One of the reasons I haven't been posting in a while, aside from life distractions, is that I tend to like to post about political stuff as it's the most interesting to me to write about. That and I tend to mostly read blogs about political stuff too. Though, since Obama has taken over the mess I have been less inclined to keep up as the Bush years pretty much tapped me out. I went over the edge in an slight obsession-ish way after 9/11 and dealt with that trauma by trying to become "more informed" and in so doing became quite disillusioned that we were being "lead" by such a massive collection of jack-asses that it boggled the mind. It boggled the mind that in this "hyper modern age" we are able to have these insane ideologues in power. So, what's different today? Well for one the current ideologue in power doesn't insult my intelligence as much as the last one and pretty much I am tired of the "fight." I think it's a dynamic that I now see folks who lean more to the right are now all sorts of engaged while I have simmered down some. Thus if you're "side" (for lack of a better term) is in power you are less pissed off, even if you happen to not love every little thing your "side" is doing in office.
That said, I did want to pop online and blog a little bit about the sad reality those on the right are in right now. They feel under represented or not represented at all. They seem to think things are much worse then they have been and are more worried than I have seen in many years. I have some idea how they feel...if only those folks weren't so blinded by their own ignorance, racism, and flat out gullibility. I have said it before and I will say it again, no one bitches as loud and dumb as the right wingers do. If the left could have been nearly as organized and loud during the Bush years one wonders if the news cycles would have appeared tougher on the administration back then? That's the thing though, the right has organizational skills, normally can win elections, rally the stupid to come out from under their rocks and bridges and make totally insane declarations and get the whole of the media, forever scared of being branded "liberal," to allow them a platform to talk about nazis, socialism, birth certificates and more. And this is only the first fucking year!?!?
Naturally, none too surprising as I have also said in the past the right's crazy noise machine has no debate, has no counter solutions as always and just has a lot of name calling, fear monger stupidity exploiting the already afraid, already racist and ginning them up so they come out in the open at health care town meetings and say unbelievably stupid, pointless shit. There's no helping those folks, they feel under represented, unheard or what have you I say, "Fuck 'em." No one minded telling me that throughout the entire Bush administration. And that's would be my message to Mr. Centrist Obama (just so no one can say I am simply on the Obama bandwagon and apologize and support him at every and any turn) fuck the right, fuck their bitching and boo-hooing...Take a page from idiot Bush's march to war and just commit to your agenda and policies and forget this bi-partisan horse shit.
If they were actually interested in having a debate and not just trying to defeat Obama any way they can so they can gain voter points then fine, have some meetings. That ain't gonna happen, Obama already tried. That and, well the real sad truth (hearkening back to the ole "lesser of two evils" talk from elections season) is that Congress, Obama, all of government are all bought and paid for on both sides by the same corporate overlords/special interest groups so the whole "health care debate" as it stands today is empty fucking bullshit. Well, perhaps empty is not as accurate as to say hateful...The hate-o-meter has been spiking a lot this past summer, hasn't it? Socialism is an economic model and just by having a government run health care system (which we won't really have entirely even if the current HC plan as written does pass) does not change the entire economic system of a country. It's a silly, stupid debate whenever someone cries "socialism" they are really fear mongering and likely are also implying that it will then lead to communism (Ooh! 1980's are back! Send in Rambo!!!) To paraphrase a different popular movie from the 1980's, "I do not think that word means what you think it means."
The nazi/Hitler shit is beyond the pale and I almost feel worthless to address as it comes right out of the NRA playbook and those guys are simply obsessed with their toys and government control but are weirdly just fine with authoritarianism and the murder of thousands of non-whites around the world. I am generalizing to be sure but I find the heaviest racist screed comes from these corners of the countries and it's these guys who show up at rallies and town hall meetings armed because it's their fucking right! No matter that "the gun issue" is only being brought up by the NRA and the gun companies (who are making a mint off you jackasses by the way) and hasn't even been touched on by the Obama administration or anyone else in government lately.
It's these NRA guys that will tell you about the liberal cities in America want to take their guns but all the blacks in their cities get to keep theirs all the while ignoring the social issues that actually fuel the inner city issues. Hell, those poor folk didn't work hard enough! And here is where the "welfare momma," black on black crime statistics, "I worked hard for what I got and I don't want mah wealth re-distributed to no naggars!" Fundamentally, in my opinion, that is where the ire comes from, the fear, the anger, the birther movement, the concept that Obama, "ain't mah President!" My question has always been, for these folks, what do we do with the have-nots then? If they don't deserve to get welfare, they don't deserve a helping hand, they didn't have the opportunities and genetic luck "ya'all" had, what do we do then? Just leave them in the streets? Start shipping them off to the third world? *crickets* No answers, no solutions, just your usual, hateful, ignorant bitching.
Or perhaps, "That sounds like socialism to me?!" Yeah, why would people want to take care of people? We don't really all co-exist on the same planet no matter what stupid shit you or I believe in, right? So fuck some of them! Poor people should just have to suffer and die and only those who can afford health care should be able to get it...If it were any other way we would collapse and turn into the former Soviet Union Republik of Government Kontrol, or something. That sucks! Eh, it fucking matters anyway, right? 2012 is right around the corner and Armageddon is upon us and Judgment shall be had and this stupid mess will go the rest of the way to the inevitable chapter in some text book, "The end of the American experiment." *tunes radio to Rush Limbaugh, turns it up, drives off a cliff*
Friday, September 04, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
ssssSOME DAAAYYY...
I will start posting again...Today is almost that day...Almost in that I thought to sign in and write this. But this will have to do as I have gone into busy mode and neglected to write since February. I have done two plays, planned several somewhat major work related events, spent a lot of time with someone kinda speshul, and will soon be on the TeeVee news for work related reasons (good ones, not murder-y ones). SO, hopefully someday this summer I will get back on the blog horse...I usually do!
Monday, February 16, 2009
So you use Facebook...YOU LOSER!
Today's Tribune had an interesting article about the bookface, of which I am a user, discussing their recently updated terms of use. In it, they use language such as, "Facebook's changes have left its members vulnerable to having their content used without their permission, even if they delete information from their profiles." Which, at first glance, is somewhat troubling particularly if you are a photographer that posts your copyrighted work, or a writer who posts work you expect to be compensated for or intend to sell. It seems to imply that Facebook now owns whatever you post on your profile and has the right to use your stuff to sell...uh...Well, that's not very clear as to how they would/will profit from your material. Here is a relevant chunk of Facebook's response to, "Do you belong to Facebook, forever?" (and ever and ever...SLAVE!):
I am fairly confident my precious pictures of myself are safe and I doubt very much there is some massive profit machine but all the same; no one wants their Facebook stuff sold, as it were, without your permission, consent, knowledge, or share of these "profits." This could be an issue if I had no clue...I do have a clue and while I post a lot of shit I do try and avoid anything compromising or potentially "job threatening." But I am not especially worried about Facebook running away with all the profits I could have gotten with pictures of my best friend's kids because...Well, that's kind of fucking dumb to care about, isn't it? Am I so special? Is "somebody" out there making the big bucks on my freely posted garbage? If so, power be to them! In reality, the ole rule of thumb applies to any Internet posting, "If you wouldn't put it on a public bulletin in the 'real world' then don't post it on the Internet."
What got my goat in this article more than anything (and as usual) was what I saw in the comments. Some people are fucking touchy about the Internet and really, really judge you (and me) quite harshly. Now, this is America where we all have the right to think and say what we generally want to (heh) but Christ if we don't just love judging others based solely upon our own cock-a-mamie values, don't we? Well, as an exercise to make myself feel better let us play with some of the more choice comments from the article!
You should also note that...
