Life In My Empty Nest

A Letter To The Editor

O.K., I need to preface this entry. According to www.snopes.com. This email is NOT true. I have to say that the author brings up some good points. I have read a few blogs blasting this ‘letter’ and anyone that would spread hate by forwarding or posting it. I am not ignorant about immigration. I believe in LEGAL IMMIGRATION. An woman of American Indian decent wrote in her blog that of course people came here illegally in 1900 and not always through Ellis Island. So that makes it O.K.? She propesed that 'we' all go home. Well, then lets comsider this. I am of Native American decent on both sides of my family.  My great-grandfather was an anchor baby. His mother, a full blood cherokee, married an irishman. He had come through Ellis Island.  How many of 'US' woul dhave to leave then?  I was not part of those decisions that happened in 1900.   I can effect a change now.  I can be a part of what happens now. 

I am for LEGAL IMMIGRATION and assimilation. How is it that people are blind to what is going on around them? I have said this before, a little piece of me dies when I hear press two for English.

Did you know that Mexico sends school children in Oregon text books? Why? So they can be taught about Mexico and their ways. Oh the best part, the books are in Spanish. I am not telling people to leave your culture. I am saying learn ours as well. DO not look down your nose at me when I do not speak your language.

There is a restaurant near where I live that employees 20 illegal immigrants. How do I know this? Well, one of the cooks is sweet on me and told me this piece of information. He just married another illegal immigrant and they are planning on having an anchor baby. So he could be sent back but his beautiful child would not; that is the risk you take for coming into our country illegally! Stand in line like the rest!

Written in response to a series of letters
to the editor in the Orange County Register:

Dear Editor:

So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry.

Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home. They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture.

Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity. Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany, Italy, France and Japan . None of these 1^st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan. They were defending the United States of America as one people. When we liberated France, no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrifices so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what t meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red , white and blue bowl.

And here we are in 2007 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags.
And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty, it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.

(signed) Rosemary LaBonte

What IF They Went Home?

