Margaret Cho's Puss*

This showed up on youtube.com and is perhaps the funniest thing I've ever seen. Be forewarned! It is, afterall, Margaret Cho.

Number 5000

Congratulations to the Big J, who on November 27th, became my 5,000th visitor. Okay, so it really isn't that impressive. But, considering I was at one point getting 50 - 100 hits per day during the summer, I'm happy to have finally reached this milestone. What does the Big J receive? He gets a firm hand shake and a manly hug with a few inches of separation between us and thump on the back. That is how men say, "you my boy, dog." And so, without further ado, here are the most recent "searches" that came to my blog: 1. male enemas for sexual pleasure 2. herbal essence asian women commercial 3. circumcision 4. sesame street gina single mom 5. why is noraebang important in korea 6. photo of circumcised young men 7. bible belt 8. she cut foreskin 9. circumcision korean puberty 10. I dyed my hair too black but I'm asian Make of them what you will, people.

New Adoption Articles

This first one annoys me. Primarily because God had obviously told them to adopt. Serve God. Adopt a Baby! What a great bumper sticker. Article One: Adoption Blessing The second one is scary because I see this as a direct threat to equal rights and family welfare. Stupid Oklahoma people. Here is an interesting fact. In the late 1990s, Oklahoma ranked 2nd in number of divorces per capita. And even after Oklahoma declared a "war" on family values and tried to promote family lifestyles and marriage counseling, the 2001 report showed that for every 100 marriage licenses issued, 76 divorce petitions were issued. Hmm...76 out of 100. That's pretty high considering the national average of projected failed marriages is only 43%. What's interesting is that state officials in Oklahoma cited "Bible Belt" attitudes toward young people marrying as one of the primary reasons for divorce. So you'll let your 16 yr old daughter marry, but won't give marriage rights to gay couples? Another nail in the coffin for those so-called Bible thumping conservatives who tout family values: Red states have higher divorce rates than Blue states. For example, Massachusetts was 5.7 per 1000, while Arkansas was 12.7 per 1000. Hmmm...interesting. Article Two: Gay couple awaits adoption ruling from U.S. Courts. The third one is just kind of interesting. How about health concerns for children who don't have smoking parents? Let's say, parents who feed their kids too much dairy and meat? Or perhaps parents who feed their children fast food? I think those parents should be condemned! You'll burn in hell! Or at least on the grill! Article Three: Adoption Service Rejects Smoker Have fun.

Vegan Korean Food

Thanks to Soon Young for the link on her page. I loved it so much, I figured I'd just post it here for my vegan friends. Korean Temple Food @ Sanchon

Bush still an idiot

Let's see. The following things have happened since the midterm elections: 1. Rumsfeld "retires" - even though a week before the elections, Bush claimed the GOP would win, and that Rummy would stay on. 2. Little Barbara has purse stolen - even though that air-tight Secret Service (the SS anyone?) follows her everywhere. 3. Bush's travel advisor was beaten and robbed in Hawai'i. 4. Cheney is sent to Saudi to try and salvage their foreign "policy". 5. And now this - which really pisses me off. Editorial in NY Times, November 24, 2006 It sounds like a late-night parody of President Bush’s bad habit of filling key posts with extreme ideologues and incompetents. To head family planning programs at the Department of Health and Human Services, Mr. Bush has tapped Eric Keroack, a doctor affiliated with a group vehemently opposed to birth control and someone nationally known for his wacky theory about reproductive health. Read full article here.

Why I hate Photoshop

Proverb Cookies

I no longer like Fortune Cookies. What began as a childhood treat, now has become my worst enemy. As a sworn champion of proper speech and the written word (although I do find myself with typos galore), I despise cookies that tout themselves as "fortune" when all they give you is a wise saying. What type of fortune is the following saying? Live long and prosper. It isn't a fortune. It's a damn Spock-ism, and of course a proverb. I don't like the fact that fortune cookies have become so poor at predicting the future. Since when did Asian become so bad at doling out good fortunes? I mean, we were people that thrived on such nonsense thousands of years before people in America began wondering what their astrological signs were going to divulge about their futures. Plus, now these cookies just plain suck. I always get the cookie that tastes like they've been sitting in a soggy jar of water, then air dried for a few hours. They are either too soft, or too crisp. The art of the cookie has become lost, not just the art of the fortune. So I've figure to stop hatin' on these fortune cookies and start finding the humor in them. See the following website for some really funny ones: Weird Fortune Cookies

