The Madness of the Masses

So it's been a while since I've "deuced", partially been busy with work and all, but mainly because there is so much idiocy out here in the big world, It's been hard to narrow down to anything...

That is until now.

I'm going to delve into this, but I do it somewhat reluctantly:

The National Health care Issue

So President Obama has gotten it voted into law. This isn't good because the entire conservative side of our government voted against it. Anything so polarizing is not yet ready to be put out there. Our government is screwed right now. They have strayed so far from "representing the people" and kowtowing to the special interest groups or the big corporations that the people seemingly are not considered in the equation anymore. Mind you, this is just my view and I could be wrong.

People are very emotional on this issue on both sides. So much so, that I stopped talking about it altogether, even with those I tend to politically side with. The emotions people are displaying and things they are saying have gone beyond the issue and gone to personal attacks. No matter what side people are on, when the discussions arise, all parties involved go on the defensive. Not a good sign. To make matters worse, now people are vandalizing offices of government officials and issuing death threats. This is not only wrong, it is illegal.

The irony of the people threatening violence is that most of these people are the same sorts that hate on Muslims because "they are terrorists" and zealots. These people need to take a good look in the mirror, it's they who are the zealots and terrorists. Yes, be mad if you like, but there is NO excuse for threatening someones life or family over this issue.

Bottom line on this issue, or any issue at this point is we need to get back to basics. Remember that we are ALL in this together and rather than berate and harm each other, we need to try to work together for a solution. No matter how hard that may be. Right now the Democrats and the Republicans are incapable and hence why I side with neither party anymore.

To the American people I say this:

WAKE UP! STOP ATTACKING EACH OTHER AND DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE TO EFFECT CHANGE INSTEAD OF GENERATING HATE!

There I said it and I'm done talking about this issue until some sign of rationale starts to emerge in this process.

Now onto to the blatantly moronic

So we all know crime is bad and a very stupid thing to do. So a couple goes out to a concert, comes home to a burglarized home. They had a surveillance video and then notice that one of the robbers looks like someone who friended them on Facebook months ago. Now I know this is the epitome of idiocy and yes, the couple shouldn't have broadcast internationally "HEY! We are going to be at a concert for several hours!" I would even fathom that they had their address info on their profile. Not good. The lesson here is that in the technology age, is that person on the other end of your broadband connection truly your friend? Facebook, MySpace, and Foursquare should be treated with the same prudence and caution as you would a stranger on the street. People need to be smart. That and not feel the need to tell the public every time they go to the restroom via status message on social networking sites. Burglars, stupid. People who publish their detailed personal info and every move to the web, BLOODY CRAZY!

On that note, be smart, be safe, and above all else, be human and civil.

Be careful you don't fall off that high horse.

Morning all. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but that little thing called work got in the way. At any rate, I have a fresh batch of "what were they thinking?" for you. Let's begin, shall we?

Spike Lee Vs. Tyler Perry - So Spike Lee is on a tirade about Tyler Perry and the whole Medea franchise (Thanks Phil DeFranco for bringing this one to my attention). Spike Lee feels that Tyler Perry's characters are degrading to black people and playing on stereotypes of black life. Excuse me Spike, but wasn't your first movie a stereotyping of black men and black women and how they deal with relationships? All your early films dealt with stereotypes (She's Gotta Have It, School Daze, Do the Right Thing, And Jungle Fever). The main difference I see between you and Tyler is Tyler is a lot funnier and his movies are based out of a seeming deep seated anger towards certain sectors and a hatred of the white establishment. Are you mad because Tyler can get Maya Angelou and Cecily Tyson in his movies? Be fair, you had Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, and Bill Nunn (Radio Raheem is still one of my favorites).

