Give ‘em a Break

The sales job in congress was all about building bridges (figuratively and literally) and bi-partisanship.  The one we got had more to do with fear mongering thanks to powerful words like “catastrophe” and “depression.”   

By the end of last week there were no joint efforts between the Ds and the Rs and apparently the deep dark devastation wasn’t as bad as everyone foretold because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi jetted off for a little fun in Rome after she got her votes as did the man promoting the new debt just after the senate moved his plans forward.

Even the most loyal Barack Obama supporter had to scratch their heads at least a little after our new president wined and dined his First Lady during a three-day weekend getaway to Chicago just hours after telling the nation we were on a course with a Great Depression without the aid.

I’m all about people getting time off but with the nation allegedly on the verge of extinction couldn’t the president, at work for a total of 24 days, and members of his congress, at the grindstone for a whopping 38 days, let vacations slide for the time-being?  Am I really asking for that much?  Seriously?!

Democrats promised a transparent approach to politics in DC and as proof they even offered to let us see our $787 billion before they voted to spend it; they assured us we would get a full 48 hours.  Moments, not days, passed and so did the anti-bi-partisan bill.  And, nary a soul ever saw any of the 1,071 page document (So they/we don’t know what’s in it).

But, it’s nice to know our leaders got the rest they needed—a month’s worth of effort is pretty difficult work.  Or so our politicians have been told.

Politics is Tragically Funny

In late 2003, then President George W. Bush asked Congress to approve $87 billion in funding to reconstruct Iraq and Afghanistan.  You might as well have thought the world ended and that was the last $87 billion left on earth.  Democrats cried foul saying the war had already cost too much.  As the war dragged on more and more democrats grew increasingly concerned about the costs of the Iraq War.  Some pegged to total cost of the Iraq War at $1 trillion.

In The New York Times, liberal columnist, Bob Herbert wrote:

It’s not easy to explain just how much money $1 trillion really is.  Imagine a stack of bills worth $1 million that is roughtly six inches high.  (Think big demoniations–a mix of $100 bills and $1,000 bills, mostly $1,000s.)  If the six-inch stack were enlarged to the point where it was worth $1 billion, it would be as tall as the Washington Monument, about 500 feet.  If it were worth $1 trillion, the stack would be 95 miles high.

This was a strange occurrence because you seldom hear Democrats cry about spending money.  Usually that job is left to Republicans.  But, the GOP was mysteriously silent as they rode the national debt up over $10 trillion during the Bush Administration.  In fact, Bush himself oversaw the first $2 and $3 trillion budgets in our nation’s history.  He did it all in only 8 years (yes, to some of you it felt like 80).  That doesn’t seem to fit the bill for the party of “fiscal responsibility.”

In May of 2007, Democrat Senator Claire McCaskill was concerned about a bill authorizing $500 billion in funding for the Department of Defense.  She was also concerned about the nature of the vote saying there wasn’t enough public disclosure.

These requests, which are so often done in secret and without any sort of public scrutiny, are sending the federal budget and our national debt through the roof.

Eighteen months ago, McCaskill was concerned about the national debt.  Today she supported an $838 billion stimulus plan noting the vote put the federal spending priorties in order to “make up for a starvation diet under the Bush Administration.”  The irony is glaring.  Once your party is in power it is perfectly acceptable to spend like a drunken sailor.  If the other guys spend, call them out.  Why not, it’s only a game.

In 2006, it was Herbert that reminded us how much a trillion dollars actually is.  In 2009, it’s the GOP reminding us how high a stack of bills worth a trillion stands.  It was the democrats warning us about the deficit; now it’s the Republicans.  Last year, it was McCaskill and other democrats warning Congress not to act in secret.  Today it’s the democrats that are hastily passing an $838 billion, 800 page law that includes provisions for almost nationalizing health care, billions for colleges and more money so people can make the switch from analog to digital television.  Our President tell us it must be accomplished soon because “a failure to act and act now will turn crisis into a catastrophe.”

With every game there are winners and there are losers.  It just so happens that in the game of politics, the American people are always on the losing team.  The national debt continues to reach unprecedented levels, Congress passes bills quickly, in the cloak of darkness because of an”emergency,” and we have no idea what the consequences will be.  Now is as good as time as any to actually start participating in this game.  It’s only our country at stake.

What a Fighter Thinks

 

A good friend of mine is serving yet another tour of duty and recently sent me an email outlining his thoughts about the war(s) there and our attitudes here. Even though he sent it to me just before our elections back in November, it is still the kind of letter that we all need to read from time-to-time.

