Another Sandy

     Obviously I do not have to preface a discussion on the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. It was horrific. It was  a massacre. It was the loss of 28 lives...yes, 28; I refuse to follow along with the current trend of excluding the shooter from the death toll. He was a human being. He may not have been 6 or 7 but in my mind, he too was a kid. He was a severely, mentally disturbed kid.
   I was listening to my favorite talk radio show today; Mac and Gaydos on KTAR in Phoenix. Every Tuesday Meghan McCain---yes, the senator's daughter--- joins the guys over the phone. I have always kind of liked this woman but after hearing her today, she is now someone with whom I wish I could have dinner. I was going to say have a beer but, well I just don't like beer. Have you ever had a moment when you thought "She took the words right out of my mouth?" I had that today. Everything I have been spewing the past few days, she said for me. On paper, we are complete opposites. Our one common ground is Phoenix. She's a Republican, whereas up until last year I was a registered Democrat; I am now an Independent. I did not vote for her father in 2008 and I am not a member of the NRA as is Meghan. She came right out on the radio today and said that though she was an NRA member and a 2nd Amendment supporter, she thinks assault weapons belong with soldiers only. She thinks legislation needs to be put through to tighten restrictions. As a gun owner, she has no problem with a two week waiting period to conduct a proper background check. She thinks there should be limits to the amount of ammunition one can purchase. Yes, this is a GOP, 2nd Amendment supporting, NRA gun carrying Arizonan. Hell, you can't turn a corner out here without seeing someone with a gun strapped to his hip. And she has the courage and strength of conviction to speak against what has traditionally been her party's stance on gun control. This, my friends is a strong woman. This is a woman who intelligently speaks her mind. This is a woman who won my heart and loyalty when she stated what I have been saying for days; we have a severe problem in this country when it comes to dealing with those who are mentally disturbed. There is and has been such a negative stigma attached to being diagnosed with mental disease that it often times gets overlooked, misdiagnosed, or neglected. I am certainly not a mental health expert but I do know that schizophrenia can be a dangerous mental disease when not diagnosed and treated. I also know that schizophrenia manifests and presents predominantly in males in their early twenties; Newtown, Aurora, Portland, Virginia Tech, Tucson....too numerous to mention. I also know then when a tragedy such as the one that took place last Friday occurs, everyone turns to the 2nd Amendment; Lefties want to take drastic measures, while Tighty Righties invoke the Constitution. These are perhaps the same Right Wing extremists that complain that God has been taken out of the schools. They really should read all of the Amendments. And it has always been my understanding that if you believe, God is everywhere.
     Now, back to Meghan. Ms. McCain, I applaud you. And I thank you as I at last have someone who truly speaks for me. What I think I like best about MM is that she's not afraid to say she doesn't have the answers to all of the problems but understands that answers will not be found until we first have conversation. Not yelling or name calling but actual productive conversation about mental health first and guns second. The two together are in fact the perfect storm; another Sandy.
     I also want to let you folks know that if you would like to send a letter expressing condolences to the families, that you can do so through my favorite radio guys; Mac and Gaydos. They are excepting written letter...NOT emails, but actual, old fashioned letters...through the end of the month and will then send them on to Connecticut. Just go to ktar.com for a mailing address. And maybe some Tuesday give these guys a listen and hear what Meghan has to say. You can listen on the computer; maybe streaming or podcast; some computer thing like that. You'll figure it out. After a few listens you might be hoping for what I'm hoping for...a Meghan McCain and Chelsea Clinton presidential ticket someday....Mac and Gaydos just aren't good looking enough.
    

Milking It....

     Hello everyone, it's been a while since I blogged---I still don't know what that means. Now that the election is long over, I'd like to "get out the vote" for something that may not be as important, but it is certainly more satisfying...chocolate milk. I don't like milk; never have. I have a friend, however who really digs chocolate milk. Just today I learned that this tantalizing, brown cow juice is used as an after exercise recovery drink. Who knew to associate chocolate and exercise? My friend Kari knew; she knows a lot of stuff. Let me tell you a little about my friend Kari de Jong. We got off to a rocky start but over the last few years we've established a loyal and respectful friendship. Those two words---loyal and respectful--- are words that immediately come to mind when describing Kari. She understands that friendship is not just a fleeting instance of laughs and fun. In fact, when things are tough in one's life, true friendship is revealed. A few years ago I had to have some surgery at a moments notice. By the time I was brought up to a room in the hospital, it was around 10:00 at night. A short time after getting my wits about me, Kari and Karin---who will from here on out be referred to as Rump, walked into my room. Rump brought me a picture of my one year old dog, and for some reason I still don't understand, the ashes of my old dog. Kari also came bearing gifts of the finest kind; two Dunkin Donuts coffee rolls...one of God's greatest creations. I thought to myself, this is the girl who for the longest time wouldn't even speak to me and now she's at my bedside with the perfect food. As this wasn't a planned surgery, I had to take care of the leave of absence red tape at work from a hospital bed. Not to worry, Kari took care of it the next day. I can't remember if this was before or after she and Rump went to Ghana for a month to volunteer at a refugee camp. I know it was before she stayed up half the night making cheesecake cookies for my dear friend Al who was dying of lung cancer. She had worked a double shift and had to have the cookies ready for me to pick up by 6 the next morning. At 6:00 on the dot I turned onto her street to see Kari standing in the street barefoot and in her p.j's holding a pastry box full of goodies. She had a treat in there for me, too...which I devoured on the way to work.
     You're probably wondering how this all ties into chocolate milk. I babbled so long, I almost forgot myself. Oddly enough there is a website for chocolate milk lovers---www.gotchocolatemilk.com. They have a campaign going on called "Refuel with Chocolate Milk." Kari does just that after she works out...Rump has the cookies. From now until December 31, 2012, Kari is one of the finalists in a contest sponsored by the site. Each finalist describes his or her post-workout routine and explains why chocolate milk is part of his or her recovery process. I want Kari to win. Look, I'm sure there are other people that may have done a nice video, too but they're not Kari. There is only one Kari de Jong. The winner gets some kind of personal coaching and some other cool stuff. The best part is,  every time a vote is cast, for any of the contestants, $1 goes to challenged athletes. If for no other reason, go to the site everyday from now until the end of the month and vote.If we all do that everyday for the next three weeks, it will really add up. So those of you who exercise passionately, make sure to go at least once to give back those athletes who are mentally or physically challenged. And since you're going to visit the site anyway, vote for Kari. That's Kari de Jong...spelled just like that. She has no idea I'm writing this, which is strange because when I write for a professor, she is my indispensable editor...yes, she does that, too. And she asks for nothing in return. Loyal, respectful, talented and generous. I'm actually glad she won't see this because I know this is punctuated terribly.
     Ok, thank you for reading and I'll thank you in advance for voting for Kari. Next time, I'll tell you all about Rump.