Middle Ground (opinion) – Page 7

Sex, Birth Control, and Public Policy (A Pragmatic Approach)

Okay, first of all I get the idea of personal responsibility. I do. If you’re going to have sex, you should be responsible enough to provide for your own birth control. I get that, but…

As a matter of public policy, for the greater good of everyone involved (i.e. all of us), and beyond that, as a practical matter, as to what actually costs the taxpayers less money…

You are opposed to abortion. You are opposed to unwed mothers and single parent families. You are opposed to “welfare mothers” having babies just to receive more handouts. Your are opposed to illegal immigrants having “anchor babies”. All valid positions, but explain to me then why on earth you are also opposed to providing free birth control.

It seems to me that providing free birth control (and education to go with it) is not only the best way to address each of those issues, it is also the most cost effective way to address each of those issues.

To me it seems simple. If you want poor people to stop having babies, if you want poor people to stop having abortions. Give them birth control, and show them how to use it.

(And please don’t give me the abstinence nonsense either. Asking people to stop having sex is both absurd and naïve. It is contrary to human nature, and any time you try to fight human nature I guarantee you will lose. It’s a fact of life. Literally.)

That you are also opposed to birth control tells me you are not interested in actually solving the problem. It tells me that either you are caught up in some religious or ideological argument that has no basis in reality. Or that you hate women. Or that you hate poor people. Or both. Or all three.

Whatever your reason or reasons, I say this to you. Get over it. Seriously, get the fuck over it. Get over it, stop arguing just for the sake of arguing, and set about actually trying to fix the problem. And for God’s sake, if you can’t do that, at least stop making it worse.

</rant>

Science (GMO’s)

I’ve had the same thoughts rattling around in my head the past few days, but Vanessa Miller put it in words much better than I could…

The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the AAAS Board said, the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the British Royal Society, and ‘every other respected organization that has examined the evidence has come to the same conclusion: consuming foods containing ingredients derived from GM crops is no riskier than consuming the same foods containing ingredients from crop plants modified by conventional plant improvement techniques.

20 years of testing has found nothing. So we either make our crops stronger or we douse them in poisons that we know are harmful to us and the environment.

I choose science!

— Vanessa Miller

What should we do about Crimea?

Seems like everybody’s talking about what the US should do about Crimea. And by everybody, I mean mostly the 24 hour news-o-tainment channels, but they’re all asking: What should the US do about Crimea? What should the US do about Ukraine? What should the US do about Russia? What should the US do about Putin? What should the US do? You wanna know what the US should do? I’ll tell you what the US should do. Fuck All. That’s what we should do. We should do fuck all about Crimea. We have no interest in Crimea. None. Zero. It is simply none of our business.

You know who has an interest in Crimea? Crimeans, they live there. You know who else has an interest? Ukraine, it’s part of their country. You know who else? Russia, apparently most Crimeans are ethnically Russian (whatever that means). And you know who else? Europe. Sort of. Well, Crimea is Europe-adjacent. And they are a trading partner with Ukraine. And with Russia. So, yes, Europe has some interest in Crimea.

But you know who has no interest in Crimea? Trinidad and Tobago. They have no interest. None. You know who else has no interest? Papua New Guinea. They have no interest either. You know who else? The United States. Do we trade with Ukraine? No, not really. Is Ukraine a member of NATO? No, not yet anyway. Do we have some other defense treaty with Ukraine? No, we do not. Do we have any kind of friendship or special relationship with Ukraine? Nope. Nothing. Nada. Has Ukraine even asked us to do anything? No, they have not. Has anybody, outside of Fox News? No.

So here’s what we should do. We should stay the fuck out of it. All the way the fuck out of it. We should tell Ukraine, Russia, and Crimea, “Look, you guys work it out amongst yourselves, alright? We’ll be over here fracking around for oil. You just let us know what you decide. ‘kay? Cool.”

Duck Dynasty

A few random thoughts on this whole Duck Dynasty nonsense…

1. Yes, Phil Robertson is entitled to his opinion, regardless of how backwoods bible-thumping ignorant it may be. Seriously, have you seen the show – what did you expect?