 

From Sgt B in Baghdad:

How much positive news is coming out of Iraq and making it to the mainstream media? This is my first hand observation from physically being back on the ground. I know when Mike (my teammate) and I left here in 2004, our outlook was some what grim and we felt as though we had not accomplished enough. Coming back, in some ways has been refreshing. This time around I work at the Brigade level where you really get to see what goes on in several AO’s (area’s of operation). It’s a different view than what you get at the team level. Make no mistake about the environment, there is still enemy activity and there is still some pockets of violence, but nothing compared to what we saw in the past. We still have a significant amount of work to be done. However, Violence across the country is down over 75%. This time last year we lost 40 plus soldiers each month. This October, we lost 13 and only 6 of those were combat related. No loss is acceptable, but the fact that we are reducing casualties and achieving such success, is noteworthy.

Under the guidance of General Patraeus, the Army embarked on a new direction of war, “COIN” (Counter-Insurgency). In combination with “the Surge” (additional troops on the ground), the efforts of ingenuity, hard work, and persistence, the results are beyond the measure of expectation. If you haven’t heard, the U.S. Forces have turned over 13 of 18 (THIRTEEN of the EIGHTEEN) provinces in Iraq back to the Iraqi Government, the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi people. Fallujah, one of the hottest AO’s in the country is being turned back over to the Iraqi people. The Marines have been pulling out of the area for the past couple of months. Over 80% of our fine young Marines have pulled out of Fallujah. A city where one of the bloodiest and costliest battles for our Marines since Vietnam is now being returned to the Iraqi’s control. One heck of a fine job and our Marines should be proud of such an accomplishment!

The local populace across the country has started to work with Multi National Forces, the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi government. The tribal leaders, the Sheiks, and the SoI (Sons of Iraq), who were once combatants and working with the insurgency against American forces, are now working with us. Information Operations have put up wanted posters and billboards across Iraq for many of the HVT’s (High Value Targets) or HVI’s (High Value Interests) associated with Al-Qaida and associated insurgency networks. The efforts of working together have produced unimaginable results. Many of these HVT / HVI’s have either been captured, spotted in, or are known to have fled to Iran or Syria. Proof, the new direction is working. Most of this progress is due to the cooperation of the Iraqi people. Driving out Al-Qaida and establishing peace and regional stability are a result of the hard work and efforts of our fighting forces working hand in hand with the Iraqi’s. COIN (counter-insurgency) has been the focal point in the stage of the war. There are many aspects to COIN, counter-terror, open/ urban warfare and counter propaganda. But COIN also involves gaining support, compliance and cooperation from the Iraqi’s. Addressing local concerns and grievances that feed insurgency movements is of significant importance. All of these efforts work in combination to achieving success and I am seeing it first hand from the battlefield. The surge was a strategy that provided the adequate combat power needed to gain ground against the sectarian violence and insurgency. It has and is working. Understand we don’t always get it right the first go around. It takes a few trial and errors before we figure out what works. But, the point is, it’s working.

We no longer face an issue of “why we are in Iraq”. This issue at hand is how do we stay the course, achieve victory, and honor the sacrifice of those who will never return home. A failed mission in Iraq is not about losing face; nor is it about saving the millions of dollars it cost to wage the war; nor is it about just honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice. A failed mission in Iraq means we have a bigger war to wage down the road. We face having to deal with a multi-front war with the entire Middle-East. A war our children will have to wage on behalf of our negligence. We will face the Iranian threat and influence to the region, escalating tensions that currently borderline war between Turkey & Kurdistan, and the fueled jihadist movements in Syria, Pakistan, Yemen and various other countries. Iraq is now a COIN operation. Counter Insurgency requires presence, patience and persistence. With that understanding, we can and will achieve victory in Iraq.

Before I turn this e-mail into a novel, I will close with this.

Note: these last comments are my opinion only. Before you head to the polls this Tuesday, I ask you to do one thing. Educate yourself “thoroughly” on the candidates. The next leader of the “free world” needs to have the courage and commitment to see this war through to the end. Everyone knows politicians on both sides have their agenda’s, and promises are made to achieve their goals. Both candidates are promising tax cuts, change, budget balancing, etc. Remember, they are both trying to win an election, so promises at political rally’s and what you hear on the news are all a front to garner support. The difference is knowing the details of their economic policy and foreign policy in order to make the best decision when it comes to voting. The question at hand is who is more qualified to run the country? This is not about a red state or blue state; it’s about red, white and blue nation. It’s not about being left wing or right wing; it’s about the West wing. And it’s not about being a Republican or a Democrat; it’s about being an “American”!

