This is My World

It’s cold here in Tell City, Indiana.  There’s snow coming down and melting.  I’ve been staying in Tell City lately.  So, when I got “home” from my grandma’s, I noticed a big mess as I pulled into my parking spot.  All four Tell City police cars including the K-9 Unit were across the street and two houses down from where I’ve been staying.

I sat in the car for a minute and noticed the police had two people laying on the ground in hand cuffs.  Remember what I said the weather was doing?  It is entirely too cold to have people laying on the ground.

Then, I decided to walk to the house so I can watch from private property.  So, shivering on the front porch, I watched as they questioned four people separately.  I couldn’t hear the questioning.  Then, Vince Leuke the Perry County News reporter/photographer pulled up.  At this point I realized that I had beat the local paper to the area.  However, I’m pretty sure the officers would tell me to leave if I tried to ask questions.  They all recognized Vince Leuke.  So, two officers appeared to fill him in and send him on his way.  Again, I was too far away to hear anything.

When they were finished with questioning and had everyone handcuffed, I could hear them trying to figure out the logistics of transporting three males and two females to the jail. This made me laugh.  One officer had to move stuff out of the back seat and another shouted, “I don’t care how we do this.”  Of course the K-9 Unit can’t actually transport people because the dog gets the back seat to himself.

When I heard one of them ask about a spot light, I chose to walk inside the house.  So, I filled in the other residents of this house on what was happening two houses down and across the street.  We walked back to the porch.  Then, I noticed a tow truck pulling up.  It was hooking onto a silver or gray car that I hadn’t spotted earlier.

That was the facts.  Next is my theory of what possibly happened.  It’s possible that it started as a routine traffic stop.  I think the original officer found a reason to search the car and called for backup.  With all five of them heading to jail, I think they found something illegal in the car.  We won’t know for sure until it comes out in Thursday’s paper.  As soon as I know, I’ll either add a comment to here or write another article about it.  This depends on how interesting it is.

Do you have a short message you want to give someone?  But you want a unique way to send it.  Never fear, I have an idea.  Well, actually, it wasn’t my idea.  I just stumbled into it on eBay.

With the economy being tough and eBay auctions being a little low, a cartoonist and eBay seller in Georgia came up with a unique way to make a few extra dollars.  If you win the online auction, “Redneck Beer Gut Man” will write your message on his “Beer Gut” and email 3 JPEG views directly to your inbox.

Redneck Beer Gut Man says his beer gut is ”prime advertising space” and would be perfect for a marriage proposal, business card, or blog advertisement.

There are a few rules though.  The messages have to be in good taste, no offensive messages.  They also have to be 20 words or less to fit on the beer gut.  The color choices are red, black, green, or blue.

So, here’s to Redneck Beer Gut Man for coming up with a truly awesome and unique idea. 

Click here to see the auction.  If you have any unique ideas of your own, use the contact me page.  If I like it, I’ll write a blog entry about it.

My whole life I’ve heard people say, “When life hands you scraps, make quilts.” I didn’t understand it when I was growing up.  Now, however, I do. 

As many of my readers already know I haven’t actually “worked” since February.  I’ve been scratching every corner of the internet I can find for just a dollar or two here and there.  I’ve sat on the computer for a couple hours then lay down for a half an hour.  I’m not laying down to be lazy either.  That actually relieves some of the pressure on my back and lowers my pain level. 

This blog so far is the least successful of my ventures, but that’s okay.  With the 30 or 40 visitors everyday, someone is reading what I really think.  That’s what’s important. 

Anyway, I’ve been busy lately.  I’ve listed stuff on eBay that I wasn’t really ready to part with yet, but really needed the money and the memories are in my head.  

Tomorrow, I’m gonna clean up a Gibsonette Tremelo GA-8T to list on eBay.  The original owner bought it to play at sock hops when he was in high school.  After I called Gibson customer service to get more information on the amplifier, I realized it had to be purchased between 1958 and 1962.  The customer service representative said that’s when they made the GA-8T. 

