Dear Mr. President....

I just wanted to applaud your stance on holding true to your moral standing. It is the rare man who stands firm by his own beliefs in the tide of dissention.

To sacrifice cells in order to advance research that has the potential to save and enrich millions of lives is out of line, sir. You were so right so save those "small collection of cells".

Never mind the child who has cancer that will shorten his life span to a mere 6 years.

Never mind the adult with MS who can't support his family because he's too weak and in severe pain to work.

Never mind the woman with Alzeimers who sees a family member standing in front of her, but can't make out whether they're her brother, sister, husband, or daughter.

Never mind the child who shakes and sweats and looks pleadingly into his mother's eyes as she makes him drink juice so as to avoid him slipping into diabetic coma.

Never mind those people, and millions of others with millions of other life debilitating and life threatening chronic conditions and diseases.

Small collections of cells are what we have to preserve against the moral corruptness of scientific research. Nevermind the millions of American people you claim to hold dear to your heart.

Sincerely,
A Moral American Mother

Our Harrowing Trip

Ever since we moved to New Hampshire, I've wanted to visit Mt. Washington. It's the highest peak East of the Mississippi. Even when we lived in New York, I would see bumper stickers that read "This Car Climbed Mt. Washington". I figured it must be an incredible drive if so many people have gone.

I never knew until Monday just what the words on that bumper sticker really implied.

The mountain is 6,288 feet above sea level. The auto road climbing to the top is very narrow, barely allowing two way traffic. The edge of the road, which by the way has no guardrails at any point, meets with a drop to certain death.
Beautiful day for a drive...off the cliff of death.

The road really magnifies the fact that SUVs and minivans are enormous monstrosities (we own a minivan).
"Uh pardon me, but I'm not in the mood for a game of "chicken".

Cars have to climb at 20 miles per hour. When coming down, there are numerous spaces off the side of the "road" where you can stop and let your brakes cool lest your brakes become so overheated that they lose their function and cause the vehicle to speed out of control and careen over the side of the path leading to death and destruction.

But, while traveling the road, you become mesmerized by the majestic views of the mountainous terrain. Terrain isn't even the word to describe it. It's otherworldly.
As seen from the peak of Mount Washington...no photo does any justice to the views.

In the end though, the bumper sticker should say "We made it up and down Mt. Washington ALIVE"

Awesome Workout Song

I wish they had a 45 minute version of this song. But then I'd probably get sick of it really fast:

I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! At the Disco