My hope is that things change

Well, I have now had enough. Not just of this President in office right now, but of the complete and utter disgrace that is our culture.The ends justify the means, and the means really need no justification. If one needs evidence of the prevalence of these attitudes, simply go outside, talk to folks about their political views, and try not to lose your faith in humanity.

How is it that I can say this? In the news, everyday, is some new atrocity that our government has authorized, or that some corporation has visited upon some economically disadvantaged people, or some combination thereof. Come election time, or come shopping time, the politicians who authorized atrocity are re-elected, the corporations who hired mercenaries to clear out a village of people are still having their products bought by consumers. Methinks it's not our freedoms the terrorists hate Americans for.

So these are real world problems- problems that the conservatives and the liberals of this nation ignore, dismiss, and call "conspiracy theory" so that they can remain willfully ignorant of how the world outside of their life of privilege actually works. Next time you go shopping, ask yourself how is it that mega corp products are so much less expensive if they have similar baseline expenses as the local businesses that make similar products? The answer, of course, is it costs more in government fees to the small business person than it does for the corporation?

I have some rough ideas on how to being addressing them- specifics that you won't hear from a politician- and would love for comments on yours! So, here we go:

 If the fees were scaled to be relative to production, local economies would be protected, and the level of unemployment in most places would be almost non-existent. Pretty simple economic rule- barriers to entry removal means more entries into the market: (Translate into common speech: If the government removes the fees and licensing costs that are so high they are prohibitive to promote the growth of small scale business, more small scale businesses are started, more competition is present, and the consumer ends up getting the better of the deal. Regulations such as licensing/ fees protect only large business, and are put in place by big business owned politicians to prevent competition).

There is one point in which we could rekindle the American dream, but what about social services? If we cut these huge revenue earners for our government, how are we gonna pay for welfare? Easy- we legalize marijuana, back date it to the 1970's, and release every single prisoner in the system who are serving sentences for possession/ distribution of Marijuana. One study said almost 40 % of the prison populace was Marijuana only. I doubt that, but I would bet that 20% is a fair guess. How much money do we spend on their care? How much money do we spend enforcing a prohibition that has roundly failed, and is based in zero scientific validity?  Why does anyone have objection to it, given that a far worse drug is legal and sold in nearly every store you walk into?

Now, for hope. If we cut expenses, we cut burden on taxpayers. If we lessen the tax burden on Americans and businesses that manufacture their products only in America, and we raise taxes on those who benefit from the work of others (read: the uber wealthy who have grown fat outsourcing American jobs) we start to rekindle hope for every American. Every American can understand that the price for extreme wealth is exorbitant tax burden, but what is 12 million in taxes if you're pulling in 14-16 million a year after? Now for that to become a reality, we need to destroy the consumer driven, greed-centric materialistic mass culture we have developed here in America- Which, I fear, is a hopeless endeavor.

What are your thoughts? Leave a reply, visit my sponsors, and have a wonderful winter day!

"I'm Christmas shopping"

 The title is President Obama's response to a reporter's question about the progress on avoiding the fiscal cliff. Yes, folks, this is the change you voted for. For frack's sake, you're in charge of the largest economy in the world, 240 million voter's future well being depends on this fiscal cliff issue being resolved, but you're taking time off to go shopping?!? People like Barack Obama are the reason why our economy is in the crapper, because people like Barack Obama are in charge of the large corporations. The Hostess executives give themselves 3-5 million dollars in raises, then slash employee benefits by 2 million- never mind that the company has been floundering for 3 years, and no one deserved a raise in the first place, especially the leadership. When the worker's strike, those executives claim the worker's union has caused them to declare bankruptcy. The 2008 collapse began, and all of our local political leaders have since consistently voted themselves raises- and raised taxes on working class people to fund this!

 That is the type of leadership we see, not just in Barack Obama, Royce Pollard, or whichever crook you have in your neck of the woods, but everywhere in today's America. people don't seem to care too much what the truth is, so long as someone who is charismatic and loud presents some skewed "facts." What I find even more sad is that most Americans do not know the difference between what is "fact" and what is "truth," an because of this they are willingly led to bad conclusions based on false premises.

 Facts change- truth does not. For instance, it was once fact that the Earth was flat, the sun rotated around the Earth, and that the color of one's skin determined whether or not they held any worth as a human being. None of these things are true, and never have been. Truth is an absolute- it is not conditional. Facts are not absolute- they are conditional upon empirical support, subject to change as evidence emerges that disputes the claims said facts make. Evolution Theory is fact, on which undoubtedly contains the smallest amount of truth. I guarantee you in 200 years time, our current understanding of the aforementioned Theory will be laughed at as being primitive, just as we laugh at the attitudes of our ancestor's about the existence of germs, or of the concept of spontaneous generation.

