Thomas Beatie Gives Birth to Third Child: Pregnant Man Gives Birth

Thomas Beatie has given birth to her his third child, and second son. We have a trend developing; a California man is expecting to give birth in August also.

Thomas Beatie

Beatie had transgender surgery more than ten years ago. He chose to have her breasts removed, but saved "the bottom" and all the essentials for bearing a child. His wife had undergone a hysterectomy. So tell me, how are you a man just because you no longer have breasts. It's all hormones and pretend.

Thomas and Nancy Beatie

Beatie, who's girl-name was "Tracy," and his "wife" Nancy, who is naturally a woman have three children now, two sons and a daughter. The family lives in Orgon.

Second photo credit: SplashNews

Six Teenagers Drown in Louisianas Red River: Whites Kept Blacks from Swimming Pools

Six teenagers from two families wading in Louisiana's Red River fell into deep water and drowned as their families watched. No one in the group could swim and only one life jacket was available. The Shreveport fire department was able to pull one 14-year-old boy to safety. CBS, never failing to play the race card, says few Blacks can swim because racism keep them out of swimming pools for decades.

Six Teenagers Drown in Louisiana

The victims ranged in age from 13 to 18 - three brothers from one family and a two brothers and a sister from another.

Swimming skills can be scarce among African-Americans like the teens in this tragedy. A study commissioned by the sports governing body USA Swimming found 69 percent of black children had low or no swimming ability. Segregation kept blacks out of public and private pools for decades and the disparity continues because many poor and working class children have limited access to pools or instruction.

The teens had started playing in a familiar area but ended up at a spot in the river where the bottom fell suddenly and that's where divers found the bodies, Sanders said.

These kids were under 20 years old. We haven't had segregated public pools for decades. They were with their parents, and the parents failed to protect their children by making them safe in water. Shame on CBS for making this a matter of racism.

Bristol Palin DisEngages from Levi Johnston: Briana Plums Levi Johnston: Briana's Baby-Daddy is Levi Johnston?

Bristol Palin has dis-engaged her engagement to Levi Johnston. The week has been a busy one for Levi as pregnant girlfriends are speculated to be carrying his babies. Lanesia Garcia says her baby is actually not Levi's, it's the baby of the other guy, but... Briana Plum claims her baby's daddy is indeed Levi Johnston. No word from Sarah. Thanks to Weasel Zippers. Linked by The Examiner.

Jean Stevens Lived with Corpses: Philly Woman Jean Stevens Exhumed Hubby Sis - Took Them Home

A Philadelphia woman, Jean Stevens, had the embalmed bodies of her twin sister and her husband dug-up. She took them home to live with her. See the video below.

Jean Stevens

Mrs. Stevens, 91, has cared for James, her husband of 60 years, dead now for more than a decade. She placed him on a couch in her garage.

Her twin sister died of cancer in October. Jean buried her twin in the twin's own backyard, then had her 'retrieved' and moved to her own house.

June Stevens was dug-up just a couple of days after burial. She has laid in a spare room and received  tender care from twin sister. Jean dressed her in her best housecoat, put her glasses back on and treated her loved one to her favorite perfume. Jean and June married twin brothers.

Someone tipped off police. The bodies were taken from her, and are now at the Coroner's office. An investigation is underway. From the Washington Post:

She knows what people must think of her. But she had her reasons and they are complicated, a bit sad, and in their peculiar way, sweet.

Dressed smartly in a light blue shirt and khaki skirt, silver hoops in her ears, her white hair swept back and her brown eyes clear and sharp, she offers a visitor a slice of pie, then casts a knowing look when it's declined. "You're afraid I'll poison you," she says.

 Mrs. Stevens said she hates "death" and couldn't bear to be separated from her loved ones. Another complication: both sisters are/were "severely claustrophobic." Spending an eternity in a closed coffin was too terrible to think about.

Some neighbors think it's scary. Another says Stevens is no weird-o. The names of the "diggers" have not been revealed.




