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| Time to remember and learn. Will we? |
| 05.30.05 (7:07 am) [edit] |
Good morning Boys and Girls.surrogate here from the Great Midwest. Today is Memorial Day in the U.S. The weather here looks great and later we'll be having family and friends over for a back yard barbecue. I never served in the military - was thrilled that I missed out on the last of the Viet Nam draft lotteries by about four months. Growing up during that awful conflict, and having parents who were loudly opposed to most wars, and especially that one, probably has skewed my thinking toward assuming that wars, for the most part, are fought for reasons that are too flimsy, are started too soon, and are fought for far too long. Our country HAS been involved in wars that needed to be fought, given the times and threat involved, but we also are quick to decide that pulling the trigger on pulling triggers is the response of choice. When we do that - something we've now done on a large scale twice in the last fifty years - it not only causes the needless death and maiming of OUR soldiers (those heroic people to whom this day is dedicated, and to whom we owe so much more) but also those seemingly meaningless casualties on the other side. It also needlessly weakens our country by diverting resources from doing what the military is meant to do... which is, Mr. President, defend our country. Along with the obvious problem of creating new enemies with a bull in the china shop foreign policy, worst of all, we (America), who for so very long enjoyed a status unique in the world, have decided that there really is no community of nations. There is America, and everybody else - and who gives a crap about them unless they have what we want, at which point... it ours! Right? What's the joke? What's our oil doing under your sand? Funny. All over the world folks thought America was an almost magical place - the proof being our penchant for promoting (as opposed to "forcing") freedom, fairness, generosity and human rights. Certainly only people from a wonderful land could be so magnanimous and caring. Right? Somehow though, we seem to have decided that what other people think of us means diddly, so we pour black paint and excrement all over that carefully developed reputation. And today we remember those who have died in service to our country. I remember when Memorial Day was to remember those who died to protect our freedom. Casualties in this war, like Viet Nam, are especially tragic to me, and I'll think of them, and pray for them today and every day, because what makes me angry, is that they have NOT died protecting our freedom, and no honest thinking person thinks they have. We owe our service men and women far more than to put them in harm's way for any but truthful - and real reasons when we are threatened or attacked. Viet Nam did not meet that test, and this hair brained scheme certainly doesn't. And for that, we should be ashamed. Be good to everyone. |
| Something Good About Bolton: nice hair? |
| 05.28.05 (8:09 am) [edit] |
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Good morning Boys and Girls! surrogate here. Haven't heard from Jesus in a week. Have no idea where's he's at or what he's up to, though I wonder if he's not in Washington sneaking around trying to find out what's going to happen with Bolton. He really thought the confirmation of this bully would be a mistake and said so to me on at least three occasions, which believe it or not, was a lot for him. He's really quite mild mannered and only gets to repeating himself when he's especially annoyed. I've thought about it, and I almost got the impression from the emotional nature of his speech, that perhaps Jesus had spoken to Senator Voinovich at some time prior to him begging his fellow senators to vote Bolton down, (since he (Jesus) does have a way of tugging at one's heart strings when he gets to making his points about something about which he cares deeply.) And, not surprisingly, Jesus seems to think that the U.S. needs to rethink it's role as imperialist aggressor (my words - not his, though from what he said to me about it, I'm pretty sure it's what he means - he just doesn't talk like that.) We were talking about it after he'd watched a bunch of reports about the guy, and he'd been on line all day learning what he could about Bolton's history. Anyway, he used these examples while talking about it, but they aren't quotes since we were really just making conversation while I was cooking dinner and he made coffee... Imagine learning English from an Teacher who hates words and thinks the language should be abolished.... How about a doctor who, when you go to see him because of a cold, thinks the best thing that could happen to you is that you should die? Can you even picture buying a car from a salesperson who thinks what they're selling is dangerous and should be banned from the planet - and spends all the time you're sitting there in front of them saying so (the only breaks in the tirade coming when he/she stops to scream at the lot boy for not doing his job correctly... loudly, and, worse perhaps, in front of you?) Zowie. But fools among us think it's okay-dokey to make John Bolton our ambassador to the very body he has repeatedly said he despises and for which he has no respect. This is a man who thinks (and has said) that the whole concept of the U.N. is evil and that it should be done away with or at the very least that the U.S. should withdraw its membership, "We need a kick-ass guy in there to not take any shit from other countries" seems to be the attitude of the Bolton supporters. These are the same people who think it's Newsweek's fault that the U.S. government sanctioned abuse of the Koran. (Yes, I made that leap of logic...) Hell, I read a blog on our very tblog the other day where some goof-ball tried to say that since some of our people have been beheaded, it's fine that we interrogate prisoners any way we like. These, of course, are the people who think that 9-11 started all this, and that it was an out-of-the-blue attack on American freedom instead of a retaliation, though horrid, for what they perceived as OUR aggression, occupation, blind assumptions, cultural interferences and blatant greed. (I won't cite ANY examples here because fools might think I'm justifying the attack. I'm not. See the word "perceived?"