"How smart are you?"

"Really smart."


 Hee! So much cuteness.


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So much cuteness, I can't stand it!

Aaahhh!

Update: look over here at this:

I'm Biracial, and That Cheerios Ad Is a Big Fucking Deal. Trust Me. by Meagan Hatcher-Mays, Jezebel.


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"Hey, everybody. Here's my puppy brother."

Girl with purple flower in her hair: "She just blew my mind."



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It still makes me cry.

All children should have the right to get the best education possible.


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How dare he talk to our children?

Obama speech to students draws conservative ire, by Libby Quaid and Linda Stewart Ball, AP via Yahoo! News. Emphases mine.

President Barack Obama's back-to-school address next week was supposed to be a feel-good story for an administration battered over its health care agenda. Now Republican critics are calling it an effort to foist a political agenda on children, creating yet another confrontation with the White House.

Obama plans to speak directly to students Tuesday about the need to work hard and stay in school. His address will be shown live on the White House Web site and on C-SPAN at noon EDT, a time when classrooms across the country will be able to tune in.

Schools don't have to show it. But districts across the country have been inundated with phone calls from parents and are struggling to address the controversy that broke out after Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent a letter to principals urging schools to watch.

Districts in states including Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia, Wisconsin have decided not to show the speech to students. Others are still thinking it over or are letting parents have their kids opt out.

Some conservatives, driven by radio pundits and bloggers, are urging schools and parents to boycott the address. They say Obama is using the opportunity to promote a political agenda and is overstepping the boundaries of federal involvement in schools.

"As far as I am concerned, this is not civics education — it gives the appearance of creating a cult of personality," said Oklahoma state Sen. Steve Russell. "This is something you'd expect to see in North Korea or in Saddam Hussein's Iraq."

That uppity so-and-so. He needs to know his place. Who does he think he is? The President of the United States?

Oh. Really? He is? Well, if you say so.

I would have loved if President Clinton had spoken to our class on television during the first day of school. Actually, I would have preferred Vice President Gore, because he was trying to save the environment. An address from Hillary Clinton would have been nice, too. What I'm saying is any excuse to watch TV during elementary school up through high school probably would have been appreciated by me and my classmates.

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"Are we talking about ice creams, or is this becoming a metaphor?"

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
White in America - The Children
thedailyshow.com
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Via stuff white people do.

The children are our future. Even the ones that can't clap.

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The music is a bit much

but the message is effective: Who's On The Line by wgaamerica, via Ducky Does TV.

Some people should not have children.

When I was a child, I occasionally saw other children on leashes held by their parents, usually at the airport or at amusement parks. I thought the concept was silly then; they were children, not dogs. But now, I think leashes should be a requirement for certain kids and their absent caregivers.

Today I sat for about twenty minutes in a public establishment, watching a mother dispassionately call for her three-year-old son to stand beside her. "Dan. Danny? Come over here. Daniel? Dan. Dan. Dan-Dan. Come over here. Come here. Here. Dan? Danny. Come here."

It went on and on, and the boy never came. He continued playing over twenty feet away, not even acknowledging the requests. The mother was wrapped up in her own business; she didn't want to lose her place in line, and she didn't want to expend the energy to either raise her voice or to grab her son. There were stretches of time during which the boy could have wandered outside, or when another adult could have abducted him. It takes less than ten seconds to snatch a child. This child could have easily disappeared multiple times, or he could have injured himself on the large objects in the room, because no one was watching him.

The whole time I was thinking, That would not be my child. Also, despite what some people might assume, the lack of parenting described in the situation above did not involve any black people. When I tell my future children to "come here", they will come immediately, or they can find somewhere else to live. I am the adult. I am responsible for their safety. They need to listen to me. Obeying my commands will not be an option for them to consider. There will be no negotiation.

This incident also came after I finished watching Paternal Instinct this morning on Logo. The two men in the documentary tried so hard for years to have a baby, just like my parents did. I couldn't imagine the absolute horror they would go through if someone stole their children from them. So when I see someone letting their child wander off because they are too lazy to be a good parent, I get upset.

"Poor kids first."

Or not. Whichever:

Bush vetoes children's health insurance proposal, by Mike Carney, USA Today.

A response by Ted Kennedy and friend:



In semi-related news: Jenna & Henry Shocker: Rich Powerful White People Often Marry Each Other! at Wonkette.

Also, many of your comments have now been responded to, in some cases multiple times. I heart comments!

Hooray for Drugs!

House OKs prescription drug imports, by Andrew Taylor, Associated Press Writer. Via Yahoo! News.

The House passed legislation Thursday effectively permitting the importation of lower-cost prescription drugs from places such as Canada, Australia and Europe...

...The bill, passed by a 237-18 vote, faces a promised veto from President Bush over its price tag, and the administration also opposes the drug importation provision...

...The administration "strongly opposes"the drug provision, which would effectively permit individuals, wholesalers and pharmacists to import lower cost U.S.-made and FDA-approved prescription drugs from Canada and other countries...

It might not pass the Senate, and it might not survive a veto. But I'm glad someone is doing something about our health care crisis. There's good news for the children, too:

Senate approves children's health bill, by Donna Smith, Reuters.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved legislation that would raisetobacco taxes to pay for expanding a children's health program, shrugging off a veto threat from President George W. Bush who wants a more limited plan.

The Senate voted 68-31 for the bill that would provide an extra $35 billion to provide health insurance for more children under the popular state grant program. The Senate acted a day after the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $50 billion increase financed by higher tobacco taxes and cuts in payments to private insurers in the Medicare Advantage program for the elderly...

...Bush has threatened to veto either version, which he and Republican allies have called a step toward nationalized health care.

Because nationalized health care would be bad. For the insurance companies. Boo hoo.