Monday, September 15, 2008

It seems so simple.

I've been traveling the local transit system in the Northern California area these past few weeks. It beats the price of driving a car and daily parking fees. It's tolerable but not so easy. The problems that I've run into are regarding the diversity of people and my inability to suffer the vast differences between myself and others. In my fifty-something years, I've come to abhor loud noises, angry voices, body odors, and bad conduct. And somehow it seems so much worse than when I once took the buses to school and work as a young person. Something is gravely wrong with the foundation of our country, schools and homes. It wasn't always this bad.

On the corners of some neighborhoods I watch kids and adults from lower to middle class families demonstrating just how dysfunctional our society has gotten. These are the same people I once lived and worked around. Yeah, young people wear hair and clothes that make me shriek, but that's a norm for all generations. That's not the problem. What I'm noticing is more people who revel in the antics of disrespecting themselves, and therefore disrespecting others becomes an easy form of entertainment. Morals and values mean nothing to a kid who shows ill conduct if that kid dislikes himself. It's not a concern for an adult to slap a child when all that adult knows is punishment. Anger begets anger. Hate begets hate. The streets can be a real ugly scene, and it paints a picture of the lives of many unhappy people.

Obama is my candidate for president, but no matter who gets into office, I hope they can address this problem with one that seems so simple. It's said that the way to change the world is to "teach the children" how it's done. How can we teach the children when we don't know ourselves. So let's teach the parents how to parent first. It's a start ... and a good one. Lessons must begin before the birth of a child, hoping that parents acknowledge their own misgivings and wish to create a better life for the next generation to come. Don't make it an option, since few would take it. It must be a mandatory part of each and every parent's health plan.

Parenting classes should become mandatory for the sack of creating a world of functional, motivated, effective, and compassionate adults. Parents should attend workshops before and after the birth of each child. Sessions should run for several years, as the growth process for children require parents capable of instilling the right values during the first 9 or 10 years of their lives. How is this done? It becomes part of our health plan, whether it's government funded, gotten through employment, or whatever means that allows a mother an ability to get health care. Parents are then taught how to parent, and mostly, how to give their children the fundamentals that they themselves my not have received in their own lives.

This is the greatest problem that we face as a world, that people don't have a clue as to the mechanics of the brain and how important it is to have insight into child development before bringing children into the world. I thought I had all the answers when I was raising my kids, but I look back and regret that I didn't learn some greater points about parenting correctly.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Some women should not run for president

We may all, as children, have desired to one day become president of the United States. Later, as adults, even few of the most intelligent, charismatic, and successful in business qualify. Traditionally only men aspired to the job of running the country, yet today it’s no longer just a man’s job. Women are equipped for the task and highly capable of doing an even better job. Unlike our testosterone driven counterpart whose propensity for violence and power pits nations against nations, women bring a healing, nurturing spirit to the stage. I believe women make better managers at work and at home for the same reasons.

A president must not only possess intelligence, moral judgment, be decisive, well spoken, and by all means have integrity, but that person must have few to no flaws, which could impinge upon their ability to perform the task of governing the strongest nation in the world. This can be a much greater challenge for females, not because women haven’t yet met the challenge, but because their physical and chemical make-up could negatively affect their resolve.

The dreaded Menstrual Cycle creates havoc for nearly every normal woman of childbearing years, every month, although most would prefer to withhold this fact to maintain equal positioning with men at the workplace. It has been defined as the curse for numerous reasons. We suffer mild to severe cases of cramps, headaches, nausea, backaches, blotting, and emotional handicaps.(1)Angry Woman It is cause for abstaining from work and it’s often the excuse used for irrational behavior.

The Menstrual Cycle begins for a young woman as early as age 10 and ends sometime during menopause, the end of the childbearing phase of life. The menstrual cycle is a ritualistic monthly event that galvanizes most women for 3 to 5 days, negatively affecting the things that they do. Therefore, it’s hard to imagine a female of childbearing years, positioned in the White House, making crucial decisions that affect the entire world, while in the throws of menstrual pressures.

I can only wonder how Mrs. Palin would have managed the Cuban Missile Crisis, as the country was on the verge of a third world war and every decision was susceptible to extreme consequences. Given the 21 to 25 days that she was without the concerns of a monthly cycle, we would hope to God that no decisions were made the remainder of the month. Having elected such a person to run the country, we all would need to know the schedule of her menstrual cycle … as a cautionary measure … to understand her mood. Unfortunately, the world does not pause for the curse and women (those of childbearing years) are not capable of effectively running a country every day of the month.

Some would argue that I speak wrongly of women regarding this subject. Again, I speak for most. In addition, I have the same considerations regarding any candidate who falls short of the mental and physical attributes that make for the best president of a country. I believe that the US is too slow to think, and unwise when deciding a persons ability to hold these positions. President Bush was elected January 20, 2001, and we later learned he was a recovering alcoholic. Chronic abuse of alcohol leads to brain damage, which is irreversible. You do the math. President Ragan, although not checked for Alzheimer’s while in office, was known to be forgetful, falling asleep in meetings and so on. He left office at 69 years old after falling from a horse. Given that the brain is an organ and organs deteriorate quickly around that age, it was wise that he not run for another term. Senator McCain is 72 with health concerns, which should raise a red flag. And still I say that women shouldn’t run the country unless they are no longer getting their cycle.

I know first hand just how menstruation affects ones life. At 11 I began my cycle and suffered from all of the usual pains. Not all women endure the same ailments but most are affected in some way, emotionally and/or physically, due to the imbalance in the blood. (2) In fact, I’ve been called a number of ‘B’ words during those occasions: Bitch, and Barracuda, to name a couple. The ‘Bulldog with Lipstick’ term is a new one, and since I no longer experience the dreaded cycle, I don’t expect anyone to have much reason to address me as such.

It is no secret that women can become irrational and emotionally imbalanced during this time. We can be too sick to think properly, and too angry to speak, which is why women of childbearing years cannot be trusted with the authority to run a country. Aside from that, once having passed menstruation and menopause, a woman president or vice president may be just what we need to avert the path of destruction that we are now traveling.