text:
Don't Get Me Started with Linda Sharp http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/dont_get_me_started_with_/ en-US 2016-04-29T17:54:43-05:00 When Logic Gets Flushed Down The Toilet http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/dont_get_me_started_with_/2016/04/when-logic-gets-flushed.html There is a subset of the population for whom Chicken Little is not simply a childhood story, but a guidebook to life. They must always be afraid in order to feel alive. They must always be on the lookout for...
There is a subset of the population for whom Chicken Little is not simply a childhood story, but a guidebook to life.

They must always be afraid in order to feel alive.  They must always be on the lookout for boogeymen.  They must always have a target for their inner turmoil.  The sky must always be falling.

Whether it be red cups at Starbucks daring to obliterate their holiday happiness; gay people compromising the sanctity of their third marriages by wanting equal rights and protections; or Syrian refugees infiltrating their safe suburbs, there must be a target in their quest for perpetual victimhood.

Here's the problem with the Chicken Little set, however ... at no point do they ever allow logic, facts, or common sense to temper their temper tantrums.

And that's a problem because in their never ending quest for the Iron Throne of supremacy, they must be fed a steady diet of human chum.  A constantly filled feeding trough containing whatever the latest "it" they have been told is out to get them.

Starbucks cups came and went.  That hysteria was put away when the twinkle lights came down.  Syrian refugees are SO four months ago.  Gay people triumphed and took away their legislated right to keep them from buying overpriced floral arrangements and fancy cake.  So what's an easily led, easily scared dimwit to do?

Gobble up the latest fare put in the trough by their legislators:  transgender people.

It is not just North Carolina that has brought the *gasp* horror of transgender people needing to pee to the fore.  State after dullardly, bigoted state has introduced their own bills to demean, marginalize, dehumanize, and criminalize a transgendered person's need to use the bathroom.

Look, I don't mind a person being uneducated about a subject.  There's a lot I don't know about in this world and I read constantly.  What I do mind is when a person digs in and takes pride in their lack of education, refusing to get up to speed lest it disrupt their inner narrative and make their soggy brains hurt.

Transgender people are PEOPLE.

There's the first thing you need to know.

They are not perverts, pedophiles, monsters.  Might there be some scattered through the demographic?  Of course.  Just as there are perverts, pedophiles and monsters scattered through every piece of the human pie.

But that is not what being transgendered is.  It is not some scary anomaly (at least not for the public - it is scary as hell for the trans who has to deal with the hateful, ugly public).  In point of fact, a transgender person is simply someone whose outside does not match their inside.  Bully for you!  You were born with a soul not "wearing" white shoes after Labor Day!  A trans person was born "wearing" the equivalent of stripes and plaids.  And all they want is to be able to live a life in which what they see you do with such ease, be something they may do as well.  Live an authentic life, a safe life, a life with love, grace, stability, friends.

Only the Chicken Littles of the world cannot have that.  They double down on their stupidity and support the legislators who know how easily led is their base.

Given the hysteria and glut of "bathroom bills" you would think transgender people just hatched out of eggs a month ago.  Scary!  Out to get us!  They want to infiltrate the bathroom and look at our pee pees!

No, no, and get the fuck out of here.

Transgender people want what you want in a bathroom break.  A place to pee or dump in private, peace, and safety.  That's it, that's all.

But noooooooooooooooo!!!, you cry.  Men will now dress up as women to gain entry to the ladies room and rape and pillage!

I see.  So you're actually not afraid of transgender people at all.  You are actually afraid of cis male rapists entering the ladies rooms.  As if that sign on the door has kept you safe all this time.

Here's the truth - stay with me now - THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN INCIDENT IN A BATHROOM INVOLVING A TRANSGENDER PERSON ATTACKING ANYONE.

NEVER.

Yet there you Chicken Littles are, threatening transgender people with violence, playing toilet vigilante, and letting mentally defective opportunists like Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin, NC Governor Pat McRory, Dan Patrick - Lieutenant Governor of Texas, et al - manipulate you into thinking the end is nigh because someone with conflicting genitals may be in the stall next to you.

New Flash, brain trust:  They have been there all along.

 Transgender people have been around as long as people have been around.  Minding their business, taking your orders, answering your phone calls, fixing your cars, serving your drink on airplanes, cashing your checks for you at the bank, selling you stamps at the post office, firing up your Half Caf Steamed at Starbucks, helping you pick out an outfit at DIllards, and yes, PEEING BESIDE YOU IN BATHROOMS.

Ed-u-cate yourselves.

A transgender person, regardless of where they are on their path of transition - actually, let me stop here for a moment to educate you further...

Transitioning is a long process.  It is a very long road.  As it should be.  Thoughtful, deliberate, many doctors involved.  Hoops to jump through, appointments, therapy - it is not something you just wake up one morning, say "I'm trans" and hop over to the Urgent Care for hormone therapy.  This is not some capricious, fad type adventure someone embarks on on a lark.  It takes time, bravery - SO MUCH BRAVERY - support, care.  With the quest being to simply align the outside as much as possible with the person they have always known themselves to be inside.

Think of it this way - let's scoop up beer gutted Bubba from outside any Texas Sonic on a Friday night  (Shut up - I live here, I see it, it's real.)  Now, against his will, let's make him up, limit his wardrobe to dresses (nothing camo, sorry, Bubba, you are now Barbra), and let's go even further - knock him out, and give him breast implants.  Lookin' purty there, Barbra.

Now, to the outside world, Barbra is looking like a woman.  Being treated and addressed as a woman.  Is Bubba still in there?  OF COURSE HE IS.  Because Bubba knows WHO he is inside.  Mismatching his outsides does not change Bubba's inner truth, his authentic self.  And I guarantee Bubba will be begging, seeking help, looking high and low for doctors to make his outsides match his insides.

That is what a transgender person lives with.  Knowing who they are inside - some from a very young age, some finding the words in young adulthood for why everything has always been different.  Just dying to live authentically.  Literally dying to live authentically.  A 41% suicide attempt rate because society cannot muster the strength to open a book, Google some information, display some empathy for other human beings.

 So, back to the path of transition.  The beginning is passing.  Trying to begin matching their appearance to their hearts, their souls, their minds.  Hormones, surgeries - they come far later.  But passing is crucial in this process.  It is the first step to feeling even a little normal.

So a FTM (female to male) going into a men's room is because they ARE male.  And they will go in a stall, do their business, wash their hands and leave.  A FTM is not standing at a urinal checking out your dick.

A MTF (male to female) going into a ladies room is because they ARE female.  And they will go in a stall, do their business, wash their hands and leave.  A MTF is not at a urinal - there are none in a ladies room - or standing on the toilet looking over at you taking a dump.

They simply wish to pass as who they know themselves to be, get safely in, safely out.  Might you take a second glance?  Sure, but I promise you they are passing as best they can for the time in the transition they happen to be.

Further down the road of transitioning, when there have been hormones, perhaps surgery, you will notice them not at all.

Which is why these bathroom bills are such utter and complete bullshit, and the epitome of how easily led the Chicken Littles are.

You have been going to the bathroom with transgender people all your life.  You simply have not known.  But now some legislators have decided to point you this direction and it is all you can think about.  Which is pretty sad.  You are hyperfocusing on someone else's genitals, turning taking a shit into a sexual thing.  (And while I know there is a kink for every vibe out there, if you find yourself in a Target bathroom taking a poo, I highly doubt you are thinking about sex.)

Look at yourself in a mirror.  Could YOU be mistaken for a short haired man?  Does your girth swallow up your boobs, ladies, making you look more like Bubba than Barbra?  And guys?  How about that ponytail you rock?  That lithe frame you may have.  Many of you could be mistaken for Barbra, not Bubba.  May we do a genital check on you?

What's that?  NO?  Why not?  I need to be sure that Fred, with his tiny ass and split end pony isn't a woman entering the men's room intent on looking at Rudy's penis.  Or that the tall girl with the pixie cut isn't really a man intent on raping my daughter.

Here's the bottom line:  This has never been an issue.  NEVER.  I shall repeat it again.  THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN INCIDENT IN A BATHROOM INVOLVING A TRANSGENDER PERSON ATTACKING ANYONE.

You are safe.  As safe as you have ever been.  So keep doing what you have done till now.  Pee in pairs.  Don't let your child go in alone. Be aware of your surroundings.

Because transgender people are not the threat.  The threat is your continual insistence that the sky is falling, and your willingness to flush logic down the crapper.

 Linda Sharp 2016-04-29T17:54:43-05:00 Reflections On Half A Century http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/dont_get_me_started_with_/2016/04/reflections-on-half-a-century.html I turned 50 today. And it's ok. No fanfare, no big party, no panic. Just me, my quiet house, my cats. I did not look in the mirror harder this morning. I did not move slower getting out of bed....
I turned 50 today.

And it's ok.  No fanfare, no big party, no panic.  Just me, my quiet house, my cats.  I did not look in the mirror harder this morning.  I did not move slower getting out of bed.  Today is just another Sunday, and I am glad to be alive in it.

I have never been a crisis kind of gal.  Not given to lamenting some arbitrary number.  I did not panic at 30.  40 was just another busy day.  And now here I sit, at the outpost of half a century, and I honestly could not care less.

Life is about transitions, growth, letting go, learning more, and in my opinion, facing forward, moving forward.

I guess that is why I did not have the expected breakdown over the empty nest.  It simply was the next transition.  My kids all growing up and moving on did not rob me of my identity because I have always been very careful to cultivate an identity beyond being a mother.

I have never been broken by my marriage being lived across the miles.  Just another choice and transition.  And for all the times I have been asked the inevitable question, "How do you do it?"   The answer has never changed.  I just do it.

And to elaborate on that?  I just returned from a 7 night cruise with Rudy.  While on the boat we realized we have never had that much time alone together.  There has always been work, cross schedules, an unpredictable and demanding business, children, soccer, moves, and separations.  Even when we have vacationed, we have had kids with us, or we sneak in a couple nights here and there.  Seven whole days.  Here is what I can tell you - falling in love all over again feels just as amazing at 49, 50, 58, as it does at 16, 20, 25.  We spent 7 days holding hands, exploring, talking, laughing, taking "naps."  And leaving him in LA yesterday was painful.  My advice in this regard?  If you have a weakened, compromised, or simply stale marriage?  Step up.  Both of you.  Rediscover one another.  Let down your guard, tear down the walls, and find each other again.  You are alive - don't waste your chances.

