Memorial Day - Shake a Vet's hand, tell them thank you

Today is the day that we honor the men and women who gave the absolute sacrifice for their country.  Without these men and women, our country would be very different than it is today.  We wouldn't be free, the majority of us wouldn't speak English and we wouldn't be the amazing country we are today.

But, I wonder about those men and women who have survive.  I wonder, do we do enough for them?  Do we show our gratitude often enough?  Do we give them our thanks?

So, here's what I purpose for anyone reading this article - starting today - every time you see a vet, tell him or her, thanks.  

It doesn't matter where you are when you do so.  If you see a soldier, Marine or sailor in uniform, shake their hand, look them in the eye and thank them for their service.  If you see someone in a hat that says veteran on it, do the same thing.  These men and women put their lives on the line for us.  They serve their country with honor and for very little pay and benefits. Their families live with the separation of war and service and they're rarely thanked.

If you can read this, thank a teacher.  If you can read this in English, thank a vet.

God Bless our vets and God Bless America.

Protect Drug Addicts?

There's a Milwaukee Journal Times editorial calling for a better law to protect people from abusing prescription drugs and, quite frankly, I don't think we need the law at all.  When will we stop allowing the government to protect us from ourselves.  If you want to ruin your life or even die by taking prescription drugs, oh, well.  If you're that stupid, we didn't need you in the gene pool anyway.

If this was a matter of the government making sure a company didn't put a drug on the market that was known to kill one out of every 10 users, then I'd be for it.  But, frankly, I don't need the government to protect me from me.  If I want to run around town, convincing doctors that I need that prescription drug, so be it.

If I have a brain cell left, then I know there are plenty of programs that will put me on the straight and narrow path from drug addiction.  Is it easy - no, it isn't.  But, that which does not kill us, makes us stronger.

I've been on pain medication and I realize that the soothing effects are quite addicting.  I do have an addictive personality, if I didn't, I would've quit smoking for good years ago.  But, despite my stupidity for still being a smoker, I do have enough good sense to know that when I crave the drug for the effect and not the pain in my leg, it was time to stop taking the drug.  Three days after my knee surgery, I was done with the vicodin.


Enough is enough.  It is time we expected everyone to take care of themselves and if they can't, and they die, that's just a sad fact of life.  It may be a little harsh, but only the strong survive and if you're not strong enough, well, they you're out of the gene pool.

Social Security, Medicare and the Tea Party

I've been reading that the Tea Party wants smaller government.  And, Republicans want to privatize Social Security.  And, the country wants less government interference in their health care.  Add to this a soaring debt that most Americans want paid down, plus Corporations want to pay less in taxes (even though they're the lowest since the 1950's), as do most Americans (even though they're the lowest since the 1950's).

Well, I've got a plan.  You ready for it...

Let's get rid of Social Security and Medicare.  Just like that, let's stop both programs in their tracks.  Now, I know what you're thinking, we can't do that -- we have thousands of retirees depending on their Social Security checks and their Medicare!  Well, I have a plan.

I say that starting January 1, 2011, no one in this country pays anymore Social Security and Medicare taxes.  Period.  Those people who are 65 and over on 1/1/2011, get to use up the rest of the money in the pot.  Once the last of them die, those of us who aren't on either program would get an amount of any remainder, based on how much we paid in and how old we are.  I think if you're 64 on 1/1/2011, you should get back at least as much as you put in.  I don't think there would be any left, but we should plan just in case.

Then, all of us, would get to keep the approx. 8% we put into Social Security every year.  It would be up to us to figure out how to invest it.  And, our employers who pay another 8% would get to keep that money to use however they wish.  If they choose to put it in our 401ks, well, that would be a bonus and I say no tax on that money for the employee and employer.  If they choose to keep it in the company coffers, well, Corporations work hard for their money and they should get to keep it, but tax it as profit.

