More you should know about flying this holiday

I have a feeling this mistreatment by TSA isn't going away soon. As it turns out, as we stand up and say we won't accept one thing, it just keeps getting worse. As I was sharing with a lady here recently, about how TSA is going right up lady's skirts to "search" and touch everything, she stated, "Well then, I guess I'll be wearing pants on my flight." Now it seems, that isn't going to matter... they're reaching right down our pants!

I've also just heard a story about a little girl, three years old, who screamed as she received a full pat down. My heart aches as I hear her scream in the video, "Don't touch me!" I don't know about you, but I teach my children that no one except mommy and daddy can touch them if they don't want them too. In fact, in light of this video (they overheard the girl crying while I watched), I've started explaining to them that if anyone else touches them they can and should scream as loud as they can. Let's not mix messages here... are they or are they not supposed to let strangers touch them? Any strangers?

My Beloved brought my attention to a very interesting thing last night... a little good in all this bad. Apparently, when TSA was brought into airports after 9/11, it was a short term thing, and after 2 years, airports could choose between TSA and private security. Perhaps there is something we can do after all. I'd encourage you to call your local airport/s (or even non local airports) and request that they change security teams. Let them know you won't be flying until they do.

Other things we can do... participate in Opt Out Day (though I feel even more strongly about this one than the scanners). Some are saying that when you opt out, refuse to go to the back room where they do it in private, but make sure you stay in public. This makes sure others know what they are doing to you... and may just be a safer option.

My preference to the whole thing is to "opt out" of flying that day all together... or more than that, not to fly at all until this is done away with! Vote with your dollars... they can't argue with that if we all do it!

Do you have any stories of your recent flights??? The more we share, the more we can encourage each other... and maybe, just maybe see change!

Related:

Are you flying this holiday season? A violation of more than our 4th amendment rights

Labels: Passing it On, Rants

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 8:14 AM 2 Comments

Are you flying this holiday season? A violation of more than our 4th amendment rights

It seems the government is asking the American people to succumb to m*lestation for an opportunity to travel by air. I sit here staring at my screen after what I just learned... searching for words.

Dumbfound at the audacity.

Visually upset.

Angry.

I know I have to get the word out. All you beautiful women. My throat closes at the thought.


This secular video clip from infowars.com shares the latest in TSA's regulations:



We're conditioned to let it happen. What can we say? It's in the name of "national security". We're conditioned to let them do whatever they deem necessary. For a long while now, security officers have been "checking" us with the backs of their hands brushing against clothes. With the advent of the "n*ked body scanners", it occurred to many of us that they had gone to far. But we could always opt out, then succumbing to a more thorough physical search. Now they've taken it a mile further.

It seems that when we choose to "opt out" of the n*aked body scanners (and possibly regardless), a more invasive hands front "pat down" is the alternative. Touching. Groping. I'm not sure what I would have done if I'd been Michelle from the video interview. Would I have had the presence of mind to stop that security man in his tracks when his hands, touching/feeling/squeezing their way up, had moved their way up past my knee? Beyond mid thigh? Reaching between? Or would I have been dumbfound in my horror? Too embarrassed to speak? Humiliated?

If it had happened to me, would I ever forget it? Would my children? Who cares if it's a woman who does the groping? By the way... the woman in the video wasn't working with a woman... but a man. And she didn't say anything about it, but I'm having a hard time believing that he told her everything he was going to do before he did it.

Everyday women and children are violated in this way by strangers and trusted friends and family alike. It's called m*lestation. And they are too embarrassed to ever mention it to another human being again. They walk through life scarred. Shattered.


What do we tell our children after something like this happens? This mother did the best she knew how, but how can we teach our children that it is never ok for someone anyone to touch them in those places, only to let government officials do so? Will it be something that gives my children nightmares for years to come? Will it affect my daughters future marriage bed? Even I feel like I may be going too far with this now... but am I? What's the difference?

