Windy Sydney

First, let me begin by saying that it is late, I worked a looooooong shift today, and my spelling is going to suck.  Forgive me...

A few months ago, a group of friends and I had a conversation on PostMormon.org talking about the church's stance on gay marriage.

The church claims that it isn't doing anything to tell it's members which way to vote in California (and other states) regarding gay marriage, yet they are asking wealthy members to donate money to their cause and asking other members to volunteer their time, walk door to door, and talk to other members of the church about the church's stance on the issue.  Sure... not telling them what to do... right... *insert photo of Andee rolling her eyes right here*

We were all on the message board wondering what we could do to take a stand on the issue.  I had an idea that people should have a mass resignation over the issue.  The more people agreeing to resign over this, the better.  That is one message the church can't ignore, right?  

Andrew Callahan, aka, Flatlander, put extra time and attention to a website that he named "Signing for Something."  He took the idea and ran with it.  People from all over the world have added their names and letters to the website in support of gay marriage and the church's stance on limiting rights for gay couples.  Every time I visit the website, I nod my head in agreement at the individual's choice of words for the church.  Some letters are angry, some are sad and resigned, and some are just in awe that the church could involve itself in politics in this way and still keep a tax exempt status.

Mr. Callahan knew it was only a matter of time before his involvment would raise eyebrows in the church's heirarchy... and he was right.

A couple weeks ago he had a visit from his bishop.  His bishop, who he considers a friend, wanted to give him the option of resigning his membership from the church before excommunication was discussed.  

I hopped online and saw that Flatlander (again, Mr. Callahan's screenname) had made a thread explaining what had happened to him.  There were many opinions on what he should do.  Resign and take the power away from the church?  

My advice was to make them excommunicate him.

If Mormons leave the church because they disagree with the brethren politically or otherwise, they are almost (almost, I said!) admitting they were wrong.  In my opinion, Mr. Callahan is only standing for what he believes is morally correct.  To resign for that is ridiculous.  I, along with others, told him to wait for the "court of love" and notify the press that the church was threatning him for his personal political beliefs.  I am happy to report he did just that.

Many news stations all over the country (an possibly internationally) have interviewed Andrew Callahan and shared his thoughts on the matter.  This is exactly what the church didn't want.  They wanted him to go away, and they only made it worse.

Applause, Andrew... applause my friend!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is threatening to excommunicate him because he voiced his own opinion and stood his ground publically.  They are basically saying that if you don't do what they say, you are gone.  This is something Mormons shouldn't stand for.  Ever.  Every single person out there has the right to believe and vote for what they want.  

Where would this line of thinking stop?  What if the church decided that polygamy was again needed?  Would they excommunicate people who raised their hands and said, "Ummm, what the fuck?"  

I am hopeful that the recent press that Andrew received has started conversations in the homes of people who might not otherwise consider both sides of the argument.  Conversations like these open eyes and hearts.  

Andrew, congratulations on the results of your hard work.  You are getting recognition, and you deserve every little bit of it.  You had the guts to do what many others wanted to do, but couldn't.

Thank you.

Andee

This morning I was brewing my morning cup of Joe and I had a brief moment of clairity.

Life is good.

I walked over to my computer, opened up my browser to MSNBC.com, and then checked my email.  The coffee smelled wonderful.  I added cream and sugar, and a little touch of cinnamon. When I took the first sip, I knew that that moment would be one of the best I would have all day long.  Alone, quiet, and peaceful... yumminess.

Five years ago I wouldn't have dreamed that I would be starting my mornings this way.  My life has changed, my mind has changed, and I am so much happier.  It's all about the outlook I have now.  Instead of "enduring to the end" I am enjoying the journey.

It's with this outlook that I smile and laugh at my former self... what the hell was I thinking? Here is a small list of things that I used to believe when I had my Mormon blinders on... for those who don't know, Mormon blinders are glasses you put on that make everything the church does seem rosey and beautiful.  Do not operate heavy machinery with Mormon blinders on.  Do not mix Mormon blinders with any other kinds of medication.  If you experience any swelling in the face or buttocks, take off the blinders immediately.  Now back to our regularly scheduled program...

