I'm a Woman in a STEM Career, And...

...I can attest to the fact that sexism against women is almost 100% B$.

Men have been my champions, mentors, and supporters - not to mention friends.  I've gotten - on the mere request - a recommendation YEARS after we last were in touch.

And, I married a man in Tech.  There is a saying in STEM - even <s>UGLY</s> not pretty female engineers can find a husband - they are that rare.  The ones on the job are treated like Queens - VERY respectfully.  And, engineers make GREAT husbands (well, except for that annoying thing about always having to FIX everything).

Oh, sure there is the random woman who is sexually harassed by the boss, but, what you find out is that she is NOT a coder, but in PR, or HR, or some such.

A boss would NEVER give a gifted coder a reason to leave.

This article is spot-on.

The Atrocity From Planned Parenthood

Yeah, I know, there are ALWAYS atrocities from them.

This one involves selling human body parts from abortions.

'Cause, ya know, you NEED to make your money back!  Plus some more!

If you are not OUTRAGED, if you are not APPALLED, then move on.  And seriously question your humanity.

Follow the logic. If children can be bought and sold, then what do we call that?

It’s called slavery.

So, when is the mainstream media going to find it important to talk about, write about, and urge Americans to protest it?

 

On a Vacay Trip

My daughter and I are heading to WV to visit relatives - I have two aunts who are in fragile health, and I hesitate to put off the trip any longer.  They are my father's sister & sister-in-law.

I'm looking forward to the trip for several reasons - I really do love the ladies, my daughter and I will have some time to talk, and I enjoy seeing the scenery.  As a bonus, I plan to work with my cousin to get some of the family heritage information scanned and stored online at Ancestry.com.

I'll be returning home either Saturday or Sunday, then, unpacking and laundering, and re-packing for another trip on Tuesday.

But, that's the last for a while.  All this travel this summer has been exhausting.

Some REALLY Good Advice

Here.

Some "Solutions" Cause More Problems Than They Resolve

This change is one that has been suggested by MANY people.

Although it would avoid the problem of the state forcing compliance on the Church, it would be more likely to end up with something like they have in Europe (which does things this way, for the most part) - most couples just use the state-sponsored method of getting official recognition of their marriage.  Few bother with the Church Wedding (or, do it for the sake of the parents, who might be pressuring the young couple).

One of the side effects of Church weddings is that it's an opportunity for Church representatives to spend some time with the couple.  It can be a teaching opportunity, and a point of catechesis.

I DON'T believe that this will lead to fewer problems - in fact, it is likely to lead to more.  For those couples that were previously told that they couldn't be married in the Church, imagine the OUTRAGE of an already-married - or will-be-married couple who is informed that they are not eligible for a Church wedding.  I can see the bonanza for lawyers who will sue the Church.

This will not just be gay couples, but also previously married and divorced people, cohabiters, and - if my expectations are realized - still-married potential polygamists.

The Progressive lobby will be encouraging the lawsuits, picketing, protests - not because they give a rat's @$$ about Church weddings, but because it will tie up Church funds, time, and energy, as well as provide a platform for their posturing.

Beware of "simple" solutions.

How Many Immigrants ARE There in the USA?

According to the US government, approximately 11 million.

According to multiple sources, and using different methods of checking it, about 20-30 million - and the higher number is likelier to be more accurate.

I found information about the OFFICIAL number (12 million), and why many dispute that number, in Ann Coulter's Adios Amigos book.

But, I'm not one to just blindly accept other people's numbers, so I did some checking.

The Wall Street Journal - almost unique among newspapers for having reporters who actually understand numbers - says that EITHER set of numbers is, at best, only a rough guess (for various reasons, including the fact that the US census doesn't even ASK about immigration status!).

Justich and Ng, at that time researchers for Bear Stearns, came up with the highest numbers, using a variety of means:

Bear Stearns' conclusion of dramatic underreporting was calculated by analyzing various data not included in other reports: border crossings, foreign remittances, housing permits, school enrollments, demand for language proficiency programs and service demand in gateway communities for illegals – all of which lead to findings contrary to Census Bureau numbers.

Keep in mind that the Bear Stearns report depended on hard numbers, not directly tied to sources that had a bias towards under- or over-counting.

I took a course in college on Civil War and Reconstruction.  For that class, we had to create a history of a single unit - either North or South.  For most of us, it was our first experience using original sources.

One major problem for most of us is that the evidence contradicted itself, depending on which source you consulted.  I remember asking, "If both sides indicate that the battle took out hundreds of the enemy, and only a few of their own, who do we believe?"

His answer: Look to the next-day muster - units report who is still standing, and will get a paycheck.

In other words, as the Watergate investigators found, look for the money.

On those grounds, the Bear Stearns data is probably better than most, as it relies on remittances, specific targeted requests for services, and similar information sources.

Ann Coulter estimates that about 1/4 of Mexico is currently residing in the USA.

Some Random Thoughts NOT About SSU (Same Sex Unions)

I bought the Kindle version of Ann Coulter's new book about immigration.  I find her TV appearances to be kind of snotty, and there is that think with her endorsement of Romney, but...

The book is good.  So far, I'm enjoying it.

Her point about amnesty?

Everyone knows that one amnesty begets ore illegal aliens, which begets another amnesty.  It's called an "incentive."  There's less of an incentive if the gate is locked.

I mean, picture it - you have people trespassing on your property, causing damage, drinking and stealing things.  Which will best get them to stop?

1. Providing food, water, and the keys to your house, along with leaving your minor children in their custody while you go to work to pay for all of that.  If they happen to drink and drive your car, bail them out of jail, and pay all fines.  Free school, food, medical care, lawyers for their "mischief" - whatever their illegal little hearts want.


2. Meeting them at the edge of your property, armed, and prepared to back up your demands to leave, pronto.  Keep patrolling until the threat of trespass is over.

If you are a Progressive, you chose (1).  BUT, you don't ACTUALLY give them the keys to YOUR house - you live in a gated community.  Instead, you drive them to a working class neighborhood, and demand that the residents provide all of the things you have promised - free school, "entitlements", tax credits, medical care.

The sane members of our society chose option (2).

Starting to Climb Out of the Hole We're In

It's pretty clear that we're in a precarious position - we're fast running out of OPM (Other People's Money), any proposed changes are resisted - with FEROCITY! - and the clanging timpani of the Progressive cymbals is limiting our ability to think clearly.

So, what to do?

We have to look at a multi-pronged attack - fight on many, many different fronts.  In short, we have to form coalitions:

• Those that work to gain back our Constitutional Rights


• Those that dismantle the bureaucracy - getting rid of jobs/divisions/sections that are not the work of the Federal Government, flat-out working to GET RID OF newer departments - Education, Energy, Labor, Agriculture, for example.


• Those that chip away at the entrenched "civil" workers who are, variously - thugs, lazy, self-importantly building empires, unnecessary, and stealing - or, any combination of the above.  This group needs to build a case (criminal) and use that as leverage to force those employees out - WITHOUT their pension rights - they may reclaim the money they PERSONALLY put into the system, if any.


• And, my personal favorite - start a bounty system that allows those with verifiable clean records to be bonded by a COMMERCIAL firm (with NO guarantee from the government - they will personally take any risks) to get rid of a LOT of scammers, frauds, and cheats with "entitlements".  A set percentage of whatever they turn up and can prove.  This could provide employment to a lot of ambitious Millennials, who could both build up their bank accounts, get experience in doing something USEFUL, and gain a lot more skepticism about those who are collecting these taxpayer-provided monies.

I'll admit that the last idea was sparked by this.