Executions for everyone!

As I was reading the news this morning I stumbled across this little gem, courtesy of Tucker Carlson at Fox News.

In case you don't feel like reading it, Tucker says that NFL quaterback Michael Vick should have received the death penalty instead of time in jail for dog fighting charges from a few years ago.

Where, oh where, do I begin?

Let's say first & foremost, I am one of the biggest animal lovers you will ever meet in your life.  I have a page on my blog dedicated to my pets.  I have to change the channel when the sad SPCA commercials come on.  I have to shield my eyes when I see an animal that's been hit by a car.  And growing up with a dad who hunted constantly was a challenge for me.

I'll also cop to the fact that when the Eagles signed Michael Vick I wasn't all warm & fuzzy about him getting a second chance at being a millionaire.  I said, on more than one occasion, that he should have had to work a 9-5 everyday like the rest of us instead of living a lavish life.  However, as time has gone on, I've realized that he's paid his debt for his actions & 19 months of confinement from his family & his freedom was enough of a punishment.

But for as angry as I was (& trust me, I can get pretty angry), I never would have suggested that he deserved to die for that behavior - and that is because I am a rational person.  What normal person would come to the conclusion that animal abuse warrants death, even when there's such debate about whether or not it's fair punishment for murdering a person?  And even if you think it, who goes on TV & says it to the world?

Again, please understand that I am not excusing Michael Vick's actions at all.  What he did was totally unacceptable, & there is no excuse for his behavior.

But let's call this what it is, Fox News.  This is not about Michael Vick.  This is one more reason to disagree with the president.

"I'm a Christian. I've made mistakes myself. I believe fervently in second chances," Carlson said. "But Michael Vick killed dogs, and he did in a heartless and cruel way. And I think, personally, he should've been executed for that. He wasn't, but the idea that the president of the United States would be getting behind someone who murdered dogs? Kind of beyond the pale."


It's hard for you to believe the president would stand behind someone who killed dogs?  The president - the most powerful man in the free world, who at times has to make decisions that mean innocent people will be killed. 

My question to Tucker is this:  where do we draw the line on second chances?  Who decides what is forgivable, & what is punishable by death?  You?  I surely hope not, because it's obvious that your judgement is somewhat lacking.

Happy Memorial Day!

My grandparents both served in the navy & are buried at Ft. Indiantown Gap, a national cemetery about an hour away from my house.  Last weekend my grandfather's brother & his wife were visiting from Wisconsin, so we went to the cemetery.  They hadn't been there since the last time they were in Pennsylvania, which was probably 10 years ago, so it was very important for my Uncle Bob to do.

On a regular day, the cemetery is beautiful...as strange as that may sound.  Every year they have a big event for Memorial Day, so they were already decorated last weekend.  The grounds are covered in American flags, one to represent each soldier buried there.  A cemetery is what it is, & there's no way to forget it when you're there, but seeing all the flags is a more emotional reminder of the sacrifice & loss made by all those buried there.

Today I don't have much to say. Just thank you today & everyday to all those brave men & women who served their country, some who are still with us & some who aren't.  We owe you our freedom.

Open letter to a reckless driver

Dear Guy in the gold Honda,

You're a fucking asshole.

Here's an idea - how about you leave a little earlier in the morning instead of driving like an idiot & endangering all the people unlucky enough to be driving around you??  Oh, but I'm sure you're far too busy staying up late & watching porn to be on time in the morning.  What was I thinking?

I'm not sure if you noticed as you were speeding past me to beat my to the stop sign (by the way, how did that work out for you?), but you killed a bird.  It all happened so fast that I'm not sure how I even noticed.  Lucky for me you were going so fast that when the poor little guy flew in front of you HE HIT YOUR GRILL & EXPLODED!  Come to think of it, maybe you did notice...I don't really know how you could have missed the mushroom cloud of feathers billowing across your windshield.

Yes, I'm one of those overly sensitive animal lovers.  I'm sure you don't share that sentiment.  Maybe to you it was "just a bird."  But what if that bird had a family?  What if that was a mamma bird bringing some food back to the nest?  Even worse, what if it wasn't a bird at all?  What if your reckless behavior injured, or killed, a person?  I'm sure that thought never crossed your mind as you were rocking out to Nickelback this morning.

Believe it or not, I hope you never do get into the catastrophic accident I'm imagining.  Though I don't know you (& I don't want to), I don't want anything bad to happen to you.  Furthermore, I don't want anything bad to happen to anyone else either.

The purpose of this letter is just to say:  Thanks for ruining my morning, douchebag!  I hope you were late to work.

Sincerely,

Renee

Celebrate. Remember . Fight back.

Had an absolute blast yesterday at the auction!  There was yummy treats, lots of door prizes & tons of great items up for auction.  Our table kept winning, & we were loud & obnoxious about it.

I had never even heard of a quarter auction before, so it was a new experience for me.  It's an awesome idea for a fundraiser.  Here's how it works:

• Our ticket got us one auction paddle.  When we arrived, we picked a bingo chip with a random number on it.  That number was added to a bin where the winners would be drawn from, & we got a corresponding paddle.
• Additional paddles were $2 each, so you could have more than one chance to win auction items.
• We got a catalog with a list of auction items & how many "quarters" it cost to bid on each.  The bids ranged from 1 quarter to 4 quarters.
• When it came time for bidding, we put the appropriate amount of quarters in a cup on the table.  If you bid with more than one paddle, you had to pay the bid amount for each additional one.
• After all the bids were made, the quarters were collected & a paddle number was selected.  If the person who had that paddle bid, they win the item.

I only won a door prize that I couldn't use, but luckily traded with Jenn for one I could use!   My friend Amanda felt sorry for me too, so she shared one of her prizes with me.  It's an adorable walled from Thirty One Gifts.  Check them out.  They have great stuff!


At the end of the day I didn't mind that I didn't win much.  The title of this blog is the slogan that was printed in the auction book, & exactly what the we did yesterday.  It really was more than just a quarter auction.

It's more than just a quarter auction.

Tomorrow I'm going to a quarter auction with my mom, my sister & two of my best friends.  I'm sure it will be a lovely afternoon where we can all buy things we don't need & not feel bad about it because they're cheap!  Who doesn't love that?

The event is a fundraiser my mom's job is holding to benefit the American Cancer Society.  It's the newest addition to the laundry list of Cancer Society fundraisers I've participated in.  I've volunteered for Daffodil Days, bought plenty of those same daffodils, sold candy bars, bought plenty of those same candy bars, bought raffle tickets, sponsored relay teams, etc...

My very long car ride home gave me some time to think about why they've been so important to me.  And the reason is, I do it for my grandparents.  My Grandpa died just before I turned 10, & my Grandma died when I was 15.  Not a day goes by that I don't miss them & wish I had more time.

Even after all this time, I still have angry moments.  Sometimes I'm mad at God; sometimes I'm mad at cancer.  Being mad at God doesn't work, but I can do something about being mad at cancer - and the fundraisers are what I do.  I'm fighting back.  Maybe that seems trivial since my loved ones are gone, but I don't think so.  What I think about is all the people who were "fighting" while my grandparents were sick.  Even though we didn't win the fight in time, I know it wasn't for nothing & I'm going to keep on fighting for all those people who are going through it now.

Miss you lots Grandma & Grandpa!  Love you! xoxo