Tis the season of plenty...

We are a country drowning in commercialism. Everywhere you turn someone vies to get into your pockets and liberate you from your cash. Buy, buy, buy...more, more, more...bigger, bigger, bigger...

The holidays are here and you're about to receive more stuff than you will ever need, want or desire. Sheets that you will tuck away and find a year later only to realize you never used them. Clothing that isn't your style, the wrong color, the wrong fit - etc. Do you really need one more sweater? One more pair of shoes? One more jacket? More bath towels?

I know I don't.

This past year I've been redoing my bedroom and today I walked in there to realize I had as much if not more stuff in that room than when I started. Over the year I've purchased more bits and pieces - clothing, shoes, linens etc - and somehow all of it ended up in the one empty room in the house. The same room where I labored to paint the walls and celiling - the same room I need to somehow squeeze my queen sized bed into. At this point there is no way I can move back into my freshly painted room - I have no space!

Whats up with that?

It's time to seriously downsize. I've been in give-away mode most of the year. I've donated about 30 garbage bags of clothing, linens, curtains, sheets etc and I easily have that much more to give. I have 7 sets of sheets and I only use three of them so why am I keeping them?

So today I began seriously downsizing. My rules are:
-haven't worn it in the last six months - it goes
-don't like it - it goes
-have ten of them - at least 1/2 goes
-no more room - it goes

There are millions of people out of work and struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Millions who go hungry...who are homeless...who can't get a job because they don't have clean clothing...

You get the picture.

This year, why don't you give something you don't use to someone who who will? So, go look in your closet - what are you going to donate to charity today?

SOUND OFF: Politics and Treason

According to Merriam Webster's Dictionary, treason is defined as:

Main Entry: trea·son

Etymology:
Middle English tresoun, from Anglo-French traisun, from Latin tradition-, traditio act of handing over, from tradere to hand over, betray — more at traitor
Date:
13th century
1 : the betrayal of a trust : treachery 2 : the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance or to kill or personally injure the sovereign or the sovereign's family

I was watching the news (can't help it I'm a news junkie) and I can't help but feeling that the Republican party (John McCain's camp in particular) is commiting treason upon the American people.

What has happened in the race for the White House is a complete and total betrayal of the American trust. Our economy is in the crapper, 1 in 489 homes is in foreclosure, the unemployment rate is increasing every passing day, we're a country at war, greed has toppled the global economy, people are losing their hard earned savings and these boneheads are running aroung inciting hatred and fear among Americans by spreading lies about the Obama camp.

Americans are calling Obama a terrorist because his middle name is Hussein. Uh...what? So I should fear anyone with the last name of Bundy or Dahmer because they just might be a serial killer because someone with their same NAME was a nutbag?

Come on people...my mother is 77 and can't remember to take her pills and even she didn't fall for that one.

Sarah Palin (who reminds me of that one bitchy cheerleader that made my life hell in high school - that smile is SO fake - she's the type to tell you that you look good in a skirt then tell everyone you have a fat ass) is running around saying that Obama can't be trusted while the Alaska Legislature found her liable for abuse of power. She allowed her husband to use the office and resources of the governor's office to coerce someone to fire her brother-in-law, a state trooper. And she says Obama can't be trusted?

McCain keeps saying that Obama is the one who doesn't have enough experience to be President...and he does? McCain is out of Washington more than he's in - he missed more than 400 votes so far this year - when is he going to do the job to which he was elected? Senator...pfft!

And Obama - running around digging up the Keeting Five on McCain? DUDE - he was not found guilty of any crime AND he apologized for associating with the wrong people. Get over it.

Joe Biden - I adore him. I wish he'd run for President. :)

When I hear Americans screaming 'Bomb Obama' and 'Terrorist' at political rallys it just makes me completely crazy. I grew up believing in my country - most of the men in my family fought for it, my father in two different wars - and now I'm sickened by what I'm seeing. We are not a county of radicals who believe violence is the answer - we are reasonable, intelligent, forward-thinking people and its almost as if someone has hijacked our sense of country and our pride.

Calling someone a terrorist or wanting them killed isn't a reflection of the country I love. The USA that I know and love rewards diversity and celebrates the differences in people. We enjoy a healthy debate and we work to be reasonable and try to walk in another's shoes - not call for violence when someone disagrees with what we happen to believe. That isn't being civilized, that's being a barbarian.

Negative campaigning is the norm and most of these candidates act like children who haven't been taught proper manners. Calling someone names, telling lies - aren't these offenses that we correct our children about?

I'll bet Bill Maher is having quite the laugh this evening...

Tell me how you feel! Where has our country gone?

P.S. - the government was caught redhanded recording the phone calls of American Troops to their families and passing around the 'phone sex' calls. Our country is spying on its soldiers? Does anyone else see the idiocy in this?