Slap on the Wrist For False Accuser?

***Oct 3 2007 Update*** I have received at least three anonymous comments on this post, but I have not published them. Since they make claims about this woman I can't verify and the persons writing the comments do not identify themselves or provide a way to verify their identity, I do not want to run the risk of libeling someone, even someone I think did a horrible, horrible thing.

False Rape Report Leads to 1-Year Sentence
By Mai Tran
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Quotes:
>>A Dana Point woman who told police she was kidnapped at gunpoint and raped by six men was sentenced Thursday to 360 days in jail after confessing that she had made up the crime.<< She could have ruined the lives of these six guys and others who love them. They had their lives disrupted, and police and court resources were squandered because of this LIAR.

>>Tamara Anne Moonier, 30, was arrested after one of the men brought forth a video that showed the woman was a willing participant in a night of sex.<< Slut AND Liar, according to the court. Tamara Anne Moonier. Tamara Anne Moonier. Hopefully, the search engines will archive that name as a LIAR, whose actions make it more difficult for women who really are assaulted.

>>Moonier, who works as a receptionist at a woman's fitness center, said she had suffered from mental illness, depression and bipolar disorder since her teenage years, and is on prescription medication.<< Boo frickin' hoo. I love talk like this. If a woman kills her child, it is okay because of hormones or mental illness. If a man kills his child, it was just because he didn't want to be tied down. What a load of CRAP. Where are the feminist leaders calling for equality?

>>She is currently in divorce proceedings and a custody battle for her 14-month-old child.<< Divorce? Gee, who would want to divorce a lying, psychotic, slut? And she wants custody?

>>Orange County Superior Court Judge Carla M. Singer said that if Moonier was well behaved during the first 90 days in jail, she could serve the remaining time under house arrest, officials said.<< Well behaved? What does that mean... that she won't falsely accuse the guards of rape? That's like saying a male rapist of women was well behaved in prison. Of course he was... there were no women there!

Moonier was also ordered to repay more than $2,000 to the state for financial aid she received for being an alleged victim of violent crimes.

>>Moonier went to Fullerton police June 6 and reported that she had been abducted outside a bar at gunpoint then taken to an unknown location and raped, authorities said. But police later determined that she agreed to go to a house and have sex with the men, which was videotaped.

One of the men showed police the 40-minute tape that depicted Moonier orchestrating some of the sex, authorities said.<< What kind of a man does this sort of thing? Now doing this with one man and multiple women, that would be okay.

>>The six men, who were not arrested or charged, would have faced life sentences had they been convicted.<< The laws and the courts are stacked unfairly towards women. Men, you let that happen.

Unitarian Universalists Evangelizing?

Let's check in on the Unitarian Universalists, shall we? David Haldane, staff writer with the Los Angeles Times, writes about their newly-launched "evangelism" effort.

Quotes:
>>A denomination with no formal creed, a low profile and a strong tradition against proselytizing,<<

If you had something great and could share it with others without losing anything, wouldn't you pass it along?

>>Unitarian Universalists — Unitarians for short — are trying something new: a splashy dose of evangelism. Using radio spots, newspaper ads and mass mailers, they hope to spread the word (lower case) about their faith's openness, diversity and undogmatic approach.<<

Uh, there's a problem here. They don't have a faith per se. The only thing they have is an organization. So why exactly would they be "evanglizing", except to swell their ranks for no other reason than the perpetuate an organization with no solid goal or purpose? "Openness, diversity, and undogmatic" are buzzwords for saying they will not actually try to influence toward improving, specifically in your morality or your relationship with God.

>>"Imagine a religion where people with different beliefs worship as one faith."<<

That's nonsense, on the order of asking us to imagine a square circle. How can that be one faith, when they all believe different things? It's like saying people who do not speak each others' languages are carrying on a conversation because they are all talking. Words mean things. Faith is only as good as the object in which it is place. I can have all of the faith in the world that Madonna is a virgin, but it would be faith in vain.

>>The roots of Unitarian Universalism can be traced back to two Christian denominations. Unitarianism, which took root in Eastern Europe in the 1500s, rejected the Trinity in favor of G-d as one entity."<<

Sigh. The Trinity is an essential of the Christian faith, and is a word used to describe G-d because there is one G-d, and three distinct "persons" exist eternally as G-d - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The the Father is G-d, the Son is G-d, and the Holy Spirit is G-d, but the three aren't each other. I don't think it can be fully apprehended by our tiny minds in their current state, but then we are talking about the Almighty, and why should we believe we could completely and totally understand G-d?

Anyway... you dump the Trinity and you are no longer Christian. It is that simple.

