I blog-met The Empress a few months ago, and from the very first post I read, I was ready to join her empire. I just barely restrained myself from gushing all over her comment section and asking for the position of Lady in Waiting. If you don't know her yet, get ready, because I guarantee that you will love her.
The Empress is very sweet, and today she is talking about one of my very favorite things, joy.
There Really Is No Greater Joy
I remember staring at a placard, years ago,while in a Christian bookstore,that read, "There is no greater joy than to know my children walk with the Lord." This was before I had children, and I picked it up, and wondered at the words. I thought, "Yes, it's nice if your children believe what you believe, yes, it's nice if they have something rock solid in their lives, but why joyful? Maybe gratitude, but joyful?" I put the item down, and went on to look at other things.
I am now the mother of 3 boys, and our morning routine is to have breakfast, get dressed and washed up, and then we all walk to the front room window, that faces the sunrise, and we kneel to pray. One of our three sons takes his turn pulling out a biblical verse card that I have printed myself, making the words accessible to them. I've chosen simple verses, and underneath, I have written a small example of why this verse is one I felt important for them to know.
They have never squawked at this routine, they have never refused to nor questioned why we do this every morning. They each pick up their breakfast dishes, automatically head to the front room, and then bend down on their knees, and we begin our prayer. When we finish, I hug them all, and say, "God bless you in your day."
We all do this without thinking, it's as natural as brushing our teeth and making the bed. It is our morning preparation for the day. It doesn't matter if we are late, have run out of time, or are not in a good mood. We kneel together, and pray, everyday.
Last year, I needed some minor surgery done. I was sleeping downstairs on the sofa, to avoid going up and down to our bedroom upstairs. One morning, right after the surgery, as I was laying sleepily on the sofa, our 3 boys came down, had breakfast, got washed up, and began to prepare for their day. I wanted to get up and remind them to pray, but I was very groggy from the pain medication I had taken the night before. I kept wanting to say something, but I felt so weary. I watched them through half closed lids, and slowly began to fall back asleep. I heard my oldest son tell his two brothers to pick up the dishes, and get ready for the day. Then, I saw three shadows, one following the next, in a line, walking, headed to the large front room window. I saw them all stand in front of the window, stop together, then they knelt down. The oldest handed the verse card to the middlest, who then read slowly enough for the youngest to understand. Then I heard them pray for "mama's healing."
They finished, quickly stood up, and went about their day. What I had just seen them do, on their own, lwithout a reminder from me, left me speechless and smiling with tears that slowly fell out of the corners of my eyes.
My children got it, they truly got it. Prayer was not an obligation to them, prayer was communication. Prayer wasn't something that their mother and father made them do, prayer was something that was a natural part of their life.
I smiled, joyfully, and the words from the placard I had seen so many years ago, blessedly came to my mind. "There is NO greater joy than to know my children walk with the Lord."
Next week my seven year old daughter, Katarina, and I will be traveling to Arizona to visit family. It is a trip that we are both very excited about, there will be many special memories made while we are there. We both love to fly. In fact for a lot of years I thought about one day becoming a flight attendant.
Katarina and I will go to Arizona next week.
We might even just stay in Arizona.
That is not because of all the family fun we will be having. It is because of the AIT Full Body Scanners that the Transportation Security Administration is going to be using as primary security for Sky Harbor International Airport when it is time for us to return to Florida.
What is the deal with these scanners?
There are questions about the safety of the scanners, but that is not what I am concerned with today. Today I want to talk about the invasion of privacy.
I'm sure we all remember the TSA worker in Miami who was made fun of by a supervisor about the size of his penis, after going through an AIT scanner.
Earlier in the year, the UK said that children under the age of 18 must be exempted from going through the scanners because the images created would violate child pornography laws. In March that decision was reversed, because the government decided that "to exclude children risked undermining the security measures". This decision was made even though the security minister admitted that the scanners are only 50-60% effective and a week prior a security guard at Heathrow Airport was caught staring at images of a female colleague in a body scanner. Their reasons for scanning minors did not address the problem of the illegal images that are being created in the process or the violation that is taking place.
