CARACAS, Venezuela — The American singer and activist Harry Belafonte called President Bush "the greatest terrorist in the world" on Sunday and said millions of Americans support the socialist revolution of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez. 

First of all, speak for yourself, idiot.  You cannot possibly prove or believe that millions of free Americans - people who have the very right and freedom to speak out against their own president that you mock - would support such crap at the level you "report."  Regular polling systems aren’t even wholly accurate, so what did you do to get this data….ask 50 people on a street corner and call that statistically significant for all Americans? 

Belafonte accused U.S. news media of falsely painting Chavez as a "dictator," when in fact, he said, there is democracy and citizens are "optimistic about their future."

I’m leaning the media’s way this time, Harry.  Of course, if it wasn’t for the media, we wouldn’t be hearing your ridiculous line of bullshit, but again, we live in a FREE country, dumbass.

Belafonte, take your little "America hating" friend Danny Glover with you and get the hell out of this country if you think it is so bad.  See what it would "really" be like to live in a country ruled by a terrorist and see how long you would last spewing the stuff you do.  In the U.S., you have the freedom to say what you do, even though you look like a clown.  In some other country, you sure could say it, but you’d then get a feel for what real terrorism is when you woke up with a sword slicing your head from your body.

I’m sorry to need to update you on the story I brought you here and here.  Where we left off was that this in-home childcare provider, April Rogers, had murdered a 6-month-old little boy left in her care.  She had tried to pin his injuries and subsequent death on a toddler in the daycare, but eventually got caught.  Following her arrest, it was revealed that she was also pregnant and used that as an excuse to attempt to reduce her bond, which was denied by the judge.  Her original plea was "not guilty" even though she admitted she had slammed this innocent 6-month-old’s head repeatedly into the floor.  Her new plea?  Not responsible by reason of insanity. 

The former home day care operator charged in the death of a six-month old boy has changed her plea.

April Rogers initially pleaded not guilty to the charge of felony child abuse resulting in death.

She changed her plea to not responsible by reason of insanity.

She will be evaluated to determine whether depression was a factor. Investigators say Rogers admitted to shaking Alex Tay and slamming the baby’s head against the floor.

The "not responsible by reason of insanity" plea is such a bullshit plea and in my mind shouldn’t even exist.  Um, don’t you think anyone who kills anyone is theoretically insane?  Do you think it is sane to kill your own parents (Menendez brothers)?  Do you think it’s sane to stalk and murder dozens of women (Ted Bundy, I-5 killer, BTK killer)?  Do you think it’s sane to murder men and eat them for dinner (Dahmer)?  Do you think it’s sane to beat an innocent six-month-old child’s head repeatedly into the floor until he is dead (Rogers)?  NO!  But if a person commits, and ADMITS, to any of these crimes, they are responsible and should be charged and sentenced accordingly.  If there is something wrong with a person’s mental condition - Rogers’ case suggests post-pardem, depression, and hormonal changes with her 4th pregnancy - I think it’s much more prudent to protect others from the potential harm that person could induce versus slapping them in a hospital a few months and declaring them "cured" or "rehabilitated."

Just thinking about this case, and how it could potentially progress infuriates me because of the protection and leniency that tends to be shown to these "victim" criminals.  There’s also this huge focus on "rehabilitation" for the criminal so he or she can go back into society.  Did you happen to read the story of the man who repeatedly raped a child for years and only got a sixty day sentence?

A sexual deviant who repeatedly abused a child over a four-year period got a slap on the wrist in a Vermont courtroom this week and will be free to walk the streets in as few as 60 days. That is an appalling and unacceptable outcome.

Mark Hulett of Williston admitted to assaulting the girl for years, beginning when she was only 6. Prosecutors wanted Hulett jailed for eight years, although he could have received life in prison. But when the Corrections Department refused to offer treatment to Hulett in jail, Judge Edward Cashman set the jail term at a minimum of 60 days — with a clear emphasis on the shorter sentence and conditions that included treatment for his deviancy.

This judge placed the interests of the criminal ahead of the child.  This beast ruined this child’s life by repeatedly raping her from the age of six to the age of ten and now this heathen could be walking the streets with the same child in as few as 2 months.  What does the judge have to say about his decision?

Cashman said he’s more concerned now about rehabilitation.

"The one message I want to get through is that anger doesn’t solve anything. It just corrodes your soul," Cashman told a packed Burlington courtroom made up mostly of people related to the victim.

How could you NOT be angry and want justice for a monster who willingly rapes a six year old and continues to do it for years?  But because there’s some inkling of insanity or because he may be able to be rehabilitated we should be okay letting him hang out in jail for 60 days?  This girl was terrorized for FOUR YEARS already.  This judge has effectively sentenced her to a life of worrying that she’ll see this man standing on the street before her each time she turns a corner.  And in the case of April Rogers, should she get some kind of reduced sentence, or time spent in a mental hospital, it could put her back into society sooner where she will have access to someone else’s child, or even her own.