I would have had it listed already, but I was finishing two quilts to put in my new Etsy store.  I call it Becky Morton Creations.  So far I have 3 quilts listed.

“When life gives you scraps, make quilts.”  I can’t sit up long enough to hold a regular job.  I’ve hired a lawyer to deal with Social Security.  In the meantime, God gave me this gift to make quilts.  I’m trying to use that gift to work around my disability. 

Have you ever come home to a giant wiener in your garage? That’s basically what happened in Mount Pleasent, Wisconsin.

See, I’ve always wondered how the drivers of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile were able to see out of a giant wiener.  Now, I have my answer.  Apparently, they can’t. 

The driver of this particular wienermobile was attempting to turn around in a residential driveway.  She thought she was backing up, but instead was going forward. Consequently, she crashed the wiener into the garage.  The garage hole was too small for the wiener to fit. 

Fortunately, Oscar Mayer’s insurance will pay for damages to both the house and wiener.

Well, I just finished reading the news at CourierPress.com.  There was a Dramain Buford arrested for trying to stab another man, Antonio Hanger, in the eye with a screw driver.  Apparently, the two men were arguing over a woman.  Mr. Buford missed Mr. Hanger’s eye and actually stabbed him between his left eye temple. 

Men have had scuffles over women since women were given the right to choose who the marry.  However, this is the first time I have heard of an attempted eye stabbing.  So, I thought I would share it.

Have a nice day!

Just as I was wondering if I was going to have something to write today, my boyfriend comes in with an envelope that say “IMPORTANT LEGAL MATERIALS.”  Since it doesn’t say anything about keeping it to myself, I’ll tell you about it.

I’m suing Wal-mart!

I quit there sooner than I wanted to because I was about to get fired for being sick.  I got written up for someone else calling in for me while I was going to the emergency room nearly unconscious.  Looking back, it was probably the best thing I did. 

I had a manager that was constantly spending my lunch hour giving me instructions on what to do in the produce section.  Most of the time I missed my 15 minute breaks because I was overloaded either in produce or the deli.  But wait! There’s light at the end of the tunnel.

The “important legal materials” that I received today came from the Bailey Claims Administrator c/o Rust Consulting.  They seem to be a decent name in class action lawsuits.  What the letter said is that Wal-mart has agreed to a settlement for employees in Indiana between October 17, 1994 and March 14, 2009.  They agreed to compensate those hourly employees for missing breaks.

This lawsuit was filed in Marion County, Indiana - Bailey, et al. VS. Wal-mart Stores, INC., et al. Cause No. 49D05-0008-CT-1177.  If you think you could be a member of this settlement class you may contact the Bailey Claims Administrator:

• Bailey Claims Administrator
  C/O Rust Consulting, INC
  PO Box 2210
  Faribault, MN 55021-1610

I didn’t work there very long so I’m only getting $25. But this made me smile today. 

Oh gosh! I think I was maybe 12 in that picture.  Well, I stumbled across it today and I thought I would tell you a little about it.  Keep in mind I was 5′1″ then and I’m still the same height.

See that green boat behind me? Yes it really was that small.  That was my dad’s little green john boat.  We hand-painted the registration number on the side there.  It also had the option to be a row boat, but we used the “big” motor on the back.  My mom used to go NUTS knowing that me and my dad were fishing in that little green boat just as close to the dam in Cannelton, Indiana as you were allowed to get.  The water was usually a little choppy and the boat would rock.  It was enough to almost get you to sleep.

One day we were sitting in the river down at the dam in Cannelton, Indiana.  Of course we were in the little green boat.  There were signs on the walls of the dam that said stay back so many feet.  Well, we were back exactly that many feet from both dam walls. We had minnows that we caught out of Millstone Creek on hooks and had our lines weighted down.  So, we dropped the lines all the way down until they hit bottom, then brought them up a little bit.  And we sat there rocking with the waves about half asleep on a hot summer afternoon.

After a while I stretched a little bit and said, “Dad, I think I oughta check my line to make sure that minnow’s still there.”

