I’m sure a lot of you have already seen this story. But I wanted to talk about it anyway. I’m not an emotional person, I’m not a parent who gets the feels when they see an article about a sick child. But this one is really bothering me. I am literally tearing up as I’m writing this because I can’t stand it. I feel so awful for this baby and his poor parents that I could just scream.

And if you think this isn’t headed straight for the USA, you aren’t paying attention.

We have a treatment for this – experimental or not – because our system allows for medical innovation. The single payer system doesn’t allow for as much innovation.

Aside from that, think about what happened here. These parents raised $1.6 million dollars to get their child over here for this treatment, and the government in the UK with their single payer system decided they were not going to allow the parents to do this. Nevermind that the parents worked to raise the money. Nevermind that people cared enough about this child to help. Nevermind that there is a treatment available that could potentially help the child. And I’m sorry, whether it ends up helping him or not, the parents have a right to try. They have a right to do everything in their power to save their child. If the child dies anyway, fine. But at least they did everything they could for their child.

This is why I want government our of my healthcare. We’ve had horror stories from our readers and collected stories from around the internet. I told you folks one time about my friend in Canada who had to bring his mother here for hip replacement after their system kept telling her “18 more months,” all the while she was in screaming agony and couldn’t walk. I’ve told you about how, if government is funding a single payer system, they’d have the right to tell you how to live your life, what activities you could take part in, what kinds of cars you could drive, and they could deny you care based on an objection to your lifestyle of choice. And because it is taxpayer funded, they’d have every right in the world to do so.

This is another side effect. The government can now tell you that, regardless of whether or not you have the money, we’re not going to allow you to get treatment because we don’t approve it and think we know better. Maybe it’s your lifestyle, or maybe it’s because it wasn’t our own country’s innovation or treatment. Whatever it is, the government says no, even if it means certain death.
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And if you think it won’t happen here, you are a damn idiot.

Article that encouraged this: WTF DID I JUST READ ABOUT FREE BLEEDING OMG

The above link opens an opinion piece about an actual article about “free bleeding.” You can choose to read that if you so desire, but I won’t subject you to it myself.

For those wanting to know, basically, free bleeding is the act of not using feminine hygiene products during the menstrual cycle. Apparently, a woman’s period is taboo and free bleeding is supposed to help stop that. I want to discuss this, as well as third wave feminism.

On the topic of free bleeding:

1. Do you pee and poop on yourself, too? Because it isn’t any different. You can argue that until the cows come home, but the bottom line is that period waste is just that… waste. It is a product the body produces for the specific purpose of cushioning a baby in the womb, and when there is no baby when the egg comes down, the lining is shed out of the body. It has become a waste product.
2. I was not aware that periods were taboo. Yes, I get that they are not discussed as part of casual conversation, and aren’t reacted to the same as if you were talking about what you did this weekend. But we don’t openly discuss our bowel movements, either. Does that mean dropping a deuce is also taboo?
3. Something stated in the article was about this bringing awareness to the fact that feminine hygiene products are not available all over the world. OK. How? If this is a serious concern to you, then do something about it. You could do something like a GoFundMe or open your own charity to supply third world countries with these products. If you do it right, some of these companies will even donate once in a while, and you may get a deep discount the rest of the time. You could do a lot of good. And it would be tangible. You might even be able to raise enough to get them something they are very concerned with like feminine health.
4. How much disposable income do these women have, because I can bet it is more than me! Blood is really hard to get out of clothing. So if you are free bleeding, those clothes are basically history. Are you rich enough to replace your wardrobe once a month? If so, how do I get on board with that life?!

Look, as a woman, I can honestly say… women’s rights have come an incredibly long way. Do we have more work to do? Of course! There are still inequalities out there, many of which you don’t realize exist until you get there. And I am all for working on those issues. But free bleeding is not something I am going to get behind. I don’t see it as being an issue at all, let alone a major issue.

What causes all of this? I can use my mother as a case study. My mother isn’t a third wave feminist, but she’s an old school feminist. However, my mother thinks everything is sexist. Any time in my life I had issues at work, it was immediately because I’m a woman. I was being treated unfairly because I am a woman. And when I stopped and said something like, “but it happened to the men, too” or “no, I actually screwed up,” she’d look at me very confused.

But my mother had issues coming up in the world. She’s 67 years old, so I have it better than she did. But she experienced having to go to court because her parents wanted her out of school after eighth grade so she could work and contribute to the family, because, as they said, there was no point in educating a woman. And when the courts said they disagreed and she had to go to high school, her parents wouldn’t pay for uniforms, books, nothing. So she went to school during the day and worked at night.