Written by Rita Lingwood

Friday, 30 November 2007

Recently, Tina Griego, journalist for the Denver Rocky Mountain News, wrote a column titled, Mexican Visitor's Lament. She interviewed Mexican journalist Evangelina Hernandez while she was visiting Denver.  Hernandez said, "They (illegal aliens) pay rent, buy groceries, buy clothes....what happens to your country's economy if 20 million people go away?" That's a good question --- it deserves an answer.  Over 80% of Americans want secured borders and illegal migration stopped.  But what would happen if all 20 million vacated America? In California, if 3.5 million illegal aliens moved back to Mexico, it would leave an extra $10.2 billion to spend on overloaded school systems, bankrupted hospitals and overrun prisons. It would leave highways cleaner, safer and less congested.  Everyone could understand one another as English became the dominant language again. In Colorado, 500,000 illegal migrants, plus their 300,000 kids and grandkids would move back "home," mostly to Mexico. That would save Coloradoans an estimated $2 billion annually in taxes that pay for schooling, medical, social-services and incarceration costs.  It means 12,000 gang members would vanish out of Denver alone. Colorado would save more than $20 million in prison costs, and the terror that those 7,300 alien criminals set upon local citizens.  Denver Officer Don Young and hundreds of Colorado victims would not have suffered death, accidents, rapes and other crimes by illegals. Denver Public Schools would not suffer a 67 percent drop out/flunk out rate via thousands of illegal alien students speaking 41 different languages.  At least 200,000 vehicles would vanish from our gridlocked cities in Colorado. In Florida, 1.5 million illegals would return the Sunshine State back to America, the rule of law and English. In Chicago, Illinois, 2.1 million illegals would free up hospitals, schools, prisons and highways for a safer, cleaner and more crime-free experience. If 20 million illegal aliens returned "home," the US economy would return to the rule of law.  Employers would have to hire legal American citizens at a living wage. Everyone would pay their fair share of taxes because they wouldn't be working off the books.  That would result in an additional $400 billion in IRS income taxes collected annually, and an equal amount for local state and city coffers. No more push '1' for Spanish or '2' for English. No more confusion in American schools that now must content with over 100 languages that degrade the educational system for American kids.  Our overcrowded schools would lose more than two million illegal alien kids at a cost of billions in ESL and free breakfasts and lunches. We would lose 500,000 illegal criminal alien inmates at a cost of more than $1.6 billion annually.  That includes 15,000 MS-13 gang members who distribute $130 billion in drugs annually would vacate our country.  In cities like L.A., 20,000 members of the "18th Street Gang" would vanish from our nation. No more Mexican forgery gangs for ID theft from Americans.  No more foreign rapists and child molesters.  Losing more than 20 million people would clear up our crowded highways and grid lock.  Cleaner air and less drinking and driving American deaths by illegal aliens. Over $80 billion annually wouldn't return to their home countries by cash transfers.  Illegal migrants earned half that money untaxed, which further drains America's economy. At least 400,000 anchor babies would not be born in our country, which cost us $109 billion per year per cycle. At least 86 hospitals in California, Georgia and Florida would still be operating instead of being bankrupted out of existence because illegals pay nothing via the EMTOLA Act.  Americans wouldn't suffer thousands of TB and hepatitis cases rampant in our country --- brought in by illegals unscreened at our borders. Our cities would see 10 million less people driving, polluting and grid locking our cities.  It would also put the "secular progressives" on the horns of a dilemma; illegal aliens and their families cause 11 percent of our greenhouse gases. Over one million of Mexico's poorest citizens now live inside and along our border from Brownsville, Texas to San Diego, California in what the New York Times called, "colonias" or new neighborhoods.  The trouble is, those living areas resemble Bombay and Calcutta where grinding poverty, filth, diseases, drugs, crimes, no sanitation and worse.  They live without sewage, clean water, streets, electricity, roads or any kind of sanitation.  The New York Times reported them to be America's new "Third World" inside our own country. Within 20 years, at their current growth rate, they expect 50 million residents of those colonias.  (I've seen them personally in Texas and Arizona; it's sickening beyond anything you can imagine.)  By enforcing our laws, we could repatriate them back to Mexico. We invite 20 million aliens to go home, fix their own countries and/or make a better life in Mexico. We invite a million people into our country legally, more than all other countries combined annually We cannot and must not allow anarchy at our borders, more anarchy within our borders and growing lawlessness at every level in our nation. It's time to stand up for our borders, our language and our culture, and our way of life. Rita Lingwood is a practicing attorney in Citrus Heights, California. Sources for the data in this column can be found on the Center for Immigration Studies website.

Yosemite Winter

Fortitude

Miss Hailey Bug

Cake Face

Paris, Las Vegas

Rianbow Bridge

Over the Rainbow

Broken Wing

Tell It Like It Is

I went to the Reno Air Races with my husband. We met up with my sister and her husband on Saturday.  I knew it was going to be a blast.  They had lined up gold pit passes for us and even got us into the chairman's club.  That was awesome.  We ordered drinks, sat back and watched some of the races.  I had two and half Bloody Mary's on board when this friend of my brother-in-law's (BIL)  walks up and starts to talk to  him.    I had been joking around with this guy at the open bar inside.  I said to him, "Wow, if I had known you knew my BIL I would of treated you better." He and my BIL laughed.  Introductions went around.  Then he, this guy, introduced his poor friend by telling everyone,"Yeah, you have to watch out for this guy, he jacks off in his pockets."  I shot back with, "So I need to watch his shoes for white stuff?" OMG, you would of thought I shot his puppy.  My BIL, husband, this guy and the friend all shouted foul.  Let me repeat this. THEY shouted foul.  My BIL and this guy said I crossed the red line.  I let it slide.  I wanted to come back with, "Then, WTF are you  talking about that shit in front of your friend's wife,  sister-in-law and 3 other women you don't know that are  all within ear shot of you?" Of course, I would of embarrassed my sister and my husband. So, once again, I just look like the dumbass white trash and said nothing.   No one else matters to me. Do not get me wrong I love my sister and husband fiercely.  They just do not understand my rhyme or reason. So, sometimes I suffer in silence and go on.