My thought?  If someone commits a crime such as these, they should be able to plea and be tried with pleas of guilty or not guilty.  If they are found guilty time should be served appropriate to the crime.  If part of that sentence is treatment for mental disorders, so be it.  But it shouldn’t allow them to not take responsibility for the crime they committed and admitted to.  They should be held responsible and serve the time appropriate to the act.  After all, no one can bring little six-month-old Alex Tay back and no one can erase the harm caused to a young girl who was raped for four years.  BUT, justice should be delivered and criminals should be held responsible for the acts they commit.  No matter what.

I’ve got to say, when I first saw that Beth had tagged me for a meme, I was a bit concerned, especially when the topic was to speak about five weird things about yourself.  Then I read Beth’s post and knew I couldn’t possibly be as weird as her.  Heh.  HAHAHAH!

Anyway, so I’m supposed to come up with five weird things.  I asked my hubby one weird thing I do, and he just couldn’t come up with anything.  Yeah, right.  He just REFUSED to go there.  Eh, I guess I can’t blame him.  We do live in the same house and all, huh?!?!

So I’m left to my own devices….here goes!

1)  I don’t really like ketchup as a rule, but will eat it on certain things.  I do not like ketchup on french fries at all.  I *do* like it on hot dogs and hamburgers, but it grosses me out if there’s too much of it - like when it squishes out between the buns and oozes everywhere…how disgusting!  I can only handle a thin (very thin) line across a hot dog and if it is on a burger, it can only be as much as what would moisten the bun enough to stick to the burger.  The worst thing?  A hamburger patty sliding around inside an overly "condimented" burger….ACK!  I guess I’m just not a condiment over-doer.

2)  I can’t eat nuts in things.  Cookies, cakes, ice cream, fudge….don’t ruin it by putting nuts in it!  Those things have just the right consistency without nuts.  Do I like nuts?  Absolutely….but by themselves, or in peanut M ‘n’ Ms.  As an example, ice cream is supposed to melt in your mouth with nothing left.  If you have nuts in the ice cream, well, you have to chew it.  Or all you have left is a mouth full of nuts and no ice cream. 

3)  I can’t seem to finish a bottle of pop.  Just today, I thew away 3 partially full bottles at work.  You see, pop has to be cold.  Ice cold.  If it doesn’t stay ice cold, I can’t drink it.  and I can’t pour warm pop over a cup full of ice.  The ice melts too fast and waters down the pop and makes it less fizzy.  I like ice cold pop - so cold that ice particles are starting to form in the bottle or can.  Now THAT’s what I’m talking about.  This applies to beer as well, which is why I don’t drink beer often.  I’ve been known to put ice in my beer to keep it cold, which I’m told is an absolute NO NO (whoops - starting to sound like Beth with all the "food issues" going on…better change the subject!)!

4)  Why am I full of useless information?  I can recite full portions of movies, I can sing you most 80s songs, even down to the grunts and moans in a few Prince songs.  But I can’t remember the conversation we had an hour ago without taking notes.  …and the 80s were like, 20 years ago.  Why is this?

5)  I have a tendency to drive people nuts at work due to my almost anal retentive organization skills.  I have certain ways I name files so they can be easier to find alphabetically.  I have a label maker to note exactly what is contained in each section of my employees’ personnel folders.  But if you walked into my house, you would never know about my "secret" life as an organizational freak at work.  I’m lucky to find the most important papers I need at home (i.e. social security cards, birth certificates, etc.)  And let’s not even talk about finding tape - unless it is all over my daughter’s room or some other strange place.  And it’s amazing how many pens I find on top of the fridge - but I guess that comes from having a 4-year-old artist in the house.

What I find frightening about this meme is that I could go on and on.  But thank God I am able to stop at 5!

I originally decided that I wasn’t going to tag anyone, but thought it would be fun to tag my hubby just to see what he would say (if, indeed, he does it).  So tag, Honey, you’re it!

Here is what I posted last night, right before bed:

Absolutely a miracle!  While one miner was found dead, the remaining twelve were found ALIVE!

All I have to say to that is AMEN! 

I pray for the family whose miner didn’t survive…may their hearts heal and may they find peace.

As we now know today, that report was false.  It’s heartbreaking to know that the opposite was true, and the vast majority of these miners lost their lives.  I truly pray for all of their families at this time.  I hope answers can be revealed about why this happened.  To bring joy to the families for a number of hours and then take it away is tragic in and of itself.  This is one post I wish I never had to update. 

This is my first post of the new year, and none better than to link over to the Cotillion Ball this week!  I finally had some time to submit a post, and the Cotillion’s own Wonder Woman at A North American Patriot highlights our posts with outstanding finesse!  Beautiful job!!!  Oh, and I also discovered her mutual love for SpongeBob.  I, too, am a fan! 

I also encourage you to take a look around at those amazing sites referenced in my sidebars.  I am experiencing huge volumes of work due to year-end and all of that, so my posts will be sparse this week (at least until I meet a Thursday deadline…ack!). 

You may also want to take a look around these four walls as some changes are a’comin!  No secrets revealed just yet, but let’s just say the new year represents a time of change!

Happy New Year, friends!

I tip my glass to you, because if I tipped it toward me, I’d get it all over my shirt!

See you after a good sleep and some Advil!