What I’ve learned from Facebook, part deux

I enjoy social media.  Twitter, Facebook, Youtube – I’m there.  But it seems most many people are unaware of how bad they make themselves look whilst using it.  Because it’s where I spend the the majority of my social media fun time, I’m focusing on Facebook.

Facebook faux pas, to be specific.

I believe that a big part of the problem here is that social media attracts many young and immature people, who have no concept of how far-reaching and long-lasting this will be.  I’m afraid they will learn the hard way.  But just in case anyone is paying attention, here is what I would add to the numerous lists of Facebook don’ts.

-Don’t complain.  Good grief, don’t complain.  This is actually a good policy for every thing and every time in your life – trust me, you’ll be happier for it.  But Facebook specific-ly – it’s free, people.  Free. When you complain about the changes and the errors and the lack of privacy, you reveal yourself to be a petty, spoiled, entitled brat.  It’s free.  Take it or leave it, but stop complaining.

-Don’t whine, either. I tell my primary-aged daughters that no one wants to be friends with a whiner, and I tell them this for one reason.  Because it’s true. Even as adults.  No one wants to be friends with a whiner.  Knock it off. I can’t believe how many adults post nothing but whines about their life. Boo-hoo. Suck it up and deal, people.  We were never promised a rose garden.

-If you are going to comment on someone else’s stupidity, for goodness’ sake, please proofread yourself.  Just this week I’ve seen people complain about the ‘mooron’ in front of them or the ‘dumbness employees’ known to man.  Really? Really?

-Beating a dead horse here, I know, but it’s/its/there/their/they’re/your/you’re – All. Different. As in, not the same.  Distinctly different usage.  Please research.  I promise this information will serve you well in life.  And don’t try to cop out and use ‘ur’.  Doesn’t fly, and possibly makes you look even worse.

-Watch what you ‘like’.  For one thing, if you ‘like’ every little thing that makes you chuckle, you annoy all of your friends by cluttering up their feed with your fluff.  You also make yourself look a bit, well, brain-light. [That's nice-speak for shallow and/or stupid] Also, ‘liking’ something funny now could come back to bite you in the rear later.  I guarantee you that one day the media vetting of politicians will include their youthful indiscretions on Facebook.

-Games. Oh, the games. Do us all a favor, and don’t allow your games to post to your wall.  We will all appreciate not having to hide the annoying applications one by one, and you will look less… like you have entirely too much time on your hands because you are playing two dozen internet games daily.

-Ditto the gift applications.  I don’t need a virtual teddy bear or a cartoon mojito or a pretend pillow fight.  But thanks so much for the thought.

-Another annoying new game trend I’ve noticed – sidestepping my block.  I’ve hidden your dumb games because I didn’t want to see them, and you know that.  So you seem to have started using your status updates to prattle on about your games.  I’m reading along, feeling rather alarmed about the apparent bloodshed, when I realize that this is all about Mafia Wars.  Oh. My. Please stop. Please, just stop.

-You’ve heard it said before, but watch what pictures you post.  Those, too, can (and will) come back to kick you later. Keep it G.  And kids, watch an episode of ‘To Catch a Predator’ one day, and pay attention. [Also worth noting-this may be the only time you will catch me recommending that anyone ever watch MSNBC, for any reason]

-Don’t let Facebook become your reality.  It’s a big, beautiful world out there.  Don’t spend your life in front of a screen, computer or otherwise.  Social media is not the same as real-life social encounter.  Go outside.  Live.  And don’t Twitter about it the whole time, either.  Step away from the Blackberry or the [gag] iphone and just live.  Pretend you’re living in the 80′s ancient times when such technology didn’t even exist.

That’s all I’ve got for now.  What have you learned from Facebook?

Pop over to From Inmates to Playdates to link up yourself, or read what others have learned.

Mr. Census, you owe me. Big.

I try very hard to bite my tongue restrain my fingers here.  Of course it’s my blog and I’ll say what I want to, but generally speaking, I’m a peaceful person.  I don’t want to argue with you in real life, and I especially don’t want to argue with you in cyberspace.  Occasionally I can’t help myself, but for the most part I think I show a great deal of restraint.

Besides, I’ve found that my political beliefs are not well understood or widely held, and I grow weary of endless explanations and defenses. 