Mrs. James Stevens, Jean Stevens Lived with Corpses

Douglas Harold Polk is Broken Arrow Angel Rapist? Broken Arrow Rapist Suspect Arrested

One of the saddest and most horrific stories of rape in Oklahoma's history is the rape of a 5-year-old girl known to all of us as the Broken Arrow Angel. Douglas Harold Polk, Jr. has been arrested in the case.

Douglas Harold Polk, Jr.

The little girl was kidnapped from her front yard in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (a bedroom community adjoining Tulsa) and brutally raped around 6:30 p.m. September 20, 2007. Her parents reported her missing. About 45 minutes later, searchers found her walking along a roadside, crying with no clothes and obvious signs of a brutal sexual assault, about 7-1/2 miles from her home. Her injuries required surgery. People all over Oklahoma donated to a fund to find the cretin.

Police Sketch of suspect released in October 2007

Polk was arrested on April 16th and charged with first-degree rape, domestic assault and batter, violation of a protective order. On the day of the arrest, his wife filed a protective order, stating that Polk had beaten her and threatened the family. He was investigate after the rape in 2007 and was never ruled out as a possible suspect.

Isn't the police sketch of Polk remarkedly similar? This little 5-year-old girl was able to give police an incredible description of her attacker. She told them he was fair-skinned and white, 30-40 years old, partially bald with thinning light-colored hair, with no facial hair and did not wear glasses. He was wearing red shorts and a yellow, short-sleeve T-shirt with the word "CAT" on the front.

This story deeply touched the hearts of Oklahomas. It is my hope that Douglas Harold Polk, Jr., if found guilty, gets the punishment he deserves.

Babies Vaccinated with Pig Virus

The bad news is the Rotarix vaccine is contaminated with a pig virus. The good news is, the FDA says pig virus probably won't harm your bay. No definitive word on how many contaminated vaccines were given, but the article does day about 1 million children in the U.S. have gotten Rotarix. The Rota Teq vaccine is considered safe, according to FDA officials.

The contamination was only found after an academic research team devised a technique to look for viruses in vaccines - found this one and notified the maker, GlaxoSmithKline. Maybe we can avoid dangerous vaccinations and other questionable medical procedures like this in our health care if we send the whole process through the Obama White House for approval. We need someone looking out for us, and obviously, the FDA can't do it. Oh...what...you say vaccines will be blessed by the Oval Office now that health care reform has passed? Well, I should have known it.

Jihad Jamie Paulin Ramirez is Married to Algerian Ali: Jihad Jamie Has a Muslim Stepfather

Jihad Jamie Paulin-Ramirez was lonely, her family said in the town of Leadville, Colorado. She got online, became friends with Najibullah Zazi, the confessed al-Qaeda member who pleaded guilty to trying to bomb New York City. Through Zazi, she found love (kinda-sorta) with an Algerian Islamic jihadist, who oddly remains unnamed, other than 'Ali.' Also, seldom mentioned (I found it only at FOXNews) is this: Paulin-Ramirez's mother, Christine Holcomb Mott, is married to George Mott, an Arabic-speaking Muslim convert. See update 4-2-10 below.

Jihad Jamie Paulin-Ramirez and son Christian

Paulin-Ramirez (31) made news when she was arrested in Ireland for being a part of an al-Qaeda plot to murder Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks who disrespected Mohammed (Allah). Jihad Jamie has been released from jail and her family does not know where she is. She was the second American woman to be arrested for terrorist activities, and is believed to have met her husband through Colleen LaRose, known as Jihad Jane, and been recruited by LaRose.

Her husband, Algerian Ali, (for lack of a real name) is reportedly still held by Irish police

Jihad Jamie's 6-year-old son, Christian, has now been renamed Walid, and attends an Islamic school in Ireland. The Holcomb-Mott family says the boy hates Christians, is not allowed to play with anyone but Muslims, but gets "beat up" by them because he is different.  George Mott, the Muslim stepfather says in a phone call he could "hear a Jihadi recruitment tape playing in the background talking of death to Zionist and America."