...) And George Bush, just yesterday, said our military is winning the war on terrorism. This during a week in which: Baghdad has been, in essence, barricaded; 67 more Americans needlessly gave their lives in a conflict that NEVER should have started; estimates say at least another 150 Iraqis died; our leader tries to force the senate to confirm a man to the post of U.S, ambassador to the United Nations (who, along with hating the body to which he is proposed to become it's second most powerful member, was instrumental in providing and passing on the false intelligence the administration needed to cook the books enough to convince that same senate to give George Bush the authority he needed to circumvent the U.N. and start this awful war.) A fools appointing fools. Just what we need. Be good to everyone... even mean fools... I guess... |
| Friday Morning Brain Fry |
| 05.27.05 (8:59 am) [edit] |
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Alrighty, so... let's see. Oh. Sorry... Good Morning Boys and Girls! surrogate here. Ever have a decision to make, that you're really trying to think through carefully, but really, deep inside, you know how you'll decide from the instant the question becomes apparent to you? And it sort of aggravates you because you know that, no matter what, you have no more chance of being right than you do of being wrong. Well, I used "you" but I meant me. Some people trust their "gut instinct" to lead them in the right direction, if only they'll follow it, they tell themselves... Not me. Oh, I tend to follow it most of the time, and it's right about half the time, but for me, it's usually "Oh, I wish I'd thought that through better." - as opposed to, "Oh, I wish I'd trusted my gut." Nevertheless, that's really just an aside to what I'm talking about. What I'm peeved about is that, for some reason, when I get something into my head that I have to think about, it seems like somewhere, back there in the tall shelves, under a bunch of old dusty cells filled with memories I haven't sorted through for ages - there it is: the decision for whatever is cooking, made, and sitting pretty as you please, awaiting my conscious brain to call on it to be used. And once it's found and presented to me (by the little guy who runs "the stacks" in my brain's library department - whose work I'm privy to watch sometimes though it's pointless and frustrating because he does whatever he wants most of the time - and by-the-way the little bastard is a first class lazy little prick, who, in truth, pays absolutely no attention to what I specifically request of him, and is forever jamming up my "in box" with crap I don't want or need to be bothered with...) no amount of thinking or gut trusting on my part will even come close to pushing the little "pre-made decision" from forcing itself into play.... Consequences be DAMNED!, full steam ahead! ("But sir, I believe that's an iceberg, shouldn't we alter our course?") Am I the only person that has this happen to them? Constantly? GRRRRR! Be good to everyone! |
| Every Sperm is Sacred? |
| 05.25.05 (3:15 pm) [edit] |
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Good afternoon Boys and Girls! Yesterday George W. Bush surrounded himself with 80 "snowflake children" to tell the world that he thinks embryos are full fledged people, and therefor he will veto the bill that's working its way through congress that would allow government funding for research using embryonic stem cells. A couple of things... First of all, evidently, "snowflake children" is the term someone cooked up to describe kids who have been born from embryos that have been adopted, placed in a womb, and allowed to come to term. Very nice. Wonderful, in fact. The bill would not in any way interfere with this practice, though it's happened only eighty times and there are over four-hundred-thousand embryos in, uh, cold storage nation wide. The vast majority of these embryos will simply be disposed of if they are not used in research. The bill has strong bi-partisan support and the figures I've read suggest that eighty percent of the public are on the side of not wasting this valuable resource, regardless of whether or not these tiny miraculous gobs of goo are really people yet. Many on the far right use the "slippery slope" argument. They seem to think that if the research moves forward, soon we'll be cloning people for replacement parts like lego pieces. Plus, they really do believe that because these embryos could, under all the right circumstances, end up being people, that they have an obligation to protect these future Republicans - as usual, worrying far more about the idea of a possible FUTURE person than they do about the people who are already alive and kicking, especially if they happen to be something other than white Americans. I was thinking, using that logic, isn't every egg a potential person? Isn't every sperm a potential person? After all, all that has to happen, is that they'd have to meet in a warm, nutritiously rich environment - like a womb, or a climate controlled laboratory, and BINGO!... instant little Billy - or little Suzy! So... I envision this conversation somewhere in this country - and far sooner than I'd