{I would like to reiterate, in case you haven’t heard this from me two dozen times already, that liberal and Democrat are not necessarily synonymous, nor are conservative and Republican.  Four entirely different words.  Different meanings.  Despite whatever Fox News, CNN, Jon Stewart, and Glenn Beck would lead you to believe. Not. The. Same.}

Anyway.

This is one of those moments where I don’t stop myself.  Because I am seriously ticked.

Have you heard about the Census?

[If you say no, this might be where I go all crazy on you and tell you to get out of the country]

Have you heard about it because it is in our constitution? 

Or have you heard about it because you, too, have gotten approximately 37 mailings, notes from school, and a seemingly endless barrage of television and radio advertisements?

Actually, come to think of it, I bet most Americans have read the stupid reminder postcards (this month alone) more often than they have read the actual constitution in their entire lifetime. 

<sigh>

But national ignorance aside, come on.  Seriously.  The census is pretty darn basic.  And self-explanatory.  What do you think it says about our average intelligence that the government felt the need to spend $423 million dollars telling us to fill out the form?

NOT A TYPO.

$423 million dollars spent on census communications, which includes $85 million for printing and mailing the reminders alone. 

If I were a swearing kind of gal, this is the spot where you’d find the profanity. 

I’m not a mathematical type of gal, either, but I decided to stretch myself a bit here, just in case you are on my wavelength. 

Leaving the rest of the mind-boggling communications budget out of the equation, let’s tackle that $85 million.  Our home received 4 letters from school in my children’s backpacks, 2 letters telling us that ‘the census is coming!’, and 1 follow-up reminder to fill out the census (after I’d already mailed it in, thankyouverymuch.)  I pretty much found the ‘answer these questions’ blurb at the top of the census form itself to be sufficient instruction.  I could have done without all the other crap superfluous paperwork.  So for my part, I’d like you to keep your stupid mailings, Mr. Big Government, and give me $3.63 additional back on my taxes.

Thanks.

Of course that $3.63 is an exceptionally watered down number, since it takes into consideration our entire population, whereas the census mailings are per household rather than per person.  And it also overlooks the bulk of the communications budget which frankly, I also did not need.

This chart estimates the 2010 census as a whole is costing us nearly $47 per person.  Worth noting is that our last census, in 2000, cost less than $16 per person.  Holy Inflation Batman.

How many trees died so that the government could ask me an overly intrusive, offensive, and frankly irrelevant question like ”Are your children biological or adopted?”

My children are my children.  DNA’s got nothing to do with it.

Grrrr.

I’m not a crazy fringe person.  I’m not angry about the census per se.  I know it is useful, and I know it is constitutional.  I have no quarrel there.  But I take serious issue with the enormous amount of money being spent on it.  Or more accurately, being wasted on it.

I demand a government that is more respectful of my tax dollar.  I know there is a more efficient way to do this.  But ‘efficient’ and ‘government’ don’t exactly go hand-in-hand now, do they?

Can’t wait to see how ‘health care’ pans out.

Tongue. Biting.

O shame, where is thy blush?

Unlike the rest of the country, I never jumped on the American Idol bandwagon.  It’s my personality – I eschew all things popular.  If everyone else is doing it, you’re generally safe to assume that I am not.  Two glaring exceptions are Disney (of course) and Glee (and I’m genuinely surprised that this offbeat show is so popular).

So American Idol – clearly not for me.

Also, I loathe ‘reality’ tv.

Yes, actually I can feel you cringe.  Sorry.

But last year, worlds collided when Disney World built an American Idol attraction.  I had the opportunity to tour the set and get the behind-the-scenes scoop on the whole attraction, and it was interesting enough to make me tune in to the 2009 Idol season.

Mostly unremarkable for me.

None of the artists really grabbed me, and the overall show was just moderately entertaining.  But dutifully, I DVR’d the new episodes last week, which I just finished watching.

Appalling.

And unlike the rest of the country, I’m not talking about Pants on the Ground or any number of other not-good singers who auditioned.  Largely I’m not even referring to Simon Cowell, who has been remarkably subdued in his criticism this season.  (A most welcome change, I might add)

No, I’m talking about Mary J. Blige.  To a lesser extent, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi.  To the fullest and utmost, the viewing audience of this show.

Shame on all of you.

