I'm feeling violated...

All right, I've told several people I was going to do this post, so here it is - I know I don't usually do politics on here, but as I'll explain, this is not just politics.  This is real.

We all know that our government passed socialized healthcare a few days ago.  I don't know whether or not you are/were an Obama supporter, but whatever party you side with, I don't know of anyone who is happy in the least with what just went on.  There is no possible way that our Congressmen and women and Senators could not have known that over sixty-five percent of Americans did not want this bill to be passed into law - but they passed it anyway.  They looked at their constituents and said, "We don't care what you think, and we're just going to do whatever the heck we want."  That makes me angry, and I don't know what you think, but I thought these guys were supposed to be working for us, not the other way around.

Socialized healthcare - socialized anything - is not American.  A free country is not entrenched in a system against their will - that kind of thing is what happened (and is happening) in countries like Russia and China.  With this system, too many people will be forced to do too many things that they don't want to do - including paying stiff penalties if they don't comply with the healthcare system.  It is scary that our country is beginning to show alarming and blatant signs of turning into a socialized superpower.

My cousin's husband is a Cuban-American - his parents came over from Cuba to escape from the dictatorial government there that oppressed countless people.  He recognizes the threat to freedom that is in this healthcare bill because his parents saw the same thing in Cuba.  They, along with millions of immigrants who come from oppressive nations like Cuba, understand more than we do about this threat - they realize that we are only a few steps away from becoming like the countries they left.  Too often do we take our freedom for granted - we have become less vigilant, complacent in our routines, and in that we have failed to see what is taking place right under our noses. 

I know that, as a Christian, I don't need to worry about my personal future.  God's got it - but that doesn't mean in the slightest that He wants us to sit back and let our government bully us around.  We need to make ourselves heard and let them know that we will not stand for this.  We will not allow them to use bribery and backroom deals to pass a bill that we don't want - is bribery something that should be allowed in a democracy?  And by the president of the United States?

I am tired of this, and I think a whole lot of normal, everyday folks are tired of it, too.  They are waking up - they are seeing what's happened while they weren't looking - and they are ready to fight back.  They are ready to scare their leaders into listening to them - not with weapons, but with words - and soon there will be so many of us that they can't help but listen to us.

Watch Glenn Beck's show from Friday and get a more in-depth view of what I'm talking about.  This man is on top of it.

I've been tagged!

*Live In A Book Tag*

I've been tagged by Celebrilomiel (Celeb) over at Melody of the Miscellaneous!

Rules: Name eight books you'd like to live in for a week, and then tag eight people.

(in no particular order)

1.  Isle of Swords and Isle of Fire by Wayne Batson.  Pirate adventures rock.  I would totally love to be in that book.  Wielding swords and awesome pirate pistols and fighting off enemies!

2.  The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis.  I really want to see what Aslan's Country looks like and what the ending looks like! ...all right, fine, and include all the other Narnia books in this one too.  But especially this one.  I love Narnia!

3. The Slopes of War by N.A. Perez.  I'd never heard of it until last year when I read it for school, but it's REALLY good.  I'd want to live in it because I'd want to experience what the Civil War was like.

4.  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.  Yes, I picked this book.  *sigh*

5.  Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes.  One of my favorite favorite books ever since I was little.  I'd want to experience the Revolutionary War and perhaps meet Johnny - he's an interesting character.

6. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.  This book is just so classic and epic - I would have loved to travel along with the group, meet Gandalf and Bilbo and all the dwarves...*sighs* And the dragon would have been coolness.

7. Nothing to Fear by Jackie French Koller.  This book has a completely wonderful set of realistic characters that I would LOVE to meet, especially the MC, Danny.  It's set during the Great Depression, another time period it would be ultimately cool to see.

8.  Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.  It just piques the imagination - pirates and all that.  Totally cool, awesomely epic.  Just all-around a good yarn.  I'd love to see Long John Silver in person...and Jim...and all those people.  It would just be so cool.

Okay, now that I've done my duty, I will proceed to tag eight people.  =D

Lydia @ Plum Pudding!

Rebecca @ Singing in His Name

Storyteller @ Storyteller: A Writer's Journey

Jacob Parker @ The Yodeling Dwarf

Nathan Petrie @ Whispered Roars

Brianna @ Writer's Thoughts

Wayne Batson @ Enter the Door Within

Chris @ My Ink Spot

I'll comment on your blogs to tell you you've been tagged...sometime when I get the chance...so if you see this or get the comment, whichever comes first, YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED!

