Category: well?

hmm interesting, is it just me?, politics, venting, well?

covering your ass and why I hate cell phones now (apparently)

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Minor, not-even-worth-paying-attention-to-if-I-were-you-update: the coward parade gains a new member! LOL It must be hard to be so right and awesome all of the time, because keeping that up means that you feel the need to pick on others to make yourself feel even more awesome and right. How cool! LOL!!!! Pathetic.

First the cell phone thing, because it will be brief. This morning, driving to work, I saw what I always see, some asshole driving like a maniac, that I or other people have to avoid to prevent an accident. In this morning’s case, it was a woman that ran a very red light at a very precarious intersection, because she was blabbing away on her phone, and couldn’t be bothered to notice. Be it running a red light, stopping suddenly to make a turn with no turn signal, whatever, the point is, these idiots are putting our lives, and my car, in danger. What is the one factor that I notice about 99% of these people? Just like the woman this morning, they are on cell phones when they are doing this shit. HANG THE FUCK UP AND DRIVE. I rarely talk on the phone when I am driving, and if I do, I keep it short, and get off as soon as I can. I want to be able to focus, and it appears that I need that extra focus, because those that refuse to put down the phone and drive are actually trying to have an accident with me. That is why I now hate cell phones. The end.

Now, I haven’t really said anything about the firing of the US attorneys because I really don’t care that much, but after reading what Mr Bush said this morning, I really want to applaud him for an amazing ability to cover his own ass. Not only is he saying that investigating this beyond what he is willing to turn over is a partisan fishing expedition, but he also is confident that it is an unnecessary confrontation that the Democrats are trying to bully him into. Wow, Mr. Bush, you really know how to prevent people from seeing what really happened. You are great at covering your ass!!!

Basically, if the people that had a hand in this do get supeanaed, they are going to have to admit that they did indeed fire these people because they weren’t investigating Democrats as much as they wanted them to be. The attorneys that were fired have come forward and said that they were pressured to investigate Democrats more than Republicans, and in some cases, as much as a 7 to 1 ratio, so let me ask you, Mr. Bush, who is the one that is doing the partisan confrontation now? These attorneys can’t just be fired because they are investigating stuff that you and others in government have done wrong in the middle, or beginning, of an investigation… oh wait! You covered your ass!! You got Gonzalez to fire them so that they wouldn’t investigate what you didn’t want them to, something that the other ones have been compellingly convinced to stay away from (or else, get fired themselves!)!!! I get it now… you are just covering your ass. (Keep in mind that we KNOW that no other president has fired US BI-PARTISAN attorneys mid-term. It’s cool to fire them when you come in to office, but if you fire them while you are still there, because they may (or already have begun) investigate something one party has done illegally that is currently sitting, well, that just reeks of guilt. That’s practically a confession.)

I seriously wish that someone, anyone, would go after uncovering the crookedness that is going on in the White House, without the big “hell no” that is coming from them. I don’t think that anyone in this country is immune to investigation if there is reasonable suspicion that they have done something wrong, and that includes members of congress, senate, and especially those at the White House. Mr. President, can you please stop trying to cover your ass, because it is getting more and more obvious that you are scrambling to do so, and, calling the Democratic effort to call you out on your shit a partisan confrontation for political gain, is both laughable and pathetic. If you do something wrong, you need to be cooperative, because it is well known that not do is almost always the first sign of being guilty; and low and behold, you don’t want to cooperate. Maybe, you aren’t covering your ass at all… Hmmm… maybe you are just covertly admitting your guilt. Interesting thought. I hope that you and the rest of your office aren’t able to sweep this away like you want to. I hope that it gets the attention that it deserves.

Finally, I know that there are several of you that are all “bomb the fuck out of Iran”, but I am seriously terrified of what will happen if we do. I seriously can’t afford $5 a gallon for gas, and I don’t know many that can. I also don’t want to see us pulled into more war, especially since we have such a broken military right now (and I especially don’t want to see ANY MORE lives lost to this war). The best way to put out a fire is NOT to throw more fuel on it, and that is exactly what we will be doing if we bomb Iran. Yes, they are dangerous. Yes, they can cause more and more harm, but NO, we should not go to war with them. That is going to make things WAY worse. The ONLY thing that comes out of war is death and destruction (well, unless you are a government contractor, because then it is wealth and fortune, but that is beside the point). We have got to figure something else out, and stop occupying the middle east already!

