If You're Muslim and They Know It ...

     If you ever partake in casual news-watching ... or news-browsing on the web ... (Or haven't been living under a rock) ... I'm sure at this point, you have heard of the NYPD's intrusive, (in my non-lawyer mind) highly likely illegal surveillance of Muslim students across the Northeast ... and, you know what, it's some ...

      Maybe I'm mistaken but I always thought this was country was founded on the principles of life and liberty (and the pursuit of happiness), as well as some basic civil, human, God-given rights ... Like, for example, the fact that (in case you need a little Civics refresher course on the Bill of Rights):

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. (Amendment 1)

and, you know, maybe this one ...

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. (Amendment 4)

     Both those amendments are straight up in the CONSTITUTION of the United States of America ... Basically, uh, the supreme law of the land.

     So, when did it become okay to basically target a whole group of people - in this case, students! - pretty much labeling them as terrorists before anything connects them to acts of terrorism.

     OH WAIT ... Some of them talk about Islam and pray four times a day while whitewater rafting. Totally makes sense now.

     Ummmm, these are MUSLIM college students. Obviously some will pray while out and about ... Obviously some talk of religion will come about. It was an Muslim Student Association trip ... and, despite that, WHO CARES!? ... They have a right to do both of those things without being covertly spied on and then having a SECRET document sent back to the NYPD about their actions.
     This past Sunday, I attended an event sponsored by Muslims For Peace, Inc., which focused on the NYPD surveillance, as well as the human rights issues in Bahrain. In attendance were NJ Congressman Rush Holt, NJ Senator Linda Greenstein, and Councilman Stephen Dalina of Monroe Township, NJ, as well as close to 40 attendees.
     Speakers described the actions of the NYPD as "tragic and un-American," citing that Muslims deserve the same rights as all other Americans. One speaker stated that if the NYPD wants cooperation they should not be secretive and "come through the front door" as it is a "religious duty to obey the laws of the land."
     Holt started speaking by simply stating that, "It's troubling what fear will do to a people."

 

     He went onto describe the actions of the NYPD as "intrusive, reprehensible, and pointless," as well as counterproductive.

     "People should be as much troubled by the bad police procedures as they are by the intrusive actions," said Holt.

     He said that the fear people demonstrate ultimately leads to an unraveling of our society.

     And, if you ask me, that is one of the truest statements I have heard to date. It is fear that led to this surveillance of Muslim students. Fear that has grown after 9/11. And, while I know that there are threats everyday that need to be investigated and looked into, this was not the way to go about it. Yes, keeping this country safe and secure is important but infringing on the rights of an entire group of people because of their faith goes directly against the same rights and freedoms we are trying to protect. 

     Counterproductive, don't you think?

First they came for the communists,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

  

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me,

and there was no one left to speak out for me.

- Niemoller 

Judge not before you judge yourself. Judge not, if you're not ready for judgement. The road of life is rocking and you may stumble too. So while you talk about me, someone else is judging you. (Judge Not, Bob Marley)

 

Go Small, Or Go Home

     If you have ever been to Victoria's Secret and offered them up your name and email address, you have undoubtedly received one of these in the mail ...

     And been uber excited to run to VS that moment to grab your freebie undies and, if you're anything like me (meaning broke and/or cheap), nothing else.

     So, yesterday, I received a similar coupon for a free lace-trim hip-hugger and even though the coupon said it was valid starting on the 28th, I ran there anyway - hoping they would accept it ... and they did. The nice salesgirl showed me the table where all the lace-trim hip-huggers were laid out and I was in undie heaven.

     Until confusion stuck. I mean I always knew they hid the dreaded EXTRA LARGE undies at the very bottom of the displays, in the bottom drawers, where they could be hidden from sight ... but I didn't see the drawer marked XL. So then I circled the display and I didn't see a single drawer marked XL. So I grabbed a large, thinking, "They're free. Who cares if they're sold out."

     I walked over the counter to "pay" and asked the girl about the XL undies and her response ... 

     VS stopped carrying extra large's in every style of underwear (except one) for almost a year at this point. They also stopped carrying a size 40 bra.

     SKINNY BITCHES WHO RUN THE FASHION INDUSTRY SAY WHAT?!?!?!

     Now, as Joy Nash pointed out in this hilarious video, I know the fashion industry thinks some women "barely deserve to be allowed to wear clothing ..." but has it come to the point where we can't buy underwear either?! 

