Wear Purple 10/20/2010 in Support of LGBT teens!

The following is from the Spirit Day Facebook Page:
"On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the LGBT youth who have committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes and schools.
PURPLE represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality."


For those who are not from the USA we have recently had a rash of teen and young adult suicides due to bullying. Many were bullied due to their sexuality. THIS MUST STOP!!!! This is just one small way to show your support for the LGBT community and to stand up to bullies of all kinds.


Also, check out the Love Is Louder campaign.


Tiny Giraffe Kisses To Everyone!

The Homeless Gentelman and His Dog

The Hubby and I were on our way home from dinner last night when I spotted a homeless gentleman and his dog walking on the side of the highway. There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, that gets to me more than a homeless person and their dog. Due to the fact that we are involved in dog rescue we usually have dog food in our car at all times. Thankfully, last night was no exception. As with all of my attempt at good deeds lately, I came very close to screwing this one up as well. When we first spotted the gentleman and his dog they were on the opposite side of the highway so I had to exit the highway and turn around. By the time we got back to where we saw him they had disappeared. After a few minutes of looking and going up and down the highway we were able to find him. The Hubby was kind enough to get out and give the food to the gentleman while I stayed in the car for safety reasons. People are notorious for going 80 miles an hour down that stretch of highway and my door was to the side of traffic. I watched as The Hubby greeted the gentleman and his dog. Both were kind and excited to meet The Hubby. The sweet doggy jumped up and said hello and The Hubby gave him some petting and loving. The gentleman shook The Hubby’s hand and thanked him for the food and the measly $8 we had in cash. I am sad that there are no shelters in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for homeless people and their pets. This made me wonder if there were any shelters at all like that in the country. Oddly enough when we got home I was watching Pit Boss on Animal Planet and the show was about that exact subject. The Pit Bull rescue was doing a blanket drive for a shelter that specifically shelters those who are homeless and have pets. This of course was in Los Angeles, but it made me feel a tiny bit better that somewhere there is a place for these amazing folks who have so little and chose to share what little they have with a dog who is most likely their only companion in life, and possibly the only live being who gives them unconditional love, friendship, joy, comfort, and respect.

Tiny Giraffe Kisses To Everyone!

The Idiocy Continues

The idiocy continues. Terry Jones, the whack job of a pastor in Florida who is going to have a Koran burning party on 9/11/2010, is now whining that his constitutional rights to free speech are being denied because the ISP pulled the plug on his hate spewing and fear mongering websites. Has he been taking lessons in constitutional law from Dr. Laura? The First Amendment does not give you an inalienable right to a website, talk show, fan base, or book deal. Freedom of speech just means you have the right to say what you want, not that people have to listen to or like what you say.


The other idiotic part of the whole thing, which I touched on yesterday, is that he is burning these Korans in response to the radicals of Islam. Well in that case I will be having a Bible burning in protest of Terry Jones and Fred Phelps.

Tiny Giraffe Kisses To Everyone!

Blah, Blah, Blah

I think I will just ramble tonight. I have a lot on my mind.

Borderline Personality Disorder is still on my mind. I am still convinced that this may be what is wrong with me. Now the question is what do I do about it? Should I even bring it up with my psychiatrist? Is it going to change how she treats me? Will she even agree? Does it even matter?

My Aunt came over Monday and began helping me get my house clean and in order. There are not words for how much I appreciate this. I have been too embarrassed to ask for help for a very long time. Plus, I am not all that fond of having strangers around my dogs. My Aunt is wonderful and so nonjudgmental and loves my doggies! She even wants to help me paint and decorate! That would be doubly amazing because she has a real talent for that kind of thing and I have an amazing LACK of talent for that kind of thing.

Work is crazy. I can’t focus for the life of me and haven’t gotten a damn thing done in almost a month. The girl who was once my best friend has managed to stab almost everyone in the back and no one in my unit at work is talking to her. I am still working on my lessons for this whole situation. Oddly enough I am not near as hurt as I thought I would be. Honestly, I am more disgusted by the whole thing and I feel a bit sorry for her because it is clear that she is miserable in her life and just jealous of what we all have.

This whole Islam-hate issue is still baffling to me. Seriously, a Koran burning? Grow the fuck up. You can’t burn the holy book of an entire religion and say you are only doing it in protest of the radicals of that that religion. It would be like burning the Bible because of Fred Phelps.

