Month: May 2008

  • Emo…..Oh the Horror!!!!

    (this was done by my husband who gave me permission to take the post from his page…Love you hunny. You can post your responses on my page)

    There seems to be a underlying theme among a lot of Christian groups that Emo is a cult that should be eliminated.
    Emo is a cult ????????

    Here are some of the characteristics of a cult lets see how many apply

    1 The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its
    leader and (whether he is alive or dead) regards his belief system, ideology,
    and practices as the Truth, as law.

    There is no leader of emo

    2 Questioning, doubt, and
    dissent are discouraged or even punished.

    there is no Punishment for not being emo

    3
    Mind-altering practices
    (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, and
    debilitating work routines) are used in excess and serve to suppress doubts
    about the group and its leader(s).

    No mind altering practices here

    4
    The leadership dictates,
    sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (for example,
    members must get permission to date, change jobs, marry—or leaders prescribe what
    types of clothes to wear, where to live, whether or not to have children, how to
    discipline children, and so forth).

    no leadership so no dictation of rules

    5
    The group is elitist,
    claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s) and members (for
    example, the leader is considered the Messiah, a special being, an avatar—or the
    group and/or the leader is on a special mission to save humanity).

    Emo is not an elitist group

    6
    The group has a polarized
    us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society.

    most
    groups have this mentallity (feminists, hippies, grunge, punk,
    Christianity, politicians) maybe not the last one but you get my point

    7 The leader is not
    accountable to any authorities (unlike, for example, teachers, military commanders
    or ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream religious denominations).

    there is no leader.

    8
    The group teaches
    or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it
    deems necessary. This may result in members’ participating in behaviors
    or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical
    before joining the group (for example, lying to family or friends, or
    collecting money for bogus charities).

    the group doesn’t teach anything

    9
    The leadership induces
    feelings of shame and/or guilt in order to influence and/or control
    members. Often, this is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion.

    there is no shame or guilt provided by leadership because there is no leadership

    10
    Subservience to the
    leader or group requires members to cut ties with family and friends, and radically
    alter the personal goals and activities they had before joining the
    group.

    there
    is no leader to have subservience to but the withdrawal from family is
    sometimes common due to the misunderstanding of Emo or some start
    listening to emo because they are withdrawn.

    11
    The group is preoccupied
    with bringing in new members.

    Emo is not interested in bringing in new members

    12
    The group is preoccupied
    with making money. 

    there is no reason for them to make money (Bands do like to make money though lol)

    13
    Members are expected to
    devote inordinate amounts of time to the group and group-related activities.

    there are no group activities other than concerts which is basically just a concert

    14
    Members are encouraged or
    required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.

    most
    emo’s I know are friends with anyone that are friends with them some of
    the friends they choose are emo some of them don’t even like the emo
    music

    15
    The most loyal members (the
    “true believers”) feel there can be no life outside the context of the group.
    They believe there is no other way to be, and often fear reprisals to themselves
    or others if they leave (or even consider leaving) the group.


    no reprisals for leaving. It is not a special club.


    A cult? I would think not.

    Emo
    is a highly misunderstood stereotype. Just as some stereotypes before
    it. (Feminism and Hippie Culture) Emo has had a negative stigma since
    is induction as a stereotype rather than the type of music it began as.
    The Emo Stereotype has nothing wrong with it, just as the music has
    nothing wrong with it. Emo has caused rifts in families not because of
    what they are but the misunderstanding of it. The emo genre of music
    has not created the Emo but the Emo has created the genre. Just as you
    found the music and lifestyle that you prefer the Emo has found the
    music and lifestyle to compliment the way they feel about life

    Some of the views of the people I run into are kind of a crude view of the people involved

    For example

    One
    person I recently talked to stated “Emo’s have pity parties and get all
    emotional and then the odd one decides to commit suicide.”

    As a stereotype Emo is described as

    Emo is also often associated with a certain fashion. The term “emo” is sometimes stereotyped with tight jeans on males and females alike, long fringe (bangs) brushed to one side of the face or over one or both eyes, dyed black, straight hair, tight t-shirts (sometimes short sleeved) which often bear the names of rock bands (or other designer shirts), studded belts, belt buckles, canvas sneakers or skate shoes or other black shoes (often old and beaten up) and thick, black horn-rimmed glasses Emo fashion has changed with time. Early trends included straight,
    unparted hair, tightly fitting sweaters, button-down shirts, and work
    jackets. This fashion has at times been characterized as a
    fad

    .In recent years the popular media has associated emo with a
    stereotype that includes being emotional, sensitive, shy, introverted,
    or angsty. It is also associated with depression, self-injury, and suicide.

