PENN-sieve

This weekend, we had a sexual assault on campus and I am working with the victim to help her survive what has happened. Today, when I was talking to her, I looked close at her eyes. They were so sad. I hope you have never seen this look in someone's eyes - the "how did this happen to me, what did I do to deserve this, can I be strong enough to move on" look. It took all my strength not to cry when I was in her presence...in fact, it is taking all my strength not to cry now.

Dear South,

I am the kind of person that writes letters when I feel that people need to be aware of a situation. I let my Congressman know how I feel he should vote; I tell companies when their products are sub par; so I feel that it is my duty to bring your attention to this issue via this letter.

I had the pleasure of taking a trip to the South this week to visit friends and family. The South is beautiful. There are few things I love more than a Magnolia tree in full bloom. But the beautiful landscape was spoiled by the sight of a rebel flag everywhere I turned.

Now for you, I understand, the flag represents your region's proud history - how your forefathers stood for something they believed in and fought, for some, to the death, for their beliefs. It is important to remember where you came from, not only for heritage but also so you can make steps not to repeat the mistakes of history. I get the feeling that you hang the flag with pride and I wonder if you should really be so proud of this history.

In case you did not know, the South lost the Civil War. You fought for a cause but you lost and you proudly display the flag of the losing team. What message are you sending your children about being a good citizen, about demonstrating good sportsmanship, about accepting the past and moving on? Have you ever thought of how offensive this flag is to half of your citizens?

I am a proud citizen of the USA - the union that allows you the freedom to display your flag and so while I don't agree or even understand why you would want to hang the flag, I support your right to do so. For you, the flag may represent states rights and if this is the case I think you should step up your protest. If you don't want to be a part of the union, you should no longer accept any federal funding - stop driving on interstates, take your children out of public schools, don't accept any federal assistance when the South has a devastating natural disaster. Or you could move...the South is now a part of the United States...maybe you would be happier in Cuba.

Sincerely,

Tracy

Why I love the South:
1. Magnolia trees
2. People in Georgia drive fast (I was doing 90 on the freeway and still getting passed!)

Why I would never want to live here:
1. Humidity
2. Sweet tea (I love it but I think I would get diabetes if I lived here)
3. The Rebel flag (Hello??? You lost. Suck it up)
4. Racism (Hello??? It's 2007! And this is supposed to be the Bible Belt - what happened to love thy neighbor)
5. I am tired of being called a Yankee.

I drove down to see my brother Bobby in Columbia, South Carolina for the weekend. We went to Fort Sumter in Charleston today. The tour guide was telling us about the history of the Fort and how they had to bring in gravel from the north to build the island that Ft Sumter was built on. "Yes folks, you are all standing on Yankee soil", the tour guide said. People in the audience actually boo'd. South Carolina may be even more backwards than Indiana.

I got football tickets. I got football tickets.

Ha, Ha, I love titles that could be so dirty but aren't :)

I have been seeing a guy named Craig. He is super tall (6'4") and a doctoral student in the Anthropology department at Penn State. Last night we went to dinner (Indian food - because the Thai place was closed) and when the bill arrived, Craig said, "I am paying for this. Don't feign an interest in wanting to pay for it."

Yes, he scored bonus points!

Last night, I was reading "Marley and Me". In the book, the family moves from Florida to Pennsylvania. The kids are not happy with the move and when the parent asks why, the child says, "I thought there would be pencils in Pencilvania". LOL!

I am very happy in Pennsylvania - even without the abundance of office supplies.