Here’s the deal (as I see it) “what’s his name” was wrong to ask the question to begin with. Did he ask a question like that to any OTHER contestant? I ask because #1 I didn’t watch the show and I’ve only seen clips – but let’s face it, this feller (who admits he’s gay – or whatever they’re calling it this week) waited until he could get just as much mileage out of this hub-bub as anyone. It’s not fair that because someone who doesn’t share the belief system of the gay crowd (and some of their supporters) ANSWERS a question asked to them on television that they get lambasted! Note: The contestant in question wasn’t stopping traffic in a “gay pride” march all dressed up like a vulgar nun showing her “hoo-hah” to the world hoping to get someone to turn their head and get SOME kind of attention. She was on a stage answering a question – in a venue that she didn’t pick to a panel she didn’t elect. She didn’t chose this set-up, she was just “lucky enough” to answer the question as it was asked to her. The next thing I GOTTA ask (and don’t tell me some of you haven’t thought the same thing!!!) what makes “Perez” an authority on FEMALE beauty? If EVER there was a fake at that contest, wouldn’t it have been him? I mean he doesn’t really appreciate what he’s judging to begin with, it’s kinda like asking a vegan to pick out your steak for you when you go to the supermarket . . . doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, does it you?

If you don’t want to know her opinion, what she said was her PERSONAL OPINION, then don’t ask. When she answers your question – don’t pitch a little hissy fit when she doesn’t say what YOU want her to say. By the way, there’s a video blog on Perez’s site as to how HE thinks she should have answered the question (which includes some name calling – so parents, don’t let your kids go there). But wait a second, isn’t HE supposed to be all about “free speech”? I guess it’s only “honorable” when HE agrees with it.

See, I may not agree with you . . . but unlike “pretty boy floyd” over at that other website, I’ll die for your right to say it. That’s what makes our country great! He’s worried and posts HIS brand of venom about what would happen if “her kind” ran the country – guess what . . . I SHUDDER to think what would happen if the “queen of mean” himself were in the hotseat for a while. Sure, he makes a living sniping at folks from the bushes because he can’t cut it on his own, and we live in a great country where he can not only thrive, but even judge a contest that he is GROSSLY unqualified to do. But shouldn’t it end there? So he asked the question – what did he want? A cookie?!? He asked and she answered . . . then he pitched his little hissy fit and the world took notice. Funny thing is, if he’d kept his mouth shut most of us wouldn’t have heard anything about the “gay marriage question”.

That Karma is a funny thing . . . wouldn’t you say so . . . ummm, what was your name again?

Riddle me this, Batman . . . since when did it become the job of Government (capitalized on purpose because I have LOTS o’respect for our government) to be the “calorie police” for our kids? Don’t get me wrong – I want my daughters to be healthy, happy, safe and have a cute puppy, maybe even marry a prince and all that jazz. But I draw the line when the government comes into our kitchen and tells me that my kids are “too fat”.

Wait a second, we have a 2 front war going on. That’s serious stuff! Our prisons are bursting at the seams, our economy is going down the “swirly hole” at an alarming rate and you mean to tell me there are folks out there worried about how many Oreos my kids are eating?

Folks WHERE have our priorities gone? I even heard during some of the presidential debates that the candidates were asked about this “issue” (I put it in quotes because I do that with lots of fictional or hypothetic topics). We ACTUALLY have large roving groups of people “out there” in our country that drive cars, fly planes, write briefs and *GASP* vote, and they ACTUALLY raised a concern high enough to make it an issue in the race for leader of the free world. Since when did it become the job of government to police the caloric intake / exercise level ratio of our population? You mean to tell me that there are folks that actually want the government to address the issue of obesity in general, let alone CHILDHOOD obesity? Folks I live in the south, we fry EVERYTHING! I raised my kids on sausage gravy and sweet tea – I also raised them to pray, have respect for themselves and others and to do their very best in everything they set out to do. I raised THEM the way my parents raised ME . But now there are folks that want the president to step in, form a “committee” and address this “issue”????