like. ------------------------ "Oh dear. (she's crying uncontrollably) I'm afraid I lost the baby." "Huh? What baby? You're pregnant?" "No... but... my... my... (she sobs) my period started. I'm flushing an egg out of my body. It was a potential life!" "But, hun... I don't get it. Why are you so upset? In fact, I'm a little concerned. Are you sexually active" "No Dad. Of course not. I'm only twelve years old." "Yeah, I know. So... so, where did you get the idea that this was so tragic? You've been having your period for almost a year." "I learned about it in Creation Class." "Creation Class?" "Every single egg.. (she's wailing now) ...is a potential BABY. I lost my Baby!" "Creation Class. What is that?" "Well, that's what the kids call it. It's really 'Introduction to Intelligent Design.' " ------------------------- -- Yep. There's a slippery slope all right. It's just that it goes down the other side of the hill. Be good to everybody. |
| So, what about it? |
| 05.22.05 (5:43 pm) [edit] |
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Good afternoon Boys and Girls, surrogate here, A simple question: What is it that makes people think they have the right to force the rest of the world to believe the way they do? In this country, we seem to be getting closer and closer to a time when a large group of people, though still a minority by a long shot, will dictate the way the country is run because of beliefs they have incorporated into their political stances that, when and if they are asked the right questions - and assuming honest answers - would still force them to admit that what they are doing runs contrary to the way the faith they profess is supposed to manifest itself. Back before the election, I put a link on this blog to a parody commercial (a spoof on the swift boat ad) that contrasted Jesus' expressed opinions on various issues with the way George Bush and his team set policy regarding those same topics. Plus it was done to point out how ruthless GW's election organization was, as far as trashing anyone, for any reason, if they got in the way of his reelection. A couple of the lines, spoken by a deep voiced announcer who was trying to sound derisive, were "Jesus is soft on crime" and "Jesus will raise your taxes." Even though it's satirical, it happens to be true. Yep, compared to George W. Bush, Jesus was a real softy. I'm pretty darn sure that Jesus would not have put 157 inmates to death in Texas, even though they were murderers. He would have let God do the judging. I'm also pretty sure Jesus would not have set a tax policy that rewards the rich at the expense of the poor. It's absurd. It's stupid, and it's decidedly un-Christ-like. Which is fine, except that they use their professed "Christian values" as the rational and justification for implementing those very policies. And, folks, we're not talking about specific and individual things Christ said that can be parsed a bunch of different ways, and perhaps, wrongly interpreted. Here we're talking, mainly about the whole thrust of his teachings. Over and over, Christ made it clear that the most important thing we can do is love one another and care for the poor. It would seem to me, that if we're going to have a government that "uses" Jesus, ought-en we listen to the most important things he said? - the things he said time and time again? These people like to spend more time with the "telephone" version of Christianity. Remember the kids' party game where everyone sits in a circle, then one person whispers a couple of sentences into the next person's ear, and then that person passes it on to the next person and so on till it gets around the circle, and then you ask the last person to speak what they heard out loud? it's hilarious, the kids love it and it teaches an interesting lesson. In fact, try this: type a sentence - any sentence. Copy it then go to yahoo or google (I use babelfish) and translate it from English into another language and then, from that language into another, and finally back into English. See what happens. I did it with this sentence: "Our president may not be perfect or even right all the time, so opposing his view is not evil or wrong." first English to German then German to French then French to English got this: "Unser the president cannot have perfectly or even the right whole time, therefore, its opinion is nonbad or false to be opposed." And these are three related languages! Now, throw in a few thousand years of language use changes, different alphabets, people with their own opinion to impart, and finally, a premise that's flawed from the get-go. Jesus NEVER said that the Bible was to be taken literally (even the old testement, which is all that was around when he was), because it can't be, and yet these people who are making decisions for us, on their own behalf, (remember the goal is to make a country fit for their beliefs, not for everyone) think that what they are doing is the will of God. All I can say is: God, keep us safe from the people who've forgotten you gave us brains for a purpose. Be good to everyone. |
| Sneaky Pete and the Casiotones |
| 05.20.05 (9:20 am) [edit] |
