I have been getting more and more aggravated lately. I sat here for days trying to figure out what was aggravating me so much and I think I finally hit it. Our country is endangered...no, I am not ranting against immigration, Democrats, Republicans or anything like that. No, what I AM ranting about is the weakening of American society. Essentially, what I am saying is, we are turning into a nation of pantie-wastes! Thanks to the misguided, inane notion that society needs to make life as fair as possible, we are creating a generation of ignorant, weak, entitlement-minded idiots!
When I was a kid, I played Little League Baseball. We had to tryout for a position on the team and if you weren't good enough, you did not make the cut, period; there was no thought that every kid should get to play. No, if you couldn't hit, catch or throw you didn't make the team. The reasoning was like this; we are competing against other teams for a Championship! Yes, people, we had a Championship where the two BEST teams competed for a TROPHY! The losing team did NOT get a trophy nor did every kid on the winning team get an individual trophy! Do you want to know why? Really, do you want to know? Simply put, the trophy was a TEAM TROPHY! Every kid on the winning team worked together to win; simple and fair. What I think happened, though, was some of the kids who were not good enough grew up and became parents. Once their kids were old enough to tryout, they remembered the "pain" of not being picked. So, they took over youth sports and changed the rules so that every kid who tried out made the team and every kid on every team got a trophy just for being there because this would help their "self-esteem". Gone is the idea of TEAMWORK and PRACTICE. Why bother coaching and practicing when everybody is going to get a trophy anyway?
That's not the only thing that bothers me today about society; no, there is so much more but the baseball analogy is the broadest description for the problems we have today. Check this out; it used to be that in school, if you failed you got an "F" on your report card and could be held back if necessary. Nowadays there are no "F"'s anymore; they've been replaced with kinder, gentler marks like "I" for Incomplete...and nowadays it seems like kids today are not TAUGHT. They are not taught to think critically and study; they are taught instead on how to pass a standardized test and they are asked how do they feel about a certain subject. HUH??? To quote George Carlin, "We have no more stupid people, we now have "challenged" or "learning disabled"; nobody is crippled or retarded anymore, we now have "handicapable" or "differently abled"; people don't die anymore, they "pass on" or "expire". This is where liberal thought and political correctness came from. Essentially, the people who couldn't cut it on the playing field as kids grew up and changed the rules to what THEY thought was fair.
It's not just the liberals and political correctness that are ruining us. Nope, the conservative, Bible-thumping crowd is just as bad. These are the ones who try to protect their kids from EVERYTHING. They ranted about parental advisories on video games, the v-chip in televisions, and the television and movie rating systems. These are the ones who, in the insane thought that teaching kids sex-education will cause them to have sex. These are the morons who want this country to go back to 1950. They are so stuck in their mindset that they oppose growth and learning, spurn science and Darwinism, and literally want to go back to Ward and June Cleaver or Andy Griffith. This notion is just as dangerous as the misguided liberal notion that we can make the world absolutely fair for everybody.
I knew we were in trouble when, before a show on Discovery Channel, I read a disclosure that roughly read as, "Some material may be inappropriate for some audiences", I wondered what kind of show it was...are you ready for this? The show was called "Two Weeks in Hell" and covered the two week testing period to be eligible for Green Beret training in the Army. HUH??? I watched the show and for the life of me I could not find ANYTHING that could POSSIBLY be inappropriate or graphic. A bunch of soldiers being grilled and examined to see if they have the basic skills and mindset needed to endure Green Beret training and eventually BE a part of the elite unit. I can only think that they had to put the disclaimer up because somewhere in America some IDIOT was offended that the Army would not accept everybody who applied.
Today, it seems like the majority of Americans think they are "owed" something; they are "entitled" to have everything they want. No personal responsibility, no rules, no guidelines, no kind of regulation at all because they are ENTITLED to live however they want. Normally, I would not have a problem with that; the Declaration of Independence says it perfectly when it says we all have a right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". The PROBLEM lies with the last of that trilogy; PURSUIT of happiness. It doesn't say everybody is entitled to a trophy just for being on a team nor does it say everybody is entitled to a 2,200 square foot home with a 2 1/2 car garage. All it says is everybody has the right to PURSUE those things. Everybody has the right to educate themselves and work hard to acquire the things that would make them happy. Life is not fair, people, DEAL WITH IT! You are trying so hard to preserve your kids' self-esteem that you are crippling them! You are preventing them from ever experiencing the satisfaction of having built something or earned something! STOP!!!
Remember this, without the bad there can be no good! Without death there is no life! Without grief there can be no joy! Without effort there can be no appreciation! If you give your kids everything they never learn how to EARN! If you protect your kids from everything bad, they will not know what to avoid when they are grown! When you give welfare to the poor, you take away their dignity and motivation! Changing education to focus more on how the child feels will severely affect the child's ability to THINK! So make your kids play outside! Let them play cowboys and indians without worrying about offending the indians! Let them climb trees and ride their bicycles without knee, ankle and shoulder pads! Let them fall down and skin their knees! Let them settle their playground differences themselves...even if it means a fistfight! In other words, people, let your kids GROW and LEARN!
This isn't the end, people, stay tuned for more ranting...
20 March 2010
02 March 2010
Stupidity and Ignorance: The Latest Fad
I have been shaking my head at recent news reports on television, internet and in print. It seems that there has been a rise in auto accidents lately due to, get this, WINTER WEATHER! Oh my goodness, imagine that, people do not know how to drive in snow and ice! That's not all, folks, the Supreme Court is now hearing a case from Chicago arguing that Chicago's 28 year old ban on handguns is unconstitutional. Can anyone tell me what these two stories have in common and how do they apply to the title of this post? Simply put, it seems to me that ignorance, stupidity and/or apathy are what reigns supreme in the United States today.
