Robin of Berkeley

A terrible scandal has been revealed: about Mitt Romney’s former transgendered nanny.

It seems that when Mitt’s family did Mormon missionary work in Indonesia, his parents hired a loving, transgendered nanny for the young tot. Mitt and his siblings were very close to the cross dressing nanny, whose name was Turdi, though he/she went by Evie. Mitt would giggle when he saw Turdi get all dolled up for a night out in the town.

Mitt’s experience wasn’t all that unusual; there are many transgendered or transvestite people in the Middle East. Surely, his parents were acting in a caring, sensitive way when they hired Turdi to care for Mitt and the whole Romney brood.

But, tragically, with Romney a possible Presidential candidate, Turdi has been besieged by the press and other unwanted attention. He has had to go into hiding for protection. Perhaps Mitt himself will come to the rescue and speak out for his long-lost transgendered nanny and childhood friend.

* * *

Oh, man, I was cracking up writing this. Yahoo and the New York Times have both run stories about Obama’s Transgendered Ex-Nanny (I love the “ex” part; how great they clarified that Turdi is a “former” nanny.) The MSM reports all this with a straight face. And the programmed public don’t blink an eye.

Of course, if Mitt or Newt or Rick Santorium had a cross-dressing nanny, this likely would have elicited more of a reaction. Can you imagine if George W. Bush had a Turdi. How calm, cool, and collected would the press have been about W’s cross-dressing au pair?

This would all be truly hilarious if it weren’t so true. One really has to wonder about the strange and twisted judgment of the whole Obama/Durham clan in their choice of residences, nannies, and mentors for young Barry. Somehow I can’t imagine the Romney or the Bush families making the same choices.

http://news.yahoo.com/ap-exclusive-obamas-transgender-ex-nanny-outcast-070907242.html

If you called a Berkeley city office today (unlikely, I know), you would have gotten a voice mail message. And if you have a child in the Berkeley Public Schools (even more unlikely), your little progeny would have had the day off.

You may be scratching your head to figure out why Berkeley is on holiday. Let me fill in the missing pieces: today is International Women’s Day!

I imagine that if you live in a normal part of the country, your city is not celebrating this holiday. But in Berkeley, many places are closed, such as the Juice Collective, which also closes on May Day.

While May Day isn’t a city holiday, we have some strange official ones. For instance, Malcolm X’s birthday is honored with all city buildings closed and the kiddies having a day off. I imagine the children are also taught about the great Mr. X the week prior to his birthday. Left out of the lesson plan is probably Malcolm’s calling whites, particularly Jews, the “blue eyed devil.” (Although, come to think of it, that fact may actually be touted by the teachers.) BTW: Malcolm X’s legend isn’t confined to his birthday. We have a Malcolm X Elementary (!) School and a Malcolm X Park.

Columbus Day has been banished, as the city instead celebrates Indigenous People’s Day. Of course, none of us would actually be living here if Columbus hadn’t discovered America. But poor Chris is one of the many white patriarchs who have disappeared from the school curriculum.

When I first arrived in Berkeley 30 years ago, I thought it was an eccentric, cool, fun-loving place. Decades later, I see it as a hard-core, radical, dark place that cares about ideology at the expense of people. Yes, there are nice humans who live here. But those nice people are preyed upon by unchecked violence promoted by moral relativism and codependency.

When there was simply a weird place in California called Berkeley, the country remained protected. However, as I warned, with Obama in office, the values (or lack of them) of Berkeley would spread across the USA.

Not surprisingly, we’ve had a spreading of some very un-American values since Obama has arrived on the scene. We have a president who spent many years at a church that God d____ America, and a president who frolicked with revolutionaries, such as Harvard’s Professor Bell and Bill Ayers. Obama seems apathetic at best when there are black on white rampages or a Muslim soldier declares Jihad against his own people or an economy remains in the dumps. Anyone who doesn’t see this has his head firmly planted in the sand.