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Well, hello Boys and Girls! surrogate here, and it's been two months, so it must be time for a song! Don't you think? (doo dum dum, de doot dah, doo dum dum, de doot dah..) (And the rhythm comes up as I, in a polyester baby blue tux, take center stage to unenthusiastic, and scattered applause. A flickering little spot light follows me - badly, and, as usual, the guys in the band - Louie, Smacker and Sneaky Pete - work their way through the intro to the tune "My Favorite Things." I, in my finest Dean Martin take, take a drag on my Lucky, and turning my head to the band, give a nod, a quick wink and a thumbs up, I'm snapping my fingers on the down beat of each triplet, getting into the rythym... I greet the small crowd of retirees here in the Stardust Room at the Rest Haven Assisted Living Facility and Convalescent Home.) "Hey Folks, gosh it's great to be here. Sit back and enjoy the show.. (doo dum dum, de doot dah) "Here's a little ditty the boys and I worked up, especially for YOU, YOU, and especially - YOU!!!" (I aim and shoot my index finger, gun like, at each of the fourteen people in attendance) (doo dum dum, de doot dah, (doo dum dum, de doot dah..) "Here we go..." (I start to croon...) "Isn't it won-der-ful, here at Rest Hav-en All of those years you spent, scrimp-pin' and sa-vin' Now in your seven-ties, eight-ies - or more? (I look out, questioning) Here's where you get to knock hard at death's door!" (doo dum dum, de do dah) "Yes-ter-day Char-lie, from two-thirty-seven Gave up and ditched us, Think he's in hea-ven? He hated jel-lo, En-sure and De-pends Just like the rest of you - all of his friends" (a palm-up wave across...) (chorus) "Just a mo-ment, One of si-lence Chances aren't, so slimmm, That-by this time next Thurs-day, that only his kids, Will fond-ly re-memmm-ber, himmmmm!" (doo dum dum, de doot dah, (doo dum dum, de doot dah..) "Fifty years working, then maybe, retire Maybe ten good ones, before we expire And that's if we play by the rules - win the bet, it's all we can hope for, and all that we get (doo dum dum, de doot dah) Some of you hope, to soon sleep under clover Some of you wish you could start your life over, All of us look toward our death differently Only the foolish are "sure" what will be" (chorus) ""Just a mo-ment," say our doc-tors "Won't you please sit down." These words tell us more than than we wanted to know, plus now the guy wears, a frown..." (doo dum dum, de doot dah, (doo dum dum, de doot dah..) We dream of the time, when we wished life was longer When new things we learned, made us better and stronger But now, every day we feel more ob-so-lete Have you seen these shoes, the kids wear on their feet? (doo dum dum, de doot dah) We are ALL slaves, to our mind and our bo-dy, Writing our life's book, till-we-get old and dot-ty Then, as we wither, and wrinkle with age, we grasp to the hope, that-there's still one more page (final chorus) Just a moment, I'm not ready Hey, Death, can you hear? There's a couple of things that I'd like to get right I just need one more year... (And the folks sit there... stunned, silent... and ready to kill Mr. Malon, the entertainment coordinator.) Be good to everyone. |
| Cut it the hell out. |
| 05.18.05 (3:52 pm) [edit] |
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Good afternoon Boys and Girls! Jesus reporting today from the beautiful Midwest. It's been cold here the last few days! Today is nice, but after Florida... Zowie! surrogate and I were talking over the ever-so-exciting U.S. political situation last night after we watched a repeat of that Brit, George Galloway's testimony. He sure didn't take any guff from Norm Coleman. surrogate found it funny that they would go after this little guy when over 50% of the Oil for Food money in question was funneled through a Texas company. Usually, if you're investigating a situation, says surrogate, you go after the big players, but not if they're from Texas, I guess. And today,I hear the Senate is going to have this showdown over filibusters. What a neat word! "Filibuster!" Another funny thing, actually: President Bush is insisting that every one of his nominees get an up or down vote from the full senate as though he, along with his toadies (and bosses), think every OTHER president got that sort of treatment in response to their nominees. It's just not so, but this guy, though (I'm still convinced) not a bad man, is sure starting to make me wonder about him... Okay, okay. I've been wondering for a few years now. I mean Clinton had 68 nominees that never got an up or down vote! And even if you take away the ones that either withdrew on their own, or that he withdrew, 57 never even got out of committee. This guy Bush has had over 95% of his nominees confirmed! It's like he takes any opposition to anything he proposes as a personal affront. What a spoiled brat! Imagine if I did that. Or Father. Oh well, this is just one country. There's a lot more world out there than the just the U.S. Too bad Americans have to think that they are so all-fired important based on the happy accident that they live where they do. I've been listening to some of surrogate's favorite music. I'm getting hooked on this prog he's always going on about. There's a chorus from an old song from an album I listened to twice yesterday that goes like this: "Why? Why can we never be sure till we die, or have killed for an answer? Why? Why do we suffer each race to believe that no race has been grander?" I love those lyrics. Why is it that when one group of people thinks another group of people is doing the wrong thing, the reaction is to kill them? To simple a question? Well, let's look at Iraq. Jeez. Seems like we're always talking about Iraq. Saddam was a bad guy - or rather - is a bad guy. Granted. Even if the reasons for the war were, as this new paper out of London seems to further dispute, legitimate and well founded. Why fight it? Why do Christians think it's their job to judge others when the faith they profess (in my name, by the way), specifically prohibits it? Doesn't their faith say that it's Father's job to judge? Why would they think it's okay with Father and me to kill as many people in two and a half years as Saddam did in thirty years of his ruthless rule? And further, what makes Americans in particular think that they have the right to judge cultures they don't understand? Oh. Oil. Oops. I forgot. Be good to everyone, but don't think you're more important than anyone else, or more valuable in the whole scheme of things, than any other living soul. If you insist on believing it, please leave my name out of it, and quit giving tacit approval to your government to continue it's murderous ways. It reflects badly on you. |