Life, regardless of your current circumstances, is a gift.  If you are breathing, you are living.  How you live is the choice.  Unhappy, bitchy, victimy?  Or positive, hopeful, energized?

None of us get out of this life alive.  There's the only guarantee.

As the years have rolled on, what I have loved the most is that I continue having a desire to learn.  I read voraciously.  Everything.  About politics, religions, world events, regions, conflicts, strife, victories, histories, and people.  What I find by doing this is that it makes it hard to stay in one tiny little mindset.  Replacing preconceived notions with facts is liberating because it not only makes you more well rounded as a person, it makes it harder to be afraid of people not like you.

Because in the end, we ARE so very much alike.  How many other people in this world turned 50 today?  Tens of thousands?  Hundreds of thousands?  We are all connected not just by entering this world on the same date, but by flesh, blood, empathy, longing, fear, joy.  We experience the same things - just in different places, different languages, climates, environments.

I find, too, that my tolerance for bullshit - which was never very high - has become almost nonexistent.  I discussed this with a good friend this morning as he confided about a complicated scenario in his life.  At this age, I have no fucks left to give.  The field is barren, the soil will never again allow fucks to bloom. There is beauty in this.  It means I have finally distilled things down to what matters - and that only comes with living.  Are you happy?  Are you alive?  Done.  That's all that matters.  If happiness touches your life, take it.  To hell with how it may be packaged, what others may think, say behind your back, or how they may judge.  They are not you.  Your choices are not theirs to make.  And your happiness is ultimately up to you, not them.

I also don't, nor will I ever, understand bigotry - never will -  the gifting of this disease of certitude from one generation to the next.  I don't look at skin color and think "Oh, I am so much better because my ass is pale."  Do I see skin color?  Of course.  BUT I DON'T STOP THERE.  That's the difference.  Good people, bad people, shitful people, stupid people - come in all shapes, sizes, colors, creeds.  I don't look at two women holding hands and think "Eww."  I think "Awww."  How does someone's love life even remotely affect mine?

The answer is it doesn't.  And I know that.  The even better part is that I don't subscribe to an organized religious mindset, so I don't have some fear of feeling this way.

In this regard, having 50 years behind me gives me hope for what is coming.   I know what it was like when I was a child.  And I see how much progress has been made.  So I know that the momentum is forward, despite so many trying to drag things back.

If I am blessed with more years, it is my hope that more people open their eyes and accept that marriage equality won't mean the world will die out; that two men marrying doesn't threaten their fourth marriage; that transgender people ARE just that, PEOPLE, and all they want in a restroom is a place to eliminate in peace, quiet, and SAFETY; and that keeping religion out of the governance of a nation is good for everyone.

This is pretty much how I view things these days:

Do I worry about world events?  Absolutely, because I stay up on them.  Ignorance may indeed be bliss, but I would rather understand the complexities, impetuses, and actual threats than sit around making shit up.  Our world is complex and the ones who will keep it moving forward are not the ones who want to blow everything up.

I see so many people, especially women, my age constantly lamenting their bodies, their faces, the changes that inevitably come.  To them my advice is simple:  get up off your asses and move.  Stay involved, engaged, alive.  Not only will your body respond better to the changes, your skin will respond as well.  Choose to treat your body like a garbage can and it will reflect the choice.

Yes, metabolism takes a hit.  Hit back harder.  If your pants need to get a little bigger, that's fine.  Let your personality and lust for life grow with them.  Have crow's feet?  Look around - we all do. Hate them that much?  Botox is about the cheapest weapon and some clinic or another is always running a special.

Acceptance that you have more clicks on your odometer is key.  But more miles doesn't mean less life.  THAT is a choice.

I remember an article where a woman was droning on and on about her life in her early 40s.  Whining and wining - look, I like a glass of vino as much as anyone, but it is a treat not a medicine.  One thing she bemoaned was "death age."  That when a parent dies there is this sudden fixation that surely we will end the same.

Screw that.  I am lucky enough to have both my parents still with us, but when they do finally succumb I will not sit around bemoaning my imminent death.

If you have a parent who passed due to a medical condition or a cancer that is likely to be passed down?  Get on it.  Get check-ups, take care of your body, and LIVE.  The worst thing you can do is allow yourself to be paralyzed by a "what if?".

Death age fixation is a waste of emotional energy.  I know my mother's ghost would kick my ass for every moment I would spend worrying about matching her expiration date.  Your parents being alive is not some barrier to your own mortality.  There is no guarantee your age won't be sooner - car accident, fall, aneurysm - or later.

If you're going to focus on a death age, then get started, I guess.  You are going to die so you may as well get up to speed on wasting the time you have.

Another birthday has come and gone.  The earth didn't shatter, I did not wake up with deeper wrinkles.  In fact, nothing was different today than it was the day before - aside from not waking up with my husband.  Boo.

I live in a complex world, my children are all thriving, my husband lives states away, and some of my hairs are whitish.  My house is quiet, but my heart is full, excited about my tomorrows, and ready to move towards them to see what they reveal - I do know 2016 is going to be a big one for the Sharps.  If I am lucky, I am only halfway to my expiration date and it took a long time to get here.  But if it is tomorrow, ten years from now, or as soon as I hit post - I am living and loving my NOW.

I turned 50 today.

And it's ok.

 Linda Sharp 2016-04-03T19:53:25-05:00 LGBT - When The "T" Stands For Terror http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/dont_get_me_started_with_/2016/03/lgbt-when-the-t-stands-for-terror.html Not a day seems to go by now when some ignorant, fear based, anti-LGBT legislation isn't being introduced in this country. Why? Simple. Look up. ^^^^ IGNORANT. FEAR BASED. There is a cadre of dullards in this country for whom...
Not a day seems to go by now when some ignorant, fear based, anti-LGBT legislation isn't being introduced in this country.

Why?

Simple.  Look up.  ^^^^

IGNORANT.  FEAR BASED.

There is a cadre of dullards in this country for whom facts and education are anathema.  The mere idea of expanding their limited range of knowledge scares them, makes them ball their little fists, spurs them to strike out.  And sadly, many of them are in positions of power and influence - local, state, national legislators who have zero business in governance because they have zero grasp of governance.

Power?  Sure, they grasp that concept easily.

But the act of actual governance - that government is of the people, by the people, for the people - Well, that part eludes them.  In their worlds, the only people that count are the ones like them.

So it is little wonder that LGBT individuals are constantly in their crosshairs.

Kansas - that bastion of sponge like cranial material - is currently pushing forward two bills that target the "T" in LGBT - transgender.

The bills work in tandem to demonize transgender students and their bathroom breaks.  Yes, because that is what strikes fear in the tiny hearts of conservatives who cannot be bothered to educate themselves.  BATHROOMS.  And the thought that they may be sharing pee time with someone whose genitals give them the oogies.

Oogies play the lion's share part in conservative logic when it comes to LGBT and equal rights.

One of the bills states, "Allowing students to use restrooms, locker rooms and showers that are reserved for students of a different sex will create potential embarrassment, shame, and psychological injury to students."

OK, children put your oogies aside and let's break out those thinking caps.  I'll wait while you find yours in the attic and remove the decades old layers of mold and dust accumulated by non-use.

Transgender students are PEOPLE.  Say that with me:  TRANSGENDER STUDENTS ARE PEOPLE.

People like you, people like me.  Their burdens are many, however, one of the larger is not so much that they grapple with trying to live authentically in a body that does not match their mind, their soul. (Envision that for a moment.  Seriously - TRY.)  No, it is that they have to grapple with YOU.  With your ignorance, your fear, your hate.  That is why the suicide attempt rate is 41%.  Why even when supported, loved, assisted towards transitioning, so many still find suicide to be the better answer to having to endure a hateful, stupid, bullying society.  You do not deserve that power.

Yes, we know you get tripped up on someone's genitals not matching their attire.  But here's the thing - transgender individuals are simply trying to live.  That's it, that's all.  And in terms of bathroom breaks?  They are simply trying to pee and shit in peace and quiet.

JUST LIKE YOU.

A female to male (FTM) transgender person wants to enter a male bathroom because they are a male.  A male to female (MTF) transgender person wants to enter a female bathroom because they are a female.  They are not going in to try to catch a glimpse of your junk, or cop a feel as you pass.

THEY SIMPLY WANT TO GO TO THE BATHROOM.  IN A STALL.  BEHIND A DOOR.

There is no conspiracy at play, no cruel intentions, no recruiting, no perversion.  Just sit/stand, go, wipe, wash hands, leave.  You know, kind of what YOU do in there.

This notion that anyone unlike you is a pervert, a pedophile, a molester?  That exists one place:  in your tiny mind.

Look, are there perverts, pedophiles, molesters in the LGBT?  Sure.  Just like there are in EVERY demographic you can name.  Bad people exist in every color, creed, county, country.

But that is not what we are talking about.

We are talking about going to the bathroom.

These bills stipulate, "the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person's chromosomes, and is identified at birth by a person's anatomy" thus denying a person's knowledge of who they actually are.  It also completely ignores that sex and gender are two very different things. They go on that these bills will "maintain order and dignity in restrooms, locker rooms, showers and other facilities where students may be in various states of undress in the presence of other students."

Again - a FTM is a male.  A MTF is a female.  They know who they are.  And trust me when I say that all they want is order and dignity.  Not a grope, a glance, a grimace.  And honestly, who the fuck are you to tell someone they are not who they know themselves to be?

But wait!  If you order now, we'll throw in a gift with purchase!

The sad excuses for humans who brought forth these bills believe that any student who so much as sees a transgender student in their bathroom should receive $2500 and "monetary damages for all psychological, emotional and physical harm suffered as a result of a violation of this section."

Yes, because money is a much better answer than actually educating our children that transgender people are, you know, PEOPLE.

Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook (R), a great mind who defends these bills, states, "Parents have reached out afraid for their children's safety and they do not want attention for fear of being called a bigot, this legislation ensures accommodations, while still protecting everyone's privacy rights."  Puh-leez.  This is nothing more than government sanctioned bullying.