So, let's see if I can make my point to you clear. Let's start with cars. Nowadays it seems, at first glance, that automotive technology such as anti-lock brakes, front and side airbags, and now auto-braking systems are wonderful advances that would cut down the number of accidents and related fatalities on our roads and highways. You'd think they would...but they won't. Nope, the smarter they make our cars, the dumber we get. It's not too hard to see this principle in action. Back in the 60's and early 70's, cars had steel dashboards and lap seatbelts if they had seatbelts at all. Every bump and pothole was felt inside the car because the stiff suspensions transferred the motion from the shocks and struts through the frame to the driver. I'm not saying there weren't distracted drivers back then, I'm just saying that back then most people were careful when they drove because there were no safety systems then.
Now look at today; suspension systems are so sophisticated now that road feel is almost non-existent. Cruise control, anti-lock brakes and airbags lull drivers into a false sense of security. People think that modern technology has made their cars idiot-proof. Again, this is not hard to see; take a recent snowstorm we had here in Mississippi. Six inches of snow fell that Friday. I know of at least one person who professed to running off the road several times that day...his full-size pickup with mudder tires couldn't handle the slippery conditions (I think it may also have been his speed, but, hey, that's just me). Automakers boast about traction control, all-wheel drive, anti-lock brakes, and now, auto-braking systems (Volvo). Should be real safe yet the number and severity of auto accidents is on the rise. It's not the car's fault, people; it's the IDIOT BEHIND THE WHEEL! This is a PRIME example of stupidity and ignorance.
Now let's look at the Second Amendment (again). Chicago has had a handgun ban in effect for 28 years, yet the South Side has become increasingly violent over this time. Some Chicago residents have challenged the ban and this case is now in front of the Supreme Court (McDonald v. Chicago, 08-1521). Mayor Richard Daley has even come out and stated that government has, "...for health and safety to pass reasonable laws dealing with the protection and health of the people of the city of Chicago." What the good mayor leaves out is the rising violent crime rate in his fair city. These are not "gun nuts" that are suing the city. Nope these Chicago residents are, specifically, ordinary citizens. The following quote from the AP article says, "A couple worries that burglars who tried to break in when the wife was home alone will return. A retiree fears the drug dealers and junkies just outside his window will attempt — again — to steal what he spent a lifetime earning. And a businessman wants to protect himself as he could when he was a police officer." Wow, what a nutty bunch, huh? The gun-grabbers are, once again, predicting dire straits and a return to "The Wild West" if citizens are allowed to own and carry guns; despite mounting evidence that proves the opposite is true. It's not hard to see; if a criminal thinks you are waiting inside your house with a 12 gauge, said criminal is going to think twice about breaking into your home.
So here we sit, fighting the ignorance and stupidity of the Brady bunch and the majority of Democrat politicians who think they have to control how we live. Now we are also fighting the same ignorant and stupid Dems who want to control how we drive. Common sense is dead in this country, folks. We have become a nation of lazy idiots that no longer possess the ability to think critically about situations without relying on idiot talking heads in the media and in Washington. Heaven help us.
So, let's see if I can make my point to you clear. Let's start with cars. Nowadays it seems, at first glance, that automotive technology such as anti-lock brakes, front and side airbags, and now auto-braking systems are wonderful advances that would cut down the number of accidents and related fatalities on our roads and highways. You'd think they would...but they won't. Nope, the smarter they make our cars, the dumber we get. It's not too hard to see this principle in action. Back in the 60's and early 70's, cars had steel dashboards and lap seatbelts if they had seatbelts at all. Every bump and pothole was felt inside the car because the stiff suspensions transferred the motion from the shocks and struts through the frame to the driver. I'm not saying there weren't distracted drivers back then, I'm just saying that back then most people were careful when they drove because there were no safety systems then.
Now look at today; suspension systems are so sophisticated now that road feel is almost non-existent. Cruise control, anti-lock brakes and airbags lull drivers into a false sense of security. People think that modern technology has made their cars idiot-proof. Again, this is not hard to see; take a recent snowstorm we had here in Mississippi. Six inches of snow fell that Friday. I know of at least one person who professed to running off the road several times that day...his full-size pickup with mudder tires couldn't handle the slippery conditions (I think it may also have been his speed, but, hey, that's just me). Automakers boast about traction control, all-wheel drive, anti-lock brakes, and now, auto-braking systems (Volvo). Should be real safe yet the number and severity of auto accidents is on the rise. It's not the car's fault, people; it's the IDIOT BEHIND THE WHEEL! This is a PRIME example of stupidity and ignorance.
Now let's look at the Second Amendment (again). Chicago has had a handgun ban in effect for 28 years, yet the South Side has become increasingly violent over this time. Some Chicago residents have challenged the ban and this case is now in front of the Supreme Court (McDonald v. Chicago, 08-1521). Mayor Richard Daley has even come out and stated that government has, "...for health and safety to pass reasonable laws dealing with the protection and health of the people of the city of Chicago." What the good mayor leaves out is the rising violent crime rate in his fair city. These are not "gun nuts" that are suing the city. Nope these Chicago residents are, specifically, ordinary citizens. The following quote from the AP article says, "A couple worries that burglars who tried to break in when the wife was home alone will return. A retiree fears the drug dealers and junkies just outside his window will attempt — again — to steal what he spent a lifetime earning. And a businessman wants to protect himself as he could when he was a police officer." Wow, what a nutty bunch, huh? The gun-grabbers are, once again, predicting dire straits and a return to "The Wild West" if citizens are allowed to own and carry guns; despite mounting evidence that proves the opposite is true. It's not hard to see; if a criminal thinks you are waiting inside your house with a 12 gauge, said criminal is going to think twice about breaking into your home.