So, the point of this post, other than to open your eyes to the difference between truth and fact, is that we need to start preparing for the worst possible outcome. We have a lazy, irresponsible, and corrupt government whose main priority is to serve the whims of 1000 billionaires, not 240 million working class Americans. They utilize fear mongering and polarizing propaganda to keep the populace subdued and/ or divided. They are brazenly anti- morality, as social morality is the only factor that could ever threaten unmitigated greed. They accomplish this by utilizing fuzzy logic (Moral Relativism) whose premise "There are no Absolutes" invalidates itself by being that which it claims is non-existent. Wake up, quit being a sheep, as one day the powers that be will no longer be satisfied merely fleecing you- they're gonna start craving mutton and lamb chops.

Green Power

 Look, I have been reading the push back on green tech for some time, and I'll tell ya, you pro- oil/ anti- green folks sound pretty obtuse. Oil is a very finite resource. You bitch and complain about 4 bucks a gallon, but when someone says they'll fund developing technology that almost guarantees a return to cheap gas prices, you scream communism.
 I don't like Obama, I think everyone who reads this knows it. That being said, his energy policies are the start of what is necessary for us- we absolutely, positively need to migrate from industrial age/ archaic energy resources (such as oil and coal) to fully embrace nuclear, hydro electric, solar, and wind turbine energy production. We have the technology now to render much of the nuclear waste harmless, and if given proper attention, I am sure we could find a way to render it completely inert- if not find a way to recycle it.
 If you want to get down to brass tacks, if you want to complain about gas prices, but don't want to do anything about making gasoline cheaper, then feel free to shut your hole. That's like a fat person wailing about their weight while swimming in milkshakes- it is asinine to the point of lunacy, with a generous serving of self delusion thrown in.
 There was a recent Stanford study claiming people are getting less intelligent. Sometimes I wonder if this is not news. People against solar/ wind have the least sense in their arguments- it's not always sunny, or it's not always windy. Okay, couple of things- one: battery storage for these types of power generators is pretty common, because sometimes they produce more electricity than the grid needs. Two: We have a HUGE desert between the Pacific and the Rockies. You may not know this, but a good portion of that area is uninhabited. The areas that are could certainly use the industry. Oh, it is almost always sunny, and very windy, in these areas. Last point: Each and every one of us has the ability to not only be energy self sufficient in our homes- read: no need for electric companies- due to Solar, Wind, and Human Powered generators. If you knew how easy electricity is to generate, you already knew this.
 Stop being ignorant, and get yourself to be more pliant to changing your energy ways. It isn't because if you don't, the world will end in a global warming disaster, or because if you don't the world will be enslaved by big oil companies. It's because if you don't, the US will cease to be the hyper power it is, and will end up as yet another Roman Empire legacy power- like Great Britain, France, Spain, and the rest- to rise to super power and fall into subservience due to it's inflexibility.

 In short, being anti green energy is being anti American. Green energy is the first vital step in not only being completely self sufficient, but also in breaking the stranglehold Corporate America has on our political structure. If you can't see this, you're either naive or ignorant. Just saying.

9/11... 2012

Listen, today is the anniversary of 9/11. I know we who were alive that day cannot and probably never will forget that day, but it is time to face our grief and move on. I don't mean that we should not honor that day in our own way, nor do I mean that we must pretend it never happened. That is stupid. No, I mean we need to move on, that we need to realize it is a day of tragedy not unlike Pearl Harbor, and now is the time to deal move forward beyond that day.

What we as a country need realize is that we have lost the war those terrorists started if we continue to live in fear of those animals. We need to remember that this is America, not the USSR, and our response to the cowardly attacks 11 years ago has driven us to a country more resembling that of Lenin/ Stalin, not Washington/ Jefferson. We cannot allow ourselves to get angry that the Today Show interviewed some reality tv whore rather than observe a moment of silence- because if this day really meant anything to the powers that be, it would become a National Holiday.

If the sacrifices of those innocent victims, the brave emergency response personnel, and my fellow veterans who aren't alive today mean anything to you, then I urge you to reconsider the path this country is heading down. I am not going to say one politician is better than another, nor will I inject any party politics into this. What I am about to say is in regards to policies that are un-American, and practices that are an affront to everything this country was founded upon. In short, I strongly believe that we've allowed the terrorist to win this battle because we've allowed fear and hatred to dictate our opinions. I believe this corruption is due to the fact none of us has satisfactorily dealt with the feelings of, well, there really isn't a word for what we felt that day. Let's use the words "astonished horror mixed with extreme anger with large dollops of grief plus the instant and overriding wish for retribution the likes of which has not been seen since God visited the Pharaoh's Egypt for several days" to describe it.