This isn't the first time I have blogged about crap like this, a little over a year ago (in my "look at me, whore MySpace blog) I bitched about a similar social stigma that had arisen between a then dying (now dead) MySpace and still thriving Facebook:
Can of worms there really because, I suppose, I am as guilty as anyone for making rash judgements based upon little, to no, information...Behold all the left-leaning, biased bitchings I have posted on here the last several months...However, this is my blog...My online 'journal' as it were and that is what it is for. Surely, unless you are a glutton of some kind, you don't like my ramblings you probably won't be back to read more. Simple as that! To paraphrase George Carlin when talking about Religious types crabbing about offensive content on the radio:
"Well Reverend, there are two knobs on the radio why don't you just change the fucking station if you don't like what you hear!"
Why ya'all gotta be pissin on everybody like that?
One of the questions about our new terms of use is whether Facebook can use this information forever. When a person shares something like a message with a friend, two copies of that information are created—one in the person's sent messages box and the other in their friend's inbox. Even if the person deactivates their account, their friend still has a copy of that message. We think this is the right way for Facebook to work, and it is consistent with how other services like email work. One of the reasons we updated our terms was to make this more clear.
In reality, we wouldn't share your information in a way you wouldn't want. The trust you place in us as a safe place to share information is the most important part of what makes Facebook work. Our goal is to build great products and to communicate clearly to help people share more information in this trusted environment.
I am fairly confident my precious pictures of myself are safe and I doubt very much there is some massive profit machine but all the same; no one wants their Facebook stuff sold, as it were, without your permission, consent, knowledge, or share of these "profits." This could be an issue if I had no clue...I do have a clue and while I post a lot of shit I do try and avoid anything compromising or potentially "job threatening." But I am not especially worried about Facebook running away with all the profits I could have gotten with pictures of my best friend's kids because...Well, that's kind of fucking dumb to care about, isn't it? Am I so special? Is "somebody" out there making the big bucks on my freely posted garbage? If so, power be to them! In reality, the ole rule of thumb applies to any Internet posting, "If you wouldn't put it on a public bulletin in the 'real world' then don't post it on the Internet."
What got my goat in this article more than anything (and as usual) was what I saw in the comments. Some people are fucking touchy about the Internet and really, really judge you (and me) quite harshly. Now, this is America where we all have the right to think and say what we generally want to (heh) but Christ if we don't just love judging others based solely upon our own cock-a-mamie values, don't we? Well, as an exercise to make myself feel better let us play with some of the more choice comments from the article!
"About 75% of the people on Facebook use it to brag and imbellish on the pathetic lives.WOW! Somebody is disappointed in both their sister AND that college friend who clearly has Facebook Mobile! What a couple of douche-nozzles, eh? Actually using Facebook! Posting Pictures when they haven't dated in the, apparently, pre-approved time frame that is "normal." Clearly THAT person has no rights to express themselves in a way they feel comfortable. If only we all "knew the facts" of each other's lives (said facts shall be filtered through the cultural values of this one commenter). Then the college friend?!?! Holy shit, how dare they post stuff that I don't have to look at but do anyway because I am so damn busy feeling better than them that I only check Facebook for sources of condescension! Next!
My sister's friend is a 40 year old, never married and hasn't had a date in years. She has a career but hates her job.
However, her profile pic has been obviously photo shopped and she can't post enough that she is a lawyer and so are her parents. It is absolutely nauseating---especially when you know the facts.
Another guy from college posts about 10 times a day--"I am in an important board meeting"----"I am at the executives dining room"...bunch of BS"
"...almost all of my friends are on Facebook (or MySpace). I am not. I don't understand the appeal of either. I'm already in touch with everyone I want to be in touch with. The idea that I could list an infinite number of people - who I have either never truly met, or haven't had any face-to-face contact in years - as "friends" on a website holds no appeal to me. I don't understand how it can have any appeal to anyone, but clearly I am overestimating the intelligence and sophistication of the general public. "This one has it right...People who use certain Internet sites are clearly not intelligent. This fine, bright light, only posts on Topix.com through the Chicago Tribune so clearly we, lowly, ignorant Facebook people can learn from their example. Some people are so awesome and organized that they have no need of communicating with people they know/knew online because it only matters when they see them in person. If not, maybe you don't have time due to kids, job, etc. or perhaps the people you like best live in a different country you should simply give up. Why try? You asshole. If you can't communicate effectively in "real life" then you cannot communicate. That is, apparently, if you wish to be as sophisticated and intelligent as the wee commenter above. Fucker. You are not adapting to the modern age, nor are you having fun by posting pictures of yourself and the people you like and interacting and so on...You are a narcissistic, "look at me" type and those people are "bad."
You should also note that...
"Please, if you are on Facebook, you clearly don't have a life. So who cares?"Indeed. The only people who matter are active ones who work in active, outdoor jobs and clearly have defined for themselves and others what it means, "to have a life." I, for one, defined having a life by not being dead, but to each their own, I guess. I also don't own a Wii so maybe I will be alright?
"These are the people that have no social graces to have friends. Same people that own a Wii. "DAMMIT...No social graces! I missed that memo...Or was it a book I should have been assigned in "Social Graces Class?"
"That's what Facebook, etc. are all about. Sheesh - what a narcissistic and vapid culture. Look at me, everybody! "Stupid vapid assholes...I'll look at you when I am good and gawd damn ready to. Tell me to look at you? Who the fuck do you think you are? Assface! What's that a little confidence? A sense of humor? Hell no! You are a Narcissist and that is bad! Why exactly, I am not sure...Oh, I know because it bothers me! Yeah! I AM BOTHERED BY YOU! FUCK YOU AND YOUR SELF PICTURE WHORE FRIENDS!?!?! YOU SHOULD BE ANONYMOUS AND NOT ROCK THE BOAT WITH YOUR IMAGERY!!! ONLY PROFESSIONALS SHOULD BE LOOKED UPON!!!!
"Most of this is dirty old men and fat women.OMG Freaks and Geeks."Yup, I am dirty, old and jerkin' it to your fat tits...FAT CHICK! FREAKS AND/OR GEEKS DO NOT DESERVE TO POST STUFF ON THE INTERNET!!!! THEY SHOULD JUST GO LIVE UNDER A BRIDGE SOMEWHERE AND LEAVE US, OMG, BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT CREATURES BE!
This isn't the first time I have blogged about crap like this, a little over a year ago (in my "look at me, whore MySpace blog) I bitched about a similar social stigma that had arisen between a then dying (now dead) MySpace and still thriving Facebook:
Have you noticed this social stigma thing going on that tells me that MySpace is dead and that Facebook is the shit now? I believe that MySpace will soon be on the same level as Friendster which now lives in the same part of my brain as Fruity Yummy Mummy or, "Yes, I will take the category 'Things I remember that no one cares about' for $100, Alex!" It absolutely cracks my shit up as I still view the Internets as simply 1's and 0's that instruct my Internet watching machine to make them look like my MySpace page, the newspaper website, that picture of your tits I am currently coveting or what have you. Assigning social value of any kind to a website, service or so on just seems insane?!The reason this stuff is such a sticking point is because of the wanton rush to judgement displayed by these asshats. Seriously, we are looking at programming code that instructs the computer to display it as such. How is one website, made of 1s and 0s, different from another which is also made from the very same 1s and 0s? Content! Thus a porn site IS different then a newspaper online...That I get! However, to be so petty that someone is some how less than you depending upon which websites you interact on/in/with is akin to judging someone based upon the way they breathe the same oxygen content as you do, or don't. What the fuck...MAN?! Where are these lines drawn? Who made the decision that being narcissistic is that horrible? Don't like it? Don't fucking do it...End of story. You need not sit and tell anyone who will listen why you think you are better because your values and cultural norms, arbitrarily deem it so inside your teeny head.
I have also encountered the following line of thinking a few times in the last several months, "Anyone over the age of 30 who is on MySpace is a fucking loser." Coincidentally, almost everyone I know over the age of 30 happen to have a MySpace by now and if not they likely started a Facebook account in the last couple of months. So, dear readers, some people out there, who happen to be better than you, think you are a loser for being here and reading this AND I am a triple-double-dog-douche loser for continuing to post my vain, self-immersed bullshit so as to gain your attention and affection because I am a soul-less, needy whore.