So here we sit, fighting the ignorance and stupidity of the Brady bunch and the majority of Democrat politicians who think they have to control how we live. Now we are also fighting the same ignorant and stupid Dems who want to control how we drive. Common sense is dead in this country, folks. We have become a nation of lazy idiots that no longer possess the ability to think critically about situations without relying on idiot talking heads in the media and in Washington. Heaven help us.
25 February 2010
Real Biker Or Not?
Okay folks, I am going to be incognito for a while after tomorrow. I am going in to have my right hand operated on to repair the carpal tunnel syndrome that has plagued me for more than 10 years now. I am finally tired of living with the pain, phantom itching, numbness and all the other good good feelings that come with CTS. That's not what I am writing about in this post though, friends. Nope, I want to go back to an earlier posting of mine concerning "poser" bikers. Why do I want to re-hash this, you ask? Well, it's not because I want to beat a dead horse; no, I want to talk about an experience I had tonight.
Okay, it starts like this; this week I have had to stay away from certain painkillers and anti-inflammatories for seven days because of the procedure I am undergoing tomorrow. Those of you who know me personally know that I am rated at 70% disabled by the VA; a direct result of that is I take a mini-pharmacy of pills twice daily to keep the pain at bay. So, I have not been in the best of moods this week and neither has my wife because on top of my sunny disposition, she has been dealing with a cold this week. Yeah, it has not been pleasant in our household this past week. One thing we have not done a lot of this week is cook dinner, mainly because we have been both feeling so bad that cooking was out of the question and tonight was no exception.
Down here in the bucolic town that is Brandon, Mississippi, restaurants are not something we have a lot of. There is one little place here that makes pretty good sandwiches and things so we called them and ordered our dinner. I drove to this little place and, being a biker myself, was kind of surprised to see two brand stinkin-new Harleys parked in front...especially when the low tonight is supposed to go down to the 20's. I walked into the place and saw about two dozen people sitting around, swilling beer and eating crawfish in biker leathers. Now...wait a minute...there were only two bikes out front so how do we have 20 or more in here dressed like they've been riding in cold weather? Well, remember what we talked about the other day about the difference between a poser and a biker? Yeah, most of these "bikers" had driven their cages (cars, to the non-biker) for their "bike night". I noticed on the back of a couple of vests a patch that said "Spirit Riders" and an indian dream-catcher. Shaking my head to myself, I chuckled a bit at just how pathetic this scene actually was.
So, I walked up to the counter and it was easy to see they were slammed, so I did a "Helllooooo?" a couple of times to try and get someone's attention. It was at this point that one of these "bikers" must have decided I needed a talking-to and suggested to me that I try a little patience. I am pretty sure you guys out there know the look I gave this person...you know it; I gave him the "what business is it of yours?" looks. I finally got one of the girls' attention and asked about the order we had phoned in. Just a couple of minutes and it'll be ready, we promise. No problem, I said...hell as long as they know I'm here and they're doing their best, I have nothing to complain about, right? So I stood there at the counter, quietly waiting for my order and being alone inside myself.
Then I heard something...I wasn't sure I heard correctly but now my ears were perked up and it came again. Mister "bad-ass biker" who drove his pickup truck to "bike night" was speaking loud enough about the "asshole at the counter". Seeing as I was the only one actually AT the counter, it wasn't hard to deduce he was talking about me. Maybe, I thought, he doesn't realize that I am a biker too. I mean, I drove my truck and I was wearing my gray fleece and was totally devoid of any type of clothing or accessory that would have advertised me as a biker. I tuned my ears to the loudmouth and, sure as hell, he was talking about me and singling me out, trying to bait me into a fight.
Well, you know, I am just old enough to know that the worst thing I could do would be to acknowledge this guy and then have to take on him and 15 of his poser buddies, so, I stood quietly at the counter and decided on my plan of action. See, I am not normally the one who starts the fight now; rather, I am the one who usually ends the fight. So, I listened to him talking a little bit louder each time he said something and mentally prepared myself to knock this idiot out of his boots if he so much as touches me. Finally, my order came, I paid for it, and turned to leave. I did shake my head and smile a little smile as I walked past...I couldn't help it, I tried to resist but I couldn't help it; right when he was looking directly at me, I very clearly mouthed, "ignorant f***s". Then I walked outside to my truck.
I didn't sit and actually wait for anybody to come out but I did move just a wee bit slower than normal, just to see. Nobody came out, I got in my truck and left. Driving home, I laughed out loud as I thought about the absurdity of the situation. A bunch of guys, dressed out in leathers, chaps and bandannas, acting like bad-asses and only TWO actually rode their bikes out...and ONE of them that rode was a woman. You know, I think Trey Parker and Matt Stone got it right on their SouthPark episode. "Bikers" like those guys...yep, they're fags...or posers...or ignorant redneck hillbilly pretenders...take your pick...they're pathetic little posers.
Okay, it starts like this; this week I have had to stay away from certain painkillers and anti-inflammatories for seven days because of the procedure I am undergoing tomorrow. Those of you who know me personally know that I am rated at 70% disabled by the VA; a direct result of that is I take a mini-pharmacy of pills twice daily to keep the pain at bay. So, I have not been in the best of moods this week and neither has my wife because on top of my sunny disposition, she has been dealing with a cold this week. Yeah, it has not been pleasant in our household this past week. One thing we have not done a lot of this week is cook dinner, mainly because we have been both feeling so bad that cooking was out of the question and tonight was no exception.