     Damn, son. That's just wrong.

     Oh, and for the record, even when VS had an extra large, it never really was an extra large... It was more like a large disguised as an extra large ... because those things ran small, so why I even picked up that large is beyond me.

     All I know is ... VS is not making anymore money off of me. (The little that they were.)

Whatcha gonna do with all that junk, all that junk inside your trunk? ... I drive these brothers crazy. I do it on the daily. They treat me really nicely. They buy me all these ices. Dolce and Gabbana, Fendi and that Donna Karan. They be sharing, all their money got me wearing fly. Brother, I ain't asking. They say they love my ass in Seven jeans, True Religion. I say no but they keep giving. (My Humps, Black Eyed Peas)

A Daily Dose of Allegiance Does One Good

     So, it's been awhile. I'm generally not this non-bloggy but work and grad school kind of own my life ... But when I have something to say, I have to say it ... and if you've been following me for a while, you know there are two things that I am very violently vocal about (HELLO ALLITERATION!) ... One being women in the media and its effect on their body image and the other being shit that pisses me off.
     So, here goes one about something that pissed me the heck off ... If it sounds similar, it might be because almost a year ago, I wrote a blog entry on a very similar topic.
     If you are a  frequent reader of my blog, you know that I substitute teach in my (very) spare time for some pocket change and to cover the bills, bills, bills ... and lately I have been noticing an alarming trend in a growing number of school districts that is PISSING ME OFF.
     Back in the day when I was in school, we'd get off the bus, go in, put all our stuff away, go to homeroom or whatever ... and the first thing we'd generally do after attendance was the Pledge of Allegiance.

     Nowadays, I barely go to any schools that do the Pledge every morning. Honestly, it would not surprise me if in some districts, there were students who did not know the Pledge, which doesn't piss me off ... it saddens me, because, you know what ... that's not the fault of the children, it's the fault of the districts. 

     Whether they are doing it to not offend because they have foreign students or because they are scared of saying "God" in school ... It is completely unacceptable. 

     We are a country of immigrants and I am completely aware of that (and proud of our diversity) ... and, yes, I know there are some things that we need to be sensitive of - I get that too. 

     I understand that some children may not want to say the Pledge because they are not American and they have their own countries that they pledge their allegiance to, and you know what ... I'm fine with that too. But, there is nothing wrong with still having it said every day and teaching children that they should stand and honor the country they live in, and presumably, their parents (or guardians) work and make a living in.

     Yes, I am proud of my Italian heritage and, yes, I am proud of my Pakistani heritage, but when it comes down to it, when people ask me what I am ... After I give them a snide look and say "Human? How about you?" ... I always say American. 

     I am an American Italian. I am an American Pakistani. I was born and raised in this country, and despite the fact that there will always be policies and issues that I may not agree with from time to time, I am proud to be here and proud to live here ... and proud to pledge my allegiance to it.

     And, I think that school districts need to remember that they have a part in instilling those values in the future leaders of our country.

     I think my rant is over. But, seriously, if you are a parent ... Ask your child if they do the Pledge in school. Or at the least, make sure they know the Pledge, and be sure that they know to stand when it is said. It's a matter of respect, people!

He’s got the red, white, blue flyin’ high on the farm. Semper fi tattooed on his left arm. Spend a little more in the store for a tag in the back that says USA. He won’t buy nothin’ that he can’t fix with WD-40 and a Craftsman wrench. He ain’t prejudice, he’s just Made in America. He loves his wife ... She’s Golden Rule, teaches school, some folks say it isn’t cool, but she says the Pledge of Allegiance any way. (Made in America, Toby Keith)

(Sidenote: As I wrote that ... I heard the Star Bangled Banner playing from the television outside my door ... I guess my brother is watching some sporting event right now ... and on that note, I must commend some districts on their policies of both doing the pledge and playing the national anthem every morning.)

It's Just Another Day

     Yes, it is Valentine's Day and for all you single people out there ... I have just one thing to say to all of you ...

Hold on tight. Wait for tomorrow. You'll be all right. (Heaven Forbid, The Fray)

     And, to all my readers, keep coming back because I love you!

PS. I love this V-Day Card. I hope it makes you giggle too.

