Who's killing who? Where are the WMD's?-a personal vent from a OIF Veterans wife

OK - So I said no politics. I promise this one will be short. I just have to get this off my chest. I'm sick and tired of people refering to our troops as murderers. I don't watch the news - but I read enough to know that the US troops are NOT the ones blowing people up. We are not invading towns and blowing up buildings. We went in with one purpose - to remove Hussein - now that's done. Our guys would LOVE to come home. If you want us to leave - STOP ATTACKING YOUR OWN PEOPLE!!
And one final point - SHUT UP ABOUT THE WMD'S (Weapons of Mass Destruction). Let me ask a stupid question here... If Hussein didn't have WMD's then how did he manage to GAS THOUSANDS OF HIS OWN PEOPLE?!!! what did he do? Load them one by one into cars and stick a hose in the window? Get your heads out of the sand - there are bugs in there that will eat what's left of your brain.

American consumerism -Go Fish! Or how Jonah swallowed the Whale

My husband just came home from a 13 month tour of duty in Iraq. He lost 4 memebers of his batallion - 2 were good friends. The people who weren't shooting at them were pretty nice and appreciated them being there.
I am of the firm opionion that Billy the Bigmouth Bass is responsible for our poor image overseas.
Most of us are familiar with the statistics - the USA accounts for 10% of the worlds population but consumes 90% of the worlds resources, and produces 90% of the worlds trash (or something like that).
Take a look at Billy, and his pet Chia, his cousin Tom the Talking Turkey, (on a Darwinistic level they are probably related to Happy Meal toys - although Billy has lost the ability to spontaneously reproduce himself) and any one of a million other doodads and trinkets you can pick up at Walmart or the local convenience store. What earthly purpose do these things serve? How many people actually go into a store around a holiday and say "ooh - I just have to have that singing fish" or "Wow - that fiber-optic flower is just what I need. I hope someone gives me that as a gift." My bet... NO ONE thinks that. No! What you think is - Oh my gosh - that is too cute, dad will think it's hilarious." So you shell out $15 or $20 (whatever the going price is for this months 'must have' item) and you give it to someone else! Now, dad (our Aunt Sue, cousin Bob, whoever) is stuck with this thing. Yeah - it's cute - for about a day. Then what the heck do they do with it? It gets shoved in a closet with the last 5 'cute' things someone gave them. If they have any sense at all - the best thing they can do with it is donate it to a charity thrift shop. More than likely though - what they are going to do with it is throw it in the trash (eventually).
So lets back up for a minute to Billy and his origins. Most of this garbage is manufactured overseas, many times by people making meager wages. At least we are giving them a job. Next point - this stuff requires a certain amount of the worlds resources to create - you can't make something from nothing. It takes energy (both physical and electrical (or otherwise) to produce, package, ship, market, and stock.
POINT: Billy's connection to foreign relations - If you were living in a slum in some third world country, spending 15 hours a day making stuff you knew some American was going to blithely throw in the trash in a few weeks - HOW MUCH WOULD YOU LIKE US?!

Getting started - what's essential

I'm sitting here staring at the screen with a sudden case of writers block. Oh my goodness - if I post this ANYONE IN THE WORLD can read it. Do I really have something that important to say?
All morning I've been thinking how writing is a very arrogant thing. You must start with the premise that what you have to say is so interesting and profound that someone else might be interested in it. WOW!

I considered titling this post "What's your can opener?" but for a first time post that just sounded all wrong. Here's the (short) story (really - it's not stupid - there is a point):
My niece and nephews are visiting for a few weeks. One of them need to use my can opener but couldn't find it. We had a brief but interesting discussion -
Child - "Where's the can opener"
Me - "It's in the silverware drawer"
(Strange look from child - who proceeds to pull it out)
Child - "This is weird - your can opener isn' like ours"
Me - "I know sweetie - that's because yours is electric and mine isn't"
(brief silence followed by another strange look)
Me - "I have always had a hand can opener. It is a small way of reminding me that there are many things in this life that we can have but don't need."

POINT - We live in a society of excess. We have developed an innate need to upgrade everything from computers to can openers - but why?
Honestly, my little hand can opener works just as fast as an electric one, it costs nothing to run, has never (in 12 years) needed to be replaced, and doesn't take up shelf space. Why do I need an electric one? I've had them, they're bulky and you can't leave stuff on them anyways so what's the point?

Introduction - getting to know me!!

OK - this is my first real blog. I started one for my family - but honestly - there are just so many things that you don't want your family to read! This will tend to focus on day to day life; raising kids, keeping house, marriage, homeschooling, and general musings on simplicity and frugality. If you want to talk politics or current events this isn't the place for you. If you want to know the dish on Hollywood or Washington look elsewhere - I live in the real world and don't have time for that nonsense. (Yes - I am politically active, I know what my elected officials are up to - but unless it's of major importance to me I don't spend alot of time talking about it). I don't watch TV (except the ocassional DVD at night). I get my news from the radio.

I'm a 35 year old housewife and mother of 3 (12,11,2). I'm just venturing into the worlds of homeschooling, blogging, and gardening. (I've had a garden once before - but I really want to get serious about it.)

I'm a devout Christian - some might say evangelical, some might say right wing conservative - but please don't think that makes me narrow minded or hateful. Take some time to get to know me first!

We live out in "God's Country" but we only have a small parcel of land so I'm not experienced in lots of homesteading activities. We love to raise chickens and have considered a pig, but we haven't taken the plunge yet. My garden plan in small - just enough for our family and maybe a little left over to share.

I was fascinated by the PBS series "Frontier House" and still watch it from time to time. It ignited something in me that I can't define - a sense of overload, a yearning for a place of peace in a hectic world, no matter the cost. I have to admit - this is why I chose the name "Montana" as my signature.