I have spent most of my day looking into this situation, finding out what our rights are where body scanners are concerned. I have been calling airports, airlines, the TSA, and researching online.
I understand that the person actually viewing the pictures is in a separate room and does not know the identity of the person pictured. This does not offer me any comfort. Often when perverts buy images of child pornography, they are not in the same room as the child being pictured and do not know the identity of the child. Does that make child pornography okay? Of course not. It is also not okay for a TSA employee to view images of my child or me where our naked bodies are visible. I will not consent to that.
I was told that we can legally opt out of walking through the scanners, and instead be patted down. When I asked for further information about what a pat down would consist of, people where hesitant to answer. One security employee at Sky Harbor told me that they are not allowed to discuss the pat down procedure over the phone. He said that I would have to "ask for it at the airport and see what happens".
That did not make me feel very good about the pat down procedure. The big news on the pat downs is that they have recently changed the way they are conducted. Some of the new procedures are covered in this video from ABC15 in Phoenix:
While the video shows snippets of pat downs happening, and discusses that breasts will be touched, it does not discuss what else will be touched.
After speaking with four different TSA employees on the phone today, I finally got one to be honest with me about what exactly the pat down would include. She told me, "They will touch you with an open palm. They will touch your breasts and feel completely around them. They will touch your butt. They will run their hands all the way up your inner thigh and touch your crotch area."
I asked if that would apply to my seven year old daughter as well, and she answered affirmatively.
Let me make this very clear.
The choice is:
Allow the TSA to take images of your body where you will essentially be naked. Images of your children's body that in any other setting would be considered criminal.
or
Allow a TSA agent to pat down your body in such a way that they will fondle your breasts and touch your crotch. An act that if preformed on your child in any other setting would be considered sexual abuse.
Essentially, the choice is:
You can give up naked pictures of yourself
or
allow the federally mandated molestation.
These are your only choices when using an airport that has the AIT Full Body Scanners as the primary security.
After explaining the new pat down procedure to me, the TSA employee said, " you do not want your child to have to go through one of these pat downs. They are extremely invasive and upsetting". She didn't really have to tell me that, because I already knew from the description that there was no way I would allow anyone to touch my child in this inappropriate way.
I realized that we will not ever fly out of Sky Harbor International Airport again. This started my search for an airport that did not yet have these scanners in use. When I spoke with a different TSA employee about an hour later to ask questions about the airport in Tuscon, she wanted to know why I was trying to find an airport that did not use the scanners. When I explained to her about the pat down procedures being unacceptable, she told me that the agent I spoke to earlier should not have told me that. That they do not touch anyone's crotch at any time during a pat down.
I understand the need for security. I do not complain when they make me take off my shoes, or when they do not allow me to bring large containers of liquid on the plane. I do not complain when they rifle though my suitcases. I wait in line and put my belongings through the x-ray machine and walk through the metal detectors. If a TSA employee wants to pull me out of line and hand search my carry-on, I smile and say okay.
I will not smile and say okay to inappropriate pictures of me or my minor child.
I will not smile and say okay to inappropriate touching of me or my minor child.
I will not be bullied by the TSA. No one has the right to touch me or view my naked body.
You might think that I am secretly a conspiracy theorist or that I am overreacting. That is your choice.
It is my choice to not have my freedom stripped away and my body violated by strangers. It is my choice to drive three hours to the airport in Tuscon to be able to take what will probably be my last trip on an airplane to return home. As the scanners get installed in more and more airports, the choices for molestation-free flight will become less and less.
Benjamin Frankin is often quoted to say, "Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserves neither liberty or safety." I think that applies here.
What do you think? Would you go through an AIT Full Body Scanner? Would you put your child through one? What about the new Pat Down Procedures? Is that something that you would allow yourself or your child to be subjected to?