2. Yes, A&E is entitled to fire him. They haven’t yet, he’s only been “suspended”, whatever that means, but if they decide Phil’s opinions do not represent A&E in a way they would like to be represented, they are within their rights to fire him. (If Phil worked for me, as a public representative of my business, I would fire him, or at least strongly consider it.)

3. Yes, freedom of speech still exists. Freedom of speech means the government cannot throw you in jail for something you say publicly (or privately). It does NOT mean you are guaranteed to keep your job. You are not. Don’t believe me, try saying something derogatory about your employer and see what happens. No one is going to throw Phil in jail for any dumb ass thing he’s said in GQ magazine.

4. Bigotry is NOT faith. It is bigotry. Now I don’t know whether Phil Robertson has hate in his heart, and I don’t really care, that’s between him and his god. But, to blindly defend bigoted attitudes by saying it’s “faith” is a cop-out. It wasn’t that long ago that many southerners defended segregation as being part of their “faith”. Mixed race relationships were condemned as a sin, and churches refused to perform mixed race weddings. All as an expression of “faith”. Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but… it was bullshit then, and it’s bullshit now.

5. If you want to follow Jesus, read what he wrote. He was all about acceptance and love, not condemnation and hate. On the other hand, if you want to follow the teachings of the old testament, like the ones Phil quoted, read the whole old testament and learn to follow ALL of the teachings. Don’t just pick out the ones that support your ignorant ass opinion. Say goodbye to bacon and lobster, and for god’s sake stop wearing cotton and linen together. And don’t get me started on the sin of crop rotation. And if you got a tattoo, oh well, you’re pretty much screwed.

6. Religion based on hate and condemnation is a cancer on society. Period. I don’t care which god they purport to serve. If you’re not sure about what your church teaches, ask yourself, does it all come down to love and acceptance, or does it come down condemnation and punishment. If it’s the latter, and you’re okay with that, do me a favor and just go ahead and reach for that “unfriend” button right now. The older I get the less patience I have for that kind of nonsense in my life.

“Happy Holidays”

First, let me preface by saying, I don’t get offended when people say “Happy Holidays”, and I don’t get offended when people say “Merry Christmas”. I do get annoyed by people who insist that only one greeting is correct, and who take offense if they do not receive their correct greeting. Otherwise I think this whole greeting thing is blown way out of proportion and people should just lighten up and be glad people are actually talking nicely to each other for a change.

I said all that just so I could say this. I saw a “Happy Holidays” sign today…. wait for it…. at a Christmas Tree lot.

I would think that out of all the places in the world where you might be inclined to say “Merry Christmas” in a retail environment, the one place where you would actually WANT to would be where the ONLY thing you sell is Christmas Trees. But that’s just me….

The Southern Class System

Recent comments on the seeming inequity of how the “Stand Your Ground” law is applied in Florida have been popping up all over the Internet. Some seem confused or surprised by the results, but to me it seemed a perfectly logical, albeit inherently unfair, and frequently sad, outcome.

What people are failing to recognize is this: Even though we like to think of ourselves as a “classless” society, and that we are all equal under the law, the southern class system, as old as the South itself, still plays a large role in everyday life in much of Florida. This is no more true anywhere than in the way criminal law is applied in our courts.

I suppose I’ve spent so much time living here that I just sort of assumed everyone knew how things really worked, but if you don’t understand the southern class system, I imagine much of what happens in the Florida courts will be a complete mystery to you.

Please understand – I do NOT advocate this class system, I would like very much for it to become a thing of the past. I am documenting it here so that we can all recognize it for what it is – and if we see it, and know it, and become aware of it, we can work to remove it, and maybe one day realize our ideals of true equality under the law.

So, this is meant to educate, not to offend. Apologies in advance to any of you who don’t know me or understand this concept. Anyhow, it goes something like this.

The Southern Class System
=====================

White Males
Horses
Hunting Dogs
White Women
Cattle
English Speaking Foreigners (Brits, Aussies, etc)
Other Proper Foreigners (Germans, Swiss, etc)
Frenchmen
Irishmen, Italians, and Poles
Other Farm Animals
Chinamen and Mexicans
Northerners
Dark-skinned people who aren’t really Black Folk
Black Folk
Ticks, Fleas, and other Parasites
The Devil Himself
Carpet-Baggers (a specific type of Northerner)

NOTES:
1. You may notice Gays are not included, they would be classified under “Frenchmen”.
2. Jews do not require a separate classification, most of them are already “Northerners” anyway.
3. After 1945 change “Carpet-Baggers” to “Commie Pinkos”.

