Katie101's Blog

There are two things that are infinite: the universe and human stupidity.

It's 5:03 and I'm watching Kelvin Reynolds speak to evacuees in Birmingham about their experience since arriving here to escape Gustav. One woman reponds that the "food is terrible. It's awful. I can't believe the stuff they are serving in there." Another guy says that they are "still not getting treated right and that they still have to spend their own money for everything." HUH? Are you kidding me?

The state of Alabama recieved the largest numbers of evacuees out of all of the states around. Our govenor and the leaders of other municipalities mobilized their respective entities to make sure that these people got what they needed-- mostly food and shelter. What a shame that they couldn't be served a five-star meal and what a further shame that they couldn't each be given thousands upon thousands of dollars to spend once they got here. I'm trying to figure out something: if the food is free and the shelter is free, outside of gas, what the heck are they having to spend their own money on? Is this supposed to be some kind of extended vacation of sorts at our state's expense? This confirms that being compassionate, nice, and accommodating is still not good enough for some people.

To any evacuees who may be reading this and who may be disappointed at the services you received while here in the great state of Alabama: our state is here to serve you and give you the required minimum that we are charged as human beings to give. Our job is not to bestow you with riches and make sure Ruth Chris' steaks are served to you on bone china.

Give me a friggin' break.........*smh*

My students write in journals three times a week, and this morning as I was driving to school, I kept hearing "historical moment" being echoed in my brain as that seems to be the only thing coming out of the media's collective mouths with regards to Obama being the first "black" man to receive a Democratic nomination.

This led me to ask the following question for my tenth graders' journals: "If you could change one event in history, what would it be and why?" I got the usual Holocaust, slavery, 9/11, etc. But one student, who is relatively quiet, shocked me. He said, "I wouldn't change anything because events, whether good or bad, have a tendacy to build character. If we had not had any of the bad things in history, we wouldn't be the people we are today." My mouth dropped open and the students were all quiet.

What a wonderful spin to put on history. This gives me hope as I am not looking forward to the next four years. I'm not excited about what will be written in history. I don't have faith in either candidate and the only thing that sustains my hope is that God the Father and His Son will protect me and give me everything that my family and I need.

In the meantime, I won't think of rewriting history anymore. I will think of history through the eyes of my student, and realize that adversity builds character in more ways than one.

I had to travel to LA again this past weekend to attend to some business. I traveled the back roads (Highways 5 and 25 to be exact) and did not see one law enforcement officer the entire 145 miles. It was a pretty good trip- I kept the cruise between 60 and 65- not too far over the 55 mph limit.

This morning on my way back, I took the interstate and I realized that the "Take Back Our Highways" campaign was generally over- the weekend had ended, and so had any type of patrol- no State Trooper, marked or unmarked, in sight. In the meantime, cars with Mississippi plates flew past me like I was creeping at a snail's pace and I was driving a good solid 77 mph. I don't get it. They "take back the highways" for a few days and write people tickets out the ying-yang. Then you have those troopers that won't bother you for driving 5 miles over, but then there are also those who ride you for driving 71. I know it may seem like I'm beating a dead horse here, but I don't pay state troopers to heavily patrol one weekend a month. We pay their salaries just like y'all pay my salary to teach. Taxpayers expect me to teach at all times- not when there are stakes present.

I've about had enough. My sweet daddy got a ticket for driving 61 in a 55 and that ticks me off. He got "caught" when they were "taking back the highways" a few months ago. But what about the idiot this morning who was probably doing every bit of 90 in fog? What about him?

Is there a state trooper in the house that can explain? Katie would surely appreciate it.

The conflict between Georgia and Russia may be dying down due to a cease fire being signed. This makes me happy as I saw in my mind a fiasco of biblical proportions unfolding had this not happened.

