I am lucky!

The other day, I started feeling a bit sorry for myself after an online misunderstanding escalated because I chose to stay out of someone else's dustup. Nothing I said seemed to make a difference and I was discouraged.

But then this morning I realized that if this was the worst thing to happen to me all week, I am so damn much luckier than 99% of God's other creations. And this has been a wonderful week for me!

I have spent the past week in a beautiful home, surrounded by loving family, working hard, being useful, being happy. I got to spend time with Yemaya at the ocean. Even though this week took a lot of physical and spiritual energy, I am going home better than when I arrived.

Thank you Jesus and Yemaya!

Afternoon At The Park

First we fed the ducks and got to see a turtle.

Then we took a little nature walk.

Then we went to the swings.

And now we're off to get ice cream!

After a busy afternoon, and a lap full of strawberry milkshake, it's time to relax!

Studies in Contrast

Well, things on the lawsuit front have been quiet lately, but that
isn't stopping "The Chicken Woman" (TCW) from continuing her tirade
while hiding behind an imaginary "friend" while swearing that this
"friend" is 1) real, not imaginary and 2) actually likes her.
She does this in a .pdf file on her - oops her "friend's - website.

Drawing on her superior social skills, TCW calls me a "bleached blond
bimbo."  Well, I am a bleached blond. I am also pretty hot for
a grandmother.  Well, okay, I'm pretty hot compared to
anybody.  Wikipedia defines a "bimbo" as "a woman who is
physically attractive but has a low intelligence or poor education" or
"a woman who acts in a sexually promiscuous manner."
Hmmmm.  How do you spell D-E-F-A-M-A-T-I-O-N?

TCW (or her imaginary "friend") runs on at the mouth for FOUR PAGES
about me. She has nothing really bad to say about me....just playground
insults and innuendo.   And playground insults are
always a sign jealousy, instead of true contempt.  TCW makes
much of the fact that I am fortunate enough to be able to help
others.  I don't announce it when I am able to make someone's
life a little easier, but TCW seems to have made a hobby out of doing
so.

I have an amazing life that TCW can't even begin to wrap her head
around.  Everything I am is everything she's not, and it is
obviously eating at her.  I have a loving, devoted husband who
absolutely adores me.  I have two children who love me and who
are very protective of me. I see my beautiful granddaughter every
day.  I am attractive.  I am well traveled.  I live in a beautiful
house.  I am respected and liked by people involved with
Family Rights.

In other words, it's not pretense if you really have it.  So without further ado.........

This is TCW's house.


Photo via El Paso County, Colorado Tax Assessor


And this is my house:


Photo courtesy William Wiseman

My Comment on the TSA Blog

There is currently a lively discussion going on the Travel Safety and Security forum at Flyer Talk about Mikey, the 8 year old Cub Scout who seems to be on a government terror watchlist. Blogger Bob, who writes for the TSA blog, seems to find Mikey's situation amusing.

In fact, here's a quote from Blogger Bob: "It’s inevitable that every several months or so, some cute kid gets their mug posted on a major news publication with a headline reading something like: “Does this look like a terrorist to you?” Anything involving kids or cats gets tons of mileage and everybody starts tweeting and retweeting that there’s an 8 year old on the no fly list."

There has been no shortage of comments on the TSA's blog. Here's a good one: "In the meantime, we still get to touch your children... all in the name of safety." - abelard

And we all know I can't help but have something to say. Here it is:




This is what I find most disturbing about the mistakes being made as to the "special" screenings of children.


As parents, we take pains to remind our children that they have the right to bodily integrity and control. "You don't have to let anyone touch you in 'places.'" (That's what we called it when my children were, well, children.)


Small children have a need to see their parents as "all powerful." They need this to feel safe in a world much bigger than they are. This is crucial to a child's psycho-social development. A young child needs to feel that her parents can outfight any "bad guy" who tries to bother or hurt her.


I cannot imagine standing for either of my boys being frisked by a stranger while crying with terror. Those who know me probably can't imagine it either. I tend to be aggressive when it comes to my children. Seriously aggressive.