To Mr. Lee I say buy a bean pie, sit yo ass down, and shut up. Spike Lee is a racist and no one takes him that seriously anymore. Tyler is the go to man in black Hollywood and he has done it the hard way by coming up on the Chitterlings Circuit. This man lived in his car and was homeless. He scraped his way to where he is and didn't have mommy and a daddy (by the way Spike, you still not talking to your dad because he married a white woman?). Tyler Perry is still a very humble man and shares his good fortune with others. Creating jobs in the industry with his studios in Atlanta and moreover, making us all laugh again. Spike Lee seems to strive to keep the racism wall firmly in place whereas Tyler Perry is diffusing it by playing on those stereotypes, which are not all bad stereotypes by the way. The only way people will overcome racism is by learning to laugh at it and themselves. I have never seen people come out of a Spike Lee movie laughing. I hope Tyler keeps on giving us laughter, we need to start doing it more often than hating.

The Hatred of the Hate Crimes Legislation - Now we all know there is a need for legislation to keep people from harming and/or killing people due to color, race, creed, or sexual orientation. This was the main reason I jumped for joy they were getting stricter with it. That was until I had a little think and looked deeper. This bill still needs to be reworked and now more than ever.

In an attempt to curtail the activities of Fred Phelps and his church, one of the proposed changes to the bill is that any crime that can be traced back in anyway to a member of the clergy will result in the prosecution of said clergy member as an accomplice to said hate crime. At first I cheered because it finally meant Fred Phelps and his band of fools were going to be taken down a notch. Then I had that "HOLY CRAP!" moment. Work with me here. A young man goes to his Parish Priest and asks what the churches stand is on same gender unions. Any good Catholic knows the church is against same sex unions, but would never condone harming someone because of that. Now let's say this young man is a few sandwiches short of a picnic and decides to gun down people at a Gay Pride Parade. He is arrested and tells the police his priest told him the church was against homosexuality and unions there in so I acted on my priests urging. That's right, a priest could go on trial for murder in this scenario unless the bill is very clear what constitutes clergy culpability. For now I am waiting to see what the full verbiage is and have pulled my support back... For now.

Amanda Knox, come home - I have been following the case of American Citizen Amanda Knox. For those who do not know, she is the young Seattle woman on trial for the brutal murder of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher. Don't get me wrong, the killers of Meredith Kercher need to be brought to justice, I just don't believe it is Miss Knox or her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. The police, buoyed by the international attention this case was getting really did a hack job on evidence collection in this case and have not only hurt the families of the accused, but the family of the victim. The defense has fought hard and seemingly has proven several pieces of key evidence supporting the theory that Miss Knox was the killer, are flawed, contaminated, mishandled, and fabricated in some instances. The trial is just about over and I am praying this poor young woman comes home soon, she has been trapped in an Italian prison for coming up on two years. You have supporters Amanda.

The New York Yankees win the World Series yet again - All I can say is insert your favorite string of profanities here. They may have won, but they still suck.

Now for something to make you think...

"Sesame Street's" been swept, but the magic remains - You would be hard pressed to find anyone that hasn't grown up on Sesame Street. I will admit, I am not a fan of what it has become, but my little ones love their Elmo and they still get good out of it so it does still do it's job. The story us OG Sesame Street watchers need to read is by Katie McLaughlin ("Sesame Street's" been swept, but the magic remains). I know how the writer feels about the "cleansing" of my childhood mecca. What do you think? Let me know please.

OK, away I go until someone else gets me going. Remember to bundle up, take care of yourself, flu is out there and winter is coming.

Cheers, be indignant and be well.

Better understanding through questioning...

"Questions are a burden to others. Answers are a prison for oneself."

- From a sign in the Employment Exchange in the series The Prisoner

That statement isn't completely true. Questions can help us understand the views of others and even save us from screwing ourselves.

Today isn't a rant day, it's more of a "Hmmmm..." day. Over the last few days there have been some stories that hit the news that either could have been avoided by some simple questions or understood by simple questions.

President signs Hate Crimes bill into law -

Last night I was asked why the penalties for a murder committed due to a hate crime should carry a double sentencing term than a simple murder. Now I could have replied with a "You are kidding, right?", but I had to consider the person asking. This person has never been discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or race. To get down to it, you have to differentiate the two basic forms of murder. There is hot blooded and cold blooded. Hot blooded murder would be two guys having a spur of the moment argument, a gun is pulled, and someone is shot. There is no prior planning. Cold blooded murder is a planned murder. Just think about the guy in England some years back who was so meticulous about planning his wife's murder, he put everything on his PDA (Note to readers: OCD is not a good thing when planning a crime).