There was some interesting breaking news this week. Stephen Hawkins said God did not create the universe. In other news, Sarah Palin is still an idiot and embarrassment to human kind.

Tiny Giraffe Kisses To Everyone!

Fox News and Thier Connection To the "Ground Zero Mosque"

The second largest holder of voting stock in News Corp (The Fox News parent company) is, drum roll please, none other than Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal. This is one of the Saudi King’s nephews and, most interestingly, a philanthropist who has given generous amounts of money to the man behind the “Ground Zero Mosque” or what should properly be called Park 51. This is very interesting since Fox News is one of the leading voices in opposition to Park 51 and instrumental in spreading lies and misinformation regarding the project, which is not a mosque and not at Ground Zero. This doesn’t surprise me really because I have never really thought that Fox News was interested in having anything to do with the truth, so why would they be transparent and let everyone know that they have no problem taking money from someone in support of Feisal Abdul Rauf and his project even as they (Fox News) spew hatred and lies regarding Islam and Park 51.

Now that brings me to the question of why Al-Waleed bin Talal would continue to support such fear mongering and hate invoking “reporting”?

It seems to me the answer is probably simple, money.

You can read more about the issue on NPR.org.

Tiny Giraffe Kisses To Everyone!

Ugh! Sarah Palin Has a New Book Coming Out in November.

Apparently I have been living under a rock, or maybe I just don’t care, but Sarah Palin has a new book coming out in November. This will be her second book in what, 2 -3 years? I am surprised she actually has that many viable thoughts in her head.

I just don’t understand what it is about her that so many people love. She’s an absolute train wreck, the Brittney Spears of politics. Of course, we only have John McCain to thank for creating this monster. If he and his people had just done a tiny bit of digging they would have realized that Sarah Palin had no business being a VP candidate. Katie Couric was able to demonstrate that fact in less a few hours worth of interviews, but Mr. Maverick and his entourage were apparently focused on something other than brains, qualifications, and experience. Hmmm, what does that leave us with? Ah, yes, beauty. Sarah Palin was a beauty queen, was she not? Do I really believe that was all they cared about, no, but my God what were they thinking?! I honestly don’t see what they thought qualified Palin to run beside McCain as VP. It can’t just be about the vagina factor because there are plenty of qualified women out there who could have run with McCain, and if it was about looks I am sure that at least one of those more qualified women was pretty. After all, the number of women more qualified than Palin is quite high. =

There is still buzz about her running for President in 2012. I truly can’t comprehend a world in which any sizable group of people would believe that Palin has the qualifications to be the President of the United States of America. Hopefully I won’t have to even comprehend a world where Sara Palin would even make it to the primaries because I don’t think I could stand having to listen to her any more than I already have to, or suffer through her dominating any more of the news cycles than she already does.

Tiny Giraffe Kisses To Everyone, Even Sara Palin!

Random Opinions

Thanks to my wonderful Vicodin my head feels like it's in the clouds. I have so much I want to talk about today but I just can't really get my thoughts to transfer into written word very well. Here on some thought snippets I am hoping to expand on later:

Why is it when a group of people simply want equality some automatically begin to fear a hostile takeover by that group of people?

It is funny to me how so many want to eradicate the concept and practice of Separation of Church and State so long as Christianity is the only religion being unified with government. I guarantee you if a Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Wiccan or any follower of a religion other than Christianity was to question the concept Christians would suddenly practice strict adherence to the concept of Separation of Church and State.

Tiny Giraffe Kisses To Everyone!

More From Sarah Palin Regarding Dr. Laura

So Palin didn’t stop at Tweeting. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Here is what Palin posted on her Facebook page regarding Dr. Laura’s current debacle.