On Our Watch!

I love this country but when I read stories like the one that crossed my desk last week I wonder why its citizens are so short-sighted and our memories so limited.  The Army told us just last week that 2008 went into the record books as the worst year for suicides among its ranks.  Now the newest numbers are out and January 2009 saw six times as many suicides in the Army than the same time a year earlier and if their suspicions are correct—more soldiers killed themselves than died at the hand of the enemy. (24 suicides compared to 16 combat deaths.)

Shocked.  Outraged.  Angry.  Sad.  Pick a word to express your sentiments and they won’t adequately touch on the emotions statistics like that represent.  Broken souls, minds and bodies lead to a quiet, desperate and despondent soldier eating his gun.  His family is left to mourn and grieve for a lifetime.

Some will ask how I can possibly bring the American citizen into the mix and I will respond by asking, “how can I not?!”

When Vietnam vets came home they were ridiculed, cursed, beaten and spit upon.  The government promised to help them but sadly public support and money were both sorely missing and our nation still has countless broken soldiers as a result.  That was almost four decades ago though it describes our country in 2009.

Remember the early years of the War on Terror?  USOs couldn’t handle the overflowing volunteers, hundreds of citizens would wait at airports for any and all flights with soldiers aboard to applaud them as they came through the gates, businesses held jobs for their departing warriors (A law, by the way.) and Congress looked for new ways to fund returning military members.

That was then; this is now.  Businesses routinely take their fines for hiring replacements instead of holding the position for the serving soldier, some airports ask returning veterans to wait on the tarmac or use lightly travelled terminals so as not to offend We the People with their vissage and stories and—everyday ordinary people—many of us don’t even acknowledge their existence.

And Congress makes sure the VA has too few employees and way too little money.

So, when a man or woman combat veteran comes home and is fighting the demons of war while trying to forget the sound and smell of death the last thing he/she needs is an apathetic group of citizens who are too swift to look at the ground rather than look in their eyes.

What can we do?

1)      Go out of your way to let vets, of all military branches, know that you appreciate them.  Make eye contact and tell them that you will keep them in your thoughts and prayers.  Let them know they aren’t a statistic—they are important family and friends!

2)      Call your US congresspersons and senators—routinely—and encourage them to support our military, military hospitals and the Veterans Administration with their attention and our money.  If we can afford to have a military then we are abysmal failures if as a country we don’t take care of them when they return.

3)      Give your time and money to programs that reach out to help military men and women.  I am not going to give you names here (though I may at a later time).  In my mind, if you really do care about these brave men and women then your first step to learn how to help is to invest a few minutes researching ways that you can personally make a difference.

More soldiers died at their own hands than by their ruthless and hate-filled enemies.  And it happened on our watch!

 

Argh-the Grocery Carts from Hell

They really thought they were making our life easier when they introduced this contraption to us.

They thought that every mom with kids under the age of ten would be thanking the Lord from the introduction of this vehicle into the shopping world.

It would be a tool to help make all mothers’ shopping experiences more pleasurable…

so they thought.

If you’re a mother, you know exactly what I’m talking about — the grocery cart from hell.

The makeshift truck, fire engine, rocket ship, whale, police car, grocery cart for kids that holds about $5 worth of groceries.

I’ll be the first to admit that initially, I thought it was a great idea.  What more does a kid want than to be pushed around in a rocket ship shopping cart while mom loads it up with food and snacks?!

Awesome idea, right?!

Not so much.

Here is the real deal of what goes down with these carts:

Mom drives up to the grocery store.

Kids insist on sitting in a rocket ship grocery cart.

It’s a Saturday, so inventory is low on the cool carts.

Kid cries and whines.

Mom scours the parking lot looking for one to shut the kid up.

Mom finds one.

The one mom finds is blocked by 10 regular shopping carts in the cart return area and has a loud squeaky wheel.

Kid is stil whining.

Mom manages to pull it out after getting bumped and bruised.

Kid whines because it’s not the “right one.”

Mom bribes kid with candy.

Kid accepts bribe and gets in cart.

Mom maneuvers the rocket ship with the grace of a bill in a china shop through the small aisles.

Mom barely gets past the fruit and vegetable section and kid is dragging one of his feet outside the side door as mom pushes the cart.

Mom starts to shop a little faster and gets to the dairy section.

Kid is now on top of the rocket ship.

