Tag: opinion

Bathrooms? Really?

Let’s review. In parts of the world people are starving, dying of AIDS, or unable to find clean drinking water. Soldiers and paramilitary are raping and killing missionaries and other civilians. Young women and children are kidnapped and sold into sex slavery. Terrorists are blowing up buildings over poorly drawn cartoons. Refugees are losing their homes and homeland and literally everything they have, and they have nowhere to turn.

Meanwhile, in this country race relations between police and the black community are at their worst since maybe the 70’s, Flint Michigan is creating a generation of special needs children from lead poisoning in their drinking water, the war on drugs continues to imprison the wrong people, the only job growth is in low wage jobs but everyone’s okay with low wage workers living in poverty, health care is still our biggest expense and we still don’t have a good plan for dealing with it, an entire generation is living with their parents because they can’t afford student loans and to live on their own, and again we’re all okay with that, not to mention in a few months one of four possible idiots with the best of intentions will begin putting bad policies in place that will only make things fantastically worse, and may even possibly bring an end to an American Republic that has otherwise withstood over 200 years of well-intentioned idiots.

And our biggest issue is: Who can use which bathroom?

Seriously? That’s the problem? That’s where we draw the line in the sand?

A little over a hundred years ago most of us didn’t even have indoor plumbing. As a species we’ve been pooping and peeing in front of ourselves for hundreds of thousands of years. Now suddenly we’re shy about sharing a potty with someone who is different.

If that’s really the biggest problem in your life, then get down on your knees and thank God with everything you’ve got, because you’ve got a pretty freaking wonderful life.

Otherwise, knock it off. Forget about who’s peeing where, and try focusing on some of the things going on around you that are truly worthy of your indignation.

And while we’re on the subject, let’s stop for a moment and be honest about what we’re really afraid of. There is no epidemic of male perverts sneaking into women’s rooms. It’s just not happening, not to the extent that it can’t be dealt with using existing laws. A guy follows your wife or little girl into the bathroom with bad intent? Yeah, obviously, beat the living crap out of him, no jury will convict you. We don’t need a law saying he can’t go in there. And by the way you could be prosecuted under that same law if you go in there to pull him out.

No, be honest, predatory perverts in public restrooms is not a huge pressing issue. What we’re really afraid of is… transvestites.

I say “we” collectively, because I have to believe, if you’re afraid of transvestites, it can only be because you’ve never met one. Honestly, there is no one on the planet who has ever met a transvestite who is still afraid of transvestites. They are literally the least threatening people alive. Sadly, they are often the people who have spent their whole lives getting beat up. They are not the predators. They are the prey.

So, if that’s your fear, face it. Go meet a transvestite. Find out for yourself how “scary” they really are. I’m telling you, you won’t regret it. Anyone who is brave enough, or crazy enough, or unconcerned enough, or whatever, to put a dress on over a penis and go out in public, knowing the public’s reaction dress-covered penises, THAT is someone you want to talk to.

Harriet Tubman on the $20…

Conservative reaction: It is political correctness run amok, it is nothing but pandering to women and minorities. Andrew Jackson was a great president and a war hero, and he deserves his place on the twenty.

Liberal reaction: Well it’s about time, Harriet Tubman was a hero who saved thousands of lives, while Andrew Jackson’s relocation of tens of thousands of Native Americans resulted in literally thousands of unnecessary deaths.

My reaction: Hmm…  Okay.

Branding

It occurs to me….

If you don’t hate poor people, you’re branded a “liberal”.

If you don’t hate rich people, you’re branded a “conservative”.

So two questions…

1) When did we begin defining our political affiliations based on hate?

and more importantly….

2) I don’t hate poor people. I don’t hate rich people. On the other hand, I do hate people in general. What does that make me, politically speaking?

Lives Matter

I have held off commenting on the whole “Black Lives Matter” controversy for quite some time, mostly because I can’t believe it is even possible for there to be a controversy. I seriously thought I was imagining it. Apparently I am not. So…. hang on, we’re gonna have to think this one through.

Let’s break it down….

It’s a pretty simple statement. Black Lives Matter. Who in their right mind could possibly argue otherwise? Seriously, how do you argue against that statement?

Then I realized. In my logical, English-speaking mind, the opposite of “Black Lives Matter” is the simple negation, “Black Lives Don’t Matter”. Who would believe that? Who would think that? What kind of racist monster would even suggest saying Black Lives Don’t Matter?

Nobody. No one would. That’s not it. That’s not how it works. First…. you have to twist the message.

Transform “Black Lives Matter” into “Only Black Lives Matter” , then…. now you’ve got something. Them’s fightin words. Now you can work up all your righteous indignity and respond with “All Lives Matter”. All Lives mother-&@#$! That’s right, you ain’t special. All Lives Matter.

But… There’s a problem with that. A big, fundamental problem: Nobody is saying “Only Black Lives Matter”. Nobody. Nobody is saying “Black Lives Matter More”. Nobody is saying “White Lives Don’t Matter.”

Nobody. No. Not anybody. Stop it. Just Stop. Nobody.

The only thing the “Black Lives Matter” movement is saying, is…. wait for it….. Black. Lives. Matter. Just those three words. That’s it. That’s all. Nothing more. Nothing less. It really is that simple.

Only in America would people think “All Lives Matter” is the logical opposite of “Black Lives Matter”.