I really can’t believe I am about to say this, but I agree with Rosie O’Donnell wholeheartedly.  Almost two years ago she said “Is that what America thinks is entertainment?  To make fun of someone’s physical appearance and then when they leave the room laugh hysterically at them?  The whole thing, it’s terribly sad to me.”

To me too, Rosie.

In case you didn’t see it, meet Jesse.

Mary J. Blige, your stock dropped through the floor in my eyes.

Shame on you for laughing in this kid’s face.  Shame on you for being even more cold and heartless than Simon Cowell, whom everyone expects to have the compassion of a serial killer.  Kara tried to cover for you, to give you an excuse for your bad behavior.  It was the best she could manage and it was quick thinking on her part, but still a thinly veiled disguise.

And shame on all of you, too, that tune in every week to laugh at people like this.

What kind of people do that? 

I know that some people who go on this show are ‘asking’ for it.  They dress in crazy costumes, they behave bizarrely, they are very obviously trying to grab their 15 minutes of fame a la William Hung.  While I don’t condone mocking people, I don’t get overly undone about a chuckle at the expense of those who intentionally put themselves out there for a laugh.

Does Jesse seem like one of those people to you? 

He strikes me as an unsuspecting victim of a mean-spirited producer, condescending judges, and a cruel viewing audience, all getting their jollies out of belittling someone who did not ‘ask’ for it.  Jesse was manipulated and blindsided.  And shame on everyone who found that amusing.

This isn’t about hand-holding and sweetness.  I don’t expect the show to be all sunshine and roses.  Some of the auditioners do need to hear that they shouldn’t plan on a career in music, and sometimes the truth hurts.  But no one deserves to be belittled.  Laughing in someone’s face isn’t entertaining, it’s cruel.  I am raising 3 children and if one of them ever behaved that way, they would face an immediate and harsh reprimand.  I’d be willing to bet that most of you wouldn’t allow your children to make fun of a classmate in that manner either. 

So consider, don’t your actions speak louder than your words?  If you spend your evening curled up on the sofa laughing at people like Jesse, then you’re sending the message to your kids that making fun of someone is ok – cool, even. 

So yes, I agree with Rosie.  It makes me terribly sad as well.

We’re really a nation full of jerks sometimes.  And worse, too stupid to be ashamed of ourselves.

The one where I alienate all of my readers

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably heard about Pat Robertson’s recent comments regarding the earthquake in Haiti.  If not, catch up with this clip:

With me now?  Great.

So not surprisingly, there has been a huge backlash.  The airwaves and Internet are abuzz with talk of how Robertson is crazy, stupid, senile – some have even called him Satan himself.  And don’t forget he’s evangelical.  ‘Evangelical Christian’ is the ultimate insult, isn’t it?  As soon as a member of the media uses the phrase ‘Evangelical Christian’, you know they’re gearing up to talk about a serious nutcase.  One of ‘those’ people.

I don’t know the history of Haiti and how the country was founded.  Quite honestly, this controversy has not really sparked my interest enough to research and study the foundations of the nation.  I have a lot on my plate already, and I just can’t squeeze that project in.  I’m not here to comment on whether he is right or wrong in his belief about the pact with the devil.

Certainly I hope that isn’t the case, but his observation about the island of Hispanola is not without merit.  Haiti and the Dominican Republic are night and day in terms of prosperity.  Again, not being an expert here, I did some cursory research and found this excellent article about the disaster history of Haiti.  (Worth noting is that the article comes from New Zealand – I’ve found NZ and Australia both to be better sources for actual news and unbiased information than we can find in the US)   So bad things happen in Haiti.  A lot.  Do they happen there more than in the Dominican Republic, or are they more devastating there because the country is so poor to begin with?  Which came first, the chicken or the egg?  I can’t answer that question. 

What I can say is that Robertson’s comment was probably poorly timed.  I’m an optimist to the enth degree, but even I find it hard to imagine saying that this was somehow a ‘blessing in disguise’.  Perhaps better to say that if anything good could come of this tragedy, hopefully better construction practices would be one of them.  So worded badly?  Sure, I’ll give you that.

Inaccurate assertion about the founding of the country?  Possibly.  Again, not my area of expertise.  I will say, though, that Robertson is far from the first person to believe or state something similar.  In fact, here is an article, written in 2005, that addresses that very issue.  The author is a native Haitian who attempts to dispel that rumor and acknowledges that the belief is widely held.  So again, right or wrong, I’d say Pat Robertson’s timing wasn’t the most sensitive.