Mom pulls him off.

Kid starts to whine and now insists on sitting INSIDE the cart with the rest of the groceries.

Mom refuses.

Kid whines and asks if she’s almost done shopping.

Kid wants a doughnut.

Mom is frustrated becasuse there is no where to put the 20lb bag of dog food, 12 pack of Bounty paper towels or the Charmin 24 count package.

Kid whines about being bored and tired and that his feet hurt.

Mom picks up kid and carries him the rest of the way while pushing the rocket ship cart.

Kid is no longer piloting the rocket ship - the 20lb bag of dog food is now occupying the space.

Mom’s child-induced scoliosis is aggravated by the weight of the kid on her hip.

Mom doesn’t look forward to check out time.

The kid bagging the groceries shoves $179 worth of groceries into the rocket ship instead of getting a regular cart.

Mom, still holding kid, tries to maeuver the rocket ship cart back to her vehicle in the parking lot.

Mom is swerving left and right.

Kid still doesn’t want to be put down.

Mom bumps and scratches the car with the rocket ship cart.

Mom places kid in car seat and pushes the rocket ship cart back to the return area.

Kid cries for the rocket ship cart.

Mom slits wrists.

Sound familiar?

The mothers of America need to bank together to rid our grocery tores of these contraptions.  We no longer need to be subjected to the abuse of the pimped out grocery carts!

Mothers unite.

Join the fight:  Mothers Against Pimped Out Grocery Carts

And…well…until then jsut leave the kid at home.

SANDRA GUADARRAMA-BAUMUNK is the mother of two little girls and through the urging of family and friends, has written about the comical life and times of parenting her children along with the issues that the modern day mom faces. She is currently working on a book to bring the memoirs of her blog to life: www.notsoperfectmom.com. She lives with her daughters and husband in Maricopa, AZ. Contact Sandra at momchronic@gmail.com.

Crime and Moral Punishment

Joe Sullivan has been in jail for 19 years.  He was found guilty of raping a 72-year old woman in Pensacola, Florida in 1989.  According to the New York Times, Sullivan and two others broke into her home to rob her when one stayed behind to rape her.  The victim couldn’t identify her assailant and could only say he was “a colored boy” who “had kinky hair and he was quite black and he was small.”  She also said she “did not see him full in the face.”  Nonetheless, a jury found Sullivan guilty of rape.  The presiding judge said, “I’m going to send him away for as long as I can.”  He did.  Sullivan was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole at the age of 13.  He doesn’t deny the robbery, but adamantly maintains his innocence on the rape charge.  Sullivan says an older boy he was with committed the crime.  That older boy was not tried as an adult and served his sentence out in juvenile detention, while Sullivan was send to the big house.

Now, the Equal Justice Initiative has come to Sullivan’s defense.  The organization “provides legal representation to indigent defendants and prisoners who have been denied fair and just treatment in the legal system.”  Their lawyers have appealed to the Supreme Court arguing his sentence violates the “cruel and unusual punishment” clause in the Eight Amendment.  According to their statistics, only two 13-year olds have been given life without parole in the U.S. for a non-killing offense.  Sullivan is one.  In fact, there are only 8 children in the entire world serving life sentences for crimes committed at the age of 13.  All of them are in the United States.

There is plenty wrong with this case.  Sullivan is described as being “severely mentally disabled” whose health has deteriorated so much in prison he is confined to a wheelchair.  As mentioned above, the victim couldn’t identify him in court as the rapist.  Sullivan’s lawyer at the time gave no opening statement and his closing statement was only a few paragraphs long.  This lawyer has been suspended by the state of Florida and it “not eligible to practice law” there.  Sometimes, juries get it wrong.  Sometimes judges get it wrong.  The EJI isn’t even appealing Sullivan’s innocence.  They are appealing the sentence.  Several different statistics show that very few rapists end up serving life in prison for their crimes.  The U.S. Justice Department says, in 1992, the average sentence for rape was 117 months and that only 56% of those sentences were served (other stats put the average sentence between 8 and 9 years).  Yet, a 13-year old boy sits in jail 19-years later on a shaky conviction.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but on more than one occasion our justice system has let child rapists back out on the street who go on to commit more horrific acts.  Why not make an example of out one of them instead of this kid?

Don’t get me wrong, this country has to be tough on crime.  Rapists should be jailed and jailed for a long time.  But, you can’t tell me a 13-year-old deserves a longer sentence for the same crime committed by a 35-year-old.  Keeping Joe Sullivan in jail to serve out the rest of his days is overly excessive and morally incorrect.  While we remain tough on crime, our justice system should also employ common sense and heed the words of Ben Franklin, “it is better 100 guilty Persons should escape than that one innocent Person should suffer.”