Do we not understand subsets?

Of course All Lives Matter. Of course Black Lives Matter. These are not mutually exclusive. After all “Black” is part of “All” right? Black people are part of All people, right?

Wait…. now I think I see the problem…

Super Bowl Halftime Show

Just an observation…

As I’ve been browsing facebook today, I’ve noticed a lot of comments along the lines of Beyonce’s outfit was inappropriate, or the lyrics were not appropriate, or they were offended by the “black panther” style costumes or “black power” gestures. And something occurred to me.

These are the very same people, in many cases, that complain about people today are too easily offended, that people are too sensitive to every little thing, that political correctness has run amok, and political correctness is just ruining this country. We need to say no to political correctness, speak our minds, stop filtering, and stop worrying so much about offending others.

So what I’ve gathered is this. When white people say or do something inappropriate, black people need to calm down and not get so offended by it, don’t be so sensitive, after all it’s a free country, and we’re not hurting nobody, and we’re all free to express ourselves any way we like.

But when black people say or do something inappropriate, black people need to realize what they’re doing is offensive to others, this is not the right time or place, and they need to take that somewhere else, or keep it to themselves, because we don’t want to see it. Show some sensitivity. That there are boundaries and decorum and folks shouldn’t just go around willy-nilly expressing themselves any way they like.

Again, just an observation, feel free to discuss…

The Shining City upon a Hill

I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That’s how I saw it and see it still.

— Ronald Reagan

San Bernardino, by the numbers

NY Times coverage on San Bernardino included the following two facts:

Since 9/11…
Number of Americans killed by Muslim Extremists: 45
Number of Americans killed by non-Muslim Extremists: 48

Let’s play a little game — let’s see if we can identify the common denominator in these two statements, shall we?

Is it “Muslim”? bzzzt! No. Try again.
Is it “Extremists”? ding, ding, ding. YES! It’s Extremists!

It is EXTREMISTS who are killing people. Extremists are the threat. Extremists are the danger. Muslim or otherwise.

We’ve done this math before, but just for review…

How many Muslims in the world? 1.6 Billion
How many of those are extremists that want to come here and kill us? Maybe 300,000 total, worst case, ISIS and Al-Qaeda combined.

That’s less than 2/100ths of 1 percent of all Muslims.

Yes, 300 thousand is a big number. But 1.6 billion is a much bigger number. That means there are 1 billion, 599 million, 700 thousand Muslims who really just aren’t that interested in killing us.

To be fair, you can’t expect Donald Trump to know this — the man bankrupted four casinos — clearly he’s not very good with numbers.

It’s ONE day… (Thanksgiving)

It’s Thanksgiving tomorrow. Stay home. Be with the ones you love. Let the retailers do the same…

(A few words from a retailer and dear friend of mine…)

It’s ONE day. I’m a retailer. I’m a capitalist. I NEED people to shop. But I’ve already given up my Sundays with my family for working for a public that is also working so much that often they only have Sundays to shop together, but I’m also willing to say in a public forum that I’m not happy about the Sunday work, not one little bit. But Thanksgiving has been set aside for thankfulness, contemplation, and reflection. It is SUPPOSED to be a pause-and-think moment. In even small-town American, I now work New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, etc. You’ll literally have to shoot me before I work on Christmas Day and Easter, but this nation has lost the meaning of this holiday. Shame on everyone shopping. No, I am not condemning the stores opening. In many cases, if they closed and lost those sales to competitors in this economy, it could mean business death. SHAME ON THE SHOPPERS. Knock it off! STOP! It is ONE DAY! I’ll be working every day, literally EVERY day, from Friday morning until Christmas Day. You’ll have ample opportunity to shop, and our economy and us business owners depend upon it. But just this ONE day, stop and be thankful, and let many of us have just one day off work, something for which some of us are more thankful than some shoppers must realize.

— Jeff Haddan

Today’s Lesson from the Bible

Then He will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

“For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.”

They will answer “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?”

He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these [brothers and sisters of mine], you did not do for me.”

They will answer again, “But Lord, they were… refugees.”

And He will say, “Oh… well…. then that’s okay then.”

Ben Carson’s “Testimony”

First, let me say I do not think all Christians are liars. I have met many who are not. Many are good, honest, hard-working, people.

I will even go as far as to say it’s possible there are some Evangelicals out there who are not liars. Somewhere. Maybe. So I’ve heard. There have to be, right?

But… I’ve seen this game first hand, and all too often. This “testimony” performance that’s required of Evangelicals. Might as well call it “Lying for Jesus”. The thing is, these people actually believe it’s okay to “exaggerate” or “embellish” their story, if it means “saving” someone. So yeah, they are perfectly comfortable with people having their conversion, and by extension their entire faith, based upon a lie. Just so long as it gets them to heaven.

And what’s more, they then have the audacity to expect you to believe everything else they say as cold hard fact, even while they continue to “exaggerate” and “embellish”. And they become genuinely offended when you refuse to believe them. This is why I have such a hard time taking them seriously about anything. Especially when they run for president.

As to the argument that Jesus told stories too… Yes, Jesus told parables, but… It was always clear to the listener that he was telling a parable. And he never, ever, told one of his stories as if they were his own actual personal experiences. So no, fluffing up your award-winning “testimony” story is not the same as Jesus telling a parable. Not even close.