| Morning Pondering in B flat minor |
| 05.16.05 (9:57 am) [edit] |
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Good morning Boys and Girls! surrogate here. Anybody out there familiar with the concept of "the zone"? I still hear the term used by sports commentators every now and again and there is that silly sports talk show that uses the phrase in it's title. For few years, though, in the eighties I think, it was THE term used amongst athletes to describe the feeling one gets when everything is clicking just right. To a basketball player, it's when all they see is net every time they shoot. To a batter, it's when even the fastest fastball looks like a big fat juicy grapefruit floating toward the plate. Conversely, to a pitcher, it's when spotting the ball, at exactly the right speed - usually high and tight or down and away - is the happy result of every pitch thrown, and the ball looks to be the size of a BB to every batter one faces. Even golfers can get into a zone. Tiger Woods does it often, and when he does, it's an amazing thing to watch. To a golfer, it's when every break on every green is as apparent as though chalk lines have been drawn between your ball and the hole to show where to hit each putt and stroking it at the right speed is as easy as popping a mint in your mouth. On long shots, obstacles seem either invisible or insignificant. What causes that feeling? How can those people do those amazing things with such ease, skill and regularity. Well, without going all Wayne Dyer here, it's a combination of three things - two of which, I understand. Long hours - perhaps decades - of concentrated practice along with natural ability, or talent, are two of the three triggers for getting into "the zone." I'd guess that practice is the most important factor. Repeating motions to the point where one's nerves, muscles and thoughts are so used to working together toward a single common goal, that eventually they can do so on a subconscious level - and almost independently of our conscious brain (other that to put the actions into motion) - at the time peak performance is required, in fact HAS to be the most important factor. And, of course, all this repeated practice can certainly be bolstered by a natural predilection for the tasks at hand. But what else is there? What's the third and determining factor? And why the hell am I writing about this? Well, I'm writing about it, to answer the third question first, because I want to find it for myself. I LOVE to write. Sometimes, I even think I have some valuable things to say. Rarely, however, am I satisfied that I've said what I meant to say when I've finished saying it. Then, of course, there's the problem of trying to be so extremely clear and precise that a single sentence ends up becomming a verbose multi-headed snake of such length and ferocity that by the time you've finished writing it, you're still not sure that, first; its a complete sentence, secondly; it makes sense, and third; (once again) that is says what you wanted it to say. Of course, the other problem is that what I have to say, may, in fact, interest no one. How will I know if it's because of what I've said or how I've said it? Yipes. I'm in the middle of a third, and (I assure you) final rewrite of a lengthy story. I actually finished the second rewrite almost two years ago, and put it aside, as trying to make a living got in the way and thus, forced my hand. Now however, having given up on trying to make a living, I am doing my level best to finish the damn thing to my satisfaction - and this is where my curiosity about "getting into a zone," or at least trying to, comes into play. See, I'm vain enough to hope I have a modicum of talent - plus I sure do practice! I write every day and have for years. So then, when is it my time to feel the magic spark that will give me the ability, at least for a while, to finally zap this damn book into shape to the point a publisher will jump up and down to publish it? Is there a pill? Will steroids help? How about a little stuffed tiger cover for my computer mouse? I've been perusing the self help sections of of the libraries and book stores to glean (from the covers mind you, since I would never actually spend the time READING a self help book that Oprah or Dr. Phil didn't specifically recommend) the information as to how to go about "catching the sparks of greatness" to use in my own life and in my silly novel. Let me tell you, there are as many paperback theories out there on the subject as there are ways for you to order your Whopper at Burger King after Barnes and Nobel uncerimoniously kicks you out of the store for using your brand new black sharpy to draw little devil horns on Dr. Phil on the dust jacket photos of every single copy of his new book on all five free standing strategically displayed custom cardboard fixtures that have been thoughtfully placed at high traffic locations throughout their fine establishment, and in which the management sees little humor, even after you explain that it took you over six hours complete the task since in addition to drawing the horns, you went to the trouble of opening each book to the dedication page and there signed the name "Lucifer" in flowing script which has caused you no small case of writers cramp! Come on forces of nature! I just want a reason to pump my fist in triumph. I'll even wear a red shirt on Sunday. Be good to everyone! (Okay, okay... sorry about Dr. Phil and Oprah. I was kidding.) |
| Dobson, James: dangerously silly |
