When I look at the photos of Bush’s last press conference I see a little man.  I don’t know how tall he is but his presence is small. I never used to get it when people would tell me that my presence was much larger than my height. Of course, I got what they ‘meant’ but I never got the ‘feeling’ in myself. I have always been small…have always felt small…hence I love high heels, and wear them all of the time -  Definitely a perk for being la petite!  

But I got off on a tangent…back to Bush…So I see a little man…a little wanna be dictator.  Yes he did say that. Not in his final days, but a few months ago I was watching an interview of him in the White House and that is what he said he aspired to be. Maybe not in those exact words but believe me there was no question what he had said. My jaw dropped. AND…it was evident he saw nothing wrong with it! A dictator – does he not know the true definition of the word? Let me post it just in case any of you are  thinking, ‘What’s the big deal?’  

dictator 

noun

1 a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained power by force.

• a person who tells people what to do in an autocratic way or who determines behavior in a particular sphere.

Okay…so now do you get my drift? Bush…a little man. So I just googled his height and he is only 5’11 – not exactly short, but compared to his brother he is. And he is insecure about it. Can’t you tell by the way he hunches and scrunches? In fact the stats show he has shrunk and is shrinking. And by the year 2580 Bush will be zero feet tall. Hmm…the incredible shrinking Bush – Not shrinking fast enough in my mind.

Not sure where this article was leading, but I am sure, it is done. Gotta run. 

Hi Tamara:  How fun! I would love to perform!

See ya tomorrow..

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

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I wrote about the women in Congo back in August.  And ladies I have not forgotten about you at all. The women in this world are always on my mind and when I am having a tough day, I always remember that my life is a dream compared to most. Unfortunately, right now there is only little that I can do. But it is my goal…the bigger picture in my life to do more and I am constantly working on how to improve that.  One of the ways I can help right now, is to continually write about the plight of women and bring it to light. It is not a pretty picture but it has to be painted. 

This morning I woke up and found an article that caught my eye – thank you Doug for putting it aside for me. 

I discovered that Congo has three resources that our electronics devices depend on – Congo has a good percentage of the world’s supply of Tantalite, Tungsten (you may recognize this name if you own a Palm Pilot), and Tin. Without these three, our daily electronic devices would not work.

Congo is also a country that has been torn apart by the deadliest war since World War II, where 5.4 million have perished, and an estimated 1,500 people die per day in war-related causes.  So what is this war fueled by? ….Our inexhaustible thirst for cell phones, laptops, video games, digital recorders and any other product that owes it’s existence to Congo’s contribution to the world’s mineral supply.

Why are so many people dying? Congo is a country rampant with feuding militias and a failed government.  It is a country that has been raided, looted, and raped for the past century and a half because of its vast natural resource wealth.   Kings, corporations, and countries have taken advantage of these resources, stealing whatever they can and leaving behind devastation.  

The resources are not the only thing that has, to be put mildly, been taken advantage of. The Congo has the highest rate of sexual violence globally. It is the world’s most dangerous place to be a woman or girl. These women of Congo are being used in the worst way possible.  The militia use rape as a weapon of war and they are perfecting this tool of war in a manner never seen before. The effectiveness of deploying sexual violence as a tactic of war is unquestioned. Competing forces rape in order to permanently drive communities out of contested areas. Women are so traumatized by gang rapes and other depredations that they are too scared to go home…too afraid to re-live their experiences. And because these tactics work, and the perpetrators pay no price for their horrific crimes, there is no incentive to stop. It continues daily and the women in Congo live through it daily. 

As I write this I can’t seem to contain the anger that I feel. I am disgusted and all I envision is harm and brutality enforced in ways that I can only imagine. I have always been one who believes in and eye for an eye….my feelings on this have not changed. I sit here safe in my own home…safe from harm, but I know…in my gut, that if I was in the mix of it…if I was witnessing the atrocities, I know that I would inflict harm in the same way that these men are inflicting harm on their women.  

Where are the men fighting to protect these women? – Where are the heroes willing to die for those that give us life? As I sit, I feel the tears well up in my eyes and guilt run through my heavy heart, knowing my fingers are tapping on a device that contributes to the plight of so many women. 

