Monthly Archives: June 2007

I have been vaguely following the "Immigration Issue" on the news.  I agree there needs to be something done.  No other country in the world allows foreigners to just cruise on in and set up camp.  They do not give any benefits to illegal aliens in their country.  They have ‘due process’ for anyone who wants to become a citizen, and once someone does so, then they are welcome to whatever that country has to offer. 

Except here in the good ol’ US of A!  Here we tend to get things backward.  Maybe I’m just a bit touchy about the situation, having just won a HARD FOUGHT battle with the IRS that lasted almost 4 years over our right to Earned Income Credit. (EIC).  So when I read that Illegal Aliens can claim EIC, without paying taxes, without paying anything at all, it really does make my blood boil!

And yes, I do understand the plight of the Immigrant, considering my great-grandparents were both Polish immigrants.  When I would ask my great-grandmother to tell me about Poland she would say (in her thick Polish accent) "Poland?  You don’t want to know Poland!  America!  THIS is my country!  I am American!"

When my grandmother got old enough to go to school she came home with the news that they did not speak Polish in the schools. This was Chicago in the 1920’s, btw. The largest Polish-speaking population outside of Warsaw!! But, it was the 20’s, and Americans were still proud to be American.  So my great-grandmother declared that if English was the language in the schools, then it would be the language in their home. And from that day forward, my grandmother’s family adopted English.  NOT as a second language, mind you, but as their ONLY language.  I grew up listening to my grandmother tell this story, and what I learned from it was that being an American and speaking English are awesome privileges, worth sacrificing and fighting for.

So, this morning, when I was drinking my coffee and checking my email, I found an email from my Aunt in Texas entitled "Cheap Tomatoes".  Okay, I confess, my first thought was to just delete it and move on.  But something caught my eye, so I read the whole thing.  Then I edited it, and decided to post it here on my blog.  Because I think it explains the issue really well. So many people don’t THINK.  They believe all the political spins that they hear, and they don’t stop to consider the truth behind the headlines.  The don’t even realize that just because they hear something on TV or read it in their paper that it might not be true! 

So, without further ado, here is the email I got from my aunt.  I think it is worth at least reading.

CHEAP TOMATOES?

From a California school teacher – - -

"As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should be aware of:

I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a "Title 1" school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels.

Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens, Huntington Park, etc., where these students are protesting are also Title 1 schools.

Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program.  When I say free breakfast, I’m not talking a glass off milk and a roll – - but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud.  The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)

I estimate that well of 50% of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight.  About 75% or more DO have cell phones.  The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)

I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial.  I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)

I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students here in the country less than 3 months who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them "Putas" whores and throwing things that the teachers were in tears.

Free medical, free education, free food, day care etc., etc., etc.  Is it any wonder they feel entitled to not only be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements?

To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they LIKE their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the TRUE costs.

Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases, etc., etc., etc. For me, I’ll pay more for tomatoes.

We need to wake up.  The guest worker program will be a disaster because we won’t have the guts to enforce it.  Does anyone in their right mind really think they will voluntarily leave and return?

There are many hardworking Hispanic/American citizens that contribute to our country and many that I consider my true friends.  We should encourage and accept those Hispanics who have done it the right and legal way.

It does, however, have everything to do with culture: A third-world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become so weak and worried about "politically correctness" that we don’t have the will to do anything about it.

CHEAP LABOR? Isn’t that what the whole immigration issue is about?  Business doesn’t want to pay a decent wage.  Consumers don’t want expensive produce.  Government will tell you Americans don’t want the jobs.  But the bottom line is cheap labor.  The phrase "cheap labor" is a myth, a farce, a lie.  There is no such thing as "cheap labor".

Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children.  He takes a job for $5.00 or $6.00/hour.  At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an "earned income credit" of up to $3,200 free.

He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent.

He qualifies for food stamps.

He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay) health care.

His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school.

He requires bilingual teachers and books.

He qualifies for relief from high energy bills.

If they are or become aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for SSI. Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare.  All of this is at (our) taxpayer’s expense.

He doesn’t worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance.

Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material.

He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour in benefits.

Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00/hour left after paying their bills and his.

The American taxpayers also pay for increased crime, graffiti and trash clean-up.