A QB’s Undeniable Faith

Read more

Not-So-Perfect Mom

Center of the Universe

Last week I caught an episode of Oprah. It was about men who cheat. I thought to myself, ‘What’s else is new?’ The topic has been covered by every Dr.Phil, Maury, and Jerry Springer type show you can think of. But curiosity got the best of me and as my kids played out in the backyard, I sat and watched this particular episode.

The one thing that all these cheating men had in common was that their mistress made them feel “adored”… gave them all their attention without any distraction… was there for them at every beck and call…made them feel like the center of the universe. A few even cried when telling their tales of deception. The mistresses were people like you and me. They were business women, waitresses, day care providers, Boy Scout den mothers, stay-at-home-moms, executives. They weren’t the beautiful ‘bombshell’ images we all have imbedded in our heads when we think of the ‘other woman’. As I listen to these selfish, men cry with their excuses, my blood begins to boil.

Adored? Center of the Universe? Attention starved? No distractions? Is that really why men cheat? Do these men even stop to think about the shoes their wives walk in from day to day? Do these men think about the different roles their wives play? They are mommies, chefs, dry cleaners, carpet cleaners, bankers, veterinarians, doctors, beauticians, teachers, counselors all rolled into one. I honestly don’t think they have an inkling of how ti red and overwhelmed we really are. I found the men annoyingly amusing. I felt like grabbing each one of these guys by the balls and saying, “Listen Bucko, you try feeding and bathing the kids, cooking dinner, doing homework, doing the laundry and going to the office for eight hours a day and then be expected to throw on a thong and some lingerie and make me the center of your universe at the end of the day.” For every one of those men to conceptualize this would be a major feat.

For all you men who read my column, here are a few helpful hints if you want to be ADORED and the CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE:

Nothing is sexier than a man who helps around the house without being asked. Nothing is sexier than a man who helps with the laundry. (This doesn’t mean just throwing a load in the wash and watch the Packers play for the next 3 hours) Let me put in laymen’s terms what “Doing the Laundry” means.  Doing the laundry means separating the colors from the whites, transferring wet clothes to the dryer, folding them, placing them in a basket and then putting them away…without her asking. It doesn’t count if you let the clean clothes sit in the basket until the following Sunday. Sexy is cleaning up the kitchen after dinner…without her asking. Sexy is taking care of the kids and giving them their baths and putting them to sleep so your wife can catch her breath…without her asking. Sexy is letting your wife sleep in while you tend to the kids who wake up at the crack of dawn on Saturday…without her asking. Sexy is letting your wife use the restroom in peace while you keep your mommy-addicted-two-year-old busy with a puzzle…without her asking. Sexy is being the first the one to jump up when the two-year-old screams from the bathroom “Come wipe my butt!”…without her asking.

And you say you want to be ADORED?? Change a diaper… and don’t wait for your wife to ask (don’t act like you don’t smell the poop and let your toddler walk around until your wife smells it). **Sidenote: Changing ONE diaper doesn’t give you a hall pass to play golf all weekend.** Make the bed. Cook dinner once in awhile. Become interested in your wife’s day when she vents (this means actually turning your head AWAY from the T.V.). Nod and ask questions so she knows you’re paying attention. Avoid making fun of her bikini panties when doing the laundry calling them ‘grandma undies’ while you stretch them out with your fingers (not all women wear the fantasy lace and leather butt floss thongs all you men think we should wear). When your wife is on the phone, pry the screaming child off her poor, thigh. When Fido poops by the doorway, don’t walk past it and pretend you don’t see it so your wife will pick it up. When your wife is watching the Lifetime Channel, don’t sit there and sigh and roll your eyes. (Sometimes we need that escape when watching “A Lover’s Revenge”.) When your child wakes up and cries during the night, get up…don’t pretend you’re dead asleep and wait for your wife to get up. When making a sandwich, put everything away after you’re done—the excuse, “I thought you were going to use it” is getting old. After your shower, pick your wet towel off the floor. A hamper is not a decorative fixture for the bathroom. Clothes go IN the hamper, not on top or around. Replace the toilet paper when the roll is gone. Scrub your skid marks off the inside of the toilet bowl after you drop a messy load. Fill her car with gas. Plan a date with her and do all the work from finding a babysitter to picking the place to eat.