As an adult, she married late for the time and spent her 20s being introduced to new people as a spinster. After she finally got married, she got pregnant but miscarried… only to be ridiculed and accused of having an abortion. She got pregnant again – with me – and when I was about two years old, her marriage went bad. Having no college education and working in extremely low paying jobs, she wasn’t able to get out. When she tried to get government benefits and help leaving an abusive marriage, she was turned away. So she was forced to stay in a marriage that had gone bad and was abusive. That lasted almost 39 years until my father passed away in April.

Guess what we found out in April?! Oh, goodie! Mom had zero credit!!!! Mom’s credit had been stellar when she married, and they were able to get a mortgage and all based on her credit. But when my dad died… nope! Apparently, anything credit wise during their marriage reflected on my dad’s credit, but not hers. So to help her out, I allowed her to trade my car in towards a new car. Now, I got the car. But mom gets the credit for the car payment because she needs to build her credit back up.

During my dad’s illness, their joint bank account was shut down by the state. Now, I would assume this gets done if the tables are turned, but I don’t know. All that money belonged to both of them. Everything was joint: bank accounts, car titles, the house. But when he got sick and the state stepped in, it was all considered his. She spent over a year terrified that the state was going to lock her out of her own home the way they had locked her out of her own bank account and retirement fund.
Where were the feminists? Free bleeding.

A few years ago, there was a female deputy sheriff that was fired from her job… because she cheated on her husband. He wasn’t a cop, and the other man wasn’t either. She wasn’t using work hours to cheat, either. But the local news pulled out this old law that was still on the books that said that a woman can legally be fired for being unfaithful to her husband. A man couldn’t. Where were the feminists?

Where are the feminists when women cut each other down? I posted a link to twitter just yesterday from Julie Golob where a woman attacked her for being pro-gun by calling her a “man lady.” When I worked at a gun shop, I had a woman tell me I wasn’t a woman because real women don’t carry guns. So let me get this straight, a strong woman who takes her personal safety in hand and learns to take care of herself isn’t a real woman? She’s a “man lady?” The feminists manifesto calls for women to be weak and defenseless?

Where were the feminists when I was working in an extremely male dominated field (armored cars) where the men treated me as though I wouldn’t have been hired if I couldn’t do the job, but the women treated me like I was a freak of nature and actually tried to prevent me from doing my job, because they assumed I couldn’t do it? When they literally told me I shouldn’t be doing “men’s work” and should find a more suitable job for a woman?

So no, I don’t have an issue with the idea of feminism. I do have an issue with third wave feminism that focuses on things that don’t matter and things that make them feel good. I support equality across the board. I support defending both men and women when something is wrong. I believe women are the biggest enemy to women. And I will not take part in third wave feminism to feel good. I’ll keep being me… the chick who can laugh at herself, makes her political choices whether they are in the box or out of it, who takes jobs in male dominated fields if the job appeals to me, etc.

​And sorry, but I like underwear and jeans, so I won’t be free bleeding in this lifetime.
 

Sit back for a minute and mark this day in your calendar. I’m about to defend Obama.

Point 1: He isn’t anyone’s president anymore. His time is done. It isn’t his job to energize the base, win votes, influence politics, etc. His job is done, over. He no longer needs to pander to the masses.

Point 2: The man has already done numerous speeches and I am sure he’ll have butt tons more coming down. He’s got books out, and I’m sure he’s got more coming down there, too. I don’t know if he got any money by questionable means, that isn’t for me to decide or speculate on. But he’s got the money. It’s his. He can do with it as he pleases.

Point 3: Your opinion on how he spends the money, what kind of vacations he is taking, etc. are completely irrelevant. As long as the tax payer isn’t funding the damn things, it isn’t your business. I’m sure we are paying something because I’m sure he has security with him, but the bulk of it is coming from his own pocket now. That part is none of your business.

Point 4: The only reason people whine about how “rich” and “luxurious” someone else’s lifestyle is is because they are jealous as all get out. That’s the problem with 98% of the people who complain about the “1%” and demand anyone making more than $250,000 a year pay their “fair share,” which seems to increase exponentially every time it is brought up. They aren’t making that kind of money and are jealous as all get out. Look, I’m not making nearly that much, either. My jobs have all been pretty low paying. The difference is, I don’t begrudge anyone else their wealth. It’s yours. Live the life.

