Girls Need Female Action Figures!

Famous female action figures for our daughters!!! That is what they  need!!!
I woke up today with an idea that I wish I could afford to put into motion. I mentioned it briefly in an earlier post but in my slumber last night it became much clearer to me.

As a mom and grandmother, I have spent a small fortune buying action figures that were theme related for my children and my grandchildren. My oldest son in the 1970’s had every action figure and creature related to Star Wars and every flying machine from each of the Star Wars movies. He also had Superman and Daredevil figures and Wrestlemania guys equipped with an actual ring. Many a battle was held in his bedroom where Andre the Giant fought Roddy Roddy Piper and a plethora of other wrestling stars, all of whom he could name and quote their current wrestling statistics. He loved all those heroes. They were part of his childhood and long after he grew up, he saved portions of his array of collections, some of which became valuable items. Many are now boxed up in his attic or on display in his home office.

Fifteen and a half years after Seth was born, I had my second child, Johnny, (a wonderful 40th birthday surprise,) and he had me searching for Power Rangers and transformers that he enjoyed like his older brother before him. He created universes where his action figures saved the world from destruction and he used to make mini films with them, moving each figure frame by frame to appear like they were doing amazing things. (I believe a few of his childhood films are still on you tube somewhere, including a zombie movie where the three stooges were turned into zombies if memory serves me correctly.)

And both my boys would often surprise me with my own version of super heroes after visiting those comic stores where they bought Daredevil or Superman comics (or other  figures that were trending at the time). They came home once with a Sherlock Holmes action figure and magazine for me, and a Shakespeare figure equipped with a quarto and quill for good old mom! Former students bought me a Xena action figure because they thought I was a true warrior princess!  (I used to be able to do a great imitation of that Xena warrior yell on the playground to round them up – ahyayayayaiiiii-)  And a few years after my second husband passed away, a man I once dated bought me a Joan Jett doll since he was former fan of when I was a rocker chick and played in an all girl’s band in the 1960’s… a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away…

But, my question is this… WHY HASN’T ANYONE DONE FAMOUS WOMEN IN HISTORY ACTION FIGURES?  Where are Susan B Anthony? Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Gloria Steinem or Harriet Tubman? Sure, we can have every princess on the planet at Toys R Us, but why can’t we have REAL women in history as action heroes for girls to play with? Every March when I taught women’s history I would take out my famous females playing cards. (I had 4 boxes of them, two different sets.) There were women who were famous firsts in science/ medicine, civil rights, politics, inventors, women’s health, education, sports, entertainment etc. And each card had the picture of the famous woman on the front and their bio on the back. We would play various games with the cards but mostly they were used for research because in February and March I always had my American Celebration. A way to encompass Black History, Presidents, and Women and actually TEACH children about American history. With state testing looming overhead I found by combining Black History Month and Women’s History Month I could stuff in all the important historical figures they needed to know and testing didn’t push history to the wayside.  It allowed me to make sure students understood the importance of those who paved the way in our country. Perhaps some of those millennials at the DNC who did not understand the political process would have better understood how things worked if they had been a student of mine in 4th or 5th grade and taken a journey into the past in women’s history in my classroom.

I wish I had the capital to make a little Susan B Anthony and a Harriet Tubman doll. Or Sybil Ludington with her horse (She rode further than Paul Revere on that famous night to let people know the British were coming.) Why is it that Legos and Matel and all the toy manufacturers can make thousands of Disney Princess figures and Star Wars figures (But very few Prince Leah’s by the way, I can never find her for my grand daughter) but they totally over look the women who paved the way for this momentous accomplishment that Hillary Clinton just made. If there are any investors out there…. let me know. I have a list of women who deserve to be the heroes (heroines) for all the little girls out there growing up. They don’t need dolls with lots of crazy make-up, or even Barbie with unrealistic measurements when there were and are real honest to goodness women who lived and died so that females today could have the rights that they do now  in our country and in many places around the world.