Can of worms there really because, I suppose, I am as guilty as anyone for making rash judgements based upon little, to no, information...Behold all the left-leaning, biased bitchings I have posted on here the last several months...However, this is my blog...My online 'journal' as it were and that is what it is for. Surely, unless you are a glutton of some kind, you don't like my ramblings you probably won't be back to read more. Simple as that! To paraphrase George Carlin when talking about Religious types crabbing about offensive content on the radio:
"Well Reverend, there are two knobs on the radio why don't you just change the fucking station if you don't like what you hear!"
Why ya'all gotta be pissin on everybody like that?
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I like to fuck a lot and drop acid!
Actually I have never dropped acid but I do love that phrase. It comes from the book 'Jarhead' by Anthony Swofford which was about his experience as a Marine in the first Gulf War back in early 1991. The phrase came in a letter they received while in Saudi Arabia addressed to "Any Marine" and later became a rally cry for Swofford's particular unit. It pops in my head from time to time when I feel a rally cry might be called for but, sadly, it is not very office appropriate.
The reason I bring it up here is more due to the current Iraq war. Well, not the war as is (i.e. at the moment) but as it was back in aught three; I recently viewed the HBO Miniseries from last year called Generation Kill! Which is based on a book by the same name I happened to read a bunch of years ago...Both the book and the miniseries are AWESOME! Sad, a little anyhow, but AWESOME! Jarhead (also a movie) is also quite enjoyable but comes with a more specific point of view, or bias, that Generation Kill does not have. I am not saying Generation Kill is without judgment, of sorts, but tends to be much more objective by comparison. That said, the two stories go together really well and they both kind of highlight the surprising dumb-assed-ness of our military in times of war. This from the dominant military on the planet!
And no, I am not anti-troop. I am anti-war and I am no fan of civilian casualties. Truth is though, there is simply no real way to put professional soldiers on the ground who are armed to the teeth in any place and not end up with dead people, or horrendous errors, misfires, mistaken identities, etc. Those people are trained to kill and trained killers are going to kill...It's the leadership that is at fault when shit like Iraq happens. Not that anyone will ever be held accountable or anything. The leadership has a chain and it goes all the way to the top (with a stopoff at the former VP's office on the way up and back down) and it's that fucker, and close compatriots, who should be paying the fiddler.
Sorry to open with more political ranting, but let me get this out the way right quick; my one beef with the new administration is that they are really backing off/downplaying any sort of recrimination/investigation in the wide variety of war crime, anti-American activities, torture, constitution shredding spy action and so forth from the last eight years. I see why they say things like this as they are busy looking and moving forward to some degree and a whole lot of investigations, trials, inquiries and the like are time and money consuming...But fuck, I commit a crime I don't get a pass due to semantics, or wars on terror, or my position of power, or some kind of "Timexecutive Privilege"...I go to fucking jail.
Isn't that why we bothered with all this constitutional law stuff in the first place? A crime is committed then shouldn't there be an arrest? Investigation? Judicial action? Just saying; after all the fourth amendment has been violated and the NSA just had yet another whistle blower come out and say that even the pretend notion of "monitoring international calls to terrorists" really meant monitoring all communication in the U.S. period. Big brother indeed...And here all the angry republicans are worried about the Democrats ruining America with their crazy spending.
Anyhow, the point here really is that 'Generation Kill' is very, very well done and I highly recommend the book or mini-series or both. The other reason I am thinking about stuff like this is that, unlike our nation, my home state of Illinois doesn't mind wasting any time by impeaching our governor in record time! I am not even sure if the guy is guilty of anything either...yet watching him flail around on national television like a big, purple dong at a kid's party and then show up at day three of his own impeachment and simply continue to flail around?! Man, dude...I am not convinced of much of anything and I have no doubt that the senate is right now impeaching your ass (by right now I mean right while I am typing these words). So, so long Rod...Thanks for the stupid toll road signs and all that...Now please just go away...Forever. While you are leaving, Rod, could you yell, "I LIKE TO FUCK A LOT AND DROP ACID!" while you are moving your shit out of the governor's office? That would be classic icing to a bizarre cake. That man is bizarre...The denial he must live in.
Those first few chunks were written right during the Illinois impeachment trial and then I ran out of gas...SOOOO...Let's change subjects!
Tonight and last night I helped out a currently rehearsing theater production by substitute acting for someone who had to miss an entire week of rehearsal just 2 weeks prior to opening. It's a show I was vaguely aware that the company is doing but I hadn't looked to closely at it nor did I have the foggiest idea as to what it was about, etc. I did know that it's dinner theater which is something I have no experience with nor do I desire any BUT when asked to help I will help and it did turn out to be quite the surreal experience. Best described as living out one of those, "went to school/work in my underwear" sort of dreams. The show itself needs A LOT of work thus far (not abnormal for something two weeks out) and the regular cast has just, kind of, gotten off book and are not very comfortable with their dialogue, their songs, the blocking, or their bodies (apparently) as it was...well...Shitty.
It is apparently about a cruise ship and has some very stereotypical Italian accents and themes and I was subbing for one of most stereotypical Italian accented themes and I have never officially done an Italian accent. Thus I dug real deep and ended up doing a so-so Santino Marella and went with it. The show has an improvish bend which normally would be awesome if it weren't for the fact that the awkward performers aren't there yet thus it was nigh impossible to tell when they were rehearsing and when they were just screwing around. Loads of extra talking and goofing off and the blocking seemed indirect and it is "set" in a dining area of a cruise ship so there is no one area where the audience was. That and it had songs. Really poorly performed songs and at the end of the whole thing there was a group song, "A Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen in fact...And the poor cast had not, apparently, had ample rehearsal time with that one so it was literally a circle of "actors" (large cast too!) standing and awkwardly singing Queen. The first time through it sounded like a group of zombies were singing it. So, even with a script in hand I sit here awaiting day two with only a marginal idea of what the fuck was going on!?! Naturally, I cannot wait to do it again.
Related to this, a few folks have asked me if I have any plans to do another stage return this year and my answer is, Yes! At least, I plan to audition for another show right in the first week of march. The same group I worked with last spring is doing another comedic spring production and it appears it shall be a series of one-acts by David Ives. Never read the man but I am told he is "British funny" so we will see. Multiple plays with multiple directors and casts can be a recipe for logistical nightmares but more likely could be a very fun time. After all, my very first theatrical experience was an evening of one-acts so it is fitting to do one here near the end.
Ah, the theatre...What a bizarre, entangled bitch you are. The funny thing about me and theatre, despite all the shows I have done, the degree in it I have acquired, I fucking don't like it that much. It's true! I enjoy entertaining, I enjoy the buzz of performing, I respect the "art" so to speak but there are few things in the world I hate more than having to watch fucking plays. Being in the "world" (sort of) I have many, many actor/director friends who do many, many plays and productions and guess how many of them I see? Nearly none. I avoid it at all costs so if you have seen me at a show (and despite this rant, I do end up going once in a while) you have SEEN A MIRACLE!!! And yeah, sorry if I didn't care for your show very much either. I have never seen a play that I liked...Ok, once back in college but it was really, really funny...Other than that, I have seen a professional production that I liked (Spamalot) and every other show I have ever seen? Crap. Bullshit stinking, boring, tedious fucking shit. You were good in it though! The show just sucked and it wasn't your fault so don't feel bad about it. If it really were that good then you'd still be doing it then, wouldn't you? Right. You're not...Because it was shit. Do not worry, my shows were shit too!
In actuality, I just got burned out on theater after college. We did SO many shows and were required to see all the rest of the other shows so copious amounts of my ISU time was spent watching play after play after over-dramatic, poorly cats, poorly choiced, crappy, barely audible baloney (though every once in a while there were live tits!) that I wouldn't sit through again if you blew me during it. Theater...Fun to do...Painful to watch.
