Wow. What Are These Parents Thinking?

Seriously...this is very scary to me.

A Lake Placid man was arrested Thursday on allegations that he had sex more than once with a 13-year-old girl, which led to her getting pregnant.

Pedro Valladares Martinez, 27, of Sudburry Drive, Lake Placid, was charged with lewd and lascivious acts on a victim 12 to 16 years of age.

He remained in the Highlands County Jail Friday under a $50,000 bond.

Law enforcement was alerted about the two after Highlands County Courthouse employees called and said the girl's family was trying to get a marriage license for her and Martinez, according to the Lake Placid Police Department.

"Interviews with the suspect and the victim found that sex occurred more than once at the victim's residence in Lake Placid, and resulted in the victim becoming pregnant," according to a press release.

Lake Placid Police Office Eddie San Miguel investigated the case and made the arrest.

I can't really understand how this 27 year old man was able to get this close to a 13 year old girl in the first place, let alone several times. Where were her parents? What did they think she was doing? Why weren't they following-up and being responsible for her? Sure kids are sneaky, daughters probably even more so, but I would think that if they were paying attention at all they would have at least expected something. My parents would have, and my life would have become much more home based and micromanaged by the parents for quite some time. Parents don't need proof after all.

Even if I ignore the above, and let the parents off the hook for not being active and present in their daughter's life, I still can't fathom why the parents wanted to marry their daughter to this man. How can this be okay in their minds? A girl who can't even legally drive, and probably isn't even in high school yet, married to a man who should be all accounts in prison for his relationship with this girl. Consensual or not, he is 27! He knows that this girl is a child.

There is nothing about this that is okay. Nothing at all. These are horrible, terrible, bad parents who are marring their daughter off to a man who is even worse...

Russian Wildfires

My thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost homes, family and friends. A devastating tragedy...



I have a friend who lives in Stavrapol. I am attempting to find out if her area has been affected...

The Newest Miss California

Meet the Newest Miss California, Arianna Afsar. In an article posted on the NBC Los Angeles site she had the following to say about illegal immigration.

Newly crowned Miss California Arianna Afsar is not in the same competition as Carrie Prejean, but she may turn out to be just as controversial.

The UCLA sophomore is staunchly anti-amnesty for undocumented immigrants.

"I think that people who want to be a United States citizen need to come over here legally in order to get the privileges that every American receives," said the 18 year-old, during a webcam interview with NBCLA.

Afsar's own father is an immigrant from Bangladesh, who helped bring three relatives to the U.S legally.

"It ended up taking him 10 years, but he did it legally," said Afsar. "I don't think that if you are close to the border that you have the right to be given the rights of a United States citizen."

Afsar believes all immigrants should follow the same legal process as her father.

Also, here is the video of the webcam interview.



All I can say, is that this is one young lady who has her head on straight when it comes to this issue. I like her "Adopt-A-Grandfriend" program as well. More from the article:

She was crowned Miss California in Fresno on July 10.

"I was completely shocked," recalls Afsar. "I'm definitely ready for the job, but I'm still a bit shocked."

Afsar should have no problem with national attention. The San Diego native was in the semi-finals of "American Idol," season eight.

Originally a judge's favorite, Afsar was praised as being "cute as a button." But her rendition of Abba's "The Winner Takes it All" prompted judge Simon Cowell to call her "absolutely terrible." Soon after, she was eliminated.

Afsar used her singing talent and her passion for helping the elderly to win the Miss California crown.

She created the "Adopt-A-Grandfriend" program in 2005, which aims at providing companionship to often lonely nursing home residents.

Afsar will take her platform, singing talents and poise to the Miss America pageant in January 2011.

Good luck to Miss Afsar, and I can say that I am very proud of her parents for raising such a wonderful young lady, with what seems to be the right principles. I am also proud of them for entering the right way and realizing how important this is.

Quote Of The Day

Yesterday's Answer: Will Rogers

Congratulations to Sarge Charlie, for being the first with the correct answer!


Today's Quote:
"I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character!"

Submissions are welcome, but it means you can't guess on the quote you submitted. If you have a submission, please email it to mrsxoke@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name as you wish it to appear with your submission, a link to your web page or blog, and the name of the person who said or wrote your quote.

Quote Of The Day

Yesterday's Answer: Edmund Burke


Today's Quote:
"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?"

Submissions are welcome, but it means you can't guess on the quote you submitted. If you have a submission, please email it to mrsxoke@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name as you wish it to appear with your submission, a link to your web page or blog, and the name of the person who said or wrote your quote.