Let’s back up. Let me lay what you call a scenario on those of you who ACTUALLY think this is a good idea. Ready? YOU buy the groceries – obviously YOU do it because by definition CHILDHOOD obesity can’t be applied to those of us who aren’t, well . . . CHILDREN. Since we have established legal age limits on driving, I can be certain that your children aren’t driving themselves to the local grocery store or fast-food joint. You folks that have a problem with this “issue” of childhood obesity are the SAME folks that are driving to the store and loading up on Ho-Ho’s, Ding-Dongs, Oreos, the complete line of Keebler products and whatever new flavor Ben and his partner Jerry have dreamed up over in the dairy case. Then, AFTER you buy it, you want the GOVERNMENT to regulate how or when or how much of it you give your kids???

Let me back up again, the sheer fact that these folks can drive TO the voting booth, let alone cast a ballot scares me. WHO CARES?!?!? If YOU have a problem with YOUR kid, I think I can probably speak for all sane parents/voters – QUIT buying the stuff FOR your kids! It’s pretty simple – why do we have to bring government intervention into it? Are you all the same group of folks who go around and point out problems for OTHER folks to fix, and then won’t do anything about it yourself?

If there’s a problem in YOUR house with YOUR kid, then isn’t it YOUR job to fix it? If YOUR kid is eating too many Oreos, then QUIT buying them! You control the purse strings don’t you? YOU have the job, not your kid . . . right? Wait, what’s that? Little Johnny won’t go out and play? UNPLUG the TV and he will! Where did our country take such a horrible turn? We have brave men and women FIGHTING A WAR for our freedom and our way of life. EVERY terrorist that is killed “over there” is one less that takes flying lessons and comes HERE . . . do you see where I’m going with this? Our country needs US. . . you and me and all them overweight youngin’s that these folks are whining about. Our country needs us to screw our heads BACK on straight, start thinking with the common sense the Good Lord gave us and QUIT waiting for somebody else to fix our problems.

Let me break it down even simpler for you – too many Oreos? Throw the rest out. Kid won’t get off the couch? Cut off the TV, take away the Nintendo DS or the Playstation or the XBox. Here’s a thought, go outside with them! Don’t be afraid of that big shiny thing up in the air, that’s called the sun, and it feels good when it shines on your skin! Stop asking for someone else to come to your house and tell you how to raise your kids. If you want THAT kind of control, move to China – they’ll not only tell you how to raise your kids, they’ll tell you how many you can have.

Personally – I don’t want the government telling me about my kids. I’m a fan of government, but I’d like to see it shrink back into it’s rightful place. It’s here for US, not the other way around. I don’t want a government official approving my weekly shopping list when currently, the government can’t balance a checkbook! If you want something done about obesity – then lay off the Haagen-Daas (or however you spell it). But PLEASE stop creating an issue where there isn’t one and asking the leader of the free world about the caloric intake of our kids! When we get to the point that we can’t control what goes into the mouths of our children, then we don’t have enough sense to raise said children!

If you want to rally around something, rally around our men and women that are “over there” so that we can maintain our freedoms here. Whether you are for the issues of the war or not, it doesn’t matter. Notice I haven’t said in this entire rant which side I’m on because it doen’t matter about me! There’s something here folks that’s bigger than us, it’s not about the individual – if we want a country for our kids (obese or not) and our grandkids – then let’s get our priorities straight. 

Let me take you back a little further. Let’s go back to a time before excesses were “cool” and neccessities weren’t merely color coded accessories for the latest gadget. When the principals of honor, truthfulness, justice and “friend” actually meant something to a nation of people. Where the wants of a few didn’t interfere with the well-being of the whole. There was a time when individuality was deemed less important than self-sacrifice. When there was a recognition that we were all part of something larger than “ourselves”. That the final equation was greater than the parts that made it up . . . but it took all those parts. As a group we were unstoppable because we knew that as a group we would thrive – but as small clusters of individual, self serving “pods” we would wither and give in to in-fighting and greed. Does this sound familiar?

Personally, if I could go to a time or place – I’d go “back”. Now we yell “Freedom for Tibet” but we want the government to control how much ice-cream our kids eat. We print t-shirts that say “Free Darfur” while American families are forced out of their homes due to a failing and faltering economy. We yell “POWER TO THE PEOPLE” but we are a nation of people lost in individuality. We have no cohesive or common thread anymore. Many of the richest (in dollars) among us yell the loudest about how horrible our country is . . . when in fact, it’s the freedoms of this country that gave them their wealth. We make heroes out of criminals and we demonize those among us who take a stand for the values and virtues of our past.