Does anyone seriously believe that Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a racist? Anyone, I mean, who isn’t already accusing all conservatives, Republicans, Tea Party Americans, etc., etc., etc. of being racists?
Adversaries who have been trying to silence Dr. Laura for years seized on her recent use of the n-word on her show as she subsequently suggested that rap “artists” and other creative types like those producing HBO shows who regularly use the n-word could be questioned for doing so. Her intention in discussing the issue with a caller seeking advice was not to be hateful or bigoted. Though she did not mean to insult the caller, she did, and she apologized for it. Still, those who oppose her seized upon her mistake in using the word (though she didn’t call anyone the derogatory term) to paint her as something that she’s not. I can understand how she could feel “shackled” by those who would parse a single word out of decades of on-air commentary. I understand what she meant when she declared that she was “taking back my First Amendment rights” by turning to a new venue that will not allow others the ability to silence her by going after her stations, sponsors, and supporters.
I, and obviously many others, have been “shackled” too by people who play games with false accusations, threats, frivolous lawsuits, misreporting, etc., in an effort to silence those with whom they disagree. That’s why I tend to defend people who call it like they see it while others stop at nothing to shut them up. I learned this valuable lesson when the partisan obstructionists in my state tried to shackle, bankrupt, and destroy my family and supporters, and my record, with endless frivolous litigation when I returned from the Vice Presidential campaign trail. In order to shake off the shackles they wanted to paralyze us with, I handed the reins to another, much like Dr. Laura is doing, so that these obstructionists who hated a Commonsense Conservative agenda wouldn’t win. I didn’t retreat; I reloaded in order to fight for what is right on a fairer battlefield. So, more power to someone with good intentions who refuses to be shackled by their detractors when they are falsely accused of being racist.
Dr. Laura did not call anyone or any group of people the n-word. Curiously, the same criers over this issue didn’t utter a word when White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel called a group protesting the Obama Administration’s actions, “f***ing retards.” When this presidential spokesman uttered this term I commented that the President would be better off not including Emmanuel in his circle of advisers, and my opinion was based not just on the crude and disrespectful term Emmanuel used to label people, but because he too often gives the President very poor advice. I was called intolerant and narrow-minded by many on the Left for commenting on that issue. Many of these same Leftists are now spinning the Dr. Laura issue into something it is not. As usual, their hypocrisy and double standard applications are glaring.
- Sarah Palin

With regards to this bullshit about Dr. Laura’s First Amendment Rights having been trampled on, Jessica Yellin from CNN said it best “there’s no inalienable right there to a radio talk show.” In other words the First Amendment does not state that people have to like Dr. Laura, her stupid show, or anything that comes out of her mouth!
As for Dr. Laura being on the air for decades without ever saying anything derogatory; that is a misstatement depending on who you are and what your beliefs are. I personally have been offended by Dr. Laura on many occasions, as have many others; she just happened to finally cross the line that she had been dancing on these past few decades.
Palin’s issue with Rahm Emanuel calling someone a “f***king retard” and using that as a comparison to calling someone the “N” word is flat out stupid. Sure, calling someone a retard is not nice but it doesn’t compare to calling someone the “N” word. No one has been lynched, beaten, or enslaved because they are mentally retarded. Calling someone retarded doesn’t imply the violence and hatred that calling someone the “N” word does. And I don’t really care that she didn’t actually call someone the “N” word. I don’t think she (being white) has any business using the word, much less 11 times in the same sitting. Plus, was the use of the word the only thing wrong with that whole tirade? No! The poor caller called in for personal advice, not for Dr. Laura’s philosophical opinion about the use of the “N” word among black people. The fact that Dr. Laura thinks that you shouldn’t enter into an interracial marriage if you are too sensitive about race issues is just as offensive as her spewing of the “N” word. And yes, it is my opinion that she did indeed spew!

Tiny Giraffe Kisses To Everyone!

Palin Tweets Her Support for Dr. Laura

Sarah Palin never ceases to disgust me! I seriously would not have expected her to support Dr. Laura in her racist tirade and spewing of the “N” word. Apparently our little Tweetheart decided to shout her support for Dr. Laura from the Tweet-tops by posting these two tweets:

Where to even begin? First of all, no one is saying that Dr. Laura didn’t have the right to say the idiotic things she said. She has every right to be a racist and ignorant bitch. I don’t see her going to jail for saying anything she said, or being sentenced to a beating on the steps of city hall. Constitutional obstructionist? Really? Just as Dr. Laura has the right to say what she wants doesn’t mean we have to like and support it. Sponsors have a right to drop a client if they don’t like what the image the client is projecting. I have the right to not listen to her show if I don’t like what she has to say. Being a celebrity is about getting people to love you (or hate you) so much that they want to listen to you on the radio or watch you on television. Dr. Laura was able to get a fan base (which scares me quite a bit), but as with many celebrities the spotlight fades for some reason. For those like Dr. Laura and Mel Gibson they just happened to pull the plug on their own spotlight. Now Dr. Laura is mad because people and sponsors are dropping her and moving on. She should have thought about that before she opened her mouth! This is not about first amendment rights or the constitution. No one is telling her she legally can’t be on the air, it’s just that what she said was so offensive no one wants her on the air anymore.