Hypocrisy? Stupidity? Confusion? Or A Little Of All Three?

Here is some video footage from Fox News regarding the protests that occurred today in Arizona. There are aspects of the videos that bother me terribly.



I have no issue with any group who opposes government, for any reason, protesting. It is true that American Citizens are guaranteed the right of peaceful assembly in protest. The assembly must be peaceful, not causing a safety hazard, and if your area requires it, and you will be blocking streets, you must have gathered the needed permits.

I do have an issue with any group who protests anywhere in my country, waving the flag of another country as part of their protest. Especially when that flag represents a country they fled in the process of coming into mine! If the flag of that other country means so much to you, and represents what you want to gain here, then perhaps you shouldn't have left your homeland to begin with.

As far as I am concerned, you enter this country legally, or you get caught and sent back. We have laws in place for a reason. We expect them followed. If you can't follow them, especially the one where you enter legally, we don't want you here. If you enter here legally, and can't follow the other laws, we don't want you here either. We have enough criminals of our own who were born here.

Once here legally, you learn our language. If you don't, you should not expect to have a translator provided for you, nor should you expect to be able to obtain a driver's license by taking the test in your native tongue, or to vote in your native tongue. Life happens in English here. Get used to the idea.

If you are not here legally, and want to see how long you can stay, and not get caught, have a go at it. I can understand that this country makes it very expensive and damn near impossible to enter legally without an attorney. Taking that into consideration, and the fact that you have nothing to loose in your homeland, I can't say I blame you for trying. I really can't. It is still illegal, and you need to be prepared to suffer the consequences. Not only that, but since you are illegal, you can't expect to be able to rent an apartment, find a job, or go on welfare or state aid of any kind. You are not entitled to these things.

Most importantly? Remember that if you are here illegally, you have no rights outside of you human rights. None. You are not a citizen, or a legal resident. You probably aren't even paying taxes. You aren't allowed to vote, and I don't want to hear what you think about our laws, or our politics. When you are a citizen, you can have your say. Not until then.

Now, many in the above video, and in the video below, may be citizens, or here legally. That is fantastic. It really is. What isn't fantastic is that they claim to want to remain here, and can't even wave the right flag. The flag they are waving is the Mexican flag. They are waving the Mexican flag while protesting an American law, while standing on American soil, while claiming that the reason they are protesting this American law is because they and many others want to remain in America, without the threat of racial profiling. (While they broadcast that they are Mexican by waving the Mexican flag!)

Explain something to me. Is this a example of hypocrisy, stupidity, confusion, or a little of all three? If you want to be here, then why aren't you waving the flag of the country you want to be in, are currently in, and proving that America is the country you support, even when you don't agree with this law? Why stand in this country, protesting a law passed in this country, using this country's laws protecting an American's right to protest, all the while waving the flag of a country you were so unhappy with, that you left?



What was that you said? You say that most of the controversial parts of the law were blocked? And they are still protesting? That says it a lot about those protesting doesn't it?

"They got quite a bit yesterday, but they are still not happy with it"

You know what I think? If you don't like it, then why did you come here? If the reasons you came here aren't enough anymore, then leave.

The Black Plague

I can't think of a more fitting death for a terrorist. Can you? OK, maybe there are a few others.

Still, this is pretty fitting:

The group of 40 terrorists were reported to have been killed by the plague at a training camp in Algeria earlier this month.
It was initially believed that they could have caught the disease through fleas on rats attracted by poor living conditions in their forest hideout.

But there are now claims the cell was developing the disease as a weapon to use against western cities.

Experts said that the group was developing chemical and biological weapons.

Dr Igor Khrupinov, a biological weapons expert at Georgia University, told The Sun: "Al-Qaeda is known to experiment with biological weapons. And this group has direct communication with other cells around the world.

"Contagious diseases, like ebola and anthrax, occur in northern Africa. It makes sense that people are trying to use them against Western governments."

Dr Khrupinov, who was once a weapons adviser to the Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, added: "Instead of using bombs, people with infectious diseases could be walking through cities."
It was reported last year that up to 100 potential terrorists had attempted to become postgraduate students in Britain in an attempt to use laboratories.

Ian Kearns, from the Institute for Public Policy Research, told the newspaper: "The biological weapons threat is not going away. We're not ready for it."

Karma is a bitch isn't it?