He nodded.  So, I went to reeling.  Or trying to reel anyway.  I pulled and it pulled back.  So I said, “Dad, I think I got something.”

He pulled up on the line a little bit and there it pulled back again.  He said, “Just keep pulling and reeling.”

So, I did.  After about a half an hour of pulling and reeling down by the dam in Cannelton, Indiana, it rolled on the surface of the water.  It looked to me like it was about as big as I was.  I held on to the pole real tight and Dad grabbed the net.  He kept trying to get its head in that net but just wouldn’t go.  He finally got its tail and half its body in the net and convinced it that it needed to come in the boat with us.

There is sat, the biggest catfish I had ever seen.   It was about as long as the boat was wide.  We both got excited and had to leave the dam at Cannelton, Indiana right then.  We got it back to dad’s and got some pictures of it.  I called Mom and told her she had to come see it. 

That flat-head catfish weighed about 19 lbs.  Later that summer we cause a 22 lb blue catfish.  Both of them made some really good catfish steak. 

So there you have it, the story of my first big catfish.  I caught it just below the dam in Cannelton, Indiana on the Ohio River.  Of course, it would be pretty pointless to fish there right now.  They’re doing some work trying to make it into a hydro power plant.

I’ll post the recipe for catfish steak at a later date.

This is my 100th post on Today.com.  It’s probably not going to be as passionate as some of the other things I have written.  You can blame that on the boyfriend that decided to come home puking drunk today and thought saying, “I’m sorry I’m too drunk to eat dinner with you” would fix everything.

Nevertheless, I still have an article to write.  Between emptying puke buckets today, I have managed to view some of the news online.  So I figured I would sum it all up for you.  So, here’s a list of headlines and a brief summary.

“Michael Jackson Dies”

This headline has over 18,000 digs on Digg.com and still rising.  Needless to say I didn’t read it.  The local news on Fox 7 said he died in Los Angeles of a heart attack at age 50.  I’m waiting for a scientist to relate that to plastic surgery. 

“Farrah Fawcet DEAD at age 62″

This one isn’t quite as popular.  I’m sure there are many people that remember Farra Fawcet.  However, when she was popular, I was still watching cartoons like Scooby Doo.  My brother, however, called me today to make sure I knew this happened.  Apparently, he was deeply saddened by it.

“Adultery is a crime in South Carolina!”

It caught my attention.  Remember Governor Sanford? He admitted publicly that he cheated on his wife.  The punishment for adultery in South Carolina can range from a $100 fine to one year in prison.  Honestly, I think that’s something that should be kept among the parties involved, but he is the governor of South Carolina and should have followed the law.

Finally, since it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t mention something that Obama is messing up, here you go.

“As Obama Pushes National Health Care,
Most Americans Already Happy With Coverage” 

This was on FoxNews.com today.  Their opening line in it was,  

“As the Obama administration pushes for a national health care plan, studies show that most Americans are overwhelmingly happy with their own health care — including most of the 46 million Americans without insurance.”  

So, I wonder why he’s really pushing for it?  

–

Well, I have to go check and make sure the boyfriend is still breathing.  So enjoy your day and try not to think about drunk people puking in a bucket.

I enjoy my blog being in the “Odds and Ends” category of Today.com for many reasons.  One of those reasons is that when I think I have exhausted one subject, I can write about something else.  Later, I can also revisit it. 

Lately, I’ve been thinking about a previous article that I wrote called, “Teaching a Preteen Responsibility.” Even though I wrote it almost a month ago, I still get a lot of hits on it.  So, I thought I would update it.

Today, I read a story about a woman in Evansville, Indiana who was arrested for handcuffing her 13-year-old daughter.  I’m sure she was at the end of her mental rope and didn’t know what else to do.  While I don’t think handcuffing your child would be a good idea, I understand how that lady must have felt.