If you invest wisely between now and the time you retire, you should have a nice little nest egg.  I mean, you know better how to take care of your money than the government, right?  You're on time with your bills, you pay your mortgage.  You made a good deal when you purchased your new car, so you must know what you're doing, right?

But, I don't believe in Government safety nets.  I've really had it with bailouts so, if you don't invest wisely, well, that's just too damn bad.  You're on your own.  Oh, and we should enact a mandatory retirement age of 65.  We can't have people hanging on to their jobs in order to make ends meet.  We need the next generation to get out there, work and save for their retirement.

So, who's with me?  Anyone?  Let's write our Congressmen and Senators and let them know - No More Social Security and Medicare.  Let's start standing on our own two feet!  Come on, America!  Let's get together and push this through!

God Bless!

Twisted Headlines

Yesterday on facebook, a co-worker of mine posted the following: "Obama skipping Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. 'He'll be on vacation in Chicago'"  You would think a comment like that couldn't possibly start any trouble, could you?


Well, it went on and on.  There are actual news articles and blogs calling Obama out for sending Joe Biden in his place.  As it turns out, President Obama will be at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.  It's not like, in the words of my co-worker, he's spending the day at a waterpark.


You're probably wondering why I am posting about a post from facebook and here's why.  It bugged the heck out of me.  I couldn't find much in the way of Presidents attending the Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington.  But, I did find out that Obama isn't the first President to miss it.  When I pointed out that Bush II had missed to be in Normandy, France.  A person stated, "And it always goes back to Bush II for some reason....very interesting. The hatred for him knows no bounds"  And, proceeded to post Bush's Normandy comments.  


Here's what bugs me:  Yes, I thought President George W. Bush was a bad President and, yes, I voted for Obama and I will be voting for Obama in 2012.  But, I don't pull out something Bush had done and necessarily mean it was a bad thing.  And, can't people say anything about Bush and not be accused of hating him? 

In fact, I don't even care that Bush went to Normandy, I was merely pointing out that this Presidential tradition had been broken before.  In fact, later in the day, I learned that Reagan missed in 1983 to attend an economic summit and Bush I missed to speak at an American Legion and then play golf.


So, I was thinking, Are we really that bad in this country that we infer or project how we think a person feels because we label them?  Some people think I'm a radical liberal -- far from the truth -- but does that mean that no matter what I say, they hear a radical liberal response?


Does that mean that we have stopped paying attention to each other?  I realize our pundits have completely lost their minds and stopped listening, but have the rest of us?  And, if we have, isn't that the saddest thing ever?  How can we solve our country's problems if we when hear an idea, we only agree if they're a Conservative Republican or a Liberal Democrat?  Why are we so polarized when, except when driving a car, the middle of the road is usually the best place to be?


God Bless

Arizona's Immigration Law Part II

It isn't often that I change my mind about something. It happens even less often that I make a turn around in such a short period of time.

I just found some new information that in fact the AZ immigration law doesn't give police officers the right to stop someone because they think he's an illegal immigrant. They have to have pulled the person over for some other reason, like a traffic violation.

To me, that makes all the difference.

I see no harm in asking to see id -- police do that all the time.

God Bless

The new AZ law

Quick note: Kiss your freedom goodbye in AZ. The police have the right to stop and question you if they have a "reasonable suspicion" that you are an illegal immigrant. How do you NOT look like an illegal immigrant? Okay, I'm a very white woman, but I can pass for Italian or Russian or Irish. I'm not saying a police officer would do this, but he or she could stop me because they suspect I might be an illegal immigrant from Ireland or one from Russia.

Granted, I probably won't be stopped in AZ, but it could happen. Walk down the street and speak with an accent and police officer could decide to check your citizenship papers. And, what if you've forgotten your driver's license that day? You better hope someone is at home to get it for you and bring it down to the police station.

I realize we have an illegal immigrant issue in this nation, but removing freedoms is not the answer. I don't think this law will stand up in court, but it might.

The law gives every police officer in the state of AZ the right to stop anyone at any time. All he or she has to say is: "I thought they might be illegal."

