocked down, we stand right up and do what needs to be done. The terrorists won’t win because we’re not quitters, we’re not afraid, and we won’t let them control our lives.

Also related: My discussion about this topic and parenting. http://t.co/rSu4nUHYq4