The reason I bring it up here is more due to the current Iraq war. Well, not the war as is (i.e. at the moment) but as it was back in aught three; I recently viewed the HBO Miniseries from last year called Generation Kill! Which is based on a book by the same name I happened to read a bunch of years ago...Both the book and the miniseries are AWESOME! Sad, a little anyhow, but AWESOME! Jarhead (also a movie) is also quite enjoyable but comes with a more specific point of view, or bias, that Generation Kill does not have. I am not saying Generation Kill is without judgment, of sorts, but tends to be much more objective by comparison. That said, the two stories go together really well and they both kind of highlight the surprising dumb-assed-ness of our military in times of war. This from the dominant military on the planet!
And no, I am not anti-troop. I am anti-war and I am no fan of civilian casualties. Truth is though, there is simply no real way to put professional soldiers on the ground who are armed to the teeth in any place and not end up with dead people, or horrendous errors, misfires, mistaken identities, etc. Those people are trained to kill and trained killers are going to kill...It's the leadership that is at fault when shit like Iraq happens. Not that anyone will ever be held accountable or anything. The leadership has a chain and it goes all the way to the top (with a stopoff at the former VP's office on the way up and back down) and it's that fucker, and close compatriots, who should be paying the fiddler.
Sorry to open with more political ranting, but let me get this out the way right quick; my one beef with the new administration is that they are really backing off/downplaying any sort of recrimination/investigation in the wide variety of war crime, anti-American activities, torture, constitution shredding spy action and so forth from the last eight years. I see why they say things like this as they are busy looking and moving forward to some degree and a whole lot of investigations, trials, inquiries and the like are time and money consuming...But fuck, I commit a crime I don't get a pass due to semantics, or wars on terror, or my position of power, or some kind of "Timexecutive Privilege"...I go to fucking jail.
Isn't that why we bothered with all this constitutional law stuff in the first place? A crime is committed then shouldn't there be an arrest? Investigation? Judicial action? Just saying; after all the fourth amendment has been violated and the NSA just had yet another whistle blower come out and say that even the pretend notion of "monitoring international calls to terrorists" really meant monitoring all communication in the U.S. period. Big brother indeed...And here all the angry republicans are worried about the Democrats ruining America with their crazy spending.
Anyhow, the point here really is that 'Generation Kill' is very, very well done and I highly recommend the book or mini-series or both. The other reason I am thinking about stuff like this is that, unlike our nation, my home state of Illinois doesn't mind wasting any time by impeaching our governor in record time! I am not even sure if the guy is guilty of anything either...yet watching him flail around on national television like a big, purple dong at a kid's party and then show up at day three of his own impeachment and simply continue to flail around?! Man, dude...I am not convinced of much of anything and I have no doubt that the senate is right now impeaching your ass (by right now I mean right while I am typing these words). So, so long Rod...Thanks for the stupid toll road signs and all that...Now please just go away...Forever. While you are leaving, Rod, could you yell, "I LIKE TO FUCK A LOT AND DROP ACID!" while you are moving your shit out of the governor's office? That would be classic icing to a bizarre cake. That man is bizarre...The denial he must live in.
Those first few chunks were written right during the Illinois impeachment trial and then I ran out of gas...SOOOO...Let's change subjects!
Tonight and last night I helped out a currently rehearsing theater production by substitute acting for someone who had to miss an entire week of rehearsal just 2 weeks prior to opening. It's a show I was vaguely aware that the company is doing but I hadn't looked to closely at it nor did I have the foggiest idea as to what it was about, etc. I did know that it's dinner theater which is something I have no experience with nor do I desire any BUT when asked to help I will help and it did turn out to be quite the surreal experience. Best described as living out one of those, "went to school/work in my underwear" sort of dreams. The show itself needs A LOT of work thus far (not abnormal for something two weeks out) and the regular cast has just, kind of, gotten off book and are not very comfortable with their dialogue, their songs, the blocking, or their bodies (apparently) as it was...well...Shitty.
It is apparently about a cruise ship and has some very stereotypical Italian accents and themes and I was subbing for one of most stereotypical Italian accented themes and I have never officially done an Italian accent. Thus I dug real deep and ended up doing a so-so Santino Marella and went with it. The show has an improvish bend which normally would be awesome if it weren't for the fact that the awkward performers aren't there yet thus it was nigh impossible to tell when they were rehearsing and when they were just screwing around. Loads of extra talking and goofing off and the blocking seemed indirect and it is "set" in a dining area of a cruise ship so there is no one area where the audience was. That and it had songs. Really poorly performed songs and at the end of the whole thing there was a group song, "A Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen in fact...And the poor cast had not, apparently, had ample rehearsal time with that one so it was literally a circle of "actors" (large cast too!) standing and awkwardly singing Queen. The first time through it sounded like a group of zombies were singing it. So, even with a script in hand I sit here awaiting day two with only a marginal idea of what the fuck was going on!?! Naturally, I cannot wait to do it again.
Related to this, a few folks have asked me if I have any plans to do another stage return this year and my answer is, Yes! At least, I plan to audition for another show right in the first week of march. The same group I worked with last spring is doing another comedic spring production and it appears it shall be a series of one-acts by David Ives. Never read the man but I am told he is "British funny" so we will see. Multiple plays with multiple directors and casts can be a recipe for logistical nightmares but more likely could be a very fun time. After all, my very first theatrical experience was an evening of one-acts so it is fitting to do one here near the end.
Ah, the theatre...What a bizarre, entangled bitch you are. The funny thing about me and theatre, despite all the shows I have done, the degree in it I have acquired, I fucking don't like it that much. It's true! I enjoy entertaining, I enjoy the buzz of performing, I respect the "art" so to speak but there are few things in the world I hate more than having to watch fucking plays. Being in the "world" (sort of) I have many, many actor/director friends who do many, many plays and productions and guess how many of them I see? Nearly none. I avoid it at all costs so if you have seen me at a show (and despite this rant, I do end up going once in a while) you have SEEN A MIRACLE!!! And yeah, sorry if I didn't care for your show very much either. I have never seen a play that I liked...Ok, once back in college but it was really, really funny...Other than that, I have seen a professional production that I liked (Spamalot) and every other show I have ever seen? Crap. Bullshit stinking, boring, tedious fucking shit. You were good in it though! The show just sucked and it wasn't your fault so don't feel bad about it. If it really were that good then you'd still be doing it then, wouldn't you? Right. You're not...Because it was shit. Do not worry, my shows were shit too!
In actuality, I just got burned out on theater after college. We did SO many shows and were required to see all the rest of the other shows so copious amounts of my ISU time was spent watching play after play after over-dramatic, poorly cats, poorly choiced, crappy, barely audible baloney (though every once in a while there were live tits!) that I wouldn't sit through again if you blew me during it. Theater...Fun to do...Painful to watch.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration has happened...So GET ON WITH IT!
I wasn't able to drink in today's big historical moment as much as I would have liked to. Being at work we tried to watch as much as we could but sadly we had a non-stop rain of ignorant phone calls. Which resulted in a somewhat frantic division of attention and made for kind of a dull thud occur where there should be a trumpeting to the heavens, so to speak. I am a bit bummed about that because I would like to feel more excited about today then most of my compatriots are. I sort of liken it to the end of a traumatic period in life that you have known the 'horror' (to be a little dramatic) so well that now that it is finally over you don't know how to feel about it?!? Of course, I am speaking of the Bush years...I am so inclined to negative thinking about government, about the President in specific, that I am still not fully adjusted to this whole "new President" thing.
Not the end of the world as today is merely a ceremony and now it is officially and finally time for that whole, "proof in the pudding" thing to happen. Hopefully, we will start seeing some of that tomorrow because he does not have one second to spare. I am happy as shit Obama won and he's *insert milestone here* but I am eager to get the show on the road and see what's what. Critics on the right have already decided that "we" think, "every thang gonna be a'ight" just like that *snaps fingers* and that we are also (as always) sheeple who are drinking this kool-aid (or "fool-aid" in some cases) so we had better watch out. For what? I have no idea. It is just STUNNING to hear and see this kind of horseshit after witnessing the last 8 years. Didja drink that kool-aid in 2003? Still waiting for the WMD to surface, are ya? Think throwing the 4th Amendment out the window is A-Ok, you know, "to protect your safety?" Big fan of torturing people then saying we don't? Illegal, pre-emptive war all good with you? Appointing Equine coordinators to head FEMA pretty much what you would have done?