Things I used to believe:

1. God cared deeply if I drink coffee and tea even though there is no real explanation as to why, and hot chocolate is fine even though the word of wisdom clearly states Mormons should stay away from hot drinks.
2. All tithing is spent in ways to help humanity.  The church gives this money to aid people who really need it.
3. The leaders of the church would never lie to me.
4. I wasn't fulfilling my potential as a woman because I wasn't married.
5. I needed to pray, fast and read scriptures until getting married and being a mother sounded like fun.
6. Being a "special spirit" was a compliment.
7. We needed to perform ceremonies on earth in order to be with our families together in heaven.
8. Every person I met was an opportunity to share the gospel.  These are not potential friends to accept as they are, they are potential members of the church.
9. If people saw you in a store on a Sunday you would be in the bishops office explaining yourself within the week.
10. Dry, monotone, whispered speaking is a sign that the spirit is present.
11. Blessing the food to nourish and strengthen your family is good even if you are about to sit down to butter-covered potatoes and cheesecake for dessert.
12. Calling a priesthood holder for a blessing before you go to the hospital is a good idea.
13. It would be an honor to shake hands with the prophet.
14. God cares if girls wear dresses to church or not.  
15. If someone dies, it is a woman's duty to make a casserole, preferably "Funeral Potatoes" and drop them off at the house of the deceased.

Luckily, my parents were pretty cool.  They didn't force us to not play on Sunday, or wear our church clothes at home to watch conference.  They let us be kids.  It was nice.

This is neither here nor there, but when I was first researching Mormonism I went to a Mormon message board and read through some of the entries and topics.  One woman was asking the fellow women in the "relief Society" room for suggestions on keeping her children still and interested in watching general conference.  I rolled my eyes and shook my head.  This was long before I realized the whole thing was a pile of horse dung... I just couldn't believe that there were women out there trying to force their 3 year olds into church clothes and making them sit on the couch to watch boring old men talk into the microphone.

They are kids.

They don't have great attention spans.

General conference isn't for them!  Hell, they wouldn't even understand half the stuff they are talking about.

What are/were people thinking?????

It's time for another "cool things" edition of WindySydney.  These pop up from time to time, usually around holidays, and I showcase things that I think are unique and interesting.  This time, the holiday is Halloween and the items come from Perpetual Kid.  I like the website because it has made my desk fun.  I have lots of little toys and funny notepads to make me smile... you should check it out if you haven't before. 

The Ex Voodoo Knife Set

$69.99

Hanging Harry Light Pull

$11.99

Bone Chillers Ice Cube Tray

$6.99

Dead Fred Pen Holder

$11.99

Fuzz Crime Scene Scarf

$14.99

I found this on LDS.org.  It's a part of a lesson given to Young Women during the three hour block of church on Sundays.  It's a list of possible activities for the Young Women to do to learn more about Homemaking.... because we all know that a girl should be married at 18, pregnant by 19, and she shouldn't desire a career of any kind.  Here is the link...

As always, the church's quotes will be in italics, and I will voice my concerns in bold.  This is one of the reasons I became inactive when I was in high school.  They were teaching me things like this instead of how to be closer to God.

1. Invite a specialist to teach the class how to replace a faucet washer, change a fuse, repair an electric plug, unclog a sink or drain, or hang a picture.

Because these things help us to be closer to God.  What the Hell? Really?  Should we also pray before we attempt these "manly" duties so we don't burn the house down or die of electric shock?  Make sure there is a priesthood holder there, just in case someone needs a blessing.  You never know.

2. Learn correct techniques of minor clothing repair and hold a mending party with class members.

A mending party! Really? OMG! I am so excited!   We can sew buttons and patch our jeans!  Woweeee! Are the boys doing this too? No? They are playing basketball in the cultural hall? Oh. That sounds... fun.. *sigh*

3. Invite a specialist to teach the use of color, style, and fabric in clothing, and apply this information to planning clothing.

No Mormon woman is good unless she can make matching outfits for her children and family .  If you can't do it, you are not good enough.  God won't like you if you can't sew.  God cares deeply about the style and color of the fabric you choose.

4. Invite a specialist to teach what to look for when buying clothes and fabrics, how to read and understand labels, and how to care for fabrics.

Do people really have trouble with this?  They don't know how to read lables?  You need a specialist to teach it?  Good Lord, just read the freaking label!  If it says "dry clean only" don't do anything stupid.  How hard is that?

