I am still waiting on State Farm, but will revisit when I get all the answers.  I received yet another refund check so I now have 2 additional bills and 2 refund checks.  Looks like the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

I haven't blogged in a couple of days because in my mind I have had too many soap boxes going at once.  

Let's start with Paula Deen.  First off, I am not really a fan of hers.  I have been to her restaurant at the Horseshoe in Indiana and the one in Tunica, and she does have great food (especially in Tunica), but it is not really good for you.  Plus, because it's a buffet, you try to eat enough to get your money's worth.  So it is not somewhere I like to go.  But the big deal is that she used the "N" word.  Now I'll also tell you I don't like the "N" word.  I don't like the sound of it and have never used it towards a person.  But, I grew up with others using it and it was part of what I called brazil nuts.  In fact, I was in my twenties before I learned the real name of brazil nuts.  I was less concerned that she had used the "N" word (unless it was after the time the word became unacceptable) because of her age and her southern heritage. What I found much worse was that she was trying to get African Americans to play as slaves for a wedding.  There is nothing she could say to convince me this would be acceptable.  She may be a star and she may think because of that she can do whatever she wants, but she is old enough to know better.  I think when you ask people if they used the "N" word, you need to look at where and when they grew up.  You also need to find out when they last used the "N" and take all of that into consideration.  It's challenging to do that, but it's all part of history.  History cannot be changed.  What we have to do is work towards making a better history for future generations.

Something else that has been floating around in my brain is all the uproar about privacy.  Does anyone really think they have any privacy?  Ever since there have been 3 people on this earth, privacy disappeared.  Someone somewhere always sees and hears.  Just think of the small town where everyone seems to know everyone else's business.  I couldn't get away with anything growing up in Fern Creek.  At the time it was a small town and someone would always tell on my brother and me.  Then came the electronic age and if you have been on any social website, you have given away your privacy.  Think you are just posting to your friend?  When they like it or comment, the friends of your friends are now privy to it.  Liking pages? Companies are tracking your every like and comment so they can market to you, then share that information with other companies.  But when it comes to the Government, everyone is up in arms, pushed by various political interests. Do you file taxes? Do you have a social security number? Do you collect benefits from the Government?  All of these things add up to the Government knowing about you.  So they know what phone numbers you are calling.  They are not listening to your conversations, and if you're not connecting with terrorists, I don't understand the big deal, and if it is preventing terrorist attacks and saving lives, I think I can live with it.  

As you can see my brain is on overload and I have edited and re-edited today's page simply because some of my thoughts take me off in a completely different direction than where I started.    I am hoping this will help me de-clutter my mind for better thoughts in the future.