Mary, your problem, and the problem of those parents is far bigger than being called what you are.  Yes, you are bigots.  But the bigger label is simply IGNORANT.

If you fall into this line of thinking, ask yourself, WHAT AM I REALLY AFRAID OF?  Transgender people or having to replace your preconceived and wrongheaded notions about them with facts and compassion?

Ignorance.  There is a cure for that.  Education.  Love. Understanding.  But apparently, those pills are just too bitter for some to swallow.
 Linda Sharp 2016-03-23T11:22:23-05:00 Ku ARE The Kompany You Keep http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/dont_get_me_started_with_/2016/03/kant-komprehend-konscience.html Something has been bothering me for quite a while as Trump has been on a tear across this country, gathering voters, ginning up violence, fomenting fear, and making them believe he will magically "Make America Great Again." Tweeting crap like...
Something has been bothering me for quite a while as Trump has been on a tear across this country, gathering voters, ginning up violence, fomenting fear, and making them believe he will magically "Make America Great Again."  Tweeting crap like this like some middle school mean girl:

Bellowing and seeking only to drown out other candidates in the debates.  Literally bringing up the size of his penis in a debate because he really is that thin skinned and insecure.  He is a clown, he is a poser, he is inadequate in MANY ways.

But the one thing that truly keeps bothering me is this:

HIS SUPPORTERS AREN'T REALLY LISTENING.

With every word salad campaign stop, they just clap like seals in a theme park show.

If they were actually listening, they would HEAR HIM SAYING NOTHING OF SUBSTANCE.  Nothing that can fix a problem, no ideas, no policies.  Just blather, five words sentences in which he mainly brags about everyone loving him, or rants about tearing down an entire segment of the populace.  His speeches are not speeches.  They are not meant to inform, not meant to convince thousands that he has better vision or ideas - because they don't.  They can't.  They contain nothing but invective, hateful rhetoric, dares to the audience to do harm to others (I'll pay for your defense!), and a constant theme that "the other" is bad and needs done away with.

We all know who he means.  He has targeted Mexicans, LGBT, refugees, Muslims, continues to have black people ejected from his rallies.  He is making it ok to openly hate, to openly wear bigotry like a fashion item.  Much like Sarah Palin made stupidity fashionable - a brain mullet, if you will - and they all wore it proudly, Trump has made these supporters believe they are better, that they have every right to discriminate.

He is MAKING AMERICA HATE AGAIN.

And with that permission?  That subtle undercurrent of "Come on out, racists, bigots, phobes, and misogynists - I, Donald Trump, have got your back"?  It is no surprise that he is being endorsed, supported, and championed by the KKK, white supremacy groups, white nationalists, neo Nazis, Aryan followers - the whole pack of White Power cretins.  Robocalls are being funded by these groups.  David Duke thinks Trump is the Great White Hope. Literally.

And his supporters don't seem to care.

You could try the pathetic argument that Trump cannot control who likes him.  You would be WRONG.  Look, it's one thing to say that "green" has no control over who calls it their favorite color.  It just exists, you like it or you don't.  But when an entire disgusting sect of societal bottom dwellers rallies to your side?  Calls you their favorite?  Says you "speak for what we believe"?  Begins robocalling voters on your behalf?

Perhaps you want to rethink your direction.  And if you are supporting that candidate, perhaps you want to open your %^$#@ ears and actually listen to what he is saying that appeals to the worst in our society.  Because Trump is not the color green.  Trump can control this garbage.  Trump can get in front of a microphone and tell them to piss off and take their hate back to the swamp from which it oozed.

BUT. HE. DOESN'T.

So if you support him, you support them.  You are supporting a man who they believe is on track to support their causes, their ideals, their heinous view of other people not like them.  If you support him, you are them.  If you don't condemn this, you condone it.  There is no separating it.  You are attending rallies with them.  You are pumping your fists standing next to them.  And you are making it dangerous for the people they openly hate.

Don't think so?

One of our DGMSers has a black friend who shared this story with her today.  Her name is not included, so her identity is protected.

 "I AM SEETHING!  I pulled up to a stop light and next to me was a car with three young males.
 My dog was with me. In the other car, the front seat passenger kept turning and smiling in my direction. I smiled back because I thought he was admiring my dog. Well, he takes off his red hat and pointed to it. Trump - Make America Great. He had this evil grin on his face and was mouthing something. He then turns to his friend in the back seat and tries to give him the hat while pointing at me. His friend refused. I immediately, had a flash back of a similar incident when I lived in North Carolina. The guys were adults, with a confederate flag and a rifle in the back window of their car. They too were pointing and gesturing to me. The light finally changed, we went in different directions but I can't let it go. Writing is usually my therapy but it's still not helping. Was this action racially motivated? What if I was a young black male who saw this as a challenge? Isolated incident?? The way I feel at the moment, I doubt that it wasn't."

THIS is what following Trump means.  THIS is what you support.  THIS is what you are helping create.

As much as this woman wants to believe in the best, we all know - as does she - exactly what that was about.  This would not have happened to me - a white woman.  This is because hatred, bigotry, racism, and ignorance are alive and unwell in this country, and growing bolder with each stump speech given by Trump.  Trump has encouraged it to slither out of its hole into the daylight.

To turn his own words on him:  This is not a nice person.

This is not even a person who understands the function of the office he is seeking.  He literally talks out his ass (facial anus - same thing) as if the Presidency is a dictatorship (which I am certain he would love it to be) - no checks and balances, no rules, no need for diplomacy, compromise, vision.  And like his GOPer brethren, no true understanding or concept of the Constitution, the document they profess to love so dearly, but which they bastardize at every turn.

I have said this before - I like to think that people ARE complex, more than one thing, one thought, one feeling.  But to those who are supporting Trump, you need to open your eyes and start acting like it. Because there is nothing complex or redeeming about what you are doing, who you are supporting.  If you have a conscience, you need to let it kick in.  You need to allow it to ask you "What in THE hell are you doing?"

This is a game to Trump.  You are pawns in that game.  And when someone gets killed at one of his rallies, or on the street because he, and your support, have made it seem OK, there is only one thing that will happen...

Trump will retreat to his gilded penthouse waving his tiny hands in innocence, and yours will be left covered in blood.

Ku are the kompany you keep.
 Linda Sharp 2016-03-05T18:33:37-06:00 No Debating It: The GOP Is Our Embarrassing Drunk Uncle http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/dont_get_me_started_with_/2016/03/no-debating-it-the-gop-is-our-embarrassing-drunk-uncle.html Watching the GOP debate last night, one thing kept going through my mind: It would be funny if it weren't so embarrassing. Then again, truth be told, I have been thinking that same thing this entire election cycle. It has...
Watching the GOP debate last night, one thing kept going through my mind:  It would be funny if it weren't so embarrassing.

Then again, truth be told, I have been thinking that same thing this entire election cycle.

It has been a rather impressive act of evolving and devolving simultaneously.

Donald Trump (yes, I think Drumpf is funny, but let's face it - his real name could be I Eat Babies For Breakfast McAssStain and his followers wouldn't care), began as a joke.  Oh, look, ha ha ha, he's at it again, thinking he could possibly be President.  Time went on and suddenly he was being taken seriously.  Not by anyone with a brain, not even by GOP leadership, but by the cadre of dullards emboldened by increasingly vulgar and violent rhetoric.

He was evolving into an actual candidate with supporters.

At the same time, he was causing a complete devolution of the entire campaign process on the right.  With every heinous, spewage of word diarrhea from his facial anus - with no discernible repercussions - those in the race against him felt the need to lower their own bars.  What we saw last night is simply the culmination of that.

Last night, for all the world to see, Donald Trump - referencing a poor man's stand up act Rubio had done for supporters earlier this week that had to do with the Donald's small hands and obvious small penis - just had to bring it up and make sure we are all aware that he is hung.  Yes, the world saw this, heard this - a candidate for POTUS, actually trumpeting his genital size in a debate.  Yes, the GOP is now the Grizzled Old Penis party.

It is shameful.  It is embarrassing.  It is a new low in American political discourse.

While I am still not the least bit worried about him actually becoming President - sorry Trumpettes, or whatever the hell you call yourselves - but you are still not a majority.  The bigots, misogynists, religious zealots, phobes of all ilk, and willfully ignorant are still wildly outnumbered in this country.  Just as they were the last two elections when they were SO CERTAIN they were going to win in a landslide.  Trump may be leading in GOPerland, but he tanks in a general election.

But since this self serving orange stain is going to soil the air for a while longer, I would really love to know how willfully stupid his followers are.  Yes, willfully stupid.  There is no kind word at this point for what we see each day in his crowds and their behavior, as well as their complete disdain for FACTS about him.  It is very obvious they are all members of the I-Wish-I-Could-Tell-Everyone-To-Fuck-Off-Too Club.  They are also the retreads who thought Sarah Palin was any kind of credible as a candidate.

Frankly, their word salad way of speaking is more than similar.  Seriously, tell me WHAT you people see in this that says ANYTHING?

"What a hat!"

This is the hallmark of a circus barker.  Divert, divert, divert.  Look at the shiny thing! The character in the Wizard of Oz was this technique.  "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"

So his followers don't.  They buy the fourth grade stump speeches.  They salivate at the bumper stickerese in which he speaks at them.  And they grow more and more emboldened by a charlatan who would not cross the street to pee on them if they were on fire.  Hell, he would set them on fire if they were in his way on the street.

I find it highly comical how these people completely lost their collective shit the first time Michelle Obama appeared without sleeves.  Oh the humanity!  But they seem to not care that with one Google of "Melania Trump" you can see a helluva lot more than her bare arms.  Look, I have zero problem with her making her way through the modeling world naked.  Go for it.  I do, however, have a problem with such blatant hypocrisy from his supporters.  Michelle's toned arms are disrespectful as FLOTUS, but Melania's entire naked body is not?

And these people have nothing but open disdain for immigrants, brown people, anyone not like them.  Yet two of his wives have been immigrants.  And the current one is barely passable at their beloved English language.  Where is the outrage?  The rending of garments?  Where is the drive to kick her out, to make her speak gooder?  (Sorry,. but watch one video of his constituents and you'd be hard pressed to call English their first language.)