Also, I would like to know why the boys don't learn this one as well.  Are the girls supposed to do all the laundry?  It certainly looks that way.  Is it woman's work?  Silly question.

5. Invite a mother to teach the class how to bathe, dress, change, feed, and care for infants and young children, including how to comfort a fussy baby.

Because we all know that we are going to be bathing, dressing, changing, feeding, and caring for babies until we can't pop them out anymore.  Are they boys going to do this one? No?  This is all up to the girls? What are they doing? More basketball?  Bastards!

6. Invite a specialist to teach the class about money management, budgeting, and credit buying.

This one cracks me up because this should be required for ALL married COUPLES to attend together.  Why is this just for the girls? Do tell?

7. Invite a specialist to teach about home decorating, including the use of color, balance, harmony, and proportion and ways young women can improve the appearance of their homes.

This one could be fun, but how is this supposed to help us be closer to God?  Oh, wait... this is one of those little get togethers where they make plaques that say, "Families are Forever" and "I am a Child of God."  Again, this isn't exactly something that girls need to know.  None of this has anything to do with religion whatsoever.

8. Plan and hold a special food event, such as a cake-decorating party, an international food fair, a breakfast party, or a heritage cooking night.

Oh, Gawd.  

Because we are short order cooks?  Because we will have so many children that we are going to need to make our own Molly Mormon birthday cakes?  We have to make everything perfect, you know.  If you are not perfect you are covering up a sin.

9. Have a recipe-sharing party where everyone brings a favorite food for the others to sample and where recipes are exchanged.

Because girls cook and boys don't?  What the hell?

10. Hold a “creative-cookery night” by dividing the class into teams to prepare food from ingredients placed in a sack or box.

If that last one isn't proof enough that they are trying to make homemaking fun and exciting for girls so that they will want to stay home, instead of further their education or careers I don't know what is.

These little lessons pissed me off so bad as a teenager, and I can say without question that they still piss me off.  They were trying so hard to make homemaking seem like fun to me. 

I remember one Wednesday night we were making Gingerbread houses or something like that, and one of the leaders was walking around the room making comments like, "Oh, that would be lovely!  I can't wait to see you teach this to your children!"

*puke*

I wish I were joking.  I do.

For the record, I don't have any problems with stay at home moms.  My own Mom stayed home with us when we were kids, and it was great.  The thing I have a problem with is how the church conditions young women to believe that this is their "divine role."

Women are so much more than wives and mothers.  Young girls should know that.

Andee

My Goal

As I mentioned in a post earlier this week, I bought a kit to make a haunted gingerbread house for Halloween.  I was excited to get started this morning, so I cleaned the kitchen to make sure I had a lot of surface to work with, I put on some drabby clothes in case I made a mess of myself, and I opened up the box and read the instructions.

I was trying to do everything the way it said, and I thought I was doing well until time came to build the structure of the house.  I had one wall and the front of the house put together, and I was doing my best to hold them steady so the black icing would dry.  It wouldn't dry.  Maybe I am impatient, but it was taking forever.  I had one pastry bag of black icing, and one bag of orange, and it was taking nearly all the black icing to get the walls up!  I was discouraged, and I wasn't sure what to do.

I decided to take a break and think about some options.  I have powdered sugar, eggs and water, and I had the ability to make white icing if I needed it.  I decided that the house could be a black structure with white and orange details.  Wrong.

I washed my hands and went back to the table to get back to work... and I saw it... the black pastry bag had somehow opened and there was black EVERYWHERE.  All over everything.  I could have cried.  Ugh.  It took me a while to clean up the mess.  Now my gingerbread pieces are covered in a thick film of black... maybe I can still make it work.  It can be an "artsy" house.  

I am done with it for the day.  What a freaking nightmare!

Andee

I am feeling extremely sarcastic today, you have been warned. I am sick and tired of people treating me like *I* am the crazy one! 

You know, they were right.  I was just offended.  Someone must have said something to me in a Relief Society meeting that hurt my feelings.  I should just get over it and forgive and forget.

I should marry the next return missionary I meet, because any couple devoted to eternal marriage can make it work, right?  I should start popping out babies right away, and stay home to raise them... not because I want to, but because that is what God wants for me. Endure to the end, so I can pop out more babies for eternity!  That's my goal! To share my return missionary with polygamous wives in heaven and raise millions of spirit children in an eternal daycare.  Whoop-deee-freakin-do!