Oh, and then there's that evil spectre, who has returned from it's 1990-something grave to haunt us, THE LIBERAL MEDIA!?!?! Look how the liberal media, the same one that didn't jump on the "Iraq war is AWESOME" bandwagon, and didn't aid in anointing number 43 illegally into office in 2000, and tell us everything the Bush Administration did not want us to hear for the better part of the past 8 years...Because they are all part of a liberal conspiracy to take away our fucking guns, abort babies and force us all to drive tiny, death-trap cars right into a Socialist Amerika Republic of Giant Vaginas who hate freedom almost as much as they hate themselves! Or whatever it is you fine folks on the right are told to believe by Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, or maybe Anne Coulter these days. I hate to continue my nasty, divisive diatribe here but when I see shit like this it just makes my stomach turn. Behold:
Keep drinking the Obama Kool-Aid!! There will be more problems in the US since we will now be run by special interest groups, european country's and Islam.
That's some sound logic right there...I suppose the Oil, Gun, Pharmaceutical, Tobacco, Natural Gas Lobbies (to name just a few) have been totally power less the last 8 years? European Country's? Not sure what you mean there nor what possessive you intended, and I assume the Islam crack is attached to the unbelievable stupidity of everyone who was at a Sarah Palin rally last year? I mean, seriously, you are still buying that "secret Muslim" crap?
I have been encountering a lot of veiled racism like this...White people seem to think that having a black president isn't that big of a deal and say a lot of shit such as pointing out that this isn't a "historic" day because we've had 43 other Presidents and apparently they all had low-key, low cost inaugurations that no one bothered to pay any attention to until today. Most black people I have talked to are still blown away that a black person (of any percentage, whites who talk like this also like pointing out he isn't "black enough") is the President. Can you not even "try on" some one else's shoes a minute? Why do you feel slighted by this being special? Why is it whenever black folks do something they have never done you all got sit there and bitch about it? That simply implies to me that you think only white people deserve to be special? And the Media slobbers on everything they touch always and forever why do you folks keep insisting that they (the media) somehow made all this happen?! Look at the crowd shots from today? Did the media make those millions and millions come out and stand in the cold like that? Did the media make those millions and millions who voted for Obama? If that's true then did they also make the last two elections go the other way? To do what, exactly? Make things appear balanced temporarily?
Yeah! And I am sure you have felt that way about inaugurations forever! Or is this simply more because you voted for the other guy and don't think black people deserve shit...Despite the one being inaugurated clearly worked a little to get this gig...But that's neither here nor there and frankly so is this comment.
Yes, he will make America less safe (if that is even possible after what has just happened these last 7 years!?!) just because and no Republicans would ever, ever give out an economic bailout! The couple already given out in the last several months were really secret Muslim, liberal, socialist using their magic liberal powers to manipulate a misunderstood President Bush to give out those bailouts...or something. And now one of my favorite claims I have heard more than once today...
Listened to the whole speech. He said NOTHING. Don't tell me it was the best speech ever. He literally said NOTHING, just like he did NOTHING for IL and will continue to do NOTHING for our country. Sad 4 years of liberalism to come ...
Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Stupid cynics don't fail anything...THEY KNOW! Look how great everything is?!?! (keep looking!) Now, and only now, everything is falling to shit and we are gonna be forced to become Socialist European Union member, The Liberal States of the Amerikan Republik" or something. Surely, B. Hussein's speech will look even more like NOTING when you see the in-depth, awesome-ness that we had in 2001:
Our national courage has been clear in times of depression and war, when defending common dangers defined our common good. Now we must choose if the example of our fathers and mothers will inspire us or condemn us. We must show courage in a time of blessing by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations.
Allow me to repeat a line in bold because the Liberal Media made me:
We must show courage in a time of blessing by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations.
AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAA!!!!
Oh and think about Katrina while you read:
Where there is suffering, there is duty. Americans in need are not strangers, they are citizens, not problems, but priorities. And all of us are diminished when any are hopeless.
Here's a nice one from Bush's second inaugural address:
All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.
Yeah? We will not ignore your oppression we will stop it by oppressing you! IF you have oil in your country that is. We haven't done a whole lot of oppression to those rascally North Koreans nor have we done diddly fucking dick about that something-something happening in Darfur...Probably because they were created by the liberal media or something, right?
Whatever, I don't even know why I am going on about this or pretending to be surprised at all. I think a lot of it has to do with my worry that we, collectively as a species, country, society, will never be able to pull ourselves out of the hole we are in due to so very many of us completely deluded by political horseshit. This is particularly painful when I read anything about global warming or climate change...Nothing can or is being done about these issues because there is still a significant amount of stupid motherfuckers out there going on and on about Al Gore and "junk science" and just plum, old fashioned, "I don't believe it." Now, I don't buy the extremes either (i.e. Gonna run out of gas in 20 years!, We don't do anything by 2012 we're fucked! kind of thinking) but to sit here and say that none of it's true and the whole environmental movement is another way to "trick" you into becoming a Socialist controlled by "big Government" is so depressing that I barely have words for it.
I don't want to save the world anymore than you do as we all know it's the human environment that is endangered...Not the "world" it shall go on with or with out us no matter what...But why trash the place? Don't you want your kids to have what you had? Let me show you some examples (check the comments) of what kills me every time I read them:
Global warming is a farce that is discounted by 50% of scientists. But when they speak out they are ostracized and attacked by the far left wing nuts. Let Al "THE BORE" Gore spend a few winters up here. I ever run into him, I'm going to stick his global warming tongue to a flag pole.
Face it. The "global warming" nut cases will never admit they are wrong, even if the entire Northern Hemisphere were covered by 35 feet of ice. Then they'll just say it's caused by "global warming" in the Sahara desert or some such gobbledygook. There have always been doom predicters like the charlatans who claim to be able to foretell earthquakes, famine, floods etc. 50 years ahead...but can't accurately predict a non-blizzard 3 hours in advance. Weather historically is cyclical so now it's much easier to say there will be "climate change." Oh yeah? What a revelation. Stop the presses! Scratch the surface of these phonies and you'll likely find that, like Al Gore, they're getting richer because of their panic attacks.
Global warming is a hoax. It's always been a hoax. It's a far left mantra that carries big political stakes and money to those who wish to take advantage. 100 years from now they'll laugh at these babbling fools and discover the earth climate has actually dropped a degree in overall temperature. The earth has been here over 4 billion years, our industrial age lasted less than 200 years and we're supposed to beleive man is destroying a planet that withstood, floods, meteors, earthquakes and fires? Jump in your Prius' and put your headphones on, we don't want to your stupid rants...
You see? It's all a liberal conspiracy to make people buy things they don't want from Al Gore! So, why bother seeking new and cleaner energy resources? Why bother trying to preserve biodiversity and attempt to restrict the deforestation of all the rain forests! Fuck it! They are ours to exploit after all God made them for us?!?! It's the same, tiny thinking I see in the above comments that fuels the same tiny thinking in the anti-Obama crowd and really, in general terms, it's the same crowd.
Is it everybody? No, of course not. And it is a little silly of me to sit here today and be sad that there happen to be a handful of crazy morons posting on the Internet and that somehow we are ALL doomed because of it. There will always be opposition to any position and if I really believed in 'democracy' I would want a certain amount of dissent and disagreement. And really I do! We need crazy conservatives to be in government just as much as wack-a-loon liberals and everything in between as that is the "American Way." I just wish the "debate" would be more substantive than the hate fueled stupidity I posted examples of above, which represents the bulk of what I encounter both off and online. To let 20th century thinking (racism in particular) to hold our country back...To let a dated hatred of Al Gore interfere with your entire scientific outlook and obstruct and drag back any efforts to perhaps clean up our act a little.
