Differences

WARNING: THE WORD SEX IS USED MULTIPLE TIMES LOL

Where I rant about people being rude in their opinions: specifically about sex in books and the people who write them :D

Here's a topic guaranteed to get people going-there differences. Recently, some huge terrorist figurehead and mastermind was killed. Can anyone guess who? Yeah, you guessed it. People's reactions are diverse and people's feelings and reasons for their reactions and feelings are just as divers.

Please remember, we are a free country. People should not be villified because their responses aren't the same as yours. Celebrate the right to freely express yourself without demeaning another expression of emotion. :D

This brings up something else--writing. There are many people against sex in books. Even Harlequin has a line that will not accept it. It's their Christian line. There are guidlines, more than one set, about what types of books are "Christian" and which don't fill the bill. I think this is a wonderful tool for people who don't want to read it themselves.

However. There's always a butt in there somewhere :D

The recent "scandal" involving a teacher who writes books with sex scenes in it has brought up quite the brooha. What gives anyone the right to say what someone else does outside of the classroom. It's not illegal. She didn't write that book on how to be a pedophile. Nothing in her teaching role was disrespectful. We teach sex ed in grade school and middle school. Why are people having trouble with a teacher who includes a scene in her work? What happened to the freedom to speech aspect? Are teachers supposed to quit having sex as well?? Really people.

A lot of time, energy and money is being wasted on a bruha over someone who's done nothing wrong. Get a life. Better yet, use those energies to fight true wrongs in our system. Use that energy to go give succor to the homeless, feed the hungry, I'd say volunteer at your local library but that might tempt you to start burning books next.

I'm sorry. That last statement was full of snark. I've tried to keep it down but prejudices like that are what keeps people from being able to be open and share their problems (ie rape, incest, etc) because they're afraid they'll get blamed for it. I mean, if a teacher writes about sex and gets in trouble, how much more trouble will the poor kid who's been raped and talks about sex be?? It's not the way it should be, but it's the way it'll be perceived by anyone looking for help.

So keep a lid on it if you don't like a certain kind of writing. Go buy up hundreds of books that have no sex in them to donate to your local library. Teach your kids your beliefs. Express your beliefs on a blog if you want. But don't go getting people fired because of what they do on their own time. You're crossing the line from freedom of speech to yelling "Fire!" in a crowded room when there isn't one.

Express yourself by choosing not to buy that type of book. Express yourself by writing your own book with no sex in it. Say you don't like that type of book. There are many ways for you to express your opinion that don't have to be hurtful and vindictive.

I'm using this as an example because I have no idea who this person is, or even remember the name of the teacher. I just live in an area that is just as bad and would likely treat her the same way. So, let's try not to let this kind of crap happen again.

White Swan Fire

Last weekend we had some of our worst weather. We had high winds. I don't know what the "official" tally on the winds turned out to be. I do know they are never as bad where ever it is they keep the damn recorder. It's much stronger down in the valley because of the mountain.

So last weekend the winds blew crazily. The normal winds coming from Mount Adams combined with someting coming from the...west, I think. Warmer wind anyway. In the midst of all this, it appears that someone had sparks from their chimney fall on their roof and start a fire.

The wind whipped said fire into an immediate frenzy. The normal things that help firefighters fight fires were ineffective as aresult of the high winds. Usually, if you have a good wide road, it works as a natural barrier. Not in this case. The wind blew that fire into a 240 acre rampaging beast.

I think they are still fighting the two contained fires left from that fire--one in a lumber yard, the other in a hay stack. The hay stack may sound funny to some, but not to those who live in cattle country. Hay stacks around here aren't the cute Monet rounded mounds for little boy blue to sleep on. They are 2 tons and bigger walls of hay that can burn for-seemingly-ever.

In the end, it appears that no one was killed. However, 120 people have been displaced, at least 20 homes have burned down. If you want to see what I mean, you can feel free to look on my Facebook (Leona Bushman should get you there. If you friend request me and send message you found me via my blog, I'll accept :) to see the pictures of my husband's grandmother's house.

Although her daughter-in-law saved some of her pictures, it was only a precious few she could grab in a hurry. Grandma lost her husband a while back. All she had left were her memories. In recent posts, I have talked about losing my brother's pictures and how much it meant for me to get them back. Having the pictures to look at are like having a continual memory update. And like having a security blanket for when you're missing them.

She's lost all of his things that she kept to remind her of him and to pass down to the grandkids. I ran the idea of doing a scrapbook for her. Gathering pictures from the rest of the family and scanning them and making her a new scrapbook as a house warming, or sooner gift.

Everyone's jumped on the wagon and we're probably going to do three of them. It has really comforted her as well as those affected by her loss. She will get some pictures back, and everyone else doesn't feel so helpless.

The Red Cross is taking donations to help with blankets, clothing, etc. I'm thinking of taking donations to put together a premade scrapbook for all of the families affected. I don't know how to spearhead something like that though. I know at least two more of the families by proxy, and probably more of them since names haven't been released. Is this a feasable project? I've seen premade albums done for wedding and stuff as gifts. I have the know-how. Would that be something you would like to get? In the cases of these other families, I'd be trying to give back hope.

So, any ideas? My MIL and I can take care of my Grandma but the others? What do you think?