>>Universalism, started formally in 18th century America, believed in the eternal salvation of all souls.<<

So Jesus Christ suffered and died either for no reason, or for our salvation, but if it was for our salvation, nobody is left out? The foulest, most vile and evil rejector of G-d is still saved? Hitler was saved? Then pray tell, what is the point of life? What is the point of living a good life and fellowshipping with G-d now, if G-d will fellowship with all of us, even the unrepentant?

>>Often associated with liberal political and social causes, the church today upholds seven principles promoting tolerance, compassion, justice, spiritual growth, the search for truth, democratic participation and respect for the "independent web of all existence of which we are a part."<<

Tolerance? Really? Do they tolerate Trinitarianism?

Compassion? Is is compassionate to encourage people to continue in their sin?

Justice? Who's definition of justice?

Spiritual growth? How? What would that look like?

Search for truth? Well, I guess when you claim it doesn't really matter what people believe, you'll have to keep searching because you never can arrive at something you don't really believe exists.

>>Donald E. Miller, executive director of USC's Center for Religion and Civic Culture, says he's not surprised that Unitarianism is on the march at a time when membership of most mainline Protestant denominations is in decline.>>

It is mainly theologically liberal denominations at are in decline. Denominations that teach orthodox Biblical doctrines are growing.

>>By borrowing outreach techniques of evangelicals and targeting gays, liberals and others "trying to escape fundamentalism," Miller said the current Unitarian revivalism was "a very smart marketing move."<<

"Escape fundamentalism"? What would life look like if people decided they could "escape fundamentalism" in traffic laws? In math? If by fundamentalism, you mean the basic teachings of the Bible, then go ahead and "escape", but don't pick and choose terms and concepts from the Bible and then claim any sort of legitimacy. The Bible itself does not give you that option.

>>"We don't have some fixed-in-stone creed or list of beliefs required of members," said Millspaugh, who describes himself as a "naturalistic theist" influenced by Buddhism.

"You don't have to believe certain things about G-d or no G-d, Jesus or Buddha, one truth or many truths. We come from many different paths, all seeking a religion with room for deep questions that might have more than one answer."<<

This is the kind of thinking that happens when you dump logic and reason. There are different religions out there, and they should worship seperately. Should a vegetarian and and someone who wants to keep kosher join in eating pork chops with me? Some questions have more than one answer, such as "What two numbers can you add to reach the sum of 4?" "What is the nature of G-d?" is a question that can't have conflicting true answers.

>>"I like that it embraces all religions," said newcomer Teresa Geldmacher, 50, who said she was raised Roman Catholic but hadn't been to church in years.<<

You can't embrace all religions, because many are mutually exclusive. And again, I ask... do they accept Trinitarianism? The answer is no.

>>"I was brought up Christian, but couldn't accept the teaching that Jesus died on the cross for our sins."<<

Okay, so you reject the Bible. Do you believe you are without sin, or that there is some other way of dealing with sin?

>>The service, she said, "was much more along the lines of what I consider true spiritual teachings, which look to accept rather than to reject."<<

They reject the Trinity. They reject the Bible. And I'll believe Jesus over you, thank you.

The Bible and orthodox Christianity promote some basic essential beliefs about the nature of G-d and the nature of man, and our relationship with G-d. It's okay... people have the freedom to believe different things. But stop the nonsense of saying that it is all the same. It isn't. If the UU Church is advertising, it means you believe you have something better to offere people, or, maybe, you are just doing it to get their money.

Ultimately, though, evangelism means spreading the good news, which the UU Church is definitely not doing.

Beheadings Common in Mexico

Gang Beheadings Common in Central Mexico
By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Writer

When is Bush going to pull out of this quagmire?!? Some people can't handle democracy!

It's A Small World With A Lot of Perverts

There's a lesson or two in this short Los Angeles Times blurb.

Quote:
>>A cheerleading coach was in custody after he was arrested this week, accused of giving Ecstasy to a 16-year-old student and engaging in unlawful sex with a minor. Jonathon Rios, 27, is charged with four felony counts: furnishing a controlled substance to a minor, statutory rape, oral copulation, and sodomy with a person 16 or younger.<<

The first lesson is... if you ever let your daughter out of the house before she is 18, never ever let her do anything where she'll be alone with male who has reached puberty.

The second lesson is... If you are an adult male, never ever work or volunteer with anyone under the age of 18. People will automatically think you are a pervert because of stories like this. Kids not having activities to keep them busy shouldn't be your concern. Twenty-five to life should be your concern.

L.A. Area ERs Closing

Pasadena Star-News - Panelists Sound Warning Over ER Closures

Quote:
>>PASADENA - Anticipating the eleventh major emergency room closure in five years next month, experts joined KPCC-FM "Air Talk" host Larry Mantle at Huntington Hospital on Friday to discuss what they called a "crisis" in the state of trauma care in Los Angeles County.

