And the gloves come off!

Everyone who knows me will fully understand how I can’t let this go; it’s just not my nature.  At present, I’m blessed with 121 Followers and, once this post hits the web,  if I’m left with only 2, so be it.  It will only prove my point about people not wanting to face the truth about their shortcomings and each will continue to live with their heads up their rear ends. 

Enjoy and prosper in your ignorance!

Somewhere, almost everywhere, villages are missing their idiots.  Most of these wayward morons make their way to decent communities where, sadly, they procreate and further their idiocy.

School is back in session and with it, the juvenile politics that affect so many children.  It never changes.  I lived through it growing up when I attended a parochial school that was in a predominantly Irish parish.  I was…Italian/English and a scant amount of Irish, a “mutt”, a minority in the eyes of the other kids as well as  the Ursuline nuns who were our teachers.  Worse yet, my father was a non-Catholic.  Each and every day, I stood, humiliated, while the daily prayers always included a special request to God for “the conversion of Patricia’s father”.

Dudes!  Hello?  He didn’t want to become a Catholic!

That was another thing.  Patricia is not my legal given name.  It’s Patty Ann but, the holy women felt it had Pagan overtones so they insisted on calling me Patricia and forced me to write that name on all my papers.  However, we had a “Bunny” in our class with some special Papal dispensation that allowed her to be addressed as such because she and her parents were pure-bred, with papers, and big contributors to the school.

Where am I going with this?

Right here > to this rant about….Passive Bullying, a term that I’ve coined and, if anyone uses it, you damn well better get my permission first! 

PB is torment that takes on a more distant approach but is still devastating to the person tagged for the abuse.   It’s a behind-the-back gossiping, hair-tossing, eye-rolling assortment of malicious behaviors that are part of adolescent physcological warfare directed at some unfortunate young person.   And…when such acts of malevolency involve any innocent child, my gloves come off faster than a dress on prom night.

Is there any parent reading this who cannot identify with the horrors of middle school?   Sure, the nastiness presents itself as early as pre-school and into the elementary school platform;  our children have all experienced the wrath of the poorly-raised child who lashes out at others.  Mind you, I’m not including any child with a mental or physical disorder who may unwittingly exhibit difficult behaviors and has parents who diligently involve themselves with that child’s coping skills on a daily basis.

What I do constantly question are the parental units who fail at their jobs, especially in their evident inability to raise children with tolerance and kindness to others.  It all starts in the home and that is where all the blame for the evolution of a bully takes place. 

Yes, mom and dad…it starts with YOU!

Don’t feed me any bullshit about these tween years and all that goes along with the insanity being just a rite of passage.  That is nothing more than a lame excuse for parental laziness in not laying down the laws of decency to their spawn. 

  • When any parent refuses to meet a situation involving their child at least half-way with personal relationships as well as school performance in academics…they fail, the kids fail!
  • When a parent neglects to admit that their child behaves in ways that are hurtful to others, instead passing it off to “kids will be kids” crap…they continue to help the monster-mentality to flourish and, again…they fail, the kids fail!

Okay, Patty, time to cut to the chase about the basis of this rant.

Kid’s birthday parties…not always a happy event because of….parents!

Point:  One of my grandsons recently invited a group of friends to his party.  Out of ten invitations sent maybe three parents responded.  Three!!   Try and explain that ignorance to a little boy who was so looking forward to a day at the beach and a fun picnic with his school friends.  These dumb-assed parents just had to call or even e-mail with a simple “yes” or “no”…most did nothing.  

Know what?  You all suck!

Point:  More recently, another grandchild was excluded from being invited to a party of a close friend.  Others who were invited were cautioned…”not to tell.”  Stupid, stupid parents!  You all fail to realize that the very moment you tell a child not to do something, they will turn around and do the opposite.  Especially the little “cattylysts” in the group; the two-faced gossip-mongers who, even at young ages, take great delight in taunting other children any way they can.

“Cattylysts” is another of my coined words…ask before you borrow.

The mother responsible for this drama, of course, gave a predictable, pathetic, excuse about other kids also not being invited and that the parents of the kids who were included had no idea of who was…or wasn’t.  Really? 

It was a parent who passed the “no tell” warning along…to me!  Consider yourself snagged!

