Here We Go Again.....Westboro Baptist Church

Westboro Baptist Church vs. the Ku Klux Klan.  Geez.

Ya know, before I moved to Kansas, I had no idea Westboro Baptist Church existed. I thought that people like Fred Phelps were only in movies, or something. I really didn't know anyone could begin acting so stupid, and keep it up for damn near thirty years. He wanted Gage Park, in Topeka, cleaned up, back in the 80's. When it didn't happen quickly enough for him, he didn't run for city council, so he could launch his own clean-up efforts, or volunteer. He decided to go on a decades-long hate campaign, instead. And he took his bible with him.

I wish I could say that these people are the craziest, most dangerous Christian religious folk a person could run into, but sadly, I don't think they are. Yesterday, on Memorial Day, they got counter protested by Klan, of all bunches. I am so sorry for the people who just wanted to visit Arlington National Cemetery.

I think it would be interesting if, during one of Westboro Baptist Church's silly-assed marches, a few people showed up with signs, stating everything from "Legalize Pot" to "Save the Whales" and and mixed in with the Phelps's, making them less visible. Or......everyone could dress up in halloween costumes, and just walk around with them, drawing attention away from the Phelps's. 

Phred Phelps is not the first Christian who has wanted me to believe that God does not love me, he probably won't be the last. He just happens to be sillier about it than most.

Deadly Cucumbers

Deadly cucumbers? Is that anything like The Attack Of The Killer Tomatos? I guess I am showing my age by mentioning that movie!! Haha!

Ok......E Coli is a chance we all take when we have our fresh food shipped from port to port, after harvesting. E Coli is everywhere, but we are much more immune to our own E Coli than to E Coli that originates far away from from us. I don't know if there is actually a way to ensure that proper handwashing technique is employed by all of those employed, from growing the deadly cucumbers to stocking them in the grocery stores, but if there is, it has not been discovered yet. The most recent outbreak making the headlines is going through Europe, and appears to have started in Spain.

The only true failsafe here is probably to grow one's own veggies, or buy them locally grown. Because I have environmental allergies, I have always tried to buy locally grown veggies, anyway, to boost my immunity to allergens. And.......I have a big garden, so I can grow a lot of my own stuff. The last time I lived in a place where there was no room for a decent sized garden, my neighbor and I pooled our space directly in front of our townhouses and grew some tomatos and peppers. In about six square feet, we got so many tomatoes that we had to give bags and bags full to our cohorts at work! I had so many, that I even gave some to someone with whom I'd had a falling out at work, and a fence got mended!

I also grow my own oregano and thyme. Did you know oregano and thyme are great sources of folic acid? Oregano is very hardy, and can be used as a flowerless border plant, covering bare spots. I think it can probably grow anywhere. Thyme will spread the same way phlox does, only you can flavor spaghetti and pizza with it. There are many ways to grow a few of you own herbs and veggies, and cut down on the problems that occur from shipping food from places that are too distant.

Julianne McCrery: Is New Hampshire Going To Be Easy On Crime?

I finally got around to looking at coverage of Camden Pierce Hughes's funeral this morning, and came across a comment made his grandmother, encouraging the world not to judge her daughter, and stating that she hopes her daughter "gets the help she needs". I guess I really can't blame her for saying that...........but gee, is it too little, too late? Camden had been identified as gifted and talented, already, and he was only in Kindergarten. His mother made an arbitrary decision that the world will never know how far he could have gone or how much good he could have done. All because she "needed help". Yeah. The help this woman needed was for social services to intervene at an earlier date, and I'm sure there were problems that got overlooked or "explained", or "excused", somehow. If a parent is obviously a loony toon, and incapable of taking responsibility, why on earth do we overlook this? And why do certain women define themselves by having children they can't accomodate in their loony, toony lives, anyway? No child deserves the kind of parenting that Camden got in the last few minutes of his life.

If Julianne McCrery had suddenly "needed help" in Texas, instead New Hampshire, she'd probably have already talked to a shrink by this time, but there would have been a stronger focus on Camden, and on his rights, not on the violent "thing" who took his life because she "needs help". And, as I stated in an earlier post, I have trouble with her "need" for "help", anyway, because she had enough of a thought process going in her selfish little mind to disappear from Texas and take her criminal parenting skills to a state that happens to be easy on crime to pull her stunt. I resent the fact that taxpayors will probably support this woman for the rest of her selfish, little life. I would be much happier if my taxes could pay for Camden's education, instead.

So.........New Hampshire.........what's going to be more important here? Julianne McCrery's "mental health issues"? Or the crime that was committed against Camden?

Tornado Victims In Reading Kansas

There will be a fundraiser for tornado victims in Reading, Kansas, tonight. Friday, May 27, in Topeka, at the Live Music Institute, a concert will be held, featuring live music from Live Music Institute Students, Ellie Smith & The Connection, and Chris Aytes & The Good Ambition. Doantions will be collected at the door. This is probably one of the best ways to help tornado victims.

Time:7:00 PM
Place: Live Music Institute, 17th st. and Fairlawn Rd.

Tornados In Oklahoma

At least six are dead now, because of the storm damage in Oklahoma as I type this, and many more are missing. Several tornadoes just ripped through several eastern counties there. Here's a link:   I am sure there will be more information tommorrow.

This is what the sky looked like as the storm moved in:

It's enough to give one a whole new respect for Mother Nature.

Rest In Peace, Camden

There is a funeral scheduled for Camden Pierce Hughes in Texas on Saturday. My condolences to Camden's family. He is so adorable in his pictures. Rest in peace, Camden.

Tornado In Joplin Missouri

Wow. What a weekend. The people in Joplin, Missouri had about twenty minutes from hearing that there was, indeed, a tornado, to actually experiencing the tornado.

 I have only been in Kansas a couple of years, and I have not seen a tornado, in Kansas, up close yet.

 Very sadly, I think the casualty count is up to ninety for Joplin, as I type this.

Update: it is 8:00 PM Central Time, and the casualty count is up to 116. Joplin schools have closed early, for the summer.