Lonely 4th grader gets advice from Pickles - BARF ALERT!

[pdx_prog]

CASTRO VALLEY -- Pari Cariaga can now say that she knows people in high places -- really high places. Last summer, the Castro Valley fourth-grader expressed to her parents, Hilarie and Rudy Cariaga, that she had been feeling lonely because she was an only child.
"She came in one day and just started to cry in my lap," Hilarie said. "She had told me that it was due to the fact that she had nobody to play with."
After seeing this, Rudy suggested to his young daughter that she write a letter to none-other-than first lady Laura Bush, an only child herself.
With the help of her father, Pari started penning the letter that would garner a response nobody could have predicted.
Upon returning home from school one day, Pari learned that she had received something in a huge manila envelope on the kitchen table for her. It was addressed to her from the White House.
"She jumped about 10 inches into the air," said her father. "She was just so excited about it."
In the envelope, Pari found not only a heartfelt letter from the first lady that discussed how she overcame the loneliness in her childhood by reading, but also a plaque with an autographed picture of Mrs. Bush and a copy of the book, "Because of Winn Dixie."
Pari also received a number of photos which included Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynn Cheney, a photo of Air Force One, and photos of President and Mrs. Bush.
Pari had been a fan of Mrs. Bush because of her strong Christian beliefs and her loyalty to her husband. She also felt a kinship with the first lady because Laura Bush was an avid reader when she was a young girl.
"In the package, she sent me a list," Pari said. "The list had a bunch of books that (Mrs. Bush) recommended I read."
Pari's father, having written politicians before and gotten little response, admitted that he was rather surprised.
"She advised Pari to do a lot of reading," he said. "And she also recommended that she join or get involved in a club."
The letter also reinforced a lot of things that they already had been doing as a family, giving Pari a point of reference by showing her that someone else had gone through the exact same thing, Hilarie said.
"I think that one of the most positive things about this is the fact that it shows kids that they can reach out to the highest office in the land and get correspondence back as well," Hilarie added. "It shows kids that they can also make a difference."

[mr blur]

1. Ahhh... preumably "the list" included My Pet Goat.

[Wickerman]

2. That may the one nice thing either Bush* has done since they

stole the White House.

[pdx_prog]

7. I agree.....

IF it was sincere.....had to be a canned letter sent back, or at least written by an aide capitalizing on an opportunity...

[Journeyman]

14. It was a good thing, and even if penned by an aide. . .

this does not detract from its value. One of the finest letters ever sent to citizen by a President may, in fact, have been written by one of the President's secretaries. This is Abraham Lincoln's letter to Mrs. Bixby, the ultimate authorship of which does not diminish in any measure its sincerity or impact. . .


In the fall of 1864, Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew wrote to President Lincoln asking him to express condolences to Mrs. Lydia Bixby, a widow who was believed to have lost five sons in the Civil War. Lincoln's letter to her was printed by the Boston Evening Transcript. Later it was revealed that only two of Mrs. Bixby's five sons died in battle (Charles and Oliver). One deserted the army, one was honorably discharged, and another deserted or died a prisoner of war.

The authorship of the letter has been debated by scholars, most of whom now believe it was written instead by John Hay, one of Lincoln's White House secretaries. The original letter was destroyed by Mrs. Bixby, who was a Confederate sympathizer and disliked President Lincoln. Copies of an early forgery have been circulating for many years.

Executive Mansion,
Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.

Dear Madam,--

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.

I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.

I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, edited by Roy P. Basler.

[onehandle]

3. Did she get dating advice as well?

How to break up with your boyfriend permanently?

[booksenkatz]

13. Brownie spew is now on my computer screen! LMAO

I should never eat or drink while reading these threads.

[ET Awful]

4. Did she include the story of how he she killed that nice young man

she used to date?

[Mika]

5. Firecrackers and frogs..

.. just like her hubby Georgie did when he wanted something to do.

[pdx_prog]

8. Bwahahahaaa......

I completely forgot about that!

[Parche]

6. pix

A picture of Lynn Cheney would make anyone hurl

[calico1]

9. I hope she also advised her to never

drink and drive. Sometimes you can lose boyfriends that way.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

10. What about instructions...

On how to chop out that perfect 12 inch Texas Gag Rail and have it waiting for hubby after a long day of perfecting malapropisms? ;-)

[Sub Atomic]

11. I wonder if her advice included

dealing drugs. That certainly causes people to want to be around you!

[Erratic]

12. That was a nice gesture.

It doesn't soften my burning hatred for the Bush's in general but... cool.

[Qanisqineq]

15. I actually think this was really nice

*GASP* I know, I probably shouldn't say that but a free book and a book list... as an avid reader from early, early childhood I can't help but smile.

[UTUSN]

16. Was a Dime Bag Included? & Zounds! Pics of the CHEENEEs & Shrubs?

Scare the kid to death, THAT's the ticket. Btw, KELLEY's book says that Pickles is (still) verly alone, has NO affection with Shrub, does a lot of shopping. Why doesn't she give the kid REAL solutions: Dime bags and shopping.

And btw2, Pickles would make a good stand-in for the star of the "Strangers with Candy" show.