I drag out the Al Gore stuff largely due to the notion that I happen to buy some of this global warming stuff. How can it be that our environment wouldn't be affected by our over-population? Deforestation? And energy waste? Why am I so special to understand that GLOBAL (as in the whole planet) getting a warmer climate (by a degree or 2) doesn't necessarily mean winter will magically just go away? No argument, no facts are sent my way just baseless name calling; Fool-Aid Drinker, Gullible Warming, etc. And ya'all just go and drive off in your SUVs as retard as retard can be...I suppose. Some day I may delve deeper into this topic on here as I have been spending A LOT OF TIME thinking about energy, climate change and understanding why adapting to a "Green Economy" could be the best solution to our ills that we could possibly ever come up with but I think I have already blogged another book here as it is.
Anyhow, final thought to THIS post is simply a plea to get on board a little better my "conservative friends," would ya? I know, I know you didn't vote for him, you don't support him, blah blah blah...You will survive, after all I just survived the worst President in American history, and say, most of you survived Bill Clinton and most of ya'all still got your damn guns! So it probably can't get much worse than it has, can it? So, instead of bitching about black people deserving or not deserving this or that, or arguing with pure insult and making empty claims about Obama's empty claims...Start suggesting what we, they, he, you, I SHOULD be doing. Give us a plan, man! McCain didn't have one perhaps it's your turn to shine! So, quit yer bitching and start contributing. Turn off your Rush Limbaugh and Fox News and turn on your brain! Lord knows, I have turned off my Keith Olberman and Rachael Maddows and I never listen to NPR or Air America (or any radio at all). But hey, I am probably completely full of shit too...So, why bother?
Not the end of the world as today is merely a ceremony and now it is officially and finally time for that whole, "proof in the pudding" thing to happen. Hopefully, we will start seeing some of that tomorrow because he does not have one second to spare. I am happy as shit Obama won and he's *insert milestone here* but I am eager to get the show on the road and see what's what. Critics on the right have already decided that "we" think, "every thang gonna be a'ight" just like that *snaps fingers* and that we are also (as always) sheeple who are drinking this kool-aid (or "fool-aid" in some cases) so we had better watch out. For what? I have no idea. It is just STUNNING to hear and see this kind of horseshit after witnessing the last 8 years. Didja drink that kool-aid in 2003? Still waiting for the WMD to surface, are ya? Think throwing the 4th Amendment out the window is A-Ok, you know, "to protect your safety?" Big fan of torturing people then saying we don't? Illegal, pre-emptive war all good with you? Appointing Equine coordinators to head FEMA pretty much what you would have done?
Oh, and then there's that evil spectre, who has returned from it's 1990-something grave to haunt us, THE LIBERAL MEDIA!?!?! Look how the liberal media, the same one that didn't jump on the "Iraq war is AWESOME" bandwagon, and didn't aid in anointing number 43 illegally into office in 2000, and tell us everything the Bush Administration did not want us to hear for the better part of the past 8 years...Because they are all part of a liberal conspiracy to take away our fucking guns, abort babies and force us all to drive tiny, death-trap cars right into a Socialist Amerika Republic of Giant Vaginas who hate freedom almost as much as they hate themselves! Or whatever it is you fine folks on the right are told to believe by Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, or maybe Anne Coulter these days. I hate to continue my nasty, divisive diatribe here but when I see shit like this it just makes my stomach turn. Behold:
Keep drinking the Obama Kool-Aid!! There will be more problems in the US since we will now be run by special interest groups, european country's and Islam.
Submitted by Christyne 12:56 PM CST, Jan 20, 2009
That's some sound logic right there...I suppose the Oil, Gun, Pharmaceutical, Tobacco, Natural Gas Lobbies (to name just a few) have been totally power less the last 8 years? European Country's? Not sure what you mean there nor what possessive you intended, and I assume the Islam crack is attached to the unbelievable stupidity of everyone who was at a Sarah Palin rally last year? I mean, seriously, you are still buying that "secret Muslim" crap?
It means we don't have to watch you media people slobber all over yourselves about this "Historic" day. So much for equality. This day illustrates how we are not.
Submitted by Donald 9:38 AM CST, Jan 20, 2009
It means tons of taxpayer's money is being wasted on an event, while fellow Americans are hungry, homeless, destitute, and dying.
Submitted by Mary 9:19 AM CST, Jan 20, 2009
Where are we now?? How about fearful of a neophyte president who will make America less safe, and who will reach into my pocket to bail out those that cannot control themselves.
Submitted by mike 9:18 AM CST, Jan 20, 2009
Hitler was a charasmatic speaker, too. Be careful of great speakers - and their actions.
Submitted by Deja vu? 1:03 PM CST, Jan 20, 200
Listened to the whole speech. He said NOTHING. Don't tell me it was the best speech ever. He literally said NOTHING, just like he did NOTHING for IL and will continue to do NOTHING for our country. Sad 4 years of liberalism to come ...
Submitted by is he done yet? 12:57 PM CST, Jan 20, 2009
Yes, he said NOTHING...In fact, he just stood up their and mur-murred incoherently while those of us all hopped up on liberal kool-aid heard what we wanted to here...I, for one, have been doctrinated by the liberal media to hear:Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
That is NOTHING. Wishful thinking, which is nothing, language and words (also nothing), and an idea that I think is good (means NOTHING). Then he goes on later with this stupid, empty crap:What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Stupid cynics don't fail anything...THEY KNOW! Look how great everything is?!?! (keep looking!) Now, and only now, everything is falling to shit and we are gonna be forced to become Socialist European Union member, The Liberal States of the Amerikan Republik" or something. Surely, B. Hussein's speech will look even more like NOTING when you see the in-depth, awesome-ness that we had in 2001:
Our national courage has been clear in times of depression and war, when defending common dangers defined our common good. Now we must choose if the example of our fathers and mothers will inspire us or condemn us. We must show courage in a time of blessing by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations.
Allow me to repeat a line in bold because the Liberal Media made me:
We must show courage in a time of blessing by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations.
AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAA!!!!
Oh and think about Katrina while you read:
Where there is suffering, there is duty. Americans in need are not strangers, they are citizens, not problems, but priorities. And all of us are diminished when any are hopeless.
Here's a nice one from Bush's second inaugural address:
All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.
Yeah? We will not ignore your oppression we will stop it by oppressing you! IF you have oil in your country that is. We haven't done a whole lot of oppression to those rascally North Koreans nor have we done diddly fucking dick about that something-something happening in Darfur...Probably because they were created by the liberal media or something, right?
Whatever, I don't even know why I am going on about this or pretending to be surprised at all. I think a lot of it has to do with my worry that we, collectively as a species, country, society, will never be able to pull ourselves out of the hole we are in due to so very many of us completely deluded by political horseshit. This is particularly painful when I read anything about global warming or climate change...Nothing can or is being done about these issues because there is still a significant amount of stupid motherfuckers out there going on and on about Al Gore and "junk science" and just plum, old fashioned, "I don't believe it." Now, I don't buy the extremes either (i.e. Gonna run out of gas in 20 years!, We don't do anything by 2012 we're fucked! kind of thinking) but to sit here and say that none of it's true and the whole environmental movement is another way to "trick" you into becoming a Socialist controlled by "big Government" is so depressing that I barely have words for it.
I don't want to save the world anymore than you do as we all know it's the human environment that is endangered...Not the "world" it shall go on with or with out us no matter what...But why trash the place? Don't you want your kids to have what you had? Let me show you some examples (check the comments) of what kills me every time I read them:
Global warming is a farce that is discounted by 50% of scientists. But when they speak out they are ostracized and attacked by the far left wing nuts. Let Al "THE BORE" Gore spend a few winters up here. I ever run into him, I'm going to stick his global warming tongue to a flag pole.
Face it. The "global warming" nut cases will never admit they are wrong, even if the entire Northern Hemisphere were covered by 35 feet of ice. Then they'll just say it's caused by "global warming" in the Sahara desert or some such gobbledygook. There have always been doom predicters like the charlatans who claim to be able to foretell earthquakes, famine, floods etc. 50 years ahead...but can't accurately predict a non-blizzard 3 hours in advance. Weather historically is cyclical so now it's much easier to say there will be "climate change." Oh yeah? What a revelation. Stop the presses! Scratch the surface of these phonies and you'll likely find that, like Al Gore, they're getting richer because of their panic attacks.