| 05.13.05 (11:11 am) [edit] |
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Good morning Boys and Girls! surrogate here. Read this please, then come back: http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewCulture.asp?Page=" title="http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewCulture.asp?Page=" target="_blank"http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewC...%3E%3E%3ECulture%3E%3E%3E archive%3E%3E%3E200505%3E %3E%3ECUL20050512b.html Notice how James Dobson calls the Federal Judges tyrants? Judges who work to ensure that ALL of our citizens are free to live their lives as they see fit are now tyrants. Be afraid. Be very afraid. If you know anyone who supports this idea of a constitutional amendment to prohibit gays from being able to marry, and you let them think it's okay cuz, hell, neither of you are gay... remember, next it'll be that people with other differing beliefs, and having to do with other things, other than the narrow minded (and decidedly un-Christ-like) faith people like Dobson espouse that will come under attack. Be aware of this. These people would also like to see other sexual practices made illegal. I don't need to get graphic here, but I've talked to some of these people and they'd love to see the day when any premarital, extramarital or any sort of sex outside of marriage (where the missionary position is used exclusively - and only for purposes of procreation) are punishable offenses. You think that, since the amendment would only affect Gay folk, it has nothing to do with you? Please. I can promise you; If they get their way on this - and they may - that it is simply the first step, or at least the next step toward this country becoming very like the country described in Margaret Atwood's sad novel from the eighties, "The Handmaid's Tale." What she pointed out so clearly in her novel was that a society that bases itself on the moralistic viewpoint of a small group of people - even if they are well intended and sincere in their beliefs - in the end, will be a far more disturbing and evil place than you started with, and it will always be run by those people who have the easiest time in dealing with their own hypocrisy. Remember, just because someone is sincere in their beliefs does not mean they have any more chance of being correct in what they believe than anyone else which is why our protections are afforded on the basis of INDIVIDUAL rights. No one is telling James Dobson he can't tell anyone who will listen that he thinks homosexuals should not marry. Hell, I'll support his right to say so. That doesn't mean he should have the right to keep others from, just as sincerely, believing otherwise. And really, even if he's offended by their actions, it has absolutely nothing to do with his own life. Moral outrage on his part if fine with me, if that's how he sees it. But when it goes beyond that, it's no different than a lynching in the old South where one group of people decides to impose their idea of how the world ought to be on others, and how it affects them (the victims) is of no consequence to the bigots, because, after all, they aren't REAL people, are they? If Dobson and his ilk were truly sure of their stance and their message, they'd have faith in their own ability to make others CHOOSE to live according to their wacky doctrines. But since they know the argument is so weak, and has little chance of convincing any but the dullest among us, Dobson, and others like him, want to use the stick of a constitutional amendment to give the stale and soggy message the clout that's missing from their logic. The example my Dad used when I was a child to explain the extent of a person's individual rights was simple and easy to understand. He'd say, "Extend your arms and twirl around. See? You have the right to do that all you like - until you get so close to another person that you might hit them. Then you have to stop, because at that moment, you start to infringe on THEIR rights. I'm not sure how I feel about gays marrying, but how I feel about it isn't the point. I don't get to swing my arms into their life decisions, so on that basis alone, I, and as far as I can figure, any person who truly loves freedom MUST oppose the whole idea of any law that prohibits our citizens from swinging their own arms in any manner they choose within the confines of their own decisions about their own lives. Be good to everyone. Even that foolish, narrow minded goober, James Dobson. |
| Foggy Notions |
| 05.12.05 (3:05 pm) [edit] |
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Good afternoon Boys and Girls! Oh man.... how the days fly by sometimes, especially when you're traveling, or more properly, when I'M traveling. (Far be it from me to speak for others.) Let's see. - It's colder here than Florida. Soo-prize, Soo-prize! - in the lovable twang of Jim Nabor's Gomer Pyle - a twang I heard a good deal of over the past few dozen hours. - The leaves haven't even finished budding on many trees and it's a tad more chilly than "crisp." - I seem to have upset a friend with an opinion of mine that, while at least based on what I've read, might be at odds with that person's more learned take on the subject. Oy. As I've said before, I could care less about being "right." I'm much more concerned with being corrected if I'm wrong. I don't like wasting my time holding tightly on to ideas or opinions I've formed if they are either incorrect, or based on inaccurate data. Correct me world! May each of my days be a used in a way that allows me to take the opportunity to learn from as many realiable sources as possible as well as from my mistakes and, more importantly - especially if I'm bright enough to do so - from other peoples' goof-ups as well. Next. I've been out of touch with the