I explained the differences and gave the following example.

"If someone spray paints "Nigger move out!" on my apartment door, I call the police and they say "Sorry, we can take a report and call us if it happens again.", I do not feel safe and what is to say the next time it isn't spray paint, but bullets at my door? Hate crimes, even those of a hot blooded nature, are always cold blooded. Even in the hot blooded ones, they are based on a cold blooded view of the person being attacked. If stricter punishment for hate crimes keeps people from committing them altogether, I support the bill. This helps my kids to get closer to a world where they can live and be without anyone hurting them for their race or belief.

Always get your facts right -

This week saw Rush Limbaugh rush to air with a story on President Obama's College Thesis. Rush took it to broadcast only to find the whole thing was a hoax by a blogger. Now is Rush to blame for this? Not at all. Whatever idiot on his fact checking staff who brought this forward is and hopefully Rush fired the person. In the media, you are either first or last, there is no second, third, or fourth place. He who gets the carrot first, gets the reward. Rush knows this and Rush has people on his staff that are supposed to handle this stuff for him. I've heard people say Rush needs to apologize for the whole thing. I say "not so." Rush did his part based on what he was given as fact. Could he have said "Did we check this out?" Sure, but if you hire people for that purpose, you shouldn't need to ask. On this one, and I am almost choking saying it, Rush Limbaugh was the victim on this one.

Enough on the question stories, now to the twits of the week.

Chiefs RB, Larry Johnson Suspended Indefinitely -

Kansas City Chiefs running back, Larry Johnson has now been suspended indefinitely for using gay slurs a second time in the media. You gotta love people who don't learn the first time round. Larry made a pathetic apology yesterday, but the NFL said "sorry Charlie". Now in his defense, he is paid to wage war on the playing field, not be a PR savvy sort of guy. That said, he is expected to learn from his mistakes and since he can't manage that, I applaud the NFL's stance on this issue with him.

Palin's High Risk, High Reward Strategy -

I find myself defending people I don't care for politically, but fair is fair. First it was Rush Limbaugh and now it's Sarah Palin. The politically villified Palin is now under fire from her own party (Palin's High Risk, High Reward Strategy). The GOP is pissed that rather than support their golden child in the NY election, she picked the third party conservative. I say "BRAVA!" Palin was villified during the primaries because of her beliefs, but also because she was not prepared for the spotlight. The GOP bought her flashy clothes, but didn't get her ready to deal with the issues. When it all went under, suddenly stories leaked about the cost of her wardrobe and the GOP pretty much left her hanging out to dry. The point being that the GOP has a lot of nerve to be shocked and upset at Palin's endorsement choice. They left her compromised and didn't even try to offer her any support. Tit for tat I say and she owes the GOP nothing except maybe a solo fingered salute for their stellar support of her.

Now there is one story this week that is disturbing to me as a parent.

Friend of gang rape victim blasts school officials over safety -

Now this story has to be the most disturbing story I have followed for quite sometime. I applaud this young lady for being brave and standing up for herself and other students at this school. I think the administrators at this school need to be severely reprimanded, if not fired, if her claims are true. Caution: This story may seriously make you angry or feel sick even.

And to leave you on a good note...

Phillies Stun Yankees 6-1 in World Series Opener -

I don't think this needs any elaboration. :-)

To take a line from Garrison Keillor...

Be well, do good work, and stay in touch.

Videodrome - Take 1

Sorry I haven't updated the last couple of days, I was sick, then the roommate was sick. Pretty much I am living in flu purgatory. So today I have videos that will make you laugh and make you go "Gee, they need to be cleansed from the gene pool.

This one is for anyone who has tried to teach, talk to, warn, someone about something and they don't listen:

This poor little man just wanted to keep his party going:

And this guy should have stopped his party:

Ah, blissful, playful youth:

And you thought the cat got ticked when you ran out of Meow Mix?:

This is just hilarious:

This one is for the moms out there. Just when you thought the baby was asleep:

Even though this may be doctored, it's still hilarious:

So enough buffoonery, now for the leave you with something to think about

and something good. First something to think about.