What troubles me the most about all of this, though, is that there is such harsh condemnation for a man who has spent the last 54 years trying to do God’s work.  Has he made mistakes along the way?  Without a doubt.  Haven’t you?  Haven’t we all?  Everyone has a foot-in-mouth moment, and these are especially likely when you are in a high-profile position.  Apparently they are even more likely if you are a religious leader or a member of the Republican party.

When President Obama mocked his own bowling ability and said that he was suited for the Special Olympics, his apology was immediately accepted.  In fact, even those renouncing his statement felt compelled to soften their criticism.  Maria Shriver began with “While I am confident that President Obama never intended to offend anyone…” 

When Harry Reid made his remarks about black skin color and used the term ‘Negroes’  [cringe!] CNN was tripping all over themselves to say that he wasn’t racist, just socially awkward.  His apology was welcomed with open arms, and Democrats hit the airwaves telling us there was nothing to see here, case closed.

But when you are Pat Robertson, ‘Evangelical Christian’ and ‘Republican’ (because let’s face it, ‘Republican’ is uttered with the same disdain as ‘Evangelical’, isn’t it?), the only understanding you’ll find is from Eric Metaxas at Fox News.

Despite how this sounds, I don’t want it to be a political issue.  It’s a fairness issue, and fairness is hard to find these days.  If you  want fair, balanced, unbiased reporting, good luck finding it.  Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, The New York Times, NPR…nope.  Heck, even the major networks are clearly biased.  My little small town newspaper leans so far to one side it’s amazing it can still be called a ‘news’ paper without a snicker.  Objective reporting seems to be a thing of the past, and we’re left with choosing a trough that suits you and feeding directly from it.  (This has proven extremely profitable for Fox News, since they pretty much stand alone on the conservative front)

My point here is that somewhere in the middle, the possibility lies that Pat Robertson is neither Satan nor Saint, but a regular man who said something stupid.  Pretty much just like President Obama, Harry Reid, and a million other people.  His big sin here is being from the wrong side of the tracks.  The ‘right’ side.

And because of that, the fact that his Operation Blessing has spent millions of dollars on worldwide charitable projects, and has been in Haiti for years (many disasters prior to this week’s earthquake) will mean nothing.  No one will be reporting on the good he’s done, only his mistakes.  That’s just sad.

Instead of looking at him with animosity, I suggest that our energies would be better directed toward how we can help Haiti right now.  I’m not a fan or a follower of Pat Robertson.  I’ve never seen the 700 Club, I don’t buy his books, and I probably wouldn’t vote for him for President.  What I am is a fan of fairness, forgiveness, and understanding – none of which he is being shown this week. 

I hope I haven’t lost you, dear readers, but if that’s the case then so be it.  I can’t always bite my tongue, and I feel strongly about compassion and second chances.  I think Haiti and Mr. Robertson both deserve them right now.

Calling out the critics

I’m behind on the news, I know.  I actually heard about these things when they happened, but none seemed entirely blog-worthy on their own, so instead I’m combining into one big gripey post.  So with no further ado, I present news that has ticked me off in recent weeks.

-Did you hear about Salma Hayek breastfeeding another child?  Apparantly this was a huge controversy.  I really cannot fathom why, though.  It’s not as if she was baby swapping in Atlanta, just for kicks.  She was in a third world country, holding a starving baby whose mother had no way to feed him.  She has milk right there and available.  What should she have done, exactly?  What would her critics have done?  “Sorry lady, I hate that your baby is starving and could die of hunger, but it makes me a little uncomfortable to give your child the nourishment he needs to survive, so you’ll just have to chance it.  Best of luck to you.”  Come on people!  This is exactly what our bodies were created to do, and if you would be in her position and choose not to help that baby, then shame on you.  This isn’t controversial, it’s compassion.  Something we could use a little more of in our world.

-Speaking of compassion, why doesn’t anyone have any for Bristol Palin?  I’m sure you’ve heard that she and Levi Johnston broke up recently.  This announcement seems to delight a number of people.  Why is that?  I have heard many dripping-with-sarcasm comments expressing surprise at this outcome.  Am I surprised?  No, I’m not.  The odds were not in their favor.  But I don’t get any satisfaction from it. 