He's a Christian?  Since when?  Since political expediency, that's when.  Yet they do not care.  There is no accountability in the bubble.

His rallies have grown increasingly violent.  Earlier this week a black teenage girl was roughly shoved back and forth, epithets rained down like Trump's spray tan, and today when his army of miscreants were again manhandling a protester, he shouted at them that he would pay to defend them in court.  Talk about ginning up violence, and emboldening people who have little in the way of critical thinking skills to begin with.  (Happy to note that so far two of the idiots who took pleasure in treating the young girl that way have learned that free speech doesn't mean free from consequences.  One has been told to fuck off by the Marines.  The other has been fired from his job.)

His supporters go on and on about "How he says what he thinks."  Sorry, kids.  He doesn't think.  He spews.  And the rabble rally around him because nuance, gray area, compromise are not in their wheelhouses to begin with.  He'll carpet bomb the middle east?  Kill their families?  He'll make Mexico build a wall?  Bull and shit, kids.  The world doesn't work that way.  If he were to order the military to begin waterboarding again?  They are not required to do that.  Know why?  IT IS ILLEGAL.  He'll "make America great again"?  Oh, please, someone expound on that nugget for me.

What is he going to do?  Cover everything in gold spray paint?  Make everything yuuuuuuuge?

Look, I get this much.  There are 300,000,000+ citizens in this country.  That means there are 300,000,000+ Wish Lists for what we want done.  And none of us is ever going to get a candidate that plays Santa and fills it all.  And I hate to tell you Trump supporters, but your guy cannot DO any of the crap he extemporaneously hollers at you.  He has just as little idea of how governance happens in this country, as do you.

You are supporting a reality TV character.  In that regard, kudos, Don, you make a great Kardashian.  All fluff, no substance.  You are supporting a man who is making you feel safe in openly displaying your ignorance, your bigotry, your hatred to the world.  But you should not feel safe in that and here's why.

He cannot win.

And when it is over, the only positive thing that will have come out of allowing our drunken Uncle to rant and rave and embarrass this country, is that YOU will have shown your asses, and we will not forget who you are.  (But rest assured, Donald will.)
 Linda Sharp 2016-03-04T17:32:00-06:00 After All These Years http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/dont_get_me_started_with_/2016/02/after-all-these-years.html This many years in, Rudy and I seldom get each other gifts for birthdays or anniversaries. We have much of what we want, pretty much all of what we need. So for his birthday today, I wanted to do something...
This many years in, Rudy and I seldom get each other gifts for birthdays or anniversaries.  We have much of what we want, pretty much all of what we need.  So for his birthday today, I wanted to do something that money cannot buy, and that is much more lasting:  Remember.

 Linda Sharp 2016-02-18T18:35:04-06:00 Oh, For The Love Of God... http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/dont_get_me_started_with_/2016/02/oh-for-the-love-of-god.html "... but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." United States Constitution, Article VI, Clause III Seems pretty clear, concise, to the point. Nothing murky or questionable...
 "... but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

United States Constitution, Article VI, Clause III

Seems pretty clear, concise, to the point.  Nothing murky or questionable about the words' intent.  The authors of the Constitution were pretty damned straight about it - religion, or the lack thereof, is not a requirement to hold office.

Someone needs to bring the GOP up to speed.

As happens every election cycle, in the public wooing that takes place for conservative religious, especially evangelical, voters - Republican candidates literally attempt to "outGod" one another.

"I was an alter boy all through childhood!"

"Look at me!  I have favorite Bible verses I can recite from memory!"

"Well, piss off, I had a private audience with the Pope!"

"Eat me - I am fluent in Liberty University-ese."

"Step off, you apostle wannabe.  JESUS TOLD ME TO RUN FOR OFFICE."

Sigh - there's always that one.  Jesus, suspiciously, always validates what the speaker thinks, feels, believes, is trying to sell.

But that Jesus is a cagey one with a serious sense of humor.  Huckabee, Santorum, Bachmann, Palin, Bush, Cruz - the list is long - have all been "told" to run; that they are the savior of the century.  I wonder if Jesus laughs as hard as I do when their campaigns fall apart and they withdraw from a race in which so many obviously disagree with Master J.

Silly me, that's when they blame it on Satan being at work in the world.  That shifty old Satan, always gumming up the works (and providing a convenient skirt to hide behind - see Josh Duggar - his dick and libido were not to blame for his problems.  Satan was just constantly afflicting him with a boner).

Throughout this election cycle, we see the Republican cadre constantly touting their religious bona fides - Bush, Carson, Cruz, Rubio, even Trump - which is about as laughable as one can get when it comes to piety and sacrifice.  Trump is all about giving.  To himself.  If ever anyone had a God complex, here's your poster boy.

Today things reached a ridiculous level when the Pope, of all papal (sorry, had to), chimed in about Trump and his affinity for force funded wall building (looking at you Mexico).  While taking reporters' questions on a flight back from Mexico today, the Pope said of Trump, "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian."

Shots fired.

Trump, the oh-so-devout Christian (pardon me whilst I gag), ran to the nearest microphone (and Twitter, of course America's favorite mean girl ran to Twitter) and rambled:

Dear lord, where to begin?

The ISIS?  Sorry, Donald, but extremisms, in all forms, are ideologies.  So your wetdreams about carpet bombing an ideology are best left to your maids to wash in the morning.  Oh, and I highly doubt the Pope prays for you to be President.  He kind of made that pretty clear today.

Speaking with the Mexican government about you?  Sunshine, you look bad all on your own.  ALL AROUND THE WORLD.  Step out of the bubble in which your party resides, and take note of how you are universally derided by heads of state everywhere.

As for questioning your level or brand of Christianity?  Pssst, Don, anyone my age or older came up with you through the years and you have never been caught darkening a cathedral's doors, unless it was to get married ... once.  Ivana:  Marble Collegiate Church (her insistence won out); After that?  Marla: Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel; Melania: your property in Florida, Mar-a-lago.  And news flash - me, him, her, them, even the Pope can question anything we want to, especially when all evidence is to the contrary of the bullshit being portrayed.

Now, let's get to the real meat of your victimy tome: this whole notion of how you will insure Christianity will no longer be "consistently attacked and weakened."

Reminding Christians, or any religious followers of any stripe, that their chosen faith cannot dictate to the rest of us, is not an attack.  (If it is, your party is nothing but a continual barrage of verbal diarrhea bombs at Islam.)  It is a plain statement that YOU do not choose for ALL.  And keeping Christianity in its place - churches and private lives - is not weakening it.  It is again reminding it, and its adherents, that it has no place in our (intended) secular governance.

I do not care who you worship, what you worship, how you worship - in a forest, in a mosque, in a temple, in your home, choosing from the nearly 6,000 currently active menu items - YOU do not get to tell ME I have to do it with you, or your way.  Just as I cannot demand YOU practice what I believe.  See how that works?

(Incidentally, this is why so many people are running far from your side of the aisle.  Religion, especially as used by a party that wants to control, deny, and inflict harm on others, has no appeal.  Why?  Because equality means something to us.  It means EVERYONE.  Not your version in which it only applies to those just like you.  We are not afraid of LGBT - everyone on the spectrum - being protected, sharing in this country's rights. We want that.  We are not threatened by two men falling in love and getting married.  Ted Cruz, marriage equality is not "unprecedented persecution" of you and your ilk.  Frankly, that kind of language is just sad - and why you will never be anywhere near the Oval unless on a tour.  We understand what transgender means.  You believe it means perverts wanting to peek at your junk in the wrong bathroom.  We embrace ALL lives, yes, but we understand why Black Lives Matter.  Religion has zero to do with being a decent human being.  And in your hands, it is constantly shown to be a dangerous weapon, a cudgel, a threat to people everywhere who don't fall in line with your narrow views.)

Which brings us back to this whole GOPer led Godapalooza.  SHUT UP.  Your religion has no bearing here.  We face real problems, real hardships, real dangers in this REAL world.  Your belief in an invisible deity, an end-of-days, the constantly revamped stories in a Bronze Age storybook - they are not the answers to the REAL ISSUES FACED IN THIS WORLD - many of them currently festering because of ideologues like yourself who view a theoCRAZY as the answer.

It is people like Cruz, et al, who scare me.  They are so intent on bringing about that end times they covet, that they truly have no business being in any position of leadership, or decision making, or launch codes.

"... but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

The founding fathers were clear.  But the more you people up the ante, masturbate to visions of Dominion, and race to the media altar to outdo, out preach, outrageous one another - perhaps it should be a disqualifier.
 Linda Sharp 2016-02-18T14:24:46-06:00 Reflections On 25 Years - Together/Apart http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/dont_get_me_started_with_/2016/01/reflections-on-25.html I am writing this morning from seat 1F, 36,000 feet above the ground, as I wing my way to San Diego. And I am reflective. Today marks 25 years since Rudy and I said "I do" in a ridiculously picturesque...
I am writing this morning from seat 1F, 36,000 feet above the ground, as I wing my way to San Diego.

And I am reflective.

Today marks 25 years since Rudy and I said "I do" in a ridiculously picturesque floating wedding chapel above the waters of Nawiliwili on Kauai.

25 years since we embarked on an adventure, a life together, a family.

As I sit here, I am finally ready to admit I have done the math on those years.  Given the nature of the hospitality business, we have spent over half of those years apart.  Sometimes six months, sometimes a couple years, most recently almost 8 1/2 years.

We joke that is how the marriage has lasted - never being together.  But in truth, the marriage has lasted in spite of the separations.

It has lasted because we are two very strong people.  Stronger than when we started, forged stronger still by the demands to step up and keep moving forward together, while apart.

If anyone had told the young, headstrong girl in that chapel that her marriage would be one of distance, sometimes one of survival, definitely one of demands, and unquestionably one of loneliness?  Well, I think that girl would have tapped out.  No bride goes into their walk down the aisle envisioning not seeing their spouse on the regular.

But walk I did.

And through the years, with each step - sometimes surefooted, sometimes faltering - I have grown.  Grown beyond the fairy tales I once dreamt of marriage.  Grown from a girl into a strong, focused, independent woman, wife and mother.

