I read an article the other day that said Republicans/conservatives in Hollywood are actually black-balled.

Everyone on the right is BlackBalled listening to the Lefts. If you are right and speak your mind you can find yourelf without a job, and that is very bad for this time and space

I hate to admit it, but that’s what I thought… ‘more for my reader’. There’s so much I try to read right now I can’t keep up…!

Well, Ben Stein’s always seemed to stand up and speak his mind without any backlash. Maybe it’s time for the rest of the conservatives to get really pissed off and start a major movement against the status quo.

I know.

Don’t forget Bruce Willis, Trace Adkins, Rick Schroeder, Tom Selleck, Amy Grant, Martina McBride, Wayne Newton, and so many others.

These folks need to speak up loud and clear. They have power and they should learn to use it.

I know, huh?

That’s http://www.restrainednomore.com

Tom Selleck had some great things to say about being a conservative in Hollywood:

I don’t know if my political opinions ever lost me work, but I know for sure they never got me any.

It’s not that conservatives don’t care. We do. We just have different answers than liberals do. It’s a difference of the mind, not of the heart.

Popularity is the pocket change of history. The true measure is courage.

If a guy as good and decent with as much grace as Chuck Heston can stand up for an issue that I think is very important … then I certainly could stand up and I plan on remaining a life member for life.

I remember the day he was on Rosie’s show and they had their famous “argument”. Rosie was so wrapped up in her narrow view of the world and her codependent grief over the Columbine shooting (don’t even get me started on that), she couldn’t even fathom that what Tom was talking about was responsible people owning guns and using them properly, teaching their children to respect the weapons. That was the day I decided I would only watch her show if she had someone on that I really really wanted to see.

I was watching as it happened and just couldn’t believe how personal she was taking the Columbine shooting. It was tragic, yes. But the answer wasn’t and isn’t to rip guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens. The real anger should have been directed toward the parents who failed to recognize that their children needed them. The kids didn’t need yet another activity added to their schedules (soccer had already left the boys feeling uncoordinated and ill-at-ease amongst their teammates), another afternoon left unattended while mommy and daddy worked. What the kids needed was supervision and love and time with their parents. And not just “time”, but time spent fully engaged with parents who wanted to be there and who took an active interest in them. THAT’S what Rosie should have been pissed about. Instead, she went straight for the tools used by very troubled people who needed something very elemental added to their lives.

It don’t think it’s so much moms working outside the home as it is the parents playing the keeping-up-with-the-Joneses mentality, which drives them to push their children into ultra-scheduled lives to the point where the kids have no chance to discover what they like to do.

And let’s face it, most schools are also very sports-oriented. This doesn’t allow for kids who are artistic or academically inclined to shine. We’re too busy trying to put square pegs in round holes. Kids get hurt along the way. They’re singled out for not fitting in.

Then you add the parents who are too distracted by $$$$ and things the money can buy. They have no time for their children. But they figure if they keep the kids too busy with lessons and sports and complicated schedules, the kids won’t notice. Except the kids do notice.

Columbine wasn’t so much about two boys reacting to bullies (unless you count the parents as bullies, too) as it was two boys screaming out for some love and a chance to be recognized as human beings with real needs. Look at just about any of the school shootings over the years. The one common factor is usually the parents. If the parents had spent more time and given more effort to helping their kids grow up slowly and in a healthier manner, they would have been a lot less likely to act out in such violent ways.

Living in a world (and especially expensive states like CA) where it’s almost necessary for both parents to work just to maintain the basic necessities, we can’t expect one parent to stay home. What we can do, though, is either involve other family members or close friends and make them parenting partners of sorts, or parents can look for jobs that allow for alternative scheduling. When I was nursing, I worked on the days my ex was off. That one day when he wasn’t off? We got our folks involved and had them fill in for us. Our kids were never left alone. Of course, they were way too young, but even if they’d been 12 and 16 at the time, they’d have supervision because it’s important to keep them engaged and out of trouble.

I consider myself extremely lucky to have family nearby. I know many people don’t. But that’s no excuse. In fact, that’s even more reason to look around your neighborhood, get to know those people, find out who might be home in the afternoons and can help keep an eye on the kids.

Once a kid’s gone, that’s it. There are no second chances. No do overs. No spare parts or replacements. We had kids and they’re our responsibility. We have to take that responsibility seriously. Otherwise, we end up with kids adrift in a big, wide world that’s not intended for them to navigate alone.

That’s it exactly, Pam. Mike and Tonie are engaged in their children’s lives. They play soccer, which is great! But my bet is that they only do soccer and not 45 other activities that require Julie, your Cruise Director, to figure out all the intricacies and coordinate them.