"In the early 1980s, there were 23 emergency rooms in the county," said Stephen Ralph, president and chief executive officer of the hospital. "Now there are 13 or 14. Bottom line, we need an infusion of funding."<<

Uh, no. We need more free-market policies in medical care, and we need to get serious about discouraging illegal aliens from coming to the Los Angeles area. Let's get real about our ERs. They are filled with people who have invaded this country.

Why California Needs to Speed Up That Execution Schedule

Anaheim Boy's Killer Dies in Prison - Los Angeles Times

It's a shame he couldn't have been cornered by an angry mob and slowly tortured to death.

Quotes:
>>Robert Jackson Thompson, a death row inmate convicted of the brutal murder of an Anaheim boy in 1981, died of a heart attack Saturday, leaving his victim's mother still crying for justice.

"I'm angry and feel like I got robbed because he never got executed," said Kay Brenneman, whose son, Benjamin, was sodomized and strangled by Thompson when the boy knocked on his apartment door to sell him a newspaper subscription.
[snip]
Thompson admitted kidnapping and sexually abusing Benjamin, but never admitted killing him. At the time of the killing, he had been out of prison three months after serving a three-year term for child molestation.
[snip]
Thompson was arrested Aug. 27, 1981. He was on parole at the time for a 1978 conviction for the oral copulation and sodomy of a 14-year-old San Bernardino boy. He had previously been convicted in 1967 of a sex crime involving two boys in Long Beach.<<

And some people whine that lethal injection may cause pain? Yeah, I'm sure the people who wrote the Constitution would have thought that lethal injection was way too brutal... right... sure...

Arrest in Racist Charter School Attack

Richard Winton of the Los Angeles Times tells us about an arrest in the case where a KABC Radio reporter was attacked outside of a racist school.

Ramon Flores, 31, was arrested about 8:15 a.m. Thursday near the Academia Semillas del Pueblo Charter School, Los Angeles Police Lt. Paul Vernon said. Flores was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and robbery, he said.

Flores is suspected of trying to run down Sandy Wells of KABC-AM (790) radio June 1 after the reporter finished interviewing parents, students and administrators at the school.

Wells was across the street from the school in the 4700 block of Huntington Drive when a silver sedan sped toward him and jumped the curb onto the sidewalk, Vernon said.

People Fleeing People's Republic of California

Muhammed El-Hasan of The Daily Breeze brings us an article headlined: California Residents Decide Golden State is Tarnishing
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/3937691.html

The Golden State is No. 1 in outward migration of residents to other states, according to the most recent figures provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.

From July 1, 2004, to July 1, 2005, the net flow of residents from California to other states -- those moving to the state minus those leaving -- was negative 239,000 people. That's higher than any other state in the union.

Does this really account for all of the illegal aliens streaming across the border? Even if it doesn't, the illegal aliens who are here are dropping enough anchor babies to fill in the gap.

And after a lull of a few years, the net departures again seem to be accelerating.

For example, the period from July 1, 2000, to July 1, 2005, saw a net outflow of 664,000 people from California, an average of nearly 133,000 a year.

That average is about half of the latest figure.

Replacing Davis with Schwarzenegger slowed the rate of acceleration towards socialist third world status ever so slightly.

The housing boom has made buying a home or even renting much more expensive than just a few years ago. That has inspired many of the state's residents to eye cheaper homes in other states while giving pause to those considering a move to California.

Yeah, and the "affordable housing" schemes only making it worse, increasing the cost of all of the other units.

Despite California's net loss of residents to other states, in a seeming contradiction, the Golden State remained No. 1 in attracting foreign immigrants, drawing about one in every five entering the U.S., according to Office of Immigration Statistics figures for Oct. 1, 2004 to Sept. 30, 2005, the latest available.

I'd like to know if those are legal immigrants or illegal invaders and border hoppers.

People are leaving California because they don't want to be forced to learn Spanish just to hold a decent job. They are leaving because the government schools are imposing immorality on their kids and still pleading for yet more money, even though the lottery was supposed to take care of them. They are leaving because the traffic is insane and they have to wait in it next to someone blaring accordion music with Spanish music on one side of their stopped car, and someone else blaring the latest gangsta rap on the other side, and a scammer standing in the median asking for money. They are leaving because they are tired of the gangs and the taxes and having the President of Mexico tell us what to do. They are leaving because you can't hire an employee or rent out your property without putting yourself at the mercy of crushing regulations and government agencies there to make sure you can never get rid of them if things don't work out.