The next time my grand daughter, Toli has a tea party she can have it with Grandma and the Hillary Clinton action figure  I just ordered. (Part of the cost goes to fund her election.) That should be fun. Included in our party will be my River Song figure (From Doctor Who), My Xena and Joan Jette action figures as well as Rosie the Riveter too. And if she wants to include Ariel and Cinderella they can join us as well. All the girls are welcome. And we can drink our tea and discuss literature, politics, being strong and powerful and how to change the world…. Pass the sugar substitute please…Girl Power!!!!!!

(1966 photo of friend Marla on the left and Moi on the right. Today we are still trying to change the world in our own separate ways.)

Update:  I did find on eBay a few female action figures that were made in the 1980’s. Annie Oakley is one, Rosie the Riveter is another.  And in the 1950’s tiny glass figures of a several American women were made that went into a lovely curio cabinet.  (Now they are priced at about 500 dollars a set.) It appears that we need to go back and give our little girls real honest to goodness heroines to be proud of.  And there are also actual paper doll sets on eBay and amazon of famous women that were created in the 90’s.  I’m not sure how we got so off track, but we need to re-establish our priorities again and instead of Kardashians give our little girls real heroes to look up to. They are out there, we just need to look…..

 

Is Hillary Too Intelligent For Republicans???

I read an article the other day stating that the problem with the GOP is that President Obama is much too intelligent for them to understand. It stated that his ability to see the bigger picture and understand far reaching problems confuses them. It also mentioned that he focuses not just on the here and now, but on the direction in which the country needs to head and all that evidently, is just too taxing on many of our Republican leaders and their constituency.

I tend to agree with that to some extent. I feel there is a large amount of one-issue conservatives in Congress who are a lot like cattle, following and meandering slowly along with the crowd and failing to think for themselves. (That is not to say there aren’t a few deep thinking intelligent people on the GOP side.) Sadly, the majority of them seem to lack the ability to respond to stimuli, the weather around them, and can only continue to live like their grandfathers did in the past. They see themselves as elite and above the common man. And yet, if anyone is common, it is those individuals who are not open minded enough to see into the hearts and minds of our citizens in need or in despair.

BUT, if you think Obama is a smart man, here’s the clincher… IF you use IQ points, HILLARY BLOWS EVERY SINGLE PRESIDENT WE HAVE EVER HAD OUT THE WATER WITH HER HIGHLY GIFTED IQ. She is in the top 1 percent of people on the planet and would be our most brilliant President to date.

As a recently retired teacher,I studied gifted education and I taught it for over 36 years. I understand the nature and needs of the gifted population of students (top 2 percent of the nation) and the highly gifted student, (top 1 percent). So while I am not in the top 1 percent like Mrs. Clinton, (the top 2 percent works fine for me), I still comprehend how her brain works. I have raised gifted and highly gifted children and so far I have one grandson who is in that category. While vastly different, all these individuals have one thing in common. They ALL have vision, and their vision is not often seen or understood by the rest of us.

Mozart could hear a symphony in raindrops; Beethoven could feel the vibrations in the air and write something as magnificent as “Ode to Joy” when he was on the verge of becoming totally deaf. Few of us could accomplish those tasks.

These uniquely brilliant individuals were thought to be odd and were often shunned as outcasts in society. Van Gogh painted “Stary Night” from the window of an insane asylum. Scientists recently discovered that he drew the accurate motion of the earth as it rotated around the sun in that painting by using the precise swirls in his rendering that can be seen through telescopes. Incrediby, HE could see the swirls with the naked eye. He could see movement all around him when nobody else could. But, instead of calling him brilliant, they thought he was crazy. Yet all the while the molecular motion still existed. However, society locked him away for being different. Why? Because he was a genius and saw things  that the average Joe could not see nor comprehend. And Obama, because of the color of his skin was not supposed to be able to see the “whole picture” in politics. He wasn’t supposed to be that much smarter than everyone in Congress and so they hated him for it. How dare a man of color be so brilliant? And worse yet, now a woman is going to threaten the sanctity of the good old boys club!