Alright. Vent is over for now. Discuss.

is it just me?, politics, tragic, venting, well?

why are these people the ones that continually get heard?

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And who is listening to them? What I am talking about, is those people that, for whatever reason, have been given the ability to spread their views and opinions to the public, via books, speeches, etc; and regardless of free speech, are people that I believe really shouldn’t be heard at all. Alright, while I know that I can ignore them, and that I know that we all can, I can’t help but wonder why they are even given the mic in the first place? I wonder this, mainly, because I know that I am not the only one that goes “WTF?” at pretty much everything they say, because if that were the case, people would stop listening to them, and take the mic away from them.

What pisses me off about people like Ann Coulter (who is pretty much the focus of who I am talking about when I say “those people”), is that they really have nothing to add, other than their bitchy, and often hate-driven, rants and raves about stuff they do or don’t agree with. While I am all for someone stating their opinions on something, I just don’t think people that always have something completely off the wall, totally negative, completely untrue, and often batshit crazy to say, should continually be given any of the public’s attention. These people are often not very intelligent, they often make claims that are untrue, they usually base things on their own personal beliefs rather than the truth, and they often speak about things in the past that didn’t happen, or in cases where they state that they did, they tend to add or subtract facts as necessary to “prove their points”. Ann Coulter is an easy one to call out for this, because she does all of the above effortlessly; yet, she continues to remain popular among conservatives, regardless of the fact that she is just an ignorant loud mouth. What I wonder, is how people like her have managed to place themselves firmly in the media, and continually pop up with their opinions; whether they are wanted or not. I ask, because if it is so easy for people like her to go out and spread their stupidity, why can’t other people, like me, go out and do the same thing (except, I wouldn’t spread stupidity… she’s already got that covered)? Why can’t I just go around calling Bush a fucking idiot all of the time, and have ABC news eat it up? Why can’t I get on c-span, giving a speech all about how Cheney is actually Satan, and say that he is causing global warming so that the earth will be warmer and more comfortable for him and his other demons? Because that is pretty much what Ann Coulter, and others like her do over and over again.

Now, I do understand, and fully agree, that when Ann Coulter, Jerry Falwell, Zell Miller, and the other people I am referring to in this post, open their mouths, they almost always say something completely daft and void of any fact or relevance to anyone other than themselves, and most of what they say can be completely laughed at or ignored; I wonder why so many others still listen to them long enough, to give them more and more forum to spread around their nonsense. There are very few people that I can think of that are at the polar opposite side of these types of people and continue to garner significant attention from the media; and I for one, would like to at least see the playing field levelled, if we can’t get rid of the Coulters of the world.

If Ann Coulter can go around using the F word, while in the same breath exclaiming that she is not anti-gay, and then in her next breath, reinforce stereotypes about gays in her reasoning, while still pointing out gay marriage is an abomination; why can’t there be public figures that bash her and those that are like her, in the way she bashes everyone she doesn’t agree with? I am all for free speech, but just about anything that comes out of her, and her fellow crazies mouth’s, shouldn’t be making its way to c-span, the front page of any paper, and certainly not a book shelf. I guess I just see an inequity when it comes to loud mouthed conservatives, whose messages seem to reach a wider audience, and liberal minded people that don’t slander people to get their views across being represented similarly. I know that many of you will think, “well, the media focuses on scandal, and those people provide it”, but shouldn’t we stop listening to those people if most of what they are doing is spreading hate and ignorance?

I know that there will be at least two people that disagree with me on this, but I don’t care, because this is how I see it. Frankly, I think that if people can really love those like Ann Coulter and Jerry Falwell so much, and think that they deserve the right to spread their hateful nonsense all over the front page, then they should have no problem realizing that those people, in many ways, represents the “conservative” views of the party they belong to. By allowing them to continue on their rampages in the name of the conservative Republican party, it solidifies my belief, and the belief of many others, that many conservatives really are hateful crazies. Getting them to shut the fuck up might actually work to the conservative advantage, in my opinion.

is it just me?, listen up!, politics, public health, sex (oh yeah), venting, well?

two things Tuesday: evolution and condoms

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Kind of different; kind of the same, no? Both of these things have people up in arms, and I just wanted to throw in my two cents; for whatever it’s worth.