God Bless America

Rep. Jeffrey Wood

Rep. Jeffrey Wood needs to be removed from the Wisconsin Legislature. End of discussion. A three-time loser in the drunk driving race does not deserve to be a state representative. End of discussion. For our state Democrats to hold a early morning vote while Rep. Nass is attending his mother's funeral is not only wrong, but unethical and immoral. For Rep. Colon to suggest Nass miss his mother's funeral to attend this ridiculous vote is heartbreaking.

I can't condone nor defend the behavior of the Democrats involved in this mess. Do they not realize that they represent me and others like me? We do not need the Republicans to overtake our state legislature again. Look what happened the last time. Behavior such as this does nothing to help the overall cause.

Jerks!

God Bless Representative Nass and my thoughts and prayers are with him and his loved ones during this very difficult time.

See story here.

Net Neutrality and the Right Wing

The rest of my interview with Steve Hofstetter will be posted soon.  Before the end of the day -- I promise -- I'm still transcribing it.

BUT, I just received a message from Media Matters regarding the Right Wing and Net Neutrality.  Apparently, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh suffer from Obama Derangement Syndrome.  They both have a serious case of it, because they are convinced that Net Neutrality is a BAD thing and that is simply not true.

The big communications companies don't want Net Neutrality.  They want to charge me more in order to have their customers come visit my blog and they want to charge consumers more for reading my blog.  And, my blog is just a sample.  Beck and Limbaugh will be heard because they have big contracts and a lot of money backing them.  People like me will not be heard, because I can't afford to pay Comcast, AT&T and Verizon more money to obtain readers.  I'm not that dedicated as a blogger to charge for content and I happen to believe that free speech means it should be FREE.

This is one of those few issues where the Christian Coalition and the ACLU actually AGREE.  They both know that if someone decides to put up roadblocks to sites, democracy will be in trouble.

Maybe, you don't agree with one blog I've ever posted.  Maybe, you hate my guts, as I know at least two people out there do.  Maybe, you think I should die a horrible and terrifying death -- and, maybe, you're right.  Maybe, I'm the awful person YOU think I am, but the First Amendment guarantees me the right to free speech.  I pay for the hosting of this website.  I pay for my Internet access.  I shouldn't have to pay YOUR Internet provider to have my blog come up in search engines or have people visit.

YOU shouldn't have to pay to have YOUR blog read, either.

That is what Net Neutrality defends against.

Don't listen to Glenn and Rush on this issue -- Contact the FCC and let them know YOU support Net Neutrality.  Read up on it on your own. 

You can start here:  http://free.convio.net/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=437

God Bless America!

Interview with Steve Hofstetter - Part I

Steve Hofstetter, in case you don't know, is a comedian from New York. He's been a professional comic since graduating college eight years ago. His comedy is both funny and thought provoking, which is a fine line to walk. He does an excellent job of it. If you haven't heard of Steve, then you should take this opportunity to download his album for free – yes, I said for free.

I had the opportunity to interview Steve about his giving away his album, “The Dark Side of the Room”. Instead of a self-promoting, fast interview that I was expecting, the experience turned out to be more of a conversation between two people who have just met (one of which is recording it). Truth be told, this has made for a long transcript. I don't want to sell Steve short by picking and choosing what I post here and what I don't, because he struck me as a funny comedian when I listened to his album, he truly struck me as a very intelligent young man during this interview.

However; this is a blog and my interview with him ran for forty minutes. So, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to post my interview with him in two separate posts. One today and one tomorrow. I'm just splitting the interview in half.

Without further delay, here is Part I of my interview with Steve Hofstetter.

I called Steve and caught him at home in New York. He didn't have an appearance Saturday night, so he was free. He does have an appearance scheduled for the Bob & Tom Show on 4/5/2010.

After the initial hi, I want to interview you, I jumped right into the really tough question: Is this a new album or an old album? (I'm sure I'm in line for the Pulitzer.)

