Kicked Off a Bus

My SO sent me a video link for today's blog. Normally, I prefer to read my articles--mostly because I can pick up on falsehoods more easily. Did you catch it in that one? I'll give you a hint.

But, this particular thing...I dunno how I really feel about it, but I know it was, in fact, stupid.

The girl's 9.

Is she really that big of a disciplinary problem that you made her get off the school bus in the middle of absolutely NOWHERE!?! C'mon! What were you thinking? Oh, right. You weren't.

Now, I have an issue with bus drivers, as it is. I had to ride the bus to school every day from the time I was in 6th grade til I was finally able to drive my senior year of high school. It wasn't fun. I had the psycho bus driver who actually made me late to school one day because he was telling me a story.

I really didn't care about his crazy, psycho-ex girlfriend. The man was disgusting enough that I never really imagined him having a crazy, psycho-current girlfriend. I was almost an hour late to school that day. He also decided to drop off a personal package to someone while he was driving us home. We tried very hard to get him fired, but it never worked.

Fastforward to this charming driver. The little girl changed seats without permission. He made her get off the bus. In the middle of nowhere. Along a highway. I know where Route 20 is in Pennsylvania. It's not where you leave a nine year old little girl. Heck, it's not the place you leave a 25 year old woman!

I'm curious if there are going to be child endangerment charges brought against him. "He'll never drive a bus here again!" they say. Okay, so what if he moves to Maryland? Will they know what happened? Probably not. So, if we're willing to charge parents with abuse for spanking their kids, why aren't we charging this deplorable fellow with child endangerment?! She could have, ya know, been abducted...or hit by a car...or shot at...I can name a few hundred things, but the rest of the list isn't quite as pleasant.

Never drive in PA again.

There's 49 other states out there.

Serena, the little girl, is still shaken by this. I would be, too! If I was left stranded along the interstate with no way to call my parents, I'd be terrified! I wouldn't want to get on another bus as long as I lived! Dude, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?! Serve this guy, already. He deserves more than a suspension of duties.

Finally Over

So, the political stuff is finally over. Thank God. Sarah Palin can go back to Alaska and be a soccer mom; John McCain can go back to having no idea how much real estate he owns; Joe Biden can chomp on his bull-dog bone; and Barack Obama can start getting used to being hailed, since he's the chief.

It's now time for those who voted for McCain to nit-pick and get all moany about how the country's going someplace hot in a handbasket.

I just ask that you not talk to me about it. Because I don't care.

I stared at the ticket for a good long time. I almost voted for Bob Barr, but I decided that I liked Obama just enough to vote for him. Since I couldn't actually hear Sarah Palin speak to make a decision on whether or not she'd make a suitable VP, I decided to vote for the ticket that had a strong pairing.

In my not so humble opinion, that was Obama-Biden.

"But RA!" I hear you whine. "Obama is pro-choice!"

Indeed he is. No one's perfect. But, ya know what? I actually did a little research on the candidates. I know, I know--a responsible American who thinks for themselves! Yes, I'm real. Now, I did some research and I discovered something interesting. Obama is pro-choice not because he thinks killing babies is the right thing to do. He's pro-choice because...

PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY

If women are going to go out and kill their unborn children, possibly causing damage to themselves, then offer them the opportunity to make an informed decision about it and have it done safely. Obama may be pro-choice, but he's also pro-abstinence. Something that Jamie Lynn should learn about.

Is this our only problem with Obama?

No.

I think our biggest problem with Obama is his skin color. We've come a long way in the past 200+ years, but there's still people out there who don't think a black man should be leading our country. I think there's still a bunch of people out there who don't think a woman should be leading our country, either. In fact, I know there are. Look at how the media--and even the Republicans--treated Palin.

I can't say if the woman is brilliant or not. They would never let her speak. The media would talk over her during broadcasts, the candidates would cut her off, etc. She never really got the chance to shine or crash. And if she did, they were few and far between. I never heard about either. Well, except for that prank phone call. And her dress code.

So.

Which scares you more? A black President, or a female President?

"Yes, we can!" "Change has come to America."

Roll Save vs. Stupid: CRITICAL FAIL

Big thanks to RB for today's rant. I suppose he was tired of my blathering on and on about needing money to go to Tennessee in February. So, he sent me this. Don't worry about the comic part...scroll down.

It would appear that Christian Children's Fund failed their saving throw versus stupid. Gary Gygax, creator of the popular role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons, actively supported CCF while he was alive. Sadly, Mr. Gygax passed away this past year. He was very vocal about charities and supporting the causes of hunger and homelessness.

Brilliantly, GenCon decided to hold an auction of some memorabilia and donate 100% of the proceeds to Gygax's favorite charity. The total was $17, 398--that's seventeen thousand dollars. That's what average Americans spend on cars. This was to be a gift to the Christian Children's Fund.

They declined to accept the gift.

Christian Children’s Fund made the decision to decline the gift from Gen Con, LLC as the request presented to us gave the appearance that CCF (the organization) was an endorser or supporter of a gaming convention, which CCF was not. As many non-profit organizations, CCF is selective in its endorsements or support in order to maintain the integrity of its name and logo. We cannot lend our name to an event for which we have no involvement. This decision should in no way be interpreted as CCF holding an opinion on Mr. Gygax, gaming enthusiasts or the game Dungeons and Dragons.

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT!?!

I want to just say that I agree with the author of this blog, who thinks the wording probably requested a logo from the charity and to be an official sponsor of the auction. I also agree with the author of that blog when he says, "To decline the entire gift is more than a little weird."

Yeah. See, I'm sitting here at 30, remembering back to my Jr. Church days. Dungeons & Dragons was evil and vile! How dare you pretend you're a Paladin out to seek Divine Protection and Intervention to fight off the demons! Because, you know, no Christians would -ever- do that. They would -never- seek Divine protection to fight demons.

Whateve.

I'm a proud Christian and a proud half elven rogue--or gnomish bard. I'll make sure to witness to you and stab you with my SNEAK ATTACK!!!!

So.

Instead of getting upset (like the rest of us did), GenCon decided to find another charity that would appreciate a $17K donation: Fisher House Foundation. Order of the Stick's creator, Rich Burlew, wrote a great news story on this issue. He was a lot more kind than myself and other gamers like me. Kudos to Rich. But, he suggested e-mailing CCF and letting them know how you feel about this situation. The fact that a CHARITY chose to REJECT the generous donations of people because they play Dungeons & Dragons.

Because, that's what it comes down to. The children starving all over the world don't really care from where the money comes that will keep them fed. They don't even know from where it comes! The only people that care is the charity organization.

But, don't despair! There are several other charities that will gladly take your money. Burlew recommends Plan USA, and of course, GenCon chose Fisher House Foundation.

You're a charity. The old adage is very true: Beggars Can't Be Choosers.

Many Thanks

So, thanks to my friends for supporting me. As of 9:45pm, PST, I was gifted all the money I needed (plus a little extra) for registration for Band With A Mission. I'm just waiting to receive confirmation for my date of [b]February 23, 2009[/b].

I'll still be taking donations for air fare to Nashville and the hotel room. Ideally, I'd like to leave in the morning on the 21st and return sometime on the 24th of February. I can get $75 off the hotel room at Hampton Inn and Suits, but that doesn't really tell me what it is per night.

So!

This is not a rant. This is still...a shameless plug.