What gets to me the most is Palin’s statement about activist trying to silence Dr. Laura and how it isn’t American. WHAT?! Activism is as American as it gets! Having a group of people join forces for a common purpose and speak out about it is a celebration of the First Amendment in the purest of forms. Nothing shows the power of the First Amendment more than that! I think Palin and Dr. Laura are just pissed because this time the activists’ voices are finally louder than theirs.

Read more about this at The Huffington Post.

Tiny Giraffe Kisses To Everyone!

501(c)(3)

An example of part of the Vision and Mission Statement from a 501(c)(3):

"-We will be dedicated to pluralism, service, arts and culture, education and empowerment, appreciation for our city and a deep respect for our planet.
-Uphold respect for the diversity of expression and ideas between all people
-Cultivate and embrace neighborly relations between all, fostering a spirit of civic participation and an awareness of common needs and opportunities
-Connect communities to global ideas and trends
-Commit to social justice, dignified human development and spiritual growth for all
-Establish a state-of-the-art green facility that will serve as a model and inspiration for sustainable space, helping to advance sustainable living in urban contexts
-Empower our communities with the skills and knowledge they need to advance in their various life stages
-Provide financial assistance for those in need, offering subsidies for our programming and scholarships to reach new audiences and further our vision"

This is part of the Mission and Vision from a 501(c)(3). Sounds good doesn’t it? Would you volunteer? Would you support it? I would.

This is from the Mission Statement and Vision of Park 51. That is the “Muslim Center” being built near Ground Zero. Would you still support it? I would.

Those that are associated with Park 51 are NOT the same as terrorists that tore apart New York. Saying that Park 51 should not be built near Ground Zero because the terrorist responsible for 9/11 claimed to be Muslim is like saying that Christian churches shouldn’t be built in a predominantly black neighborhood because some KKK members claim to be Christians. I seriously don’t understand why people can’t understand that all Muslims are not terrorists.

Tiny Giraffe Kisses To Everyone!

Darn, Dr. Laura Quits!

For those that haven’t heard, Dr. Laura is quitting radio. Unfortunately, she isn’t going to quit talking period. Her latest gripe is that her first amendment rights to free speech have been trampled on because of the outrage that resulted from her verbal diarrhea that included the “N” word. Ummmmm…last time I checked the fact that people are aloud to be pissed at a radio host for being an idiot is part of their rights to free speech just as it is Dr. Laura’s right to say stupid shit. I don’t see any government officials coming to throw her in prison or sentence her to death for stating her opinion. She is still aloud to read, write and say what ever she wants, but people have the right not to like it. What it sounds like to me is that she wants some constitutional amendment that requires people to like and agree with what she says. Sorry, Dr. Laura but that’s the beauty of America. You get to say what ever you want and I get to think you are an idiot and a bitch for having said it.

Tiny Giraffe Kisses To Everyone! Yes, even to Dr. Laura.

Laura Schlessinger and The “N” Word – I Can’t Believe We Actually Have To Have This Conversation!

You all can thank Laura Schlessinger for this rant-post.


In case you haven’t heard Ms. Schlessinger went on her own rant the other day about the unfairness of black people being able to use the “N” word without consequence, whereas “if anybody without enough melanin says it, it’s a horrible thing…”

Really!? She actually needs to have this conversation?

The reason it is ok for a black person to use the “N” word is because it allows the black speaker of the word to take back the power of the word. When a black person utters the “N” word they are taking the power away from the white racists who uses it to demean, intimidate, terrorize and torture. It is VERY loosely related to a fat person calling themselves fat vs. some skinny bitch calling the fat person fat. Of course, that is a trivial correlation because the last time I checked no one was lynched for being fat, but you get the point.

Even if all of that talk about “power” is bullshit, it comes down to the simple rule of “two wrongs don’t make a right”. Let’s pretend the black rappers who use the “N” word are wrong. Does it make it right for a white person to run around saying such a hatefully charged word that we all know hurts those to whom it is directed simply because “he said it first!?” Are we toddlers?

