Oh No She Didn't Go There....Yes, I Did So Deal With It

Normally when I write blogs I have a very specific agenda and it usually relates to an article or news piece. I try to not blog to much about the 2 big topics that usually get a reaction from everyone. You all know what they are and probably have had many heated discussions about them in the past. A few too many drinks at Christmas and all of a sudden you and Grandma are poster children for your party lines ready to disown each other. Anyway, I am of course talking about politics and religion. *A gasp falls over the crowd*...Is this blog world suicide or facebook isolation in the making? Will my friends list suddenly see deep decline for those who disagree with my beliefs? Hmmmm. Maybe. BUT, that's not enough to deter me. Nope, I am going to exercise my right of freedom of speech and accept all comments and debates. See, when I debate about politics or religion I am very open minded for the most part and really try to see other peoples points of view. I do not like to lump everyone into the same party and assume (you know what that makes you) all Republicans and Democrats think the same. This isn't true. There I said it. I mentioned the D word and the R word. Don't get yourself too much into a twist for I am not even going to mention the C word or delve too much into organized religion. Well, not today. And before you decide to label me a bleeding heart liberal, or Democrat, or liberal conservative, or any other group. Stop. I'm none of those things. I belong to the party called Common Sense. I may even run for office for it.

Here is what has me all up in arms in my little blogging world. Two words. Michele Bachmann. Or as I like to jokingly refer to her as Dr. Bachmann as she has referred to herself in the past. Okay, I told myself I wasn't going to just use cheap jabs at why this woman is so grossly unqualified to run for president but try to stick to logical and reasonable arguments. Calling herself Dr. is debatable as she does have a J.D. but most lawyers or other people who hold this degree do not call themselves doctor as it equates one to think of a Ph D of some sort. Back to my concerns and I have many so if you are already up in arms over the mere mention I'm going to discuss politics and one woman in particular maybe you should stop reading now. As John Paul Jones once stated, "I have not yet begun to fight."

So, first of all what the heck is going on with politics now anyway? I mean really? It's like one big giant SNL skit over there on capital hill and all over the country. I feel like anyone can say basically anything no matter how ludicrous and people rally like cattle and say, "Yeah! That sounds good. How else will you fix all of my problems?" One Ms. Bachmann quote that first got me really looking into this lady is this

"I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out then under another Democrat president, Jimmy Carter. And I'm not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it's an interesting coincidence." 

Ok. Two issues here. First to even imply that the Swine Flu might be some kind of Democratic chemical warfare is so ludicrous and second she was wrong! The epidemic actually began under Gerald Ford's presidency-a republican- but really who cares? Why would this be of any actual concern at all. Ok, so her stupid remark about the Swine Flu isn't really a smoking gun on her credibility but don't despair there's more.

"What I love about New Hampshire and what we have in common is our extreme love for liberty. You're the state where the shot was heard around the world at Lexington and Concord. And you put a marker in the ground and paid with the blood of your ancestors."

Actually that was Massachusetts not New Hampshire. You are a congresswoman, please study basic American History. And if you think I'm unfairly beating up on her just because of her "gaffes" in public, that's now true. Both parties have said some pretty stupid shit in public. Obama did fudge the number of states he'd be leading and let's not forget poor Howard Dean and how is maniacal "Hawww" completely destroyed his campaign. And don't even get me started on all the bone head things Biden has said on and off camera. But to really try to make yourself a legitimate option for president running against an incumbent you need to do just a wee bit of research. What I think bothers me the most about this women is she is so blatantly blissfully unaware of the reality around her. Here's a statement she made in 1987..er wait..this was actually yesterday.

"What people recognize is that there's a fear that the United States is in an unstoppable decline. They see the rise of China, the rise of India, the rise of the Soviet Union and our loss militarily going forward." 

Soviet Union???? Last time I checked that ended with Regan just staring daggers at them from across the globe. And even if she just made a mistake and meant lets say Russia, last I checked Russia wasn't really coming after us with any real threat.Yet, just another misfire from the straw poll winner herself. Even with all the word vomit that has spewed from her mouth I suppose there is more to take into account other than the fact she handles the media and interviews about as well as "I'll have to get back to you on what periodicals I read" Sarah Palin (who by the way is looking more and more sane by the day in comparison). Let's look a little bit deeper into Ms. Bachmann's beliefs and how she would run the country. Ok, I'm going to get a little bit into religion here so be warned. Her and her husbands "clinic" essentially is using the mentality that you can "Pray the Gay Away". I'm not kidding. Just pray. Ask God to re-orientate you and you will be saved. You know what, no matter what your beliefs or religions are guess what? America is made of gay people, straight people, transgendered people, Christians, Muslims, Atheists, Jews, black people, white people, Asian people, and a whole mix of others. They should all be treated with respect and have the same rights. I don't give a damn about what any book says. If you are an American you are to be treated equally and with respect. No one should tell you that you need to pray to be something you are not just because they are uncomfortable with your lifestyle. This is probably what infuriates me the most . The fact that this woman is such a blatant bigot and homophobe and makes no excuses for it.  On Gay Marriage

“This is probably the biggest issue that will impact our state and our nation in the last, at least, thirty years. I am not understating that.”