Steve: No, this is my most recent one with material. I released one since then but that one was 100% ad lib. This is the one with the material from my act.

Me: What made you decide to release this one and let everyone download it for free?

Steve: You know it started as a pay as you want album. And, it was a huge success. A lot of people still paid the $9.99 they used to on iTunes. Some people paid more and some people paid less. But, I am preparing for a new album. I figured you know what, I'm going to let a million people have this one. Because if they like this one, they'll probably get the next one.

– This is where I gushed embarrassingly and admitted that I would be buying the next album.

Me: I really enjoyed listening to it and so, I've got to ask, Did you really make your mom buy the Penthouse?

Steve: Well, I didn't force her to, but I didn't send her a copy. She told me that she went to three or four different newsstands. And, I was like that's even better, because that means she had to ask for it that many times. That means she had to be like, “Can I have a Penthouse?”. Because even if the guy gives her a weird look, what is she going to say? “My son's in it.” That just makes it worse.

Me: I don't think my mom would do that. She'd be like have the publisher send me a copy or I'm not reading it.

Steve: You know what, my mom is great and super supportive of my career. As private as she is that her love for me trumps that so she'll go out and buy a copy of Penthouse because her son is in it.

Me: That's really nice. So, were you a comedian as a kid? Were you the class clown?

Steve: Not even close. I was a little bit of a troublemaker when I wouldn't get in trouble for it. I definitely liked to stir the pot to prevent myself from being bored. I wasn't entertaining at a young age. I started during improv when I was 13. When I was in class, I was trying to fit in and not be beat up.

Me: Is this what you always wanted to do?

Steve: No, not even close. I wanted to be a journalist. I was on my way to doing that and I became disenchanted with it. There are bad things about every profession. But, journalism today is not what it should be or could be.

Me: So, you talking about about the days of Edward Morrow...

Steve: There's always been some form of infotainment that's part of journalism going back to Hearst. There's always been polemics, but there was money in truth. It seems to be now that people don't care about truth as long as there entertained. That's gone away.

There was actually a phenomenal point on the Daily Show the other day... when they were talking about CNN's ratings and how they lost 50% of their viewers in the last year and the idea that there is so much room for them right now with MSNBC to the left and FOX to the right. There's a lot of room for a news organization to become the news organization that holds the others accountable. It's amazing that instead of doing that they try to play the same stupid games that everyone else is playing.

Me: Because that's what going to make money instead of what America really needs.

Steve: It's not about just what America needs because it is a business, I understand that, they have to make money. I can't say it's the journalists' fault by themselves because the consumers are clearly driving the demand for garbage. But, I really do believe that people rise to the level that they are presented. And, it's amazing how many people who are the presenters decide to go for the easy buck instead of the right thing to do on the long term investment.
Me: Wow, this is an entirely different conversation than I thought I would be having. You're a very intelligent young man.

Steve: I would hope you would get that from my comedy.

Me: I did get that. I thought that, I was really thinking about …

(I should note that Steve has a section on his album regarding marijuana and legalization. This next section refers to that.)

I heard the same thing you heard growing up that marijuana is a gateway drug and I was like, cool. And, the funny thing is that I've never really smoked pot. I mean, I've tried it, and I would stand in line to vote to legalize it, because this is ridiculous.

Steve: You know, I've never even tried it. And, it's funny, because of that bit and the widespread attention that bit in particular has gotten – I did it on Ferguson. I've kind of almost became a champion for the cause, reluctantly. And, it is something should be legalized. The amount of resources that we're wasting to keep a pot dealer in jail while a rapist goes free. The amount of money were losing in our economy. What the illegal nature of pot does for the cartels. If pot were legal, the murderous, murderous cartels would be out of business. Our economy would bounce back, practically overnight. It's just amazing to see. We're so used to accepting what's all ready part of our laws. Forgetting that they change constantly. I remember fifteen years ago, you couldn't find a casino outside of Vegas or Atlantic City. Then, ten years ago, you couldn't find a casino outside of Vegas, Atlantic City or Indian land and now, you can't go ten yards without seeing a casino. And, that's a pretty quick transition when you consider how long it takes to build one of them.