So, those policies and practices then. Patriot Act, TSA, SOPA (and like legislation), NDAA, the suspension of Habeas Corpus, the execution of US citizens without trial as an authority granted to the government. The creation of a hyper polarized police state where the conspiracy theorists are more often than not correct nowadays. Mass murders of non combatants in Iraq by Federally employed mercenaries. Torture of detainees, including US citizens. Restriction of  travel and elimination of illegal search and seizure rights. Increasing the taxes of the poor and middle class while granting unprecedented tax breaks to the wealthiest 1%.  These are the policies that when one reads history, one finds nothing good comes from it. Much of this stems from unresolved issues from 9/11, and until the people of this nation come to terms with the simple fact that fear and anger have led to us to deny ourselves the very basic rights that made this nation the bastion of hope for the world, the terrorist will have won. Until this nation, from Joe the Plumber to Bill the Mega-Billionaire, stands up and throws out these charlatans we have as politicians out on their ears, the USA will continue to march toward the inevitable doom this course takes us.

Only in a world gone mad...

 Let me get this straight- your President revokes your right to due process, endorses state sanctioned murder, endorses the transfer of public money to private individuals, endorses more brutal forms of torture than any President in US history, is currently willfully engaging in genocide of the American Indian (on a scale not seen in almost 70 years), but now that he is ok with Gay marriage- he's not such a bad guy? Remember, this the man who has signed Executive order's giving him the control of the food supply of the nation, given the DoL power to utilize the selective service, and has mandated every American pay for something they couldn't afford in the first place or face revocation of their RIGHTS.

 Go sell your "well, he's not as bad as Bush" bull excrement elsewhere- He is equal parts the worst characteristics of every president we've had since Nixon, with almost none of their redeeming qualities. I warned everyone I could, I posted the actual texts of the liberty killing official documents, I screamed of the violations of our rights that so many have bled for, and still there is such an entity as "I love it when I wake up and Barack Obama is my President." Some people are just plain ignorant.

 If we are so hell bent on crazy rantings and blind devotion to a man who is nothing without his cult of personality, then I have some proposals to make this insanity we call the Obama Presidency somewhat survivable:

 Well, I guess if Obamacare sticks, then we need to de-criminalize hemp and marijuana. Why? Well, if we are going to subsidize alcohol and tobacco producers, we might as well get some tax cash from a plant that at least 20 percent of the nation uses already- I bet it'll bring in more revenue than forcing people who can't afford healthcare to buy it anyways, or face prison for tax evasion.

 If we are so hell bent on taxing the middle class into oblivion, perhaps we could legalize prostitution. I mean, if you're going to deprive Americans of honest work, you might as well give them some way of being able to feed their families. Plus, you could screw some of the populace twice- once with the taxes, the other... Well, you get the point. We could finally have actual American citizens being the super majority of those drawing welfare benefits, too!

Jeez, what other things can y'all think off? Get creative, and comment here!

Why do people hold relationships so cheaply?

I really appreciate feedback here- I put this out for everyone to read, digest, criticize, and agree/ argue. I do this in the hope of better understanding Humanity, and the human condition. I do not intend to offend, but I make no apologies if I do so- these are opinions based on observation, and as such must be argued (politely, of course) in order to be refined into something more solid.

You know the cliches, the lame duck excuses, and the pseudo- intellectual excuses perpetrated and perpetuated in society for ending personal relationships. Many of us have used them at some point in our lives, and we know damn good and well what we said the reasoning was and what it actually was were two different things. When you want to get right down to it, cut the bull and get to the truth, we end relationships because of whatever selfish reasons we have: one party doesn't want a commitment as much as the other. Why?

Today's society is one in which everything is diluted. Our language, morals, laws, courtesies, traditions, foodstuffs, beverages, everything is watered down. When a person in the early to mid 20th century said "So help me, God" they by God went and did what they swore to do-sometimes this was not so good, and sometimes this adherence was spotty at best, but for the most part it stuck. Now, don't get me wrong- these were not idyllic times we should long to return to, but rather the attitudes concerning the aforementioned concepts. In today's society, we prefer what makes us feel good rather than what makes us better, we prefer to throw something away and get a new one vice caring for what we already have. We knowingly elect polished liars, we care not for the plight of anyone else, we demand everyone bow to our own selfish whims, and then we have our language- how cheaply we use that!

