Letterman Should Be Fired

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Barb

Imagine this:

“First Lady Michelle Obama took a second swipe at David Letterman on Wednesday, calling the CBS “Late Show” host’s jokes about one of her daughters “disgusting” and “sexually perverted.”

In an e-mailed statement, Obama said: “Laughter incited by sexually perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 12-year-old girl is not only disgusting, but it reminds us some Hollywood/N.Y. entertainers have a long way to go in understanding what the rest of America understands – that acceptance of inappropriate sexual comments about an underage girl, who could be anyone’s daughter, contributes to the atrociously high rate of sexual exploitation of minors by older men who use and abuse others.”

Riffing on Obama’s trip to New York last weekend, Letterman joked Monday night that during the seventh inning of the Yankees game “her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.”

Letterman followed up on the line Tuesday night, joking that “the toughest part of her visit was keeping [former New York Gov.] Eliot Spitzer away from her daughter.”

“I doubt he’d ever dare make such comments about anyone else’s daughter,” the first lady added in her statement.

She responded to another Letterman line during a radio interview Tuesday, calling him “pathetic” for joking that she made a stop during her trip and “bought makeup at Bloomingdale’s to update her ‘slutty flight attendant look.'”

What do you think? Awful, isn’t it? What’s wrong with a man who publicly makes sexual references about the young daughter of a public figure? He should be fired.

Surprisingly, this hasn’t gotten much media coverage. You’d think it would. But maybe it’s because of who it happened to.

You see, David Letterman did do this on network television the past two nights, but not to Michelle Obama. He did it to Sarah Palin.

An Inspiring Story

Posted on May 25, 2009 by Barb

I used to be a grief support volunteer at our church. It wasn’t a job I sought out, but one I was asked to do; I only agreed to it after praying about it and feeling prompted to say yes.

Like so many service opportunities, it turned out to be a good experience. I met some awesome people who, despite suffering great emotional pain, taught me an awful lot, even as I sought to help them.

One of the things I learned about grief is that it’s important for the grieving person to keep busy. Grief can be so overwhelming, even for Christians, that it can knock you down. It’s important to get back up and keep moving so you can keep living.

Rosie was one of those people knocked down by grief. Her beloved husband died, and she didn’t know how to live without him. But she did know that she wanted to call attention to prostate cancer, the cause of his death, and she decided that instead of letting her grief knock her down, she would get up and run, literally, to bring attention to the need for a cure for prostate cancer.

She decided to run around the world. It took her five years; she covered 20,000 miles. During the course of her travels, she would be stalked by wolves, meet up with two murderers, be hit by a bus and nearly freeze to death. Oh, did I mention that Rosie was a 57-year-old grandmother when she set out on her journey?

I just have to share her fascinating and uplifting story.

Frank Family Current Events

Posted on May 21, 2009 by Barb

My Dear Graduate

So it’s been a busy few weeks, as you may have guessed, since most of my recent posts were about one subject (college), which is often a sign that I’ve been pre-posting 😉

I think May is quite busy for most people, but this year our May is special because we have another homeschool graduate who also has a May birthday. Last week Mary, our dd17, turned 18, so that naturally involved some celebrating. She was born on Mother’s Day 1991, a very welcome gift who has continued to be a great pleasure in our lives.

Last week she also played her violin in her final concert with the Door County String Academy in beautiful new Juniper Hall at Birch Creek Music Center, where she received a plaque for being a graduating senior. Then on Sunday she played at a fundraising concert for the Academy at gorgeous Bjorklunden on the shores of Lake Michigan. (Sorry about all the adjectives, but Door County really is an incredibly scenic place!)

She still has a few projects left before she officially finishes homeschool high school. This year she also earned some credits at the technical college an hour south of here, so I’ve included those on her lovely homemade high school transcript, the last one I’ll ever make. (Sniff!) She has plans for the fall, but is keeping that news on the QT until it becomes official. We’re having a graduation party for her next month in the Chicago area, where most of our family and friends live. Congratulations, Mary!

This year is shaping up to be another big year of change in our lives. Not only are we graduating another “home grown kid,” but it looks like we’ll be moving again when our lease is up in August. My husband’s career status is probably going to change again, and mine might too, we just don’t know yet. We know God has a plan; I just have to remind myself to stay calm as I wait for it to unfold 🙂

A Reminder

Posted on November 5, 2008 by Barb

Martin Luther was prone to depression. One time when his bleak mood was at its worst, his wife Katie decided to dress all in black. When her husband questioned her about her appearance, she told him she was in mourning.

“God has died!” she cried.

Shocked at the blasphemous statement, Luther rebuked his wife, declaring that God was most certainly not dead. That’s when Katie responded that she figured God must be dead, based on her husband’s recent morose behavior.

Like Luther, we sometimes feel all is lost, especially when circumstances become hard to bear, and the future looks bleak. That’s why it’s important to remember that not only is God still here, but also that He’s still in charge, and He will use everything that happens for His purposes.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, KJV)