political scene for most of the past week, and I'm reminded by my own - uh, remiss-ness(?) of why so many people ignore politics on regular basis, and perhaps why subsequently, our country is so lame with regards to getting our collective asses to the polls on election days. It's been NICE! I haven't gotten mad at President Bush in about five days! Of course, in my heart, I know that he's out there doing his level best to make our country a wonderful place in which to be filthy rich at the expense of everyone else, but I must say that, all in all, not paying attention to the news has been akin to taking a mental vacation - a between course sorbet as a synaptic pallet cleanser, perhaps. My blood pressure is down, I'd guess, from normal to really, REALLY normal. My non-existent ulcers continue to not make new and deeper scars into the lining of my tum-tum. Why, I haven't had Dick Cheney's smug edifice slip into one of my dreams and yap about how Halliburton is as pure as the driven snow - followed by a glaringly terse "go f*ck yourself" - and that always just as the dream was getting to the really good hot'n'steamy sexy stuff - in almost eight days! I guess this is how life is for those folks who just ignore the bastards all the time! I GET IT! It IS a quality of life issue. That must mean that if you really take the ultimate half-gainer into the blizzard of gleeful ignorance and start to actually swallow the party-line spew, life must get so incredibly peachy that, after a while, you just can't get yourself to muster the courage to question even the obvious lies. Like one lemming said to the next lemming, "Wow! This following the guy out front is easy. I'm going to have to give this some serious lack-of-thought." Enjoy your day good people - and don't beat the hell out of anyone. In fact: Be good to everyone. contact us at justplainoldjesus@gmail.com |
| Wide Brush - Broad Strokes |
| 05.07.05 (3:00 pm) [edit] |
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Good afternoon Boys and Girls! surrogate here with a few thoughts about an email I received a few days ago. Someone went back into some of my old posts from last year and after reading my take on the War decided (for me, I assume) that I must hate America. It was pointed out to me by this person that anyone who opposes our involvement in Iraq is, by that very fact, Un-American and decidedly (I'll quote here...) "a filthy pig who deserves to be stuck into a room with Saddam for eternity so he can screw you the way he screwed his country." ...nice. I wonder. Are we so foolish as to believe that the pattern of decisions being made in Washington on behalf of our country are going to make us stronger? Or safer? Or more admired by the community of nations? Are we so foolish as to think that this war has made Iraq a stronger country? And how can people who claim to love the freedoms afforded by our constitution be blind to the fact, for instance, that if George Bush gets his way and manages to get this goofy plan of his through to partially privatize Social Security, that the trillion dollars we'll need to borrow to bridge the money gap over the first few years of implementation (even assuming it works well) will in all likelihood come from China? Isn't it enough that our standard of living is already subsidized by Chinese prison laborers, some of whom are imprisoned because of their protests against their own government's policies and practices? (I'll always remember David Cross's bit about how after 9-11, we were blasted by that one infomercial trying to sell us little U.S. Flag kits, "to show your patriotism in our time of trouble." He pointed out that those cute little plastic static cling flags (10 for just $14.95, but if you order in the next ten minutes...) were not only made in China, but were indeed made by political prisoners.) We've all heard the argument ever since the war started, and even before that, that Saddam's regime was heartless and cruel to his citizens on a daily basis for a generation and a half. Well, I'm certainly not arguing that the guy was anything but a thug and murderer with whom the world is better off without. What I don't understand, and perhaps never will, is how we picked such a small fry nation to make these complaints about when there are many other countries, both larger and smaller than Iraq, with whom we have far larger and more easily justifiable beefs. The truth of the matter is that this was "doable" - at least to the fools who make the decisions. They are only slightly less concerned with the way it all turns out than they are with whether or not you actually see your social security when it's time for you to receive it. To them, it's all (in GBII speak) "philly-soff-frickle." The deaths of our soldiers and the Iraqi people are only incidental to their quest to to make our country a more clearly defined two tiered society. President Bush's allegiance is to his "class." They benefit from the way the pie is split and every single decision they make, in the end, is aimed toward making sure that they keep the knife and the pie pan. From the relaxation of the forestry regs last week, to making nice-nice with the religious right at every turn, it's all about power and money. (The religious right is simply being used anyway. When push comes to shove, the only reason the Republicans have been kowtowing to those folks is to get that 15% of the vote. Soon, however, they may have to pay the piper on that decision, because the James Dobson/Pat Robertson/Jerry Falwells of the world, along with their numerous, if lessor known brethren are starting to claim ownership of the G.O.P and it is scaring the bejesus out of the very people who came up with the strategy and thought they could control that situation.) I know this reads like the rantings of a lunatic and or an avowed Marxist. I know I'm not in the second category, though I'm unable to make an unbiased claim regarding the first. Regardless, I try not to go this broad very often to avoid sounding like a conspiracy theory nut-job, but the patterns are becoming so stark, and so easily recognizable, that sometimes I wish I had no ability to see them. Remember the math from first or second grade? 1,3,5,7,_,11 Fill in the missing number. These Bozos make it that easy to see what they're up to. I wish I'd been absent when the teacher passed out the test. See Spot run? Run Spot! Run! Be good to everyone. |
