Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords

Today, a tragedy had struck in Arizona. Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, along with 17 other people have been shot. One of them a 9-year-old girl. She died of her injuries, as did Federal Court Judge John Roll, who also was killed in the gun fire.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/us/politics/09giffords.html?hp

Giffords was at a Safeway Supermarket, holding a meeting with her constituents in regards to get their opinion on the topics that were at top list for when the House reconvened.

That's when shooter, twenty-two-year-old Jared Lee Loughner opened fire. One of the shots went in to Congresswoman Giffords' head. She was taken to the hospital and went immediately to surgery.

And almost as immediately, the political fighting began.

Now, the leftists are attacking the right. Vise versa. Most (including myself in all honesty) place blame on the Tea-Party and their influencing of "hatred" towards those that are not ultra-conservative like themselves for "turning" people in to killing machines.

Hello, people!! People, everyday citizens of our society (like the INNOCENT girl), as well as well-known politicos (like Judge Roll) are DEAD. And now, all people can do on news boards, FaceBook pages, Twitter tweets and other media-type and social-networks is duke it out with the opposing party?

Classless and tasteless, if you ask me. I can say that in my own mind what I THINK drove this shooter to the breaking point. And that is Illegal Immigration and possibly even the cut backs that are in the news in concern to Death Panels in their state (Medicaid coverage).

But to blame an entire Political Party for what ONE person did? That is just too far fetched and just outlandish.

Instead of fighting amongst yourselves in the Political Ring, why not instead extend your sympathy to the families that have now lost loved ones? And also extend empathy, encouragement and hope to those who are still alive, but are injured and may be fighting for their lives?

Like Giffords, who is out of surgery, in critical, but stable condition.

It's called being a HUMAN BEING, instead of a political fan club member.

Judging A Book By Its Cover...In This Case, Blog Posts.

Judgment. We all do it at some point in our lives. We may judge a person just by their looks or behavior. We might judge a place, just by secondhand "word of mouth" and decide to NOT go and look for ourselves. Or we judge a book, article or post by it's title, and refuse to read it because we automatically assume it's viewpoints are of a disgusting nature. And in turn, we once again base our opinion of not only the subject within the post, but we tend to judge the author as well.

This very thing happened with the previous post here on Homemaker Diary. Because someone had misread and in turn, misinterpreted the title to the post, taking it that I TRULY do believe in the nature as what the title "sounded like", I was made out to be a racist, controversy-seeking moron. When in fact, I am FAR from that "truth". And the post was named what I chose as to drive home a point. NOT to state what I truly felt.

If I honestly believed in the fashion that I had chosen for the title of my previous blog entry, then the "..." would not have surrounded the title's name. Hence I would have stated that I did indeed think/feel in that manner. But, I used the "..." to show the audacity of such a statement and show what I was about to write about.

Sadly, someone misconstrued the title with the ".." around it to mean that it was the title to the blog it's self and the statement that I really do think in the fashion of the title. And this person was only half right. And being that they flat out decided to not read the post in it's entirety, they missed out on the TRUE meaning and reflection of the post at hand. If anything, my post was speaking AGAINST such a statement. Towards ANY race/color.

If this person had swallowed their pride and not gone off half cocked, then maybe, just MAYBE they would have in the end agreed with me. Even after posting the main points from the blog its self, they still refused to read it. All because they decided blindly on the title's name.

If you wish to check out the post in reference, CLICK HERE.

This is what is wrong with the world today, in my opinion. And no, I am not innocent. Not by any means. To say otherwise would be stating an all out lie. ALL OF US are too quick to judge in this world. From skin color, to people with disabilities, to literally judging books (or in this case, blog posts) by their covers.

I lived my life with judgment all around me. Because of something I could not help. I looked different from my peers. I was not mentally challenged in any form of the word. But because I slightly looked different, with a trache in my throat, it left me open to automatic judging. Even by adults!

This is why I cannot stand ANY KIND of intolerance of any kind.Be it racial, ethnic, physically or mentally challenged, and a host of others. When you automatically "ASS"ume (which makes an ass out of U & ME) about a person, place or even an article BEFORE getting to know them or read the material, it doesn't make the offended look bad. It makes the offender look closed-minded and depending on the case, looking like a bigot and a hypocrite.

Personally, I would much rather read the article/post or get to know the person or place for MYSELF, **BEFORE** passing judgment upon it/them or making my opinion known. To do so leaves you looking less like a jackass.

This is for ANYONE, not just my "regular readers" for future reference...If you have nothing nice to say, being you are too closed-minded and/or scared to read something, be it here or on any other blogs, then here is a suggestion for you (and you the guilty, know who you are)...DO NOT SAY A WORD. Being you wish to predict what the post/article is about BEFORE reading it (if you choose to do so at all), and in turn closing yourself off to other's points of view, only to stay within your comfort zone I call Fantasy Island and not possibly gain a different perspective about the world around you.

Blog Mortality

Lately, I have been seriously thinking. Thinking of what to do, when it comes to the blogging world.

There are two blogs that I write. This one, which is my main posting area. Then, I also have a "sideline" blog for the topic of the Paranormal, aptly named ParanorMel.

For the most part as of late, I write, and I write, and I write. Yes, primarily for myself. Just to get out what I want to or that I need to. As for ParanorMel, it is for those wishing to know that they are not alone, can relate to others and feel free to share their stories without societal persecution.

But the more I think about it, the more I see and compare, I think that my blogging days are coming to a standstill.