I have to say I'm surprised that no child has fought back, or that no parents have stepped in to physically defend their children. It's only a matter of time.

Y'all need to shape up before somebody gets hurt.

Tags: Dorothy Kernaghan-Baez, AFRA, family rights, twitter, cyber-dissident, politics, TSA, terrorism, cyber-dissident, Family, Law Enforcement,

2010???

Well, we're into 2010 and I had decided last fall that this year was going to be "The Year of Dorothy." As in I plan to simplify my life, really take stock of what is important to me....yada yada yada. I've put others first for so long that I'm looking forward to indulging myself a little.

So, I found myself looking at various predictions for this year, and according to my source, Yemaya will be in charge this year, and guess what? I am a child of Yemaya!

So, it seems like everything is on track for the "Year of Dorothy." My granddaughter is due in April - I look forward to having a "Minnie Me" to play with. My children are healthy. Spiritually, I'm in a good place. I'm finally organized and the house runs smoothly. (Damn, can you imagine?) I'm planning a web based sort of half reality series half mockumentary series, along with some other projects that I'm keeping to myself for the time being.

I don't make New Year's resolutions - instead I set goals and plan projects. So, ahem: I want to improve my Spanish and learn a little Chinese. I want to ride a mechanical bull. I want to finally finish my second book. I want to do some renovations on my greenhouse. I want to build an aviary for my pigeon. I want to (maybe) get my nose pierced. I want to expend the same effort making myself happy that I spend making others happy.

Off to the races!

Are My Hands Clean?

Are My Hands Clean?

Some food for thought...... Are your hands and clothes really clean?

(Lyrics and music by Bernice Johnson Reagon. Songtalk Publishing Co. 1985)


I wear garments touched by hands from all over the world

35% cotton, 65% polyester, the journey begins in Central America

In the cotton fields of El Salvador

In a province soaked in blood,

Pesticide-sprayed workers toil in a broiling sun

Pulling cotton for two dollars a day.

Then we move on up to another rung—Cargill

A top-forty trading conglomerate, takes the cotton through the Panama Canal

Up the Eastern seaboard, coming to the US of A for the first time

In South Carolina

At the Burlington mills

Joins a shipment of polyester filament courtesy of the New Jersey petro-chemical mills of Dupont

Dupont strands of filament begin in the South American country of Venezuela

Where oil riggers bring up oil from the earth for six dollars a day

Then Exxon, largest oil company in the world,

Upgrades the product in the country of Trinidad and Tobago

Then back into the Caribbean and Atlantic Seas

To the factories of Dupont

On the way to the Burlington mills

In South Carolina

To meet the cotton from the blood-soaked fields of El Salvador

In South Carolina

Burlington factories hum with the business of weaving oil and cotton into miles of fabric for Sears

Who takes this bounty back into the Caribbean Sea

Headed for Haiti this time—May she be one day soon free—

Far from the Port-au-Prince palace

Third world women toil doing piece work to Sears specifications

For three dollars a day my sisters make my blouse

It leaves the third world for the last time

Coming back into the sea to be sealed in plastic for me

This third world sister

And I go to the Sears department store where I buy my blouse

On sale for 20% discount

Are my hands clean?





Tags: Dorothy Kernaghan-Baez, AFRA, family rights, twitter, cyber-dissident, tarot cards, psychic, DFACS, Georgia, politics

This is to notify Georgia Family Rights members that I personally, along with Georgia Family Rights as an organization, have been sued in federal court in Colorado by Suzanne Shell.

I am confident of having this action dismissed as to Georgia Family Rights, as well as dismissed regarding me personally.

Before that can happen, I will need to have an attorney file a jurisdictional motion on behalf of Georgia Family Rights, as an individual cannot represent a corporation pro se - this is true both in Georgia and in Colorado.

If any members have a preference for a specific attorney they would like to me use, please feel free to contact me privately.