| Stop Worrying! |
| 05.04.05 (11:47 am) [edit] |
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Good morning Boys and Girls! Jesus reporting today with a column I wrote Saturday after watching surrogate's kid play... I enjoyed them and the rest of the music, but perhaps not to the extent surrogate would have you believe. Not that he's lying, or even exaggerating, mind you, it's just that I got as much of a kick watching surrogate enjoy himself as I did listening to the music. He's been down for much of the last few months and I got to see him smile the smile I'm used to seeing on his face this weekend. He loves his kids so much that he's just not the same when he doesn't get to see them very often. I know that's true for a lot of people, and I think its sort of the way Father wanted things to be. He created that bond for a reason, and I know it's purpose is more important than just feeling comfortable with people you care about. When people are parents, at least decent people, they can never let go of the need to see that their kids are alright, to see that they are happy and either content or on their way to becoming content. I contend that one of the main ways to ensure that happening is for parental couples to do whatever it takes to stay together and create the sort of home that their own kids want to copy, and thus create for themselves. When that doesn't happen, It's twice as important for parents to do whatever they can to show the kids they are loved completely. I know surrogate worries that his kids don't feel loved that way all the time because of some of his own failures over the last few years since his divorce. I keep trying to assure him that they know it, but it has been difficult for him, nonetheless. I know his heart is in the right place, but I sort of wish he was able to relax and just not worry about it so much. And that goes for the rest of you as well. I'd love for all of you to stop worrying so much about things you either don't control at all or over things that may happen in spite of your best efforts. Just keep plugging. Keep on keeping on, as they say, but worry is simply a waste of time. Remember, you can't do anything positive when you freeze yourself up worrying. Relax folks. Breathe a little slower. Worry isn't love, and don't confuse the two. Be good to everyone! contact surrogate and me at justplainoldjesus@gmail.com |
| Rushed.! |
| 05.03.05 (7:49 pm) [edit] |
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Hi Boys and Girls! Not much time to write, but wanted to let everyone know I'll have a new post on Thursday at the latest. The sights I've seen the last few days are certainly worth writing about, but I just don't have time right now. I have finished up an decent couple of interview sessions with Jesus I'll post by the end of the week. He was into it for a couple of hours. Thanks for the patience! Be good to everyone! |
| Tears of pride... |
| 05.01.05 (7:55 am) [edit] |
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Good morning Boys and Girls! Wow. Fun show! Son-o-mine has fought a cold all week and his voice wasn't up to snuff, but he made it through with aplomb and they kicked off the show in real style. I was very pleased. Jesus LOVED it! He'd never heard much of that kind of music and he said he was really surprised by the musicianship - but maybe he was kissing up a bit, since he knew how proud I was feeling. What was funny to me was how old most of the fans were. Mostly guys, (maybe 65%) I'd guess the average age of the folks there was certainly north of thirty, which made me feel a little better. (I'd been afraid I'd look like the weird old man in the school yard. Jesus still looks thirty-ish so he fit right in.) T-shirts from ELP, Yes, Jethro Tull, King Crimson as well as dozens of lessor known, but equally talented Prog bands, were worn by the attendees of the sold out festival. We prog fans love to pay homage to the roots of the genre. Even saw a guy wearing a t-shirt with my brother's band on it. I wore a polo shirt, but Jesus came waltzing back from the vendor's shop wearing a shirt with my son's band on it. What a guy! Oh, a word about the theater... The festival is being held at the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, P.A. which is celebrating it's 100th anniversary. They sell all kinds of memorabilia and like so many of the old theaters of it's sort, it too has a bunch of supporters who give money to keep it preserved. Well, some of the items they sell there are DVDs and video tapes of "The Blob" (a hilarious 50's arch-type horror film that plays like a send-up of the style) which had a few of its scenes shot at the theater. It's been a blast and goes on today with four more bands taking the stage starting at eleven o'clock this morning. Jesus went to the patrons party last night at the Sheraton with the bands and got in late, so he's still snoring away. I was tired and was in bed by midnight. Great Fun! Be good to everyone...and to quote my kid: "...she looks outside to see it's morning, |
Cost of the War in Iraq
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American Deaths in Iraq:
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