And that, I feel, is how Trump slid by and became the nominee. Yes, half of the population would rather vote for a bigoted idiot than vote for a brilliant, experienced woman because her brains scare the hell out of them. She’s too darn smart and that makes them uncomfortable.  THIS is just ONE reason why Republicans hate her so much. They can blame a million other trivial things on her, but really they are thinking, “HOW DARE A WOMAN BE SMARTER THAN EVERYONE! HOW DARE SHE BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT SOLUTIONS MORE QUICKLY AND SOLVE PROBLEMS IN A MORE LOGICAL MANNER THAN EVERYONE IN THE ROOM!”

And all I can think is, how did this woman even survive her entire life in the political arena near these buffoons? The patience she learned in dealing with them is a feat in itself. She has always been wise beyond her years and ahead of her time and she is smarter than anyone in politics today. Her experience, her temperament, and her intellect will make her one of the best Presidents this country has ever had. And just like history will write something similar about Obama being brilliant and suave, history will give him credit for being in the top five of our very best leaders. And, if given the chance, Hillary will be in that group as well.

It is astounding to me that she even has to fight for the win. Especially when we have Donald Trump, who clearly has not read a book in the last 25 years. (If he ever did read and finish a book during his entire life without cliff’s notes.)

So on one hand we have a man who can’t control his temper and spouts off bigoted comments like gunshots, without even understanding that he is being racist or politically incorrect.  And then we have Hillary. Who is female and Republicans and many citizens can not stand her. And because of GOP lies people say they don’t trust her.  Why the hell not? Because she gives folks an intelligent answer that isn’t simplistic?

Have we dumbed down America so much that people cannot think beyond the amount of characters on twitter? It is obvious that most folks don’t know or understand what Hillary or Obama are talking about. And yes, it would be easier to shout out…”Tricky Trump” or “Dumb Donald” over and over again to compete with Trump’s crooked Hillary rhetoric. But, as an intellectual with actual decisive plans on how to help America, Hillary just can’t do that. It isn’t who she is.

May I suggest that people READ Abigail Adam’s letters to her husband John. (Or watch the film 1776.) And if you can’t muster up the stamina to read a book, then there are many Children’s books written about her. I have one at home called “Remember The Ladies”. The eloquence of her written words is simply breathtaking. In fact, if you really want to feel somewhat lacking in articulating your emotions, check out the expressiveness of common foot soldiers during the Civil War. Their beautiful, lyrical letters are astounding compared to the men and women in Congress today. People had a mastery for language and communication back then.

In 2016 we may have SMART phones, but we have DUMB people!!! We have become an inarticulate society and thus people like the simplicity of Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great.”  To someone with a higher IQ like Hillary, that comment is unnecessary, because we know America is already great. But to the Trump crowd, it is all they can process. A few phrases here or there is all their minds can handle. Much like Trump himself.

I, for one, want a President who I think is smarter than I am. One of the reasons I disliked George W so much was because I knew I was much smarter than he was. And I couldn’t respect a President who wouldn’t be able to answer any of my questions. (Another reason Obama was such a breath of fresh air. What a pleasure it was and is to listen to him speak!)

I NEED Hillary to be our next President because she is the most intelligent candidate with the most experience. Yes, I won’t lie, it totally rocks that she is a woman. (It is long over due.) But, she is just so damn smart, and a solution sort of person. She’s a real problem solver and I would give my eyeteeth to watch her work. America NEEDS her! I need her. My children and grandchildren need her. We all need an intelligent role model if we want a society of smart people!!! We don’t want to be known as the nation of Dumb and Dumber!!!

You know, The thing I miss the most about being retired from teaching is standing up in front of a class of gifted and highly gifted students, and posing a question to them. I’d watch the look on their faces as their eyes lit up one at a time when they thought of an answer. And I’d go around the room and ask the students with their hands up what they thought the answer could be. I’d write on the board a condensed version of what each student said, until every child had shared a thought.

And then I would stand back and together the class and I would look at the amazingly creative answers before us and give a collective sigh or a “Whoa!”