Evolution:
Basically, the issue with evolution (this time), is that a local republican state representative sent out a memo stating that evolution shouldn’t be taught in schools because it is a religious deception that was derived from an ancient Jewish religious sect. Basically, his memo is stating that evolution not actually secular science, and is instead a so-called “creation scenario”, that is actually based on the “Christ hating” ancient Jews, and that it was written a couple millenia ago. Okay, let me get this straight, the Jews made up the Big Bang theory? Those crazy Jews came up with this myth to explain the beginning of the world and to explain life on earth, and they called it evolution?! Damn! They are crazy!!! OH WAIT, YOU DOUCHE, not only are you being anti-semitic (surprise), the Jews didn’t make up the Big Bang theory, and it actually isn’t a myth, it is a theory that is still pondered by scientists. You do know what scientists are, don’t you? They are people that use facts to put together ideas about things… and in this case, they continually use the facts they know about and learn about the world, and all of the stuff in it, in order to come up with a good idea of where it came from. See, the difference between a myth and theory, is that one is based on science, and one isn’t. Okay? So it’s pretty clear to me, and MANY others, that evolution is science, and is not a myth. You can believe that if you want, but leave the Jews out of it, okay? And don’t try to use this as your crazy Christian reasoning for keeping it out of schools, you anti-Semite!

Obviously, he denies writing the memo, but regardless if he actually wrote it or not, it goes without saying that people like this guy shouldn’t be allowed to have any political power; all they do is confuse those that are already ignorant. You know that there is going to be someone out there that supports this “idea”, and that is just one person too many. Also, to further illustrate his memo’s off-the-wallness, not only is he saying this about evolution, he also believes that the earth isn’t rotating, and that we aren’t actually going around the sun. I suppose sunrise and sunset are magic then, right? Ugh, people like this make me want to just bang my head on my desk and scream, WTF!?!?! The Anti-Defamation League is going after him, so I hope that he isn’t re-elected. If people like this make it into politics, that is one more reason to fear the government, right? Jesus.

Condoms:
So, NYC has a great idea; let’s make a NYC condom, and hand it out FOR FREE all over the city, in order to curtail the incidence of HIV!! Sounds good, right? It does to me!!! HELL YEAH!

But of course… “NO!”, shouts the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church came out against the condom, stating that you should practice abstinence before marriage, and practice fidelity within marriage to prevent HIV. (They’ve also preached up and down in the past about how condoms aren’t effective at preventing HIV anyway, which they are totally wrong about). Hmm… Let’s look at this from their perspective: perhaps 95000+ known cases of HIV in NYC, is evidence that they are doing such a good job of what you want already, that there is no need for something OTHER than that old abstinence/marriage shtick. Oh, 95000 sounds like a lot to you? Well, it does to me too! Perhaps what you are saying isn’t working? Oh snap!

Listen, if you don’t approve of contraception, realize that condoms do more than that, they protect against HIV! THAT is the reason this program was started… to decrease the incidence of HIV in NYC!! I am so sick of religion poking its nose in issues related to health; it is pretty clear that they have absolutely no idea that what they say and what they do actually causes more health problems. If you really cared, and if you were actually as compassionate as your religion dictates that you should be, then you would want more people to live life without suffering from chronic diseases; regardless of your views on sex. Free condoms won’t increase sex, it will allow for future sex to be SAFER sex… And that is a great thing. All I have to say is a HUGE Bravo(!!!!!) to NYC, and an even bigger BOO(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) to the Catholic Church. I would like to know: when are we, as a society, going to be mature enough to stop putting our heads in the religious sand and actually do something about sexually transmitted diseases, like HIV? We have got to get over this fear of sex, or we will NEVER get rid of HIV, and that scares me, because I truly don’t know if we are all capable of such logical thinking; enough to actually make changes and decrease disease. I do have hope when I see cities like NYC taking it seriously, though… Perhaps Atlanta will follow suit?? Come on you guys! Don’t be afraid of the church! They will get their panties all tied up in knots, while we all can have access to free condoms… it’s a win win, as far as I see it. Way to stick to your guns, NYC, and show your dedication to public health.

civil rights, is it just me?, mixed media, venting, well?

shows like 24, the portrayal of Islam, and what we do with that

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I just read an article on CNN.com that kind of had me a little confused, and well, frustrated. See, apparently, since the premiere of this season’s anti-terrorism, action-thriller show 24, Muslim groups are speaking out that they are worried that the portrayal of Islamic fundamentalists will somehow prevent Americans from distinguishing fiction from reality; and as a result, profile all Muslims as terrorists (leading to more violence and hatred towards Muslims, based on those beliefs).

