Dear America,

Okay, just breathe G.

What the left seems to underestimate, is the depth and breadth of the discontent. 

Case in point and matter of current interest, the Imam Rauf and his intentions to build a victory mosque at Ground Zero.  He, and the liberal elite clinging to the Constitution in dire need of support, do not recognize Ground Zero as sacred ground already; a shrine to the lost souls and the entire citizenry of the United States of America has already been established.

Oh, it will blow over, they say, dismissing every ounce of solidarity of common sense and the cry out for mutual respect; it will be but a bleep in the news cycle, let's move on.org. and fast.

No.  This matter is not going to be swept under the rug or hung out to dry; nor should it be considered full grown, done and ready for harvest -- it is but a budding seedling that has finally been given enough light and sustenance to pronounce real growth.

A search over the net will give you everything you need to know about the imam in question -- and will most certainly startle your every sense and sensibility of the man, the "moderate", the model of Islamic tolerance and  tepid ways.  To be sure, go to places like www.actforamerica.org/ or read more of www.tawfiqhamid.com/ and seek to find the truth hidden beneath the propaganda being fed through the tube -- for we are only being told what the administration and the mainstream media want us to hear.

But enough about this man, the imam, a radical in sheep's clothing.  enough. for today, anyway.

Now that we are awake, the story will continue with a life force of it's own -- and that, my friends, we can celebrate.

What I really want to talk about today is another radical movement afoot.

And this one, I honestly don't know if I should laugh or cry...the Sunday paper brought news from the south forty apparently.  Mary Beth Breckenridge, of MCT News Service, featured a story out of Akron, Ohio:  "Radical homemaker?  It's simple, really."

So ring the bells of your local chapel or mosque, and bow down not to a radical imam, but a radical mom!

It's simple, really.

We bake bread and exchange cultural recipes for chutney and jam -- and it's radical, I tell you, just plum radical.

Are you kidding me?

So after we burned our bras and come into our own careers without a care in the world, it is now vogue to go viral rural.  Like I said, if it wasn't so funny, I would be making my own fish pond as we speak.

AS Mary Beth outlines for us, citing author on the subject, Shannon Hayes, "radical homemakers, women and men who are reclaiming the traditional role of homemaker as part of their desire for a less materialistic life...measuring [success] not in terms of money, but in aspects as strong relationships, ecological sustainability and happiness."

Oh, I get it, so they are actually catching up to the conservative moms and dads who have embraced this little secret to life all along -- generally speaking, of course.

Ahh settle down, now.  Don't misconstrue my attitude, I dig it that people are getting it; and I truly welcome the opportunity for homemaking to become suddenly cool again, I do.  I love it, I love it and wants some more of it. 

The idea of scaling back, down or even become ever so slightly akin to the laws of good homemaking and child rearing and responsible citizenry is a breath of fresh air -- absolutely.

The part that just makes this girl giggle is the idea that it is deemed a RADICAL movement -- like as if it's crazy talk and synonymous with other free radicals bouncing around the cornfields; but hey, whatever means to the ends it must take, I am in full support.  Where do I sign up?

Certainly, some restrictions apply, we all can't just run out and radically shift into little house on the prairie, no?  For one, we don't have enough land, condominiums restrict hanging out our dirty laundry in search of natural bleach -- for even a wanton towel across a banister is grounds for a letter of reprimand.

While, as we have evolved and our now motoring into a new age of global commerce and exchange, the call for attorneys, engineers, scientists, and CEO's is paramount to keeping up with the Jones' whether we like it or not; we can't all grow up to be the bread bakers and the candlestick makers any longer (besides, most jobs in the field go to illegal immigrants, ahhh but who's counting anymore).

Uh Oh, my jaded, bitter sarcasm is showing again, oopsy daisy, better take it down a notch.

Don't get me wrong -- radical moms and pops are a good thing; let live and prosper, right?

The best thing that surfaced in the article was a brief moment of enlightenment that points the way of the new and improved radical homemaker, and in essence recognized the return of the lowly household from being one centering around consumption (after coming out of the industrial age), to one based on the grown up yuppie's idea of 21st century production (I am getting a vision of Diane Keaton in the farmhouse kitchen, anyone remember that movie?).

The thing is, in the macro sense, we have the grassroots reflecting that which ails our country, and more importantly, finding that balance we all crave once more.  Now isn't that remarkable.

Basically, we lost our soul when we went from a nation built upon innovation, manufacturing, industry and production (and faith! but let's stay on course here) -- to one that simply consumed that which was made somewhere else.  Huh. Go figure.

Today, we are awake to our folly and fall from free enterprise and our inherent industrial spirit, having come full circle down the primrose path -- we are only wishing we could have seen the light long before the town's been boarded up and the dust clouds and tumbleweeds have blown in, that's all.


To build a proper, responsible, accountable, honorable, soulful, charitable, prosperous society we must cultivate the values and characteristics and seeds of thought which affirm that which we wish to make; production begins locally, in the home, and branches out to the community, and finally connects to the whole of the nation.  Begging the question and contemplation, what do we actually produce?  What do we need to make more of?  What is lacking in the market place, in the homestead -- what holes need to be filled, what seeds need to be planted, what radical changes need to be made?  and just where have I heard some of this radical thought before?  (founding fathers, anyone?)


The list attached with Mary Beth's article contains a few simple ideas to start:  including but not limited to, dedicating part of your lawn to a vegetable garden, getting to know your neighbors (so you can share CostCo runs and casseroles), shop at the Farmer's Market, donate items you no longer need, use reusable bags, turn off the TV, and cook! -- oh yes, and hanging out the laundry (having not mentioned the fine print, that being, if allowable through CC and R's, discuss with your attorney if you have any further questions or concerns).

While I already feel part of the It crowd, this girl can only dream that we all become a nation of radical moms -- really,  I do.

Perfect time of year to can some jam, but above all,
Make it a Good Day, G 

I almost forgot...go to another homepage favorite of mine at  www.asamom.com/ -- but be careful, nothing but unbridled radical homemakers abound.  Travel there at your own risk and reward.