I would like to ask that there be no discussion of this matter publicly on this group, as it would be inappropriate. In addition, I think it is usually best to ignore those who repeatedly engage in attention seeking behavior.

I will, of course, provide case updates, etc. to the group. Should any member have questions or comments, please contact one of the moderators privately so that we can answer your questions either privately or on the group, allowing anonymity to the member. I think this will prevent Mrs. Shell from frivolously adding any individual members to her lawsuit for the purposes of retaliation.

Should there be any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Dorothy

Tags: Dorothy Kernaghan-Baez, AFRA, family rights, twitter, cyber-dissident, tarot cards, psychic, DFACS, Georgia, politics, Georgia Family Rights, Suzanne Shell, Shell v. AFRA, et al

a ChildProtectionReform groups post

Over the years, many have tried to "bring everyone together." It never seems to work.

I've been part of this movement since before there really was a movement. I've heard and seen it all.

My take? We should focus on our states and our local areas. Granted, there is a national problem and federal laws and funding to deal with. Believe me, I get that. But it's only one piece of the puzzle.

I believe it is extremely important to work on changing attitudes of the general public at the state and local level. I believe it is extremely important to work on those elected officials and non-profit managers who control our state and local funding streams. Here in Georgia, even though we have a state government directed system (as opposed to say, North Carolina which has a county directed system) DFACS (CPS) gets various funding and other support from local governments. Even more is given by local charities. THIS IS WHERE WE NEED TO POINT OUR EFFORT, in my opinion.

If significant numbers of us focus our efforts this way, our work will lead to changes all over the country. Changes are already happening in Georgia. I'd love to see changes happen everywhere.

So, how exactly do we do this? We write timely letters to the editor, we respond to local news stories touching on CPS, we write to our local lawmakers, we offer concrete help to victim families who are close to us geographically.

Of course there will be people who won't do any of these things. And there are going to be people who will. For example, if a group member posts a sample letter to the editor, the majority of members won't bother to personalize and send it. But some will.

Let's at least expect "some."

--------------------------
Thanking you in advance,
(Mrs.) Dorothy Kernaghan-Baez
http://www.dorothybaez.com
http://psychicsoundoff.blogspot.com
http://www.familyrights.us

Georgia Family Rights, Inc.
http://www.georgiafamilyrights.com
811 Aumond Place East
Augusta, Georgia 30909
Phone 706-533-6522
Fax 706-736-4832
Email dorothybaez@yahoo.com

I am not an attorney and I do not give or pretend to give legal advice. I merely relate strategies I learned in the past that have worked for families. I provide information and help for free and do not expect to receive any form of payment or reward on this side of heaven.

Hmmm....

http://familyrights.us/news/archive/2008/july/competitor.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 14, 2008

AFRA not a "Competitor"

It has come to our attention that American Family Advocacy Center (AFAC) in Colorado is referring to American Family Rights Association (AFRA) as a "competitor".
AFAC apparently claims to be a "for profit" organization offering "consulting" and "licensing of copyrighted intellectual property".
AFRA, a non profit ASSOCIATION of family rights advocates, interested individuals, and CPS victims, clearly has NEVER, and does NOT desire or intend to "compete" with AFAC.
Both AFRA member advocacy groups and non-member advocacy groups are perfectly free to operate on their own.  
AFRA does NOT impose in any way on any family rights advocate, beyond the suspension of their AFRA membership if they commit egregious or unprofessional acts that injure clients or behavior that reflects poorly on AFRA.  Even such suspended members are NOT "pursued", harassed, or defamed, or made victim of a character assassination.
If independent advocates WANT help from AFRA, we will provide what we can and only what we are asked to provide.
Stated as clearly and as succinctly as possible, AFRA, being an ASSOCIATION of family advocates, does NOT, and will never "compete" with any "family advocate" organization or individual, AFRA member or not, in any way, shape, or form.

###

American Family Rights Association
http://familyrights.us


Tags: Dorothy Kernaghan-Baez, AFRA, family rights, twitter, cyber-dissident, tarot cards, psychic, DFACS, Georgia, politics