Christian's biological father is a deported Mexican, Alejandro Carreon, who has no contact with the family.

Christine Holcomb-Mott said her daughter wore full Islamic robes and head scarves to her son's soccer games. "It was like a neon sign that said 'Look at me.' Mrs. Mott said her daughter met a Pakistan man and offered to help him come to the U.S. to take flying lessons.

Read more about Jihad Jamie at Creeping Sharia.

Update 4-2-10:
Jihad Jamie Paulin-Ramirez was arrested today after arriving from Ireland on U.S. soil. She is charged with "conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist group."

From Fox News:

The new indictment charges that LaRose and Paulin-Ramirez, 31, separately traveled to Europe to support violent jihad, or Muslim holy war. The court papers also say that once LaRose was in Europe, she invited Paulin-Ramirez to join her to attend a "training camp."

Paulin-Ramirez, prosecutors charge, accepted the invitation and asked to bring her 6-year-old son with her. She and the boy traveled to Europe last September and on the day of her arrival, she married a co-conspirator whom she knew only from online discussions, authorities said.

Last August, the Paulin-Ramirez and LaRose allegedly had a computer conversation in which LaRose said "when our brothers defend our faith (and) their homes, they are terrorists ... fine, then I am a terrorist and proud to be this."

According to the indictment, Paulin-Ramirez replied, "that's right... if that's how they call it then so be it I am what I am."

Jihad Jamie's Family (video)

Mike Huckabee Michelle Obama: Huckabee interviews Michelle Obama on Childhood Obesity

Michelle Obama will appear on Mike Huckabee to talk about childhood obesity. It is estimated at 17% of America's children are obese. The segment will air Saturday, February 20th.

 

Malia and Sasha Obama with Dad, Barack Obama

The First Lady said her daughter's pediatrician recently advised her to pay attention to her own daughter's body mass indexes (BMI). (Check out this quick site to compute your own BMI)

...the family's pediatrician, she said, kept a close eye on trends in African-American children and "warned that he was concerned that something was getting off-balance."

Here is how the FLOTUS went about changing the problems in her own family:

No more weekday TV. More attention to portion sizes. Low-fat milk. Water bottles in the lunch boxes. Grapes on the breakfast table. Apple slices at lunch. Colorful vegetables on the dinner table.

The positive results showed at the next pediatrician's appointment, and the doctor was amazed:

It was so significant that the next time we visited our pediatrician, he was amazed. He looked over the girls' charts and he said, 'What on earth are you doing?'"

Huckabee has been a prominent voice in the battle against weight loss. He lost over 100 pounds and wrote the book Stop Digging your Grave with a Knife and Fork: A 12 Step Program. He believes the government should not try to regulate our eating habits.

Shamsid-Din Abdur Raheem Visits Two Mosques After Throwing Baby off Bridge

Shamsid-Din Abdur Raheem or Shamshiddin Abdur-Raheem says he threw his baby daughter off the Driscoll Parkway Bridge in New Jersey, into the Raritan River, and fled to two mosques, confessed to one imam and perhaps two - and neither iman called the police. A baby girl, Zara, is in the river and neither imam called for help. Time passed as the confessee drove to his father's house. The baby girl is still in the river. Still, no help is on the way. Updates as available. See a video below. Newest update 2-27-10 below:

 

Shamsid-Din Abdur Raheem or Shamshiddin Abdur-Raheem

After holding his three month old daughter over the bridge railing, and then releasing her, he says he drove to an Atlantic City mosque, Masjid Muhammad, and confessed. Then he drove to a second mosque in Camden County, where he lives in Galloway, and then to his father's home in Winslow, NJ. His father, Muhsin Abdur-Raheem notified police.

Here's the bottom line, and it is the same old story we have heard so many times: the father says his son is "a devout Muslim, who prayed regularly."

Shamsid-Din Abdur Raheem is reportedly:

"an aspiring lawyer, a college senior who won a prestigious internship last year with the Attorney General's Office in Washington, D.C. His father called him studious and devout.