I guess in the world of bad ass pilots, or men in general, it gives you license to cross the red line without regard for the women standing around.  We are mere little females. God forbid one of us turn the tables.    I have given up on  asking nicely.  My husband has even been known to  use fuck in normal  conversation with me.  If I start he looks at  me like I am from mars.  I will say something like, " No fucking way, then what happened?"  He will look at me and ask why I am talking to him like that.  I just stare at him until his light bulb comes on.  He loves me with all his heart.  He forgets.  So do his friends.   I do the same thing to them.  I don't care anymore.  Dads, do you want your daughters saying those things?  No? Then stop, now.  Teach your sons.  Teach your bad ass pilot sons.

Now I do have to confess, I did vonlunteer my sister for a blow job. I wanted a free t-shirt.  Of course she didn't have to perform said blow job.  We just kissed him on the cheek.  My husband was standing there.  Kinda kinky but not.  We got the t-shirts for our husbands. No, really.  I do have a side that pushes the limits.  I sure didn't see my husband bitching when he got a free t-shirt out of it. 

My solace is that I have friends that I can be real with.  I do not have to worry how I am with them.  They know me.  They do not run from me.  I can relax around them. Let my hair down and not have them look at me like they are ashamed to be seen me.  God love you Teri, Tracy, Mary, Dawn, Cindy and Nae

Abortion: Legal Child Abuse

I consider abortion a form of child abuse. I know that may be a stretch for some. Get over it. I don't sit on the fence when the life of a child is hanging in the balance.

The words pro-choice make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Why not call a duck, a duck? Pro-choice means pro-abortion. I am pro-choice in all things in my life. I can choose to get up in the morning and have control over my behvior thereafter. The only valid choice other than adoption comes before conception not after.

                                        6-7 week old aborted baby

What has abortion got to with choices? Hmmm, lets see. For one, close your damn legs and stop having sex with men that are not your husband. This goes for you too men, boys, all the same when you let your penis lead your life. Stop bringing home random girls for sex, banging their brains out and sending them on their merry way. These GIRLS, not women, could have STDs and let your legacy live on without your consent or knowledge. How proud your mother would be!

I want to tell you the story of a CHILD. She was a rebellious teen. She hated her parents for being so strict. Her mother once threatened to attend class with her if she didn't stop 'cutting' class. Her mother would of showed up in a robe, slippers and coffe in hand. She would of attended class with her all day if need be. Taking off work would of been a bitch but the life of your child is worth it!

This child would sneak out at night. First offense her mother was wainting in pajamas on the front lawn with a 5 million candle power light to flash in the car. The child's shoes were taken away, window nailed shut and house alarm set at night. She borrowed shoes from her friends, pried the window open and had cut the alarm system to her window. Her bedroom door was taken off the hinges, makeup and favorite clothes taken away. Now keep in mind, these parents also involved others outside the home to help this CHILD.

The child's next move was to run away with her boyfriend. She was sixteen and still a CHILD. After much detective work, three weeks later, her mother located her. God, what a relief to find your CHILD. She was home but she didn't come home alone. She was pregnant.

Now in the state of California, you cannot force a minor CHILD to give up their CHILD They are at that point emacipated.  Babies raising babies. This CHILD was my oldest daughter. My husband and I then decided, if she wasn't giving the baby up for adoption, she was NOT going to live with or get married to her boyfriend. It  would be over my cold lifeless body.  I didn't even know the kid but I had a fury in me that wanted to spew bad words, even a 'F' bombs at him. Don't get me wrong, I was just as pissed at her. 

They were not going to play house. I also was not going to have my grandson being raised away from a strong male role model. My daughter stayed with us. I am going to blow sunshine up your ass and say all was good in the world. We fought and still had the same problems we had before she got pregnant.

At the time, she had this delusion that her boyfriend was going to be supportive *buzzzer*. He denied paternity. His mother called me to tell me to make my daughter get an abortion. *buzzzzer*. Abortion was not a option for my daughter. That was her choice in life when she spread her legs. At least she listened to that growing up. I just wish sex out of wedlock would of stuck too.   

She had 'friends', and I use the term loosely, using abortion as birth control. She would come home crying because they would share this information with her. We, as a family thought taking her to a different situation might be a better option. She went to an alternative school for pregnant teens. I was horrified at what I saw there. There were twelve year old babies having babies. What does a 12 yr old know about raising a baby? What is a 12 yr old doing having sex? I fear our nation has become a nation of poor parenting with lack of supervision for pre-teens and teens. SOme parents do not give a shit.  They are so wrapped up in their life that they fail to notice their child drowning.  Unfortunately, our daughter swam away from the life vest. 