Down here in the bucolic town that is Brandon, Mississippi, restaurants are not something we have a lot of. There is one little place here that makes pretty good sandwiches and things so we called them and ordered our dinner. I drove to this little place and, being a biker myself, was kind of surprised to see two brand stinkin-new Harleys parked in front...especially when the low tonight is supposed to go down to the 20's. I walked into the place and saw about two dozen people sitting around, swilling beer and eating crawfish in biker leathers. Now...wait a minute...there were only two bikes out front so how do we have 20 or more in here dressed like they've been riding in cold weather? Well, remember what we talked about the other day about the difference between a poser and a biker? Yeah, most of these "bikers" had driven their cages (cars, to the non-biker) for their "bike night". I noticed on the back of a couple of vests a patch that said "Spirit Riders" and an indian dream-catcher. Shaking my head to myself, I chuckled a bit at just how pathetic this scene actually was.
So, I walked up to the counter and it was easy to see they were slammed, so I did a "Helllooooo?" a couple of times to try and get someone's attention. It was at this point that one of these "bikers" must have decided I needed a talking-to and suggested to me that I try a little patience. I am pretty sure you guys out there know the look I gave this person...you know it; I gave him the "what business is it of yours?" looks. I finally got one of the girls' attention and asked about the order we had phoned in. Just a couple of minutes and it'll be ready, we promise. No problem, I said...hell as long as they know I'm here and they're doing their best, I have nothing to complain about, right? So I stood there at the counter, quietly waiting for my order and being alone inside myself.
Then I heard something...I wasn't sure I heard correctly but now my ears were perked up and it came again. Mister "bad-ass biker" who drove his pickup truck to "bike night" was speaking loud enough about the "asshole at the counter". Seeing as I was the only one actually AT the counter, it wasn't hard to deduce he was talking about me. Maybe, I thought, he doesn't realize that I am a biker too. I mean, I drove my truck and I was wearing my gray fleece and was totally devoid of any type of clothing or accessory that would have advertised me as a biker. I tuned my ears to the loudmouth and, sure as hell, he was talking about me and singling me out, trying to bait me into a fight.
Well, you know, I am just old enough to know that the worst thing I could do would be to acknowledge this guy and then have to take on him and 15 of his poser buddies, so, I stood quietly at the counter and decided on my plan of action. See, I am not normally the one who starts the fight now; rather, I am the one who usually ends the fight. So, I listened to him talking a little bit louder each time he said something and mentally prepared myself to knock this idiot out of his boots if he so much as touches me. Finally, my order came, I paid for it, and turned to leave. I did shake my head and smile a little smile as I walked past...I couldn't help it, I tried to resist but I couldn't help it; right when he was looking directly at me, I very clearly mouthed, "ignorant f***s". Then I walked outside to my truck.
I didn't sit and actually wait for anybody to come out but I did move just a wee bit slower than normal, just to see. Nobody came out, I got in my truck and left. Driving home, I laughed out loud as I thought about the absurdity of the situation. A bunch of guys, dressed out in leathers, chaps and bandannas, acting like bad-asses and only TWO actually rode their bikes out...and ONE of them that rode was a woman. You know, I think Trey Parker and Matt Stone got it right on their SouthPark episode. "Bikers" like those guys...yep, they're fags...or posers...or ignorant redneck hillbilly pretenders...take your pick...they're pathetic little posers.
19 February 2010
Get A Grip And Go Away Sarah Palin!!!!!
Okay, look; I don't know about anybody else but Sarah Palin is proving over and over again that she is nothing but a self-serving, two-faced idiot bitch who has absolutely no business receiving the publicity she has. I'm sure you all know by now about how Sarah and her daughter Bristol excoriated the creators of "Family Guy" over their Valentine's Day episode. In the episode Chris meets a girl with Down Syndrome; she tells him she is the daughter of “the former governor of Alaska.”
Well now, that was just completely unacceptable to Ms. Palin and her daughter; their righteous anger was flowing like lava from Kilauea. I think they were a little over the top but I will let you decide for yourself; Sarah's vitriolic statement included lines such as the “Family Guy...really isn’t funny” and that this was the work of “cruel, cold-hearted people.” Bristol, the daughter, wrote that the “Family Guy” writers were making fun of her brother and family and they were "heartless jerks.” WHOA!!! HOLD ON!! Now wait just a minute!! This is the same idiot that vehemently attacked Rahm Emanuel for saying an act was retarded, that that was hate speech and then gave Rush Limbaugh a pass when he called liberals retards!!! For Pete's sake; are you telling me that Sarah Palin, during her campaign for Vice President, denounced political correctness but now has TWICE come out and demanded political correctness? Why, because PC is bad unless it concerns her family and then PC must be observed?!? Guess what sweetheart, YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS!!!
Now look, people, personally I can't stand political correctness in any form. I think one of the biggest tragedies in this country is that people have forgotten how to be self-deprecating. I'm also not a fan of Family Guy; not for any kind of pc reason, I just don't think the show is that good. I may have just become a fan of the show, though, thanks to Andrea Friedman. She wrote a letter to the New York Times saying Sarah Palin doesn't have a sense of humor. Ms. Friedman is a 39 year old woman with Down Syndrome who did the voice-over for the Family Guy character.