From NBC40:

Abdur-Raheem was a criminal justice major at The Richard Stockton College and aspired to be an attorney according to his Facebook page

In the meantime, a beautiful baby is believed to be in an icy river. Could she possibly survive the fall to the water. Doubtful. Could she survive the water...the cold? No. But her father is a devout Muslim. His child's mother probably drove him to it.

The devout Shamsid, entered the baby's grandmother's house (the mother's mother), punched the 6o-year-old in the face, pried little Zara out of her grandmother's arms, and ran to a waiting minivan, that may or may not have had a driver. The grandmother threw herself on the hood of the car. When she fell off, someone tried to run over her. That someone was either a devout Muslim or a devout Muslim's driver.

Shamsid-Din's father Mushin, said:

"Sometimes people get mad...they do things they don't really mean, you know."

I can't imagine being a grandfather of a little one tossed over a bridge to die by my own son...but - no, we don't get mad and throw babies off of bridges. Throwing a baby off a bridge has nothing to do with getting mad. It may have everything to do with hating...but nothing to do with being mad. I'm praying that Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem was dropped off somewhere safe...Shamsid-Din just wanting to punish the mother, but never his own child.

Update 2-18-10:

Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem pled guilty today in Superior Court in Newark to charges of kidnapping his daughter on Tuesday, Feb. 23rd.

The grandmother, the mother of Zara's mother is Leno Benjamin.

There are conflicting reports about what happened about the father allegedly threw the baby over the bridge railing. I have reported above that he drove to a mosque and confessed to an imam, and then drove to his own father's home.

This report says one of the two imams he visited drove "with him" to his father's home in Sicklerville section of Winslow Township, Camden County, and the father called police and told them what his son had done.

An Atlantic City, NJ online site says, the baby's grandmother, Leno Benjamin was actually hospitalized for a short while to tend to her injuries.

The baby's mother, Venetta Bejamin says she is holding out hope that her daughter may still be alive:

On Thursday, she sat in court with family members beside her, but quietly refused to speak with reporters. She maintained a calm demeanor while waiting hours for the proceeding to start, but was seen dabbing her eyes at various times. When Abdur-Raheem's image first appeared on the screen, she looked away, shaking her hand in front of her face.

Shamsiddin Abdur-Raheem's mother arrived about 15 minutes after his court hearing started. She said she had not been informed about her son's arraignment.

Public defender Regina Lynch entered the not guilty plea, and also called the $700,000 full cash bail set in Superior Court was not legal.

But Municipal Court Judge Amilkar Velez-Lopez said it was not illegal, and that he does not have the power to alter it. Later, Lynch said that full cash for someone without a criminal history is not fair.

There is a controversy over a Amber Alert never being issued. Reports conflict. One report says that police were busy working the assault on the grandmother and that they did not know a baby was missing at the time. Another report says authorities will look into the 4-hour gap, but that kidnappings related to custody disputes may take more time. Allegedly, Raheem threatened the mother, Vendetta Benjamin, and she filed for, and received a restraining order against the father of the child:

State police apparently had been on the cusp on issuing an Amber Alert about 7 p.m. Tuesday - three hours after Abdur-Raheem snatched the child from its maternal grandmother's care in East Orange, Essex County - when they started getting calls saying Abdur-Raheem was going to turn himself in, Loriquet said.

The search continues for Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem.


Update 2-27-10:
Abdur-Raheem's 3-month old daughter has not been found. He is charged with the attempted murder of his daughter and aggravated assault against the baby's maternal grandmother. Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem is reported today to be under suicide watch. Thanks to reader wtd for the tip!







New Jersey Police Search for Baby Thrown Over Bridge (video) 

 Thanks much to a reader for contributing to this story!


Related and Background:
Shamshiddin Abdur-Raheem Throws Baby from NJ Driscoll Parkway Bridge.