So as you may know, I am a big supporter of cancer research. I lost my mother,

grandfather, and two aunts to this killer. Everybody out there wants to help,

but the commentary by Dr. Otis Brawley is a must read. Now don't get me wrong,

I love Suzanne Somers and applaud her for her victory over cancer, but taking

treatment advice from her is like taking your car to the milkman for engine work.

Be knowledgable and if you like Suzanne's advice, make sure you get the

advice of a professional as well.

Now for something to make you feel good.

NPR is very good about finding little nuggets of good in everyday mundane life.

The interview of Willie Jefferson, Custodian at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School in Atlanta, Georgia

is moving because of this humble man, but especially moving as his interviewer

is Chloe Smith, Age 13 and student at Our Lady of the Assumption. It is very easy

for kids in a private Catholic school to become snobby or even aloof when it

comes to those people high society often takes for granted. Willie and Chloe's

relationship of mutual respect is a testament to our next generation of kids coming

up in our schools.

I'm done and off my soapbox for now. Go out and enjoy the weekend.

And the parade marches on...

Good Sunday to you people!

So we come to the beginning of a new week and put the week that was behind us. And WOW, what a week it was. We had some great news (the economy is recovering in places) and some not so good news (The NY Yankees have yet AGAIN swept a series). And with all of this news we could never be without idiots making news. Here are some that really just hit my radar and I'm still reeling from the idiocy level.

An excellent argument for why everyone should have a PR Consultant:

So in my first blog I mentioned the Louisiana Judge who refused a marriage license to an interracial couple. Now when you do something that has pissed off the known universe and people are just this side to taking to the streets demanding your head on a spit, what do you do? CORRECT! You sit down and shut up. Not The Right Horrible Judge Keith Bardwell. He is still trying to defend his asinine and antiquated decision(Judge stands by refusal to give interracial couple license to wed). Oh and to add a whole new level of "Who can you piss off" to the issue. The woman in the interracial couple? A military vet. Smooth move Judge, you pissed of the person who fights for your right to be an idiot.

Rev versus Rush:

The flap over Rush Limbaugh's failed attempt to become an NFL owner isn't over yet. It would appear that Limbaugh has "slandered" Reverend Al Sharpton. The Reverend is now threatening a lawsuit against Limbaugh for statements he made on his show about the Reverend's involvement in riots (Sharpton Threatens Suit Against Limbaugh). Time out here fellas. Both of you need a dose of reality and a lengthy stay in the penalty box with your dunce caps on. Both of these men know the power of the media, they also know how the media uses them. Rush, sit down and hush. Your bid for ownership was mainly foiled by other NFL owners and players not liking how you relate to them more than anything Al Sharpton could have said. Don't laugh to fast Rev, you are not squeaky clean either. When asked to go on air about this, you could have easily declined comment, but you didn't. Instead, you trotted yourself down to CNN and got on the TV. Now you may not have said anything related to race, but after Tawanna Brawley, anything you say is going to be equated with issues of race. So both Rush and the Rev should take a good long look in the mirror and really rethink who is at fault here and it isn't either of them. Call the networks to the mat on this one.

Cloudbusting with Papa:

I guess there really isn't a lot going on in Larimer County Colorado these days so thank God for Richard Heene giving the hotels, motels, diners, and sheriff's department something to do. For those of you who missed the news on this one, and I don't know how you could since this got more coverage then the Kennedy Assassination, Richard Heene "allegedly" lost his son in a weather balloon he and his wife had built. The family, who by the way was featured on the TV reality show Wife Swap, frantically set about searching for the boy and calling the authorities who also searched feverishly. Unfortunately, the authorities weren't to bright either because the boy was found napping in the attic. The family now is back in the spotlight and did they want to be here? Well according to attic napping son, Falcon, in a statement during and interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, they did what they did "for the show." So now this affair is put to bed, right? WRONG! Seems the sheriff's department must be upset they didn't get a reality show deal because they "anticipate charges will be filed in the near future" against the Heene's, but what charges they are unsure of. I can't wait for my inbox to blow up with the thousand alerts saying "Arrest made in 'Balloon Boy' case." Personally? I think it's a lot of hot air... Or at least it was.