Cheap labor?  YEAH RIGHT! Wake up people!

I love summertime!  There are so many wonderful things about it, it’s hard to even know where to begin.  First, of course, are the lightening bugs.  Where I grew up out in New Mexico, there were no lightening bugs. (And before I forget to clarify:  here in the South that is the proper term for them.  Only non-Southerners call them ‘fireflies’.)  So one of the simple delights of my summers is the reappearance of these sweet little creatures.  I love to sit out on my deck and watch them flicker in the woods.  It is easy to understand how people used to believe in fairies! Well . . . some of us still like to believe in fairies . . . anyway, their light show is unparalleled. 

The next thing I love about summer is the weather.  Not just the heat, but the amazing thunderstorms that roll through almost every afternoon.  Here in the South, we have a lot of heat lightening, so even if we don’t get a storm, there is almost always some sort of show in the sky to watch.  But I do love the sound of thunder, and the way it just keeps rolling through the mountains.

And this afternoon I was reminded of another summer delicacy that I had almost forgotten:  peaches!  Sweet, juicy, syrupy peaches!  The kind you can only get from South Carolina. I am aware that Georgia claims to be the "Peach State", but the real story is that the best peaches come from South Carolina!  We only live about 10 minutes from the SC border, so finding these wonderful fruits is not a problem.  And I love peaches any way they come:  in cobbler, homemade ice cream, fresh, or made into homemade jam.  Which is my plan for this evening.  I am going to make homemade peach jam.  Gaylon and Kendall like it so much they will eat it from the jar with a spoon.

And of course there is my garden!  My zucchini plants are threatening to take over the world, and the yellow crookneck squash and cucumbers are right behind them in their plans for world domination!  The tomato and pepper plants are finally starting to show some spunk, and my bean plants are really taking off!  I am hopeful that within a month we will be covered up in wonderful fresh veggies!  I love canning tomatoes. . . it is such a blessing to be able to grab a mason jar off the shelf in December to make homemade stew with homegrown tomatoes!  And of course, everyone else is patiently waiting for me to make salsa.  But it won’t last until December!

This Friday, we pick Faith and Alex up from camp.  They have had a wonderful time, and made lots of new friends.  We have really started to miss them, and are ready for them to come home.  I am anxious to hear their ‘adventures from camp’ stories.

And finally, the last thing I cherish about summertime is that it is the time I traditionally set aside to read a good murder mystery!  I love Mary Higgins Clark, and am currently reading Two Little Girls in Blue.  I need to finish it soon, though, because the final installment of the Harry Potter books is coming out on the 7th of next month, and I will do nothing else until that book is consumed! (Usually takes about two days, tops.)

Okay, I’m not a horror movie fan, per se.  And I have never read a Stephen King book in my life, but I love John Cusak.  So last night Gaylon and I went to see 1408. 

For anyone who doesn’t know the story line (don’t worry, no spoilers here!) John Cusak plays Michael Enslin, a writer who cranks out "Top 10" books along the lines of "Top 10 Creepiest Cemeteries" or "Top 10 Most Haunted Houses", that sort of thing. But he doesn’t believe in any of it. He wants to, make no mistake.  He very much wants to believe.  He has a vested interest, as it were. But nothing has ever happened in any of the allegedly haunted places he has visited to convince him otherwise. 

But one day, he gets a postcard in the mail front the Dolphin Hotel in New York City.  The only message is "Don’t enter 1408".  Well, Mr. Enslin is a quick, cynical study.  He quickly does the math (literally) and figures out that the numbers 1-4-0-8 add up to 13.  He figures it’s a hoax, but calls the hotel nevertheless to make a reservation.  He is informed that the room is unavailable, even before he gives the date he wishes to stay in it!  Needless to say, he is intrigued.  So, he calls his publisher, who contacts the lawyer, who finds out that there is some sort of federal law that guarantees his right to stay in the room, provided it has not already been rented out to someone else.

So, Mr. Enslin goes to New York City, where we discover he has a history with someone named Lily, whom he does not intend to contact during his brief stay.  He accepts the $800 bottle of Cognac from the manager of the Dolphin Hotel, played by Samuel L. Jackson.  But he still demands to stay in the room.  Once inside the room, he is initially disappointed by it’s typical hotel-room appearance.  But it doesn’t take long before the room makes itself known on a much more personal level, and the action really picks up.