Family Guy Mocks Palin Son: Family Guy Mocks Sarah Palins Son Trig

One of Family Guy's character's date is a woman with Down syndrome. She makes the following comment on the show "allegedly:" I wouldn't know because I would not watch.

My dad's an accountant, and my mom's the former governor of Alaska,

No names were mentioned, but the "former governor of Alaska" leaves no doubt. I pray these scriptwriters will never have a child with Down syndrome or any other life-long condition, because no child with special needs deserves such parents. A boycott of the show would be appropriate, but surely there no conservatives that watch this repugnant excuse for television.

Olbermann Inhofe Family Worst Family in World: Igloo Frosts Critics

No one draws attention to the mean spirit of liberalism better than Keith Olbermann. He has named Senator Jim Inhofe's daughter's family, including their 4 children, "the worst family in the world." We could say their igloo really frosted critics.

Molly Rapert, Jim Inhofe's daughter, her husband, Jimmy Rapert and their children were stranded in Washington, D.C. during the snow storm. On a bright and sunny day, they went outside and built a igloo - a big one.

Comments came from cars passing by: "Where's global warming when you need it? Jase Rapert, 14, thought a sign saying "Al Gore's New Home," would be appropriate. Then came "Honk if you heart global warming."

 

Molly and Jimmy Rapert and family - Al Gore's New Home

The story and the photos were everywhere. The Senator didn't know about the igloo until after it was done - but honestly, who cares if he built it and signed it. That would be even funnier.

Olbermann, 51, isn't exactly one to talk about what makes a great family. He has never married and has no children. No wonder is he is a crank-extraordinaire, but what a relief - no worries about his offspring. He has reportedly lived with Katy Tur since mid-2006. Now, in the second video below, you'll see Katy Tur, 25, dancing.Tur joined the Weather Channel in May 2009:

Olbermann denied any speculation that he assisted Tur in getting the Weather Channel gig, telling TV Newser that Tur was hired based on talent alone.

Olbermann signed off the video by calling Grandpa Inhofe a "cheesy politician."







Olbermann names Inhofe Family Worst Family in the World (video)  Keith Olbermann girlfriend -  Katy Tur (video)   Related and background:
Inhofe Family Igloo Mocks Al Gore's Global Warming

American Girl, 11, Gives Birth: Who is the Father, Why Isn't He in Jail?

An American girl, just 11-years-old has given birth to a baby boy in a "northeastern" hospital. In the article,  who impregnated her is not mentioned, or how she gave birth, but as I look at lists of very young mothers, most are by caesarean section. The remains unidentified.

 

11-Year-Old Gives Birth

The girl's mother issued this statement:

My daughter and baby are fine, and the baby is absolutely beautiful," stated the girl’s mother.

If we utilized firing squads, the following would cease to happen:

The youngest mother is believed to be only 5 years old in Peru, in 1939. Her father was arrested on suspicion of rape but was released due to lack of evidence. I wonder if DNA, today would solve this case. Yes, it would.

The youngest American girls to gives birth is believed to a 10 year old Kentuckian who gave birth to a 7.75 pound baby girl in 1834, and in 1979 a 10 year old gave birth to twins in Indianapolis. She is believed to be the youngest mother of twins.

In 2006 a 10 year old girl in South Carolina gave birth after being raped. She was molested for two years by a 26 year old man.

In 2008 a 10 year old from Idaho gave birth to a 6 pound baby. She was raped and a 37 years old man was imprisoned.

In 2002 an 11 year old Connecticut girl was raped by a 75 year old man. She gave birth to his child. The creep, of Bridgeport, CT was arrested. The child met the rapist in an Adopt-a-Godfather" program. He had a prior sexual assault conviction. No word on what happened to him.

In 2007 an 11-year-old-girl gave birth after being raped by her mother's boyfriend.

Peggy Noonan Figures Out How Most Americans Already Live

Cross posted from The Lonely Conservative

There are times I read Peggy Noonan’s columns and can barely believe she once worked for Ronald Reagan. It’s as if she’s been living in a bubble for far too long. She’s not the only one. I think the entire political class has been in that bubble with her.