In the end, the above guilty mother feels that kids need to work on their own friendships, parents shouldn’t intervene.  Again, really?  Got news for you, tootsie…you are solely responsible for the quality of kid that you’re raising and the kind of relationships they involve themselves with.  A child that is being brought up to treat others decently does not perpetuate lies and gossip, causing Passive Bullying to spread like a disease.  A parent who doesn’t step in and monitor the friendships of their children is in for many unhappy surprises in the future as their kids will never grow to be truly productive human beings.  Sending children out into this twisted world with all this moral turpitude but without a structured sense of values speaks volumes about the overwhelming lack of parental responsibility in present times.

By all means, question the hatred in this world and wonder why people act as they do towards others.  

Then, go look in the mirror for your answers. 

 

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And I remembered…

As I sat down to write this post, I was fuming, over an unkindness, one of those malicious events that are all too common where children are concerned.  What was it about?  Ignorance.  Blatant stupidity on the part of a parent which dictated the inexcusable behavior of several children towards someone I love dearly.

The rage inside of me was escalating.  I was so ready to blast each of the individuals involved but then stopped.

And I remembered…

Ten years ago today, ignorance, anger and the quest to destroy innocent lives played out in front of our eyes as surreal images stared back from our television screens.  The Twin Towers became a heartbreaking and painful realization for the civilized world who watched, cried, and tried to understand why.  We couldn’t fathom how could anyone be so cruel and have no respect for decent human life, we couldn’t understand the intense hatred against our country.

I won’t try to analyze the mentality of the common terrorist, to do so would be an attempt to make sense of, or even excuse, the psyche and subsequent actions of a murderer.  The anger churned inside my chest as I thought back.  Again, I stopped.

And I remembered…

Ten years ago, I sat with my middle daughter and held my two year old granddaughter as we watched a nightmare unfold; we knew from that point forward our lives would never again be the same.  I looked down at my squirmy, bubbly little grandchild and my heart was overcome with fear for the future she would face.   Her rightful freedoms would now be challenged at every turn, for the rest of her life.   I wept as she looked up at me. 

And I remembered…

Today, on the anniversary of this horrific event, my husband’s club held a yearly camping event for its members and children; something that is always planned around 9/11.  Families and friends gather to enjoy quality time together and thank God that we are able to do this, that we are alive and together.  Some of the kids who attended were toddlers or just entering school ten years ago, they were insulated from the pain that we witnessed.  Last evening, the children ran around club grounds, playing and having fun while the adults sat around the bonfire and recalled, once again, where they were on that fateful day ten years ago.

Early this morning, I prepared breakfast for everyone and a group of teens gathered in the clubhouse as Alan Jackson’s “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?” played on the radio.  I listened to the kids as they talked and one asked me where I was that day and what it felt like as I heard the news.  Another boy explained that his parents didn’t talk about it much, what he learned about 9/11 was through conversations in school, on the Internet and television.   So I sat down with them and shared my experience of that September day,  how I drove into work, more focused on the car radio than the trip itself, one hand on my cell phone talking to my husband about his only brother who was at Five World Trade Center. 

Immediately, the boys wanted to know if he made it out alive.  I told them that he did but we didn’t know that fact until hours later; my brother-in-law somehow managed to walk away from the collapsing towers, for more than 16 miles, to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, where he was found, sitting in a state of shock.   The boys around the table just shook their heads and almost all asked at once if I thought the United States would ever be attacked again. 

How do you properly address those fears?  How can you assure anyone that they will be safe from any type of disaster?  All I could say to these boys was that there are no simple answers other than to trust that our government will exhaust every means of security to keep us from harm and to preserve our freedoms.  The hatred and jealousies of outsiders cannot be stopped but we must never allow ourselves to succumb to the bullying tactics of such militant extremists.

This morning, I was angry over a petty childhood incident.  It doesn’t matter now and those involved aren’t worth losing sleep over.  This morning, a small group of young people made me realize things that truly are significant; they reminded me of the importance of this day.

And, with them, I remembered.

 

                           

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Be careful how you address the Queen!

Since joining the world of Blogging last year, I’ve been graced with meeting nothing but wonderful people.  I’ve learned so much about all of them, through comments and e-mails, and I enjoy these Internet friendships. 

