Excuse me for a moment while I rant about stupidity.

Noah has a Bumbo. For those of you who don't have munchkins around, a Bumbo is a high-backed, sealed sort of foam seat that helps babies sit up by themselves before they would normally be able to and then provides a comfy seat for them after they can sit up on their own. It's got a little saddlehorn sort of thing that comes up between their legs for support, and a high back. Grams got Noah his, and we love it.

Now the maker has issued a recall of sorts, to give people stickers to put on their seats saying never to leave a baby alone in one. There have been 24 reports of babies being injured falling out of Bumbos, three of whom received skull fractures when they fell out of Bumbos that parents left SITTING ON TOP OF TABLES. For crying out loud. You can't have the sense God gave a goose if you leave a baby sitting unsecured in an unsecured seat, especially if you put the aformementioned unsecured seat sitting on top of other furniture. These people should be embarrassed to report how their kids were injured, but they aren't. Instead of blaming themselves for a complete and utter lack of common sense, they blame the maker of the seat for not telling them that it would be incredibly stupid to leave the baby in a precarious place and then not watch them.

The most frustrating part of my life, my job, everything, is the death of common sense and personal accountabilty. Everything is somebody else's fault. Here's my tidbit of wisdom for the day, borrowed from demotivators.com: "The only consistent feature of all your dissatisfying relationships is you." If you notice that your business dealings fall apart, that you bank account is screwed up, your insurance is screwed up, your bills are screwed up, none of your friends want to talk to you, and you're overweight, then you shouldn't try to put all the blame on the stores, the bank, your insurance agent, your friends, the fast food chains and advertisers, the economy, the government at large, or the president. You shouldn't throw a fit, scream, cuss, or sue. You should, instead, start by looking to see what your responsibility is in whatever is going on. Crap happens, true enough. But some of it may just be YOUR fault. Momentous words, to be sure, and an enormous paradigm shift for many.

Sometimes it's easier to blame other people than it is to take accountability for one's own actions. I've been guilty of it myself from time to time. I'm just saying...don't live there. It's ridiculous.

So, let's bring back common sense, shall we? Think before you speak- and before you sue.

So, I've decided to skip the obligatory melancholy entry in favor of a massive political conspiracy theory post. Just drink the kool-aid and come along with me for a moment.

So, the Congress passed a non-binding resolution about the genocide/mass killings that took place in Turkey. Leaving aside for a moment the rather troubling question of where you draw the line between the two designations, what is the point of the passage of this resolution at this particular point in time? I've heard commentators say that the sponsor of the bill has a large Armenian-American community in his home district, and that the Speaker has a similarly substantial Armenian-American community in HER home district, both of which are true. But here's the question to muddle through in your mind, again, after you've had the kool-aid.

Democrats (and some Republicans) want us to be out of Iraq, and out of Iraq yesterday. There have been attempts to pass bills with set dates for pulling out. Those attempts weren't successful. Now, all of sudden there is a pressing need to call this genocide a genocide. I'm fine with the terminology, just curious about the timing.

This non-binding resolution has Turkey in a tizzy. Remember, this is a country where denouncing "Turkishness" is a prosecutable offense, and saying that there was a genocide when the government doesn't want it called a genocide isn't the best way to keep a friendship alive. Again, let me make it clear that I'm fine with them saying that it's a genocide. No problem at all with that. I just am not convinced that they are being genuine about their motivation.

What happens if you tick off a very, very important ally in a war? Turkey's willingness to let us pass through their airspace and use a military base there is, after all, a pretty essential part of our operations in the Middle East. They've already pulled back their ambassador. What happens if they pull back their permission for us to use their space? Suddenly, the war becomes a much more difficult thing to wage. Wouldn't that be convenient?

Just a few thoughts. I'm going to go have some caffeine now. Be well, and we will return to regularly scheduled programming of cuteness later.

October 11th, 2007, is National Depression Screening Day.

It's also the third anniversary of Dad's death.

The irony is not lost on me.

Expect a melancholic post tomorrow.

So I know this isn't the highest quality in the world (it was taken with the digital camera), but you can still get an idea that might make you smile. Uncle Sam is REALLY good with Noah. He was actually in a cranky mood before Sam came over...

That is all.