Happy Birthday to DOUG!!!! (among other world events)

BTW, Doug - if you're reading this - me wub u.

Also, actor/producer/director/writer Tyler Perry ("Diary of a Mad Black Woman") celebrates a birthday today. So maybe you're not so unlucky, D!

Other historical things? Yep...

Today in history:

1948 - Margaret Chase Smith (R) of Maine was the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress. YOU GO GIRL!!!







In 1971, a four-day inmates' rebellion at the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New Yor ended as police and guards stormedk the prison; the ordeal and final assault claimed 43 lives. (It also gave the world an oft-quoted chant from the movie "Dog Day Afternoon"..."Attica! Attica!" Yeah...can't beat it.)

_____



Well, it's another rainy day in DC, but that's kind of how fall is around here. On the bright, crisp days, fall is one of my favorite seasons (the other one being spring). But when it's rainy like this, I'd rather be in bed. BLEAH.

Anyway...on to what I do best...commenting on the world around my little head.

First of all...here's an interesting statistic of the day, from Yahoo! News:

On average, the 28-year-old (Kevin) Federline has fathered a baby every seven years. If one throws out his presumed prepuberty years, the aspiring rapper and penny proponent has averaged, from age 13 on, one child tax credit every 3.75 years.

Sudiegirl's response?

*shudders with disgust*

I guess everyone's got to have something to be proud of. I still think I need to take a bath in Clorox to wash off the filth this knowledge has provided. Thanks, Yahoo...

Next up, a sad memory from back home.

If you're my age and from Iowa (or the Midwest in general) you probably remember the name Johnny Gosch. He was abducted in 1982 at age 12 (right around my age) while doing his paper route. It's been 24 years since that incident.

It's taken its toll on the family - the parents are divorced (I believe), but his mom hasn't given up hope.

I remember how scary that story was...another kid, Eugene Martin, was abducted a short time after that. Parents and kids alike were scared. The article I referenced mentioned something to the effect that "if this happens in the Heartland, it can happen anywhere."

I never understood why people have always believed the myth that the Midwest is all sweetness and light. Don't get me wrong, it is a definite change from the fast pace of the East/West Coasts. However, you can't avoid the fact that some pretty heinous things have happened here as well.

My home state of Iowa was once home to John Wayne Gacy.

You've got Gosch and Martin listed above. My dad sat on a jury for a murder case in our county. The murder was committed by a guy I went to high school with who was one of those "quiet, keeping to himself" types.

Child abuse exists in the Heartland, both in past history and the present day. I know of several people who were victims of child abuse in its myriad forms. Some of them have survived, others have yet to heal.

Meth labs take up residence in abandoned barns/farmhouses all over the place. They've busted several within a 10-mile distance from my mom's house.

Drug abuse exists. Alcoholism exists. Gambling and compulsive shopping are problematic.

People commit fraud. One man I know defrauded many people out of insurance premiums and he would have gotten away with it if it weren't for the fact that someone actually HAD AN ACCIDENT and expected payment for their damages. The agent had his license taken away indefinitely, and later it came out that he was also abusive to his wife and children. He finally died of a heart attack while living with his mother.

I guess what I'm trying to say with all my little examples is this: don't be blinded by stereotypes. I'm not saying the "Heartland" is all bad, but I am saying open eyes are quite necessary. That nice person changing your tire should be watched as carefully as someone who looks "shady" or "dangerous".

More news in the next entry...be on the lookout!

Sudiegirl