Remember the 12-year-old boy that stays with us regularly?  Well, he’s out of school for the summer and visiting his dad.  That makes me nervous.  Previously, when he would be at his dad’s house for just a weekend then come back here, his attitude and aggression would get worse.  I’m not there, so I can’t pretend I know why.  All I know is every time he goes there, it’s two steps backwards with his attitude. 

Lately, he’s also been “permanently borrowing” things without permission.  I know most people call that stealing.  I’ve tried to explain the consequences if he were to get caught, but it doesn’t seem to sink in.  I fear he’s headed down a very bad path.  I’ve looked online for “expert” opinions.  ”Experts” just say you should give them every thing they want so they don’t think they have to steal to get it.  Things he has stolen include knives and a can of chew.  I don’t think I should give him those things.

I wish I had all the answers.  So far, if he has something that isn’t his and he didn’t have permission to get it, we’ve taken it away and explained that he can go to a juvenile detention center if the action were to be reported. The stealing activity has decreased some.  Recently, the majority of his video games disappeared after two of his friends stayed the night.  While I don’t appreciate that, he now knows how it feels to have something stolen from him.  Hopefully, that’ll have a positive impact in an odd sort of way.

I’ve been hearing a lot about the nominee, Ms. Sotomayor.  Obama appointed her to the Supreme Court, I believe.   According to an article on TheRightPerspective.org, she once made a ruling that denying all convicted felons the right to vote is racial discrimination.  Since there are felons in every race, that of course didn’t stand up very long.  After discussing the topic with my dad, he informed me that most of her rulings have actually been reversed.  Nevertheless, I was curious to see how her confirmation process was going.  The latest headline was that she quit an all women’s group because they did not allow male members.  Supreme court justices are not allowed to be a member of any group that discriminates based on race, sex, etc. 

Well, a different article caught my eye: Charges Against ‘New Black Panthers’ Dropped by Obama Justice Dept.

Apparently, on Election Day 2008 (the election where Barak Obama was elected), three members of the racially violent Black Panther Party stood outside election polls and threatened voters and attempted to block the polls.  One of them held a nightstick, or baton, and and tried to intimidate people with it.  The affidavit of one witness said,

“I watched the two uniformed men confront voters and attempt to intimidate voters. They were positioned in a location that forced every voter to pass in close proximity to them. The weapon was openly displayed and brandished in plain sight of voters.”

Other witnesses claimed that one of the Black Panthers turned toward a white poll worker and said, “you are about to be ruled by the black man, cracker.”

That last statement is particularly offensive to many white people.  However, Obama’s justice department dropped the charges against the three men.  A spokesperson for the Justice Department explained to Fox News that the man with the nightstick is no longer allowed to have it near a polling place. 

Imagine if the role was reversed.  What would have happened?

With that, I’ll leave my readers to comment.  Don’t be afraid.

One of the many things that makes America great is the Americans’ strong sense of independence.  The attitude of “We can do it ourselves” resonates in every American from toddler to elderly.  To remain independent is the pride of every American.  Recently, in many of my articles I have been quoting Thomas Jefferson, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  Well, today I thought I would tell you the rest of the quote.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

In case you haven’t noticed it is the second, third, and fourth sentences of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.  This declaration of course isn’t actually law.  However, it basically listed the reasons why the colonies didn’t want to be a part of Britain any longer. 

I strongly believe that the founders of our country were on to something.  They realized that when the government interfered into the affairs of the people, the society itself would slide downhill.  Their sense of independence was passed one to every generation of American.

In recent history, however, the American people have become more and more dependent on the government, and the trend is getting worse.  We should not depend on the government to decide which banks and businesses fail.  Nor should the government be able to decide anything about the individual health care of a person. 

As an American you have the liberty to decide what you purchase and what you do not purchase.  Businesses know if their product is selling and if it is not.  So, if a business does not make a product that sells, it is their fault when it fails.  At no point does taxpayer money need to go into a failing business.