While I do understand the concerns of Muslims, mainly because they were (and still remain) such a targeted and singled out group because of American beliefs about 9/11, I find frustration in their doubt that Americans can distinguish reality and fiction. I feel this frustration, mainly because on the show (for those that watched it), they went out of their way to show how the racial profiling of Muslim people was both defamatory, and inconsistent with where the actual blame for the attacks should be placed. They went so far as to highlight one person working with a type of Muslim consulate standing up to the FBI, and even getting arrested, when they came in to cease records; stating how unconstitutional and wrong it was (incidentally, she is the president’s sister).

My frustration from the protests of the show come from the simple fact that not only is it very obvious the show is fiction (I mean, who doesn’t need to pee or ingest any food or water in 24 hours… seriously), but they (the show that is) have gone (in my opinion) above and beyond to prove that this type of profiling and finger pointing is not only wrong, but defamatory and dangerous for innocent people; even though the terrorists they are fighting this season are Muslim. Again, the show made it a main point to say that this type of profiling and grouping of blame to people who look or believe a certain way is wrong and dangerous.

Now you see, part of my issue, is that my frustration runs deeper than that. It is true that my frustration, in this instance, comes initially from the fact that people still get scared that the actions and beliefs of one fundamentalist extreme group (albeit fictional) would still potentially be spread to all people of similar skin tone, ethnicity, or religious belief. But my frustration grows when I think that some people will actually believe that, and in this case, believe it from a obviously fictional TV show.

I am a person that always tries to look for the best in people, but living in a country that still touts Muslims as terrorists, it is really hard to see good in people that can believe something like that. Additionally, I understand where the Muslim groups that are protesting the show are coming from, but I find that I am also frustrated with them for thinking we are unable to distinguish fact from fiction; and again, I am even more frustrated with those that can’t realize that what happens on a TV show isn’t real.

I really worry that if we are still living in a society and a time where there are people that gain such impression from television and media that it leads to racial/ethnic profiling, defamation of religious groups, and inability to distinguish reality from fiction, well, then I am really afraid of this society. I am afraid of a society that has seemingly allowed itself to become two-sided; those that perpetuate stereotypes (be it real or invented), and those that fear being labeled as a stereotype. I know what it is like to be a member of a highly hated group, and I know what that fear feels like when you think you could be harmed simply because of who you are believed to be; but I would like to believe that there could be a time where we could all stop having to live in that fear. I would like to believe that there is a time when these issues will not plague our society, and we can all stop profiling, and being profiled.

And in this particular instance (and other instances where this is the case), I would truly like to believe that we are already at a point where fictitious television programs have no influence in our ability to delineate these divisions, and stop stereotyping and finger pointing. Because, if TV is really that dangerous, we, as a society, have a hell of a long way to go to stop fear and hate amongst ourselves. And that, is enough to frustrate just about anyone, you know?

What do you think? Do you think that the show really does blur the lines so much that people will be confused? Or do you think that the Muslim groups are being a little too timid about a fictional TV show? Or do you think that they have reason to fear, because people in our society really are that ignorant and potentially hateful? Do you think that it is reasonable to expect people to be able to watch TV and NOT carry their impressions of a show and turn them into hatred or fear? What do you think?

[as always, the picture isn’t mine, it came from the internets]

civil rights, is it just me?, venting, well?

stop the name calling

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Remember that petty ass Grey’s Anatomy name calling thing a few months ago? Well, if not, here’s a recap: the out gay actor was called a faggot by a fellow cast member, who not only denied he ever did it, but didn’t really apologize, either. Well, Mr. Bigot was all about discussing the event the other night after the Golden Globes, and said he never called him a “faggot” (mentioning it, AGAIN).

Now, I can’t help but sit here and wonder, why is this guy just throwing around faggot like it isn’t that big of a deal? I mean, when will people realize that derogatory and shameful terms used to describe others isn’t okay? I think that the guy from Seinfeld figured that out, as did (hopefully) Mel Gibson; so why is it something other people have such a hard time with? Faggot is not a word you are allowed to use without consequence. Stop the name calling; because I am pretty sure if they tables were turned, you would take great offense at some words that could be used to hurt you, okay?