I will never understand why this is so hard for people to understand. It shocks me that this is something that anyone has to explain or talk about.

And for the record, I am white and I am fat.

For full audio and a transcript of Laura Schlessinger's rant click here. The idiocy does not end there.

Tiny Giraffe Kisses To Everyone!

My VERY Unpopular View On Illegal Immigration (Please don't shoot me or my tiny Giraffe!)

I am sure that if I were someone with a lot of readers I would get a TON of hate mail after this post but I just can’t keep quiet. I feel that being a social worker gives me a different perspective to put on the table. Plus, I don’t understand this outright anger and hatred that I see directed towards illegal immigrants. Also, I am not saying that nothing needs to change. I just believe we should take a more compassionate approach. After all, this country was created by immigrants. Unless you are a Native American you ancestry is made up of immigrants.


I often wonder to myself if those who are the most vocal about the issue have ever spent any real time with illegal immigrants. My suspicion is that the answer to that question is no, except for maybe the lawn guy that they gladly pay only $30 do the lawn knowing (whether they want to admit it or not) that he is an illegal immigrant and that is why he is charging $30 and not $100 like more professional lawn services would charge. More on that later.

The biggest problem most people have with illegal immigrants centers around taxes. It is often believed that illegal immigrants pay absolutely no taxes what so ever. While this might be true on the federal level there are still local sales taxes and property taxes that they pay just like citizens do. For those that are not aware, Texas does not have a state income tax. We have chosen to pay local sales taxes that usually hover around 8-9%. Then we pay property taxes that fund our local schools and other local and state expenses. Therefore it is not possible to get away with not paying taxes on a state level. That means that the illegal immigrants who are sending their children to school are NOT getting free ride in the public school system because whether they rent or own the property that they live on they are paying property taxes (believe me, the landlords and leasing companies are not picking up that tab whether you are illegal or legal). These property taxes and local sales taxes also help fund the County Hospitals where a lot of the illegal immigrants get the “free medical care” they allegedly get. These local sales taxes and property taxes also partially fund Medicaid and other welfare programs in the state of Texas.

As far as federal taxes I don’t know what the answer is. Almost all of the illegal immigrants I have talked to have no problem paying federal taxes they just don’t know how to go about doing it with out the risk of deportation. They didn’t come here with a grand scheme of tax evasion. They came here desperate to make a better life for their family. And while many will cry “it’s the principle of the matter,” let’s face it; what they would be paying in income taxes is pretty menial considering the horribly low wages they earn. What most illegal immigrants would pay in a lifetime of federal income taxes is not even 1% of what quite a few people get in tax breaks every year.

Then let’s looks how almost everyone benefits from the low pay that illegal immigrants get. Lawn care, construction, immigrant farming, restaurant service, and house cleaning are all just some of the areas where a large portion of illegal immigrants work for lower than standard wages. Some of this goes on behind the scenes so that we aren’t overtly aware of the fact that we are paying less for services and products thanks to an illegal immigrant who is willing to take less pay than the average American. So don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are not in some ways benefiting from illegal immigration.

You also have to look at why they have come here. They come here out of desperation. Are they living the American Dream once they get here? NO! They make little to no money and barely just get by and yet this is better than where they came from! Really stop and think about that for a moment. You work for minimum wage, or less, doing hard labor for well over 8 hours a day and often 7 days a week. You most likely rent a house or an apartment that is in disrepair. Your kids may have health care but you do not. If you are sick or hurt you deal with it and go to work anyway. And all of this is BETTER than where you came from! If you were living in a situation where no matter how hard you tried you couldn’t make enough money to feed, house, and clothe your family what would YOU do? You could do nothing or you could cross the border into a country that has EVERYTHING and promises the American Dream.

Also, let’s not forget that it’s not quick, easy or cheap to become an American Citizen. I think some people have the idea that you go through a process much like we go through to get a driver license to become an American Citizen, but this is not the case. It is a long drawn out and expensive process that many with college degrees find daunting. So imagine if you are from another country just desperate for a better life for your family.

I don’t expect to have changed anyone’s mind on the issue but I hope that I have shown some folks a different perspective, one of compassion and understanding.

Tiny Giraffe Kisses To Everyone!