I wonder what Thomas Jefferson would write about today if he had a blog. Do you ever wonder what the “Sons of Liberty” would write on their “Facebook page”? Do you think our founding fathers would be worried about childhood obesity? Or would they be worried that before these kids can lose their baby-fat we may just lose our nation.

Hmmmmmm……..

Where was I? Oh yeah, Appalachian Caverns. If you’ve not been, pack the wife and youngins in the car, mini-van or truck and head that way. You’ll love it! Great cave, great tour, awesome atmosphere and LOTS of history (if you’re in to that sort of thing, let’s face it, if you’re not, you SHOULD be!) Today Bob Joyner was our tour guide, some of you know Bob from his many trips to local Churches singing. Bob’s a GREAT guy, had a ton of patience with the kids and really gave a great tour. Lidany took some really nice pictures (that I might post someday) and MOST importantly – the kids loved it. We had a nice picnic lunch on the grounds of the facility and then went to Coopers Gem Mine. The kids loved that too. Seems like in Elementary school they love any destination that 1) Gets them out of school for the day 2) Even moderately holds their attention and they might get a chance to play or get dirty and 3) The have a blasted GIFT SHOP!

I don’t know about the other parents there, but I’ll bet if I took one of those CNN polls that the government seems to base everything on – 99% of parents (with a margin of error +/- .5%) would all agree that gift shops shouldn’t be allowed on school trips. I’m KINDA joking, but for the most part I’m not. Give a school kid a “five-spot” and he or she will find SOMETHING to spend it on. They work a gift shop like sweet ants work the floor of a candy store. They swarm EVERYTHING! Those kids were like a National Geographic show on Red Bellied Piranah – EVERYTHING was a potential target. At the gem mine, they even bought ROCKS! It was at this point I was wishing I had my friend Bill’s kidney stones that he suffered through a couple of weekends ago, I’d have made a KILLING! I can just hear the pitch now – “Step right up kids, only 2 left and they won’t make it through a day. These natural formations are like snowflakes, no two are alike! The man that brought me these said it was like giving birth. Pool your money kids – Johnny, you’ve got five dollars. Joey, you’ve got five dollars, put that money together and scrape up what you can from the rest of your classmates and maybe you can take these little calcified gems back to your classroom and share them! Play your cards right and I’ll get them autographed (or the vial anyway) by the man that umm, errr . . . the man that brought them into the world (so to speak)! I’m guessing that by the end of the day – I could have made a small fortune!

The tour lasted just over an hour (I think) and it was great to hear all the questions from their little imaginations. Bob had given them some good basic info about caves and bats (Lidany was PETRIFIED at the thought of a bat getting on her). He (Bob) would quizz them on some of the info he had given them and they retained it well. Kids are amazing – I hate to sound like a Morgan Freeman credit card commercial, but when you can – take a day and spend some time with them. You really don’t have to spend any money – just some time. They’ll NEVER forget it. I know you can’t do it every day, I wish I could – but I was born good looking instead of rich (that’s an old family joke!). But the thing is, they really don’t care about money – not really. They care about time with us – “grown ups”. Go with them now, while they still think your’re cool and they don’t mind hanging out with you! If they just HAVE to spend some money – go by a gift shop and drop 5 bucks. Right now our little “cave explorer” is getting ready for bed and all she’s talked about for a week is this field trip – she’s forgotten about the 5 dollars (and so have I . . . for the most part) but she’ll remember this day for years.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my buddy Gary Barnette at Bristol Caverns too! http://www.bristolcaverns.com/ I worked with Gary at Bristol Caverns YEARS ago! I loved it then and still love it now! It’s another great place to spend a few hours – get away from ringing cell phones and video games. Load the kids up this weekend and take them to one of these places, I promise you’ll enjoy it! I guarantee you’ll enjoy it more than a kidney stone . . . but don’t take my word for it, ask my buddy Bill!