Uproar over NYTs, Sesame Street, and Guatemalan Adoptions

From UPI - Episodes of "Sesame Street" next month will address the topic of adoption as part of National Adoption Month in the United States. In the episodes airing on PBS Nov. 6 and 7, the "Sesame Street" gang gets a new edition when the character Gina adopts a baby boy from Guatemala named Marco. Big Bird, Elmo and the rest of the crew pitch in to collect baby items for Gina and to teach young Marco about baseball and the alphabet. Executive Producer Carol-Lynn Parente said in a news release Monday that the fact that Gina is a single parent was not lost on the writers. "Statistics show that almost a third of children are being raised in single parent households, so we felt it was important to reflect this growing family trend on our 'Street'," she said. "By using an adoption storyline to represent the single family household, it also gives us a chance to model yet another definition of what a family is." For your information, the episodes were number 4130 and 4131. The episode I saw today was interesting, with Gina bringing home her Guatemalan "baby" (looked more like 9 months old) and the "Street" trying to help Gina out as best as possible. From what I understand, although Gina (white, blonde, veterinarian that can talk to animals) doesn't speak a lick of Spanish, despite being best friends with several Spanish-speaking neighbors, hopes to teach "Marco" both Spanish and English. Good job, Gina. What is also remarkable about this is that Gina is a single adoptive parent, that is also highly successful (those vets work on a cash only basis). I wonder how she'll manage to deal with her job, daycare, such. Complaints about the episodes range from the fact that it only took one day to get the baby back to Sesame Street, that Gina doesn't speak Spanish, and that Big Bird will be babysitting the baby in a bird nest right next to the dirty Oscar the Grouch. I mean, couldn't they find the baby a real bed? My complaints are as follows: 1. They want to put the baby in a crib. Don't they know that babies from poor countries don't sleep in cribs and won't be used to being so far away from a mommy? They need to promote co-sleeping and tummy snuggles with the mommy. 2. They want to give Gina pacifiers (binky) for the baby. Don't they know that sucking on these things cause poor teeth alignment and only are temporary solutions to stopping a baby from crying. In general, don't give a crying baby a pacifier. Give it attention. 3. They gloss over the whole "what does adoption mean?" question that Elmo poses. Sorry Elmo, it's not as simple as "A baby who needs love and a family who wants to give a baby love" explanation you got. It's a bit more complex than that. 4. Everyone is super chipper. Where are Gina's parents who are probably totally doubting their daughter's ability to be a single mom to a transracial adoptee? Maybe, since she's seemingly pretty progressive, she's got two mommies? 5. What's with the "I'm your mommy now" song and I swear I almost heard the phrase "forever family" come out in some form or another. To give this whole adoption month and adoption episodes some perspective, the New York Times ran an article: "Guatemala System Is Scrutinized As Americans Rush In To Adopt." The article rightly points out that, "Guatemala, where nearly one in every 100 children is adopted by an American family, ranks third behind much larger nations, China and Russia, when it comes to providing babies to American couples." In response to this article people have written a letter saying: Dear Editor, Not only did Marc Lacey’s story about Guatemalan Adoption misrepresent reality, it also was full of factual errors. Oscar Berger did not sign the Hague Treaty in 2002. Berger didn’t become President of Guatemala until 2004. The treaty was signed by former president Oscar Portillo, who is currently being extradited from Mexico back to Guatemala to face corruption charges. The Constitutional Court did not rule that the country must abide by the Hague Treaty. In fact, in August of 2003 the Constitutional Court ruled that Pres. Portillo’s acceding to the Treaty was unconstitutional. The ruling this year stated that President Berger could not be forced to formally withdraw from it. Guatemalan adoptions need reform created in a pragmatic manner. The history of the Hague Treaty in Central America explains why those of us who know the beauty of intercountry adoption find it so frightening to see Guatemala follow suit. Kevin Kreutner Proud father of two Guatemalan children Chief writer, www.guatadopt.com In addition, people have said the following things: "I smell UNICEF all over it." (about negative image of Guatemalan adoption system) "How about focusing on the positive side of adoptions for a change?" (about the negative slant of the article) "I can't believe that anyone with 1/2 a brain could actually believe that a baby would be better off being left in a situation that they live in." "It seemed to trivialize the beautiful encounters parents have with seeing their babies for the first time at the Marriott." "Why doesn't UNICEF realize that by allowing Americans to adopt these children from Guatemala it might benefit the country's future?" So what do I have to say about all of this? First, I don't know about Guatemala specifically. What I have read, from forums, blogs, news articles, and web sources, is that Guatemala is particularly tight on paperwork, but extremely corrupt in terms of honesty with prospective parents. It seems that even those parents who are outraged at people calling Guatemala a "baby factory" admit that there are problems in the adoption system there. In fact, one adoptive parent admitted that if the laws in the US weren't so tough, they'd probably even adopt domestically. This suggests to me that they turned to Guatemala, not because it was their first choice, but because it was "convenient." Some angry adoptive parents and prospective adoptive parents claim that the country is in need of reform, and therefore we should do our best to help those children in that country. For example, the one quote above seems to suggest that taking these children from the country will actually benefit the country. How is this? One of their reasons is that it will prevent these children from growing up and joining gangs, doing drugs, and becoming problems on the street. I think that's called "slippery slope." In response to the "hating" on the NYT article, if the only "facts" the article got wrong (they corrected them the very next day btw) were about legal issues of the Hague and a wrong name mentioned, then the people complaining don't seem to have any proof that the article is truly "misinformation." Where is their proof that these people aren't getting paid to coerce women to give birth so families can adopt? It's going to be real interesting to see what these parents' reactions are as their children grow up. I can only hope that previous generations of transracial adoptees can give voice to the experiences that these children will face as they grow into adults in America. I have a feeling that many of these parents don't see the negative, because adopting from Guatemala is such a new thing. I wish them well, but also wish them to open their eyes and to read a lot more on the issue of transracial adoption and transracial identity.