One of the things I always remember hearing as a teenager is my mother saying, “Read the fine print.”  That applies to anything you sign.  When you get a credit card, before you sign the application you have the ability to read it or have someone read it to you.  All of them list the late fees, over limit fees, variable rates, etc.  Most of them even have a statement on them that says the company can change the interest rate for whatever reason it wants to.  If you signed that application without reading it, it’s your fault that you are in so much debt.  The government doesn’t need to bail you out of it.

On to health care.  If you cannot afford to pay one doctor, don’t assume you won’t be able to pay any of them.  Search for a doctor you can afford.  Most major cites have free clinics and some doctors actually charge based on income.  Most states already have a state option for health care that is just like what Obama is proposing at the federal level.  If it’s not broke don’t fix it.

Don’t blame the federal government for every concern that you have.  If you borrowed money for anything, including a house or a car, knowing that you couldn’t afford it, don’t blame the government.  That’s your fault.  If you lost your job because your company went bankrupt, while certainly devastating to your family, that’s not the government’s fault.  It’s the company’s fault.  At that point you may have to relocate to find another job depending on how big your company was.

All this being said, I firmly believe that the government is currently claiming they are taking care of it’s people, when actually they are trying to make it’s people more dependent on the government.  This should not be allowed at all. 

American’s, keep your independent spirit!

Yesterday, I know I read an article that claimed that North Korea was going to test a missile on the 4th of July.  I remember it saying that it was going to be tested over the Pacific Ocean and pointed toward Hawaii.  As a matter of fact I read it on Yahoo News and forgot what source they listed.  However, when I went back to find it again, it wasn’t there.  So, either the details were wrong, or someone released too much information and had to remove it. 

Nevertheless, today I was tired of hearing about the scuffle in Iran that really has nothing to do with the United States.  So I searched again for articles about North Korea.  I had to use the news sites’ search boxes because news from Iran is over shadowing everything right now.

May 29, 2009- The website CNN.com/asia reported that a U.S. satellite had spotted “vehicle activity” as a ballistic missile sight in North Korea.  There were already missiles in the area, just no “missile parts.”  This is usually a forewarning of a possible missile testing.

After that tensions continued to rise between the U.S. and North Korea.  Many reports came in that North Korea actually tested a atomic bomb.  According to “officials” North Korea currently does not have the technology to attach a nuclear device on one of their missiles.

Now, back to North Korea wanting to launch a missile at the United States.  A Japanese source released the information that North Korea is planning a missile “test” over the Pacific Ocean in the direction of Hawaii.  Gathering information from Yahoo News and Fox News, the missile North Korea plans to “test” is theoretically capable of hitting Alaska.

According to a source on Yahoo News, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that Hawaii and Alaska are both prepared to defend against such an attack, if it were to actually happen.  And of course, Obama is just using stronger words to deal with the situation.

This is all I know for now.  Yes, I think North Korea has become a serious threat to the United States of America. If I learn more, I will most certainly share what I have.  I seriously wish the media would concentrate more on the threat from North Korea than what’s happening in Iran.  Iran doesn’t have missiles pointed at us, North Korea does.  Seems to me like the media should jump on that and wear it into the ground until North Korea backs down.

Okay.  So it’s really not like to me pay attention to politics or politicians.  For years my opinion has been that politicians are overpaid idiots that for lack of any reasonable skills to support themselves went into “public service.”  Well, I still have that opinion.  Recently, I’ve realized that it’s even worse than that. 

For years in Washington, politicians have been making laws and decisions that would normally anger people to know end. Then, to cover it up they make a massive deal out of something frivolous so the media would cover that instead of what’s really going on.

Now, we have a president that is blowing smoke for media attention and not making any real change.  Well, he is making the national debt a lot bigger.  For what?  I haven’t seen anything come out of that.  Except that my bank, Wachovia, merged with Wells Fargo and now has higher overdraft fees and poor customer service.  Wachovia used to be a good bank to have.  Well, I guess he is trying to socialize the health care system.  It hasn’t passed yet; and I don’t like doctors anyway.