Ms. Noonan’s column in this morning’s Wall Street Journal was a bit depressing when I read it.

More predictions. The cities and suburbs of America are about to get rougher-looking. This will not be all bad. There will be a certain authenticity chic. Storefronts, pristine buildings—all will spend less on upkeep, and gleam less. So will humans. People will be allowed to grow old again. There will be a certain liberation in this. There will be fewer facelifts and browlifts, less Botox, less dyed hair among both men and women.

They will look more like people used to look, before perfection came in. Middle-aged bodies will be thicker and softer, with more maternal and paternal give. There will be fewer gyms and fewer trainers, but more walking. Gym machines produced the pumped and cut look. They won’t be so affordable now.

I forgot about the column while I went about my day. We took the kids to a Syracuse Chiefs baseball game. We sat next to the man my son nicknamed “Robbie the Trash Talker.” My husband, his friends and my son started with the cat calls. It was such fun!

We talked to a guy who served in Afghanistan. He heard me say I was going to use my birthday money to buy a blackberry. He showed me his blackberry and somehow I found out it cost his girlfriend $600 to call him on Christmas Eve while he was in Afghanistan. If I had $600 in my pocket I probably would have given it to them.

Regardless, we had some laughs and I was thrilled to be sitting with someone who served our country. We always have a blast at the Chiefs games. The stadium is easy to get to and never too crowded. I prefer it over the big ball parks in New York City and Philadelphia. Other than paying $4 for a Diet Coke there were no complaints. Even our four year old, who normally has plenty of complaints, was all smiles all afternoon.

Which brings me back to Peggy Noonan. My family is a middle class family. Years ago we decided to stop vacationing if it meant incurring more debt. If we wanted to really stretch our budget we could probably afford a larger house, fancier cars and nicer clothes. But those things really don’t mean that much to us. An afternoon watching a farm team play baseball is good enough for us. Always has been and always will be. Welcome to America, Ms. Noonan. (By the way - the Chiefs won!)

Death of the Family

by Findalis To many young men these days it is a why bother getting married and raising a family. It is not necessary to have 2 parents in a home, all you need is one, just a mother will do. After all the UN agrees with you.

At a recent colloquium in Mexico City, Arie Hoekman, a UNFPA representative from the Netherlands, told participants that high rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births represent the triumph of “human rights” over “patriarchy.” Jacobs stated, “Ironically, the UNFPA ignores international law and their own UN declaration on the basic human rights of children and the natural family as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Section 16 of the United Nations UDHR adopted in 1948 states that, ‘the family is the natural fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state.” Furthermore, UDHR states, “men and women of full age, without any limitation, due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family.’” Jacobs charged: “Deconstructing the natural family has always been high on the agenda of groups like UNFPA. Ignoring international and domestic laws, they pursue this goal relentlessly through funding and promoting abortion, contraception and coercive population control – such as China’s one-children-per-family policy. Jacobs continued: “There are reams of data showing that children from broken homes, either through divorce or failure to form families, have much higher levels of drug and alcohol abuse, crime and mental illness then their counterparts from intact families. But, perhaps Hoekman thinks these social pathologies also represent the triumph of human rights over patriarchy.”

We can look at some the volumes of studies and statistics that support the conclusion that children raised in one parent households are likely to be very disadvantaged compared to those children raised by 2 parents. And yes there are many people who have successfully raised children while single, but it is a scientific fact that 2 loving parents are always the best for the emotional wellbeing of any child. Looking at just one state: North Carolina, I found this study on just this issue:

Children in Single-Parent Families in North Carolina: A Growing Problem by Paul A. Buescher, Ph.D.