What kind of Herbal Essence are you smokin?

Regarding the model's official statement: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 My Official Statement Regarding the Herbal Essences Commercial First off, I'm that girl. I'm the Asian blonde in the Herbal Essences commercial. There are a lot of people who are hating on the commercial. People are saying that it's racist and is trying to get people to abide by white beauty standards. There are comments that the commercial is saying that only blondes are beautiful and is "like a hand came out of the tv and slapped [them] in the faces". Some didn't really give a reason and just said that "the commercial is lame". When did dyeing one's hair color become such a taboo? Lots of people dye their hair. I think of it like an accessory. There are comments saying that Asians shouldn't dye their hair or get nose jobs because they should stay true to their culture, ethnicity and the way they were born. People have gone on and said that doing so is an Asian wanting and trying to be Caucasian. Does that mean we shouldn't curl our hair or wear make-up? If we do, does that mean we're not staying true? I don't think so. The fact that I say "Ja" (yes in Swedish) also does not mean anything as I think there are Asians in Sweden. To imply that having a Swedish accent or speaking Swedish is becoming more white is narrow-minded. When the voiceover in the commercial says something like "it'll have people thinking your parents are Swedish" isn't a knock on Asians. It's just a joke. The point of the commercial, a commercial that's selling shampoo for colored-hair, is to promote a product that keeps your dyed color lasting longer. The tagline is saying that Herbal Essences' Color Me Happy shampoo/conditioner is so awesome that it keeps your colored hair looking natural. And you know what? It really is awesome. Not that it matters or that you care, but I love Herbal Essences. People are saying that Asian girls who dye their hair blond are trying to be more white. It's not that at all. It's empowerment as I think of it as us Asians can be blondes too, not just white girls. It's not taking anything away from what I am, who I am. I'm Asian. I'm Asian American. That will never change. I can dye my hair blond or red or blue. I can perm my hair and wear whatever you think I shouldn't be wearing. I'm secure with my identity and will always "be true" to myself. I hope you guys don't take offense to the Herbal Essences ad. I think it's a Great thing that they decided to put an Asian girl in a national commercial, don't you? :P I don't know if I find the advertisement "offensive," but just another one of those whimsical gimmicks ad execs make at the expense of racial stereotyping. Yes, an Asian woman dying her hair blonde is trying to be more white. Why else would an Asian woman dye her hair blonde? What would have given her that idea if the beauty standard of the blonde woman wasn't so pervasive in magazines across the world? This goes hand in hand with anal bleaching and pornography. What would possess any woman to bleach her anus, unless her boyfriend or she herself had seen it airbrushed out or bleached out in a pornographic film? The continual exposure to that "look" in pornography actually leads people into believing that having a dark anus is actually unappealling. I live in South Florida, where people are obsessed with how they look and continually compare themselves to models in magazines and models on television. What would possess people in their right frame of mind to do odd things to their bodies like get breast implants, butt implants, cheek implants, calf reductions, eyelid lifts, ear enhancements and other weird things? In general, I don't think people say things like, "You know what I want to try to today? Just for fun? Bleach my anus!" I've never said that changing your hair color or getting a nose job doesn't make you less Asian. What I've continually said to my KAD friends is that doing so only seems to reveal the subtle beauty wars we play within our own mind. Particularly for KADs and other transracial adoptees, the issue of "looks" is enormous. Wearing makeup isn't the equivalent of trying to be white or something we're not. Hell, I'd love a good coverup on days I have a pimple. But, changing my nose to look more like people on TV, or changing my eye lids to