Twittering Twits:

Before I venture off into this one, let me get two things straight. I support Miley Cyrus' attempt to shed her squeaky clean "Disney Darling" image. She's a teen, let her live. I also am the holder of a Twitter account. My account was created to follow CNN anchor Don Lemon, not to post my every move and thought to my friends. That said, Miley Cyrus and Meghan McCain are Twitter Twits of the month. So Miley Cyrus deleted her Twitter account because she says she wants to live her life for her... Yeah... So living your own life means you make a rap about the deletion of your Twitter account?

Miley has no career in hip hop thank God. The alleged reason she deleted it was because her boyfriend hates Twitter and she did it to please him. Way to go Miley, teaching girls to be eternally co-dependant and image obsessed. On the flip side, Meghan McCain didn't delete her Twitter account. Just the opposite, she showed a little more than she bargained for. Ms. McCain, a very sexually outspoken women known for many a verbal slip during interviews while her dad John McCain was making a run for the White House, snapped a candid pic of herself at home. Ms. McCain was trying to show off the Andy Warhol book she was reading. Well the book was overshadowed by her bountiful cleavage... Literally. Ms. McCain has now talked about taking her Twitter account down and has been apologizing that people noticed her breasts rather than her book. It just goes to show you that you can't un-ring a bell... Or in this case, un-flash your headlights.

So that is the week that was and as promised, I always gotta leave you happy. I finally located Baby Corey's full dancing video. If you haven't seen it, enjoy. It's a riot!

Bass ackwards

So today I am really dumbfounded by the sheer idiocy abounding in the world. Three things stand out to me today...

First, the Burlington Coat Factory Riot

Now this woman rolls up to the place, big blinging in a stretch Hummer and announces she has won the lottery and is buying everybody's clothes for them up to $500. When her card got declined, she got back in the Hummer and said she was going to her bank to straighten it out. Well she got to the bank alright, but when the Hummer driver realized he wasn't getting his $900 fee, he called the cops. Now my big issue here is that she did spend $5,000. If that was all she had, fine. She did good for 10 people, but to cause a riot? She's lucky they didn't hang her on the spot. Let's wait for the next story that she used a debit card that wasn't hers.

Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License By Louisiana Justice of the Peace

Just read this one. It's self explanatory. Are we in 2009 or 1948? As a good friend pointed out his actions are illegal as stipulated by the United States Supreme Court. As father of a daughter of multi-heritage, I am especially outraged and will say bullshit to this idiot. Our daughter has had nothing but outpourings of love and kindness from friends and strangers. Thank God he is the minority... I hope.

Rush Limbaugh has been dropped from group seeking to buy the St. Louis Rams

Now I am not outraged at what you think. No I did not want to see Rush as an NFL owner, but I drew my view from the statements of others in the NFL. Other owners and players have come out against Rush's rather derisive statements about players themselves, the NFL owners, and the salaries of players. As my brother, Chad, tried to say earlier, he was outraged at the media drumming this all day, but touting statements by the Reverend Jesse Jackson and the Reverend Al Sharpton. Now in Reverend Al's defense, the one interview I saw he stayed on point and only addressed it from the standpoint of what he had learned of the views of the players. As for Reverend Jackson? He and Reverend Sharpton were victims and tools of the media. Here you have two very outspoken critics of Limbaugh. The media drug them into this I am sure for shock value so point the finger at the news sources, not the two men. As for Rush, be outspoken as you want, but be careful who you bash, they may get the chance to bash back.

So enough of idiots and moronic dealings. Something to make us ponder...

Original KISS Drummer Celebrates Surviving Breast Cancer

Now as some of you know, I lost my mother to breast cancer and I have been a very avid supporter for breast cancer research, but there has always been a huge gap. We males. "Oh men don't get that." How many times have I heard that? Guess what? Anyone who bothered to crack a biology book knows that men and women have mammaries, women's are more productive than the males, but we have them. We also can get breast cancer. So I not only say read and learn from Peter Criss' example, but check yourself out, visit your doctor. If not for yourself, for the ones you love.

Until tomorrow, I bid you peace and freedom from idiocy.