I won’t give any more detail at this point, except to say that we find out who Lily is.  The movie has a ton of jump scenes, but not a whole lot of gore, and not too much language.  It is, more than anything, a psychological thriller.  Gaylon and I were happily impressed with the movie as a whole, and particularly with the ending.

It has been a long time since I’ve bothered to go see the Summer Horror Movie.  In fact, the last Summer Horror Movie I went to see was the first Friday the 13th!  (1980??)  So, it’s been a while, but the wait was certainly worth it!  And John Cusak, as always, does not disappoint.  1408 is a must see!

We finally got some letters from Alex and Faith!  Alex, historically, does not write much.  He is generally not a man of many words.  Faith, on the other hand, loves to write.  She keeps a journal.  Before she could actually write words in it, she would draw out the events in her mind with pictures.  She has pen pals, too.  One in Utah, two just down the road.  But they all write. 

Now, her spelling leaves a bit to be desired, but as long as she keeps writing, I know that will come.  For example, in her last letter, she sent us a page on which she had written out her Skegiwol.  Phonetically speaking, that comes out to ‘Schedule’!  Not bad!  Then she drew a graph, with the days of the week, the hours of the day, and listed her activities for each day. Basically, on MWF, she has, in order of occurrence, Archery, Dance, "Food!", Chorus, and Swimming.  On TTS, she has Gymnastics, Riflery, "Food!", Riding and Art. (Emphasis on "Food!" hers, not mine!)  Too cute!

Then there is Alex.  He cut out a tiny strip of paper that the camp had printed his schedule on, and mailed it to us.  I’m talking really tiny here, like 6 point font!  His schedule reflects his personality every bit as much as Faith’s reflects hers.  MWF: Riding, Climbing, Paintball, Riflery.  TTS: Riflery, Rocketry, Riflery, Archery.  Hmmmm.  I’m am beginning to have some concern that he may be in training to be some sort of survivalist mercenary.  At least he’s happy, and tells us he is having fun.  Although he did lose his stamps and have to buy new ones before he could send us a letter.

All my children are so different, and (usually) that is what makes parenting so exciting and fun.  Kendall has just gotten a job at the Biltmore Forest Country Club.  It is a bit of a commute, but he will be working in the kitchen, and getting paid $9.00/hour for 48 hours a week.  To start.  It is one of the top 3 rated kitchens in the nation, apparently, and he is very proud.  His friend, Ben, got him in the door.  Kendall took it from there.  I have to say, of all my children, I never thought Kendall would be working in a kitchen.  For any reason or amount of money.  I honestly feared if it weren’t for a microwave and Taco Bell the kid would starve to death after he moved out.  Apparently, I am wrong, and by the time he eventually does get ready to move out, he will be able to provide his roommates and/or family with amazing gourmet meals.  Mom and I are ready for the desserts!

So I was checking out a friend’s blog tonight, and on the sidebar of it there were lots of those Google Ads that you can click on to check out various other sites, blogs, and news articles.  Usually these links are supposed to take you to sites that have similar content to the site you are already on.  I think ’similar’ may be up for debate, however, in this instance.  My friend has decided he is gay, and also that he is an atheist.  So I was intrigued, to say the least, at the link I found on his blog.  I couldn’t help myself:  I clicked on it.

The gist of the article is this: Apparently Alan Chambers, the president of Exodus International, a group for helping homosexuals find healing and turn away from that lifestyle, has made some comments to the effect that he doesn’t really believe that someone can truly, completely, change from gay to straight.  This is naturally disheartening to the thousands of folks who have sought help from Exodus.  But the article goes on to quote Stephen Bennett, President of Stephen Bennett Ministries, who says that absolutely, unequivocally, he used to be gay, and he is now completely straight, married (for 13 years, even) and happy.  He is a Christian, and states without any question whatsoever that Jesus saved him from his former life(style). 