look more "caucasian" is not going against my race, it's my sad attempt at trying to live up to a promoted beauty standard that isn't realistic for the majority of people in the world. For the model to say, "I think there are Asians in Sweden" cracks me up even further. This truly does reveal the lack of insight she has into transracial identity. I believe I did mention in my previous post, that the only Asian people I've met from Sweden were, of course, KADs. Now, from those KADs I've met from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, they've really enforced one idea in me: Racism there is worse than in America. I remember one KAD who said, "If you go to Denmark and see an Asian person, they're probably adopted, and they're probably a bit angry." So when the commercial says, "It'll have people thinking you have Swedish parents," it isn't a joke. It's all too real for some people. Do those people have a real bone to pick about the commercial? I'm sure they do. I love Herbal Essences. I buy their products primarily because they don't test on animals, and they're vegan (at least some of their shampoos are). So for the commenter on the model's blog who claimed that people should stop bitching about the racism in the commercial because there are bigger problems in the world, like animal testing, I can only hope that person is a serious vegan who doesn't eat meat. Here is his comment: theres always going to be haters in the world, apparently its lifes law that we can't make everybody happy, but F' them! I can't believe they are hating on that Herbal Essence commercial of all things! HEY RETARDS!! INSTEAD OF WASTING YOUR LIFE ON HATING SOMETHING SO SMALL, HATE ON SOMETHING ON A MUCH LARGER SCALE! LIKE PRODUCTS THAT TEST ON ANIMALS!!! HOW DO YOU PEOPLE LIKE THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE GREAT HYGIENE PRODUCTS AT THE COST OF ANIMALS LIVES?!? HUH MOTHERFUCKERS?! ANSWER ME!! GOD DAMN BITCHES...!! BITCH ABOUT SOME COMMERCIAL, FUCK YOU PEOPLE!! Herbal Essence is one product I support that DO NOT test on animals! Otherwise, his use of curse words in response to people who didn't like the commercial, is pointless and juvenile. BTW...from the looks of it, I think he is into driving fast cars. I also would bet he drives a car with leather seats. So you can respond to him. You can tell him so here. Racism exists in the commercial when the gong is struck. Racism exists in the commercial when Herbal Essences tagline says "Color Me Happy." If you think commercials aren't filled with latent and subliminal messages, you're an idiot. All advertising companies love to hire English majors and people who are good with words to come up with innuendo. "Color" is race. Color me happy surely means that you can color your hair to be happy with it. Color me happy does not mean, I'm happy that my hair will stay this color longer. Color me happy also means that you're happier being a different "color" than you are. Therefore, the meaning is two-fold. I'm not sure this model has ever been to any Asian country. I hope she has in her travels around the world taking beautiful pictures in "exotic" locales. (BTW...if an Asian girl from LA goes to take a picture in Japan is the location "exotic"?) But if she has, she surely has seen the numerous plastic surgery offices in, for example, Seoul, where you can change your body, bleach your skin, and fix yourself to look more "white." After all, pale is the new tan. Yes, I'm pleased an Asian woman is featured in a national campaign for beauty. But did it have to be in one where she's blonde? Why couldn't it have been in one for her beautiful strong black hair? Yes, progress comes slow, and often times we take one step forward, then two steps back. Certainly this is far better than promoting geisha costumes as hip. However, if you don't speak up, then we'll be stuck with the same old thing. I sort of feel the same way about this commercial as I do about the "Dove" commercials. They're campaign for "real beauty" disturbs me when they're saying that they celebrate real women, but then promote cellulite cream. I mean, come on. You're saying to women they're beautiful the way they are, but then say, "well...you could be better if you bought our product." You know, you should all go check out her website. She really is beautiful. Notice what color hair she has.