A few months ago I participated in this contest for Strawberry Milano Cookies. Write a short explanation of my "Milano moment" when and how I enjoy eating cookies.
Mine was something to the effect of: "My Milano Moment....at night. When everyone else is asleep. Cuddled up in a blanket with a warm drink and a book. Then I break out the Milanos. It is a relaxing time. And because everyone else is asleep I can eat as many as I want!"
This was an easy thing for me to think of, because as you all know, I love eating cookies. I got an email from them telling me that I was one of the winners and should be expecting a bushel of cookies. A bushel! How random is that? It was the big joke at my house for weeks. A bushel of cookies was coming......
Last week I checked the mail and found this:
I opened it up, and saw this:
Just to give you some insight into my mind:
Happiness is a bushel of cookies....and I am one happy woman!
Some updates. Here is a list...because I am in a bullet point kind of mood:
Marj from Survivors Can Thrive has given me a huge honor. She is going into blog semi-retirement, and has asked me to take over the Blog Carnival Against Child Abuse. I am excited, and sad, and slightly nervous all at the same time. But mostly, I am excited to carry on this very important thing that Marj started back in 2006.
We already have a host set up for November (thank you Splinty!), but December and all of 2011 are open, so let me know if you would like to host a month over at your blog.
I know, dear readers, that I have left you in suspense. After my recounting of the Covert Mission you have been wondering what is going on. Did the Focus Rally people contact us? Not yet. We have heard nothing. Which, I'm fine about. Totally fine. I'm certainly not stalking the Ford Focus on facebook, or sending Vanessa desperate exclamation-point-laden emails every day asking her if she has heard anything. No. Those are things that I just wouldn't do.
Also, I wouldn't ask you to tweet "I want to see Team Vanessa and Tracie ( @baptistness & @fromtracie ) on #Ford #FocusRally. Don't you agree @FordFocus ?" That is just one more thing that I would not do.
In other news. I will be going out of town in November. Katarina and I are going to visit my family in Arizona next week.
Not to worry, I have been setting up some fabulous guest posters to keep you entertained while I am gone.
Who wants to come pack for me?
I realized last night that the airport I am flying in and out of has one of those full body scanners. Insert panic attack here. I will be spending today figuring out all my rights concerning this situation.
We found a used copy of the second season of Gilmore Girls at the dvd store over the weekend. Cuing the resurgence of the Jess/Dean debate in my home. Katarina is fully in the Dean Camp. She clearly does not go for the whole "bad boy" image...and I think I'm very okay with that, and hoping she will remember that when she gets older.
-COLD! I love the cold! I don't get much real cold down here in Florida, but I long for changing leaves and cold weather and snow. I firmly believe that snow and I belong together.
2.Since yesterday was Halloween, what is your favorite candy or fall treat?
-I have to pick a favorite? Just one? My favorite favorite is Godiva. No question, but that is more of a special occasion (read:expensive!) candy. For everyday treat indulgences I love Pralines, Heath Bars, Skittles, Reese's Cups, Twizzlers, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Nutella, Oreos.....really, I could keep going with this all day long. Sugar and I also belong together.
3.What is a favorite Halloween memory?
-I grew up in a family that did not celebrate Halloween, so I don't have one of these.
4.What day of the week is your favorite and why?
-Mondays. Every Monday is a fresh start on a new week. Full of possibilities and promise.
5.What do you splurge on that is just for YOU?
-Books. Some of my books get shared with Katarina, or lent to friends, so maybe they aren't always just for me, but for the most part they are.
6.At what store do you spend the most money?
-The Bookstore. No question.
7.What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word Hallelujah?
-This song:
8.It's a perfect day, what are you doing?
-Cuddling up with Thomas and Katarina watching movies, reading books, and just spending the entire day together with no stress. Preferably in a log cabin surrounded with snow....and full of junk food.
Feel free to answer these questions. Or other questions. Or send me sugar and snow.