Seriously, why can’t we just live in a world where there isn’t so much hate and fear? When will be able to just be kind and peaceful? Will we ever? Little things like this make me doubt we ever will. Ugh. (article)

civil rights, is it just me?, politics, well?

stem cells and Jimmy Carter

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Two things that as I sit here thinking about, don’t really make sense to me:

1) Why Bush (or anyone) is so opposed to stem cell research, especially because of the amazing benefits that it can bring in curing many different incurable diseases, like cancer and Alzheimer’s. More importantly, why Bush should be the final say in the decision for the stem cell bill that passed recently with a vast majority.

Okay, so you don’t agree with abortion. Fine. I get it. It may mean you are a little narrow-minded, but you don’t like it, I understand that. I still stand by the position of, “if you don’t like abortion, don’t have one”, but I understand that doesn’t work for everyone. But why attack stem cells? First of all, these cells are not the reason people get abortions. The source of stem cells may come from aborted fetuses, but they also come from embryos that were slated for in vitro fertilization; that is, eggs that were fertilized outside of the body for later transplantation, that for whatever reason, were not used. Now, the only other option, is to throw these cells away. You can also clone these cells, but I can see where some are against cloning too; but if it is only for the purpose of research, and the cells are going to be destroyed anyway, why not? Especially when the benefits are so potentially great? That doesn’t make sense. Think of what the world would be like without surgery. They had to practice it and try new things when it was first developed; do you think people didn’t die? At least in this circumstance, people wouldn’t be dieing; it would be cells slated for destruction, cells that could potentially allow someone who is paralyzed be able to walk again. Making this decision as one man, is completely selfish and unrepresentative of the people that live in this country, and those that will be living here and affected by this narrow-minded decision in the future. I just don’t understand that, especially because, hey, don’t we have 3 arms of government? The two should keep the third in check, right? So why does he just get come in and veto it? It just doesn’t work for me.

2) How people can be saying that Jimmy Carter is anti-Semitic with his book, and why 14 people decided that he is so “evil” that they resigned from the board of the Carter center.

First of all, it is pretty clear that anyone that calls Jimmy Carter an evil man is a pretty delusional person. The man won the Nobel Peace Prize, is an amazing diplomat, and possibly most contradictory thing to the “evil” label, is the fact that he is a renowned humanitarian. Jimmy Carter is not anti-Semitic, in fact, he isn’t anti-anyone; which is why he wants peace in Palestine, and not apartheid, which is basically enforced discrimination and separatism resulting in the denial of human rights. The statements he has made in favor of peace for Palestine (and Israel) make complete sense if you look at them in context. People have said that he is anti-Israeli because of his stance against bombing Lebanon and Palestine; but he is against this because he is against war and killing. He stated that Israel has no right to destroy and reclaim Palestine, because, well, they don’t. Just because you believe “God” ordained something for you to have, doesn’t mean that you can take it by force. Sure, Palestine doesn’t have a spotless history, but when do you stop and say, “let’s think about our future?” A great man once said, “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.”, and you know what, Gandhi was right. Continued fighting over the right to this tiny piece of land will bring about nothing but death and destruction in both places, and what Jimmy Carter is highlighting with his book, is that it doesn’t have to be like that. A call for piece is a call for survival. It is a call for humanitarianism, and should never been seen as anything but civil and just. People have got to stop hiding behind religion and killing each other over land and differences of opinion… and that is what Jimmy Carter sees. We as a nation have no right to stand on either side of that fence and state “we agree” with either side; it is not our place. But if we have any involvement in the region or the discord between these two nations, it should be one of peace making and diplomacy; something that Jimmy Carter knows a lot about. That is why I wonder how people can still think he is anti anything, other than anti war, anti death, and anti hate. I don’t know about you, but he sounds like a pretty good guy to me. UPDATE: After several conversations, I feel the need to follow up on these statements I made about Jimmy Carter, and have done so in this blog post. Please check it out.

Man, I have been thinking way too much lately. A nice 3 day weekend is just what the doctor ordered. Hope everyone has a great weekend, and a great Monday remembering such a wonderful man, Martin Luther King, Jr.!

is it just me?, politics, venting, well?

answers, accountability, and more importantly, change; we need some NOW

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After hearing Bush’s “new” plan for Iraq, I find myself scratching my head and asking myself a few questions. Of course, we know that this in fact is not a new plan, because he said pretty much the same thing he said 3 months ago. Well, that plus the surge of more troops. Here’s hoping that the funding is killed before he can send any more American men and women to their deaths.