I don't make it a habit to criticize our commander-in-chief because that's not my job; however, I will go on record saying he should stay out of Georgia and Russia's stuff. That is not our business. There are some things that we shouldn't get involved in and this is one. To become embroiled in a war with Russia is something that we have to avoid. Remember- and someone can correct me if I'm wrong- but a president cannot go out of office during a war/conflict/etc. Now I'm not itching for one of the other guys to get in, but Bush has served his time.

There are several countries that I never want to see us in conflict with and Russia is one. Could it be that since Georgia has oil refineries located on its soil, we want to protect it from being "bullied"? Isn't that why we ran to the aid of Kuwait?

Instead of policing other people's business, we desperately need to police our own.

I am mostly undecided about the whole lottery issue, but I found an article on AOL that reiterates something that Martin Kaine in an earlier blog and I found it to be rather interesting......read on.....




NEW YORK (July 25) - When it comes to purchasing lottery tickets, making people feel poor will prompt them to spend more money on a chance to become rich, American researchers said.
They found that people who were convinced they were earning a low salary bought nearly twice as many lottery tickets compared to others who were made to feel more affluent.


"When people are made to feel subjectively poor, they end up buying more lottery tickets which is somewhat perverse since every time you buy a lottery ticket, it's the equivalent of burning money," said George Loewenstein, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who advised the research team.
"It's certainly paradoxical that making people feel poor means they are more likely to burn money," he added in an interview.
In a study published in the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making the researchers found that when people thought their earnings were below a certain standard, they were more prone to take risks and fall into a poverty trap.


"Lottery tickets are such a bad financial decision. Purchasing the tickets just makes their financial situation worse, which then encourages them to purchase more lottery tickets," Emily Haisley, who headed the research team, explained.
In the study people earning less than $100,000 a year, which was suggested by the researchers to be a low-income, bought 1.27 lottery tickets compared to 0.67 by people who earned more.

In a second experiment in the study, some people were indirectly reminded that everyone has an equal chance of winning the lottery. The group given the reminder purchased 1.31 tickets, compared with 0.54 in the group not given the reminder.
"People who run lotteries have a lot of knowledge. They know who buys what types of tickets, they know who their customers are and their advertising certainly plays on the hopes and aspirations of low-income individuals," Loewenstein said.
A recent report by the Commission on Thrift, a project of the private, non-profit think tank Institute for American Values, said that U.S. households with incomes under $12,400 spend an average of $645 on lotteries.

This morning, I mailed my updated voter registration form to the board of registrars in Shelby County. I've been an absentee voter in my native county for the past ten years and I figured it was time for me to vote where I actually live. As I put the stamp on the card, I had a thought......

As a black woman, the right to vote is something that I had to earn twice. Many of my friends, relatives, and even co-workers don't vote (black and white). And their excuse is one that we've all heard and may even be true in some way-- "My one vote won't make a difference." But is it really about making a difference or is it about being a good citizen? Is it really about putting a certain person in office or is it about exercising a right that we were given when we were born on this soil?

I wasn't always a patriot. As a teenager before my senior year, I was very apathetic and bitter about the US and the things it allowed to happen. Then I attended Girl's State in Montgomery the summer before my senior year. I saw what good the government could do and I saw the good that we as productive citizens could do. When I returned home that year, I wrote an essay and won the Lillian Pugh Andrews Patriotism award and was honored by the Women's Club in my town. I learned early on what it meant to be a patriot -- part of that means being a good citizen and genuinely caring about what the country is facing-- not with an attitude of apathy, but with an attitude of hope.

As we approach November, I am not very happy about my choices for who is to run the country. I am not very happy that the things I'm concerned about don't appear to be at the forefront of neither candidate's agenda. However, I am happy that I can choose either one without paying a tax, without fear of being murdered, without having to be a landowner, without having to have a husband, without fear of being stalked......I can go to the voting center and vote. And it doesn't make a bit of difference if who I vote for wins or loses. It doesn't matter if I vote Democrat or Republican. What does matter is that if we all did our duties as responsible citizens, and this includes voting, our country wouldn't be in the shape it is now.