So much for helping the little people, Mr. Obama.  You’ve screwed us over worse than what we were to begin with.  Oh and thanks for draining money into the auto makers.  It only prolonged the inevitable.  They were going bankrupt anyway because the CEOs can’t seem to figure out how to put their business before their paycheck.  So now taxpayer money has gone into a big bottomless pit.  I would like to point out that those CEOs still have their mansions, and I still have a trailer that leaks when it rains.

Anyway, I’ve checked into this “transparent government.”  So far it’s been non-existent.  Other than updating storm drains in small towns and making ATV trails in National Forests, what’s in that economic stimulus bill?  And how do storm drains stimulate the economy?  And what is in the credit bill? The only thing I’ve found is that now the credit card companies have to let you know before they screw you over. 

That’s okay though.  I don’t have a credit card for that reason. When the country’s economy completely crashes, I’ll still eat.  I know how to hunt, fish, and grow a garden.  At least then I won’t have to worry about paying for stuff I don’t own.  I won’t have a paycheck for the government to pull taxes out of.

Alright so there’s nothing going on in peaceful Perry County.  So I ventured on over to the Evansville Courier tonight, again. 

In this story an 18-year-old girl that found out she was pregnant apparently wasn’t very happy about it.  After she told her 20-year-old boyfriend about it, she smacked him for it.  Well, he tried to go into the bathroom to “cool off.”  So, she followed him with a steak knife.  She then stabbed him in the right upper arm. 

So, this leads me to unplanned pregnancies.  In today’s world kids are taught in school from at least the 6th grade what causes pregnancy.  So, if you are 18 and don’t already know, you should have been paying more attention. 

My friend’s grandpa once said, “The only reason the birth control pill wouldn’t work is because you’re not using it right.  You’re supposed to hold it between your knees so no one can get in there.”

Well, he had a point.  If you don’t have sex, you won’t get pregnant.  Girls and women, it’s your responsibility.  If you’re not ready for a baby, don’t have sex.  That’s the only sure way to prevent pregnancy.

Guys, you need to be responsible too.  If you’re not ready to be a father, keep your tally-whacker in your pants.

There I said it.

Since I was a teenager I have been saying that video games have been ruining generations of kids.  Parents want to use the video games as a babysitter instead of spending time with their kids.  This not only causes childhood obesity, but gives the kids a warped sense of reality.

Well, finally I have found a news article to back up my opinion.  The Associated Press released the story out of Jackson, Mississippi.  Two boys, ages 9 and 11, were playing a video game.  The 9-yr-old was mad because he lost the game.  So, he went for the shotgun.  He threatened his 11 year old brother with it.  Then, the gun went off while the two were wrestling over it.  The 9 year old was killed instantly.

This is a very sad story and I couldn’t imagine how the parents feel right now.  But I’m probably about to offend some people by the rest of my comments.  So please keep reading.

First, their parents should have taught them better.  They should have been taught that guns were for hunting.  Then the parents should have limited their access to video games to begin with.  They should have taught the kids that it’s just a game and not worth arguing over. 

I wasn’t there but I’m going to guess that a large part of their video games aren’t age appropriate for those kids.  Most of them were probably very violent or rated T (teen) or M (mature).  Those types of games are not intended for a nine and an eleven year old.  At the very least, the parents needed to teach them that video games are not real.  In real life you can’t press the reset button and start over where you last saved your game on your memory card. 

Parents in this world need to pay attention to what’s in their kids’ video game collection. If they still choose to let their kids play video games, they need to teach the kids that it is just a game.  It’s not real and not worth arguing over.  Kids should also be taught not to mimic what’s in the video game.

In this case, it’s the parent’s fault.  They should have been more attentive to begin with.  I’m sorry they could have taught their kids this sooner, and I wish this family didn’t have to go through this.  I’m also sorry the eleven year old had to learn the hard way.  That’s what happens when parents don’t step up and teach their children properly. 

Whether it be a Play Station, a Wii, an Xbox, or any other Nintendo or Sony product, parents need to pay attention to what and how much their kids are playing.  They also need to watch how their kids are interacting while playing and when one of them loses.  Winning isn’t everything, especially when it comes to video games.