I personally have friends who used to be gay, but are straight now.  I have friends who have always been gay, and have never even considered any other option.  And I know some in between.  Gay or not, we all have our crosses to bear.  I’m not here to judge anyone or make that decision. I simply thought it was really interesting that such a link was found on the blog of a man who is convinced he is gay and has no use for God. 

Check it out for yourself: Sorry Exodus, Homosexuals can COMPLETELY Change (from Christian Newswire.)

Well, I finally have some down time!  Kendall is in Virginia visiting his girlfriend; Alex and Faith are both at camp until the 29th.  So the house is quiet, and I have had time to do lots of stuff that I generally don’t get around to.  Like my blog!  I have been playing with it today.  I changed the "Theme" and "Layout", and have also uploaded a new photo album featuring pictures from Kendall’s graduation Mass and party.  Be sure to check it out!  I also added a "widget".  It is from 30 Boxes, and basically all it does it list upcoming birthdays, events, etc. in our lives.

This is the time of year when I start to be able to relax and breathe enough to look ahead to the coming school year.  For the first time in 13 years, I will not be teaching Kendall!  That’s really weird.  Alex will be taking most of his classes at Dayspring Tutorials (Algebra, Biology, Composition and Theory of Knowledge), but I plan to have him work through "Christ the King, Lord of History", a history text written from a Catholic perspective, which is refreshingly different from the secular and protestant texts available.

Faith and I will continue to use Catholic Heritage Curriculum, which is really sweet and fun, just like her!  It leaves us plenty of time to do the fun girly things we both love to do together, like crocheting, sewing, cooking, scrapbooking, gardening and home canning.  We are also about to embark on our third year of Girl Scouts, which we both really enjoy.

And speaking of gardening, when checking my plants this morning, I was swarmed by squash bugs!  They appear out of nowhere, and are everywhere!  So Gaylon and I declared war on them this afternoon.  I am determined to protect my little garden!  I already have a few small tomatoes growing, one jalapeno pepper, and a tiny little cucumber, about an inch long!  To me, there are not many things more healing and hopeful than a garden full of wonderful vegetables!  We also planted yellow crookneck squash, zucchini, carrots, and Kentucky Wonder pole beans.  Our little garden is only about 600 square feet, but it is our own little piece of paradise, and we love it!

In other news, Alex and Faith auditioned for the Hendersonville Youth Theater’s upcoming production of Peter Pan.  Faith actually only went along to watch Alex audition, but they talked her into reading some parts, too.  I got the phone call this morning that Alex landed the part of Captain Hook, and Faith will be playing Cookson the Pirate!  Since they are both at camp right now, they don’t know it yet!  We have to pick up their scripts and rehearsal schedules tomorrow morning at the library.  Rehearsals begin July 9th.  I think they’re both gonna have a blast!

For the rest of my ‘down time’, I am probably going to engage in some revolutionary activities, like mopping my wood floors (gasp!) starting some new crochet projects, and maybe sit around and watch old Bogart movies and M*A*S*H re-runs.  Mom and I will probably take in some weekday Masses, too.

I guess that’s about all the news that’s worth mentioning for now.  I hope all the Fathers had a wonderful Fathers’ Day.  Ours was nice and quiet, culminating with a quiet dinner with friends.  That’s always nice.

Not everybody knows that I love basketball, or that, as a kid, I used to spend hours shooting hoops in our driveway.  So not everybody knows that I am a rabid San Antonio Spurs fan, but it’s true!  In the midst of everything going on in our world right now, I have made time to sit down on my couch and cheer the Spurs on to make it all the way to the NBA Finals. And, in case you don’t already know, we won Game One last night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 85 – 76.  (Go Spurs!) 

It was a good game, lots of action, and the Cavs put up a valiant fight.  They’re a good team, and they’re hungry, because unlike the Spurs, they’ve never been to the finals before, and they want that trophy!  Unfortunately for the Cavs, we want it too.  That, and the fact that the Spurs have some really passionate prayerful fans.  I found the coolest article online this morning, and just had to share the link.  "San Antonio’s Nuns Offer Prayers. . . for Spurs". 

So, now I’m off to bake cookies, make Chocolate Dessert, crab cakes, Potato Salad and such to prepare for Kendall’s graduation tomorrow, resting sweetly in the knowledge that I am not the only one praying for those Spurs!