Encourage those around you to vote- not for a particular person- but because it is their right.

I've been out of town the past week to LA- Lower Alabama, that is- to visit my family and significant other. My parents live in Clarke County and my SO lives in Mobile. In order to get to Mobile, I travel Highway 43 which travels through the new Thyssenkrup site, so there's construction and the speed limit is 45. On my way back up here today, I'm going through the construction zone going the posted 45 mph. In the meantime, a white Chevy Tahoe with Mississippi plates speeds past me and blam- there we meet a State Trooper coming from the opposite direction. The trooper gets behind me, tavels for a minute, and I'm thinking "Surely he's going to get the Chevy for going way over 45..." Before I know it, he's behind ME with his LIGHTS ON!!!!! I'm like what the heck??!!!

He stopped me for TINT!!!! Can you believe this? People are speeding past us, SPEEDING WHILE WORKERS ARE PRESENT and I get stopped for TINT!!! Mind you, I've had my white car for two years now with the tint for two years- I've been driving all over the state of Alabama- have received one speeding ticket within that time frame- and NEVER, NEVER has anyone said anything to me about my tint. He checked it and said that it was illegal and I, against my better judgment, was in tears and pissed and ready to go to jail because I wasn't bothering anyone, going the speed limit, and I got stopped. I'm usually very respectful of law enforcement officers, but this has put a bad taste in my mouth about them and my respect level has certainly decreased for some (sorry BPDMotor6--not for you, though).

What bothers me most is, this law is barely enforced. I mean, if it was, I woud have gotten a citation about it a long time ago. What kills me about our wonderful State Troopers is that they enforce the law when it suits them and they are one of the most inconsistent law enforcement agencies I've ever seen. Now, in order for me to protest this, I'm supposed to be in Mobile Traffic Court on August 18th.....problem there. I have a prior engagement...it's called TEACHING ENGLISH!!!!!! Ususally, I'm really cool about these things, but this one has got me TICKED!!!!!!!!!! He must have been short some tickets and had to get some in....

Since I don't plan on paying the ticket, I'll probably have a warrant out for my arrest, so Jamezzzz, you may see my face on a mugshot yet!!!!

MAN!!!!

Well it's summer which means I have a lot more time on my hands now that school is out. I come here often to see what's going on, to see who's griping about what, to see who's calling who a fool, to see what mess the JeffCo commission or Bham City Council is making with their own collective geniuses at the helm.....to see how high gas prices are (as if I don't already know) yada yada yada....however, I am reminded of a very troubled man in the Bible who, although made many mistakes, also wrote Psalms from which I take my strength from daily.........

People worrying about gas prices. I'm not inclined to do so. Why? David said in Psalms 37:25- "...I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread...." Hmmmm....so why worry?

People worrying about who the next president will or WON'T be......Why? David said in Psalms 18:2 "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower"....Hmmmmm x 2.....so does it really MATTER who becomes president? Has it really MATTERED to Christians before? We're still here, right?

People worrying about those of alternative lifestyles....well, in my Bible...Genesis 1:28 to be exact, it says "Be fruitful and multiply..." With that being said, I like men and I think men are supposed to like me. Soooooooooo, gather from that what you will. (Hint: But it's kinda hard to multiply when the tools don't fit together.....)

Seriously though: People should be worried about people's souls. On every block, there is a church. On every corner, there is a church. We are distracted. People's souls are going to hell and in the meantime, we concern ourselves with minute issues that amount to nothing in the sight of God. Jesus himself told us in Matthew to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. Wasn't the greatest commandment of them all to love?

I lost a friend yesterday- a young man who was a great person and who still had a lot of life to live. It is not a time to be bitter, people. It is not a time to be pointing fingers and calling names whether in malice or in jest. It is time to be the Christians that the world bets we cannot be: Christians who really stirve to be Christ-like. I say all of this in love and with that being said, Katie is headed to the beach!!!!!!!