This is a baby who will grow up in a broken home, people.  Does that not sadden you?  Critics and comedians, what is your point here?  This situation has nothing to do with politics and nothing to do with the governor, but disagreeing with her political stance has either clouded your judgement tremendously, or you are a bunch of nasty, heartless people.  I don’t know which the case is, you tell me.  All I know is that we have another set of teenage parents with a very long and difficult road in front of them, and now they don’t even have each other to cling to for support.  We have a baby who will not grow up with the benefit of two parents under the same roof.  And we have a lifetime of challenges and struggles facing them all. 

I don’t know what that path is like.  I do know that it isn’t easy, and would be even more difficult with the media scrutiny they are under.  Instead of tearing them down (it seems they are getting enough of that already), I’ve been lifting them up in my prayers.  It would be nice if you’d consider doing the same. 

-Jon & Kate Gosselin are going through a difficult time in their marriage.  And somehow people are happy about this.  Again, is it surprising?  No.  The strain of 8 children and a reality tv show must be tremendous.  Add to that their polar opposite personalities, and I can certainly understand them having some problems right now.  What I can’t understand is the public reaction to that. 

Whatever happened to the sanctity of marriage?  Is that not something worth fighting to save?  When did our lifelong promises to stay together, for better or worse, become so disposable?

If this couple is struggling then I am sad for them.  I hope they will work it out, for themselves and for those 8 little children.  They have a lot on the line, and they certainly don’t need public opinion making their lives even more difficult.  Yes, I realize that they put themselves out there because of their show, a move that they get much criticism for.  But I wonder exactly how many people would be presented with an offer for fame and fortune and say no thanks.  My guess? – not nearly as many who like to boast that they would.  And I sincerely doubt that when they agreed to do the show, they realized fully what they were signing up for.  An error in judgement?  Perhaps.  But since we’re all guilty of those, perhaps we’d be best served by remembering our own faults and shutting our mouths a little more.

I think a lot of this has to do with what my friend Sondra calls macro-micro situations.  People feel perfectly at ease belittling and mocking celebrities or those in the limelight, and the anonymity of the world wide web has unfortunately made that worse.  What one wouldn’t dream of saying to their next door neighbor, they blurt out easily about a public figure.  In the macro picture, apparently we have no shame.

I wonder if the people who say these things have children.  Would they allow their children to say such nasty things about their classmates at school?  Or would they tell those kids that kindness is important, and there is a time and a place to keep your mouth shut and your thoughts to yourself?  We as a society are failing to keep our mouths shut a lot these days, and I’m bothered by that.

Hitting the nail on the head…

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

No other commentary, except to give credit to my dear friend Mel at Musings of an ebay Mommy for the great find.

PS) Don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom of this page and turn off the jukebox so you can hear the video!

Praise the Lord!

Election Day!

I have guilt when I’m away from the blog for too long. So rather than post the catch-ups in chronological order, I’m going with the most exciting first. We got to see The First Lady yesterday!

It was such a l-o-n-g wait! We didn’t have enough info first. There were no seats, standing room only, and it was hard concrete. It was packed, so much that I was afraid the girls would get squished. And they nearly did a few times. And it was HOT, since it was 80 degrees here yesterday and the a/c didn’t appear to be running. At least not enough.

We arrived at 11 to get a good seat (ha, ha), and the First Lady didn’t speak until 12:40. The girls were very patient, but they did get quite tired. Annie rested on Pappap’s shoulders:

I made them all outfits to wear. Catie is wearing a really cute twirl skirt that you can’t even see in this picture! lol Annie designed her own tee. She is absolutely enthralled with the idea that a woman could be VP. Interesting to me, since having a female leader has never been at all important to me. But I’m happy to see her enthusiasm. Anything can happen, child, anything can be.

Lousy picture, but at least you can see a glimpse of Catie’s skirt. The bottom layer was blue with silver glittery stars.

Lilly still does her Disney World picture pose! She’s holding Tink of course.

I can’t get these pictures to appear in the order that I want and I’m frustrated and giving up. This was taken at the end of the rally. The crowd was thick and I couldn’t see at all, so I just held the camera up and snapped away. This is a pretty good one!