This is the letter she wrote, in full, for some reason the "liberal" New York Times didn't print the whole thing:
"My name is Andrea Fay Friedman. I was born with Down syndrome. I played the role of Ellen on the "Extra Large Medium" episode of Family Guy that was broadcast on Valentine's day. Although they gave me red hair on the show, I am really a blonde. I also wore a red wig for my role in " Smudge" but I was a blonde in "Life Goes On". I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor. I thought the line "I am the daughter of the former governor of Alaska" was very funny. I think the word is "sarcasm".
In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life. My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes."
Got that, people? This lady thinks Sarah Palin is grubbing for sympathy and votes in the worst way possible; Palin is prostituting her son to garner the votes she needs in order to make a run for the Oval Office in 2012. Andrea Friedman knows what Sarah Palin is all about!! I loved her letter but I particularly loved the last sentence of her letter; she knows EXACTLY what type of person Sarah Palin is.
The biggest problem I have with this is, THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE WHO LOVE HER! WHY?!? How can ANYONE still support this pathetic waste of space? MY GOD, what does she have to do to finally convince the citizens of this country that she is an ignorant buffoon? I mean, COME ON, how in the world can ANYBODY support this moron after this!?!?
Well now, that was just completely unacceptable to Ms. Palin and her daughter; their righteous anger was flowing like lava from Kilauea. I think they were a little over the top but I will let you decide for yourself; Sarah's vitriolic statement included lines such as the “Family Guy...really isn’t funny” and that this was the work of “cruel, cold-hearted people.” Bristol, the daughter, wrote that the “Family Guy” writers were making fun of her brother and family and they were "heartless jerks.” WHOA!!! HOLD ON!! Now wait just a minute!! This is the same idiot that vehemently attacked Rahm Emanuel for saying an act was retarded, that that was hate speech and then gave Rush Limbaugh a pass when he called liberals retards!!! For Pete's sake; are you telling me that Sarah Palin, during her campaign for Vice President, denounced political correctness but now has TWICE come out and demanded political correctness? Why, because PC is bad unless it concerns her family and then PC must be observed?!? Guess what sweetheart, YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS!!!
Now look, people, personally I can't stand political correctness in any form. I think one of the biggest tragedies in this country is that people have forgotten how to be self-deprecating. I'm also not a fan of Family Guy; not for any kind of pc reason, I just don't think the show is that good. I may have just become a fan of the show, though, thanks to Andrea Friedman. She wrote a letter to the New York Times saying Sarah Palin doesn't have a sense of humor. Ms. Friedman is a 39 year old woman with Down Syndrome who did the voice-over for the Family Guy character.
This is the letter she wrote, in full, for some reason the "liberal" New York Times didn't print the whole thing:
"My name is Andrea Fay Friedman. I was born with Down syndrome. I played the role of Ellen on the "Extra Large Medium" episode of Family Guy that was broadcast on Valentine's day. Although they gave me red hair on the show, I am really a blonde. I also wore a red wig for my role in " Smudge" but I was a blonde in "Life Goes On". I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor. I thought the line "I am the daughter of the former governor of Alaska" was very funny. I think the word is "sarcasm".
In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life. My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes."
Got that, people? This lady thinks Sarah Palin is grubbing for sympathy and votes in the worst way possible; Palin is prostituting her son to garner the votes she needs in order to make a run for the Oval Office in 2012. Andrea Friedman knows what Sarah Palin is all about!! I loved her letter but I particularly loved the last sentence of her letter; she knows EXACTLY what type of person Sarah Palin is.
The biggest problem I have with this is, THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE WHO LOVE HER! WHY?!? How can ANYONE still support this pathetic waste of space? MY GOD, what does she have to do to finally convince the citizens of this country that she is an ignorant buffoon? I mean, COME ON, how in the world can ANYBODY support this moron after this!?!?
17 February 2010
Biker or Poser?
Tell me, dear readers...what, exactly is your idea of a biker? If you don't own a motorcycle or have never even ridden a motorcycle, don't fret; I still want to know your thoughts as well. Why am I asking this question? I'm sure you all would like to know, so...here goes.
It seems there is an awful lot of debate, lately, in the "biker world" about the differences between a "biker" and a "poser". It seems there are many people out there who ride motorcycles consider themselves "bikers" and anyone who is different from them is a "poser". Now, I'm pretty sure some of you out there are thinking, "What's the damned difference?" or "Who cares?" and, normally would agree with you because, to tell the truth, I don't give a damn, but the whole thing is bothersome to me; kind of like the chicken or the egg debate.
See, I ride a 2004 Harley Electra-Glide Standard (FLHT to those "in the know"); I bought it used after my 2003 DynaWideGlide (FXDWG) was run over in 2006 in our apartment parking lot (we lived in Virginia Beach at the time) by a sweet little 60-something lady who SWORE it wasn't her fault...even though her car was basically PARKED on top of my bike. My wife rode a Honda Shadow Spirit 750; hers was totalled by the same sweet little old lady. My wife thought, at first, she wanted a Harley, so we went hunting. After sitting on several different makes and styles of Harleys, she looked at me and, almost in tears asked if I would be upset that she wanted another Honda. My answer to her was, "You can have whatever bike you want. Why would I be upset?" We ended up buying a 2004 Honda VTX 1300 for my wife; she loved it and loves riding it whenever we get the chance to ride together.
That's part of what got me started wondering about the whole biker/poser thing. When we lived in Virginia Beach, we had a lot of friends we rode with all the time; most of them rode Harleys but there also were Hondas, Triumphs and various other street machines. Sometimes when we were getting ready to ride, one of our friends would playfully ask my wife if her bike was running; that, to me, is fun humor shared by a group of people who just want to ride. They didn't care what you rode, as long as you rode. Well, every once in a while we would be at a local watering hole and some jagoff would mouth off about the Honda not belonging amongst the Harleys; most of the time, said jagoff was laughed at and told to shut up but...sometimes...there was that one a-hole who wouldn't let it go...and that's when I would have a problem.