Adele: A Role Model Worth Her Weight In Everything (Pun Intended)

     By this point, I am sure a lot of you have heard about Karl Lagerfeld and his demeaning comments (and the subsequent apology he issued) to Adele ...
     But still, I have one question for Karl Lagerfeld, the man behind the Adele is an amazing singer but she's just "a little too fat" comments ... Have you looked in the mirror lately??!!? Because you are one hella ugly, old-ass dude, who has no business commenting on others looks.

     Adele on the other hand is a talented, strong, beautiful woman who represents the majority of women in this country ... And she owns it.

     She apparently told People magazine, "Weight has nothing to do with my career. Even when I was signing, most of the industry knew if anyone ever dared say [lose weight] to me, they wouldn't be working with me."

     It is refreshing to see a woman in the entertainment industry speak out like that and own her body for what it is ... Because far too often we see women beating themselves up and attempting to fit into the Hollywood ideal of perfection.

Nicole Richie

Victoria "Posh" Beckham

Kiera Knightley

     Adele seems to go against the grain and own her body for what it is, and not let others try to put her in a category. I was ecstatic when I saw her on the December 2011 cover of Cosmopolitan magazine because, 1) its nice to see someone on the cover who looks ever so slightly maybe more like me than the usual cover girls, and 2) Cosmopolitan did not use a head shot of her, as magazines will often do when the cover model is anything above a size 4 (OMG! God FORBID!).

     I just hope Adele is able to keep up her kick-ass, give-'em-hell attitude when it comes to her image as she becomes increasingly famous, and is in the spotlight more and more, because there are hundreds of thousands of little girls out there who need a role model like her.

     I know I could have used one growing up.

You don't own me. Don't try to change me in any way. You don't own me. Don't tie me down 'cause I'd never stay. I don't tell you what to say. I don't tell you what to do. So just let me be myself. That's all I ask of you. I'm young and I love to be young. I'm free and I love to be free - to live my life the way I want, to say and do whatever I please. (You Don't Own Me, Lesley Gore)

Goin' Green

     I long for St. Patrick's Day every year ... and it's not for the little green leprechauns or the pots of gold or the drunken fools I can make fun of as I walk down the street ... Nope, not at all ... It's because year after year around St. Patrick's Day, McDonald's releases the SHAMROCK SHAKE!!!! Mmmmmm ... Can you say delicious!?

     And, this year, everyone can be excited because McDonalds has announced that the Shamrock Shake is now available nationwide, as opposed to at select locations. Everyone can now enjoy its cool, minty, ice-creamy, caloric deliciousness in all its glory!

     So, what are you waiting for!? Quit reading this ... Get to closest Mickey-D's and pick one up today ... And, no, McDonalds did not pay me to say that. I just loveeee the ShamSHAKE!!!!!!

Shake, shake, shake, Señora - shake your body line. Shake, shake, shake, Señora - shake it all the time. Work, work, work, Señora - work your body line. Work, work, work, Señora - work it all the time. [Jump in the Line (Shake, Señora), Harry Belefonte)

What's Wrong With The World Today? - Men.

All I have to say today is ... Men Suck. 

     If you hear me ladies, leave a comment with your man horror stories and I will post the funniest/worst/saddest ones and give my two cents about them.

Cheap date, bad taste, another night gone to waste, talking about nothing in so many words. It's not like I'm not trying 'cause I'll give anyone a shot once. And I close my eyes and I kiss that frog, each time finding - the more boys I meet, the more I love my dog. [The More Boys I Meet (The More I Love My Dog), Carrie Underwood)

Sexy, Sassy, Smart, and Sweet ... Meet Ms. Brown!

     I have always been a fan of the M&Ms commercials so I was crazy excited to hear that a super sassy new M&M lady will be hitting the tube come Super Bowl Sunday equipped with super chic plastic rims and sky high white stilettos. This M&M has style to die for.

     In addition to her style, this M&M is also a lady with ambition. Just look at her official business card right here. She's the CCO, Chief Chocolate Officer, at M&M. Her business cards are more professional than mine!

     Seriously cannot wait for Sunday ... I bet Ms. Brown is gonna blow her colleagues out the water with her commercials, and that will take a lot, because, I mean, there have been some great ones by Red, Yellow, Green, Orange, and Blue already. 

     Here are some of my faves.

So, baby come to me, show me who you are. Sweet to me like sugar to my heart. I'm cravin' for you. I'm missin' you like candy. (Candy, Mandy Moore)