Here she is giving her speech. Behind her are local candidates:

A better shot of Lilly’s shirt:

Annie wanted desperately to meet her but there was no way I could get to the front of the crowd. She and Catie are small, so they held hands and worked their way up to the front, very excited. Unfortunately then a man passed out next to them, and they had to move so paramedics could get in.

OK, try again. Catie gave up, but Annie wormed her way up front again. In comes the r-u-d-e lady and her child standing next to Annie, who told her that she had to leave. Annie was confused and just looked at her, and the lady said that kids weren’t allowed to talk to the First Lady. Annie ran away in tears. Turns out this was just some attendee who didn’t want Annie taking away from her own child. MANY children got up front and met the First lady, got autographs, snapped pictures…Annie just wasn’t one of them. If I had found the lady who scolded my daughter I might have cheerfully choked her.

Instead I told my baby not to cry, hoisted her onto my shoulders, and ran in as close as I could. Mrs. Bush was just about to leave and I knew I couldn’t get any closer so I told Annie that this was it. She shouted, “I love you Laura!” It was so cute, and many people in front of us turned to look. Including… Mrs. Bush! She looked up and smiled and waved right to Annabelle!!! It was definitely the highlight of our day, and could have been better only if I was able to take a picture of the moment. But that’s ok – when we left Annie found a heart-shaped rock at Fazoli’s that she kept as her remembrance of the day.

Joe the Plumber

I have to say this, because my head might explode if I don’t. Indulge me for a moment.

I feel bad for this guy. Obviously he should be licensed, or he should be working for a licensed master plumber. If he knew that his employer wasn’t licensed then he’s in the wrong, no question. But I still feel bad for him. By walking out onto the street in front of his house and asking a valid question of a political leader, he’s become a target for the national media, and that’s not fair. On many levels.

First off, not fair because he’s just an unlicensed plumber, not a death-row murderer. We don’t need to vet our citizens to see if they are good enough to ask questions.

Second, not fair because even if he were some kind of degenerate lowlife, why would that make his question any less valid? The question is separate from the person. I have the right to ask about abortion though I’d never have one, or taxes on millionaires though I’m not one. I can ask anything I’d like. Just because it doesn’t apply to me doesn’t make the question invalid, and just because I may have a less-than-perfect background doesn’t mean I can’t ask those questions.

Third, not fair because every politician has a ‘skeleton’ in their closet. Obama has some questionable associations, McCain has the speculation about his marriages, Bush has his alcoholism, Ted Kennedy has…well I won’t even go there. You get the point. Everyone has something that they’d rather the world doesn’t know. But the politicians who run for office know that their lives will be exposed, and they’ve made the choice to let that happen and run for office anyway. Joe didn’t. He walked out of his yard and asked a question. If we’re going to start attacking people for things like this, soon none of us will be able to ask any questions, for fear of embarrassment when the press digs into our personal lives. The inability to question our leadership sounds like a dangerous path to me.

Of course, life isn’t fair. We all know that, and Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher is probably feeling that especially this week. I’ve read many snippy comments about how he’s probably enjoying his new fame, since he’s making the rounds on the talk shows. I sincerely doubt that. He’s got the spotlight on him, uninvited, and he can’t work right now. What else should he be doing? Would we be happier if he slinked off and hid his head in a hole of shame? The man has gotten a raw deal, and he deserves to be able to talk about it.

I’ve thought this all along and wouldn’t have commented on it at all, if not for what I read yesterday. The parallel was striking to me, and I immediately thought of old Joe.

In the recount debacle of 2000, Al Gore had an advisor named Michael Fabiani. He advised the campaign to attack Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris on any grounds they could, to create public hostility toward the woman and get the people on their side. This was not limited to her career; in fact, it barely touched on her professional life. Instead they focused in on her personally, mocking her appearance, her makeup, and belittling her as a woman. Fabiani later explained the attacks on Harris, glibly telling the New York Times, “We needed an enemy.” He said attacking Harris was “the right thing to do, and it worked.”

Sounds very sadly like what’s happening to Joe the Plumber right now. Attack him personally so people will forget the valid question that he asked, and the answer that he got. So yes, I do feel bad for Joe. And I feel bad for us, too, that this is the M.O. that we have to live with. This is not the American Dream.

One more…

Not Halloween, but another embroidered tee we did over the weekend: