5-30-11 - Memorial Day, Documentaries, Swimsuits and Callers

In case you missed it...

MEMORIAL DAY, DOCS AND JANETTE'S COMMENTS TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT
Rosie and the staff started today's show discussing the history of Memorial Day and honoring our troops that have served and will serve.  Rosie said last night Parker made sure with her she was going to honor the soldiers today and she assured him that they would.  

Rosie said she watched the documentary Wartorn 1861-2010 on HBO this weekend about our soldiers and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  She said it was an amazing look at how many soldiers suffer from PTSD and how it's almost impossible to get out unscathed.  Each of the staff members shared a story about a family member who served in the military who suffered with nightmares or startled easily after serving.  Janette mentioned a New York Times article she read about how difficult reentry into everyday life is for today's soldiers.  There is high unemployment and an incredibly high rate of suicide.   They discussed how today's wars are almost invisible to the majority of Americans because so much war is being fought by so few.  Rosie and Janette expressed their love and appreciation for the military.  Janette said the military is often the first stop for humanitarian aid.  Rosie said people have asked her how she feels about Parker being interested in the military since she's anti-military.  Rosie said she is not anti-military at all and she doesn't understand why people think she is.  Janette said just because you're pro-military doesn't mean you're pro-war.  And Rosie agreed.  She said the soldiers shouldn't be blamed for fighting in a war their government forced them to fight and war should only be an option after every other option has been exhausted.

Speaking of being misunderstood, Rosie said she received a lot of incoming links this weekend about something Janette said about abortion last week.  Janette's comments last week were taken out of context and she didn't properly explain a story.  Last week Janette was trying to tell a story about when she was just 12 years old and she didn't know how you got pregnant.  Her father had instilled the belief in her that getting pregnant out of wedlock would be the very worst thing in the world, but Janette didn't know how you got pregnant or what sex even was.  She thought you got pregnant from something you ate but she wasn't sure what.  She had a plan that if she ever got pregnant (keep in mind she was 12 at the time) she would either kill herself or secretly give birth to the baby and bury it in the woods because her father would kill her!  Well all she said last week was that she used to have a plan to kill the baby if she ever got pregnant.  They didn't mention how she was 12 at the time and she thought you got pregnant from eating something.  Janette said what she said may be upsetting but not saying it doesn't make it true.  She said that's the emotional truth of some young girls, too young to know any better or think of the consequences of such an act.

DOCUMENTARY ON CHINA, ABORTION AND CALLERS
Rosie said she also saw China's Stolen Children which talks about some of the ramifications of the one child policy in China.  Rosie said it's really unbelievable to hear that thousands of children are kidnapped every year in China.  Rosie said if you have a baby in China and you don't have a birth permit, they report you to the government.  You then have to pay a fine which is about 3-5 years of a person's salary.  To avoid being caught mothers will go to a farm to have their babies and sell the child to traffickers who then sell the child to wealthy families.  Rosie called it "heartbreaking" and discussed how commonplace abortion has become in China.  

Rosie then took a call from a listener who had an abortion when she was only 16 years old.  She said she never had any regret or shame about it because she knows her life is better now because of it.  She said it saved her life at the time.  Today she is very open about talking about the importance of birth control and safe sex with her daughters.  Jeannie said she received a lot of judgment from friends for putting her daughter on birth control when she was a teen.  She said people said it was as if she was condoning premarital sex.  For Jeannie, she knew she could handle putting her daughter on birth control better than she could handle taking her to have an abortion.  Deirdre said her mom put her on birth control when she was 16 and she's thankful she could go to her mom about the topic.  Jeannie's parents found birth control in her bag when she was a senior in high school and Jeannie told them it was Rosie's!  Jeannie and Rosie started laughing at the thought (since Rosie is a lesbian and didn't really need birth control) but Jeannie said she blamed Rosie because she could get away with anything with her parents.

Rosie took a call from a listener who volunteered at a Planned Parenthood in Texas for a period of time.  She was a clinic escort for young women - some just there for a health scare but they still had to battle through protesters to receive an exam.  She said it was very sad to see the lack of knowledge by the protesters.  Rosie recommended the documentary 12th and Delaware for anyone interested in this topic.

Rosie took a call from a listener who lives and listens from South Korea!  She's a teacher who originally called in at the beginning of the show almost a year and a half ago.  She said five years ago she got pregnant and was not in a relationship at the time.  She knew she had made a terrible mistake and she had an abortion.  To this day she has no regrets about it because if she hadn't done it, she wouldn't have the life she has now.  Rosie thanked her for sharing her story and told her she was very brave for doing so.  The caller told Rosie how much she is going to miss the show and Janette reminded her when Rosie goes to OWN she can still listen to it because it will be broadcast on Sirius!  

Rosie took a call from a listener who said Janette couldn't be any more wrong about this topic.  She was adopted and is a private investigator who located and met with her birth mother.  When she met her birth mother, her birth mother couldn't stop crying.  She told her she was realizing that if abortion had been legal at the time she was pregnant she would have aborted her and she realized she would have taken away the wonderful life she's lived.  Rosie said people ask her how she can be pro-choice when she's an adoptive mom because the thoughts seem contradictory.  It's because mothers chose not to have abortions that Rosie has her children.  Rosie said she doesn't begrudge any woman the right to make the decision about her own body.  The caller said in the big picture it is only 9 months out of your life and that many people would be grateful if you gave the baby to a loving family.  Rosie said she feels the same way when she thinks about birth mothers.  She said a woman who knows she can't have a baby yet has the forethought to have that baby and give the baby a chance at life with a loving family is an amazing person.  But she also knows not every woman has the strength to do that.  Janette said she understands if a person's religious beliefs say abortion is wrong and she respects the religious beliefs of all people but said people should also respect her right to not believe in any particular religious ideology.

Rosie took a call from a woman who had two abortions in her lifetime and said no one should judge her for it.  She said we all have our own situations, our own lives and if she knew then what she knows now she would have never put herself in the position to get pregnant in the first place.  But she cannot turn back time.  The woman said she was shaking telling the staff her story because she has never told anyone before.  Rosie thanked her for trusting them and for sharing with her.

ROSIE TALKS ABOUT HER WEEKEND, SWIMSUITS AND GREETING CARDS
Rosie said she hung out with Madonna and her kids this weekend.  She said it's interesting to have a friend the same age who also lost her mother when she was very young who is also now a parent.  She said they've always had that bond and now that they're both parents, it's even more special.  She said to see Madonna with the two children she gave birth to and the two children she adopted is beautiful. Rosie said she had never felt the need to have a biological child of her own but she remarked on the incredible similarity of Madonna to her children.  Rosie said Mo has never been in a better place than she is right now.  Madonna threw Parker his baby shower when he was born and she said he was the tiniest baby she ever held at the time.  And she looked at a picture of him today, the strapping 6 foot tall man he's turned into, and she was so shocked at how grown up he is!

She also went to her friend Robin Ruzan's mother's birthday party.  Rosie said she was neighbors with Robin's mom when Parker was a baby and she used to come over all the time to hold him.  She became a huge part of her life.   Robin threw her mom a surprise birthday party at The Palm Restaurant in the city and invited Rosie and Parker to come.  When Robin's mom saw Parker, she immediately came over to him and started crying at the sight of him.  Rosie said she saw Janeane Garofalo and David Steinberg at the party too.  She said she knows Janeane and has always respected her work but never really got the chance to know her personally.  Rosie thinks she's absolutely stunning in person!  They ended up having a conversation about body image and Rosie commented on how great Janeane looks and how she must never have body image issues anymore.  Janeane couldn't even receive the compliment and thought Rosie was delusional.  Deirdre understood it. Deirdre doesn't have a weight problem but said she has serious body issues.  Rosie said when she was talking to Janeane she was thinking, "She's missing it! She's skinny and she's missing it!?"  Rosie said someone could be looking at her and thinking that too.  Jeannie looks back at her wedding pictures and thinks the same thing.  At the time Jeannie got married, she felt like the fattest bride in the world.  She said she'd love to be that weight today.  

Rosie said her friend Michelle's wife is in the swimsuit business and sent her a few bathing suits to try.  She talked about how hard it is to find plus-sized bathing suits and said she always orders suits that are too big for her.  She also read an article in O Magazine about swimsuits for every body and felt frustrated that they didn't show a suit for a body like hers, one with a big belly. Rosie said she used to wear shorts and a t-shirt when she went swimming but she decided she had to stop doing that in front of her daughters.  She said it felt like she was telling them, "My body is not okay. In fact, it is so bad I will hide it from everyone including my own family."  Rosie didn't want to send that message to them. 

Jeannie brought in beautiful handmade cards that her friend Judy made for everyone on the staff!  She said she used to go to card making classes at Judy's house but hasn't been there in a while.  Janette said her friend Petra from the blogtourage, makes handmade cards as well!  Here are links to Judy's handmade card business and Petra's handmade card business.  Rosie also recommended the website Etsy to buy specialty craft items like these.  Rosie thought the gift from Judy was very sweet!

Rosie said she and Vivi went out for ice cream on Friday and 3 women came up to her and Vivi and asked Vivi if she was the child that only liked to eat fruit.  They had listened to Rosie tell that story on the radio that day and Vivi was NOT happy about it later in the car.  She asked Rosie why she is telling everyone her business!  Rosie remembered being little and the neighbor seeing her in the shower and how horrifying that was to her!  And this weekend her old assistant came over with her daughter who has a secret crush on Blake. Rosie mentioned it to the little girl when Blake wasn't in the room and she was so mad at her mother for telling her secret!  Rosie said it was very sweet to see someone that age smitten.  Jeannie and Rosie then remembered the boys they had crushes on as little girls.  

PARKER VISITS THE STUDIO
Rosie's 16 year old son Parker then came in to the studio to talk on the air for a little while.  He said he came in to remind Rosie to thank the military today.  She assured him that she remembered.  Rosie asked Parker about his plans to attend a local Military Academy in the fall.  He said he's excited about it and not really nervous at all.  Rosie asked him why he wants to go there and he said he wants to attend the academy because the military is something that has always interested him and he thinks he would thrive with the discipline.  Parker thinks serving in the military should be something all citizens should do.  He said it's almost like living in a house and not paying rent.  He appreciates how Israel has every person attend the military for a year as a responsibility as a citizen of the country.  He said he's not nervous about going but he is sort of nervous about how Rosie's going to deal with it.  :)  Parker said he will begin life-guarding in June.

This weekend, Parker and his friends helped a little boy who was stranded on a jet ski on the Hudson near their house.  Rosie said they have never had to participate in a jet ski rescue on the Hudson before!  They mentioned how hip hop artist Sean Kingston was critically injured in a jet ski accident right near their Miami home this weekend.   Rosie and Parker were very familiar with the area and couldn't really understand how it happened but hoped he gets better soon!  Rosie said she once got into trouble in Florida for allowing her 12 year old daughter to drive a jet ski.  She asked Pete what the minimum age is and he looked it up and said you must be 14 to ride a jet ski alone in Florida.  And if you're under 22, you need a license to drive.

Rosie asked Parker if he had plans to get his driver's license.  Janette told him not to rush and Pete said his aunt is 86 years old and still doesn't have her license!  Bobby, Jeannie and Rosie all went to the DMV the day they turned 16 to get their licenses.  Janette really never had the interest in driving at that age.  

ROSIE TAKES PHONE CALLS
Rosie talked with the staff about the fact that there are only 2 more days left of the show and how they're feeling about it.  Jeannie said it was so sad for her!  She said although she loves her job, working at the studio has been a great break from working with children all the time.  She said she's really enjoyed the adult environment and interaction and said she's had so much fun.  She said she loves everyone on the staff and is going to miss them all terribly. Janette said losing the connection to the staff is the hardest part for her too.  She said she's so used to seeing everyone every morning that losing that will be hard for her.
Rosie spoke to several callers who all told them how much they loved the show and how much they're going to miss it.   All the callers were excited Rosie is going to OWN and excited that Janette is going to get her own show every Friday!  One caller also drives  to Chicago every other weekend and said her drive will never be the same.  One caller said she lost 60 pounds while listening to Rosie Radio!  She said she followed Bobby's advice of "calories in, calories out" and she danced to Wii Fit while she listened everyday for 2 hours!  One of the callers had a bad impression of Rosie before the radio show but said after he's listened to her he really likes her!  He was a truck driver for Target who also loves Janette.  One caller has been a fan of Rosie's since the VH1 days who told Rosie that she learned about her in her Political Science class.  In the class they studied what she did for Steven Lofton and Roger Croteau when they were denied the right to adopt the foster children in the state of Florida. Rosie said the men, both pediatric nurses, adopted HIV positive boys and nursed them back to health and then the state of Florida wouldn't allow the adoption.  Rosie said it is important to her to shine a light on injustice when you have the ability. The caller said Rosie has empowered many of her listeners in ways like these and she thanked her for doing the radio show.  Rosie spoke to several truckers and commented on how she's been introduced to an entire world full of people she might never have had the chance to know.  Rosie took a call from a listener who said she has read many blogs, books, movies and websites she might have never heard of if it wasn't for Rosie and she was extremely grateful.  She asked Rosie if she's also going to spotlight older documentaries as well as new releases for her Documentary Club on OWN.  Rosie said she would be featuring both new and old documentaries and she recommended listeners watch Sons of Perdition on the Oprah Winfrey Network premiering Thursday, June 2nd at 9 (8c).

Sons of Perdition (trailer)

The last caller Rosie spoke to asked if Rosie was going to feature Byron Katie on her new show on OWN and Rosie said she would.  The caller said Rosie introduced her to Byron Katie's work and Rosie spoke about how much she loves what Byron Katie does.  

Parker closed the show thanking all of those that have served and are serving in the military.

and that's what you missed - kw
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