Quote Of The Day

Yesterday's Answer: Sir Winston Churchill


Today's Quote:
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Submissions are welcome, but it means you can't guess on the quote you submitted. If you have a submission, please email it to mrsxoke@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name as you wish it to appear with your submission, a link to your web page or blog, and the name of the person who said or wrote your quote.

Quote Of The Day

Yesterday's Answer: Lewis Perelman


Today's Quote:
"Sometimes it is not enough to do our best; we must do what is required."

Submissions are welcome, but it means you can't guess on the quote you submitted. If you have a submission, please email it to mrsxoke@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name as you wish it to appear with your submission, a link to your web page or blog, and the name of the person who said or wrote your quote.

Wednesday's Hero

Warrant Officer John W. Hermann (Pictured Right)
7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st MLG


A Marine warrant officer received the Silver Star on July 15 during a short ceremony in Afghanistan. On Feb. 26, 2008, then-Staff Sgt. John W. Hermann, an explosive ordnance disposal technician, accompanied a team with Company B, 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, on a combat reconnaissance patrol through Dahaneh, a village in southern Afghanistan held by Taliban forces.

While on the patrol, the team came under a barrage of fire from rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, machine guns and small-arms fire. Hermann, according to the award citation, jumped out of his vehicle with another Marine and ran toward a group of entrenched fighters.

You can read the rest of Warrant Officer John W. Hermann's story here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Quote Of The Day

Yesterday's Answer: Oscar Wilde

Congratulations to Sarge Charlie, for being the first with the correct answer!


Today's Quote:
"Dogma is the sacrifice of wisdom to consistency."

Submissions are welcome, but it means you can't guess on the quote you submitted. If you have a submission, please email it to mrsxoke@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name as you wish it to appear with your submission, a link to your web page or blog, and the name of the person who said or wrote your quote.

I Fought For You

First and foremost, thank you Sarge Charlie for sharing this with your readers. I absolutely cried my eyes out. Tears aside, this moving video says so much in four short minutes, and in my opinion is really so very important.



My father served in Vietnam, and my grandfather on the pacific islands during World War II. Both were in the Army, and both have always made sure that their children knew the stories, and the hardships, and more importantly the why's behind why they personally served their country, and what they were fighting for.

I, with the help of my father, have taught and told my son the same things. No one likes war, but sometimes they have to be fought, and other times, the politics behind their beginning are a small piece of the puzzle and overshadow what can be won for the people living under tyrannical rule. Politicians, and their reasons aside, our men and women are fighting a fight for the right reasons, because it is their hearts and blood that are poured out for our freedom, and the freedom of others.

Quote Of The Day

Yesterday's Answer: George Bernard Shaw


Today's Quote:
"It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating."

Submissions are welcome, but it means you can't guess on the quote you submitted. If you have a submission, please email it to mrsxoke@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name as you wish it to appear with your submission, a link to your web page or blog, and the name of the person who said or wrote your quote.

Before you start making accusations, and before you start pointing fingers, and before you even step up on that holier than thou pedestal, do your homework. Unless of course you want to look like a moronic horses ass.

Mini Family Reunion

This Saturday a branch of my mother's side of the family got together for a family reunion. It was amazing to see so many arrive, and we had so much fun. Many of those in attendance I had not seen since I was very little, others I had never met before, and there were a few that I still see often (in comparison), but not as often as I would like. It means a lot to me to know that I am a part of such a wonderful family unit. A family that can get together after years apart, and have so much fun. A family that manages to keep in contact over miles and years. I feel stronger knowing that I have all of them in my life.

My husband managed to capture some photos that may help us all remember the good times.



In closing, I have to thank my mother's first cousin and her husband for letting the entire clan invade their home. The food was amazing, the setting was unforgettable, and the hospitality incomparable. Thank you.

Ask Captain Dramatic

Kids say the darnedest things you say? As they get older, some of those things get even stranger. Maybe even a bit scarier. Sometimes, even when scary they are funny though.

Just the other night, Captain Dramatic and I were at our computers, which are in the same room. Between us on the table was a tube of caulking that Dad-E had recently used while making some repairs. For some reason, Captain Dramatic picked it up, read it, and then chuckled to himself. Me, with one eyebrow raised, turned my head to look at him, and tried to figure out what could be amusing about a tube of caulking. Not being able to see the humor, foolish me, I asked.

Me: What are you laughing at?
CD: Nothing really.
Me: You can't laugh at something, while holding a tube of caulking, and not tell me what is funny.
CD: Well, I just did.
Me: *sigh* Tell me!
CD: Read it. You'll see.