There are some out there who think that unless you turn your own wrenches on your own bike, you are a poser; others think if you wear a Harley t-shirt, jacket, gloves and boots, you are a poser; and still others think that if you only ride on the weekends or you don't ride a Harley, you are a poser. THIS is where I have the heartburn with these idiots and this posting, my friends, is my way of telling those idiots to shut up and ride.
I wear Harley t-shirts...I have a Harley leather jacket and gloves I wear sometimes when it is cold out; I have also ridden from Virginia to upstate New York and back, and to New Orleans, then Texas, and back to Virginia. I've ridden in searing heat, bitter cold, thunderstorms, rain showers, and snow storms. Living in Mississippi, I ride to South Carolina in May for Spring Bike Week and then back to Mississippi. Yet, because I wear a Harley t-shirt and wear a Harley jacket and Harley gloves, some think I am a poser; the funny thing is the only time it comes up is when I'm online in a biker forum...for some reason these "men" don't say it to my face.
My brutha from anutha mutha, Iron Horse Cowboy (who writes the blog "The View From Downrange") is another guy who is called a poser alot, although not to his face either. My friend rides a really nice Harley Nightster, which is a variant of the original Sportster; he wears Harley clothing and Harley boots...and he also rides his Nightster from his place in South Carolina to his dad's in North Carolina regularly. If you think that's not such a long trip, you try it on a motorcycle and then tell me it's not that far. He rides to work every chance he gets and when Spring Bike Week comes around, I ride to his place and then we ride to Myrtle Beach together.
I think you can get what my definition of a biker and a poser is...can't you? Simply put, if you own a motorcycle and you ride it, you are a biker...no matter what you wear or ride, no matter how often or how far you ride, you are still a biker. A poser, in my book, is one who wears the clothing and hangs out in the bars but doesn't ride a bike or even own a bike. Personally, I don't understand people like that; why would you want to dress and act like a biker if you don't have a bike? My friend IHC and I have the same opinions on this subject; I want to know what you think.
It seems there is an awful lot of debate, lately, in the "biker world" about the differences between a "biker" and a "poser". It seems there are many people out there who ride motorcycles consider themselves "bikers" and anyone who is different from them is a "poser". Now, I'm pretty sure some of you out there are thinking, "What's the damned difference?" or "Who cares?" and, normally would agree with you because, to tell the truth, I don't give a damn, but the whole thing is bothersome to me; kind of like the chicken or the egg debate.
See, I ride a 2004 Harley Electra-Glide Standard (FLHT to those "in the know"); I bought it used after my 2003 DynaWideGlide (FXDWG) was run over in 2006 in our apartment parking lot (we lived in Virginia Beach at the time) by a sweet little 60-something lady who SWORE it wasn't her fault...even though her car was basically PARKED on top of my bike. My wife rode a Honda Shadow Spirit 750; hers was totalled by the same sweet little old lady. My wife thought, at first, she wanted a Harley, so we went hunting. After sitting on several different makes and styles of Harleys, she looked at me and, almost in tears asked if I would be upset that she wanted another Honda. My answer to her was, "You can have whatever bike you want. Why would I be upset?" We ended up buying a 2004 Honda VTX 1300 for my wife; she loved it and loves riding it whenever we get the chance to ride together.
That's part of what got me started wondering about the whole biker/poser thing. When we lived in Virginia Beach, we had a lot of friends we rode with all the time; most of them rode Harleys but there also were Hondas, Triumphs and various other street machines. Sometimes when we were getting ready to ride, one of our friends would playfully ask my wife if her bike was running; that, to me, is fun humor shared by a group of people who just want to ride. They didn't care what you rode, as long as you rode. Well, every once in a while we would be at a local watering hole and some jagoff would mouth off about the Honda not belonging amongst the Harleys; most of the time, said jagoff was laughed at and told to shut up but...sometimes...there was that one a-hole who wouldn't let it go...and that's when I would have a problem.
There are some out there who think that unless you turn your own wrenches on your own bike, you are a poser; others think if you wear a Harley t-shirt, jacket, gloves and boots, you are a poser; and still others think that if you only ride on the weekends or you don't ride a Harley, you are a poser. THIS is where I have the heartburn with these idiots and this posting, my friends, is my way of telling those idiots to shut up and ride.
I wear Harley t-shirts...I have a Harley leather jacket and gloves I wear sometimes when it is cold out; I have also ridden from Virginia to upstate New York and back, and to New Orleans, then Texas, and back to Virginia. I've ridden in searing heat, bitter cold, thunderstorms, rain showers, and snow storms. Living in Mississippi, I ride to South Carolina in May for Spring Bike Week and then back to Mississippi. Yet, because I wear a Harley t-shirt and wear a Harley jacket and Harley gloves, some think I am a poser; the funny thing is the only time it comes up is when I'm online in a biker forum...for some reason these "men" don't say it to my face.
My brutha from anutha mutha, Iron Horse Cowboy (who writes the blog "The View From Downrange") is another guy who is called a poser alot, although not to his face either. My friend rides a really nice Harley Nightster, which is a variant of the original Sportster; he wears Harley clothing and Harley boots...and he also rides his Nightster from his place in South Carolina to his dad's in North Carolina regularly. If you think that's not such a long trip, you try it on a motorcycle and then tell me it's not that far. He rides to work every chance he gets and when Spring Bike Week comes around, I ride to his place and then we ride to Myrtle Beach together.