I'm wondering what the use is, anymore. Is it the fact that I don't blog on practically a daily basis? Is it because I don't hop on to every single Blogging Carnival out there? Is it because I don't comment on EVERY page I read?

I don't do cliques of any kind. I will have a buddy's back in their hour of need. And I will stand up for the underdog. But I don't care to always do or have the 'in' thing, be in the 'in' crowd. I love doing my own thing. And that also comes in to play within the writing world.

My great-grandmother was a famous Chicago Christian-based playwright. I have Mae Questel in my lineage, whom provided the original voice of Betty Boop. I've also got Jean Harlow and President Theodore Roosevelt within my bloodlines. So what? I am certainly happy and proud of my heritage. But they do NOT make me who I am.

If blogging means keeping up with the Jones' in regards to Blog Carnivals and mass commenting to "get noticed" or read, then the TRUE meaning and art of blogging has gone to the wayside.

It should never be about who has the better blog posts, the better blog layout, and all the other hullabaloo I have witnessed in my time around here, since about November of last year.

I've seen where some say that they don't run in cliques and don't do 'one-sided' things when it comes to blogging. But I'm sorry to say, I noticed. And yes they are in these 'cliques', though I don't think their eyes are open enough to really see. But I and others do.

As for fighting between to 'adults' in the blogging world? I stay the hell away. I have my own problems. In the real world mind you. So what good does it do for me and my blood pressure to jump in the middle of a cat fight? Not any good at all. For all parties involved. I say let them two have at it, remain neutral and state that you REFUSE to get pulled in.

Now, seeing as I am pretty sure that this post to will get brushed under the rug (as in not even read), let alone even validated by another's words (I'm NOT talking about Angel or Alexes y'all), I'm coming to a point of where to go from here.

Is The (Not Always) Happy Homemaker Diary and ParanorMel going to survive and move on to the next post? Or should I cut my losses, and realize the fact that I put too much time and energy in to these two blogs, that they should just be killed off?

I'm more active at the school now, then before. My kids and my home take priority. As does my husband. Plus we have a trip and the holidays coming up.

Is it all really worth it anymore? This will be a hard decision, being that I *really* do enjoy writing. But at what cost?

Death Penalty. YOUR thoughts.

We all have to die at some point. It is a given. Some will be old and have lived a good life. Some will fall gravely ill and pass young. Those of any age can be killed in a vehicle accident. And there are some that will be murdered. And some will be put to death as punishment for taking another human's life.

Today, we are going to talk about the latter. Executions and Death Row. Now, before you go off on a tangent and yell at me that God commands us to not kill and that executions are wrong and/or immoral, I urge you to READ THIS FIRST before commenting right off the bat.

Also, be sure to read PART 2 OF THIS WHOLE STORY.

This woman put a hit out for someone that she was supposed to have loved and his son, who of course thought she loved him like he was her own flesh and blood.

Instead, she loved the impending Life Insurance Policy payout more and had two men break in to their home and kill the son, first. Then, as her husband was BEGGING for mercy, they then shot him, too.

The reason that Teresa Lewis is sitting on Death Row, awaiting her fate, twenty days from now is because she put this whole ordeal in motion. She was as guilty as those that pulled the trigger.

True, those two men received life sentences. But her part was much more heinous. She PAID to have her husband and his boy killed. Not because she was in harm's way, was being abused or anything of the like. But for the money.

Now she is begging that her life be spared, as are her attorneys and anti-death penalty activists, and they all are asking the judge show this woman 'mercy'?? WHAT?!?!

Where was 'mercy' when her step-son and her husband pleaded and begged to not be hurt or killed, and said that the men could have ANYTHING they wanted? It wasn't there that day. Mercy for those two men were nowhere in sight.

She has had to have been segregated from the common prison population for seven YEARS. WHY? And with that said, how will she be of "help" to the other female inmates, as to use her faith to help others? You cannot do that when you are NOT AROUND other inmates!! Duh.

Yes, I do support the Death Penalty. Many who are there, deserve it. If it is indeed proven that they had the means, the motive and the forethought to take a fellow human's life, as to gain from it monetarily (or any other means of ganing something materialistic in nature), or even just to kill someone, then yes, serve them death. On a silver platter.

If it was purely for self-defense and/or to protect your children, then that is a different matter. At least you are not killing someone just for the sake of killing and getting a rush (or something materialistic).

And yes, this woman, Teresa Lewis, deserves the ultimate punishment. If she wasn't so callous, money-hungry and devious, then maybe, just MAYBE, Julian and CJ Lewis would still be alive and well today.

Those that know her closely have even stated that she is a con-artist and has even fooled a couple of pastors (in months/years before this tragedy) in to thinking that she was an upstanding citizen of the community, and a good Christian woman.

Come to realize later, many that knew her, feel that she had a hand in the car wreck that took her husband's other son, almost to the day of his death, a year before. That son had apparently had a good sized Life Insurance Policy as well.

Seven years is a long time. A long time of being away from the main prison populous, sitting in Segregation. And a long time of my husband's and my tax dollars going to that prison to house, feed and clothe a murderess, who is a classic example of a Black Widow wife.

Not all killings deserve the Death Penalty. But, ones like this do. An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. She reaped what she sowed. And for her, it ended with a hefty price.

True, killing her will not bring back two men that were dearly loved by their daughter and sister. But it will bring justice to two men that still deserved better than to be wasted for money.