    Most
    of the outcry against emo tends be because  the last sentence. In
    recent years the popular media has associated emo with a stereotype
    that includes being emotional, sensitive, shy introverted or angsty. It
    is also associated  with depression, self injury and suicide.

    For example

    Emo music has been blamed for the suicide by hanging
    of Hannah Bond by the coroner at the inquest into her death after it
    was claimed that emo music glamorized suicide and her apparent
    obsession with the emo band, My Chemical Romance was said to be linked to her suicide. The inquest revealed that she was part of an internet “emo” cult and had explained to her parents that her self harming was an “emo initiation ceremony”[28] After an article in NME, fans of emo music contacted the magazine to defend accusations that it promotes self harm and suicide.

    The
    reality of Emo is it is part of culture the same as many other
    movements that have happened. Some of the outcomes of the people who
    decided to become part of this lifestyle turn out bad they are not
    different then those that occurred in other movements.

    For
    Example, the 70′s Free Love movement caused many young people to
    relocate to San Fransisco causing many of them to become homeless
    beggars. Many people would not identify these people as a cult but a
    physical representation of the changing times. It is the same as people
    who are Emo they are a physical representation of the ideas of some of
    the people of this changing time.

    On the subject of self-harm,
    depression and suicide. These three sad  supposed promotions are a
    reality that have existed  long before  the emo stereotype even evolved
    in to what it is today. Even if it is mentioned in some of the songs it
    is a reality. I know a few people who would be considered a
    self-harmer. The reality is that for some of them it is the only place
    that it seems that someone understands and rather than causing the
    self-harm it actually prevents. You see people in the world find horror
    in that fact that they would self-harm and the stigma with Emo as it is
    only propitiates the the shame they feel when they harm themselves
    because of the anger some parents and friends seem to have
    when they
    see the person with Emo tendencies. So when they are looking for help
    they shy away.

    Even if you feel that Emo is a evil of this
    world do you think that the proper response is hatred or do you think
    it should be love and understanding. Love and understanding of a person
    who is different from you, who just might need a friend just like you.
    A friend who don’t want to change the way they feel but see them
    through the times of depression and self-harm. Would that not be a
    better reaction.

    Well now its up to you.. I would like to know your opinions, thoughts and even disagreements.

    I have a open mind I’ll listen. I just want to know what you think

    So

    What do you think about Emo?

  • Hayloft Candle Barn and Petting Zoo

    Warning….these are some of the sadder pictures from Hayloft Candle Barn and Petting Zoo and a few of the reasons that I think someone should step in and something should be done about this place….

    The goat’s yucky water source


    The goat’s empty food source

    More pictures of empty food dishes and gross water supplies. I have many many more pictures of empty food and gross water then I am going to post as it does get repetitive.


    This is the water dish for the two donkey’s. It is hard to see but it is not working right and they are not able to get water.


    Here is their empty food holder


    This is where they have to live. None of the animals have grass in their area.


    The bunny’s empty food holder.


    These are a bunch of baby ducks :(


    This is a water source…would you drink from that???


    This last water dish isn’t even connected to a water line.

  • Petting Zoo and Park

    Today we went to Hayloft Candle Barn Petting Zoo. We also went to the park (Playground).

    We took some pictures at the petting zoo. I have been debating if I should post them or not. We got some really nice pictures, but the experience was depressing. Some of the animals have no food. Some of the water had mold or fungus growing in it and they had to use it to drink. Some are kept in cages that are too small. It was just a really depressing experience.

    I will share some of the nicer pictures.

  • Watermelon Cake and Pictures of Barry and me

    Yummy, Yummy Watermelon cake. That is what we are going to have tonight. It is so good even the ants want some….see

    And here are new pictures of Barry and some of me. (Ignore the brace on the arm….at least you don’t have to look at the ugly sling in these pictures)

  • My two cents on the FLDS case in TX

    They
    have to give the children back because they are NOT finding child brides. Some
    that they were trying to claim as children are as old as 27.
    Another girl listed as an underage mother is 14, but the state has
    conceded she is not pregnant and does not have a child.

    They went in on a hoax phone call.