While friends have often asked through the years, "How do you do it?" in reference to the separations, the isolation, the kids, the chaos - my answer has never changed:  You do what you have to do.

Curling up in a ball has never been an option.  Not for me, not for Rudy.  We both, without words, have simply understood the parts we play in this life together/apart.

He has lived alone, focusing daily on providing for his family.  He has sacrificed seeing so much of his kids growing up in order that they have a good life, and that in these past 8+ years they have been unafraid to put down roots.  The hours in my job may have been longer each day, the juggling of three overachievers and their schedules sometimes impossible - but I have had something he didn't.  I have had them.

Anyone who ever wonders where the larger sacrifice lay, simply read those four words again.  I have had them - the plays, the soccer, the dates, the dances, the struggles, the triumphs.  I have had a front row VIP spot while Rudy has had to cheer and parent from the cheap seats thousands of miles away.

And he has.  He may not have been the boots on the ground, but these children know they are loved, supported, and that there is nothing he would not do for them.

I sit here thinking of days that melted into weeks, into months, into years.  Anniversaries spent alone, holidays shifted to accommodate a heartless hospitality schedule, and tears shed when I did not think I had another day left in me.   When life felt too big, I felt too alone.

Those days, those feelings passed, erupted again, and passed again.  Through them all Rudy has listened to me rail on the phone, endured emails aplenty in which I poured out what I needed, what I was missing.  It is hard, sometimes damned near impossible to maintain across the miles.  There are ups, downs, fights, and folly.  There are tears, there is laughter.  There are inside jokes, shorthand texts, and sometimes silence.

Yes, even being alone all the time, we still need - or have maybe developed the need - for solitude.  The permission to not answer the phone occasionally.  The understanding that sometimes one or both of us simply need to not talk anymore at the end of the day.

We have lived 25 years in quiet agreement that this works because we want it to work.  That is not to say it has been easy.  It is to say that it has been worth it.

We have three amazing children blazing their paths into this world.  We parent together/apart.  We celebrate each other's successes - together/apart.  We have goals - together/apart.  And after 25 years, we still get hot for each other - together/apart.

Which is why I am writing to you from seat 1F, 36,000 feet in the air.

Today is our 25th anniversary, and dammit, I am going to celebrate it with the man I love.

Together.  Not apart.

 Linda Sharp 2016-01-15T09:24:06-06:00 We Are Only On Loan http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/dont_get_me_started_with_/2016/01/we-are-only-on-loan.html Our week started with the news that David Bowie - one of a small handful of performers worthy of the title Rock God - had succumbed to cancer. He was only 69. In today's longevity stakes, that is certainly not...
Our week started with the news that David Bowie - one of a small handful of performers worthy of the title Rock God - had succumbed to cancer.  He was only 69.  In today's longevity stakes, that is certainly not long enough.  But cancer cares not who bears it within their cells.  Cancer has no more respect for "rock gods" than it does "moms of four" or "newlyweds" or "CEOs" or "fabulous fathers" or "nameless, homeless."

It simply strikes - is battled with - and still too often steals a person away.

This morning we woke to the news that cancer had won yet another war - Alan Rickman, a man whose deep bass was rivaled only by the depth of his acting ability.

He, too, was only 69.

As with Bowie, tributes were immediate.  Tweets from former cast members who had the honor and pleasure of sharing a set remembered him fondly; Facebook newsfeeds were suddenly filled with quotes from characters he played, pictures of him in any number of costumes.

But what has stood out to me more than anything is that Alan's passing, as with David Bowie's, has left people stung, open mouthed, and sad.

The sadness is palpable.

I turn 50 this year.  Bowie is a part of my childhood.  My teens, my 20s, and on.  He represented a human rainbow when I first saw him - growing up in the midwest, I simply did not know people, hell, amazing performers, like him really existed.  He was, to me, dangerous, yet somehow safe.  A look that was unconventional, but a message that spoke directly, frankly.

And he managed to do what few performers can - he changed with the times.  He did, indeed, turn and face the strange ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.  His music evolved, his look evolved, and with each evolution he revealed more and more the depths of the talent pool within.  It is because of these successful evolutions that so many of all ages know him, his music, his looks, his talent.  It is why so many were struck by his passing.

And so it goes with Alan.  Whether you new him best as Snape - and we have raised an entire generation on the adventures of Harry Potter; relished him as a villain in Die Hard; swooned over him in period garb; laughed at his alien interpretation; loved him in spite of his wandering in Love, Actually; or hated him as a heinous figure who got the shave of his life in Sweeney Todd - Alan Rickman was a force.  Subtlety was wielded as weapon, and his delivery often left us shaking.

But, as one of my friends put it this morning, he was also our "movie boyfriend," capable of making us stare off in the distance, imagining... well, a lot of things.

We sit this week, struck at the fragility of life, the unfairness of lives cut short, the talent taken too soon.  And the reminder that death simply does not care.  It comes for us all eventually, taking us back to that from whence we came.  We are the world around us, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, organic material brought to life for an indeterminate amount of time.

We are, quite simply, on loan from the universe.

As we mourn the passing of these men we all held as touchstones in our lives, in our years - let their contributions be the inspiration to try harder, to, as Whitman wrote, contribute our own verse.  Love deeply with the breaths you are given.  Give as much as you can.  Touch lives.  Share stories.  99.9% of us will never attain fame on their level, but we can be a touchstone to someone else.  No, we are not all Yo-Yo Ma making an instrument perform audible gymnastics.  We are not all Lin-Manual Miranda teaching history in a way that is so damned infectious.  We are not Adele or the Pope or Elvis or Spielberg or Zuckerberg or Gates or Alan or David.  But we can live a life that would give others pause should we not see tomorrow.  With each breath, endeavor to not throw away your shot (I hate you Lin, in a totally-love-every-fiber-of-your-brilliance-kind-of-way).

Because we are not now, nor ever, guaranteed a tomorrow.  Cancer, age, accident - death is the one thing that unifies us all.  None of us will escape it.  We will all return to those ashes, blow away like that dust.

But then, that, too, is just one of those ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.

RIP David & Alan.  Thank you for all the verses you contributed that added to the stories of our lives.

 Linda Sharp 2016-01-14T14:29:54-06:00 This Election Year Be A Political Vegetarian - Redux http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/dont_get_me_started_with_/2016/01/this-election-year-be-a-political-vegetarian-redux.html It's started. The constrant drone, the poo flinging, the mudslinging, the name calling - the political run for the roses, as it were - the contest to see just who will take on the task of continuing to pull this...

It's started.  The constrant drone, the poo flinging, the mudslinging, the name calling - the political run for the roses, as it were - the contest to see just who will take on the task of continuing to pull this country out of the ditch in which our tires are still spinning.

Frankly, I don't see why anyone would want the job.  It's huge, it's scary, it's impossible.

But just as on the left, the hunt for the GOP nominee is also on.

I have said in the past, and I will restate now as we enter the ass numbing, nerve grating fray of 2016, I do not care which side of the aisle you call home.  I only care that YOU care enough to be well versed in the issues, that you give a shit enough to actually invest some time each day in researching the possible candidates, staying abreast of the news, and for the love of whatever you call holy - understand that FACTS may sometimes NOT support your position.  (And don't give me the "Obama hasn't done anything" BS because I will give you the laundry list of what he has done that Rush has kept from your airwaves.  Has he done EVERYTHING?  Of course not.  But 1.  We don't live in a dictatorship  2. We don't live in a dictatorship. and 3. Obama is not staying in office despite what RedState and Stormfront would have you believe.)

My advice, my plea to people is to be a political vegetarian in 2016.  Eschew the red meat every hopeful throws out at you.

That red meat is meant to do one thing - have you slobber over a single issue, be it abortion, gay people being baaaaad, or a word like socialism - a word still misused by those who learned it during the media reign of Sarah Palin and the Mighty Joe The Not Plumber.

Red meat is dangerous.  It doesn't educate, it separates.  It doesn't have true substance - think salisbury over filet mignon.  It has one purpose, to raise your blood pressure, make you angry, get your intestines in an uproar.  Every Trump rally is basically a meat market.

Right now, the majority of the GOP candidates are running around trying to out-God one another.  Trying to play to the gay bashers, trans tormentors, Islamophobes - while attempting to come off as "openminded."   Droning on and on about smaller government - which from where I sit seems to be so they can fit it into my uterus (or in Santorum's obsessed mind, into my rectum).

They cast aspersions against other countries where theocracy rules, yet cannot see they are campaigning to create the same thing here.

Look, I don't care what your religious flavor is.  I really don't.  Just keep it away from the governance of this country.  YOUR beliefs, Cruz's beliefs, Huckabee's beliefs, Carson's beliefs - they have no place in the Oval Office.  This country is a melting pot - and like it or not - YOURS is not the only religion being practiced.

Your founding fathers were largely deists - believing in something bigger, but not giving it a name.  They understood the danger of allowing government to dictate religion AND of allowing religion to dictate government.

Yet, it is a huge piece of red meat again this political season.  GOPer wannabes understand this and use it at every turn.  One need only look at Cruz constantly fellating the conservative religious base in Iowa and his subsequent bump in their poles polls.

Don't take the bait because that's all it is.  Just like the gay marriage baiting they are all continuing to do to pander to the religious right.  Gay people are not a threat to national security, they are not a threat to your straight marriage, and for the love of God, a child is not better off with a parent in jail than with two gay parents.  (That lovely, oft beaten GOPer drum.)  Just like the fomenting of hatred, fear, and bigotry being openly done at every Trump stump.  All Muslims don't wear explosive vests.  All Mexicans aren't rapists who are stealing your jobs.  They are PEOPLE.  That's it, that's all.

This country is still crawling out of the financial shitter, people are still hurting, still out of work, struggling daily to simply put a little food on the table.  Our military is continuing to come home - they need support, jobs, too.

We need politicians in all offices finally acting like adults - adults who understand they are there to assist in making the lives of EVERY citizen better - not just the ones who go to their church, bash the same folks they bash, hate the same people they hate.

This year swear off the red meat.  In fact, throw it back in the face of the candidates.  (Demand behavior from all of them that is better than a middle schooler bullying on Facebook - looking at YOU, Donald - adults don't get into daily pissing contests on Twitter).  Because until they focus on what actually matters (and it's NOT our sex lives, marriage partners, or choice of church) - our national arteries will remain clogged and one heart attack away from flatlining.