Herbal Essences and Adoption

I just saw an Herbal Essences commercial. I was watching Grey's Anatomy, or was it Survivor?, when I saw the ad. You see a woman from behind, only her beautiful blonde mane is flowing behind her. Suddenly, she turns around and it's an Asian girl! Color me (pun intended) suprised. Commercial plays on, blah blah, and at the end she speaks with a Swedish accent! Holy crap! It's a confused transracial adoptee! So I go looking for this commercial, but can't find it online. I try the Herbal Essences website, but nothing Asian there, not even "green tea" shampoo. So I'm at a loss. Did anyone else see this?

Daniel Dae Kim Rocks the Vote

Link to YouTube where Daniel Dae Kim promotes Virginian candidate Webb. He's a looking fellow. Kind of reminds me of someone, but I just can't figure out who (hint hint).

WTF?

“Originally concieved as a doggie t-shirt, this says "delicious" in Korean and would look just as good on your chest, too!” Is it me, or would putting this on a dog, with it being written in Korean, be racist? I don't care if the person is Korean or not. It's in real poor taste.

Thank You George Bush! I didn't know you cared!

President's National Adoption Month proclamation BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION During National Adoption Month, we encourage the adoption of young people in need, and we honor the adoptive and foster families who have offered children a loving and supportive home. The best of America is reflected in the many citizens who have adopted children as their own. Mothers and fathers are the most important influences in a child's life, and children with caring, involved parents can better realize the full promise of America. Parents help their children thrive by encouraging them to aim high, work hard, and make good choices that will lead to healthy, satisfying lives. On November 18, loving families across America will celebrate National Adoption Day by finalizing their adoptions of children from foster care. This day will also raise awareness of the many children still waiting to be adopted and encourage more Americans to choose adoption. My Administration is committed to helping place children with caring families. Through the Collaboration to AdoptUsKids project at adoptuskids.org, we are working to provide guidance and support for parents considering adoption. We are also offering tax credits to ease the financial burden on adoptive families, and we are providing funding to help strengthen State adoption services through the Adoption Incentives Program and the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program. Together, these efforts can help connect children with loving families and help provide greater hope and opportunity for America's children. During National Adoption Month, we pay tribute to the parents who have opened their hearts and homes and helped provide love and stability for young people. By caring for the youngest members of our society, these families are helping our children grow into successful adults and building the future of our country. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2006 as National Adoption Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities to honor adoptive families and to participate in efforts to find permanent homes for waiting children. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first. GEORGE W. BUSH

Mid-term elections and sex

Call me a skeptic, but all this penis going around is making me think that people just don't have their morals in the right place. First there's Haggard. No, he's not gay. No he's never done meth. Oh, wait...see what happend was...what I meant to say was. Okay, what type of hotel was he staying at that would actually refer him to a gay "massage" artiste so he could buy drugs and get a "massage." Happy ending anyone? Raise your hand, if you can. Now that he's admitted to it, he's definitely going to hell, at least according to his teachings. Oh, but wait. This gets better. Now that's he admitted he's "guilty of sexual immorality" the church members hug him and say a prayer for him. One person was quoted as saying that they don't just throw away their brother or sister because of something they've done. Wow, what a liberal and loving stance. Maybe they'll embrace all homosexuals...in a non-sexual way, that is. I don't know, Haggard says he's repulsed by what he did. Then why'd he keep doing it? There's that element of enjoyment in it obviously. You don't actively seek it out, unless there is something appealing in it. These people should've seen it coming. Wasn't it Haggard in his "Jesus Camp" film that basically decries homosexuality, but then makes a joke about what he "did" last night? Also, this is the same man who lead the "Soldiers of Christ." He would venture into gay bars and convince gay men to attend church with him. Hmmmm...was this research, work, or play? Where will the evangelicals go from here? Do they open their closet doors, or do they only allow those who have power stay with the church? Second: Crist is gay? I don't know what to believe. Here is a man running for Gov'nar in our FL and seems to be "conservative." I know there are groups like "Log Cabin Republicans" (I'm assuming this is an allusion to Lincoln sexuality rumors), and others and films like "Gay Republicans," but in general, if you think about the majority of comments made by conservative republicans about gay people, you'd find this interesting to see that no mention is really being made of any of this stuff. Why would it matter to me? Because I see this as an actual opportunity for political change. If more people are crossing party lines in different ways, then perhaps what we're really seeing is the middling of American ideology. Third: Mark Foley. Nuff said. Oops. Fourth: Pornography and the church. Missing computer. Missing police reports. Another oops. Never mind that this Mr. Tate may have been involved sexually with prepubescent boys. Nope, that somehow slipped the church's eyes and they never reported it to the authorities? Wow...that's a mistake. Fifth: Katherine Harris - wants to ban gay marriage in Florida (which is why me no vote for that botox lady). However, it seems a former staffer of hers was in an affair (again, this is only rumored by nearly all biased news sources) with, yep...Charlie Crist. How interesting. Now, if only all this stuff would just go away and somehow people wouldn't mind who is sleeping with whom. After all, the Republicans didn't mind when Clinton was sleeping in the Oval Office, did they? Now they say that this stuff shouldn't matter to us.