Listen, vows are supposed to be more than mere words, once spoken easily forgotten. They are binding contracts to the god(s) you worship, the world you live, and/ or the people who hear them uttered- including the spouse-to-be. This is not how people view them- they believe that if they "love, but are not in love with" their spouse, then it's okay to divorce. Typically this attitude leads to extra marital affairs, and shows just how much of an emotional two year old the cheating party actually is. The point is, though, that rather than fix what's broken, rather than honor the commitment they've made, rather than do what's right by their children and their word, they break their vows.

Here's a hint: Love is not a noun. It is not an emotion that is self serving, nor is it one that is self perpetuating- you actually have to do something to keep it alive. It is a verb more so than a noun, and it is also an adverb. You cannot expect to stay "in love" forever if you're relying on the other party to do all the giving. If you are with someone who cheated with you on their previous spouse/ Significant Other, then you had better expect they're cheating on you.

Yet another point lost to contrived outrage and intentional distractions?

So, I know I usually limit my posts to once a week, just because it keeps me from saying some things that could get me black bagged under the new definitions of terrorism (ie, having an opinion someone finds distasteful) but I can't help myself. Why not? Keep reading.

So the median salary of the US citizen is $26, 639 now. How can this be? How can the median salary have dropped $10,000+ since 2008? Didn't the Bush/ Obama TARP funds to and the tax cuts/ breaks for the uber wealthy mean Americans would not be mostly living at poverty level? Now that gas is likely going to hit 5 bucks a gallon (before the hero Obama inevitably steps in, and saves us from it going higher, at which point it will "only" be 3-4 bucks a gallon- until the next artificial inflation for gouging occurs) and 80% of Americans are already living at/ below/ near poverty wage levels, who's going to pay for this multi-trillion dollar burden on the tax payer?

Now, given that since this number has come out we have had every single possible attempt to "wag the dog" thrown at us by the propaganda machine known as the news media, when will Americans finally wise up to the fact that the whole damn table has been rigged, and the only way to restore Constitutional fairness and economic prosperity is to blow up the system in place?

 If economics, as taught in college and universities, is so darn good, how is it the recognized experts of the field are the same people who have thoroughly destroyed the world's economy? The only possible answers are that a) the field of economics is very nearly a complete and total load of male bovine manure, or b) these men destroyed our economy on purpose. The other answers I can think of in a rather short thinking session all boil down to these two possibilities- ineptitude means the field is BS, and shortsightedness/ self serving means this was done intentionally. Please, please start talking about how government regulations are killing our corporations- the barriers the government have installed are fatal to only small business start ups, and serve to kill job growth potential for Americans by protecting mega corporations from the competition of smaller, localized businesses.

Seeing that it is illegal for you to run something as low yielding as a lemonade stand w/o thousands upon thousands of dollars in licensing, permits, and other assorted fees, where does the "free market" come in to play? If it is also a documented federal policy not to enforce certain fair trade laws unless the business in violation is of a certain smaller than mega corporate size- where's the fairness? If the wages of the average American are falling so rapidly, why are the prices not falling in relation? Homes were overpriced to begin with- thus the bubble that popped- so why are they still over priced? Gas is forcing people to work even longer for less pay, and now the Federal government is going to raise their burden even more! Unless, of course, you are one of those wealthy people that we can't raise taxes on. You know, the Carnegie/Spencer acolytes who still think Eugenics is a pretty neat idea?

Gay Marriage was what the Mayans were warning us about!

 Argh- the absolutely brain dead arguments I hear against allowing homosexuals equal protection under civil law (so long as the free practice of religion is not infringed upon) have got me stumped- so I made one equally stupid reason against gay marriage up for the title of this post. Personally, I think Christians who truly believe gay people are somehow less than desirable in God's eyes would want them to be able to legally enter long-term monogamous relationships, so they will be not out there turning those good, God-fearing boys to the dark path of the sodomite- or whatever ludicrous claim they are making in the mainstream.

 I also read about how gay marriage will destroy the American family- I don't see it. They say it will kill American Christian values- but giving not one shred of supportable, reasonable evidence to support this. Furthermore, they have yet to admit the simple truth- there is a HUGE difference between civil law marriage and religious marriage. Methinks that they omit the difference between law and church morality because it will absolutely destroy their case.

 You don't have to allow gay couples in your sanctuaries, you will not be forced to provide your Pastor to officiate the ceremonies, your church will not have to recognize these marriages as being endorsed by God. Eventually, the laws will be written so people with religious objection will not be forced to make the services of their business available.

