Miscellaneous Babble

Just like in many parts of the country, Las Vegas is getting hit hard by the current economic deterioration. Circuit City, Mervyn's, Dillard's, Wild Oats (this is a health food store, for those of you who have never heard of it), have shut-down completely, or have at least closed a significant number of stores nationwide. Obama and other lawmakers keep harping about implementing a stimulus package that will ultimately create millions of jobs over the coarse of a few short years. Years??? Why is the United States government waiting for this guy to take office before enacting legislation that will assist millions of unemployed American find work? I realize that Bush is on his way out and that at this stage in the game the strategy is to do nothing until the next president is sworn in. But are unemployed Americans less unemployed under Bush then they are under Obama? These folks who elected Obama are so obsessed over his inauguration that they and millions just like them have lost sight of the fact they and their families are sinking into poverty and homelessness.

Who's the Father?
I've noticed that many talk shows on television, as well as reality-based courtroom shows, are focusing their programs on conducting DNA tests to confirm who fathered the child of a former significant other. The people in these shows air their scandalous dirty laundry, and make some very disturbing accusations about one another. They also greatly distress when the father of the child is not whom they hoped would be.

Now, I don't know if the individuals who are featured in these exhibitions are instructed to aggrandize and sensationalize their stories, but I feel that the producers of these shows are capitalizing on this tragic indecency (if the stories are true), and objectifying the parties involved. It's simply sickening.

Divorce and the Church
In recent years it seems that the Catholic Church has been more accepting of the fact that some marriages are completely defunct and beyond recuperating. I'm not sure what the statistics are for annulments in the Catholic Church (I can find out), but I do know that in the past thirty years or so the number has increased significantly. Is this an honorable way out? No matter how you feel about divorce or annulments, would it be an injustice to insist that someone remain married to a spouse who is physically and/ or emotionally abusive?

Two years ago Sheila Rausch Kennedy successfully reversed the annulment of her marriage to Joe Kennedy after she appealed to Vatican authorities to review her case. Her 1997 book Shattered Faith is credited with ruining the political career of her current husband.

I can't help but wonder, however, if she did this out of retaliation or out of something more benevolent, and has she remained single since the separation?

And Finally...

Here's one of my favorite songs from the mid 1980's. This one goes out to you, my blogger friends, who have counseled me and elevated me when I've been at my lowest ebb. Jog your memory - you've heard it before. When I look at the video, I can't help but chuckle at the fashion pop and new wave artists sported in those days. I still like the song, nonetheless.