    It is just like Wacco was… No proof and government strong arming. luckily no one was killed yet with this one.

    I think the FLDS would have a great case for suing TX for religious persecution and civil rights violations.

    News articles about the whole FLDS thing

    CNN

    PDF of the court ruling

    another good one

    Thrown out

    By a libertarian

  • my day and Aunt Irene

    Well, today my aunt Irene came over to “clean grandma and grandpa’s house.” (They live downstairs.) They were going away so she said that’s ok. I can do it anyway. Fine whatever…I don’t care.
    So she cleaned their house…fine…whatever…..I don’t care.
    Did she stop there?
    NO
    she went out side and decided that it didn’t look good enough (Of course Kristen couldn’t do a good enough job..It’s Kristen)…..
    So she decided to kill two of my Rose of Sharons….
    She killed all of the plants that my children gave me from school this year….
    She cut the whole side off of our one bush…….
    She ripped out many plants I spent money buying and time planting….

    who cares right? Who cares it is just stuff that I put time into…it is just stuff that I put my heart into….It is just stuff that I cared about.
    It is just my stuff that she killed and got rid of without any care for me.
    Who cares after all it is just Kristen. I mean who cares about Kristen. Why should anyone care about the stuff Kristen’s children gave her…It’s just Kristen.
    Why should we ask before we kill Kristen’s two Rose of Sharon plants….After all it’s just Kristen.
    Why should we care that we are ripping out the plants that Kristen’s children gave her That are planted IN THE FLOWER BED!!! after all it’s just Kristen. Why would anyone want to care about Kristen.
    It’s just Kristen.

    Just when I was starting to think I matter. Just when I was starting to think everything I was doing meant something. Just when I thought I was appreciated for the things I do around here. I guess I had forgotten…I am just Kristen. I had forgotten that Kristen doesn’t matter. I had forgotten I am not allowed to care. I am not allowed to have feelings. I am not allowed to say anything. I just have to take it. After all I am just Kristen. And who cares…it’s just Kristen. Kristen doesn’t matter…I forgot.

    Barry spent the past almost 10 years trying to get me to think I matter….but I forgot….I am just Kristen….It has never mattered what Kristen feels. It is ok to walk all over Kristen. After all it’s just Kristen. Kristen isn’t allowed to have feelings.

    Who cares…..

    It Is Just Kristen!

    Here are pictures of just a few (not even half) of the plants that are no more…but who cares right…after all it’s just Kristen….and we shouldn’t forget…I don’t matter.

  • Breaking News about FLDS children in TX

    Court: State Wrong To Take Polygamist Sect Kids

    15 Sect Mothers Wrongly In Foster Care

    POSTED: 12:52 PM EDT May 22, 2008
    UPDATED: 1:39 PM EDT May 22, 2008
    SAN ANGELO, Texas — An appeals court ruled Thursday that
    the state of Texas had no right to seize hundreds of children from a polygamous
    sect.
    The Third Court of Appeals in Austin, Texas, ruled that the grounds for
    removing the children were “legally and factually insufficient” under Texas law.

    Child welfare officials removed the children on the grounds that the sect
    pushed underage girls into marriage and sex and trained boys to be grown-up
    predators.


    The appellate court ruled the chaotic hearing held last month did not
    demonstrate the children were in any immediate danger, the only measure of
    taking children from their homes without court proceedings.
    The ruling comes the same day as authorities learned that half the
    mothers in the sect that Texas child welfare authorities put in foster care as
    children have now been declared adults.
    Attorneys for Child Protective Services say 15 of the 31 mothers are
    adults. One is actually 27.
    Another girl listed as an underage mother is 14, but the state has
    conceded she is not pregnant and does not have a child.
    The underage mothers had been cited as evidence that the Fundamentalist
    Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints committed widespread sexual abuse of
    girls.
    State officials raided a ranch run by a polygamist sect in west Texas.
    Their contention that abuse was widespread led to the removal of more than 460
    children.

  • This may come as a shock

    I know this might come as a shock to some people, but there is a song that I love, that is…. a country song…..yes, country.
    I just love love love this song. It is called International Harvester.
    I just love it….

    I’m the son of a third generation farmer
    I’ve been married 10 years to the farmer’s daughter
    I’m a God fearing hardworking combine driver
    Hogging up the road on my p-p-p-p-plower
    Chug-a-lug-a-lugin 5 miles an hour
    On my International Harvester.