Me: You're right, I drive past a casino everyday on my way to work.

Steve: And, it used to be that we were saying, “Oh, these are wrong and they'll hurt our children and how dare we.” And, then someone went, wait, we can make money off of this and suddenly, the view changed. Imagine what we can do if we legalized pot and have dealers pay a tax that goes to education.

Me: Well, they'd never had to hold another bake sale.

Steve: Exactly, well, I guess you could combine the brownies. It would be a much different bake sale.

Me: I read somewhere and I don't remember where, that California has 80 million dollars in taxes off of the fact that they have legalized marijuana.

Steve: Yeah and that's just for medicinal purposes. I think the vote is coming up (to legalize it). Federal law trumps state law. That'll be an interesting exercise in states' rights. It floors me that we're able to pick and choose what we're offended by and this is the root of my comedy. We're offended by drugs whereas we drink while we're offended by drugs. You can't show a nipple on screen because that's dirty, but at the same time on everyday prime time hospital shows, they show people just mutilated. And, that's not even talking about what's on the news. The fact that the news can show a dead body, but at one in the morning, you can't say the word shit. It amazes me. That's kind of what I try to do with my comedy. The root of the phrase Comedy without apology. That's the name of my new tour. That to me is what we need. We need to stop apologizing and start having a conversation instead.

Me: So, what do you think about all these stars like Tiger Woods and Sandra Bullock's husband, now. All these guys are acting like pigs and then they apologize and that's supposed to make it all better. Do you think they owe us an apology? Do you think they should say I did this, oh, well, get over it?

And, you can read Steve's answer in the second half of our interview tomorrow!

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Steve Hofstetter

I just got off the phone with Steve Hofstetter. He is a very funny comedian and I was interviewing him. I'm writing up the interview now, which was really more like a conversation with a friend. Steve is giving away one million copies of his album, "The Dark Side of the Room." I've listened to it and it is very funny. I suggest that all my readers download the album and come back tomorrow to read the interview!

God Bless!

Julie

Dairyland Race Track in Kenosha...

The Dairyland Race Track in Kenosha, Wisconsin will be closing on December 31, 2009. 900 Greyhounds need to be adopted or they will be euthanized. Please help me get the word out; there is only 4 weeks to get this task done. Contact Joanne Kehoe Operations Director P: 312.559.0887 Or Dairyland Race Track Adoption Center direct at (262) 612-8256.

Wouldn't it be nice this holiday season to give a beautiful dog a new loving home?

God Bless

The Country

Every time I hear someone say that Obama is going to turn this nation into a socialist country or that government interference is always bad, I get angry. Because the person who is saying it is usually someone who doesn't know what socialist means. Further, they usually only get involved with politics when they think something they have is being affected. A friend said that if it isn't going to save him any money, then he doesn't pay any attention.

This kind of individual selfishness is why our nation is in the mess it is in. We have lessened the government regulations over the past twenty-nine and look where we are right now. Our banks have grabbed all that they can until they are practically falling apart under bad debt and poor business decisions. 40 million plus Americans don't have healthcare. We're in a very deep Recession (I think we're in a depression). Companies pollute our air and water. Other companies are hemorrhaging employees, even though they might be turning a profit -- it isn't high enough to keep people working. But, let's all fear our government.

I suggest you read this article. It'll make you think.

http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/ayn-rand-lives/

God Bless

The Laceyville Monkeys, Say the Right Words

“Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” That's the old saying that my father taught me way back in the last century when I was a little girl. For the most part, my father was right. Words never hurt me physically, but whenever a harsh word was sent my way, pain would resonate longer. Words may never break your back, but they can break your spirit. This is the lesson I believe Harriett Ruderman wants children to learn in her book, The Laceyville Monkeys, Say the Right Words.