Tell Me Your Problems

I must have this stamped to my forehead. Case in point: today was Open House (this means I have to look cute, and smile at parents). I must have had a dozen or so parents come up to me and say, "Hi, I'm (fill in name). My son/daughter is (fill in name). They've told me that blah blah. Did you know that (insert problem)." Or this one: Students say, "Mr. Papa2hapa! I hate (insert teacher of choice). They are blah blah." These conversations generally go on and on. For example, if a student says, "Do you want to know what happened to me?" I say, "No." But this doesn't faze them, and they continue to tell me the story of how sad their miserable rich teenager lives are. I then start to do the "this is the world's smallest violin" routine to which they say things like, "You're so mean." And I say, "Then why won't you leave me alone?" To which they retort, "Because you love us." Whatever is written on my forehead, I swear, it's getting annoying. At the same time, I also realize a lot of this has to do with my personality and sensibility now as a father, particularly to a young girl. Perhaps this is why they come to my room, write on my board, and ask me questions. I hate it, but at the same time, I love it. I hope Noodle becomes just like them. I hope Noodle is as expressive and humorous and smart as these girls. But, I also hope she has a teacher who cares about her as much as I care about my kids.

No Fly For You!

I am surprised that, as a registered Democrat, and as an outspoken critic (okay, ranting on a blog about it doesn't count) of Bush and his whole essence of being, that I am not on the TSA no-fly list. But, after some careful research and fascinating discussions with my political minded mother, I've discovered that this no-fly list is really somehow odd. For example, FBI Director Robert Mueller said, "We would never put a person on the watch list solely because they sought to express their First Amendment rights and their views." Thanks for that frank and transparent statement. "Solely" must mean that the following people were put on the list for wanting to bomb American interests: Dr. Robert Johnson - Democratic challenger to incumbent Republican in upstate NY Rebecca Gordon and Jan Adams - Anti-war activists from San Fran Loretta Sanchez - Democratic representative of a large (24,000) Arab population in southern Cal. Ted Kennedy - Democrat (dislikes Bush) Nancy Oden - Green Party official, Bush critic Sister Virgine Lawinger - 74 yr old Catholic nun, member of anti-war group Peace Action Wisconsin. This list also includes a handful of people working for the ACLU and other civil liberties organizations. When I searched for Republican lawmakers on the list, there were none that I could find. In fact, I didn't find any Republicans mentioned in any of the news articles on people who were stopped, delayed, or searched. I was at FLL and I was one of only two minorities in line from FLL to BWI. I had the Noodle with me. Sure enough, the only two people pulled out of line in security were me and the Middle-eastern man in front of me. He turned around and just laughed and said, "Now really, do you think that was so random?" They even made Noodle, who was three at this time, take off her shoes, and they wanded her. Seriously, if this is supposed to make us feel safer and want to fly, then I recommend doing strip searches of all individuals before going on the plane. This would boost American morale and make us feel like we were flying safe. Surely that woman with the underwire bra won't mind the TSA official feeling her up to make sure the wires aren't connected to some C4 explosives. Ah, yes, it's election time. And mid-term elections are going just dandy! I must say, GW is looking smug in his White Castle and saying things like "I won't fire my best friends because they give me great advice." Really? It doesn't matter that even his own party is suggesting getting rid of Rumsfield, GW will stay the course. I saw a ship stay the course once. It ran aground, leaked oil all over a delicate reef, exploded into fiery flames, and destroyed an entire ecosystem. Does this situation sound remotely familiar? Ring the bell and make sure your responses are in question form.