In some ways, it’s less lonely for me now, since the rest of the country knows what people in Berkeley endure. Welcome to my crazy world. However, it’s mostly been a worrisome time, as I observe the country becoming more radical, more Berkeley-esqe, every day.

September 13, 2011

I was strolling around downtown Berkeley this week, when one of those shiny young college students waved at me with a smile. I knew what was coming: a plea for a signature and, more importantly, money for some progressive cause.

She asked perkily, “Do you want to help immigrant rights?” To which I replied my usual, “No thank you,” and walked away. But I was tempted to instead retort, “You know what I would really like? I would like a full year’s moratorium on everyone asking for their rights. And during that time, I’d want everyone to work on themselves, and to do something for other people. A whole solid year of no one demanding and everyone helping! If you have a petition for that, I’ll gladly sign.”

Of course, she would have looked at me as though I were from Mars. These days, it’s all about people standing up for their rights. And that means everyone: Latinos, blacks, women, gays, bis and bi-curious, illegals and legals, everyone, that is, with the exception of the “privileged, straight, white male.”

But what is actually owed to them or to anyone else? As an older person, I remember the good old days (which get better and better the older I get). You didn’t demand your rights with your parents or your teachers or anyone else. If you did, you’d get either a slap across the face or a stern lecture about not acting so uppity.

Back then, you weren’t entitled to anything unless you earned it. And we’re not just talking money and possessions here, but something more important: respect. No one would have or should have respected you simply because you were born upon this earth. But if you acted in a respectable fashion, that is, accountable for your actions and kind to others, then respect would inevitably follow.

But today…what a different picture. Of course, my generation, the Baby Boomers, are responsible for producing all of these entitled folks, because the young ‘uns were taught that the world owes them something for nothing. Through 60′s music and leftist schools, rights and demands were emphasized over traits that are so much more important. And meanwhile, many old folks haven’t moved on developmentally, still remaining frozen in time, circa 1964, making their own demands.

Of course, most people from the left reading this won’t have the foggiest notion of what I’m talking about. Isn’t demanding rights and making money what this life is all about? Sadly, in this shallow, secular world, people have been stripped of the knowledge of what to actually do with this one precious life.

That’s where my year’s moratorium comes in. Perhaps if people took a break, they’d come up with the answers themselves. I once read an evocative quote, “Wisdom happens in the moment between two thoughts.” Perhaps if people took a break from demanding and blogging and checking their Facebook, they’d understand that life is about more than just demands and things.

It involves giving, and I don’t mean a donation to one of those bright-eyed college kids on the streets of Berkeley or for Obama 2012. I’m talking about interpersonal giving; I’m referring to being kind. And doing so for no personal gain, simply because as human beings we are supposed to.

Notice an old woman struggling to get across the street, and do not mug her — help her! Open the door for someone using a cane. Remember that someday, God willing, you will be that old person and you will need someone to open the door for you.

Call your grandma to cheer her up, and send flowers to your mom for no reason other than she gave you life. Smile at someone who looks a bit glum; leave a dime on the ground for someone else to pick up. Every day do what used to be called, “A random act of kindness.”

And then notice what happens, first inside of you, but also in the world. Because just as anger is contagious, so is love. Love is the gift that keeps on giving. Once you express some human compassion, it spreads and gathers force and becomes the only true force that can change the world.

After a year is up, you’ll notice something remarkable: you are a changed person. You won’t have as many needs and demands, because you won’t feel as empty inside. You’ll be filled up with something more precious and enduring, something that cannot be given to you by any law or any leader.

I’ll end here with a few lines from one of the most beautiful songs of all time, from Jackie DeShannon in 1965. Its message of kindness and love was hugely popular back in the incendiary 60′s. These same simple words are desperately needed today as well.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone. . .

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No not just for some but for every,
Everyone.

PLEASE NOTE: This article was run on Sunday at American Thinker without my knowledge. Thus, there was no ability to comment. I hope that you’ll take some time to comment on the piece now.