Global warming is a hoax. It's always been a hoax. It's a far left mantra that carries big political stakes and money to those who wish to take advantage. 100 years from now they'll laugh at these babbling fools and discover the earth climate has actually dropped a degree in overall temperature. The earth has been here over 4 billion years, our industrial age lasted less than 200 years and we're supposed to beleive man is destroying a planet that withstood, floods, meteors, earthquakes and fires? Jump in your Prius' and put your headphones on, we don't want to your stupid rants...
You see? It's all a liberal conspiracy to make people buy things they don't want from Al Gore! So, why bother seeking new and cleaner energy resources? Why bother trying to preserve biodiversity and attempt to restrict the deforestation of all the rain forests! Fuck it! They are ours to exploit after all God made them for us?!?! It's the same, tiny thinking I see in the above comments that fuels the same tiny thinking in the anti-Obama crowd and really, in general terms, it's the same crowd.
Is it everybody? No, of course not. And it is a little silly of me to sit here today and be sad that there happen to be a handful of crazy morons posting on the Internet and that somehow we are ALL doomed because of it. There will always be opposition to any position and if I really believed in 'democracy' I would want a certain amount of dissent and disagreement. And really I do! We need crazy conservatives to be in government just as much as wack-a-loon liberals and everything in between as that is the "American Way." I just wish the "debate" would be more substantive than the hate fueled stupidity I posted examples of above, which represents the bulk of what I encounter both off and online. To let 20th century thinking (racism in particular) to hold our country back...To let a dated hatred of Al Gore interfere with your entire scientific outlook and obstruct and drag back any efforts to perhaps clean up our act a little.
I drag out the Al Gore stuff largely due to the notion that I happen to buy some of this global warming stuff. How can it be that our environment wouldn't be affected by our over-population? Deforestation? And energy waste? Why am I so special to understand that GLOBAL (as in the whole planet) getting a warmer climate (by a degree or 2) doesn't necessarily mean winter will magically just go away? No argument, no facts are sent my way just baseless name calling; Fool-Aid Drinker, Gullible Warming, etc. And ya'all just go and drive off in your SUVs as retard as retard can be...I suppose. Some day I may delve deeper into this topic on here as I have been spending A LOT OF TIME thinking about energy, climate change and understanding why adapting to a "Green Economy" could be the best solution to our ills that we could possibly ever come up with but I think I have already blogged another book here as it is.
Anyhow, final thought to THIS post is simply a plea to get on board a little better my "conservative friends," would ya? I know, I know you didn't vote for him, you don't support him, blah blah blah...You will survive, after all I just survived the worst President in American history, and say, most of you survived Bill Clinton and most of ya'all still got your damn guns! So it probably can't get much worse than it has, can it? So, instead of bitching about black people deserving or not deserving this or that, or arguing with pure insult and making empty claims about Obama's empty claims...Start suggesting what we, they, he, you, I SHOULD be doing. Give us a plan, man! McCain didn't have one perhaps it's your turn to shine! So, quit yer bitching and start contributing. Turn off your Rush Limbaugh and Fox News and turn on your brain! Lord knows, I have turned off my Keith Olberman and Rachael Maddows and I never listen to NPR or Air America (or any radio at all). But hey, I am probably completely full of shit too...So, why bother?
Thursday, January 08, 2009
First Post of the Year or ARMAGEDDON IS COMING!!!
Happy new year!
Everything is SO different now that it is finally 2009. *pause to take it all in*
So, had a half and half holiday vacation as the entire first week was used up on weather related trauma as my freaking car was stuck in the snow from the Friday I got home from work all the way until Saturday after Jeesus B-Day. Which was fun because, in addition, it was like 5 below most of the week and I had put off groceries, laundry, Holiday stuff all until I got off of work. I live near many a store so it shouldn't have been that bad but walking around in below zero weather and trying to buy groceries in small piles, a little at a time, and trying to carry that shit over ice and tundra kind of sucked. Exhausting in fact, each day I would go out and try and move my car, dig, push, rev engine fruitlessly and it would not fucking budge. Essentially, the small snow drift I parked in got plowed up a little and then froze in such a way that the car was lifted off the ground as if it were on blocks. ON the 24th I made it my focus to get the fucker out as it had warmed up a little and I was sure I would get it out and dug and dug (with my boots, no shovel) and pushed and bitched and moaned and made zero progress and I was PISSED!!! So, that was Christmas.
The next week, once the temp. suddenly rose to the low 60's and the car was freed, I crammed the whole two week vacation into one week which was kind of nice. Spent the New years with HS friends, saw the north side friends, south side friends, went to the field museum, saw a local hockey game, got the laundry done and I bought myself a freaking treat. The treat being one of those fancy-schmancy HD flat screens with a blu-ray player. Thus I have entered the modern age of televised distraction...in HD! It's nice, my XBOX 360 now regularly causes me to shit my pants as gaming in HD is a whole new experience. LOVE IT.
So, last night I was flipping channels on my in-house movie screen and landed on the "history" channel. Have you watched anything on there recently? Remember how it used to be the WWII/Hitler channel? Now-a-days, in between the Hitler shows, they are now the ARMAGEDDON CHANNEL!!! Every single show I see on that channel whether it be about Dinosaurs or The Universe always somehow has a segment about the eventual destruction of the earth/extinction of mankind. And it's HILARIOUS! I swear the "history" channel programming meetings really must be something to behold...Those fuckers are absolutely obsessed with the end of the world. And you know what? The end is imminent! How do I know? Because it is motherfucking Armageddon week on the "history" channel!?!? Not only is the end imminent it has a precise date (this apparently according to the Mayan Calendar, the I Ching, Merlin, The Hopi Indians, Mother Sheppard, Nostradamus, and this Internet program called the "web.bots") so get your shit together people because we are ALL GOING TO DIE ON DECEMBER 21, 2012!?!?!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
*runs back and forth in front of computer, flailing arms and screaming for 20 minutes*
Don't believe it? Well, there's even a Roland Emmerich movie coming out this year about it! It HAS to be true and I don't need to think about it at all or apply an sense of logic because it has happened before?!?! Remember the dinosaurs? They were fucking WIPED OUT by Armageddons! when someone tells me what the Mayan Calendar says then I just take it at face value because it's REAL! Forget the notion that it, and basically every "prophet" in "history" who have made "predictions" always seem to be incredibly vague and then later shown to be correct in hindsight...You know, just like your daily horoscope can seem like it is relevant because really you can interpret whatever the fuck it, they, psychic hot line says to mean whatever the fuck you want it to mean and so on.
What this stuff really has sparked in my curiosity is that I feel this "prediction" stuff is part of one of our most unique traits as a species and that is our incredible ability to tell stories. In fact, and I have not fully thought all of this through yet, from one point of view it is almost all we, as a collective species, are good at (outside of over populating (fucking) and excessively wasting resources (piling up garbage) while we scourge the planet like an infestation, but that's a different post) is telling stories. We have so many ways we do this as our brains are wired to relate to tales, be it religious metaphor, anecdotes, and especially entertainment. We just love our shadows on the wall! Think about it; almost every art form be it music, painting, theater or film/TV all of it exist to convey information, to understand, to tell a narrative, convey a feeling, in essence to communicate thoughts to another via paper, oral tradition or visually and this prophetic shit is no different.
This kind of story is one of the rock solid tenets of story telling and helps explain how some of this stuff sort of maintains itself over time. This is the stuff Star Wars was made of as Lucas was all ga-ga over Joseph Campbell and his various thesis revolving around myth. The conventions of story telling demonstrated in Star Wars are common in almost any kind of narrative tale in existence and go all the way back to, at least, Greek times (Aristotle's "Poetics") and before that in Egyptian hieroglyphics and cave paintings of early man. All exist to communicate their 'story' and show others what is important to them, or their god in some cases. And it is all so very important and we, as a species-culture, value this stuff beyond almost everything else.