So what can we do?  One thing we can do is let our elected officials know that we are aware of the violence and we want it to end. Obama’s inauguration is wildly anticipated by Africans including those in Congo.  They believe Obama will have the chance to make the end of the Congo’s war one of his Policy objectives.  But it can’t stop there…we must also let the electronic companies know that it matters to us where they get their raw materials that run their devices.  

Until there is awareness and action taken, to be put bluntly, in my opinion…every electronic device you support leads to the plight of the Congo women. We as world citizens have to be more responsible about the actions that we take and the choices that we make in the products we buy, and the companies we support.

We cannot turn a blind eye, plug our ipods in and blast our music, knowing that we are drowning out the cries of women and girls in the Congo. We need to demand that these products are conflict free, and ask more questions about where their components are from. We need to care. If we do, the companies will have no choice but to change their procurement practices.  We fought against ‘Blood diamonds’. We saw the horrors that lead to the world to get serious about stopping them. We can get serious and fight against ‘conflict minerals’ too and have the same impact. The Congo women are counting on us. We cannot be irresponsible, unaccountable, world citizens when our sisters are fighting for their lives.

Want to learn more? Go to Raise Hope For Congo. What to do more? If you live in the Bay Area, attend the screening of “The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo” at 4:15 pm today, at the Smith Rafael Film Center on 4th Street in San Rafael.  Get involved. 

~~~~~~~

Doug:  You had a heads-up on this one from the night before. We are on the same page :) 

Hey ZL:  Thanks! – I’ll call you today.

Hi Anonz:  My pleasure – happy that I could assist. Be well and be safe.

Hi Brenda: Thanks and keep trying – you did get in this time. :)

Peace out…. 

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

I had a few minutes to watch the news last night for the first time this week. I have been in training for a new job (Did I mention that?) and the hours have left me a busy girl with little time for fun. Anyway while eating a delicious dinner made by Doug, I was able to relax (?) well…at least catch up on the happenings in politics.

Did I say catch up on the happenings in politics? Let me rephrase that…Catch up on the gossip in politics…the drama, because that is what it felt like. I’ve always like MSNBC and the Keith Olbermann show but last night I think their on-the-scene reporters decided to take a day off. Keith kept repeating the same information over and over. Meaning, each lead up to his topic gave so much information that by the time it came to him reporting it, there wasn’t much more to report.  AND…it was all about Sarah Palin.  

I still can’t believe that she is in the media as much as she is. You have to hand it to her though, the things that come out of her mouth are not quite news worthy because guess what? She still can drop my jaw. Yes, she still has the power to dumbfound me with her quirky looks and even more so, her stupid remarks.

Just who is her audience? Well…speaking of stupid…we have all discovered lately just how stupid the average American can be. Or at least I have. So…Last night I watched Palin make a comment to her audience: The stupid Americans out there.  It seems that Palin seems to think that if she had been a part of the Democratic party running for office she would’ve gone much further.

Does this woman ever think before she speaks or is she just counting on her audience to not think? I mean how can one say that she can just ‘switch’ parties when never before have we had such a strong distinction between the parties. When almost everything Obama stood for and wants to accomplish is the exact opposite of the past 8 years, not to mention McCain’s same same goals….you know..the man she was running beside?  Does she really think that her values and all that she stood and fought for would’ve been accepted by the Democrats? I mean what is going on in that little mind of hers? She says this so matter of factly like she’s switching sides on the baseball team.

Oh Sarah….you once and for all need to be palienated from politics – better yet…go start a talk show and hone your audience -they are certainly out there just drooling for your kind of speak. You can call it ‘Palination’…cause we know you are dying to be the dictator of your own small country. 

~~~~~~~~

Hi Zen Lill: Me too – maybe it would be good to repost on your blog for your readers too. 

Hi Janice: You’re welcome – my pleasure. 

Peace out everyone…gotta run – Happy Friday!