My daughter had a bouning baby boy and graduated. Our grandson Dominic is the light of my life. He and his mother lived at our home for 5 years. He and his Papa are very close. That is the ADULT role model I was talking about. Dominic's father was sporatically involved but always had us, his mother, nana and papa. Continuity in his little world. I grew to know his father and decided he would grow to be a good man. For now though, they were NOT going to marry.

My daughter and her on again, off again boyfriend faught over thier son at times. I could see my daughter on this emtional rollercoaster of being a teen parent and having a deadbeat dad situation going on.

When my daughter was twenty-one she came to me and said, "I am so tired of fighting with ***. I prayed last night that God would just help us get along for the sake of our son." I almost fell off my chair. She was finally getting it. I was hoping *** was too. They were still so young. She had also lost her bestfriend, Dennis, in a tragic motorcycle accident. He had been very close to her. I think this set in motion the wheels of deep thought.

We were having a garage sale about nine months later. My daighter went with me to hang out signs.  She said she had something to tell me. She began to cry. I looked at her and said, "OMG, you're pregnant." She then told me that she and *** had been secretly dating all that time. He had told her he could not imagine the thought of the mother of his son being with anyone else.  Save the awws for now O.K.

She also told me they planned to marry. They were so young. My grandson's life was hanging in the balance. How is he going to react at being taken from the only home he has known for the last five years? What kind of dad was *** going to be? My daughter was an adult and I could not tell her what to do. We, hubby & I, felt helpless.

They were married and moved to a home of their own. We have to say, we could not have asked for a better son-in-law. He is an awesome provider, loving husband and father. He dotes on my daughter. When they visit I see him petting my daughter's hair. They are still so in love. I am glad for that.  O.K., now you can say  awwww.  My daughter is a stay at mom.  She did go to a college program and graduated with a 4.0. They had three beautiful little ones. 

Things could of turned out differently if my husband and I had not stepped in. I could play the what if game and blame myself for not sitting on top of her. Things have come to light that may have affected her very early in life. I now understand but cannot change the past. You go forward.

Think twice about sex before marriage and the responsibility of having a child out of wedlock would bring. In destroying that life you could be destroying a person that could contribute greatly to humanity. What if they are meant to impact the world in some meaningful way? Then you decide to suck them down a sink. What if YOU were the one that could of been aborted? I think that puts it in a bigger perspective.

Think, think, think about your actions. Think about the consequences of your actions. There are many choices. You are in control of them all.

Your baby's heart began beating at 18-25 days. His or her brain waves could have been recorded at 40 days

After 11 Weeks: Your baby squints, swallows and can make a fist. Your baby has fingerprints, and can kick - and is sensitive to heat, light, touch and noise.

Your baby is sucking his or her thumb, weighs 1 ounce and is 2 1/2 to 3" long, and would fit comfortably in the palm of your hand.

The Rose

Abortion & Men

Abortion: Mercy Killing, Illness & Rape

Disposable Children

I recently read a news article that stated a couple had starved their two toddlers, ages 11 and 22 months ( associated press, Reno, NV, 07/14/07). Why you ask? They were addicted to video games. Seems the father had inherited $50,000. He blew the money on a plasma television and video games. These two adults fed themselves. They took restroom breaks. I imagine the bathed every now and then. What the hell did they think when their toddlers were just wandering around?

Hospital records showed that the little 11month old girl weighed ten pounds, she had a mouth infection and severe dehydration. Her head had to be shaved because her hair was matted with cat urine. Her brother was treated for starvation and a genital infection. His lack of muscle development made it difficult for him to walk.

When did our innocent become do disposable? These parents treated their children like pieces of furniture. Do these people understand that these children will grow to be adults to raise human beings to live in our society? Does this scare you? IT SHOULD!

This infant is severly dehydrated infant.  The child below is severely underweight.

These are the faces of the innocent. These are the faces of statistics that I am going to now show you of the child abuse and neglect that takes place in our nation every year. The following was found on Child Help, for the prevention and treatment of abused and neglected children:

*4 children die every day as a result of child abuse and neglect. 3out of every 4 of these victims are under the age of 4.