Disneyland Prices Up Yet Again

Disneyland Prices Up $4 as of Today

Greedy, greedy, greedy. Where are the new E Ticket attractions?

More Whining From Invaders

Immigration Activists Spar at Phoenix Rally
By Tim Gaynor

Quotes:
>>About a thousand supporters of a Senate bill offering millions of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship gathered outside the Capitol building in downtown Phoenix on Labor Day, chanting, "We are America" and waving U.S. flags.<<

Imposters. Arrest them.

>>There was no violence, and no arrests.<<

Why no arrests???

>>"We love this country, and we want a better deal," said Mexican construction worker Jose Avardo, 30, as he attended the protest with his wife and two children. "We want Bush to see us and bring us in from the shadows," he added.<<

Yeah, sounds like you are really in the shadows there, criminal.

>>Speaking at a Labor Day Catholic Mass at Los Angeles Cathedral, Cardinal Roger Mahony criticized lawmakers in Washington for dragging their heels over reforms.<<

How about they reform laws about protecting child molestors? As long as his church is willing to pay to keep all of these invaders off of public assistance, then fine.

>>In Illinois, meanwhile, around 3,000 activists gathered at the offices in Batavia of House speaker Dennis Hastert, a Republican, and laid crosses to commemorate illegal immigrants who have died crossing the border from Mexico.<<

Yeah, people die doing all sorts of illegal things. Maybe they shouldn't be breaking the law to begin with. These protests should be directed at the corrupt Mexican government.

>>It culminates on Thursday with a march through Washington that organizers hope will attract a million participants from across the eastern United States.<<

They'll be in D.C.? Does that mean less traffic and tagging in Los Angeles?

Another "The Lord of the Rings" DVD Set?

And the studios wonder why DVD sales are down? Maybe because we're tired of buying DVDs of films we enjoyed only to see five different versions released later on... DVDs of films we already bought in the VHS format.

So this third set of "The Lord of the Rings" has New Line Cinema offering us BOTH versions of each film. Ooooooh. And new documentaries.

New documentaries?!? What in Hades did they leave off the 12 discs in the second release? You mean to tell me you skimped on those releases? Four freakin' discs per film, two of which are entirely for extras, and you couldn't put everything on them?

And the scary part is that there are people who can't help themselves who already own both previous sets of the films, and they are going to run out tomorrow and buy this third set, because they are compulsive fans and can't help themsevles. Ugh!!!

Hey, I have an idea... get Peter Jackson to cough up a good version of "King Kong." That would be worth something.

I-5 Santa Ana Freeway is a Failure

It's no secret for commuters in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. The I-5 Santa Ana Freeway, especially between the East L.A. interchange and the 91 Freeway, is a complete failure. Any freeway where traffic slows to a crawl a majority of hours ANY DAY OF THE WEEK, even without accidents or repair/construction work, is a failure.

I don't blame the engineers, although the carpool lane situation further south at the Orange Crush drives me away from using it. No, more immediately, this is a failure on the part of lawmakers and the decisions makers at Caltrans and the MTA. More lanes should have been built a long, long time ago. Adding a lane or two will be of no help by the time the construction is finished, I fear.

I mean, come on. 6am, noon, 7pm... even on weekends... it slows to a crawl, and then when drivers are caught off guard by the constant, irritating stop-and-go, they rear end the car in front of them (probably because their brakes have been worn down by the horrible traffic), and that slows down things even more.

Ultimately, I don't really blame Caltrans or the MTA. Sure, they haven't kept up with the population trends, but the population trends are completely out of whack because we have MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS AROUND HERE WHO AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE HERE. Oh, how I wish they'd recreate their May 1 protests. Traffic was so nice. It was a clear indication of just how much damage these criminals are causing. Not only are millions of them streaming across the border, but they're popping out anchor babies who adorn the freeways with their graffiti (like dogs pissing on trees) even before they can drive the cars they've stolen on them.

So when you get down to it, I mostly blame our Federal authorities and politicians who have failed to protect our borders, and to a lesser extent I blame the corrupt Mexican system and the rest of the Latin American slumlords who've created a situation where people are so desperate they risk their lives to break into our country.

I think of idiots like Larry Lopez (he now likes to go by "Nativo") every time I'm stuck in traffic. He actually has the nerve to get in front of TV cameras like the attention whore he is, and claim that these invaders should be treated like royalty. Please Larry, get your criminal friends off of the freeway... organize more protests where they stay off the of the road.

Oh, What's the Difference, Anyway?

Wouldn't abortions be easier if they could be performed outside of the womb?

More Stuff We Can't Judge

Child Sacrifice is On the Rise in Uganda

Now remember... we can't judge, right? No cultures are better than others, right?