And which would I prefer? For my daughter to be forever scarred by this "security search" of her private areas? Or for her to feel it's completely normal for a complete stranger to touch every inch of her body because it's protocol? I'm not sure I have an answer for you on that one.

Alex Jones calls it humiliation... but as a Christian woman striving to be a virtuous woman, I'm going to have to call it worse than that. I just can't come up with anything strong enough to put into words.

I'm begging you, beautiful women crafted by God, be aware. Protect yourselves. Protect your children. Know that this is happening. Know that this could happen to you and your children as you travel this holiday season, in some cases whether or not you "opt out" of the body scanning. Stay home... travel by car.

More importantly though, tell everyone you know about this. I'm angry about what is happening, but I am grateful to know about it before being in the terrible position myself.


Have any of you seen or heard about this already? Has it happened to you? If you are willing, please share it with us.

Labels: Passing it On, Rants

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 9:13 PM 5 Comments

A truly sad testiment

I was clicking through a few news articles online today when I happened on one that really made me sad... if not climb a little higher up on my soap box!

Did you know there was a "50 and Fabulous Gala Benefit"? Didn't sound so bad in and of itself, until I read the next line where I learned they were "celebrating 50 year of Women's advances since the Pill." I guarantee I'll never think of Cybill Shepherd the same again. (And what's more, it was benefiting all sorts of abortion supporting organizations here in the states and abroad.)

Fifty years of women's advances since "the Pill"? From where I sit it's more like 50 years of societies regression. 50 years of stepping, day by day, away from the heart of God.

This has me wondering. Where would we be if "the Pill" was never created... never introduced? Where would we be if, instead of stepping out, women had made another decision 50, 80, 100 years ago and each year since? Where would we be today if women had made the decision to stay put? Support their husbands? Keep their homes? Raise their children?

Was this really an advance? Are women really needed outside the home more than inside the home?

In case you can't tell where I stand on this issue, I don't think so!



I don't often delve into controversial topics on this blog... it's a little scary. I know there are a lot of people out there who disagree with me on this point (though I don't know how many of them read my blog). I would ask this...if you disagree with anything I (or others in the comments) have said, please have Scripture to back it up. I will not post negative comments that do not include Scripture to back up their opinion. And let's remember to build one another up! Thanks!


(Updated: I've been enjoying the conversation in the comments... join us!)

Labels: Home Making, Rants

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 6:08 AM 7 Comments

An ugly word... (updated)

And an ugly thing at that. Divorce. And no wonder it's so ugly. Just look at what it is, the destruction of something God gave. The brokenness of loving your closest neighbor, the second greatest commandment. It destroys something in each of us -- husband, wife, child, parent, friend.

I have wanted to post on this subject for a long while now (year and a half maybe), but it never seemed the right time. Too personal perhaps. Too close. It's still just as personal, and still just as close, but in the moment, I'm bringing it up. At least to some extent. You see, in the last 2 years my family has been touched by divorce. A year ago this month my parent's divorce was final. The eight months prior to that were an emotional roller coaster as we struggled through it with them. Bringing them to Scripture and hearing them say it didn't matter.

We have been blessed that much of the stress on these relationships has been relieved in the past 6 months with the repentance of one heart, but renewed again with more rebellion and another ugly word... remarriage.

It makes me sick.

Updated: Please be kind in your comments. I know this is not an exhaustive post on the topic of divorce and we want to be sure to love one another in our conversations. I will try to cover this topic in more detail sometime soon. Thank you!

Labels: Divorce, Rants

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 1:27 PM 6 Comments

Unwelcome Guests!

Ok... so I'm all for hospitality! Last minute visitors or dinner guests... come one come all! This latest visitor however needs to leave... and soon!

I hate mice! I'm proud of this bloggy friend for her strides in rodent love, but when they enter my kitchen... that's the end! It started yesterday when I noticed *something* on the butter plate. Now this isn't my covered butter dish that lives on the counter... this was a little plate with a wrapped up quarter of butter I had taken out days ago to let "soften" for a recipe in my 60 degree house... yeah, not working. Also on this plate were little ?crumbs??? Yeah... wasn't positive what it was yesterday, but we threw the butter away just in case.

