Two Tickets to Canada, Please.

I remember when Emmo got American Girl magazines, and I would always check the mailbox every day before she did to see if it was there. (I did a lot of stealing her mail, didn't I?) I love American Girl magazines. "Celebrating Girls And All That They Can Be." What a sweet motto. :)

For those of you who don't know, American Girl is a company that makes dolls and magazines and books for girls that encourage strong character, mostly for girls ages 9-13, although personally I still love them. They have various characters for different stages of American history who find ways to use different facets of their character to face different challenges presented by whatever portion of history they are from. Their magazines are not superficial at all. They never offer make-up or hair advice, other than how to take care of it. They publish articles on how to feel better about braces, handicaps, loneliness, and the like. They even allow you to order custom dolls to look like you--buck teeth, freckles, and curly hair. Even different skin colors and face and eye shapes for different backgrounds. :)

Now don't get me wrong, I love American Girl. They kept me entertained and happy for many years (until Emmo started stealing them back). My family has been getting their magazine for over 20 years... but I'm not so sure that American Girl is the right name for it.

Modesty, self-contentment, friendliness, and individuality are no longer strongly encouraged traits in this great country of ours so much as conformity, promiscuity, selfishness, and superficiality. It shocks me how the country has changed. There used to be such a thing as a gentleman, and now it's weird to open the door for a girl. If a store carried pornographic material, it was kept behind the counter, but now it's everywhere, and no one bothers to keep it private because nearly everyone buys it. Women use to be expected to be modest, you were to keep nearly all your flesh covered except for your husband, now it's weird to not expose everything you have for whatever guy wants to see it.

America was founded on Christian values, but a survey of 104 of Hollywood's more elite and influential writers revealed that 99% of them believe that television should be "more critical" of Judeo-Christian values. Now, I don't honestly expect them to base their shows on Christian beliefs, that's completely unrealistic. But be more critical? Why do we have to criticize them? Weren't we founded on them? (I do have a source to direct you to for that little statistic if you want it.)

People first came here to be free. Free to practice different religions, have different beliefs, whatever. I don't feel so free to have my different beliefs. It seems like I get more crap for disagreeing with homosexuality than any homosexuals I know--and I'm not even mean about it. Do you want to know the last time I shoved any of my beliefs about homosexuality or any other contraversial issue down someone's throat? Never. I am just as nice to people who do things I don't agree with as I am to people who agree with me. But all those people who want me to "tolerate" different controversial things, which I already do, don't seem to be very tolerant of my opinions, which I keep to myself until asked. It's a bit frustrating...

Besides which, the rest of the world hates us. I can't say I blame them. Sometimes I feel like a goldfish in a dirty fish tank here, wishing someone would just freaking fix the filter! I bet all the other fish are tired of looking at and smelling our dirty water. Next war, I'm moving to Canada--I don't think anyone hates Canada. Besides, I like cold weather a lot. I would move to Europe, but it'd be hard to visit my family that way, not to mention I'm not comfortable with casual nudity. (Something I'd just as soon not talk about. I don't think they're evil, I'm just uncomfortable with it.) And when I move, I'll be taking my husband with me. (They better not have another war before I'm married.)

I hope they have a Canadian Girl magazine there...

<3 o.