After seeing the speech, and realizing the obvious lack of any real change in our “plan” to “win” Iraq, there are a few things I would like to know:

1) Who is Bush listening to with regards to actually trying to end this war? Because it is pretty clear he isn’t listening to anyone that doesn’t have monetary gain at stake; those serving to make money through this war are just getting richer, and there is no desire for it to end for them. It is pretty clear to me that he is listening to them, but not us… and why not? Isn’t his job to represent our interests (after all, we are paying for this war, and will be for a LONG time to come)? Isn’t that what a Democracy is supposed to do?

2) When is he going to realize that more than 70% of Americans have made it clear that the war has got to end now? (This piggybacks on the last question.) Bush needs to realize that we elected a new majority to speak for us, and that voice needs to be taken seriously. I ask, because his approval rating doesn’t seem to matter to him one bit.

3) Does he really care about the soldiers that have died, as well as those that have been injured (which total WAY more and are, for some reason, never mentioned)? Because he doesn’t seem to have an ounce of remorse, especially as his new plan will call for more deaths.

Quoth the Bush: (source)

Let me be clear: The terrorists and insurgents in Iraq are without conscience, and they will make the year ahead bloody and violent. Even if our new strategy works exactly as planned, deadly acts of violence will continue – and we must expect more Iraqi and American casualties.

Um, when will be in a position to not EXPECT more casualties? What if the plan doesn’t work? Will that mean even more dead? As of right now, there have been over 3000 soldiers lost, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths. That sounds like enough is enough to me, one more death is one too many. And no more soldiers need to be subjected to injuries; these people are coming home without arms, legs, genitals, etc. That is just not right.
4) If we are trying to end the war, why is there a surge of new troops being deployed? I mean, if the plan is (was) to provide support to Iraq, and help them build up their own military, why hasn’t that worked, since we have been doing that from the beginning? Are more troops really what we need to do something we haven’t yet been able to accomplish? And are 20,000 troops really going to be able to make it happen? Or, is it more plausible that we can’t attain this “goal”, and the best thing to do is make things right (since we started by making them wrong) by ending the war? There have to be better strategies… Oh wait, there are several, but Bush didn’t seem to pay attention any of those. Remember what happened in 2001 when he ignored some good advice… I’m just saying.
5) Since it is obvious that there is no desire to end the war, what will the next steps be? Are we ever going to bring home our troops? If so, is there a plan for getting them out? If there is, what is this plan? To me (and many others) this seems like he is just passing the buck, holding out this war until his term is over. He won’t admit defeat or failure (his lame ass “I accept responsibility” last night was weak and pathetic), and as a result, he will pour everything we have into making it look like we are “making it work”. How is that making things right?
6) Why haven’t we ever acknowledged, and therefore altered our plans accordingly, that the people responsible for the attack on 9/11 are not the ones we are gunning for? And why is that, because wasn’t why the war was started; a war on terror? WTF? I know there are volatile people in the region, but most of those are insurgents gunning for us because we invaded and continue to occupy THEIR COUNTRY. Why aren’t we trying our diplomatic hand at making things better in the surrounding countries; who now are continuing to get more and more pissed at US, and will soon be coming for US??!
As a fellow livejournaler invoking the spirit of Kelly said, “George Bush is a douche-bag…. I want to send that guy a douche bag in the mail.”. Seriously, folks, this guy is a real sadist and mass murderer. Calling him anything less would be inaccurate.

Now, I know that the Bush supporters/conservatives out there are going to go all ape-shit on this post, but I don’t even care. These questions are based on what has been said and what is currently going on… much of it without opinion. Say what you want, and argue all you want, but this war is wrong, and Bush’s plan is plain wrong for suggesting we continue down the same old road. Something has got to change, and I hope that change comes soon. Come through for us Congress! Come through!!

And to you, John McCain, shut the fuck up. You have no idea what you are talking about you douche. You can’t say the “failure” of the war is from the consequences of actions taken by Congress NOW… if anything, that failure has already happened, we are dealing with a mess that needs to be cleaned up ASAP, ass. I might send him a douche bag in the mail too. If you were in Vietnam, and you see the same thing now, how can you continually bury your head in the sand little man? Wake up! (source)

well?

so what, it’s just christmas!

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I have received some flack for my lack of Christmas spirit, and my assertions that I will indeed be boycotting the holidays this year, and this flack has made me want to take a second to truly assess; what is the big deal with Christmas?