Most single parents do raise children who become successful adults. However, children growing up in single-parent households have twice the risk of repeating a grade in school, having behavioral problems, dropping out of high school, and being out of work; and girls raised in single-parent households have twice the risk of becoming teenage mothers. Over 85 percent of single-parent families are headed by mothers. About half of the children and mothers in families headed by women live in poverty. However, even when income is taken into account, children from singleparent families fare worse than those from two-parent families. Most single parents are in their 20s and 30s, not in their teens. In North Carolina, single-parent families represent more than one-fourth of all families with children. Families (single-parent and two-parent) with related children under age 18 comprise about one-third of all North Carolina households. Contrary to popular perceptions that depict the typical household as a married couple and their children, such households represent less than one-fourth of all households in North Carolina.

Please read the whole report here. It is a fascinating study into the problem. Unlike the UN and Mr. Arie Hoekman, the majority of sociologists, child psychologists, educators, religious leaders, and even President Barack Obama all realize the importance of the 2-parent system backed by marriage. It is only the fools from the UN who actually believe that a child being raised by a single parent is a good thing.

Two Weeks From Hell

by Miss Beth at Miss Beth's Victory Dance Today was not a good day. In the past two weeks, four people--four very dear people--have become seriously ill. Two are family members, one is a former family member and the fourth is a blogging family member. The youngest is my grandson. He just turned 3 months old. He was losing weight and there was no explanation why. So he was hospitalized for testing. After much prodding and poking, reviewing feeding procedures with my daughter, seeing how well this child ate, they finally came to a preliminary diagnosis. Cerebral Palsy. A very mild form, will not affect him in his mental development, is not expected to become worse over time and will only mildly hamper his motor development. Next is my nephew. He just turned 15. A Texas boy. A star athlete and always in trouble with his mischief. Last Tuesday, he was playing basketball and hurt his leg in the game. It was still hurting so my sister took him to the doctor. I found out today he has osteosarcoma-bone cancer. My sister is in extreme denial, thinking the surgery next week will be simple and non-invasive. After doing some research tonight, I know it's probably going to be exploratory to determine the size and features of the tumor (calcium malignant, attached at the site) and treatment options. There is a very good chance he will lose part of his leg--if not his life. The exploratory is prior to chemo starting as well. Then my ex father-in-law. Frankly, I would dance on the graves of my ex and his family. But not him. Out of the entire clan, he was the only one who was ever decent to me. He is in his late 70's and is suffering from heart failure. He's been very ill for quite some time, but he has given up. He has been brought home from the hospital to die, and makes no bones to the grandkids he will be spending Christmas with Santa Clause. He isn't expected to live past Thursday. This once robust, hearty man is a mere shell of himself and it's heartwrenching to see. He's worked his whole life for a family full of ingrates, who always put him down because he wasn't a "book learned" man--although he found a way to put four children through private schools, supported a wife from hell who expected him to cater to her (she refused to even drive a car) while all she could do was denigrate him. He did it quietly, with dignity. When he was out of work from the mines, he worked side jobs and always paid the bills--in cash. He loved his grandchildren, each as they came along. He was the only one in the family to welcome me when I married into it and for that I will always be grateful. While the hellspawn of his family can take a long walk off a high cliff, I do not wish a holiday death on anyone. Having lost both of my parents, it's hard and it will only hit them just how special this man is after he is gone. And it will be too late for them to say a simple "thank you". Last, but by no means least, is our friend Roger Gardner from Radarsite. He is also fighting for his life, but better bloggers than I have addressed Roger and his trials. However, we have good news on Roger--his prognosis is getting better and better each time we hear from him, and we thank God for that. Two weeks from hell. Four very dear people, ranging in age from 3 months to early 80's. Obama wants to talk Main Street. I got your Main Street right here. And mine is real--it's not a fantasyland concocted in the wild dreams of a meglomaniac. Sorry, Stinky--my priorities are far and away more important than your fantasies. You will just have to wait until you royally screw up--and then you will most definitely hear from me on your so-called change which is nothing more than recycled Clinton. Yeah--you're "green"--green from the stench of decay. I have my family and friends to worry about. Maybe you should get in touch with real Main Street Americans and what is on our minds--not your ice cream dreams and lollipop sundaes. Two weeks from hell.