Gratuitous Common Sense

I’ve been contemplating some changes to the site. My curiosity about having/running/using a blog has been satisfied for quite some time now. So its usefulness, at this point, is next to nothing for me.

I’ve still got plenty to say, but really have no reason to put it out there. I’ve never been one to open my mouth without provocation or invitation, so spouting my opinion on my own blog is really against my nature. The only thing that’s really stimulated me to write anything is the opportunity to learn more about the blogging world/experience in that ‘throw a rock in the pond and watch the ripples’ kind of way.

I’m not suggesting I’ve seen it all at this point, but my thirst for knowledge in this area has been quenched. If I’m going to write something, I’d rather it be in the pursuit of something more rewarding or stimulating for myself at this point. Honestly, even an online forum is a little more to my liking because there is a constant conversation, a back and forth discussion that creates a dynamic that is largely unrealized in the blogging world.

The article-comments-riposte agenda that blogs follow in lockstep is one of the toughest forms of communication. It’s already tough to communicate in writing since a large part of our indicators in live communication are non-verbal (inflection, tone, expression, volume, etc.). The thoroughness of the blog post or “article” attempts to push past those boundaries by being well developed, illustrating and explaining the point, and showing the readers the story instead of just telling them. But then the comments come… and communication, more often than not, breaks down for one reason or another. The responses are often paraphrased, summarized, or at worst knee-jerk reactions. The commenter dismisses an article that took a day to write with a sentence that took them all of 12 seconds to fully develop. The sarcasm is mistaken. The point is missed. Whether they are wrong or not doesn’t matter.

This is fast turning into an indictment of blogging, which it is not supposed to be, so I’ll stop there. Certainly, some people enjoy it, some love it, some have a different angle that genuinely helps people, some give bad advice, some write for SEO, and most are better at it than me. More power to them. I say keep doing what you’re doing as long as you’re getting what you want out of it.

As for the changes to happen here, I’m considering a number of different directions. Maybe I’ll just open up the site for anyone to author their version of common sense. Maybe setting up something new, like a forum of some kind (I haven’t learned too much about those yet). Maybe I’ll just go back to a personal site that wasn’t of interest to anyone outside of my immediate circle, y’know, like a myspace page.

Anyway, who knows. Change is brewing. I’ll play around with some ideas, consider the challenges. It’s my site, I can do what I please. That’s the beauty of it.

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I’ve haven’t been writing much recently, and when I have it’s been increasingly political. It’s an exercise in futility to try to inject common sense into politics, so it’s time to get back to basics.

What are some other common sense things that I could write about? Just to get the wheels spinning, let’s go with a random list of things you should know if you’re old enough to have pubic hair…

General Stuff

• The word “utilize” is just about entirely and universally unnecessary.
• Respect is earned… and easily lost when it’s only given because of your age.
• The promotion of Restless Legs Syndrome is a prime example of disease mongering. In matters of personal health, it’s best to consider the source and their vested interest in supplying the health information.
• There is an enormous difference between trust and faith, you would do well to learn it.

Fashion

• Axe body spray makes you smell like shit when you basically shower in it.
• Popped Collars have an inverse relationship with level of intelligence.
• Crocs are not meant to be worn in public. The only thing they go with is involuntary abstinence.

Academics

• Evolution is real… I know, because Noah didn’t have this thing on his boat.
• Numbers are not interchangeable with words in your sentences… “4″ is not an acceptable abbreviation of “for”.
• Just because there are two sides to every issue doesn’t mean that both sides are equal.

Driving

• The left lane is for passing ONLY. If you’re not passing someone, you don’t belong there.
• The on-ramp is for accelerating, not coasting.
• If you’re talking on your phone, you shouldn’t be driving. Period.
• If you’re texting and driving, then any attempt on your life is justifiable homicide.

Religion

• Santa Claus is real… all you need is faith.
• Xenu is real… all you need is faith.
• Jesus was not born in December… The Christians arbitrarily put it there to steal the celebration from the Pagans and profit off its popularity.
• See the quote adorning the top of the page.

Money

• $150 is too much to spend on shoes if you, or anyone older than you in your family, relies on an hourly wage for their primary source of income.
• Chances are, you have no idea about economic, monetary, or fiscal management even though it affects everything you do.
• Emergencies aside, your credit card debt is, most likely, all your fault.

Ahhh, now that feels good. All that common sense purged from my brain. It’s so… refreshing.

Of course, it’s not an exhaustive list, but it makes me feel better. And really, isn’t that what a blog is all about?

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“The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”

– Thomas Jefferson

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“This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it.”