The Laceyville Monkeys are a trio of amazing monkeys that can sing, perform gymnastics and dance. However; if you don't say the right words, the monkeys will not perform for any audience. With charming illustrations by Beverly Luria, Ruderman has created not only a world that will delight children, but passes on the very valuable lesson of choosing the right words. The rhyming tale is certain to delight children and parents alike.

Miss Hepzibath Mott arrives in Laceyville with her three monkeys; Eva – the ballerina, Sheva – the singer, and Keva – the gymnast. To begin their delightful performance, Miss Hepzibath Mott says the right (and kind) words. She wishes to enter the trio in the big talent contest, but Granny Scott has other plans. On the day of the contest, she sneaks the monkeys out of the house and enters them into the contest. However; Granny Scott has never learned the lesson of using the right words and the monkeys refuse to perform. Without giving too much away, you can be rest assured that your children will be enthralled with the wonderful ending.

The book's colorful pictures and rhyming words will teach the lesson of kindness that will stay with your children long after the back cover is closed. In this day and age of harshness, perhaps a few adults could read the tale and learn the lesson as well.

The Hole In The Sky

The Hole in the Sky has on its cover an amazing piece of artwork. Created by Katherine Navarette, it is worthy enough to be framed and hung on the wall. When you open that beautiful cover, the front piece contains a map of Murantenland drawn by Joan Swan. The book includes two ribbons for marking your place, perfect for reading along with your child. The included ribbons will stop a reader from turning down the corners to mark their place – a personal pet peeve. When you read the copyright page, you learn that the book is made from mixed sources – well managed forests and recycled paper.

The presentation of the book from its beautiful cover to the map to the book mark ribbons would be a disappointment if the author, Barbara A. Mahler, had not written a story to warrant such an amazing presentation.

The Hole in the Sky is about 13-year old Kaela Neuleaf. She lives with her father, who is a rather sad man after the death of her mother. Kaela is your average teen. She has struggles in school, wondering where she belongs and she dreams of something magical happening to her. Kaela is not alone in her awkwardness; she has her cousin, Shawn, who wears glasses and gets picked on – a lot.

The magical appears to Kaela and Shawn in the form of Netri. Netri is from Murantenland and he helps them go through the hole in the sky. Kaela, it has been determined, is the red haired girl mentioned in the prophecy that will end it all.

The Hole in the Sky was written for 8 to 12 year olds. However, any parent would enjoy reading the book right along with his or her child. There are many themes of love and loss throughout the book that lend themselves to wonderful, thought-filled discussions with your child. The book made me wish I had a young daughter and we could read it together.

A bit slow in the beginning, the story soon picks up speed and carries the reader through an impressive ride through a beautiful new world. When the young reader comes to the end, she will have learned lessons about love and healing. The best part is that the story weaves the lessons in a manner that is not preachy. The Hole in the Sky is the first book in a trilogy. After closing the back cover, I was wishing the second book was available and I believe you will wish the same.




Happy Reading!

Blogcritic Writer of the Day

I woke up this morning in a very pensive mood. I have a lot to do at work, I have a lot of books taking up space in both my living room and my purse that I have to finish reading and I'm locked out of the audiobooks section of the library, because once again, I couldn't return my library books on time. To top it all off, McAfee says I'm not protected because the virus software can't get past 4% when scanning. When am I going to find the time to fix that?

I download my email and glance at it, convinced that only bad news can arrive. I have a comment on my article for Blogcritics, The Ladies of Friday Night article. In case you don't know, for this TV season, I'm recapping Ghost Whisperer and Medium. Well, since I am full of myself, I decide to read the comment and the writer mentions that I am the Blogcritics writer of the day! I am blown away! Little old me! Woo Hoo! On top of that, my article is mentioned! Way to go Me!

I know I should be a way more humbled person, but sometimes it is nice to see your hard work rewarded. And, after the week I had at my paying job last week, I could use a little reward this week.