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

The story of Mrs. Frisby is a truly charming tale among children's novels, lighthearted, but at the same time gravely serious about the problems of the animal characters.
The writing is quaint, readable, and engrossing, and Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, is a main character you cannot help but sympathize with. I rooted for her all the way on her journey to save her youngest son, Timothy - braving the cat, an owl, and Farmer Fitzgibbon along the way.

Don't be mistaken, though - this is not simply a whimsical farm tale with talking animals. Subtly and quietly, certain pertinent issues are introduced - and even though they're not very deep, it carries the book out of the realm of simply a story for kindergarteners. All in all, it's a lighthearted, matter-of-fact story that you'll most likely enjoy, whether you're in first grade or a college graduate.

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre is one of those old books that comes with a reputation - I knew it had one, but wasn't exactly sure what it was.  So it was without very much bias that I cracked open my 643-page paperback copy - basically, I had no idea what to expect.  I found myself very pleasantly surprised.

One might expect such a long book with such old-fashioned language to be dry or tedious - happily, it was neither.  I found myself helplessly and very willingly compelled to read until past midnight in order to find out what happens to Jane.  The old-fashioned language and British grammar, far from being cumbersome, added quite a charming touch to the story (I admit I often "tried out" the various accents in my head!)

Jane's story is mostly one of tragedy - there is a central love story, but it is not sappy or sentimental in the least (I've never seen the movie, but I'm pretty sure it's highly romantic).  The characters, Jane at the foremost, are highly realistic - none of them are perfect, all their flaws are evident, and the physical descriptions are nothing short of brilliant; she outlines in precise, encompassing detail every aspect of a character's appearance and attitude and what Jane learns about their personality through it.

In short, Jane Eyre kept me completetly enthralled all the way - I felt for her, was keenly aware of her emotions, and wished for her dreams to be fulfilled - sometimes a frustrating task for the reader!  Like Jane, the storytelling is level-headed, sensible, and realistic, with just enough imagination and fantasy.  I was thoroughly satisfied with this tale.

Blog button for tribe contest

----PLEASE NOTE THIS IS FOR TRIBE SWIFTSTORM ONLY!-----

If you are in another tribe, please do not copy or use this button.

I painted a watercolor of the seven elf lords and decided to make a button out of it to earn a few extra vanadils.  =D  I emailed Wayne Batson about it and he said if you post it on your sidebar it is worth 100 vanadils, so please do this if you are in Swiftstorm to gain a couple extra points!!  If you put it up, please include a link to the Curse of the Spider King Amazon page.  Thanks!

ALSO:  if you are going to use it, please do not use it in any other way except for a sidebar button or included in a blog post - it is original work, so please respect that.  Thanks.

"I don't want to go by myself!"

We were in the car last night, and my little sister Gabrielle (age four) was sitting next to me.  It's dark out, and she's looking at the moon.  This was approximately the ensuing dialogue.

Gabrielle:  "I wish I could touch the moon."  *sigh*

Me:  "Well, if you grow up and become an astronaut then you could."

(some time passes)

Gabrielle:  "But I don't wanna go by myself!"

She is so adorable.  Oh yeah, and you have to hear about what she said the other day...(we were also in the car.)

*police car passes us*

Gabrielle:  "Oooo, a police car!"

Me:  "Gabbyelle, you wanna be a police when you grow up?"  (she nods with a big smile)  "Then you could drive one of those cool cars."

Gabrielle:  "Yeah, with those cool blue headlights."

So many books, so little time...

Well, at the moment I feel kind of swamped.  First, I'm way behind in reading for school...which makes it harder to read what I have lined up to read for fun (which is the reason I'm trying my best to avoid lining things up for fun...).  It's just that *Robinson Crusoe* can get a little tedious...it's taken me quite a while to get through it.  You don't even want to know how many weeks (yes, weeks) I'm behind in school reading.  *sigh*  But I just wanted to share with you my lineup so you guys can just get a glimpse of the stuff I'll be reading (hopefully) in the near future.

Going Solo, an autobiography by Roald Dahl of his years as a military pilot...

A Separate Peace by John Knowles...don't know much about what it's about...

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O'Brien - no idea what that's about  *looks a little scared*

and the last of the school books (up to now) - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

Now for the for-fun titles...Dewey by Vicki Myron (my grandmother gave it to me for Christmas and I still haven't read it...*sigh* I feel bad...)

Aaand last but not least, the book we all know and love...*winks*...Eragon by Christopher Paolini.  Everyone's always telling me how "amazing" it is and I've just never gotten around to reading it.  I guess I'm behind the times a little...heh heh...

Obviously, I've never read any of these books before.  If you have, I'd love it if you'd drop me a comment and tell me what I'm in for.  ;D