Swing State Miss America Contestants—We Can Respect People While Also Objecting To What They Do If We Choose
Here I am the last month at a Cincinnati Reds game with swing state beauty pageant winners.
These ladies recognized me in Cincinnati as the Texas Liberal blogger and approached me for a picture.
The above sentence is a lie.
On the left is Ms. Ohio and on the right is Ms. Pennsylvania.
Miss Ohio is Elissa McCraken of Ada, Ohio.
Miss Pennsylvania is one Jordyn Colao of Erie.
I know some folks dismiss these folks as shallow or symptomatic of a sexist culture—and of course it is a sexist culture in very many ways—but I wager life is as difficult for the contestants in these pageants as it is for most of us.
I bet many of them come from blue-collar or middle class homes and that winning the contest takes plenty of personal discipline and hard work.
Here is website of the Miss America pageant.
I believe that the division of the nation is so complete that separate Miss America pageants are now held for solid Obama states, solid Romney states and for swing states.
This is why Miss Ohio and Miss Pennsylvania were hanging out together. Miss North Dakota and Miss Utah must be on some other circuit.
If you are old enough, you can recall that Bert Parks hosted Miss America for many years.
Here is an article about a protest against the Miss World competition in London in 2011.
From that article—
” The Miss World contest doesn’t have a pleasing past as far as its experience with feminist organizations goes. The protest in 1970 against the Miss World Contest in London was a spurring moment in the women’s liberation movement….Girls, will you turn around? host Bob Hope asked the contestants during the live event at London’s Royal Albert Hall so that judges could get a 360-degree view of the participants in bikinis. Hope didn’t have a clue that he was going to be pelted with flour bombs and tomatoes by feminists present in the show. Police later arrested five protesters. Police later arrested five protesters.”
That is excellent. I wish I had been at that event and seen the protest.
While we need to be respectful of how people live and what people do, we also reserve the right to hold strong opinions and to take actions that we are prepared to accept the consequences of when we disagree with what is taking place.
Pennsylvania Governor Corbett Says Women Should Close Their Eyes During State-Mandated Rape—Texas Already Has State-Mandated Rape
Here in Texas, state-mandated rape is already permitted under the forced sonogram law.
Now Pennsylvania is considering a similar measure.
(Above—Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett. How would he like it if somebody shoved that microphone inside of him? Photo by Jenn Grover.)
“During a discussion of a far-reaching mandatory ultrasound bill, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R) on Wednesday dismissed off-handedly the insinuation that the measure goes too far, saying, “You just have to close your eyes.” Corbett reaffirmed his support for the “Women’s Right to Know” Act, which would require doctors to perform an ultrasound on a patient, offer her two personalized copies of the image and play and describe fetal heartbeat in detail before she can have an abortion — “as long as it’s not obtrusive.” He did not indicate whether or not he considered a transvaginal ultrasound to be an intrusive procedure, which the bill would require doctors to perform on a woman whose fetus is not developed enough to be visible by a regular, “jelly-on-the-belly” ultrasound.”
Sure.
Close your eyes.
How can conservatives support government forcing unwanted medical procedures on free citizens of our great nation?
How can any person support state-sponsored rape?
Republicans said that 2010 was about jobs, jobs, jobs.
Yet—beyond making the rich even more rich—this state-mandated rape is the kind of thing they have really sought to accomplish.
Penn State Students Riot To Defend The Noble Joe Paterno
The sons and daughters of America’s elite are rioting and fighting police so as to defend the honor of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.
Mr. Paterno is alleged to have helped cover up for a Penn St . coach who had allegedly engaged in illegal and quite disturbing sexual condiuct with children.
“After top Penn State officials announced that they had fired Joe Paterno on Wednesday night, thousands of students stormed the downtown area to display their anger and frustration, chanting the former coach’s name, tearing down light poles and overturning a television news van parked along College Avenue.”
These Penn St. protestors are not Occupy Wall Street protestors who some claim are lazy and and troublemakers.
These are the sons and daughters of some of our most privileged people. They feel the need to take to the streets to defend Joe Paterno.
Here is the best line in the NY Times story–
“Paul Howard, 24, an aerospace engineering student, jeered the police. “Of course we’re going to riot,” he said. “What do they expect when they tell us at 10 o’clock that they fired our football coach?”
Don’t worry though. These kids will get away with it all. Soon enough they will be your boss. They’ll share a good laugh at the 25 year reunion.
It’s those dirty Occupy Wall Street protesters who are the real menace.
2009 Summer Vacation—Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh & Galveston
Where should you and your family take a summer vacation this year? Or where should you go by yourself or with that someone special for an excellent 2009 summer trip?
The answer is clear enough.
Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Galveston, Texas are the places to go.
I have visited all these cities in the summer and I can say they are nice places to go and see.
These cities have long-established museums and interesting neighborhoods to explore. They have good restaurants. They have grand old buildings. Each of these cities has a river, a lake or an ocean to enjoy.
The wife and I—though she was not the wife yet at the time—spent a summer week in Buffalo and Niagara Falls in 1998. It was fun.
(Below–Buffalo)
Here is information about visiting Buffalo and the Niagara region.
I took a family vacation to Cleveland in the early 1980’s. Nothing is nicer than the Great Lakes in the summer.
(Below—Cleveland)
Here is information about visiting Cleveland.
I lived in Cincinnati for 18 years. It is a pretty city in the Summer. There is more than enough for you and your family—unless maybe you would like to enjoy some time by yourself— to do for a few days.
(Below–Cincinnati)
Here is information about visiting Cincinnati.
The (future) wife and once spent a weekend in Pittsburgh. The weekend was not enough to see and do all that Pittsburgh offers.
(Below–Pittsburgh.)
Here is information about visiting Pittsburgh.
Galveston, Texas is my home away from home. I’ve lived in Houston for 11 years and I go to Galveston every six weeks or so to take a walk on the sunny shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Galveston is on the rebound from Hurricane Ike and is open and ready for visitors.
(Below–Galveston)
Here is information about visiting Galveston.
Maybe you live near one of these cities. Maybe you’d like go somewhere where there is some history and some character.
Give one of these cities a try. Disney does not need your money. Visit places where they will be really happy you came.
You’ll be glad you did!