November 12, 2014

So, conservatives have a problem with First Lady Michelle Obama?

Okay, let’s forget about politicians for a second. Let’s forget about presidents. Let’s talk First Ladies. So, as a liberal, I can say I have no deep-seated issues with former conservative/Republican First Ladies, and I don’t recall having any identifiable issues with them at the time (so, it’s not just an issue of rose-colored glasses). I’m serious, I mean, I’m sure I could find specific things they might have said that I might disagree with, but I’m being completely honest that nothing comes to mind at this time as a reason to really display any level of vitriol towards a former Republican/conservative First Lady. However, I’m not sure the same can be said for many conservatives/Republicans when it comes to Michelle Obama. And I really don’t know why, well, other than, well, hmm…. Race? Nah, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about petty conservative politics, and race is only one of many potential opaque or transparent “arguments” against what?…only God knows, which means nobody knows. Of course, this speaks to the lack of character of the person in the mirror more than it speaks to the character of the current First Lady.

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October 6, 2014

The Country Is Going Down The Tubes?

Knock it off with the “good ol’ days” nonsense. Ever had a conversion with someone and they lament how people have less respect for authority nowadays? I’m so tired of that kind of thinking. Things change. We change. People change. A society that does not represent the society you grew up in is not automatically inferior. Maybe that authority figure didn’t deserve respect in the first place. If you think society is in free fall and that things were better when you were younger, well, I have news: you are part of the problem. Your recurring assumption that fellow human begins are beneath you certainly doesn’t contribute to the kind of society you lament the loss of. Maybe stop complaining and stop assuming the worst in others, and you might realize things are not as uncivilized as you think. Every generation believes it is the last of the best generations, but deep down, we must all know this is bullshit, right?

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October 5, 2014

Is It Bigoted To Criticize Religious Beliefs?

Short answer: No — Slightly longer answer: This should be an easy to understand concept, no religion is off limits. All bad ideas are subject to criticism, religious or otherwise. And so that means nobody is a bigot because they are critical of bad ideas, even if those bad ideas are religious ideas.

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September 23, 2014

Bombing ISIS And I’m All Out Of Tylenol

America is just not America without war. Am I right, or am I right? Can I get a rah-rah? So we are at war yet again, and this time we are bombing a group called ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). And not only are we bombing them in Iraq, we’ve now opened up the war front in the Middle East by dropping bombs in Syria. And oh yeah, what was I thinking? We were already at war before this latest war. We are still at war in Afghanistan. If only we could find another way to expel our aggressive tendencies. May I suggest we follow the lead of Clark Griswold. — “I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is! Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where’s the Tylenol?” — Nope, didn’t work. Now let’s go blow some people apart.

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September 22, 2014

Rachel Maddow Provides Perspective On White House Fence-Jumper

It turns out the guy that jumped the White House fence last week and made it into the building, had a small armory in his car. Of course, this doesn’t change my opinion, that this incident does not call for extra layers of security around the White House. After all, he didn’t drive his car onto the White House lawn, so he was only armed with a pocket knife when he jumped the fence. Leave it to Rachel Maddow to provide perspective on the White House fence-jumper, telling us about the time a freak’n Army helicopter was stolen and landed (unauthorized) on the White House lawn in the 1970s! Yeah, because crazy things like that ONLY happen now, so we must turn the White House into a fortress. Yes, this time a person got into the building, but it was a security lapse on the part of the Secret Service, not a wake-up call for more checkpoints and perimeter security. I say fix the problem through adjustments in protocol and training, not extra layers of security.

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September 19, 2014

A Holiday Hiring Surge, No Thanks To Congressional Republicans

After eight grueling days of work on Capitol Hill, preceded by a five week summer recess, and all while “earning” six figure salaries, congress dismissed itself yet again. We won’t see them back in Washington D.C. until after the November mid-term elections. But while congress takes the next five or six weeks off, we can at least expect average Americans will be working hard heading into this holiday season. And yes, it’s not far away. And it appears the economy is doing quite well, no thanks to congress, especially congressional Republicans. UPS is expected to hire 95,000 seasonal workers. FedEx will hire 50,000. If you remember, both UPS and FedEx experienced delivery problems last Christmas. I assume they don’t want a repeat performance this year. As for brick and mortar stores, who would prefer you did not use the services of UPS and FedEx, Kohl’s is expected to hire 67,000, and Walmart is expected to hire 60,000. Notwithstanding that these are temporary, generally low-paying jobs, the fact remains that these companies expect a booming holiday season, which means the economy is gaining momentum. And all of this is much to the dismay of Republicans and others who wish Obama to fail at the expense of America.

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September 18, 2014

President Obama: We Can’t Erase Every Trace Of Evil From The World

In a primetime address last week, President Obama said to the nation that “we can’t erase every trace of evil from the world.” Well, thank you Mr. President for that moment of honesty. Wait, why were you addressing the nation again? Oh, that’s right, because you want to erase a specific trace of evil known as ISIS, or as you call them, ISIL. Well, if we can’t erase every trace of evil from the world, why can’t we live by those worlds this time around? Apparently 91% of Americans think ISIS is a threat to America (from some poll I’m too lazy to look up at the moment). Is that the reason this “trace of evil” has to be wiped off the face of the planet? If so, I’m glad we are fighting wars based on popular opinion, because that’s not stupid at all. But if not, then I have to ask, why does this specific “trace of evil” need exterminating? Is it because 65% of Americans (from another poll…yes, I’m still too lazy…) support air strikes in Syria? Again, stupid reason. Although that never stopped us in the past. If wish Fox News could see past their own 24/7 Obama bullshit machine to see that this president isn’t no different than the 43 presidents that came before him.

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September 18, 2014

ISIS Is Not Islamic Mr. President?

ISIS (ISIL / IS) is not Islamic? I hate to break it to you, and well, I also hate to break it to President Obama, but the “I” stands for “Islamic.” Religions are belief systems. Religions are ideologies. Religions are what people choose to believe. So it’s rather ridiculous to try to separate a specific religion from a specific terrorist group. What’s the point? Religions are not based on the physical world, observation, or evidence, so that means they are subject to the eye of the beholder. So nobody can definitively say ISIS is not Islamic, because it’s not up for debate. If someone says they are Christian, or someone says they are Islamic, that is up for them to decide, because there really are no rules here. I mean, if Christians are allowed to take or leave the parts of the Bible they see fit, but still call themselves Christians, then how do Christians (like President Obama) decide who is or is not Islamic? Stop sugar-coating it. The ideology of the terrorist group known as ISIS / ISIL / IS is constructed around the Koran, period. There’s no debate here. That doesn’t mean everyone who believes the Koran to be the word of Allah is a terrorist of course. And the fact that I even need to acknowledge that brings me to my simple wish … a wish that adults could have an adult conversation. Maybe I’m expecting too much from people 18 and over, people who never really grew up, but are now considered adults through some legal loophole or something.

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September 16, 2014

America, Land Of The Humane Executioner, Home Of The Meek Practitioner Of War