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Hi ZL:  Thanks for chiming in and giving your ‘two’.  Hmm…you have brought up some interesting questions too -Wish I had all the answers.  I think it will definitely take some further discussions – which I will be happy to continue at another time. 

…Missed your call this afternoon- Yes, I have been working everyday getting ready for my new position to start. I am beat to say the least. Not sure why. I have worked much harder in my life but for some reason I am feeling it more now. I will call you on my next day off. Oh…and I’ll have Madaline check into Anonz for you. 

Hello Maddie:  Can you please give us a report on Anonz.  How is he doing?

To Dapne and all of the Gazan women:  Thank you Dapne for starting up a conversation and thank you to all of the women for answering Dapne by commenting through my blog these past few days. I have had much on my mind and most of it relates to the plight of the women on this planet. I do not know what is going to happen. And I am not sure what to do in order to help all of you. I am hopeful that Obama will start to weed us off foreign oil so that we are not dependent on it.  When foreign oil is no longer a commodity to the US, and we are no longer sending billions to the middle east, maybe then, when we are free from this dependency, we can do more for the women of the world. Maybe then Obama can focus on how to relieve the plight of so many sisters out there, that need change to happen NOW….to free all of you.  A plan that will help others such as myself to do something on a larger scale.    

Chuck: Not sure what to say to your comment. Wish you had said a bit more about ‘why’ you hate the competition.  I’m not saying all men will kill to get between a woman’s legs. But collectively as a male species, it’s the male that is prone to the fight, the male that creates the need for war, not the female. 

I wish that I had more to say about anything, but I feel like not saying much this morning. Peace out….

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008

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I mentioned a few days ago that I could not understand why people do the things they do especially when logic seems to be missing in the equation of their actions. I also said that what may seem illogical actually makes perfect sense when you break it all down.  

When you think about it, humans are not much different than the rest of the animals that roam the planet. We are just more intelligent. Or are we?  I mean, we are the more evolved species but when it comes right down to it, our animal instinct rules. And that instinct is to do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of the species.

So how does a species ensure it’s survival?  Procreation.  Sex.  You can see the fight for survival everyday in animal species, and not surprisingly humans are no different. The men compete with each other in order to get the women. How? By showing off their plumage.  He who has the most attractive plumage will get the girl. Human plumage is our race (color), social status, wealth, etc. collectively.  

The basic animal instinct is to survive and survival is the force behind the motivation of men. And since sex is the only way for the species to procreate ensuring it’s survival, males will do whatever it takes to attract the females and carry on their race (white, black, asian, etc). 

And guess what? If he isn’t attractive enough to get the girl…if his plumage is not doing the job…like animals, he will resort to fighting.  And then, the stronger more powerful male will dominate over the lesser male regardless of his plumage. Wars are started because of this. And just as bad if not worse, males enslave their females for fear that if the females had the freedom to  choose, they would choose another with more attractive plumage. It all comes down to sex and who’s gonna get it. And out of that, racism is born: ‘My plumage is better than your plumage.’

So I’ll go back to my first question: Are we more intelligent? Hmm…Or are we just more evolved? Sex is good. It ensures the survival of our species, but  when ‘the little head over rules the big head’, which we have witnessed time and time again, that action alone lacks intelligence. Which means that we have many men in the world run by their dicks….the less intelligent choice. And if their dicks want sex ( what dick doesn’t? :), they will do whatever it takes (murder, war, enslavement, etc.) to get it. Let’s just enslave and kill that which births us; gives us life. Stupid huh? 

Yesterday I made a statement that ‘men use their brawn and women use their brains’.  When you look at our world, would you say I am far off in my assessment? 

So, I wake up this morning to more comments from the women on the *Gaza Strip, who are ordered by the men, to cry and weep and not show their true feelings. What we hear is not what these women want to tell. They are merely actors in a real life play. My heart goes out to them. I think of them daily. I will never know what they are enduring only through the stories that they tell here. I am torn…I want peace as they do…And…in the back of my mind I think about Madaline’s proposal. How I wish things could be different.  

*My huge apologies. I wrote this very early this morning and mis-named the area in my rush to get to work – my bad.  It is correct now. 

I must go now.  

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"