War

The following is a video I came across on YouTube. Some images are indescribable and music often conveys it best. War has always just been a story in a book for my generation--until now. Casualties were just a number and heroes were people in movies, or exaggerated stories told by our grandparents. War is real to me now because it is my generation that is dying for a cause. People I know and grew up with are in Iraq and Afghanistan at this very moment. Some days I hate the media. We run the risk of becoming numb to images meant to shock us. But in this case, I am thankful for most of the coverage because it is a constant reminder of things we should not turn a blind eye to. I'm not going to rant against or in support of the war. Sometimes it doesn't matter. Acknowledging it's existence is essential to a good we don't yet know.
Here's the link for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziA588CAnGQ

Britney Madness

Alright, so never in my most insane dreams did I ever think I'd post a blog about Britney Spears. But after watching CNN for a good while this evening, I just cannot help myself. An entire news program was devoted to the question of whether or not Britney Spears' children should be removed from her custody for the following reasons:

-soda is sometimes put into their baby bottles meaning, according to the tv, that their teeth can rot out, they may have a speech impediment or eventually need to have their teeth bleached due to discoloration

-she feeds her children ranch doritos on a regular basis

-she shaved her head and this is obviously grounds for a social worker to become involved with a family

-apparently the kids get crumbs all over the house when they eat

Okay, so maybe she's not the best mother in the world. And maybe she is a little crazy. But these are the actual reasons the media are giving that custody should be taken away from a mother. Don't we have more legitimate things to worry about?

How about the 13 year-old girl in Pittsburgh who shot and killed her father this week after she had been physically and sexually abused her for years, despite the fact authorities had been advised of the abuse?

Or the lady in Florida who adopted eleven kids, starved them and kept them in handcuffs while she defrauded the government out of more than a million bucks?

Or the guy in Philadephia this winter who locked his 3 year-old daughter out of the house in the snow because she was crying and wouldn't go to sleep? She was eventually found dead of hypothermia about a mile from her home.

Even closer to home, how about the young girl in Kentucky who died this spring a day after being scalded in hot bathwater and badly bruised? Social services had been alerted numerous times by neighbors and even visited the home!

This is my soapbox and I'm unapologetic. If we want to be concerned about the welfare of children, why not pick a situation that actually needs some action rather than a celebrity who is a less than ideal parent, yet can likely hire a very capable nanny?

Britney Spears may have gone over the edge. With this, I agree. But seriously, don't we have enough children out there to focus on without the paparazzi alerting us to neglect?