I think you can get what my definition of a biker and a poser is...can't you? Simply put, if you own a motorcycle and you ride it, you are a biker...no matter what you wear or ride, no matter how often or how far you ride, you are still a biker. A poser, in my book, is one who wears the clothing and hangs out in the bars but doesn't ride a bike or even own a bike. Personally, I don't understand people like that; why would you want to dress and act like a biker if you don't have a bike? My friend IHC and I have the same opinions on this subject; I want to know what you think.
10 February 2010
You Are So..."R" Word!
I am tired of being subjected to protestations when some group announces it is offended by....a WORD!!! Gosh, heavens no, it's not PC to use that word! Today, the word is "retarded". You know this word, it was uttered by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, IN A PRIVATE MEETING, when he called liberal activists who wanted to run ads against conservative Democrats "f'ing retarded". This was in a PRIVATE MEETING, people. Do you understand the word PRIVATE and what it means? Well, somehow his speech leaked out to the media and an outrage ensued.
Guess who excoriated Mr. Emanuel over his used of the word "retarded"? Why none other than Sarah Palin, of course! Ms. Palin loudly declared the "R" word was little more than "...a slur on all God's children with cognitive and developmental disabilities...". Ms. Palin, not satisfied with her initial response also likened the word "retarded" to the dreaded "N" word and demanded President Obama fire Mr. Emanuel on the spot! Predictably, all the little Palin automatons (translation, her adoring public) joined in and a nationwide protest erupted.
So egregious was this protest that the one Conservative every Liberal loves to hate, Rush Limbaugh, on his radio show, "...lamented that "our political correct society is acting like some giant insult's taken place by calling a bunch of people who are retards, retards."" WHOA!!! Hold on a minute, Palin is supposedly upset at the use of that word, right? Surely, she would chastise Limbaugh as well as Rah Emanuel, right?
Not so fast, campers! Not a public scold is in sight and will likely never come from Ms. Palin against Mr. Limbaugh. Why would she do this, you may ask. Hasn't she said before that the use of the word retarded is"...a slur on all God's children with cognitive and developmental disabilities..."? So, why would she not scold Limbaugh in public but pounced on Emanuel? WHY?!?
It's simple, really; I can tell you why right now. Follow me closely; Sarah Palin has not publicly scolded Rush for his use of the word because HE REPRESENTS THE WHACKO UBER-CONSERVATIVE MORONS IN THIS COUNTRY WHO ADORE HER!!! So, not only is Sarah Palin an IDIOT MORON, it seems she is now a TWO-FACED LYING BITCH!!! Come on, people, can't you see this?!? She comes out when a liberal Democrat utters the dreaded word and loudly excoriates him, screaming for his dismissal but when a conservative Republican utters the word, it's okay. So, I guess she can call her son a retard but nobody else can...unless they are conservative MORONS who desperately want to put her in the White House in 2012.
What is it going to take to make you idiots open your eyes and see Palin for what she really is? Sarah Palin is EXACTLY like the religious whackos who thump their Bibles and proclaim abortion is the murder of a child and then turn around and ignore the children that are already here and desperately need their help! You know, I hear all over this country there are people out there who think Obama is selling our country down the river...but ignore the fact that we were sold out by Dubya when he declared war on Iraq. The Republicans are just as guilty as the Democrats of trying to destroy this country...you CAN'T pick a side and cherry-pick your cause. If Sarah Palin really was so upset about Emanuel, she should be out there now, declaring her disappointment in and outrage over her old friend Limbaugh.
So...why would anyone vote for her in 2012???
Guess who excoriated Mr. Emanuel over his used of the word "retarded"? Why none other than Sarah Palin, of course! Ms. Palin loudly declared the "R" word was little more than "...a slur on all God's children with cognitive and developmental disabilities...". Ms. Palin, not satisfied with her initial response also likened the word "retarded" to the dreaded "N" word and demanded President Obama fire Mr. Emanuel on the spot! Predictably, all the little Palin automatons (translation, her adoring public) joined in and a nationwide protest erupted.
So egregious was this protest that the one Conservative every Liberal loves to hate, Rush Limbaugh, on his radio show, "...lamented that "our political correct society is acting like some giant insult's taken place by calling a bunch of people who are retards, retards."" WHOA!!! Hold on a minute, Palin is supposedly upset at the use of that word, right? Surely, she would chastise Limbaugh as well as Rah Emanuel, right?
Not so fast, campers! Not a public scold is in sight and will likely never come from Ms. Palin against Mr. Limbaugh. Why would she do this, you may ask. Hasn't she said before that the use of the word retarded is"...a slur on all God's children with cognitive and developmental disabilities..."? So, why would she not scold Limbaugh in public but pounced on Emanuel? WHY?!?
It's simple, really; I can tell you why right now. Follow me closely; Sarah Palin has not publicly scolded Rush for his use of the word because HE REPRESENTS THE WHACKO UBER-CONSERVATIVE MORONS IN THIS COUNTRY WHO ADORE HER!!! So, not only is Sarah Palin an IDIOT MORON, it seems she is now a TWO-FACED LYING BITCH!!! Come on, people, can't you see this?!? She comes out when a liberal Democrat utters the dreaded word and loudly excoriates him, screaming for his dismissal but when a conservative Republican utters the word, it's okay. So, I guess she can call her son a retard but nobody else can...unless they are conservative MORONS who desperately want to put her in the White House in 2012.