    3 miles of cars laying on their horns
    Falling on deaf ears of corn
    Lined up behind me like a big parade
    Late to work, road raged jerks
    Shouting obscene words flippin me the bird

    Well you maybe be on a state paved road
    But that blacktop runs through my pay load
    Excuse me for trying to do my job
    But this year ain’t been no bumper crop
    If you don’t like the way I’m a driving
    Get back on the interstate
    Otherwise sit tight and be nice
    And quit your honking at me that way

    Cause I’m the son of a 3rd generation farmer
    I’ve been married 10 years to the farmer’s daughter
    I got 2 boys in the county 4-H
    I’m a lifetime sponsor of the FFA
    Hey, that’s what I make I make a lot of Hay for a little pay
    and I’m proud to say
    I’m a God fearing hardworking combine driver
    Hogging up the road on my p-p-p-p-plower
    Chug-a-lug-a-lugin 5 miles an hour
    On my International Harvester.

    Well I know you got your own deadline
    But cussing me won’t save you no time Hoss
    But this big wheel wide load ain’t going any faster
    So just smile and wave and tip your hat to the man up on the tractor

    Cause I’m the son of a 3rd generation farmer
    I’ve been married 10 years to the farmer’s daughter
    I got 2 boys in the county 4-H
    I’m a lifetime sponsor of the FFA
    Hey, that’s what I make I make a lot of Hay for a little pay
    and I’m proud to say
    I’m a God fearing hardworking combine driver
    Hogging up the road on my p-p-p-p-plower
    Chug-a-lug-a-lugin 5 miles an hour
    On my International Harvester.

    I’m a God fearing hardworking combine driver
    Hogging up the road on my p-p-p-p-plower
    Chug-a-lug-a-lugin 5 miles an hour
    On my International Harvester.

  • My mother’s family when she was little

    I had never seen these pictures before “Cousin Peg” added them to her xanga today. They are pictures from when My mother was little.

    Harold Herr Family in 1961 (these were all taken before Aunt Freda was born)

    Grandpa Herr is a missionary in Haiti and Granny died January of this year. My mother is the baby in the picture. Aunt Rachel and Aunt Esther and Uncle Dan are in the picture too. Aunt Freda wasn’t born yet when these were taken.

  • What are your thoughts on Gambling? Is it a sin to gamble?

    What are your thoughts on Gambling? Is it a sin to gamble? Should people gamble?

    I will add my thoughts in a bit but would love to hear yours

    ——————————————————————————————–

    Gambling
    in its many different forms has been a problem to society for
    generations. It has been the ruin and destruction of many people who
    have willingly or otherwise fallen into its heartbreaking trap.
    Gambling includes such things as casino gambling, horse racing, high
    risk investments, and state-sponsored lotteries.

    Gambling
    often becomes an addiction and is a continual source of heartache,
    poverty, and suffering to those homes where one or more members are
    ensnared. The existence of groups such as Gamblers Anonymous, which
    attempt to help individuals over come their addiction, confirms the
    seriousness of this problem.

    Time
    magazine estimates that there are nearly eight million compulsive
    gamblers in America, one million of whom are teenagers. An Illinois
    criminal justice professor found eight times as many gambling addicts
    among college students as among adults.

    Government
    should promote public virtue not seduce its citizens to gamble in
    state-sponsored vice. Government is supposed to be a minister of God
    according to Romans 13, but its moral stance is compromised when it
    enters into a gambling enterprise.

    Citizens
    would be outraged if their state government began enticing its
    citizens to engage in potentially destructive behavior (like taking
    drugs). But those same citizens see no contradiction when government
    legalizes and even promotes gambling. Instead of being a positive
    moral force in society, government contributes to the corruption of
    society.

    Gambling
    is a major cause of family neglect. Many of the social costs
    associated with gambling come from its mindset. As people get caught
    up in a gambling frenzy, they begin to neglect their families. Money
    spent on lottery tickets or at horse tracks is frequently not risk
    capital but is income that should be spent on family needs. In 1
    Timothy 5:8 it says that a person who refuses to care for his family
    is worse than an infidel.

    Will
    I be able to stand before God, the giver of all, and say that I have
    used His gifts wisely if I have used even a portion of the time,
    abilities, and possessions he has given me in gambling? Is it good
    stewardship to pour money down the drain in games which you know have
    the odds stacked against you?

    Can
    you picture Jesus sitting at a slot machine with a cup full of
    quarters?