I must be out of my mind for leaving the one true church that could guarantee those lovely blessings... Of course, that depends... I have years and years of tithing to catch up on.  Lard knows they need my money.  How can they build a 2 billion dollar mall without me?  It's the Lords work!

I just need to read the Book of Mormon more, fast, and pray.  I need to turn to my male Priesthood holders for help.  The same ones that think standing in a circle with their hands on my head while they pray will cure me of illness or bless me in some way.  How I love their magical powers.  Yes, those special men must have a spark of wisdom for me.

Maybe they can give me a blessing to help me forget the racist comments made by past prophets and other leaders.  Or maybe they can convince me that God really did want those prophets to say such horrible things, like dark skin being a curse because they didn't choose the right side in some war before we were even born.  Yeah... that's the ticket!  That is TOTALLY believable!

Joseph Smith was never found guilty of anything... so I don't have anything to worry about there.  He only married other women because an angel threatened him with a flaming sword. It's not something he wanted to do, have sex with a bunch of women... oh, no!  He was a man of honor!  He wouldn't harm a soul, or a printing press!  Unless you count marrying other women behind Emma's back and lying to everyone else about the practice of polygamy.  It's not something we can fully understand now.  Only the Lord himself could say why Joseph was supposed to marry two 14 year old girls.   We just need to have faith.

Heck, he was a good boy with no education!  A gifted translator! Why... he even managed to translate the Book of Mormon with a rock and a hat!  Do you know anyone else that can do that?  I don't! It must be true!

What was that?  The Book of Abraham?  There is no way to know if the two papyrus were the same thing.  You are just trying to disprove his amazing ability.  You must be possessed by Satan.  The Kinderhook Plates?  Huh?  What are those?  Are you listening to those Anti-Mormons again?  Shut up and eat these funeral potatoes.

Quit whining.

The church uses incorrect paintings and illustrations to kids and investigators to make it easier to believe... *ahem* easier to understand.  These are moldable minds.  We don't want them thinking too much.  We have to remember that they are the next generation.  Who will pay for and attend the temples around the world if we don't shape them?  Everyone desires to attend the temple, they just don't know it yet.  Say it with me.  Pay-Lay-Ale.

It is not a cult.  

It's not.

Shut up.

What? You don't like the temples?  Why?  Money?  But... people want to give us that money.  It's not their money anyway... it's the Lord's money.  

Shut up.

He can spend it however he pleases.  If he wants to build a mall and condo high-rise in Salt Lake City, he can!  Don't question the prophet!  If people are sick and hungry it's God's will.  The mall is more important.

Coffee?  Are you going to risk your temple recommend and eternal salvation for coffee?  You just want to sin, don't you?  Are you sleeping around?  Oh, my God... you are gay, aren't you! 

You can't even make the simplest sacrifice.  You are a selfish person.  I know these things because I am one of the elite.  I can look in your eyes and see that you are broken without the Church.  Even the good ones fall away.

Yeah, *I* am the crazy one.

Andee

Maybe there is something wrong with my life right now.  I keep wanting and desiring change.  I have done things like change the blog around a million times in a month, I have gone vegetarian, and I chopped off all my hair the other day.  Not too short, it's about chin length now... 

When believing Mormons who hate my guts read that previous paragraph, they are going to assume that I am desiring change because I am unhappy.  Not true.  I am happy, and I am learning to try new things.  It's fun, and I learn more about myself every day.

It's just weird... I used to hate change, now I desire it.  I thrive on it.  It makes me feel alive.

Maybe the healing process is starting to kick in, or maybe I am just a weirdo who thinks too much... who knows?

I am still working on the lengthy post that I promised everyone.  You might not even care about it, but I don't want anyone to think I am getting bored of the blog or that I am planning on quitting.  This is probably something I will do until I am dead and in the ground.  

I bought some Halloween food kits the other day, and I am going to work and post about those, too.  One is a gingerbread haunted house, and the other is a Halloween candy kit.  It should be fun, and I have extra candy to add to the haunted house.  Who knows, maybe I will get enough practice in that I will try a Gingerbread house at Christmas!