*A report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds

 *Of the reported rapes of children under the age of 12, 90% of the victims knew the perpetrator

 *Child abuse occurs at every socio-economic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all regions and at all levels of education.

 *36.7% of all women in prison and 14.4% of all men in prison in the United States were abused as children.

 *Children that are abused are 2.5 times more likely to abuse alcohol and 3.8 times more likely to become addicted to drugs.

 *One third of abused children will grow to abuse their children, continuing the horrible cycle of abuse.

(These photos were found in an article written by James Prescott, ‘The Slaughter Of Innocents’, 1977)His article was written a while back but it does not change the face of abuse. This infant had scalding milk poured on her face by her mother. I know a screaming infant can be difficult to care for but you WALK AWAY. This mother obviously lacked the coping skills to care for an infant. She wasn’t thinking about that when she was on her back banging her guy. Was she abused when she was a child? The article did not say. I am guessing yes. Will her child grow up with problems? I am guessing yes. There has to be an end to the cycle. Someone has to be the END. Death cannot be the end.

This precious little one had been bitten in the mouth by their father. What do you think their reaction to affection will be in the future? What kind of affection will they show their children? These images are graphic, harsh and hard to think about it. We can turn a blind eye. You have to think about this, where in society are these children as adults? Are they your neighbor that is on the brink of killing his wife and shooting himself? My ex-brother-law recently committed suicide after shooting his wife in the head. They lived in Colorado. Until his father’s death , that whole family had been tormented and terrorized by him. His father ruled the roost with an iron fist. There were 8 kids.

How would you deal with bedwetting? This parent decided that keeping the child tied up with wire was a good punishment for bedwetting. Seemed reasonable to them. Their parent was probably just as harsh if not worse. Children learn what they live and mimic parenting skills.

 The face of child abuse is ugly. As a child you know that something is wrong with your family. You usually discover this when you start school. The first time you walk into a normal friend’s home and find a different feeling there. The home is clean. Their mom is nice. Their father doesn’t drink and hit their mother. Your friend has been taught basic hygiene. Immediately you think, I cannot have my friend over to my house. They will know I am different; They will know my family is different. Clue bag! The parents and the teachers at the school kind of picked up on ‘it’ but they have turned a blind eye to the whole thing. Heaven forbid someone get involved .

Woops! Is that another broken bone? How many E.R. visits does it take to realize a child is in trouble? The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN) estimated that 37% of children with maltreatment injuries developed a special need or disability, directly from the abusive actions or omissions of the child’s caregivers. Furthermore, NCCAN estimated that incidence of disabilities caused by or likely to have been caused by maltreatment was 147 in 1,000 maltreated children. WOW. Let that sink in.

These marks were left from a beating with a belt. I thought flogging was outlawed years ago!

Abusive parents get creative with a wooden spoon.  This little girl was beat about her legs with a large wooden spoon.

What are the signs of child abuse?(Child Help site)

Physical signs of abuse

*Unexplained burns, cuts, bruises or welts in the shape of an object

*Bite marks

*Antisocial behavior

*Problems in school

*Fear of adults

Emotional signs of abuse:

*Apathy

*Depression

*Hostility or stress

*Lack of concentration

*Eating disorders

Sexual signs of abuse:

 *Inappropriate interest or knowledge in sexual acts

*nightmares & bedwetting

*Drastic changes in appetite

*over compliance or excessive aggression

*Fear of a particular person or family member

Signs of neglect

 *Unsuitable clothing for weather

*Dirty or not bathed

*Extreme hunger

*Apparent lack of supervision

I know that every parent says they love their children and they did not mean to hurt them. I say O.K. Then set your crack pipe down, drop your alcoholic beverage in the sink and start taking control of YOUR life. If you cannot manage your life, how do you plan to manage your child’s life?

I was not a perfect parent. I made parenting mistakes. I have talked about my parenting mistakes with my children. I do not want them to make the same mistakes. As an adult you choose to put those things in your body. No one forces that drink down your throat or those drugs in your body.

My friend Dorothy (http://www.WomensSelfesteem.com) recently wrote a great article about foster children. I know that subject is a sore one for most. The stats alone on the foster care system are staggering. After reading this blog entry you can understand how so many can end up in foster care. In California alone there 83,000 kids in foster care. Foster homes are another place for abuse to happen. Do not think that every foster home is bad or good. Keep your eyes and ears open. I am a nurse. I have a skeptical eye anyway.