And from that brainstorming session they would usually break into groups and either write an essay, a short story, present their ideas using technology; a power point, flip chart presentation, a poem, a play, an illustration, a song, a mini movie… any creative way they could conjure up to show me the answer to my question, they did it! Filled with excitement as they busily got to work to create their answers.

And ALWAYS, always, always, their answers were far beyond the scope of what I had imagined they would be. They were wonderful answers!!!  If ONLY America gave Hillary a chance so she too could surprise us and do her thing. Then and only then can this country get back on track.

I beg of you dear readers, not to let this nation turn into a book called, “America for Dummies.” PLEASE! Let this highly gifted woman win in the fall and lead us into greatness, knowledge, and peace!!

All Are Punished!

All Are Punished! (A Poem about Dallas.)

Falling with the elegant grace of a dancer,

Splatters of crimson red spread in slow motion,

The deafening noise of gunshots continue in succession.

Confusion and panic erupt through mass hysteria,

As people race for cover.

Bodies plummet to the ground while dark liquid consumes their form and covers the pavement.

Fear on the faces of the innocents,

Disbelief and shock on a cluster of shapes running.

Black or white it doesn’t matter.

Nobody sees color in the crowd of figures trying to get to safety.

They are all afraid,

They are all in peril.

Citizens protesting in peace,

While officers rush to save the masses.

Yet, still the shots shriek out from unknown locations.

Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead!! The shots blast!

Violence erupting from despair?

A conspiracy group trying to shift the blame?

Police risking uncertain death to protect citizens,

Who hesitate to trust men and women in uniform,

Until they see the compassion in their eyes.

A peaceful protest turned to devastation by weapons that NO civilian should ever possess.

Do we blame the government that allowed these killing machines to be purchased?

Do we blame our leaders or the actual weapons themselves?

What about the insane being who pulled the trigger?

Who do we blame?

WE BLAME THEM ALL!

It is a collective tragedy and we all  bear the responsibility.

“ALL ARE PUNISHED! ALL ARE PUNISHED!”

We blame them ALL!

 

 

 

Crying for Dallas!

I woke up this morning to see all the chaos that happened last night in Dallas. In a world where guns are so easy to access, people who can’t deal with their frustrations any more lose control. And they seem to lose it by killing other human beings.

Black or white, people who can buy dangerous military style weapons hurt and kill other individuals when life gets too difficult to endure. America’s biggest problem is not the top one percent or the cost of college. (Although those are issues of concern, they are not our top priority.) Our biggest problem is that every single day we are killing one another. Every time you turn on the news you see people trying to annihilate anyone who looks or acts differently than they do. Each night as I press the on button to my television, or click on my iPad, I can’t help but feel stunned and powerless. How do we stop this needless violence? What can we do to save America?

After all the senseless shootings against the African American community in this country, this horrific incident could not have been totally unexpected. But, a few sick individuals do NOT represent every person!  And had those disturbed individuals not had access to assault rifles in the first place, those brave officers would still be alive. Had the GOP allowed another vote when Democrats formed a sit in, maybe things would have been different. Maybe not. But once again, assault rifles murdered individuals who should not have died.

I blame the Republicans in Congress for not compromising with Democrats and voting for common sense gun laws that reflect the wishes of the American People. The blood of those five officers in Dallas is on the hands of every Republican who voted against banning assault rifles. They had another chance to get this right after the Orlando massacre but they decided that voting against the Democrats rather than FOR the safety of the American people was more important than representing the citizens who elected them to serve and keep them safe.

How many more of our dear citizens must die before Congress wakes up and makes our country safer? How many people have to bleed before Senators and Representatives do the right thing and vote on laws to prevent at least some of the violence that is plaguing our nation?

We all are sick of the violence. People are feeling helpless, hurt, and stunned. A peaceful protest turned into a horrible massacre of law enforcement officers and that is unconscionable. More precious lives lost. I am just sick inside.

Change the gun laws, respect one another, look beyond the color of a person’s skin, beyond their gender, beyond their uniform, and find kindness in your heart. We need to make America SAFE again. And Congress, work together and DO YOUR JOB!!! PLEASE!!!