This week I joined much of America in my concern as two significant events unfolded. The first was the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. The second was Hurricane Gustav in the Gulf Coast.

Amy Goodman, producer and host of Democracy Now! has been released after being arrested yesterday while covering the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis. Two of the show's producers and an Associated Press photogrepher were also arrested in separate incidents during protests that drew an estimated 10,000 people on the Convention's opening day.

If you've given birth in the United States in the past three years, you are eligible to participate in The Birth Survey. Thanks to The Birth Survey: Transparency in Maternity Care, "women can now give consumer reviews of doctors, midwives, hospitals, and birth centers, learn about the choices and birth experiences of others, and view data on hospital and birth center standard practices and intervention rates." If enough women take this survey, it could have a serious impact on maternity care in the U.S.

My favorite thing about participating in the blogosphere is the opportunity it provides to walk a mile (or two, or twenty) in the shoes of people in very different life experiences from my own.  I have been learning much lately by reading some of the blogs by parents holding down the fort at home while their spouses are deployed overseas in the U.S. Armed Forces.  Many of these families are blogging their journey with great honesty and courage.

Like lots of Americans, you may be thinking "backyard BBq and trek to the nearest fireworks display." It's a good plan, a classic really.

I stopped at the table of the American Civil Liberties Union table at the American Library Association annual convention in Anaheim, CA. I was given a copy a small blue book of the Constitution of the United States of America. I stop by the Cato Institute table where I am given a small red book on the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. I didn’t get squat from the Hoover Institute because I got the impression I shouldn’t approach the table let alone be allowed see what freebies they wanted to pass on to library type folks.

In less than a week, my firstborn child, my baby girl Ava will turn 4. While this isn't often considered a major milestone, it is still very dear to my heart, being her mother and all. It got me thinking about how good we have it here in North America. I feel fortunate to live in a country where we have access to things such as clean water, nutritious food and medical care.

An article in the New York Times this weekend reported that some women are being forced to pay higher health insurance premiums or are being denied insurance coverage all together if they've had a Caesarean section in their past. Peggy Robertson of Centennial, Colo., was turned down for individual health coverage by Golden Rule Insurance Company because she had given birth by c-section. No matter that she was in perfect health.

Among the heartfelt Mother's Day tributes published all over the web this weekend, you might have come across this touching entry from BlogHer community member Rosemarie Pena:

[Updated to add Mad Momma's wonderful post on ways to curb wastage].

When I first heard about the Pink Patch, I thought it was stupid but probably harmless. That speaks volumes to my current state of mental health, though – I was transported back to my less-healthy days as I started poking around for more facts. The fact that I found a reference to the Pink Patch on a pro-ana (for the uneducated, that’s pro-anorexia) message board is enough to make my blood run cold.

Within the past number of months I have mentioned a couple of times here that despite all the drama within the Democratic presidential nomination, it was great that people are finally talking about race. Now I wonder if I spoke too soon. We are now seeing a downhill slide into the depths of depravity (okay, that's a little extreme) that while it is not entirely surprising it is still dissapointing. One (well, uh, me) still tends to think that racists are low-class ignoramuses that really can’t help themselves.