Point 5: Unless you can prove to me that he is stealing from someone else or hurting someone, I don’t give a crap about how much he is spending on vacations. And you shouldn’t, either. If you are tired of seeing the pictures, stop following him. No one is forcing you to look.
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Point 6: If you are jealous and can admit that to yourself, then go out and get you some. It may take a lot of work, and you may never actually get there. But no one is stopping you from trying.

OK. Then what the hell is the point? No one is actually complying and no one intends to check to see if the magazines people have comply with the law. Then why bother?

How do you know if people destroyed the magazines or sold them out of state anyway? If they were checking with people, couldn’t they just say they beat the magazines to death and threw them away? Maybe they lost them in a horrible boating accident? How can you prove they did or did not?
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This piece of legislation is beyond useless. What a waste of tax payer dollars. And then people wonder why the taxes in California are so high and why they are always broke. This is why.

According to this, California has blocked all official travel to Alabama, Kentucky, South Dakota, and Texas over what they deem to be anti-LGBTEFROGFJGERHGJXBWYSFQWEMGPTYGHSMVUAE$FUT laws.

Apparently, most of the laws in place are to ensure people and organizations aren’t forced to violate their religious beliefs. No actual rights have been taken from the LGBT community (if there had been, I wouldn’t support that), mind you. It’s just that some organizations won’t be forced to do things like adopt out children to LGBT families if it violates the religious affiliation of the organization.

I’m perfectly OK with the California travel ban. I figure the less people leaving California and entering states like Texas, the better. Heck, ban all travel from California all together! Build a wall! Never leave the state again! I’d even back using tax payer dollars to build a retaining wall to keep them in there! At least the southern half. I have a soft spot for the folks in the northern Cali area.
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Mind you, the state of California is against Trump’s travel ban for the safety of American citizens, including the LGBT community.

If it pleases the crown, these three teenage boys would like to take initiative and earn some extra summer money by starting their own small business.

Seriously, what the hell?

They were selling bottled water. Have you been to D.C. in the summer? It’s nearly impossible to get a drink of water or use a bathroom. As far as I see it, they were filling a need. But the government didn’t grant permission for that, so no. They should have paid the government for the permission to make a few extra dollars over the summer, waiting possibly the entire summer for the permit to come through, and then needing to hustle to make back the money they had to give the government to say they could do it.

So we’re going to waste time, resources, and tax payer dollars to get the kids off the street and stop them from selling bottled water to tourists. Give me a break. Were they selling drugs? Were they hurting anyone? Were they harassing people for not buying the water? It appears to be no to all of the above, so what gives?

​My message to the teens: don’t let this prevent you from taking the initiative and making your own way. Good on you for seeing a need and filling it. Don’t let this break that spirit. That’s the American dream.

According to this, the TSA is now coming for the books in your carry on!​

I am convinced the TSA is just a racket at this point. As most of you know, you can pay a fee before flying to undergo a “pre-check.” It costs $85 and requires an in-person appointment. They verify your fingerprints, ID, etc. And it takes a few weeks to approve. But it helps keep you from getting molested by strangers before taking your flight.

The TSA has prevented zero terrorist attacks. They actually accomplish very little, and it seems it just keeps getting harder and harder to get through airport security with any clothing on at all. And God help you if you are someone like my mother who has prosthetic joints! My mom had double knee replacement, and she flew one time after having the surgery. She presented a doctor’s note stating she had them, she was wanded, and the buzzer went off on her knees as expected. Front and side were OK. But when it buzzed on the back of her knees – as you would assume it would – she was hauled off to a private room and almost strip searched.

My mother would really have no choice but to pay them $85 for the pre-check, otherwise she risks a strip search because they don’t grasp the concept that if the knee replacement sets off the buzzer on the front and side of her knees, it is going to set the buzzer off on the back of her knees, too.

Basically, if they make getting through TSA on the day of your flight as difficult and painful as possible – needlessly – you’ll dish the $85 to skip the damn thing. Parents will pay it to keep the TSA from manhandling and jostling their kids (I will never forget the time the woman in front of me at the airport had her toddler literally ripped from her hands screaming by a TSA agent).
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So yeah, I think the TSA is nothing more than a racket to get you to pay $85 to get through.

Imagine the drop in mass shootings, gang violence, etc. that would take place if the armed assailant knew ahead of time that 95% of the people he comes across are going to be able to shoot back!

This is why I hate articles about guns and self defense with guns by people who don’t own guns, shoot guns, or know anything at all about guns.

For a large portion of the USA, the above unimaginable bother that they are using to make self defense with a gun unfeasible is what we do. That’s our life. I am usually armed. Unless I know I am going in to a government building, I am armed. If you ever happen to meet me, you can bet money that there’s a gun on me somewhere. And I’m not alone, not by a long shot.