The biggest issue? Gay Marriage. Really. I'm pretty sure that the economy, the loss of jobs, the rate of unemployment, being a slave to the foreign oil, job creation, healthcare, social security, and hell even the war on drugs would be a bit more of an issue than two people who are in love making it legal so *gasp* they can share benefits and make end of life decisions for each other. She has even gone as far as signing something called a "Marriage Vow" that basically says to ban pornography, homosexuality is a choice, and that slavery -while not perfect- at least insured that the child would be brought up in a two parent household. Hold the phone.. Did you read this vow Ms. Bachmann before you signed it? It actually included this statement

“Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA’s first African-American President.” 

Sure, the baby may have had mom and dad but all three of them where considered property and slaves!! “Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet” — run as far away from that sentence as you can, because it is going nowhere good. -Washington Post. If you think I'm being to harsh with the "potential" GOP candidate really think about what she would bring to the table. She confused Waterloo as being the birthplace of John Wayne which it was in fact the birthplace of John Wayne Gacy (you know the guy who dressed like a clown and killed little boys) and has even suggested that dinosaurs where in the Garden of Eden. Sigh. I can't take anymore anti-science rhetoric. I really can't. I really want the whole separation between church and state to hold true. However, it does not. It is the basic foundation on what many of these campaigns are run. It's about who can convince the American people what the truth is without really using any real science or facts. I'm not going to go on a rampage about Creationism and Evolution but I will go out on a limb and say carbon dating is not crap and no dinosaurs and people did not co exist. Sorry. They just didn't. And I don't think I'm being to radical or liberal or anything else. I think I'm just following my party line of common sense. Treat people with respect. Treat them equally. Don't get so caught up in propaganda and talking heads. Listen to what potential candidates are saying and make an educated choice that doesn't have to do with the fact you don't want gays getting married for Christ's sake. That should not dictate your vote. That really is just silly. And no not all Republican's think the way Dr. Bachmann does.  Jon Huntsmans has released a much talked about tweet  

"To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy"

Whoa buddy! Be careful with that statement. But he's being honest with what he believes and it actually coincides with what I believe. I tend to base my beliefs on facts and science, HOWEVER, I am open to other theories and thoughts and nothing to me is a closed subject with a final conclusion. That being said, I'm sure if you are even still reading this you have come to the conclusion that no matter what I claim, I must be a liberal or a Democrat. Please don't call me that. I'm simply an American trying to make sense of this mess we call our government. Am I happy with the way things are today? Hell no. The economy is in the shit house and gasoline prices are on the rise everyday. I feel America doesn't make anything anymore and that makes me sad. I want "Made In America" labels to come back to this country. I want this country to produce and money made here to stay here. I want the middle class back and I want people to be held accountable and to contribute to their society. I want people on welfare to take drug tests and no I don't have a problem with having to show ID to vote. I have to show ID to write a check at the post office for crying out loud. I believe in equal rights and gay marriage but am prolife. I also don't like the idea of blaming anyone politician or party for things. One of the responses I'm sure this blog would get is "Well Obama blah blah blah". yeah I know. I'm not writing a pro-Obama blog. Mistakes have been made and I will be listening to all the debates leading up to the next election. Feel free to comment as you see fit. Remember this is my blog therefore my opinions. I'm not trying to push any kind of political agenda, just trying to encourage logical thinking. Try to refrain from name calling as it just lowers your credibility.  As of now, I have no idea who I will vote for but I sure as hell won't vote for Michele Bachmann. But then again she really stands no chance of being elected. We will see her next year on TLC starring in her own reality show. And would I watch it? Hell yes I would.

Vaccinations... Fact or Fiction

So I recently took the boys for their well checks and both where due for vaccinations according to the American Pediatrics Institute. Aaron was due for a follow up Hep A and Jude had MMR, Rotovirus, Hib, and Polio. Now this use to be a much bigger debate when everyone was spooked that vaccines caused autism. That has since been proven over and over again that that is just not the case. However, I don't think the vaccination routine has fully recovered. Parents are still leary about vaccinating their children. It doesn't matter that many diseases that used to kill children have all but been eradicated only to pop back up because the lack of vaccinations.