DO all this and you’ll be ADORED and the CENTER OF HER UNIVERSE.

It’s not rocket science, guys. There is no room for excuses. Cheating is unacceptable. Cheating is a selfish act. Stay plugged in and stay hooked up in your marriage. You need to be either 100 percent there or 100% gone. A good husband will contribute to the emotional, spiritual, physical and mental well-being of his family.

Marriage is not a 50/50 partnership. It’s a 100/100 partnership.

You get what you give.

SANDRA GUADARRAMA-BAUMUNK is the mother of two little girls and through the urging of family and friends, has written about the comical life and times of parenting her children along with the issues that the modern day mom faces. She is currently working on a book to bring the memoirs of her blog to life: www.notsoperfectmom.com. She lives with her daughters and husband in Maricopa, AZ. Contact Sandra at momchronic@gmail.com.

 

IN THE DAWG HOUSE

Dear Dawg Whisperer;

My wife and I are completely on opposite ends of the political spectrum.  I’m a Republican, she’s a Democrat.  When the subject comes aroudn to politics, the conversation rolls into debate and then morphs somehow into a heated fight.  as you can imagine,  the election year wasn’t pretty in our house.  It makes me wonder how we’re going to handle teaching our baby son about politics when he gets older.  Any advice?

Wow, it still amazes me how couples on both sides of the political aisle even hook up.  It happens.  Those exicting, dreamy feelings when one is in love tends to cause a blind eye to political leanings or the fact that she’s a bible thumper and you’re an atheist.

When that honeymoon phase is over and conversation takes the place of getting jiggy with it, that’s when things get tricky.  There is inspiration.  Take James Carville and Mary Matalin for instance.  Fourteen years of marriage, two children and raking in an income of exploiting their political differences.  Debate is healthy.  It opens the mind to make you either question or confirm your beliefs.  When the debate starts taking an ugly turn into personal attacks and feelings being hurt, well, that’s when you’re sleeping on the couch.  The reality is, you’re going to disagree on many things, not just politics.  Day to day stuff like the toilet seat, what to have for dinner and the fact you don’t get enough sex.  To disagree is normal.  We can’t have Bob Siefert moderating the discussion, so there’s a few tips to keep in mind once you’ve both realized you don’t like the words coming out of the mouth that you love to kiss.

First step, ban the words “relax” and “calm down” from your vocabulary.  Any sentence that begins that way will definitely be a one way ticket to teh “booty free” zone.  If you like spending time getting the cold shoulder or being looked at like she wonders what she ever saw in you in the first place, then fire away.  Try and stay away from “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” or anything along those lines.  Replace those words with what I call the magic phrase, “I understand.”  A woman always wants to feel like she’s been heard and her feelings are respected.  It’s okay to disagree, but use that phrase and then diplomatically give your opinion.  You can always agree to diagree and stay away from your trigger point topics, like politics.

When it comes to teaching your child about politics, think …less dictator and more journalist.  Unbiased.  Give your child information about party platforms and their histories.  If your child asks your opinion play like the FCC and give “equal time” to the other point of view. Your wife.  Then, cut the cord.  Trust your child to make up their own mind.

When junior grows up and decides he’s on Mom’s side, don’t contemplate where you went wrong.  Suck it up.  Look forward to healthy debates guaranteed to be held on ALL major holidays.

The Dawg Whisperer

If you’re in the dawg house or have a relationship question, send an email to dawghouse@ktar.com

Playing of our National Anthem

OK this my first blog so be kind….you may not know this but maybe some of you do, I have another job other then this fine one here at KTAR. I do a lot of people watching at my (other) job and something that I noticed that I thought was interesting but also a great thing. I work for one of the sport arenas here in the valley and since I have been working there  every-time the National Anthem is being played everyone stops at what they are doing and listens. I had the idea that people didn’t really care about our country’s song anymore but I was wrong. Well at least here in Arizona where people have enough respect to stop everything they are doing and give respect to our flag. Of course not all will stop but the ones that don’t or don’t take their hats off get looks that would scare off Freddy Kruger. A few times their would be a military guest dressed up in his military attire and would get hand shakes while walking though the main concourse from fans and other workers.

I say thanks to those of you who stop at what you are doing when your at the concession stand, team shop or just walking looking for your seat, and give a little time to give respect to old glory. For those of you that don’t make the time, I would hope that you remember we live and in a best country in the world with the bravest men and women that protect us everyday. It won’t hurt or cost you anything to say thanks for about 90 seconds.

« Previous Page — Next Page »