By law, children of abuse and neglect must be removed from their homes immediately, which is the least likely outcome (Child Help). In most states child abuse reports can be made anonymously. The person being reported for child abuse is not entitled to know who reported them. Keep in mind, if you report a family member, someone may find out!

Child abuse has probably touched someone close to you, if not yourself. I did not get into the laundry list of parental malformations that drive abuse and neglect. Another time and place. This is probably enough to spur you on and keep you on alert.

 Here is a number for parents. This number is 24 hours a day/7 days a week. The hotline is staffed by degreed counselors. All calls are anonymous.

CALL1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) Then Push 1 to Talk to a Hotline Counselor

OR Push 2 to Have Information Mailed to You

The Hotline receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico. Communication in 140 languages is available through state-of-the-art technology that allows three-way conversations between the Hotline counselor, the caller, and a professional translator.

H.M.O. Explained

2008 Democratic Convention Agenda

Let's Say I Break Into Your House....

Some Say To Harsh

• There will  be no special bilingual programs in the schools.  
• No special  ballots for elections.  
• All  government business will be conducted in our  language.  
• Foreigners  will NOT have the right to vote no matter how long they are  here.  
• Foreigners  will NEVER be able to hold political office.  
• Foreigners  will not be a burden to the taxpayers.  
• No welfare,  no food stamps, no health care, or other government assistance  programs.  
• Foreigners  can invest in this country, but it must be an amount equal to 40,000 times the  daily minimum wage.  
• If  foreigners do come and want to buy land that will be  okay.  
• BUT options  will be restricted.  
• You are not  allowed waterfront property. That is reserved for citizens naturally born into  this country.  
• Foreigners  may not protest; no demonstrations, no waving a foreign flag, no political  organizing, no bad-mouthing our president or his  policies.  
• If you do  you will be sent home.  
• If you do  come to this country illegally, you will be hunted down and sent straight to  jail.

 

 

                 Harsh You SAY?? HMMM........

        The above laws happen to the immigration laws   of MEXICO! 

 

 

Penicil Thin Is NOT In!

      This is a post from my friend Dorothy's site. You can find here link on my site. Womensselfesteem.com. She is an awesome published writer.  Please visit her site. She is a champion for women and young women's self esteem everywhere.

• 5/23/2007 - Cat-Walk Models & Body Image!