There hasn't been much else going on... just lots of work and then more work.  I am not forgetting you guys! I have Wednesday and Thursday off, and I plan on updating the Hell out of this blog... promise :)

Andee

I get frustrated when I talk politics with people in Utah.  Everyone is usually in the same mindset:

Vote Republican, Vote Mitt Romney, Obama = bad, McCain = hero.

The other day I was talking with a co-worker in the break room about politics.  I didn't start the conversation... the other girl did.  She was sitting across the table with a copy of the Ensign in front of her and she started asking me questions.  She knows I don't "care" for the church, and she was one of the first to notice the CTL ring on my left hand.  I don't think she was trying to pick a fight, but I do think she was eager to debate with me.

She asked me who I was going to vote for.

I told her I was voting for Obama.

She asked why I was voting for "Osama."

I HATE THAT!

Why in the world can't you just get his last name right.  He isn't Osama Bin Laden, terrorist in need of kidney transplant... he is Barak Obama, presidential candidate.  

After correcting her on the name, I told her that I agree more with Obama's policy than McCain, and the fact that Sarah Palin made rape victims pay for their own rape kits at the hospitals (this is a rumor I heard, and I have no evidence of it... when I had a couple days off I plan on researching it further) really pissed me off.  I am a femminist, and she isn't.  I don't care for the woman.  At all.

I want the troops home, and she wants them guarding the safety of Iraq.  I get that Iraq needs help, and we should have never been there to begin with.  When I mentioned that, she looked at me like I had grown a third eye or something.  She couldn't believe that I said it.

"We are there to help those poor people!"

"We went there because there were supposedly weapons of mass destruction... they were never found... this was about weapons.  There were no weapons."

"They destroyed the evidence!"

"Yeah, sure they did."

"How do you know there were no weapons?"

"How do you know there were weapons?"

"I listen to the radio! Where do you get your information."

"I watch CNN, Headline news, MSNBC and others constantly when I am home.  I am constantly on my computer..."

"You can't trust the news! They hate republicans! You need to listen to AM Radio! Why don't you like Bush?"

"Why would I like him?  He shouldn't even be president in the first place!  He didn't win the popular vote, and it just so happened that his little brother was governor of the state he needed help from?  Shady much?  Oh, and don't even get me started on the economy..."

"The economy isn't Bush's fault.  It's that black guy!"

I walked out.

Here is the thing.  I hate talking religion and politics at work unless I know it's with someone who can handle it.  There are only a couple people that I can have meaningful conversations with, and I treasure those moments... trust me.  I can't believe that most of the people I come into contact with have no problem calling Obama "Osama."  They think nothing of it.  Not just at work, either... I heard an older couple at Wal-Mart (Gawd, I hate Wal-Mart) talking about Obama being a terrorist in disguise.

This story was 100% true, not made up, and I have the ulcer to prove it.

Andee

Sorry I haven't updated the blog in a couple days.  I have been busy working on my photos I took this week.  

Yesterday we had a small storm and then a HUGE beautiful rainbow right outside my apartment.  I must have snapped 100 shots of the thing.  I really wanted to catch some lightning, but I had no luck.  

I am working on a post that you will all like (I think) and its a lot of work.  

Don't worry my friends, Andee will be back.  :D

I have already posted about this twice today, but I can't stop thinking about it.  So, here comes yet another rant, from yours truly, about why everyone should have the same rights.  Ignore me if you want, you have probably heard it before :)

My big brother is gay.  He is an artist, he can draw like you wouldn't believe... amazing sketches of movie characters, horses, and landscapes once decorated my bedroom because my big brother was that good.  

I remember one Christmas sitting down with my brothers with our new coloring books and crayons that Santa left us.  My little bro and I couldn't figure out why Steve's (his name has been changed because I don't have his permission to out him like this... that would be really messed up...) pictures were so much better than ours.  Steve sat down and showed us that if we colored the image using the same stroke instead of changing the direction of our crayon all the time, the image would look cleaner.  He also taught us how to outline the image in a darker shade to give it depth.  I will never forget sitting with him, and I still use those techniques when I feel artsy enough to sit down with a coloring book.  Not only is he an amazing artist... he is a teacher.  Little Bro and I picked up his techniques in less than a half hour.  He was patient and kind, and I still think he could have a huge career teaching what comes naturally to him.