I know that it is the day Jesus was supposedly born, and I get the need to celebrate that (if you are Christian), but what I don’t get is the mass hysteria and desire to receive gifts that comes along with it. See, for James’ family, they exchange gifts by drawing names. I am a part of this gift exchange. But I have a problem with it, and I always talk with James about it (even though I still just bit the bullet and participate anyway); if Christmas is about presents, isn’t it supposed to be about giving them, not just getting something? See, this gift exchange occurs through the mail, because the people on the list are literally spread across the country and into Canada. We don’t even see each other, it is more of an obligation to get something for someone; but why? For me, Christmas (or general gift giving, really) is not supposed to be about getting anything; it is supposed to be about giving, but because you want to. You give people gifts so you can see them be happy with what you have bought for them; not because you just need to get them something. Buying something for someone just because is quite silly, if you ask me; unless you just wanted to, not because you had to because you are part of a gift exchange where you won’t even see the person receive his or her gift.

I could go on forever about the anthropological history of gift giving and the traditions that go with it (a little talk about the potlatch anyone?), but I really just want to know if I am being so unconventional by thinking of Christmas and gift giving as a little overblown. I mean, in reality, it is just another day, and there should be no more reason to spend time with family any other day of the year, there should be no other reason to give gifts any other day of the year; yet the malls are packed with people spending tons of money to fill the requirement of gifts for others. It just seems a little out of hand to me.

And yes, I am boycotting the holidays. Bah-humbug. I am thankful, and I will give gifts, and I will visit family, but don’t see a need to attribute it to holiday spirit, the day itself, nor the need for Christmas music. What are you all doing for the non-holidays?

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do you think he has been drugged?

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That is the only thing that I can think of that would lead Bush to be open minded, and actually LISTEN to a plan about the war that doesn’t focus on “staying the course”, and pumping more and more resources and troops into Iraq. If he is on drugs, I hope he stays on them for at least two more years, so we can get our troops home, and hopefully solve this situation we are currently mucking up half a world away. My only fear, is that listening is not a guarantee that he will actually hear what is being said; let’s hope that my fear doesn’t become reality. Perhaps Bush is beginning to realize that very few people are backing him in his warmongering efforts, and finally grew a conscious!? Who knows… I guess we will see, won’t we? (source)

UPDATE: Looks like he isn’t listening. Stay the course, moron, stay the course. Fucker.

Other than that news, there isn’t much going on for me right now. Going into another weekend, I am just excited about spending time doing things with friends, rather than sitting at work. Man, I cherish my weekends. Don’t we all, though? I just wish I could have an actual vacation, and not have to use it for sick time and going to see family. One of these days, I will spend some time on a sandy beach sipping some kind of fruity drink. On second thought, scratch that, I don’t do sand, and too many fruity drinks can make you feel quite ill; trust me, that is based on experience. I would just settle for a week of uninhibited fun… anywhere. Hopefully some day…

Now, I will quit rambling, and hope that you all have a great weekend. I took some of the advice provided in the previous post’s comments, and hopefully that will solve some of my problems. I may try out WP, but not right this minute. I am also thinking of switching webhosts, so if you have referral codes or shit like that, let me know.

Also, does anyone still watch ANTM? Caridee is the best!! I am so glad she won!!!! YAY! Alright, I’m outta here!

well?

why is everyone so afraid of evolution?

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I am escaping again this weekend, this time, I am off to visit some friends in Charlotte. Good times should be had.

I have been thinking about something for a few days, and I want to leave you to ponder and discuss this over the weekend; my friend deb sent me an article about a “Creationism Museum” that they are opening in Kentucky. And, in light of the recent “anti-evolution” school standards being overturned in Kansas (article), I thought it would pertinent for me to pose a question that I honestly and wholeheartedly want to understand.

Why do people that believe solely in creationism (i.e., that God created the world and all of the universe) have such a problem with evolution? (note that I did not say, “why don’t they believe in evolution”, I want to know why they have such a problem with it) Seriously. And I don’t want the typical, “people are blinded by religion” or the “people don’t want to challenge their beliefs with other ideas”; I already know that those answer the question. But to me, I just don’t understand how a museum, and laws preventing evolution being taught in school will make it any less true. With that being said, note that I am fine with people believing in whatever religion they want; I believe in one (some of it anyway), and I don’t see anything wrong with belief. I also don’t see anything wrong with NOT believing something, like religion, which is something based on faith anway.

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