Hello out there everyone. I know it has been a while. I often wonder where time goes, one minute you have tons of it and then before you know it, poof you are being pushed pressured by fifty different deadlines. A few minutes here and a few minutes there and oh lets not forget those that call out," Priority over here" So please do forgive my long time absence!   We all know about body fat, we hate it and would luv nothing more than to never ever have to worry about it. You have heard about the BMI(body mass index). It is a way to test the ratio of ones body fat. It is when the doctor or trainer pinches a bit of your skin under your arm and on your side with that funny looking pincher thing and then looks at you funny.   Today I would like to share a few thoughts on body image and the beautiful professional models that are making some people a whole lot of money at expense of their well being. My thoughts were started from a post written by a member of the womensselfesteem.com forum (thank you bells). The post was in regards to a newspaper article, which talks about runway or catwalk models in Spain and how they are now having to pass with a much higher BMI result in order to be contracted. As I did, you are probably thinking, it is about time the models were allowed to gain some fat. At the same time I remembered sometime in the past when we had the Twiggy era, remember her? (yes, yes I am that old) Ok, hold that thought and I will return to it later in this article.   Here is a bit of information that will help give you a better idea of just how skinny these models HAVE to be in order to be contracted. Research proves that now, "The accepted BMI (body mass index) of a runway model is to be no more than 16. " Research also shows that, "according the the World Health Organization, the BMI of 18.5 is still considered unhealthy." So I decided to plug in a weight of 126 lbs and a height of 5'5", which I would consider an average healthy height and weight ratio. The BMI results were- 19.5 which still came up as unhealthy. You can imagine these models that are probably at least 3-4 inches taller than me and take it from there. That is absolutely torturous. Talk about abuse, that's insane. Our teens look at these fashion models and this is the body image that they expect to see when they look in the mirror. This is the exact point where these girls begin to loose their hope, confidence and self-esteem. They are comparing themselves with a very unhealthy idea of what a fashionable women should look like if she wants to get anywhere in our world. Did you know that most models are chain smokers and heavy cocaine users, so that they can maintain a hold on their hunger pangs? On another note: I have seen the Victoria Secret models in their catalogs and on the television commercials. I have always thought they were definitely the most beautiful women that I have ever seen. I too was under the false impression that they were not too thin, slim yes, but not unhealthy. When I say false impression, I am talking about what the media and marketing agencies are striving to brainwash us all to think and buy into. Then I happened upon a picture and a video of them (Victoria Secret models), they were at some sort of a function or concert.  When I looked to see who these models were, I was SHOCKED that they were these rare beauties that the commercials and catalogues use to sell their products. I had to really look to see if it was them. There was no camera trickery or makeup artist doing up these pix or this vid. These women looked horribly gaunt and had rib cages that  screamed out anorexia. It really took away my idea of just how beautiful I thought they were. So for all of you women out there that compare themselves with an unrealistic body image, relax and admire what you have. The same goes for those men out there that feel they are missing out on something. Please and thank you! It is a very sad fact that women continue to put themselves through all of this torture. But think again what the bottom line is here. It is all about $$$$$, glory and acceptance. Vanity is a huge devils advocate and it will always be this way. It seems like things are different now, but in all reality, things are no different.   Now I am going to bring back the thought of Twiggy. Remember her and her dying to be thin motto back then. Twiggy was the queen of thin in those days of modelling. Models died then also from starvation and over-use of drugs. Only a small percentage of the media picked up on those tragedies back then before we had the luxury of digital cameras and internet.   Slowly more health oriented people moved into the magazine organization and things slowly began to change. But not fast enough, because once breast augmentation began its whole new promise of a sexier you, all that went to hell. So we are in fact back to square one and I believe as long as there is a dollar to be made, mankind will sacrifice anyone to get it. It seems like things are different now, but in reality, things are no different, we just have the Internet and things are more open and obvious to our eyes than they were before.   Now lets go back a bit farther before the dying to be thin Twiggy era. We had voluptuous women like Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren and Raquel Welch as the body image to admire and compare ourselves to. Do you see the same pattern that I do here?   I have said this many times and I will not stop now, we can only secure our own little part of the world. We cannot change what is already going on. We have hopes and dreams that we will someday live in a perfect world, but that's a definite pipe dream. Mankind will always want more and through that want, they will sacrifice anything and anyone to get it. The greed that is in our world resulting from this need to profit is what will eventually cause us to self-destruct, even war against each other. Just watch any news channel and you will see that this has already began. When women become stronger and more individual to the point where they could care a less about being the prettiest and the sexiest, then that would definitely begin an entire new generation. When women realize that we are strength in numbers, then and only then will they be able to build a resilience. This resilience that is much needed to battle all of this garbage that we are dealing with every day! So it all begins at home. Get rid of all technology, like televisions and even the INTERNET. Or at least ban your children from any outward influence for one solid month and see the difference. Home school your children. You will have to practically cut them off from society to protect them from being brainwashed. Can we do that? That's a big question! Now here are a few more for you to think about and maybe even answer.   Why do we continue to believe what other people say? Why do we believe that what they are saying is fact? Why do we have that deep desire to compare ourselves with others? Where do these insecurities come from? When does cutting your body even become an option? When did a material world become the priority in our lives? When did we sell our soul to the devil for money? When did we stop believing in real people? When did we become so shallow that a mere pretty site dillusioned our very being? When are we going to stand up and fight for the gift of life that we received? Questions, questions, questions!!!!!! I can go on and on and on, questioning all the wrongs in this world. the answers are all right here and right there. They are in me and you. They begin with our children. If we want to save what little we can in this world we must start with the newness in this world. Our children are the promise of a positive future, so lets start there. We begin with us and we transfer those thoughts to our children. Then maybe we can save a few of those poor girls that fall into the deception of being thin is in and money will buy you happiness and health! Its up to you, and you know what to do. SO JUST DO IT! That is all I have to say about that! Huggz ~D~

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