A while back, lovely Ixy from Illusion, sent me an Overlord award, different from most as it carries the gift of power.  She advised me to use said power…wisely.  And…darling Natalie from My Blog Is Boring also sent me one which I somehow missed (I’m so embarrassed!) during my move from Blogger to WordPress.  How lucky am I?

I’ve been doing a great deal of thinking as I polish my crown…

My days of wallowing  in mediocrity have, at long last, come to an end. I have been elevated above the blogging rabble, endowed with a new sense of higher purpose  and the power to instill awe and wonder upon all who gaze upon my glorious, ethereal being.

First..The Rules (I hate rules!)…simple…but since I am the Queen, I’m using my power to change said regulations.

Post the award and the rules on your blog. (check)

List three five things you would like to change if you were Overlord. (check)

List ten blogs you think are worthy of world domination. (somewhat-when-pigs-fly-check only because I dislike leaving anyone out but will just throw all my favs into my crown and pick a few!)

Leave them a comment saying you have chosen them. (getting to it.)
 
With great power comes great responsibility, so let’s get on with it…
 

The three five things I would change in this world (and don’t judge me on this!) would be:

               

To….create a National Animal Abuser Registry in the U.S., similar to that of a sex offender, where  personal information, including abuser photos, could be sent from state-to-state..  Animal shelters put potential adopters through the wringer (rightfully so) with home visits, etc., but, all too often, animals end up in the wrong homes with terribly abusive owners.  Such a registry could be posted on the web for easy access by pet rescue organizations and others involved in responsible animal humane facilities. 

To….mandate that every state  tax the ever-loving crap out of animal breeders and place them into some luxury tax category.   Help stamp out the filthy, inhumane puppy mills and the disgusting mall pet stores who sell these animals; dogs and cats who are riddled with illnesses and degenerative issues caused by excessive in-breeding.   Think about how many loving pets are destroyed every day in some shelter because people look to pay ridiculous amounts of money for some “designer” pet from a breeder or pet store!

To…..incarcerate every parent who prostitutes their child through pageantry…I’m talkin’ Toddlers & Tiaras here folks!    These overstuffed, unkempt sacks of camel dung who push their kids to look like tiny whores,  children wearing false teeth and trashy outfits while dancing on some stage, should all be charged with parental abuse.  To rob a child of their innocence and teach them no intrinsic values in their young lives is…criminal!

To…..make it a national law that all these Spandex-Jockeys on bicycles be licensed and their bikes insured and registered.  Make every cyclist wear a registration number on their back for easy police identification.  Here in New York, these arrogant road warriors abuse the privilege of the Shared Roadways law by cycling 3 and 4 abreast, running traffic lights, stop signs and side-swiping pedestrians.  I’m all for healthy exercise but when these jackasses want the same rights as automobiles yet get away with disobeying the rules of the roads they pedal along on…something ain’t right!   Why this potential for revenue is just ignored by the Department of Motor Vehicles in New York  is asinine.   Treating these cyclists like other vehicles would also give local police the ability to chase these two-wheeled suckers down and write them all tickets….more revenue!

To…..Legalize Marijuana!  God put it on earth for a reason why not use it?  Make it easier for cancer patients to get quality weed to help them with chemo side-effects.   I really don’t get why it isn’t. I think we’d have some many more creative and relaxed people, and it would free up the prisons for the real criminals, like politicians, for example.   Did I mention that it is likely the key to getting us out of our current, rapidly disintegrating, economic mudslide? Think of the profit that would roll-in if it were taxed!

Are you still here or did I scare you away?

The onus is now on me to notify these fine individuals that they’re the proud recipients of this fabulously unique award that nations have fought over and which is lusted after by billions of bloggers the world over!  (If any of them still talk to me after my blog rant)…

Bernie…..One Mixed Bag

Crystal….Surviving and thriving in Momdom

Missy……The (Not Always) Happy Homemaker Diary

Colie…….The Colie Chronicles

Jaimie…..Legos In My Pocket

Ms.B……..The Unpopular Girl in Womanhood

Natalie….My Blog Is Boring

As I asked, don’t judge me.  Today is my birthday and I really am…Queen for the Day!

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