 Let's face it- that will not stop gay men and women from being able to obtain services for their legal marriages. It certainly didn't stop many of these "religious objectors" from supporting a homosexual when they bought dresses/ suits/ tuxedos from openly gay designers, or using images painted by a gay man named Michelangelo. As I read the Old Testament, ignorance of the Law doesn't excuse you from it- and therefore all Christians who wear, use, or revere anything produced by a gay human being is supporting that gay life style.

 The so-called "Christian" organizations spending BILLIONS in fighting this wave of civil rights legislation have failed miserably to use the same assets to help the poor and needy here in the US- thereby invalidating their claim of religious authority. How can I say that there is no religious authority behind the denial of equal protection of law? If the suit you wear would feed 6 people for 4 months, the car you drive would feed 6 people for three years, the tithes/ offerings Christian organizations spend in fighting gay marriage would end poverty in our country and could be used to create tens of 1000's of living wage jobs, or be used to feed the world's hungry for whatever period of time- obviously it is not Jesus or God Himself guiding your organization.

Little thing Called Love

Hello again!
 So, after starting my daily routine, I began my morning catch up with Facebook and Sportscenter, checking emails, praying a job offer may have come in over coffee, my usual. I swear if I could be a good liar, I'd make a killing in the sales sector. Anyways, there was a jewelry commercial on that suggested love is connected to how many rocks that have led to the slaughter of women and children you buy your wife/ girlfriend. Did I say rocks that inspire murder- I meant diamonds. My bad.

 Let me get this straight- people believe love is something quantifiable by material possession? No wonder we have a 60% divorce rate! Love is opening doors, holding hands, hugs for no reason, kisses on the forehead, not being a jerk about minor personal flaws, and so on. Gifts are like gravy on mashed potatoes: if the potatoes suck, gravy aint gonna cover it up, just make it barely palatable- so long as the gravy still amply covers the yucky stuff. It is my experience that when the mashed potatoes and the gravy are masterfully prepared, so is the dessert course.

 Yes, love is like mashed potatoes and gravy. No, I don't care to tell you how I came up with that- rest assured  it made sense to me as I typed it, and continued to do so after I re-read it. Love is not going to (jewelry store on annoying commercials) kisses begin with affection, not (another jewelry store). I guess what I am trying to say is gift giving is not a substitute for sustained, sincere actions of affection- gifts supplement those actions.

 So, what do you think, eh? Do you think that gifts are, in fact, the only true expression of love? Do you believe  that a rock on a metal hoop really is an effective display of affection? Comment/ reply, like me, and don't forget to visit the sponsors that interest you!

As the long day closes...

  Woke up sick today, probably due to my horrid diet as late, so instead of doing as I had planned for today, I watched Die Hard With a Vengeance on A&E. Note to A&E: feel free to send me cash for the plug. I will be here holding my breath waiting for those ducats! Anyways, back to my day- Sam Jackson is an idiot where politics are concerned, but my God he can act. It's too bad George Lucas didn't use him correctly...

 Another thing about having this sick day- I got to watch the garbage men take our trash. You know, I get thanked alot when people find out I am a veteran- but I don't know if the garbage man gets much appreciation. So here you go, garbage/ recycling guys- Thank you for the work you do! Same with the sewer guys, if folks want to know how important your work is, let them go a month or two without your services. On second thought, please don't!

 So, I wonder how many people realize how they are being manipulated by the tv? We all know that many people allow their favorite TV personality to form their opinions for them, but watching the commercials is an eye opener. I want to say this- utilizing certain brands of soup may increase the flavor of your cooking, but it will probably not inspire your family to love you more- good cooking doesn't make up for being a bad parent. Odds are good that if you're a good parent, your kids would love you even if you couldn't prepare cereal without messing it up.

 Saw a thing about a Carolina kid having her lunch taken away by a Federal Government inspector for it not being healthy enough. The lunch in question was a turkey/ cheese sandwich, fruit juice, and a banana. The nutritionally superior lunch substituted for it? Chicken nuggets from the school cafeteria. Are you freaking kidding me? The crap in those nuggets has never been considered nutritious!

 People must be stupid- they trust the same government that classifies pizza as a vegetable to inspect kids lunches for nutritional value- and confiscate it if it does not. Really? Where have you been the last 40 years? Ketchup is a vegetable, Genetically modified food is harmless (which has been proven, oops- it wasn't) depleted uranium is perfectly safe to ammo handlers, privately owned energy firms will provide cheaper electricity- the list of federal idiocy goes on for miles. Our educational system, one that was fine for upwards of a 1oo years, has been completely destroyed by government involvement.

 What do you think? Do you believe that you are not capable of making your own decisions? Do you want your decisions made for you by people whose idea of hard economic times is having to buy a Lexus instead of a Mercedes?