I took the tube, read the whole thing, and seriously didn't get it.

Me: I don't see anything funny.
CD: What is it a tube of.
Me: Caulk

Captain Dramatic began to laugh hysterically. I was beginning to to become a very frustrated mother.

Me: WHAT?!?!
CD: *pointing at the word caulk* Does that word sound like another word?
Me: *flush* Um, yes. It does.
CD: *still laughing* The word isn't the funniest part though mom, but it was funny to hear you say it.
Me: Then what is the funniest part?
CD: Read all the words.
Me: OK... "Bright White...mold & mildew resistant, waterproof seal, paintable, easy water clean-up"...
CD: *hysterical laughing*
Me: You are such a boy. Gross...
CD: *laughing*

They grow up way the hell too fast.



To learn how you can submit your questions to Captain Dramatic, click here. Don't be shy!

Quote Of The Day

Yesterday's Answer: Richard M. Nixon


Today's Quote:
"It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid."

Submissions are welcome, but it means you can't guess on the quote you submitted. If you have a submission, please email it to mrsxoke@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name as you wish it to appear with your submission, a link to your web page or blog, and the name of the person who said or wrote your quote.

One Of The Many Reasons I Love Northwestern Nevada

Almost every day at work, I get the privilege of being able to sit for a short time and watch the wild Mustangs that roam the hills of Northwestern Nevada. For those of us who live here, they are common enough that we notice them, but may take their presence and beauty for granted. It isn't out of the ordinary to see them on the hills grazing as you drive down the interstate, or as you travel some of the less beaten paths outside of the city.

I happen to work off one of those less beaten paths, and get to see them every day. Often times I have to stop on the way to work while they cross the road. Most of the time though, I watch them from out parking lot as they play, and graze, and sometimes fight. I even watched one give birth just a short distance away, and was surprised when two or three of the herd stood around as if they were protecting the mother while she lay on the ground having her foal.

They are truly amazing creatures, and outside of having to stop when the cross the road, and walk around the droppings they leave in the parking lot on occasion, they really are unobtrusive. The gardeners hate that they are constantly having to plant new vegetation, and try to find plants that horses don't find tasty, but that really is a small price to pay to be able to see them every day and observe how they interact with one another.

The herd is large from what I am told, but they seem to travel in smaller groups while being part of the bigger herd. The smaller groups are never very far from other smaller groups, but it looks as if there is some sort of separation. Maybe like immediate families are in their own little group all all the time, but are still accepted and part of the extended family that makes up the herd as a whole. I am not sure how to best explain it.

The other day, when I arrived at work, they were grazing close to the building and I was able to snap some photos on my cell phone of them.

Burn Out

I haven't written anything of any substance here in ages. I hadn't even put any thought into why that is until today. I think that for the longest time, I just shut down. I think I was suffering from a what is often called burn out.

You see, I had always tried to put a lot of thought into what I posted here. I always tried to understand both sides of every story. I am not going to pretend that I always did, but I tried to. Sometimes you just can't get the other side of the argument because your mind does not work the same as those that hold the other view. That is normal, or at least I think so.

I think that all of the effort I was trying to put in to everything I wrote took a toll on me. The time spent researching, and then trying to lay everything out usually led to a bunch on unfinished writing. Often times, something I started may not have become complete until after the topic was beat to death on other blogs, or in the media. It started to become a depressing endeavor for me. It never sits well with me when I can't finish something I have started.

Another problem I ran into, was a loss of my passion for blogging. Or maybe it would be better to say, that I lost my drive to write about the things that were happening around me. Maybe because I started to think that perhaps none of this stuff matters to anyone, but me. In the past, I have never been one to require much feed back from others, but maybe in this instance, or at that point in my life, I did. As most "everyday people" who blog know, any feedback received is usually in short supply, and trolls and spammers are often in abundance. Without constructive, worthwhile, thought provoking feedback, I began to really think of my writing as a chore. So much time and work went into my writing, and it felt as if little meaning seemed to come from it.

Well, by now I am sure you are thinking, "oh please! Stop feeling sorry for yourself!" Well, I would have never used that phrase to describe how I felt. There wasn't any self-pity involved really. I was more apathetic than that. I just stopped. I just started filling my time up in other ways. It seems I just closed that chapter and walked away. There was a level of self-detachment that was present. A few of my loyal readers (there were only a few, but they were, and are still wonderful people, I am sure) even emailed me, and I kept those emails, but I am not sure that I even responded. (If I didn't, I am very sorry for that unintentional slight.) It as those emails that got me thinking about why I stopped blogging to begin with.

