Doublespeak from Sarah Palin… she is opposed to “explicit sex-ed programs,” but wants schools to teach children about “contraception.”  And She is opposed “amnesty for illegal immigrants,” but wants to give them citizenship.

Palin is opposed to “explicit sex-ed programs,” including “school-based clinics and the distribution of contraceptives in schools,” though is in favor of teaching children about contraception, having said “kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues.”

On October 31, 2008, Palin told reporter Greta Van Susteren that closing the borders should be the first priority in dealing with illegal immigration. She rejects amnesty for illegal immigrants who have violated federal law. Palin does, however, support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.1

Citizenship for Sale?
Mariana Alvarado, Arizona Daily Star, June 21, 2009

Tucson Medical Center’s “birth package” gives an official nod to a generations-old practice of wealthy Mexican women coming to U.S. hospitals to give birth. Mexican families do the same thing at all local hospitals, but TMC is the only one actively recruiting their business.

The practice is legal, but offensive to some advocates of tougher U.S. immigration standards…

The Mexican consul general in Tucson said parents naturally want to give their children every advantage and securing U.S. citizenship is something a small percentage of Mexican families can afford….

Our government at work…

CIA Station Chief in Algeria Accused of Rapes
“Ugly American”? Spy Boss Allegedly Drugged Muslim Women, Made Secret Sex Videos

The CIA’s station chief at its sensitive post in Algeria is under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for allegedly raping at least two Muslim women who claim he laced their drinks with a knock-out drug, U.S. law enforcement sources tell ABC News…

Yikes…

Team of Researchers Blames Children’s Films for Perpetuating “Heteronormativity”

By Kathleen Gilbert

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, June 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Researchers at the University of Michigan have concluded that the love stories told in classic Disney and other G-rated children’s films - such as the Little Mermaid - are partially to blame for the pervasiveness of what they label “heteronormativity.”

“Despite the assumption that children’s media are free of sexual content, our analyses suggest that these media depict a rich and pervasive heterosexual landscape,” wrote researchers Emily Kazyak and Karin Martin, in a report published in the latest issue of the Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) publication Gender & Society.

Kazyak and Martin said they studied the role of heterosexual relationships in several of the highest-grossing G-rated films between 1990-2005.

The results, say the researchers, illustrate two ways that the children’s films “construct heterosexuality”: through “depictions of hetero-romantic love as exceptional, powerful, transformative, and magical,” and “depictions of interactions between gendered bodies in which the sexiness of feminine characters is subjected to the gaze of masculine characters.”

“Characters in love are surrounded by music, flowers, candles, magic, fire, balloons, fancy dresses, dim lights, dancing and elaborate dinners,” the researchers observed. “Fireflies, butterflies, sunsets, wind and the beauty and power of nature often provide the setting for - and a link to the naturalness of - hetero-romantic love.”

The SWS press release on the research blamed what they called the “old ideals” of romantic relationships, specifically those found the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, which in many instances inspired the films’ storylines, for “such heavily gendered depictions and glorified portrayals of heterosexual relationships.”

The team says the results point to heterosexuality achieving a “taken-for-granted status” “because hetero-romance is depicted as powerful.”

“Both ordinary and exceptional constructions of heterosexuality work to normalize its status because it becomes difficult to imagine anything other than this form of social relationship or anyone outside of these bonds,” they concluded.

“These films provide powerful portraits of a multifaceted and pervasive heterosexuality that likely facilitates the reproduction of heteronormativity.”

The SWS press release concluded: “President Obama may have declared June to be Gay Pride Month, but entertainment for children therefore continues to perpetuate a less inclusive message, leaving those outside its confines with little to build their own dreams of happily ever after.”

Sexuality expert Dr. Judith Reisman told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) yesterday that the “politically correct” study reveals “the growing dominance of Heterophobia within academia and the spread of heterophobes among female professionals.”

“Now, if the Ladies of the Sociology Society think pornography is becoming the heteronorm and that Disney is contributing to that form of what is really Heterophobia, they might have an argument,” Reisman noted.

“However, the Ladies of the Sociology Society appear to favor Homoerotic child propaganda, as the current academic party line dictates.”

What’s it Like to Teach Black Students?