Letter to Dr. Laura Asks Where the Good Men Are

Subject: What Has Happened To REAL MEN?!
Date: 2006-08-11

Quotes:
>>I'm a 35 year-old single, smart, witty, attractive woman who chose to sign onto the "online dating scene" six months ago.<<

You certainly sound confident. I'll automatically buy that you are "a 35-year-old single" woman. Whether you are smart, witty, and attractive - I don't know. Maybe you come across as stuck-up, self-important, and arrogant in person.

>>I've been on two different sites (one that Dr. Phil McGraw endorses!) & have gone out with about 15 "men" over the last 24 weeks.

I can't tell you how let-down I've been by the majority of "men" I've met.<<

What, they didn't call you back?

>>I'm very curious to know your opinions/thoughts not only on online dating but...really...on what you believe has happened to REAL MEN?

By a real man I mean one who actually calls and PLANS a date.<<

What about you? Can't you call and plan a date? I agree that someone asking for a date should plan ahead, but is there any reason why you can't do likewise?

>>I've had numerous men call me at 6pm to meet them at 8pm. On the same night!<<

Okay, so it sounds like you were one of their back-ups. They were planning on dates with women they found more attractive, but those plans fell through, and so they called you. If these guys just want sex, then I agree 8pm is bad. They should have asked you to meet them for drinks a little later than that.

>>A real man, to me, is one who drives to PICK ME UP.<<

What, so now a date is your chauffer?

>>I've had numerous men ask me to either meet them 1/2 way<<

What's wrong with that?!? If they've never met you before, it is a good idea for your safety AND theirs. Wake up, sister!

>>or, worse, come to them!<<

Yeah, that's not good. These guys should not let you know where they live, or you might show up when they are busy with another date.

>>Many of them start talking sex during the first conversation.<<

So? If you don't like that, then these men are not for you. Why do you think that every man is supposed to be for you? Get up and leave (you see, you can if you bring your own car). That way, you don't waste your time with a man who is upfront and honest about his desire for sex, and he can save his time for a woman who will accomodate him.

>>Too many of them have NO CLUE as to how to treat a lady.<<

Maybe. Or maybe you aren't coming across as a lady. A lady is more than just a woman who saves sex for marriage. Keeping your knees together doesn't automatically mean you are a lady.

>>Many of them believe strongly that a woman should pay "their share." I tell them that I am NOT A LIBERAL FEMINIST so don't expect me to behave like one. I also have told them that I DO NOT think men & women are "equal." Because I don't!<<

Ah HA! Now the truth comes out. She's mad because she's not getting free meals, drinks, and entertainment out of these guys. Traditions, customs, and manners usually have a root in something practical. The tradition of the man paying for date comes from a time when women lived at home until married and did not make their own income. Unless you are living in your father or brother's house and busy with domestic chores instead of income-earning, then stop whining and trying to have your cake and eat it too - and PAY YOUR SHARE. Why is your time more valuable than his? Why should he pay for you? Women who get paid for simply spending time with a man are prostitutes, escorts, strippers, and therapists. Unless you are one of those, pay your own way.

Whether you like it or not, you are in competition with women who will pay their share.

>>I've found that when I let these men know my "rules" upfront, they drop off the face of the earth.<<

Good! They don't waste any more of your time, and you don't waste theirs. See how that works?

>>"Plan a date at least a few days ahead of time." "Call me when you say you will call." "I prefer that you pick me up rather than me coming to you." Are these confusing to men nowadays?! They seem to be because of all 15 men I've met, I dated ONE for about a month & when he found out I wasn't going to stay overnight with him, he ALSO dropped off the face of the earth. I don't understand their thinking Dr. Laura.<<

Men and women think differently. Those men (like almost all healthy men) want sex. Unlike some other men, these men are not willing to wait for marriage to get it, and they don't have to in today's world. Since you aren't going to give them easy sex without all sorts of strings attached, these men are going to women who give them less of a hassle. Yes, it means fewer free meals for you. Boo hoo hoo. But if you stick to your principles, you are more likely to find the rare man who is compatible with you.

I suggust presenting your rules upfront in your online dating profile, and stress that you are serious. That way, you will severely cut back on your interaction with men who do not follow your rules.

>>I BELIEVE all of the liberal feminists have practically ruined dating for those of us who don't believe the way they do.<<

This is very true. The fact is, men have been told over and over again that women want to be treated the same as men, and women are fornicating with men on the first, second, or third date. This makes it easier for men who don't truly share your values to avoid living by them. On the bright side, that means you find a man who is acting according to your values, it is more likely he trily believes in them, and isn't following them only because he has no real choice.