There are a lot of things that I can find to gripe about- gas prices, illegal immigration, the fact that education funding is treated like a red-headed step-child, the consistent demoralization of my culture and society, the devaluing of my faith by those who don't understand, inept political leaders....yes, many things that I can gripe about.....but there is also somthing that I can shout about and that's grace.

While listening to Joyce Meyer yesterday morning talk about her book Grace, Grace, and More Grace, she gave the most profound definition of grace that I've ever heard. You know, we always talk about God's grace and mercy keeping us, but after yesterday, grace has taken on a whole new meaning from me. I would like to paraphrase what she said:

"Grace is an unmerited gift from God that gives us the ability every day to do the things and face the issues that we couldn't possibly do and face alone. It is not based on works, but merely God's love."

When I passed by the gas station this morning, I saw that gas was $3.69. When I turned on the news this morning, I heard about more human suffering, more idiots not valuing the sanctity of life. But even after all of that, I am so thankful, so grateful for grace because no matter what is going on in the world, God loves me. Psalms 37:25..."I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread."  God will take care of me no matter what happens. It is His will that I walk and endure in His favor. It is all because of His saving grace.

Mercy keeps me. Grace sustains me.

Being that I can be somewhat high-maintenance, I get a pedicure and manicure every two weeks. I get these services at a shop in Alabaster- some of the nicest Vietnamese people you'd ever want to meet. Today, one of the women who usually does my nails told me that Friday and Saturday, she's going to Atlanta to take the U.S. citizenship test. She is so excited- she's only been here a year, yet she's been ardently trying to learn the language so that she can be successful with this test. I don't know this woman at all outside of the nail shop, but I am soooo very happy for her. She came to America, wants to stay, and is taking the proper steps to do so.......so that leads me to the question-

Why can't Mexican immigrants do the same? What's the difference with them? Is it because they merely cross a border on land whereas this woman crossed water? She crossed an ocean so that makes her want it more? Obama and McCain both want to give illegal immigrants driver's licenses....(if you don't believe it, look it up). So then, what will be next? Will they give them rights to an already shrinking social security system that barely gives my 80 year-old grandfather $600.00 a month? Will they give the illegal children (not the ones who were born here and who are, in fact, citizens) free financial aid to go to college when they don't even have social security numbers? I'll bet before it's all over, they'll be voting, too. Shame on our wonderful government.

My hat is off to Y.P. I say good for her for wanting to be here legally so that she can partake in everything good and progressive that our country has to offer. She is an example of the US being the land of opportunity and she is capitalizing on it.

Why can't the others follow suit?

I pondered writing this blog for a minute, but I think that a lot of people feel the same way that I do, so I want to give y'all something to ponder....

Many of us have stated that there isn't a candidate worth voting for in November. Frankly, I agree.  I vote with the issues and to speak honestly,  John McCain teeters too much on the liberal side (he stated in California once that he would agree to allow illegal immigrants receive driver's licenses....no way is that cat getting my vote)...that I can't tell what he is sometimes.

So I wonder, what would happen if everyone who felt the way that I did didn't vote? What if we had an all-out boycott of the election process? I understand that voting is my God-given, democratic opportunity. But I don't want to waste it on Obama, Clinton's wife, or McCain. Of course, I don't see this happening, because I suppose that at the end of the day, we have to vote for someone in order to exercise our rights as American citizens. But generally speaking, does anyone want to comment on the effects, positive AND negative, that a voting boycott may have?

And remember, I'm not saying that I propose this- just wondering what everyone else thinks.......

I've never been one to be really expressive about civil rights. I was born in 1980, and although some may argue that the struggle still continues (and in some respects, it does), I choose to look at the wonderful society I was born into- one that seeks to regard me by the content of my character and not by the color of my skin.