Steve lived with his Mom, so I don't know the details about his daily life... I love him very much, and I remember looking forward to the weekends where he would stay with us.  I would plan little games to play, and they drove him crazy.  Little bro and I annoyed the hell out of him. :)

One day, Steve told us that he made up a game for us to play.  Little bro and I were excited, and we asked Steve what the name of the game was... he said, "Find Steve!"  It was a version of hide and seek, using the entire block we lived on.  Little bro and I searched high and low for Steve, but we didn't find him.  We eventually gave up, and started waiting for him on the picnic table in the backyard.  Steve came home a couple hours later, and we found out he was playing at one of his friends' house.  He tricked us, but we didn't care.  We were excited for him to be there... and we had fun.

Steve never dated, and I am sure my parents, along with his mother, had thoughts that he might be gay.  It was never really talked about.  Little bro and I were too little to even understand what being gay meant.  It didn't matter. He was a brother and we loved him.

This is what I don't understand... why do people change how they feel when they learn someone they already know and love is gay?  Is it religion?  I don't think so... probably for most, but the common denominator in my eyes is that it makes others judge them. It's not about their gay or lesbian friend or family member being happy... it's about how other people will look at them.  It's really selfish and messed up.  

I haven't heard from Steve in many years.  I am pretty sure I know what town and state he lives in, but that is about it.  Last I heard he was in trouble with the law because he was caught drinking and driving.  He was also drinking heavily at a family function, and it seemed to my family members that he might have a problem (I was unable to attend and didn't see it first hand, because I was in Orlando at the time).  

I wonder where Steve is all the time.  Is he happy?  Does he have someone in his life?  Is he okay?  Does he know that I love him no matter what?  I wish I didn't have to worry about that.  

I wonder if Steve's life would have been different if he wasn't gay.  He was no doubt bullied and teased in high school because he wasn't dating or people put two and two together... is that what made him start drinking?  Maybe, maybe not.  

The reason I am fighting so hard for this isn't because of Steve.  Steve is a grown man who can make his own decisions in life.  I will always be here for him and I hope he knows that.  The reason I am so vocal about this issue is because there are little boys and girls out there who know they are different... who know that they are not like everyone else... and it breaks my heart to think they don't have anyone to turn to.

Where would Steve have gone to talk to someone about this?  Certainly not to anyone in the town we lived in.  Everyone was religious and Mormon... it would just make things worse.

Gay marriage is important because its an understanding that everyone is loved and appreciated for who they are.  If people feel loved and accepted, they might not turn to things like drugs and alcohol.  They might not think about suicide all the time because they don't feel accepted or loved.

It's important because it's the right thing to do.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is trying desperately to ban gay marriage.  They are going to the members of the church and asking for donations for the effort.  They are asking their members to volunteer their time in the campain.  They are putting themselves smack down in the middle of politics, which is something they claim they never do.  

Another lie.  Shocking, isn't it?

I know I can't stop people from thinking that being gay is wrong, but I can remind these people that their beliefs shouldn't impose on people that are not even a part of their group.  Why should you force others to live up to your "standards?"  If you don't like gay marriage, don't participate in it... but you don't have the right to make that decision for everyone else.  

The United States of America was founded on the right that all men are created equal.  Why is that so hard for people to understand?

The Mormon Church is threatening to punish those in the church who are being vocal about disagreeing with them.  Some of my friends have been threatened with excommunication, and others have been sick over the fact that  the church leaders they knew and loved were asking them to do something off of their moral compass.  By making these threats, they are trying to make everyone conform.  They are trying to make everyone feel as if God himself told the prophet to do this (I am not saying that was actual revelation... it's just how it appears because people are told to follow the prophet no matter what).  

They are out of line, and they are wrong.  Where is the free agency if people feel pushed to make a decision like this?  They either do what the church says, or they are treated as if they don't have enough faith.

I am embarrassed at times that I used to stick up for the church when people called it a cult, or made fun of things like polygamy and temple garments.  The church leaders are the ones making this decision, not the general membership, and the general membership has no real choice.

Steve is out there somewhere, and I hope he is happy.  I hope he has love, a home of his own, maybe even a dog.  I hope he still puts his pencil to paper and creates beautiful things.  

I wish he never had to deal with the constant judgment and taunting of the people in his life.  It shouldn't have happened, and we can all do our part to make sure it stops happening to other people.

Andee