>>NOW...I state in my profile online that I want a MAN WHO IS CLOSE TO HIS FAMILY. I want a man who has cleaned up his past. I want a man who still believes in CHIVALRY.<<

That's all good, and I hope you will likewise be up to treating his family pleasantly, agreeing to his decisions, supporting him emotionally and socially, turning from a restrained maiden while dating into a diligent and enthusiastic wife in the bedroom, keeping the home clean, doing the laundry, cooking the food, etc. If he is going to be asked to keep up his traditional role, you should be ready to keep up your traditional role.

Except for the paying for dates, I'm all for what this woman wants. However, I also recognize that in today's world of rampant divorce, alimony, women feeling entitled to anything they want, and casual sex, that people have more choices about how they are going to live. If you think it is hard for to find a good man - well, it is at least as hard to find a good woman. In today's world, a woman can sit at home doing nothing, cheat on her husband, give birth to another man's child, leave her husband, take half of everything he has AND have him pay to support a child that's not even his, and not suffer social consequences. A man can respect a woman's insistence that they "wait" for sex, and she can be getting a booty call on the side. I can see why some men do not want to bother with marriage.

Only if they find the right woman should they get married.

Columnist Asks If Women Should Marry Down

The Upside of Marrying Down - Los Angeles Times
That sanitation worker sounds like a catch. Am I crazy?
Meghan Daum
August 12, 2006

Quotes:
>>Why suffer the hassles of Type A investment bankers and narcissistic executives when you could, for example, find a really nice plumber who could rub your feet and fix the toilet?<<

Probably because those women want a man who will make $$$ so that, even though their husbands will never be around, these women can hire someone to rub their feet and fix the toilet, AND they will get to wear a lot of expensive clothes and jewelry.

>>The bulk of these pronouncements took place when I was dating waiters and used-bookstore clerks. Granted, I didn't marry any of these men, but the truth, I insisted, was right there in the numbers.<<

You didn't marry any of those men, but you probably fornicated with them. The lesson men can learn here is that if they want to fornicate without the commitment, they need not have an upwardly mobile career.

>>U.S. census data project that in the 2005-06 academic year, women will have earned 59% of the bachelor's degrees and 60% of the master's degrees.<<

That's because the men are out there WORKING FULL TIME to support women and children, and some of them don't have the luxury of going to school full time.

>>Of course, we're always being told we're too picky.<<

If all you care about is having a wedding ceremony and someone to donate sperm to your quest to have a kid, then yeah, you probably are too picky. However, if you want a man you can live with the rest of your life, be best friends with, and to be a good partner in raising children, then you should be VERY picky.


>>At first glance, I saw it as a confirmation of my old theory, a rallying call for single, educated women to give up their architect/CEO/chief-of-pediatric-surgery fantasies and widen their searches to include working-class men.<<

If you really want what of those "highest" acheiving men, go for it. But those men will usually marry smoking hot 20-somethings, and are always working. Don't even try to get one if all you're going to do once you marry one is nag him about cutting back on the very behaviors that got him where he is.

>>But then I called Linda R. Hirshman, a former law and philosophy professor and the author of "Get To Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World." Her 92-page book, which describes an epidemic of highly educated, privileged women dropping out of the workforce to raise children and then never regaining their professional footing, outlines a plan to counteract this syndrome, including "consider a reproductive strike." ("Have a baby," she writes, "just don't have two.")<<

Okay, but even if you have just one child, it is better for that child to have a mother instead of daycare, boarding school, summer camp, and a nanny.

>>I thought Hirshman might have something to say about the idea of "marrying down." What if the aspiring female CEO or any college-educated female married a plumber or a sanitation worker? Would his lower-stress job allow him to participate more equally in child care and housework? Is our class-consciousness keeping us from finding the supportive partners we deserve?<<

If a man is brining in all or almost all of the income, then the wife SHOULD be doing most of the household work.

>>Hirshman says no. Like that famous (now disproved) Newsweek statistic about how women over 35 are more likely to be killed by a terrorist than to ever get married, Hirshman believes that the New York Times article was designed "to scare women into behaving themselves by not seriously pursuing careers."<<

Oh yes.. that conservative patriarchal New York Times.

>>Hirshman believes that the only way to rise professionally is to get on a career track and stay on it, something she thinks women are not encouraged to do.<<

They are encouraged to do it by just about everyone. However, there are people who recognize that if you want children, it is very difficult to rise quickly in the corporate world.

Some Perspective on Israel

Check out this post over at TammyBruce.com.

Don't Blame GM for Electric Car's Demise - Los Angeles Times

Don't Blame GM for Electric Car's Demise
Regarding "Movie Casts the Electric Car as Hero, GM as Bad Guy," July 15:
Andrius V. Varnas
Redondo Beach
Letter to the Los Angeles Times

Quotes:
>>It is a myth that electric cars do not pollute; the pollution is simply transferred from the tailpipe to the generating plant.