 Linda Sharp 2016-01-11T15:55:51-06:00


text:
HABA announces it's 2016, Cubes-Puzzle- Garden Animals. It has won a National Parenting Product Award. The National Parenting Product Award is the most highly regarded reward by industry professionals as the go-to product when seeking the best items for children's products.
The Cubes-Puzzle Garden Animals has 6 different animal frames, and 4 - 6 sided wooden cubes, It is perfect to keep little hands and minds busy and entertained. The Cube Puzzle helps to develop fine motor skills and an introduction to puzzles with 3 D interaction. The bright colored sides feature friendly designs that make this puzzle educational and engaging. The Cube puzzle is a S.T.E.M. approved toy that retails for $23.99 and can be purchased on the HABA USA Site.
Little puzzlers can assemble the cubes into the different frames, form one of 6 cute animal designs: A beetle, frog, bird, fish, hedgehog, and mouse.It helps Fosters fine motor skills and features big, chunky pieces for little fingers to grab. It is comact enough that you can take it on the go or keep it in your car when you run into those situations that you need to keep little minds busy and occupied!
I enjoy taking my little love Kylar, who is 17 months old out to eat. The problem is she is a busy body curious child and always into something! I decided to bring along The Cubes-Puzzle Garden Animals, to assist in keeping her entertained, as we went out to eat, at Applebee's and waited for our meal.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
It's always happy hour when you consult your Spirit Guide. Your best friend for bar-hopping lets you in on the drink and food specials, tells you where the music is (and isn't) and helps you find the perfect spot. A great night out starts with Spirit Guide.
Bricklight Dive
115 Harvard SE C9University)
Albuquerque NM 87106
(505) 232-7000www.bricklightdive.com
Cuisine: Italian, Bar and Grill/Pub
$ • Booze Served • Craft Beer • NM Beer • Outdoor Patio
Bricklight DiveParked on Harvard's prime stretch of UNM territory, Bricklight Dive is tailor-made for the University crowd: a short, inexpensive menu of Italian "street food" (lots of bread-based snacks with toppings; some nice, filling salads) and local beers for just a few bucks. The people-watching on the patio is excellent if you can get a spot. From the same folks behind Q Burger in Downtown. (Alibi Staff, August 23, 2011)
Today's Events
Mondays on the Mic Hosted by Kyle Ruggles at Tractor Brewery Wells Park
Sharon Knight: Neofolk Romantique at Tortuga Gallery
Attracting Interesting Pollinators To Your Garden at Albuquerque Garden CenterMore Recommended Events ››
Out of the Woodwork • 6.2.2016
home | feature | news | film | music | art | food | classifieds | personals | staff | lo-fi | search
© 1996-2016 Weekly Alibi email@example.com
View mobile version


text:
|By Business Wire
Article Rating:
|June 11, 2014 12:58 PM EDT
IRCE - Visual commerce platform, Olapic, today announced the launch of its new Photorank™ algorithm tool to help brands identify and display customer photos that have the most potential to drive conversions in an ecommerce environment.
"With almost two billion photos being posted online daily, brands have an over- abundance of powerful and authentic visual user content," said Luis Sanz, co-founder and CTO of Olapic. "We know brands and retailers can improve sales—and every aspect of the shopping experience—by seamlessly incorporating customer photos into the purchase path. Now, with our Photorank system, they can use photos they know will perform."
Photorank uses a proprietary machine learning predictive engine to analyze photos based on more than 45 different visual and contextual factors and then ranks them by their expected conversion power. This makes content curation significantly faster and more effective than random or manual selection.
The more photos the system processes, the more accurate it becomes. Photorank now analyzes more than two billion data points from across the Olapic platform. When this analysis is paired with a constant system retraining process, Photorank provides the most relevant and accurate customer photo curation system available today.
Results show Photorank-selected photos perform seven times better than those selected randomly and between two and three times better than those selected based on basic features such as color or captions.
"We continue to innovate and shape this category, and we're proud to be the first to apply a type of artificial intelligence technology to user generated content for use in ecommerce," continued Sanz.
Olapic currently works with more than 120 major fashion, beauty, travel, consumer electronics and home decor brands and retailers including BaubleBar, Coach, Desigual, Lancôme, New Balance and West Elm. A bundle of Olapic's latest client case studies is available here.
About Olapic
Olapic is the visual commerce platform for collecting, curating and showcasing customer photos on ecommerce websites. The SaaS platform collects photos and videos from social media sites including Instagram, Facebook, Vine, Twitter and Tumblr to help retailers and brands engage customers while significantly increasing sales in a more authentic online shopping environment. Olapic is headquartered in New York City with offices in Cordoba, Argentina and London.
So, you bought into the current machine learning craze and went on to collect millions/billions of records from this promising new data source. Now, what do you do with them? Too often, the abundance of data quickly turns into an abundance of problems. How do you extract that "magic essence" from your data without falling into the common pitfalls? In her session at @ThingsExpo, Natalia Ponomareva, Software Engineer at Google, will provide tips on how to be successful in large scale machine lear...
May. 2, 2016 01:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,266
The IoT has the potential to create a renaissance of manufacturing in the US and elsewhere. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Florent Solt, CTO and chief architect of Netvibes, will discuss how the expected exponential increase in the amount of data that will be processed, transported, stored, and accessed means there will be a huge demand for smart technologies to deliver it. Florent Solt is the CTO and chief architect of Netvibes. Prior to joining Netvibes in 2007, he co-founded Rift Technol...
May. 1, 2016 11:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,589
Struggling to keep up with increasing application demand? Learn how Platform as a Service (PaaS) can streamline application development processes and make resource management easy.
May. 1, 2016 08:15 PM EDT Reads: 2,093
If there is anything we have learned by now, is that every business paves their own unique path for releasing software- every pipeline, implementation and practices are a bit different, and DevOps comes in all shapes and sizes. Software delivery practices are often comprised of set of several complementing (or even competing) methodologies – such as leveraging Agile, DevOps and even a mix of ITIL, to create the combination that's most suitable for your organization and that maximize your busines...
May. 1, 2016 08:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,845
The increasing popularity of the Internet of Things necessitates that our physical and cognitive relationship with wearable technology will change rapidly in the near future. This advent means logging has become a thing of the past. Before, it was on us to track our own data, but now that data is automatically available. What does this mean for mHealth and the "connected" body? In her session at @ThingsExpo, Lisa Calkins, CEO and co-founder of Amadeus Consulting, will discuss the impact of wea...
May. 1, 2016 07:00 PM EDT Reads: 749
See storage differently! Storage performance problems have only gotten worse and harder to solve as applications have become largely virtualized and moved to a cloud-based infrastructure. Storage performance in a virtualized environment is not just about IOPS, it is about how well that potential performance is guaranteed to individual VMs for these apps as the number of VMs keep going up real time. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Dhiraj Sehgal, in product and marketing at Tintri, will discu...
May. 1, 2016 06:00 PM EDT Reads: 813
SYS-CON Events announced today that Peak 10, Inc., a national IT infrastructure and cloud services provider, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 18th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Peak 10 provides reliable, tailored data center and network services, cloud and managed services. Its solutions are designed to scale and adapt to customers' changing business needs, enabling them to lower costs, improve performance and focus inter...
May. 1, 2016 06:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,160
We've worked with dozens of early adopters across numerous industries and will debunk common misperceptions, which starts with understanding that many of the connected products we'll use over the next 5 years are already products, they're just not yet connected. With an IoT product, time-in-market provides much more essential feedback than ever before. Innovation comes from what you do with the data that the connected product provides in order to enhance the customer experience and optimize busi...
May. 1, 2016 05:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,031
Up until last year, enterprises that were looking into cloud services usually undertook a long-term pilot with one of the large cloud providers, running test and dev workloads in the cloud. With cloud's transition to mainstream adoption in 2015, and with enterprises migrating more and more workloads into the cloud and in between public and private environments, the single-provider approach must be revisited. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Yoav Mor, multi-cloud solution evangelist at Cloudy...
May. 1, 2016 04:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,480
In his session at @ThingsExpo, Chris Klein, CEO and Co-founder of Rachio, will discuss next generation communities that are using IoT to create more sustainable, intelligent communities. One example is Sterling Ranch, a 10,000 home development that – with the help of Siemens – will integrate IoT technology into the community to provide residents with energy and water savings as well as intelligent security. Everything from stop lights to sprinkler systems to building infrastructures will run ef...
May. 1, 2016 04:00 PM EDT Reads: 946
SYS-CON Events announced today that Enzu, a leading provider of cloud hosting solutions, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 18th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Enzu's mission is to be the leading provider of enterprise cloud solutions worldwide. Enzu enables online businesses to use its IT infrastructure to their competitive advantage. By offering a suite of proven hosting and management services, Enzu wants companies to foc...
May. 1, 2016 03:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,039
SYS-CON Events announced today that Stratoscale, the software company developing the next generation data center operating system, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 18th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Stratoscale is revolutionizing the data center with a zero-to-cloud-in-minutes solution. With Stratoscale's hardware-agnostic, Software Defined Data Center (SDDC) solution to store everything, run anything and scale everywhere...
May. 1, 2016 01:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,581
Digital payments using wearable devices such as smart watches, fitness trackers, and payment wristbands are an increasing area of focus for industry participants, and consumer acceptance from early trials and deployments has encouraged some of the biggest names in technology and banking to continue their push to drive growth in this nascent market. Wearable payment systems may utilize near field communication (NFC), radio frequency identification (RFID), or quick response (QR) codes and barcodes...
May. 1, 2016 01:30 PM EDT Reads: 819
Angular 2 is a complete re-write of the popular framework AngularJS. Programming in Angular 2 is greatly simplified – now it's a component-based well-performing framework. This immersive one-day workshop at 18th Cloud Expo, led by Yakov Fain, a Java Champion and a co-founder of the IT consultancy Farata Systems and the product company SuranceBay, will provide you with everything you wanted to know about Angular 2.
May. 1, 2016 01:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,753
You think you know what's in your data. But do you? Most organizations are now aware of the business intelligence represented by their data. Data science stands to take this to a level you never thought of – literally. The techniques of data science, when used with the capabilities of Big Data technologies, can make connections you had not yet imagined, helping you discover new insights and ask new questions of your data. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Sarbjit Sarkaria, data science team lead ...
May. 1, 2016 12:45 PM EDT Reads: 829