God Bless

This Week's Books

The first thing you'll notice about this week's this week's books is that it is being published on Monday. I think Monday's will be a better day for the feature. Next, you'll notice that I've added a DVD and a video game to the list. Finally, you should notice that I haven't reviewed any of the books on this site as of yet. I'm still working on the reading all of them and their reviews. This week I'm posting my review of The Hole in the Sky. As usual, the review will appear on Blogcritics first and then here.


Happy Reading, Watching and Playing!

This Week's Books

I love to read and this week I'm reading quite a bit. I'm carrying over some books from last week and I'm adding some new ones.



God Bless

Infertility Mix-up

On September 26, 2009 Carolyn Savage gave birth to a healthy baby boy after receiving infertility treatments. For most families that is where the story would end, except Savage gave birth to a baby boy who genetically was someone else's baby. According to news reports, she has given the baby to his genetic parents.

A few years ago, I went through the entire nine yards of infertility treatments. I started with a lousy clinic in Illinois and moved on to a good clinic in Wisconsin. I wanted a child so much that for three long years, it was my only focus. Cheryl and I made decisions based on the idea that we would have a child to love in our lives. I had artificial insemination - six of those - and on three occasions, I had in vitro fertilization. None of these nine procedures produced a child.

We had to make the decision, do we keep going with the treatments or do we stop? We were over $17,000 in debt and our marriage was on the brink of failure due to the stress this placed on us. Add in that the doctors weren't sure if my body could even handle another go around, we had to stop. I was devastated. My heart was broken in places I didn't even know it could break. I mourn the loss of those last two embroyos. The doctors had thought they were our best chance for a child. Had I been able to carry them, they would've been two years old come November. My heart aches every Mother's Day.

I bring this up because when I read the story of Carolyn Savage my very first thought was I could never give up a child I had carried to term. Nothing short of armed guards could've pried that baby from me. And, yet, there she is, passing a child she has grown to love over to another woman. I admire Savage's commitment to giving the child to his biological, DNA-related parents. I am nearly positive that had the clinic we used called and said we've given you the wrong embroyo, I would've hung up the phone, changed my name and moved out of state. You truly have to have a great faith in a higher power to be able to give up a child to his or her rightful parents. I am willing to bet not many childless women would be willing to do the same.

I realize that Carolyn Savage has other children, but giving up a child is not an easy decision. She had an opportunity to terminate the pregnancy and she didn't. To carry a child that you know isn't yours and you can't keep is a very unselfish act.

My heart goes out to these two families. I hope that little boy grows up with the opportunity to know his birth mother. She is someone worth knowing.

God Bless

The Last Founding Father

I am a history buff, but admittedly, I haven't been all that interested in the history of our founding fathers. My lack of knowledge and interest in the first days of this great country have changed with the reading of The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness. In the first five pages, I learned more about our fifth President, James Monroe, than I had learned in twelve years of schooling. Mr. Unger presents President Monroe in a way that makes him more real and accessible than high school textbooks.

I read with absolute amazement at how difficult it was for our, then, little country to gain its footing. We didn't pay our soldiers with any real currency, and we didn't reward them for their service. I didn't know that the first constitution of the the “Confederation Congress” had been thrown out, and it is our nation's second Constitution that we have all come to know and love. The political infighting that happened at the beginning of our nation's history rivals the infighting of today.

Mr. Unger has presented James Madison in the most human of ways from his pining for his wife and young daughter to his liquidating “the national debt of $67 million.” Monroe served his country well. He fought in the Revolutionary War, served as our minister to both France and Britain, and he served two terms as President. He was elected to his second by running nearly unopposed and receiving 231 of 235 electoral votes.

The Last Founding Father takes you on Monroe's journey through our nation's history and growth. With quotes from the most well known players in our nation's history (Washington, Jefferson and Adams) and some lesser known, Monroe's story fills out our history. Mr. Unger has completed a well written biography of a most deserving subject.