Lock and Load Baby!

I do not write about Sarah Palin often. I firmly believe speaking the Devil’s name gives her power. But occasionally I get so upset I must say something. (Mostly I just call her ugly names and hope Tina Fey is on SNL again).

After several Democratic lawmakers who voted for the healthcare bill had received threats to their personal safety, Sarah Palin still believes her statement to her Tweeter groupies, “"Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!" is appropriate. Geez, and I still can’t yell “FIRE” in a crowed movie theater. Now, Palin has said this is just an expression, a metaphor for her zombies to get ready at the polls. Still, someone who proudly posed for this photo while holding public office makes me a tad nervous. (Even though we know she was just preparing to hunt those pesky wolves, you know, the ones that look like the puppy worshipping you at your feet right now?)

Then there is the infamous Facebook map. I have hunted one down (pun intended) for you to see, though I cannot find one large enough to really give you the feel of how militaristic and just plain scary these crosshairs look, especially with the names of the intended “targets” at the bottom. And what do the scary red ones mean? Once again, we are belittled by Palin when we ask her the significance of this; while she is being defended in the background by, oh, whoever that guy was that ran for president with her.

In a country with a relatively recent racially violent past, in a country with its first African American President, where African American congressmen are currently being spat upon and angry white men carry guns to political rallies, this behavior is unacceptable.

Here is some advice you for Sarah Palin; with the current sociopolitical climate being what it is, and you being what you are, if you mix in the thinly veiled violent undertones of The Tea Party Movement you are so instrumental in, I would say you are one gunshot away from being accused of inciting violence. And that is a federal offense.

If anyone thinks I am over reacting here, take a look at http://teapartypatriots.ning.com/, the official website for the Tea Party Movement. You will see lots of flags, lots and lots of flags, many eagles, guns, baseball caps and flannel shirts, and oh yes, there is a photo of Hitler and Mussolini that begins a video scaring us into thinking the constitutional amendment that limits presidential terms is about to be repealed. Don’t worry, it is not, this issue comes up every time a new party takes over the white house and it never makes it to second base. I found it interesting on many levels that this bit of fear mongering propaganda was produced by Native Americans Against Obama. Think about the irony for a minute.

So as I step off my soap box, let me leave you with this photo (admittedly, a partially Photoshoped magazine cover image Palin was furious about, which makes it oh so much sweeter)as a reminder of who these intellectual giants are idolizing.

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5 Simple Steps to Being Happier

MSNBC.com reported five steps to happiness the other day.
Being the consumate pessimist, I of course do not believe it is this simple, but I decided to post it here today since I have done a couple of these things in the past and yes, they did make me feel better. Give it a try. In todays world, things are so crummy it cannot hurt. Oh, and one extra I would add: Connect with the spiritual on a daily basis, whatever your belief system is. So Here they are:

Be grateful -- People who were asked to write letters of gratitude to people who had helped them in some way reported a lasting increase in happiness -- over weeks and even months -- after implementing the habit. Even when people wrote letters but never delivered them to the addressee, they still reported feeling better afterwards.


Be optimistic -- People were asked to visualize an ideal future and describe the image in a journal entry. After doing this for a few weeks, these people too reported increased feelings of well-being.

Count your blessings -- People who practice writing down three good things that have happened to them every week show significant boosts in happiness. The act of focusing on the positive helps people remember reasons to be glad.

Use your strengths -- Another study asked people to identify their greatest strengths, and then to try to use these strengths in new ways. This habit, too, seems to heighten happiness.

Commit acts of kindness -- It turns out helping others also helps ourselves. People who donate time or money to charity, or who altruistically assist people in need, report improvements in their own happiness.