Blackboard Jungle 2009: Christopher Jackson Recounts His Experience As A White Teacher At A Predominantly Black School

The essay is a readable introduction to the difficulties in teaching all-Black or predominately Black classes. There are equal, if different, challenges in teaching predominately Latino classes, which AmRen would be smart to include some coverage on.

God bless,
Laurel

“Are you one of millions of young Americans who feel a special responsibility to guard our environment? Would you like an opportunity to make protecting our environment more than just a cause?”

I threw it away, as I’d been instructed to do by other sons receiving them. When he saw it in the trash, he said, “Hey! Why did you throw this away, Mom?”

I said, “If you respond to this to get the free eco-friendly t-shirt or canvas bag or notebook, they will call you and visit you and drive you crazy! They have quotas to meet, you know!”

He said, “Yeah. ‘Join the National Guard’... then go fight in foreign countries.”

I reminded him, “Just wait a bit. You’ll probably have some fighting to do here pretty soon…”

A construction worker dangled from a heavy-duty chain supported by a crane to rescue a woman from the swirling waters of the Des Moines River on Tuesday afternoon.

The dramatic rescue was met with cheers from spectators who had gathered on the banks of the river and nearby bridges after the boat the woman was in went over the Center Street dam.

Minutes before the woman was rescued, a Des Moines fire rescue team pulled the body of the woman’s boating companion, a man of about 60, from the river downstream. The man had drowned.

Some amazing pictures.

Laurel

Colin Powell, one of President Obama’s most prominent Republican supporters, expressed concern Friday that the president’s ambitious blitz of costly initiatives may be enlarging the size of government and the federal debt too much.

“I’m concerned at the number of programs that are being presented, the bills associated with these programs and the additional government that will be needed to execute them,” Mr. Powell said in an excerpt of an interview with CNN’s John King, released by the network Friday morning.

Mr. Powell, a retired U.S. army general who rose to political prominence after a long and accomplished military career, said that health care reform and many of Mr. Obama’s other initiatives are “important” to Americans.

But, he said, “one of the cautions that has to be given to the president—and I’ve talked to some of his people about this—is that you can’t have so many things on the table that you can’t absorb it all.”

“And we can’t pay for it all,” said Mr. Powell…

Second thoughts, Mr. Powell?

Laurel

The bull shark is particularly troubling for Walker, in part due to their natural threatening nature. “They’re fairly aggressive sharks. They’re probably responsible for the majority of the attacks on human beings.” Walker says there are no known inland shark attacks in Louisiana. The bull sharks are not just hanging around the bayous and swamps. They have been caught some 900 miles up the Mississippi River.

“They have been captured in St. Louis. They have traveled 2500 miles up the Amazon. They have some mechanism in their make-up that allows them to process freshwater and not require high salinity to live.” It may seem hard to believe that in the deep swamp of Louisiana bull sharks, one of the most dangerous species of shark, are swimming in the swamp.

Great. What next? Gators and sharks both…

Laurel

The UN’s top health official has opened a forum in Mexico on combating swine flu by saying that the spread of the virus worldwide is now unstoppable.

I’ve recently received some official information from a medical professional who is an acquaintance of mine that asserts that the Swine Flu has not abated here, rather is becoming more and more common in SoCal; the information gives guidelines for quarantine.

Of course, the article I link to here contains this knee-slapper of a line:

...the WHO chief added: “Mexico is a safe, as well as a beautiful and warmly gracious, place to visit.”

ROFL

Obviously, this person is not considering all the Mexican news like this:

Texas girl mourned after being killed in Mexico

When 11-year-old Priscilla Ibarra Alfaro left her mother’s house in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez to get a bite to eat, relatives didn’t give it a second thought.

“They didn’t think it was dangerous to go and get a hamburger,” Priscilla’s aunt, Maria del Carmen Alfaro, said Wednesday.

But Mexican authorities say the middle school student visiting from San Elizario, a small farming community east of El Paso, was gunned down Saturday along with an adult family friend as she stood in front of a hamburger stand.

She became the latest child with ties to Texas to be killed in Mexico’s ongoing drug war. Countless other children have also been caught in the crossfire.

Her cousin, 14-year-old Victor Manuel Chuca Nevarez, was found dead inside a nearby pickup truck. A few blocks away, police found another man dead in the street.

Mexican authorities say 70 bullet casings were found around the scene. No arrests have been made.

Laurel