Martin Luther King, Jr. has been dead for 40 years now and it is so disheartening that the things he stood for, for his own people, are constantly being disregarded, by his own people. People of all colors marched today, many in the rain, and I wonder, "What for?" To be reminded once or twice a year of the changes he strove to make is futile. His effort has to be an ever-present state of mind---- not regarding black vs. white, but regarding people treating people with civility and kindness. MLK was no saint--- only one perfect person walked this earth--- but he was very instrumental in God's overall plan of making the place we live in humane for all colors and people.

I read a book called Carry Me Home by Birmingham native Diane McWhorter a few summers ago and it showed me the gritty details of how the civil rights struggle started in Birmingham. I would be willing to bet that most people don't realize that the civil rights struggle didn't start with black and white, but with the New Deal and the unions of the coal mines in Fairfield. See, it's called reading and it's becoming a lost art among our youth, especially our black youth. Sagging pants, crime, apathy, and poverty can all be related back to one thing------> ignorance. And that was the very thing MLK wanted to stamp out. Unfortunately, 40 years after his death, the dream that he lived and died for is largely ignored by the very ones it was conceived to help.

The dream has been put off.....deferred....delayed.....and as long as we sit and stand idle, pointing fingers and casting stones, it will one day die. And that will be a sad day for us all.

I got this email from my father and thought I'd share......very interesting....... 

I'M NOT PUSHING ANY POLITICAL CHOICE HERE. I JUST FOUND THIS TO
BE AN EYE OPENER AND IT MADE ME THINK.

INTERESTING THOUGHT-- CAN A MUSLIM BE A MUSLIM-AMERICAN?

HERE IS AN EYE OPENER TO START OFF YOUR DAY... CAN A MUSLIM BE A
MUSLIM-AMERICAN? HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT -- IS MUSLIM-AMERICAN REALLY
AN OXYMORON? CAN A DEVOUT MUSLIM BE AN AMERICAN PATRIOT AND A LOYAL
CITIZEN?

I FORWARDED THAT QUESTION TO SOMEONE WHO WORKED IN SAUDI ARABIA FOR
20 YEARS. THE FOLLOWING IS HIS FORWARDED REPLY:

THEOLOGICALLY, NO. BECAUSE HIS ALLEGIANCE IS TO ALLAH, THE MOON
GOD OF ARABIA.

RELIGIOUSLY, NO. BECAUSE NO OTHER RELIGION IS ACCEPTED BY HIS
ALLAH EXCEPT ISLAM (QURAN, 2:256)

SCRIPTURALLY, NO. BECAUSE HIS ALLEGIANCE IS TO THE FIVE PILLARS OF
ISLAM AND THE QURAN (KORAN).

GEOGRAPHICALLY, NO. BECAUSE HIS ALLEGIANCE IS TO MECCA, TO WHICH HE TURNS IN PRAYER FIVE TIMES A DAY.

SOCIALLY, NO. BECAUSE HIS ALLEGIANCE TO ISLAM FORBIDS HIM TO MAKE
FRIENDS WITH CHRISTIANS OR JEWS.

POLITICALLY, NO. BECAUSE HE MUST SUBMIT TO THE MULLAH (SPIRITUAL
LEADERS), WHO TEACH ANNIHILATION OF ISRAEL AND DESTRUCTION OF
AMERICA, THE GREAT SATAN.

DOMESTICALLY, NO. BECAUSE HE IS INSTRUCTED TO MARRY FOUR WOMEN AND
BEAT AND SCOURGE HIS WIFE WHEN SHE DISOBEYS HIM (QURAN 4:34).

INTELLECTUALLY, NO. BECAUSE HE CANNOT ACCEPT THE AMERICAN
CONSTITUTION SINCE IT IS BASED ON BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES AND HE
BELIEVES THE BIBLE TO BE CORRUPT.

PHILOSOPHICALLY, NO. BECAUSE ISLAM, MUHAMMAD, AND THE QURAN DO NOT
ALLOW FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND EXPRESSION. DEMOCRACY AND ISLAM CANNOT
CO-EXIST.