What is it going to take to make you idiots open your eyes and see Palin for what she really is? Sarah Palin is EXACTLY like the religious whackos who thump their Bibles and proclaim abortion is the murder of a child and then turn around and ignore the children that are already here and desperately need their help! You know, I hear all over this country there are people out there who think Obama is selling our country down the river...but ignore the fact that we were sold out by Dubya when he declared war on Iraq. The Republicans are just as guilty as the Democrats of trying to destroy this country...you CAN'T pick a side and cherry-pick your cause. If Sarah Palin really was so upset about Emanuel, she should be out there now, declaring her disappointment in and outrage over her old friend Limbaugh.
So...why would anyone vote for her in 2012???
02 February 2010
Can A Man Be A Vegetarian?
What is it about a vegetarian that annoys me? I have never really thought of asking this question because, frankly, I don’t know any vegetarians. I guess I should be even more specific; what is it about a MALE vegetarian that annoys me to no end? Don’t get me wrong here, I am not anti-vegetable; in fact I will eat practically any vegetable presented to me, except for brussels sprouts which are inedible and evil. I am not anti-vegetarian, either; live and let live, in my opinion.
Every now and then though, I come across one who is smugly self-righteous and obnoxiously whiny. Especially the ones who declare they are vegetarian for “ethical” reasons. You know the ones I’m talking about; they think it’s cruel to raise animals for food and we are evil because we enjoy eating these animals. I don’t know how many of you out there read Men’s Health…I personally don’t subscribe to this rag, but I do read it on occasion when there is one among the stacks of magazines in my doctor’s waiting room or dentist’s office, etc. (You get the idea)
So it is that I came across the February 2010 issue of Men’s Health and the cover asks the question, if a man is a vegetarian, does he remain a man. Curiously, I flipped to the article, written by Jonathan Safran Foer. In this article Mr. Foer whines and cries; carrying on like a 6 year old in the grocery store who can’t have the candy he wants. He laments a situation he created by not telling his host he is a vegetarian and that would be forgivable, except that he doesn’t stop. In his writing, it seems he is indignant that his host didn’t provide vegetarian alternatives. Then he goes on to label meat-eaters (aka, the rest of us) as cruel, crude beings who take pleasure in knowing the poor animals are made to suffer greatly in order to provide sustenance for mankind.
That is what irritates me; nimrods like Mr. Foer who believe their way is the only way to be. He crows proudly what matters to him matters and he will not “sacrifice his values” no matter whose house he finds himself in. He claims he does not want to be a proselytizer but that is exactly what he does in this article. This is exactly what I don’t understand. Why is it that vegetarians feel they must publicly proclaim their diet of choice and become offended when those around them do not agree? Why do they feel the need to preach to us? Why is it that, in the course of my life, the vegetarians I have met are almost militant; protesting in front of Burger King or Mc Donald’s (at least in California, they do)? Whatever happened to live and let live? I eat meat, you don’t, so what?
Look, I like veggies; my wife and I eat veggies every day at dinner and, yes, sometimes we have vegetarian meals. That, however, does not give us license to force anybody else to eat vegetarian meals. I have no problem cooking vegetarian alternatives if I know in advance who’s coming to my house to eat. I am just irritated with guys like Mr. Foer. Do you want to know my opinion, Mr. Foer? My opinion is NO; you are NOT a man, not in even the slightest splinter of the meaning of what it is to be a man. You don’t have to eat meat to be a man but you certainly must NOT whine when you feel you are offended because the world will not re-create itself to fit your ideal.
Every now and then though, I come across one who is smugly self-righteous and obnoxiously whiny. Especially the ones who declare they are vegetarian for “ethical” reasons. You know the ones I’m talking about; they think it’s cruel to raise animals for food and we are evil because we enjoy eating these animals. I don’t know how many of you out there read Men’s Health…I personally don’t subscribe to this rag, but I do read it on occasion when there is one among the stacks of magazines in my doctor’s waiting room or dentist’s office, etc. (You get the idea)
So it is that I came across the February 2010 issue of Men’s Health and the cover asks the question, if a man is a vegetarian, does he remain a man. Curiously, I flipped to the article, written by Jonathan Safran Foer. In this article Mr. Foer whines and cries; carrying on like a 6 year old in the grocery store who can’t have the candy he wants. He laments a situation he created by not telling his host he is a vegetarian and that would be forgivable, except that he doesn’t stop. In his writing, it seems he is indignant that his host didn’t provide vegetarian alternatives. Then he goes on to label meat-eaters (aka, the rest of us) as cruel, crude beings who take pleasure in knowing the poor animals are made to suffer greatly in order to provide sustenance for mankind.
That is what irritates me; nimrods like Mr. Foer who believe their way is the only way to be. He crows proudly what matters to him matters and he will not “sacrifice his values” no matter whose house he finds himself in. He claims he does not want to be a proselytizer but that is exactly what he does in this article. This is exactly what I don’t understand. Why is it that vegetarians feel they must publicly proclaim their diet of choice and become offended when those around them do not agree? Why do they feel the need to preach to us? Why is it that, in the course of my life, the vegetarians I have met are almost militant; protesting in front of Burger King or Mc Donald’s (at least in California, they do)? Whatever happened to live and let live? I eat meat, you don’t, so what?
Look, I like veggies; my wife and I eat veggies every day at dinner and, yes, sometimes we have vegetarian meals. That, however, does not give us license to force anybody else to eat vegetarian meals. I have no problem cooking vegetarian alternatives if I know in advance who’s coming to my house to eat. I am just irritated with guys like Mr. Foer. Do you want to know my opinion, Mr. Foer? My opinion is NO; you are NOT a man, not in even the slightest splinter of the meaning of what it is to be a man. You don’t have to eat meat to be a man but you certainly must NOT whine when you feel you are offended because the world will not re-create itself to fit your ideal.
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