The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even went as far as to recommend sick students wear surgical masks when they kiss.

Just.

Say.

NO.

New Government Policy Imposes Strict Standards on Garage Sales Nationwide

You make me promises, promises.

Remember when we all went crazy over the new laws for lead in toys and other products for children?

Why do I believe promises, promises?

It won’t apply to resale, they said.

Knew you’d never keep all of your promises.

We’ll still be able to shop at thrift stores and yard sales and eBay, they said.

We didn’t really believe that, did we?

Mother says doctors refused to treat infant because of U.K. health rules

Sorry, the government rules have established a cutoff date of 23 weeks gestation. Too bad for your baby.

A prime example of why the government should not be involved in medical decisions. This is a life or death situation, and we’re fooling ourselves if we think government involvement won’t bite us in our rears sooner or later.

And what makes me so very very mad, is that gestational dates are highly inaccurate, especially when you are establishing cutoff dates and refusing care because the baby’s estimated gestation is two days shy of the date at which you would provide care.

They treated her like it was a miscarriage.

This is murder, folks. No easy way around it. Refusing treatment to a baby showing signs of hope (the baby lived for two hours). We are sliding down that slope.

Rep. Wilson shouts to Obama during speech: ‘You lie’

Since I didn’t listen to the speech, I cannot form an opinion about how I personally would feel had I been a member of Congress. Having at least once opened my big fat mouth inappropriately in a public scenario, I can empathize with Rep. Wilson. That doesn’t make it right. But…

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, told CNN affiliate WIS-TV in Columbia that he, too, was disappointed.

“The president’s combative tone did not justify a member of Congress shouting out, ‘You lie,’ ” said Graham. “Our nation’s president deserves to be treated with respect. It was an inappropriate remark, and I am glad an apology has been made.”

So, the President had a combative tone? I’m really not sure if I wouldn’t be applauding Rep. Wilson had I been there. I’m all for politeness, but we’ve got a president who is saddling us with massive debt and using the power of the federal government to make some significant changes in the daily lives of us all. This is not wrangling over which pork project gets funding or whether or not to get involved in a foreign conflict. This is a life or death situation for each and every American. Your health care should not be dictated by a government body. Is that not obvious?

There were times in our nation’s history that our representatives battled it out: in legislative assemblies, in churches, in homes, on the streets. The years leading up to the Revolutionary War and the Civil War were extremely volatile and interrupting someone’s speech with a negative interjection was commonplace. Rules of decency have not changed.

Is health care on the same plane as the fight for independence or the claim to the right to own slaves? If you are an unborn child, the answer is yes. If you are an elderly person, the answer is yes. If you have a life threatening illness, the answer is yes. If you’d like to get your prescription filled in less than an hour, the answer is yes. If you are a doctor who does not want to perform abortions, the answer is yes. If you are a nurse who does not want to have to inform patient after patient that their care has been denied, the answer is yes. If you are a pharmacist who does not want to fill a prescription for the morning after pill because it is against your religion, the answer is yes. If you are happy with your current insurance, the answer is yes. If you don’t want to pay more taxes, the answer is yes. If you don’t want your taxes dollars paying for things which are against your religion, the answer is yes.

I am not saying that Rep. Wilson acted properly. I am saying that if things continue down the road to socialized medicine, the time for politeness will soon be at an end.

Why wasn’t there swelling to the side of this man’s face?

Controversial Doll Lets Little Girls Pretend to Breast-Feed

I just had to read this article. I don’t prefer toys that require batteries or make noises, and I don’t think my daughters need shirts with drop-down access, so I am not in the market for this sort of thing. My daughters have all been perfectly happy shoving stuffed animals up their shirts with no prompting from me. They just do what they see mommy doing. It’s perfectly natural.

But what strikes me in this article are the anti-crowd’s remarks.

“…parents around the world have criticized Berjuan, saying the idea of breast-feeding is too grown-up for young children — and may even promote early pregnancy.”

Breast-feeding – providing nourishment for an infant – is too grown-up a concept for little children? Ummm…???

Promotes early pregnancy? Maybe we should hide all babies from anyone under the age of 25 so that no little girl gets the idea that they are cute and would like one. Keeping in mind this is a Spanish manufacturer and knowing the unsustainably low birthrate in Europe, I guess it’s not so much a matter of hiding the babies…they just don’t have babies. It’s one way to combat teen pregnancy: discourage children in general.

Dr. Manny Alvarez, managing health editor of FOXNews.com, said although he supports the idea of breast-feeding, he sees how his own daughter plays with dolls and wonders if Bebe Gloton might speed up maternal urges in the little girls who play it.

Heavens knows we don’t want little girls to have any maternal urges. Why do we even let stores sell those kitchens and dishes and pretend food? Why have we not banned or at least discouraged dolls in the first place? Toy stores should sell pink tools sets and pink hard hats and pink briefcases. None of this “mommy” stuff.

“Pregnancy has to entail maturity and understanding,” Alvarez said. “It’s like introducing sex education in first grade instead of seventh or eighth grade. Or, it could inadvertently lead little girls to become traumatized. You never know the effects this could have until she’s older.”