This absence from blogging has taught me something. I guess you could say, that my having left the blogosphere wasn't a total loss. I have learned that when I can't write about things that are on my mind or bothering me, I have a harder time coping with them. This was an outlet for me. My blog was a place to put my thoughts, and ideas, and a place to vent my angers and frustrations. Without it, I think that the intellectual part of me was slowly dying out.

Worse yet, the things that I used to write about, started being pushed further from my mind. I tried not to think about them, as when I did they bothered me. I gave up on politics, and trying to guide people toward thinking independently and drawing their own conclusions based on fats rather than what they were being force-fed by the main stream media. I stopped trying to point out the inconsiderate of the world, and stopped trying to educate others on the right way to treat those they shared planet with by using bad examples provided by the ignorant, cruel, and mis-guided of the world. I stopped trying to make a difference.

Today, while cleaning old emails off my PC, I found those few notes that I mentioned earlier, that reminded me of a time when trying to make a difference was important to me. I realized that I felt better about me, when I felt like I was doing something instead of watching the world and the people in it destroy what I love about this country and the humanity that resides here. I think I want to work my way back to the place where I offer thoughts in the hope that I can help make a difference. Maybe all the effort that I used to exert in the creation of a blog post was worth it. Maybe it is time to get involved again.

Wish me luck. It may be a struggle to get back into the swing of things. I have a lot of catching up to do.

Quote Of The Day

I thought that I would five this another try after taking a few months break. I am going to try and get back into blogging completely, but thought I would start small.


Today's Quote:
"I would have made a good Pope."

Submissions are welcome, but it means you can't guess on the quote you submitted. If you have a submission, please email it to mrsxoke@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name as you wish it to appear with your submission, a link to your web page or blog, and the name of the person who said or wrote your quote.

Wednesday's Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Greta

Ernie Pyle
August 3, 1900 – April 18, 1945

Ernie Pyle is oft considered the best, and most loved, war correspondent in American history. Pyle's involvement with the military began early in his life. He wasn't even 18 years old when he joined the Navy Reserve, but because WWI ended soon after he only served for three month.

After he dropped out of Indiana University he began his career in journalism when he worked for a local Indiana paper for three months after which he got a job at The Washington Daily News. In 1928 he became the countries first aviation columnist. Pyle stayed on at The Daily News until 1942 when America entered WWII.

His style of writing during this time was different than anyone else was doing. Pyle wrote from the perspective of the Soldier. A style that won him popularity as well as the Pulitzer.

On April 18, 1945 Ernie Pyle was killed on Ie Shima, an island off Okinawa Honto when he was hit by enemy fire. He was riding in a Jeep with Lt. Col. Joseph B. Coolidge when a machine gun began firing at them. They stopped and ran for a ditch. Pyle's last words were to Lt. Col. Coolidge when he asked him "Are you all right?"

Upon his death, Ernie Pyle was buried with his helmet on, the Army, Navy and Marine Corps were all represented at his service and he was one of the few American civilians to be awarded the Purple Heart.



These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday's Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested & Written By Mary Ann

Corporal Rodolfo P. Hernandez
Company G, 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team


Cpl. Hernandez, a member of Company G, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. On May 31, 1951 near Wontong-ni, Korea his platoon, in defensive positions on Hill 420, came under ruthless attack by a numerically superior and fanatical hostile force, accompanied by heavy artillery, mortar, and machine gun fire which inflicted numerous casualties on the platoon.

His comrades were forced to withdraw due to lack of ammunition but Cpl. Hernandez, although wounded in an exchange of grenades, continued to deliver deadly fire into the ranks of the onrushing assailants until a ruptured cartridge rendered his rifle inoperative. Immediately leaving his position, Cpl. Hernandez rushed the enemy armed only with rifle and bayonet. Fearlessly engaging the foe, he killed 6 of the enemy before falling unconscious from grenade, bayonet, and bullet wounds but his heroic action momentarily halted the enemy advance and enabled his unit to counterattack and retake the lost ground. For his actions on that day, Cpl. Hernandez was awarded the distinguished Medal Of Honor on April 21, 1052. The indomitable fighting spirit, outstanding courage, and tenacious devotion to duty clearly demonstrated by Cpl. Hernandez reflect the highest credit upon himself, the infantry, and the U.S. Army.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.