Sure, I always am a bit worried after the vaccination that Aaron will suddenly stop talking or Jude will have a reaction. Fear that's in place by misleading and inaccurate studies. But the thought of my children getting measles, mumps, or polio is much scarier. The incident of reaction to a vaccine is low and vaccines work about 85%-99% of the time so that's better than zero. There is also the argument that if everyone else is vaccinated why should my child be.

It is true that a single child's chance of catching a disease is low if everyone else is immunized. But your child is also exposed to people other than just those in school. And if one person thinks about skipping vaccines, chances are that others are thinking the same thing. Each child who isn't immunized gives these highly contagious diseases one more chance to spread.

This actually happened between 1989 and 1991 when an epidemic of measles broke out in the United States. Lapsing rates of immunization among preschoolers led to a sharp increase in the number of measles cases, deaths, and children with permanent brain damage. Even in the first half of 2008, the number of cases of measles in the United States more than doubled from comparable time periods in recent years. Most of the cases were among people who had not been vaccinated. Similar outbreaks of  whooping cough struck Japan and the United Kingdom in the 1970s after immunization rates declined.

The fear of autism I think is in the forefront. I don't think parents are entirely convinced that vaccines do not play a part in this. Especially with so many personal stories about the changes in their child shortly after their vaccination. I would never say these parents are wrong. They know their children and behavior but I do not fear this happening to my children. Autism instills fear in all parents especially if your child has risk factors. For example, I did a lot of reading on it when I had Aaron. He is a boy and was born prematurely. Two risk factors. I watched him like a hawk for signs instead of realizing he was just a normal little boy who was a tad behind others his age because technically he was 7wks younger than others his age before he turned one. However, he is a thriving 2 yr old and my fears have all but vanished.

Numerous studies have found no link between vaccines and autism. Likewise, a groundbreaking 2004 report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found that thimerosal (an organic mercury compound that's been used as a preservative in vaccines since the 1930s) does not cause autism. Still, some parents have opted not to have their children immunized, putting them at great risk of contracting deadly diseases.

The MMR vaccine, especially, has come under fire despite many scientific reports indicating that there's no clear evidence linking the vaccine to autism. In fact, in 2004 a long-disputed 1998 study that suggested a possible link between autism and the MMR vaccine was retracted. Even before the retraction, not only had other studies found no link, but the controversial 1998 study was rejected by all major health organizations, including the AAP, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

There's also no reason to believe that thimerosal is linked to autism, according to the 2004 IOM report. Nevertheless, in an effort to reduce childhood exposure to mercury and other heavy metals, thimerosal began being removed from kids' vaccines in 1999. Now, vaccines for infants and young children contain no or very little thimerosal. And recent studies have not shown any cognitive and behavioral problems in babies who might have received these thimerosal-containing vaccines.

So what could explain the increased rates of autism in recent years? For one thing, there's a broader definition of autism that can be applied to more kids who show varying degrees of symptoms. A greater awareness of the condition among health professionals also has led to more diagnoses.

And although the number of children diagnosed with autism may be increasing, the rates of MMR vaccination are not. In London, diagnoses of autistic disorders have been on the rise since 1979 but rates of MMR vaccination haven't increased since routine MMR vaccination began in 1988.

In addition, the average age of diagnosis of autism has been found to be the same both in children who have and who have not received the MMR vaccine. What many researchers are discovering is that subtle symptoms of autism are often present before a child's first birthday — sometimes even in early infancy — but often go unnoticed until the symptoms are more obvious to parents. www.kidshealth.org

I am not trying to start a debate on whether you should vaccinate your child or not. It's every parents choice and I respect that. I am, however, defending my decision to vaccinate because sometimes I get grief or sideways looks when I say my children are getting their vaccinations. Like I'm a bad mom for wanting to protect my children against diseases. My suggestion is do your own research like I have and make the decision that feels right for you.

As parents we should be supporting each other instead of judging. I decide to vaccinate and I listed my reasons above. If someone disagrees that's their call. When it comes to medications same thing. Some people are super against taking any meds while others (myself included) find the benefits outway the risks which is what I consider before making any choices. When I was pregnant with Jude I had to take a lot of medication. If I had not then the risk of another abruption was high and I could lose him altogether. Yes, there is always a risk on the unborn baby but I decided the small risk with the medication was a better choice than the huge risk I was taking without it. To each his own. I wanted to write this blog to get this off my chest as I feel sometimes afraid to admit I vaccinate around other moms in fear they will shoot me a 'how dare you' look.

Til next time!