text:
• Evacuation under way on east coast and in Wales
• Two confirmed killed as storms strike UK
• Scotland's railway network closed
• Thames barrier to be deployed
• Read the latest summary
• Extreme weather in the UK – in pictures
• Send your stories, video and images to GuardianWitness
Edtorial: It feels as if it took just one serious error – Michael Fish and 1987 – to transform the Met Office into today's diligent operation
Marina Hyde: Former weatherman Bill Giles has written a warts-and-all book that spills the beans on the feuding forecasters' catfights. If you thought Krystle and Alexis could be spiteful …
Former weatherman Bill Giles and his former boss have written a book revealing betrayal and intrigue behind the scenes. Here are some excerpts
Met Office say heatwave set to break with widespread thunderstorms, heavy rain, lightning and even hail
Daytrippers advised to take extra care not to trigger blazes through reckless behaviour
There's another will-they-won't-they about the Met Office issuing a weather warning. While we wait, some media reports are letting us know that hundreds of us will probably die in the heat. Are they right?
Eastern and southern areas have been warned that elderly and long-term sick are at risk, writes Mark Townsend
Editorial: Another miserable summer is just a reminder that climate is the long-term average of ups and downs
Letters: The jet stream will meander even more … bringing weird weather across much of the northern hemisphere
Forecast that Britain could be in middle of 10-20 year 'cycle' of wet summers delivered following gathering at Met Office
The weather may be grim, but let's learn to enjoy itRichard MabeyRichard Mabey: The Met Office held a crisis meeting today. But why do Brits turn trivial weather nuisances into dashers of hopes?
Met Office issues severe weather warning for southern England as Atlantic gales bring 70mph winds to Scilly Isles
Organisation says its long-range forecasting is helpful 65% of the time, despite concession over April 2012 advice
Icy conditions expected to retire to the south-west as heavy falls force stranded motorists to take shelter in Somerset church hall
Where is being hit worst by winter's snow and the resulting school closures? Check out this map
Be aware of severe conditions, UK told as temperatures fall to as low as -10C in Scotland
Forecaster rebuts article accusing it of conceding that there is no evidence for climate change
Met Office warns of severe cold snap and icy conditions at the weekend
Mapping experts have combined meteorological and social media data to plot data shadows of the UK floods. How well do geolocated tweets correspond to recorded flooding events?
World Meteorological Organisation data shows average global temperature to date is 14.45C, higher than long-term average
Heavy rain moves up the UK from south and south-west with severe weather warnings issued for flood-prone areas
The weather pattern – which causes very high winds – was unknown in 1987 but now underpins every Met Office forecast
Three die as warnings issued of fiercer winds and the chance of flooding in 88 areas of the south-west, midlands and north-east
Britons sweated as temperatures reached almost 31°C on Wednesday, beating Hawaii and matching Marrakech. Use our interactive to find out how the UK ranks in Europe and worldwide
- Weather
- Climate change (Environment)
- Flooding
- Natural disasters and extreme weather
- Climate change (Science)
- Meteorology
- Summer
- Environment Agency
- Scotland
- Snow
- United Nations
- Global climate talks
- Wales
- Winter
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- Mapping technologies
- Newspapers & magazines
- Farming
- Biography


text:
marriage proposal - Page 2
Splitting The Cost Of An Engagement Ring, Is It Right?
Splitting the cost of an engagement ring, the great debate continues.
Impressive Wedding Proposal: Bruno Mars "Marry Me" Twist – [Video]
The age old question. How can I make my proposal special? Isaac sure made a great attempt. Watch what kind of spin he puts to his proposal.
Another Great Wedding Proposal
I can't imagine the amount of work and practice that went into this one, but it is truly another great wedding proposal...
Wedding Party Ends Ceremony With 'Harlem Shake'; Minister Joins In
So I know that the "Harlem Shake" went the way of "Planking" already, but this one is pretty funny....
Driver Ana Beatriz Got A Marriage Proposal Before The Indy 500, Said She'd Decide After The Race
Brazilian Indy car driver Ana Beatriz was not among the favorites to win Sunday's Indy 500, but she may wind up with the day's most interesting story...
Would You Wear A Wedding Ring Like This One?
I was stumbling through the intrawebz the other day when I happened upon this photograph:
Watch Unsuspecting News Anchor Get Engaged During Live Broadcast
This just in: Jillian Pavlica is off the market.
Man Steals Ex's Engagement Ring, Gives It To His Wife
Donald Albritton's marriage was going through a rough patch, so he turned to his ex-girlfriend for help. The catch is Megan White, the 35-year old's former-flame, didn't exactly get a say in the matter...
Congratulations To Journey's Neal Schon!
If you're coming to the Journey, Night Ranger & Loverboy concert at the Cajundome Wednesday night, you may want to bring a sign congratulating guitarist Neal Schon. The Was...
Man Uses 'Emergency' To Propose
I saw this one on KATC TV3's Facebook page today, so I clicked on it (only because it contained an airplane, and because I love a good practical joke) and was surprised by how much I grinned when "it happened". Watch!
See Avril Lavigne's Engagement Ring on Hello Cover
Canada's happiest (and up until yesterday, most secretive) couple are going all out. Pop punk princess Avril Lavigne and rocker Chad Kroeger of Nickelback have announced their engagement, despite concealing their romance from most of the world for the past several months. We still dunno how they pulled that off. But now that the veil of secrecy has been lifted, they are showing off Avril's rock on the cover of Canadian magazine Hello.


text:
U.S. Air Force
Join the Air Force
Air Force TV
Through Airmen's Eyes
Week in Photos
About Us
Air Force Senior Leaders
Fact Sheets
Commander's Call Topics
CSAF Reading List
2015 CSAF Reading List
2014 CSAF Reading List
2013 CSAF Reading List
2012 CSAF Reading List
2011 CSAF Reading List
2010 CSAF Reading List
2009 CSAF Reading List
2008 CSAF Reading List
2007 CSAF Reading List
2006 CSAF Reading List
The Book
Speeches Archive
Air Force Warrior Games
Air Force Events 2016
Fallen Airmen Remembered
Air Force Strategic Documents
Desert Storm 25th Anniversary
DoD Warrior Games
AF Sites
Social Media Sites
Site Registration
Contact Us
Senior Leader Links
Senior Leaders
SecAF Page
CSAF Page
CMSAF Page
Commander's Call Topics
Are you ready for the #InvictusGames2016 ?!?! Go Team USA!
#ICYMI Al Roker from the Today Show visited Team Eglin this morning for the 8th ...
Good Morning America takes over Joint Base Langley-Eustis! https://storify.com/u...
Make sure to thank a Civilian #Airman this week! #PRSW
Take a break from your Tuesday and #CaptionThis #AirForce photo!
Celebrate Public Service Recognition Week and say thank you to the 183,000 Civil...
Thank you for all you do. #TeacherAppreciationWeek
"Looking at myself wearing the U.S. Air Force uniform and to be in my home count...
Ever heard of the Air Force Sports program? How about canopy piloting championsh...
Get to know the nominee for 21st Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. David L. ...
U.S. Air Force Week In Photos
#USAF provide personnel & equipment critical to increase international relief ef...
#TBT: On April 28, 1963, the first Titan II successfully launched from an 30th S...
#ICYMI The enlisted force inducted Gen. Mark A. Welsh III into the Air Force Ord...
Today in #AirForce #History https://t.co/UxZOTVaggx
Start off your week w/ #AirForce #MotivationMonday! https://t.co/qJwLLjk0hh
Help raise #AutismAwareness for #MilitaryChildHealthCare @USAFHealth https://t.co/UXHIwk7WDc
#MyBestDayIn3Words #Airmen #Aircraft #Airpower https://t.co/PUCFDrpOtP
RT @HQUSAFEPA: #BREAKING F-22s touch down in #Romania to showcase air dominance and flexibility https://t.co/JlOM7FUDes @USNATO https://t.c…
Maintainer teams channel their inner Hercules, pull #C130 down runway to claim Spirit Award. https://t.co/lENzBZWoOx https://t.co/CMVMjFSG9e
Today in #AirForce #History https://t.co/83JCJ7HY7o https://t.co/8uzWJDrqy4
.@TeamMisawa showcases its air superiority! https://t.co/VrUlZ22DHA #USAF
.@NASA experiences S.E.R.E Water Survival Course. https://t.co/md7waawO54 @TeamFairchild #USAF https://t.co/hPryYj6f3n
These dental laboratory techs keep @1stSOW #Airmen mission ready. https://t.co/zNHBIzuCE4 https://t.co/EPNO5FTw4T
Combat Aviation Advisor #Airmen's anonymity amplifies their success. https://t.co/rQgFXugygT #USAF https://t.co/EICAIYKqE8
Today in #AirForce #History https://t.co/eJK9IvphE7
The correct answer is "C." For more AFOQT practice questions, go to https://t.co/xhiEuu8xTk T.HTML.
#AFOQT Practice: If 15 cans of food are needed for 6 adults for 2 days, the number of cans needed for 4 adults for 5 days is: A.15 B.20 C.25
Happy birthday! @USArmyReserve #🇺🇸 https://t.co/trGSJRqnna
Today in #AirForce #History https://t.co/yxEF2TMLJs
#JointWarrior strengthens ties for @NATO allied forces. https://t.co/KNl3rG4Vr0 #USAF https://t.co/dThUWOnYz5
Air Force Social Media Guide (PDF)
USAF Social Media Sites
About Us
Retired January 01,2015
Brig. Gen. John E. Michel is the Commanding General, NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan; NATO Training Mission/Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan; and Commander, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, Kabul, Afghanistan.
General Michel entered the Air Force in 1988. He has served in a number of command and staff assignments, including USTRANSCOM Liaison to North American Aerospace Defense Command-U.S. Northern Command; Chief, Rated Staff Assignments and Deputy for Senior Officer Matters, Headquarters Air Mobility Command; and Deputy Director, Air, Central Command Deployment and Distribution Operations Center.
He has commanded a tanker squadron, expeditionary operations group, air refueling wing, air expeditionary wing, and deployed NATO major command.
General Michel is a command pilot with more than 3,400 hours in the C-17A, C-5A/B, KC-135R/RT, C-21A, C-208, T-37B and T-38A aircraft.
1987 Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Southwest Texas State University
1995 Squadron Officer's School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1995 Master of Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
1999 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1999 Master of Military Operation Art, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2001 DOD Executive Leadership Development Program, Washington, D.C.
2003 Air War College, by correspondence
2004 Case Western University Executive Education Program, Cleveland, Ohio
2005 Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, Va.
2008 Doctorate in Transformational Leadership, Bakke Graduate University, Seattle, Wash.
2011 Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2011 Stanford University Supply Chain Leaders Program, Palo Alto, Calif.
2011 Senior Executive Fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Boston, Mass.
2012 The Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School, Harvard University, Boston, Mass.
1. February 1988 - February 1989, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance AFB, Okla.
2. June 1989 - December 1992, Chief of Standards and Evaluation, Detachment 1, 457th Airlift Squadron, Langley AFB, Va.
3. December 1992 - August 1994, Operations Group Executive Officer, C-5 pilot, 436th Operations Group, Dover AFB, Del.
4. August 1994 - June 1995, C-5 Flight Examiner, Chief Squadron Training, 9th Airlift Squadron, Dover AFB, Del.
5. July 1995 - July 1997, Deputy Assistant for Senior Officer Matters, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
6. July 1997 - July 1998, Chief, Rated Staff Assignments, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
7. August 1998 - June 1999, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
8. July 1999 - August 2000, Assistant Chief, Wing Plans/C-5 Aircraft Commander, 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
9. August 2000 - June 2001, Executive Leadership Development Program, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
10. November 2001 - April 2002, Chief of Safety, 22nd Air Refueling Wing, McConnell AFB, Kan.
11. April 2002 - May 2004, Commander, 350th Air Refueling Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
12. July 2004 - July 2005, National Defense Fellow, Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, Va.
13. July 2005 - May 2007, USTRANSCOM Liaison to NORAD and NORTHCOM, Peterson AFB, Colo.
14. May 2007 - June 2008, Vice Commander, 437th Airlift Wing, Charleston AFB, S.C. (December 2007 - April 2008, deployed as Deputy Director, Air, CENTCOM Deployment and Distribution Operations Center, Southwest Asia)
15. July 2008 - November 2009, Commander, 319th Air Refueling Wing, Grand Forks AFB, N.D.
16. November 2009 - January 2011, Executive Officer to the Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
17. January 2011 - August 2012 Deputy Director (Military) Strategy, Policy, Programs, and Logistics Directorate, USTRANSCOM, Scott AFB, Ill.
18. August 2012 - August 2013, Chief, Change and Learning Strategist, USTRANSCOM, Scott AFB, Ill.
19. August 2013 – present, Commanding General, NATO Air Training Command, Afghanistan and Commander, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, Kabul, Afghanistan
1. July 2005 - May 2007, USTRANSCOM Liaison to NORAD and NORTHCOM, Peterson AFB, Colo. as a lieutenant colonel and colonel
2. December 2007 - April 2008, Deputy Director, Air, CENTCOM Deployment and Distribution Operations Center, Southwest Asia, as a colonel
3. January 2011 - August 2012, Chief Change and Learning Strategist and Deputy Director (Military) Strategy, Policy, Programs, and Logistics Directorate, USTRANSCOM, Scott AFB, Ill., as a colonel and a brigadier general
Rating: Command pilot
Flight Hours: More than 3,300
Aircraft Flown: C-17A, C-5A/B, KC-135R/RT, C-21A, C-208, T-38A, T-37B
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with bronze star
Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
Second Lieutenant Aug. 1, 1987
First Lieutenant Nov. 12, 1989
Captain Nov. 12, 1991
Major Aug. 1, 1998
Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2001
Colonel Aug. 1, 2005
Brigadier General June 2, 2012
(Current as of October 2014)
Site Map
AF Sites
AF Executive Fleet
Contact Us
No FEAR Act
Link Disclaimer
Strategic APR
Suicide Prevention
Subscribe to USAF News and Information