It is a myth that electric cars reduce our dependence on fossil fuels; except for nuclear and hydroelectric power, generating plants burn fossil fuels or coal.
[snip]
The fact is that each EV1 cost GM about $150,000 to make. That is the reason the automaker did not sell the cars but leased them for about $500 a month, which included all maintenance. (Parts were not available at Pep Boys.)

You could never lease a $150,000 car for $500 a month on the open market. GM was subsidizing EV1 drivers — no wonder they liked it.<<

Good points.

Busch Gardens Tampa

Man Dies After Riding Busch Gardens Ride

When is Bush going to pull us out of that quagmire in Tampa? How many more people have to die?

Newspaper Columnist Jealous of Success

L.A. County Supervisors Guzzling Gas Big-Time on Taxpayers' Dime - Los Angeles Times
STEVE LOPEZ/POINTS WEST

Quotes:
>>I just happened to be in the Glendale neighborhood where Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich lives and noticed a big black Cadillac with tinted windows out front of his house, parked near a flagpole flying the red, white and blue.
[snip]
I hung around for a couple of hours to catch any comings and goings, and to marvel at the size of the Cadillac.<<

We have a word for this sort of activity in California. Stalker.

>>The supervisors each have $3.4 million a year to hire staff and run their offices. The figure includes discretionary funds they can dole out at will to community groups, which makes for a convenient investment in their own reelection. Or they can buy cars and hire chauffeurs.<<

This guy is clearly jealous because he's writing for a declining newspaper and obviously not getting paid what he thinks he's worth. Now whose fault is that? As he himself notes, the Supervisors oversee $20 billion and 10 million people (2 million people each). That's more than any Representative in Congress, more than some Senators (I'm sure). Relax. They clearly do a much better job than the City of Los Angeles leadership, which consists of a 15-member City Council and a Mayor. If you don't like it, move to a County where each Supervisor has the time (and need) to hold two other full-time jobs. I'm not one for government waste, but this is really misplaced concern. These Supervisors are extremely busy and put in very long hours and are essentially working all of the time.

There Are Better Ways to Die

Dairy Farmer Found Dead in Manure Pit - Los Angeles Times

Quote:
>>A dairy owner died when his tractor sank into a manure pit, Fresno County authorities said Thursday.

Jose Iraizoz, 64, was riding his tractor between two open pits Tuesday when the wheels apparently slipped into about 5 feet of sludge.<<

Charlotte Allen Shows the Folly of Liberal 'Christianity'

Liberal Christianity is Paying For Its Sins
Out-of-the-mainstream beliefs about [counterfeit] marriage and supposedly sexist doctrines are gutting old-line faiths.
By Charlotte Allen - Los Angeles Times
CHARLOTTE ALLEN is Catholicism editor for Beliefnet and the author of "The Human Christ: The Search for the Historical Jesus."

Quotes:
>>The accelerating fragmentation of the strife-torn Episcopal Church USA, in which several parishes and even a few dioceses are opting out of the church, isn't simply about gay bishops, the blessing of same-sex unions or the election of a woman as presiding bishop. It also is about the meltdown of liberal Christianity.

Embraced by the leadership of all the mainline Protestant denominations, as well as large segments of American Catholicism, liberal Christianity has been hailed by its boosters for 40 years as the future of the Christian church.

Instead, as all but a few die-hards now admit, all the mainline churches and movements within churches that have blurred doctrine and softened moral precepts are demographically declining and, in the case of the Episcopal Church, disintegrating.<<

Yup. If you dismiss Biblical authority, your congregants no longer have a command to attend church... and many don't. There are other places they can go to socialize or get "feel good" motivation stuff. And so these liberal churches are dying.

>>As if to one-up the Presbyterians in jettisoning age-old elements of Christian belief, the Episcopalians at Columbus overwhelmingly refused even to consider a resolution affirming that Jesus Christ is Lord. When a Christian church cannot bring itself to endorse a bedrock Christian theological statement repeatedly found in the New Testament, it is not a serious Christian church.<<

AMEN!

>>When a church doesn't take itself seriously, neither do its members. It is hard to believe that as recently as 1960, members of mainline churches — Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans and the like — accounted for 40% of all American Protestants. Today, it's more like 12% (17 million out of 135 million).
[snip]
According to the Hartford Institute for Religious Research, in 1965, there were 3.4 million Episcopalians; now, there are 2.3 million. The number of Presbyterians fell from 4.3 million in 1965 to 2.5 million today. Compare that with 16 million members reported by the Southern Baptists.
[snip]
A causal connection between a critical mass of female clergy and a mass exodus from the churches, especially among men, would be difficult to establish, but is it entirely a coincidence?<<

There are now church services specifically geared towards men, and they are doing well. Men have had to tone down their masculinity in the workplace. Schools have been oriented toward the girls. Boys are being raised in homes without fathers. Television is, more and more, geared towards women. The feminizing of churches has created one less place where men are called to be men. The male-targeted churches are also attracting single women who are interesting in finding a Christian man who isn't a wimp.