Today... I noticed those very suspicious looking "crumbs" on the other side of my sink... oh and a couple on the stoneware sitting on my stove (mostly clean but waiting to be washed just the same).

It's enough to convince this mama... and I'm not happy about it at all! What I want to know (or rather would love to not know) is where is this little guy is spending his hours while I'm here? He took the opportunity to come run around my counter tops while we were on our little errand to the store this morning, but where is he now???? Have I mentioned that this is not ok?

So... next on my list... instead of moving our bed and meticulously cleaning and vacuuming under it, which is what I was going to do during DS's nap time, now I am going to completely clear and clean and disinfect all the counter top/stove top areas in our kitchen (I just had a brief moment of thankfulness for the smallness of my kitchen). I hate this job! And what's worse??? I'll have to do it again and again until the thing is caught... because I never know what has been scampering on my counters before I prepare my families meals on them!

Yuck!

Labels: As it happens..., In the Kitchen, Rants

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 3:54 PM 2 Comments

Response to my Rant

Ok ladies and gentlemen (as apparently there are gentlemen who read)... the mystery is solved. A dear friend's husband (also a dear friend) called this evening to "fess up" (and to apologize) for teasing me anonymously. They are both regular readers of my blog (how cute is that) and he can't pass up an opportunity to poke fun at me. As he admitted tonight on the phone, it wasn't something he wouldn't have said to me in person. So now we have a deal... and I want all of you in on it too. If you want to poke fun at me and don't have a blogger account, at least put in a nickname! If I can tell who you are, I may be able to take your jokes in the way they are intended. (Maybe a smilie would help too... just to be sure.)

Oh... and keep in mind... I'm still an oversensitive pregnant woman! I'm talking egg shells here some days. :) And after I'm no longer an oversensitive pregnant woman (sometime in March), I'll be a sleep deprived mother of a newborn and a very active toddler. :)... Just thought I'd mention that. :) Other than that... I can *totally* take a joke. :)

Labels: Rants

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 7:37 PM 2 Comments

The Rant of an Over Sensitive Pregnant Woman

I don't know about you, but people who are rude or mean really bother me... let alone being rude or mean for no reason... let alone being one of those things and not owning up to it. Maybe I am just oversensitive (MAYBE??? Ah, yeah... I'm way oversensitive!), but a comment received on this post really bothered me. What's worse... because I never in my wildest imagination expected to receive such a comment, my computery and very tech savvy husband had to explain what the comment even meant.

Why is it that some people feel the need to be rude? And this isn't the first time... maybe the same anonymous person left both unnecessary comments, I don't know. But why? Did I offend any of you by my overt lack of knowledge in html? If I did, I would hope you would come to me privately first as Matthew 18 teaches... but really! Whatever happened to "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"? And on top of that... if you are going to say it, don't hide behind an anonymous identity... if you are going to be rude, at least let me know who you are. I may have been able to give this commenter credit for a harmless (if insensitive) joke, if only he/she would have left me a link to his/her own blog or signed a name.

Now I love comments... I really do! I wish more of you would comment while you are here. It brings me great joy (especially while home all day alone with my not yet verbal baby) to see that someone has left a comment on one of my posts... it's like I'm here with friends. Unfortunately, receiving a less than desirable comment does quite the opposite... I've got to tell you, it doesn't take this pregnant woman, 9 1/2 weeks from delivery, much to cry these days. I did manage to hold back the tears... but the frustration with rude people remained! I sure hope I can raise my children better.

Thank you so much for letting me rant a bit! Unfortunately, with this event, I feel the need to moderate my comments from now on. I'm not really sure what that looks like to all of you because I've never done it before, but I hope it makes it possible for me to catch and delete rudeness in the future (since I can't seem to delete this one). I will work on some sort of Comment Policy to post soon.

Labels: Rants

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 7:09 PM 2 Comments