Is he suggesting we want our youth having sex in the seventh grade? If sex education in the 1st grade might correlate to sex at an early age, wouldn’t sex education in the seventh grade also correlate to sex at an early age? Really, can’t we all agree that 13 year olds should not be having sex? (I’m not promoting ignorance here, just saying that his argument is weak).

So, wouldn’t little girls pretending to breastfeed likely have the effect of them wanting to breastfeed their own real babies when they are older? Isn’t this a good thing?

Alvarez said breast-feeding reduces childhood infections, strengthens maternal bonding and increases the child’s immune system. But introducing breast-feeding to girls young enough to play with dolls seems inappropriate, he said.

Inappropriate? Truly this is a holdover attitude from someone who thinks women should excuse themselves to a private location to nurse their child.

“What’s next?” wrote Eric Ruhalter, a parenting columnist for New Jersey’s Star Ledger. “Bebe Sot — the doll who has a problem with a different kind of bottle, and loses his family, job and feelings of self-worth? Bebe Limp — the male doll who experiences erectile dysfunction? Bebe Cell Mate — a weak, unimposing doll that experiences all the indignation and humiliation of life in prison?

“Toy themes should be age appropriate. I think so anyway.”

Comparing breastfeeding to issues such as low self-esteem, sexual dysfunction and incarceration is ludicrous.

Again, a big chunk of the world seems to need reminding that breastfeeding is not about sex. Breasts were made for feeding a baby, not primarily as playtoys. It is sad that our culture is so warped and sex-obsessed. We have all the collective maturity of a bunch of high schoolers where everything has a double entendres.

There is nothing more age appropriate than a little girl imitating motherly activities: cooking, cleaning, nurturing babies. I’m happy that my daughters have all rocked, cradled and “breastfed” their dolls or teddy bears.

And I’m happy that they need to be taught what that bottle thingy is.

IRS approves exemption for pro-life group after ‘prejudicial’ investigation

The IRS had reportedly sought “details” about the content of Coalition for Life members’ prayers at a Planned Parenthood facility.

Just another day in the life of the Thought Police.

Maybe they should just let the people vote about whether or not they want female clergy:

Anglican ordination of women leads to two types of Communion at cathedral

An Anglican cathedral is trying to accommodate those of its faithful who do not accept female clergy by allowing parishioners to decide whether to accept communion bread blessed by its female canon or by a male priest.

So we’ve got Catholics and Orthodox who use the Bible and tradition. We’ve got Bible-alone Protestants. Now we get doctrine-by-poll. Women priests? Take a vote! Homosexual bishops? Polls are now open! Is it wrong to cheat on your taxes? It was yesterday, but the latest Zogby results say it’s okay (just don’t get caught).

The practice was attacked by Sally Barnes of the Anglican feminist group Women and the Church. She said it was “unacceptable and disgraceful” to turn communion into “a buffet.”

No, Sally, it’s not a buffet, it’s a cafeteria.

I’ve discovered a growing pet peeve. It never used to bother me, then it bothered me a little. Now it bugs the daylights out of me.

Using Lenten feast days as an excuse to eat meat on Fridays.

First it was St. Patrick’s Day, and certain bishops wanted to make sure that the faithful could indulge in green beer and corned beef even if March 17th fell on Friday as it did it 2006 and 2000. Now as much as I love St. Patrick, his feast is a minor feast day, so this is really pushing it.

But March 19th is the Solemnity of St. Joseph. Next year it is on a Friday. My Catholic homeschool group wants to do a father-son meal on this day, and many of the women felt that serving meat was fine since it was his feast day.

“We are required to celebrate solemnities,” pointed out one woman.

“But we aren’t required to eat meat, “ said I. She agreed, but she and many others thought that meat could still be an option, for example, if the dinner was spaghetti with meatballs, you could decline the meatballs if you were one of those holy-than-thou people who thought that eating meat on Friday during Lent was wrong.

Now, I don’t eat meat on Fridays as a general rule – even outside of Lent, and I’m willing to accept that others may choose different sacrifices outside of Lent. But it annoys me when Catholics socialize as Catholics on Fridays (as my homeschool group does once a month) and nobody encourages going meatless. We do a potluck, and my dish will be the only meatless dish. If we are all supposed to be doing some sort of sacrifice on Friday, wouldn’t it just be easier if we did the same one? If the Jones Family offers up cheese, they may have trouble finding a dish. And if the Smiths offer up sweets, then there will be a whole table of temptations. And if the saintly Reitemeyers give up meat, then they have to feed themselves or go hungry.

There’s not much point going to a potluck if you can’t eat anything served.

OK, so this part of my pet peeve is, obviously, growing, too. But sticking with the main part – eating meat on Fridays during Lent – I want to know how the rest of the Catholic world thinks (or at least the small fraction that comes here to visit). The Solemnity of St. Joseph is only seven months away. What do you plan to do? Do you think eating meat on his feast day is acceptable (assuming the Bishops give permission)? Do you think the requirement to “celebrate” necessitates the eating of meat or the eating of sweets?

And, since I obviously disagree with you if you do, I really want to hear some justifications as to why “Catholic-lite: the smooth, easy road to Heaven” is a good idea. Do you think this trend of minimal discomforts has made us a stronger church or better people? Do you think that voluntarily suffering is useless? Or are you just not interested in being challenged? What’s your problem, huh?