>>Evangelical and Pentecostal churches, which preach biblical morality, have no trouble saying that Jesus is Lord, and they generally eschew women's ordination. The churches are growing robustly, both in the United States and around the world.
[snip]
As for the rest of the Episcopalians, the phrase "deck chairs on the Titanic" comes to mind. A number of liberal Episcopal websites are devoted these days to dissing Peter Akinola, outspoken primate of the Anglican diocese of Nigeria, who, like the vast majority of the world's 77 million Anglicans reported by the Anglican Communion, believes that "homosexual practice" is "incompatible with Scripture" (those words are from the communion's 1998 resolution at the Lambeth conference of bishops). Akinola might have the numbers on his side, but he is now the Voldemort — no, make that the Karl Rove — of the U.S. Episcopal world.<<

Bravo to the Los Angeles Times for printing this piece. I'm there there will be shrill, bitter letters to the editor denouncing the piece, but it is hard to argue with the facts.

Bible-teaching churches and temples that disciple people to apply Biblical principles to every area of their lives - even sexuality - are growing all over the place. The Calvary Chapel movement alone has grown since the 1970s from a church in Orange Count, California to having congregations all over the place.

Aztlan Crap Makes the L.A. Times

Vision That Inspires Some and Scares Others: Aztlan
The lore of an Aztec homeland in the U.S. is a volatile piece of the immigration debate.
By David Kelly - Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Quotes:
>>In the churning debate over immigration, there are perhaps no words as loaded or controversial as Aztlan, the name of the mythical Aztec homeland.

For many it carries potent political overtones, for others it is a romantic ideal, and to those most opposed to illegal immigration it represents a strategic effort to reclaim land that was once part of Mexico.<<

It was a part of Mexico for only a few years! Before that, it was controlled by Spain! And for a much longer time before that, it was where various tribes lived.

>>"Aztlan is a state of mind for some people. It's a point in history. For some it's a political place. For some it's a separate nation," said Armando Navarro, chairman of UC Riverside's Ethnic Studies Department, whose views have generated controversy. "It represents land lost. You are sitting in a city, Riverside, that used to be in Mexico. That gives us a sense of entitlement. This was our land."<<

So I guess this guy is not an American if he says this used to be our land? Remember this if you are thinking of sending your kid to UC Riverside.

>>During the Chicano rights movement of the 1960s, Aztlan became a powerful rallying cry for militants who spoke of a reconquista, or reconquest, of the U.S. Southwest, turning it into an independent homeland for Latinos.<<

Yeah, that's not racist.

>>That feeling may stem from Mexico's huge territorial losses after its defeat in the Mexican-American War. In 1848, it signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ceding California, Utah and Nevada, and parts of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming to the United States.<<

Mexico lost a war. It signed a treaty. DONE. END OF STORY. THIS IS AMERICAN LAND.

>>Demographer Wayne Cornelius said he had seen little evidence that immigrants are looking to take back anything.<<

Right, and Neo-Nazis don't want to take over anything, either.

>>Over the decades its name has been tacked onto Latino organizations such as MEChA — Chicano Student Movement of Aztlan — which has more than 300 chapters at U.S. colleges. The group has been attacked by those who claim its 1969 "El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan" is a separatist call for reconquest.

"Aztlan belongs to those who plant the seeds, water the fields, and gather the crops and not to the foreign Europeans," the plan said. "We do not recognize capricious frontiers on the bronze continent."

MEChA leaders say it is a historical document from a more radical time distorted by critics who focus on a few lines while missing the broader picture.<<

Okay, so you'd be willing to replace it with a new document, then?

>>"It is a real place. It is also a cry from young Chicanos in America who go to school and never hear about their ancestry," said Cecilio Orozco, a retired professor of education at Cal State Fresno, who spent 27 years exploring the rivers and canyons of the American Southwest in search of Aztlan.<<

If you are Spanish and want to know about "your" ancestry, go to Spain. If you are Mexican and want to know about "your" ancestry, go to Mexico. In America, we focus on American history, which one of tribes and European colonization, followed by independence and development with a flood of LEGAL immigrants. People of European descent founded the U.S.A. That's a fact. If you don't like that, tough. You can leave, and don't let the door hit you on the way out.