text:
Related Links
Relevant offers
Kiwis and Aussies smoke more marijuana than almost any other country and our illicit drug trade is on the rise, according to the UN.
The 2012 United Nations World Drug Report reveals that annual drug use among Australians and New Zealand for all drugs except for heroin "remain much higher than the global average".
The report states that cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance across the globe, with the highest prevalence of use among Australians and New Zealanders.
The report, published in Vienna said the use of ecstasy is in decline in Australia, but cocaine use is on the rise and Australians and New Zealanders consume more marijuana per capita than any other country.
Between 9.1 and 14.6 per cent of the population of Oceania used the drug, compared to the estimated annual worldwide usage of 2.6 to 5.0 per cent.
The major destinations for cocaine traffickers continued to be in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, suggesting the Mexican drug cartels are continuing to make strong inroads into the Oceanic market.
The report, which mostly relies from statistics gathered in 2010, says that while cocaine use has decreased in North America, its use is up almost a full percentage point in New Zealand.
In New Zealand, a decrease in the use of "ecstasy" is reported to have been offset by the use of other substances mimicking its effects.
But the decrease in ecstasy use may also be due to seizures.
The report said New Zealand had reported labs making several drugs, in which "ecstasy" was also being manufactured in illicit methamphetamine laboratories.
Large quantities of pseudoephedrine, used for making the drug P, had been seized in Australia and New Zealand.
Similarly, the extraction of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine from ephedra plant material was reported in New Zealand.
Over the past few decades "significant illicit manufacture" had taken place in both Australia and New Zealand, the report said.
Belarus, France and New Zealand all reported report high levels of injecting drug use, in particular among heroin users with more than 20 per cent of Kiwi cocaine users injecting.
Damage by disease to 2010 Afghan poppy crops has painted a picture of lower opiate use worldwide, but the report warns the recovery of the crops is likely to see an increase in heroin use once again.
Globally, cannabis remains the most widely used drug followed by amphetamine-type stimulants, including ecstasy.
- Fairfax Media
Sponsored links
Police mark burgled streets with real estate sign lookalikes
Children aged 10 and 12 missing overnight in Wairarapa
Nelson mountainbiker 'stoked to be alive' after breaking leg on track
Marlborough woman shoots at young people with BB gun in Nelson
Regional council hands out more warnings over nitrogen leaching in Lake Taupo
Thrashing Mako shark bites Coromandel Peninsula fisherman
Pauline Ngapiki Herewini jailed for two years for armed incident
Fog blankets Auckland: ferries delayed, nine-car crash on motorway
Rain but not enough to help farmers and gardeners
Tough break makes for a marathon effort
Family violence 'Judge's Packs' to inform more judges making bail decisions
Bees and bright lights could help post-op jetlag: Auckland professor
Coroner tells health board to improve its policies after inquest into suicide
Wairau Valley man Kieran Venning refuses to make way for TrustPower hydroelectric scheme in Marlborough
Thrashing Mako shark bites Coromandel Peninsula fisherman
Children aged 10 and 12 missing overnight in Wairarapa
Police mark burgled streets with real estate sign lookalikes
The New Zealand beach town that's better than the Caribbean
Dying tavern owner still waiting for the right price
Leicester City win maiden English Premier League title
The Bachelor NZ: Hometown dates a waste of time says ex-Bachelorette
Sticky TV, The Moe Show will survive channel FOUR closure
Flogged bogs leave owners clueless
Pauline Ngapiki Herewini jailed for two years for armed incident
Woman's big Mother's Day surprise: A 5.9kg baby
Aussie Supercars ditches the 'V8' name, looks towards turbos and fours
E-Type house is winning solution for architect's own family
Is free will just an illusion?
Mediaworks dumps FOUR for new reality channel Bravo
Coroner tells health board to improve its policies after inquest into suicide
Children aged 10 and 12 missing overnight in Wairarapa
Manu Vatuvei's bizarre message amid Warriors prescription drug revelations
Captain Cook's Endeavour, on which he explored New Zealand, found off USA
Dying tavern owner still waiting for the right price
Dead fish desecrate Zahra Baker memorial
Princess Charlotte's first birthday gifts revealed - including All Blacks merchandise
Leicester City win maiden English Premier League title
The Bachelor Episode 17 recap: Bachelor baby whisperer gets a lukewarm grilling


text:
Get Your Indie Fashion Fix With NoVa's Style & Beauty Fest
After watching Beyoncé strut her stuff last night, you're probably wondering how this week could get any more fierce and fashionable. Luckily, the Crystal City BID's annual weeklong fashion event, Crystal Couture, kicks off tomorrow to add a little excitement to the month.
If you're planning to scope it out, prep yourself for multiple fashion presentations, discount-heavy trunk shows, free makeovers, DJ tunes, and all the styling tips you can handle. This year, 40-plus designers and boutiques from the DMV are setting up shop under one roof....oh, and did we mention that admission is free? Check the full schedule here, and stop by if you're in the mood to get a head start on your spring getups.
When: Tomorrow, February 5, through Saturday, February 9, from 6-10 p.m. nightly.
Where: 251 18th Street, Arlington; 703-412-9430.
Where: 251 18th Street, Arlington; 703-412-9430.
Photo: Courtesy of Crystal Couture
- Washington, D.C. | Crystal Couture - DC Fashion Events
More from Washington, D.C.
Girl Hopes For Beyoncé, Gets Obama Instead
You can't always get what you want. But, if you try sometimes, you just might find — wait, we got off track. You can't always get what you want, and on Thursday, September 11, such was the case for disappointed young Madison, a student at Washington, D.C.'s Inspired Teaching School. She had been told that a special guest...
Hayden Manders
Sep 12, 2014
Washington, D.C.
9 Free Fitness Classes To Fuel Your Workout
We'll be the first to admit that when it comes to getting in shape, we've used all sorts of excuses to try to get out of a tough workout. One that really comes in handy? Pricey gym memberships and class fees. After all, when you're broke, isn't it better to stay home rather than take a hit in the finance department? (The ...
Hollis Miller
Mar 21, 2014