R.I.P. Defense of Marriage Act

So the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), yet somehow miraculously my marriage has stayed completely intact, despite my being a man married to a women. Wait, let me check… …. yep, sanctity levels holding stable. For reasons unknown, my marriage seems strangely unaffected by others now being able to marry.

Maybe, just maybe, my marriage didn’t need defending after all. (Thanks anyway Mr. Clinton.) Maybe government has no business telling me, or anyone else, who I can and can’t love. Maybe my individual freedoms are important enough to be protected from those who would deny them to me.

We’ve come a long way since our founding fathers first spoke of freedom and liberty. All along the way we’ve found various ways to deny certain others the freedoms we cherish for ourselves. But today, we take one step closer to the ideal, another barrier was removed, a wrong righted, a freedom restored.

Today I am proud to be an American. I plan to enjoy this feeling all day. We don’t get many days like this anymore. (Someone cue up the Lee Greenwood.)

Is Paula Deen a Racist?

Paula Deen says she’s not a racist. I think Paula Deen truly believes she is not a racist. I think there are many people out there, who may not realize they are a racist. I think perhaps we should give Paula Deen and others a few tips, on how to tell whether or not they might be a racist. (With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy)

– If you think having an all black wait-staff, at a plantation style wedding, is a good idea… you might be a racist.

– If you don’t know if the N-word is offensive to black people… well, you just might be a racist.

– If you don’t know WHY the N-word is offensive…. you might be a racist.

– If you think “Most jokes are about Jewish people, rednecks, black folks”… I got news for ya…. not only might you be a racist. But also… Lady you know fuck all about what’s funny.

Dealer Licensing

Do you know what the state of Florida requires you to do if you want to become an auto dealer?

– get a $25,000 bond
– get $25,000 in liability insurance
– provide proof of lease or ownership of your location
– make sure your location has a permanent structure for an office
– have DMV inspect and approve your location
– complete a 16 hour dealer training seminar
– submit fingerprints
– complete an application
– pay a $300 application fee

Do you know what the state of Florida requires you to do if you want to become a gun dealer?

– nothing
– no really, literally nothing

(In the interest of full disclosure, an ATF license is required for gun dealers in any state. The application fee is $200. It does require fingerprinting and a background check.)

In other news, the my future dream business of “Wiggins World of Wheels” will be changing it’s name slightly… to “Wiggins Weapon Wonderland”.

Gun Control

This is the last thing I will have to say on “gun control”. Feel free to argue amongst yourselves ad-infinitum. I’m out.

When I was a kid, like most kids I had an allowance, and later on a part-time job, and my dad would pretty much let me have anything I could afford to buy for myself, provided…. I was responsible with it.

If I didn’t take care of it, I would not be allowed to keep it. If I left it out in the rain, I would not be allowed to keep it. If it did not use it properly, I would not be allowed to keep it. If it posed a danger and I left it unattended where someone could hurt themselves with it, I would not be allowed to keep it. If it was valuable and I left it out were others might be tempted to steal it, I would not be allowed to keep it. In short, if I were going to own the thing, dad insisted that I be a responsible owner. If I could not be responsible with it, I would have the thing taken away from me. And dad didn’t want to hear any complaining about it – if I had a thing taken away from me, I had no one to blame but myself.

To the “responsible” gun owners out there, you want to keep your guns? Fine. Live up to your responsibility. Be responsible. Don’t just talk about it, do it. See that it’s done. Keep your guns safe, and out of the wrong hands. See that your fellow gun owners do the same. See that your gun dealers do the same. See that law enforcement has the tools they need to deal with those who fail in their responsibility. Make some hard choices about what you do and don’t need, what you can and can’t live with.

You don’t want government to interfere, fine – don’t give them a reason to. Find a way to make it happen, or your government, spurred by the parents of too many murdered children, will find a way for you. Be responsible. Be truly responsible. At this point gun owners, if you get your guns taken away from you, you will have no one to blame but yourselves.