Which is why, I think, we are so damn good at advancing technology that involves TVs, film, computer animation and so on. In fact, I am starting to wonder if there is anything else we can do as well as entertainment technology. We need the stories, we like to believe the stories...The stories are about US! It's art, media, philosophy, theology, communications, understanding, learning, relating...All from story. It's kind of fascinating to me because 90% of all it also happens to be mostly bullshit. In a harsh, inhumane point of view, we collectively bullshit ourselves and each other so much that it is no wonder things are as they are and it is so fucking hard to come to consensus with anyone who doesn't invest in the same stories as you do. It's mind blowing when you really apply thought to all of what I am trying to say here.
At any rate, surely the end is coming (just like it was in 2000) so go ahead and finance that major purchase or sleep with that one person you always wanted to sleep with because the sands are running out the hour glass people. It's no wonder that climate change, middle east conflict, failing economy, tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes are all happening these days (because, you know, that kind of shit never happened before this century;-) because we are gearing up for the end. The Christians are pretty stoked about it so everyone, who deserves to depending on which metaphorical narrative you believe in, are going to heaven and everything (for them) is going to be AWESOME! Which is why I believe the "History" channel is also obsessed with Armageddon. So, fuck the "environment" and the "future" it's all bunk and phooey anyway...Get yourself a Dodge Durango (hurry up they might go bankrupt this year!) that gets 1 mile to the gallon and start throwing Styrofoam and six-pack holders into all the streams and rivers...WE ARE (some of us) GOING TO HEAVEN FOR CHRISTMAS IN 2012!!!
WHOOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOO!!!!!
*rides nuke from bottom of a bomber*
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS WE GONNA DONE BLOW.
THIS.
SHIT.
UP!!!
Everything is SO different now that it is finally 2009. *pause to take it all in*
So, had a half and half holiday vacation as the entire first week was used up on weather related trauma as my freaking car was stuck in the snow from the Friday I got home from work all the way until Saturday after Jeesus B-Day. Which was fun because, in addition, it was like 5 below most of the week and I had put off groceries, laundry, Holiday stuff all until I got off of work. I live near many a store so it shouldn't have been that bad but walking around in below zero weather and trying to buy groceries in small piles, a little at a time, and trying to carry that shit over ice and tundra kind of sucked. Exhausting in fact, each day I would go out and try and move my car, dig, push, rev engine fruitlessly and it would not fucking budge. Essentially, the small snow drift I parked in got plowed up a little and then froze in such a way that the car was lifted off the ground as if it were on blocks. ON the 24th I made it my focus to get the fucker out as it had warmed up a little and I was sure I would get it out and dug and dug (with my boots, no shovel) and pushed and bitched and moaned and made zero progress and I was PISSED!!! So, that was Christmas.
The next week, once the temp. suddenly rose to the low 60's and the car was freed, I crammed the whole two week vacation into one week which was kind of nice. Spent the New years with HS friends, saw the north side friends, south side friends, went to the field museum, saw a local hockey game, got the laundry done and I bought myself a freaking treat. The treat being one of those fancy-schmancy HD flat screens with a blu-ray player. Thus I have entered the modern age of televised distraction...in HD! It's nice, my XBOX 360 now regularly causes me to shit my pants as gaming in HD is a whole new experience. LOVE IT.
So, last night I was flipping channels on my in-house movie screen and landed on the "history" channel. Have you watched anything on there recently? Remember how it used to be the WWII/Hitler channel? Now-a-days, in between the Hitler shows, they are now the ARMAGEDDON CHANNEL!!! Every single show I see on that channel whether it be about Dinosaurs or The Universe always somehow has a segment about the eventual destruction of the earth/extinction of mankind. And it's HILARIOUS! I swear the "history" channel programming meetings really must be something to behold...Those fuckers are absolutely obsessed with the end of the world. And you know what? The end is imminent! How do I know? Because it is motherfucking Armageddon week on the "history" channel!?!? Not only is the end imminent it has a precise date (this apparently according to the Mayan Calendar, the I Ching, Merlin, The Hopi Indians, Mother Sheppard, Nostradamus, and this Internet program called the "web.bots") so get your shit together people because we are ALL GOING TO DIE ON DECEMBER 21, 2012!?!?!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
*runs back and forth in front of computer, flailing arms and screaming for 20 minutes*
Don't believe it? Well, there's even a Roland Emmerich movie coming out this year about it! It HAS to be true and I don't need to think about it at all or apply an sense of logic because it has happened before?!?! Remember the dinosaurs? They were fucking WIPED OUT by Armageddons! when someone tells me what the Mayan Calendar says then I just take it at face value because it's REAL! Forget the notion that it, and basically every "prophet" in "history" who have made "predictions" always seem to be incredibly vague and then later shown to be correct in hindsight...You know, just like your daily horoscope can seem like it is relevant because really you can interpret whatever the fuck it, they, psychic hot line says to mean whatever the fuck you want it to mean and so on.
What this stuff really has sparked in my curiosity is that I feel this "prediction" stuff is part of one of our most unique traits as a species and that is our incredible ability to tell stories. In fact, and I have not fully thought all of this through yet, from one point of view it is almost all we, as a collective species, are good at (outside of over populating (fucking) and excessively wasting resources (piling up garbage) while we scourge the planet like an infestation, but that's a different post) is telling stories. We have so many ways we do this as our brains are wired to relate to tales, be it religious metaphor, anecdotes, and especially entertainment. We just love our shadows on the wall! Think about it; almost every art form be it music, painting, theater or film/TV all of it exist to convey information, to understand, to tell a narrative, convey a feeling, in essence to communicate thoughts to another via paper, oral tradition or visually and this prophetic shit is no different.
This kind of story is one of the rock solid tenets of story telling and helps explain how some of this stuff sort of maintains itself over time. This is the stuff Star Wars was made of as Lucas was all ga-ga over Joseph Campbell and his various thesis revolving around myth. The conventions of story telling demonstrated in Star Wars are common in almost any kind of narrative tale in existence and go all the way back to, at least, Greek times (Aristotle's "Poetics") and before that in Egyptian hieroglyphics and cave paintings of early man. All exist to communicate their 'story' and show others what is important to them, or their god in some cases. And it is all so very important and we, as a species-culture, value this stuff beyond almost everything else.
Which is why, I think, we are so damn good at advancing technology that involves TVs, film, computer animation and so on. In fact, I am starting to wonder if there is anything else we can do as well as entertainment technology. We need the stories, we like to believe the stories...The stories are about US! It's art, media, philosophy, theology, communications, understanding, learning, relating...All from story. It's kind of fascinating to me because 90% of all it also happens to be mostly bullshit. In a harsh, inhumane point of view, we collectively bullshit ourselves and each other so much that it is no wonder things are as they are and it is so fucking hard to come to consensus with anyone who doesn't invest in the same stories as you do. It's mind blowing when you really apply thought to all of what I am trying to say here.
At any rate, surely the end is coming (just like it was in 2000) so go ahead and finance that major purchase or sleep with that one person you always wanted to sleep with because the sands are running out the hour glass people. It's no wonder that climate change, middle east conflict, failing economy, tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes are all happening these days (because, you know, that kind of shit never happened before this century;-) because we are gearing up for the end. The Christians are pretty stoked about it so everyone, who deserves to depending on which metaphorical narrative you believe in, are going to heaven and everything (for them) is going to be AWESOME! Which is why I believe the "History" channel is also obsessed with Armageddon. So, fuck the "environment" and the "future" it's all bunk and phooey anyway...Get yourself a Dodge Durango (hurry up they might go bankrupt this year!) that gets 1 mile to the gallon and start throwing Styrofoam and six-pack holders into all the streams and rivers...WE ARE (some of us) GOING TO HEAVEN FOR CHRISTMAS IN 2012!!!
WHOOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOO!!!!!
*rides nuke from bottom of a bomber*
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS WE GONNA DONE BLOW.
THIS.
SHIT.
UP!!!
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