Friday, March 27, 2009

Green Thumbs

I was talking to an old friend a few days ago about gardens and she reminded me of a former supervisor who nicknamed me "Poison Ivy" because I had so many plants on my desk.

"He was just teasing," I said. "I wasn't that bad."

My friend paused then replied, "Do you remember that TREE you were trying to grow in your apartment?"

I do have a deep love for growing things. While other people had pet goldfish, during my years of living in dorms I had two pet Venus Fly Traps named Mojo Jojo and Mr. Bojangles. My side of the room always looked like the Garden of Eden. Had I not decided on my current career path I would have been equally happy pursuing a career in botany. I'm like a child in a toy store whenever I am in the garden sections of stores. My so-called green thumb has resulted in my home becoming a cross between a plant orphanage and hospital. I have had near-dead plants left on my doorstep more than once that I have nursed back to health and recently my nephew checked in his dying cabbage. A plant is one of the few things on this planet that has mastered the art of reciprocation. The more you put into a plant, the more it gives back. Fruit and vegetable plants reward your care with food. House plants (well, certain types) reward you with a fresher smelling home. Flowers reward you with their beauty. Growing things is a spiritual experience for me. I have embraced the idea of being an amateur botanist.

And in my defense, I found good homes for all of my plants whenever I had to move...including the tree.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Alaska and Florida Considering Ban on Bestiality

They are just considering it? Shouldn't that have been a foregone conclusion? And why is this child rapist that they are citing as an example free to walk out on the streets anyway?

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Rape Victim Basher to Speak at Rape Survivor Fundraiser

I heard about this on the news and I didn't believe it until I saw it on the website of the organization. My shock isn't because of O'Reilly's political views, it is because he has unapologetically bashed survivors more than once and has not recanted on any of his statements. He said that Shawn Hornbeck (the child that was kidnapped at age 11 and SA'd for four years) "liked" being in that situation.

Jennifer Moore commentary (this was a radio show so I could only get a transcript of what was said):

O'REILLY: So anyway, these two girls come in from the suburbs and they get bombed, and their car is towed because they're moronic girls and, you know, they don't have a car. So they're standing there in the middle of the night with no car. And then they separate because they're drunk. They separate, which you never do. All right.

Now Moore, Jennifer Moore, 18, on her way to college. She was 5-foot-2, 105 pounds, wearing a miniskirt and a halter top with a bare midriff. Now, again, there you go. So every predator in the world is gonna pick that up at two in the morning.

I just saw on the news that the organization has released a statement saying that they are aware of Bill O'Reilly's comments and they are not going to cancel him because it is "not an issue." I am looking for a link showing this and will post it when I have located one.

WTF? Why stop there? Why not invite other victim bashers? Why not invite their secondary abusers, hell, since something like that doesn't matter why not go all out and invite the criminals responsible for the existence of that organization! To allow someone that feels this way about survivors seems about as sensible as letting David Duke speak at the NAACP centennial celebration. I don't understand why they would do something like this.