Any time I meet someone, I assume they are armed. 99% of my friends are armed.

The media wants to make it seem like this is a hardship that not many people are willing to do. But we do. There’s a lot of us, and it is public record, and we’re exercising our rights all the time.

For those who do carry, you know. At some point, and you don’t even realize it, you forget the gun is even there. When trouble seems to be coming, you remember it really fast, but most of the time we don’t think about it. It’s there, we put it there, but we can’t feel it and it isn’t getting in the way.

I carry a revolver and sometimes a compact 1911 (not usually at the same time). Sometimes the 1911 jabs me in the ribs because it likes to remind me it is there. But both firearms are in good holsters (leather for the revolver, plastic for the 1911) and don’t move, shift, or slap around while I walk. They push into my skin and stay there until I say otherwise.

So to me, no, carrying a gun through my daily activities is not a bother. In fact, I feel better being out alone running errands. I have never pulled my gun in anger and hope to never have to. But if the time should come, I can’t really run away anymore. My mother – who also carries – is on a cane and sometimes a walker. She can’t run away anymore either. I feel better going out alone, and I feel better about my mom going out alone, knowing we’re both armed and know how to use our guns. And yeah, sometimes I forget it’s there.

You know what is a bother? Having to think about my mother burying her only child because a guy stabbed me death for my purse. I lost a friend like that years ago, he was shot in the neck for the $3 he had in his pocket and then died slowly in the street because none of the a-holes walking by could be bothered to call 911. That was a real bother. I lost a really dear friend, who you can tell I am not yet over, and his parents lost their only child weeks before he graduated college. You know what else would be a real bother? The emotional and physical turmoil I’d go through post rape. That would be a lifetime full of bother!

So no, carrying my gun really isn’t that much of a bother.

Wow, you guys.

It simply amazes me how they make these videos and comments and try to make it sound like they are the victims and are being attacked all the time. The last time I checked, it was large groups of their own that were attacking others. They enjoy creating fake hate crimes in between beating people with bike locks, dumping bottles of piss on women, and car jacking people because they don’t like their bumper sticker. And of course, sprinkle in some campus burnings and Starbucks windows busting. The “Escalating violence” they speak of is coming from their own, and literally everyone knows it but them.

I started laughing when he mentioned whatever it was about a gym for “marginalized people” that “aren’t accepted into the heteronormative masculine macho gym culture.” Every gym that has been established since probably the mid-90s has touted their open mindedness and acceptance of all. Yeah, you are always going to have a-holes in any situation like that. But what the hell kind of gyms do these people visit?

I’m a member of a gym that wouldn’t give a crap about how they identify. Seriously, I use a hospital based gym (it’s owned by a hospital system and has tons of hospital offices and services, including an urgent care, attached in the complex). The majority of clientele there are over the age of 50 (we have a few members over the age of 100!) and/or have serious handicaps or medical conditions, their specialty being heart problems. That’s not to say that we don’t have our fair share of younger people, including millennials. And every once in a while we have a grunting weight tosser that gets in, but those guys get shut down pretty fast, either by the staff or an ornery elderly person. The clientele also boasts a large mixture of minority groups. And the LGBT community there is well represented as well. We have transgender folks who use the gym.

But we also let in evil police officers and right wingers, because we believe in including everyone and working out our differences instead of having secret clubs.

And no one gives a rat’s backside about anyone’s gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. If they do, they keep their mouths shut.

Now, I’ll admit. I have had a few run ins with people who don’t approve of my tattoos and the quantity and/or size of them, and especially the fact that they are on a woman. I get stared at a lot more at this gym than anywhere else. But I’ll give credit where it is due. Of the people who give me looks, I’d say about 90% of them eventually approach me and start a conversation with me. It is almost never about my tattoos, either. I think these people want to know what I am about. I think maybe two of the people who have approached me in all these years came at me wanting to know about the tattoos and both asked to touch them (which oddly happens more than you would think. If you’ve ever wondered, they feel like skin). After our conversation, we’re usually on even ground and the disapproving looks stop. A few became “gym friends.” But this has never made me feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or in danger.

But I’ll say, I approve of the Antifa gym. It keeps these a-holes out of gyms like the one I am in. Really, if we got inundated with these people, they’d make our gym experience very uncomfortable and stressful, and most likely hostile. We don’t need that, and neither does any other gym on Earth. So I approve. Stay with your little hate groups and leave the rest of the USA alone. Just don’t start demanding the tax payer fund them.