EVERY MUSLIM GOVERNMENT IS EITHER DICTATORIAL OR AUTOCRATIC.

SPIRITUALLY, NO. BECAUSE WHEN WE DECLARE "ONE NATION UNDER GOD",
THE CHRISTIAN'S GOD IS LOVING AND KIND, WHILE ALLAH IS NEVER REFERRED
TO AS HEAVENLY FATHER, NOR IS HE EVER CALLED LOVE IN THE QURAN\'S 99
EXCELLENT NAMES.

THEREFORE AFTER MUCH STUDY AND DELIBERATION.... PERHAPS WE SHOULD
BE VERY SUSPICIOUS OF ALL MUSLIMS IN THIS COUNTRY? THEY OBVIOUSLY
CANNOT BE BOTH 'GOOD' MUSLIMS AND 'GOOD' AMERICANS. CALL IT WHAT YOU
WISH.....IT'S STILL THE TRUTH.

IF YOU FIND YOURSELF INTELLECTUALLY IN AGREEMENT WITH THE ABOVE
STATEMENTS, PERHAPS YOU WILL SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS. THE MORE
WHO UNDERSTAND THIS, THE BETTER IT WILL BE....FOR THE RELIGIOUS WAR
IS BIGGER AND MORE COMPLEX THAN MOST AMERICANS CURRENTLY KNOW OR
UNDERSTAND.

I am speaking of John Rogers.

The Birmingham school board decides, with the state breathing down its neck, to close 16 schools or face takeover. The board complies. People are angry, but they'll get over it. It is for the good of the system, and soon everyone will see that. Joe Morton visits the board to further discuss progress and bubblemouth Rogers threatens to filibuster the education budget. Mind you, the education budget is for the benefit of the ENTIRE state- every school in the state- but because Birmingham has to close schools, due to its own inability to maintain a fiscally-sound budget, Rogers contends that "If he wants a fight in the Legislature, he's got it,"  with regards to Morton. How ignorant can you be?

How can you, with a good conscience, even attempt to block a budget that benefits every school-aged child in the state? How can you, with sound judgment, say that you will sabatoge money that will go to fund the necessities that students need? Maybe Rogers was joking, but joking about education is what's got us in trouble now. It's causing ignorance to run rampant like a roaring lion and that lion is devouring up our very being......

Wanna know what ignorance looks like? Find a picture of Rogers.......

Closing 16 schools to cut costs: $millions$

Cutting staff members to further cut costs: $thousands$

Watching Rep. John Rogers humiliate every constituent that voted for him: Priceless

The Alabama primaries are on February 5th, and I haven't a clue who to vote for. None of the candidates spark my interest and all of them have skirted around an issue that I have a lot of interest in- IMMIGRATION.

The few souls that I have talked to all say the same thing- "They don't want to touch it because it is controversial. They don't want to lose votes..." My questions is, lose votes from whom? When did illegal immigrants gain the right to vote? And for those immigrants who have become citizens, how many of them actually exercise their right to vote? I don't get it.

Congress is on the trail of steriod users......while there is a war going on.....while the country is spiraling into a recession.....while education is becoming a futile effort.....and while our boarders are becoming a proverbial wide-open gate.....

I teach some of these students (remember, schools cannot question the legal status of these children, and neither do they have to be immunized), and everything that they write and turn in to me is based on immigration (essays, speeches, etc.). Don't get me wrong- I love my students- ALL of them, but it just goes to show you that the mentality that they have is that they are right and WE are wrong. They don't think they should have social security numbers and such. One child said in his persuasive speech, "Keep building your walls, Mr. President, and we'll keep building our tunnels."  There are no absolutes for them and everything should be handed to them. This is the way that they think, and the presidential candidates have not tackled the issue (for real) at all. I'm a little baffled. And a lot upset.

This is the first time in the 10 years that I have been able to vote that I feel none of the candidates give a rip about me. Such a dreadful feeling......