- Abraham Lincoln; Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861

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And do you know who grew me? The Bush Administration. That’s right. I am a homegrown terrorist, thanks to the for-profit entity currently occupying the executive branch of our government - BushCo.

But they won’t get blamed for their malfeasance… I will. They planted the seed, they plowed the field, and they made sure I (and others like me) had plenty of sustenance upon which to feed. And now, with the help of the other party that controls the government, the responsibility for cultivating this brand of terrorism will rest squarely on my shoulders.

I am a homegrown terrorist.

Doesn’t quite seem fair, does it?

In a previous post, in the process of describing the unprecedented power claimed by the current administration, I made a passing mention of the fact that we were only “one rubber-stamped, unread law away from instituting the thought police.” At the time, I must reluctantly admit, I was completely unaware of the existence of H.R. 1955, and the fact that it had almost unanimously passed the House vote a month earlier. This is a bill sponsored by a democrat, a California democrat no less, a member of the same party that has derided the USA Patriot Act for its encroachment on civil liberties and abuse of power. I know they didn’t read the Patriot Act, but what’s going to be their insufficient excuse for this piece of shit? You can’t try to excuse your vote for it if you wrote the damn thing!

But I digress…

I am a homegrown terrorist, as defined in the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007:

The term `homegrown terrorism’ means the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

I state here, unequivocally, that I am an individual born, raised, and operating primarily within the United States. I also state that I am purposefully and willingly threatening the United States government with the use of force and violence in and effort to intimidate them and coerce them in furtherance my political objective of protecting the Constitution of the United States.

In case I’m not being clear enough, let’s have just one example. If a government employee attempts to enter my house, procure my papers or effects, or in any way touch me or my property, whether it be owned or leased by me, without a warrant issued by a court or probable cause to do so, I am actively planning and threatening the use of force in defense of my political agenda that includes coercing and intimidating them into obeying the limits set by the 4th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

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In the following video, Ron Paul says, in his own words, exactly the point I was trying to communicate in my last post and the subsequent comments. You know… in case the video of him saying it in that post wasn’t enough for some people.

Personally, I value the separation of church and state. “Congress shall make no law…” And I think that in oder to keep from prohibiting free exercise of any and all religions, government should completely disassociate itself from any religion. For any relationship between the two is the first step on that slippery slope that the first amendment was written to guard against.

I believe that a woman has a right to choose, because until a fetus becomes able to sustain itself outside of the mother’s body it is merely an extension of the woman - part of her body and under her control.

I believe that some system that provides healthcare for every one of our fellow citizens (though I have no idea exactly how to achieve it) is a worthy and necessary goal.

I think that some federal departments and programs are useful when they are restrained and kept from the abusive power and control that corrupts their intended function.

I believe that people should be able to marry whomever they choose. I don’t think the federal government should care about the ratio of y-chromosomes in the relationship (the church can care their little hearts out), so long as the union is entered into willingly by both parties and without undue pressure or influence.

And I don’t think the so-called “free market” is the answer to every one of our societal ills (Note: even though it’s not an end all be all solution specifically espoused by Ron Paul, it’s a charge he is often leveled with because people like categories and generalizations, and since he is more libertarian than anything else, it’s a label that people choose to give him).

Given that I hold these personal philosophies that are often pigeonholed as ‘liberal’, and the fact that they are almost completely at odds with how some people see Ron Paul’s beliefs, make those people think that I should be afraid of Ron Paul. But as I tried to explain before, I can still wholeheartedly support his candidacy for president precisely because of what he says here…

Again and again, Ron Paul proves that he understands the job of a president better than any other candidate that is running or has run in a long time. Make no mistake, it is absolutely different and separate from his job as a congressman. In case you’ve been confused by all the times that Bush Jr. has redefined his “job” for the American people, please take another look at the promise that these presidents make to the American people before they take office:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

…A promise that has not been kept.

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I’ve posted about Ron Paul in the past, and I’m doing it again, damnit. I never thought I’d be quoting a Fox News host to do anything aside from point out the obvious marginalization of reason and rationality, but in the words of Neil Cavuto…

“At first he was just an internet curiosity, then he became an internet phenomenon. Fourteen bands had wrote songs about him… fourteen! Rich and not-so-rich fans raised more than 4 million dollars in one day. They love his IQ, his EQ, and now, apparently his GQ, because he is among that hit publication’s Men of the Year.”

I’m one of those that found him to be a curiosity. But encouraged by the numerous soundbytes I heard of him so intelligently pontificating on the ills of deficit spending, and war-mongering, and unchecked power and growth of government, I read more. I researched his political career, and now I’m one of those not-so-rich fans.

A Fan of Ron Paul

As a fan, I almost wish that I donated on the 5th of November when Ron Paul supporters raised that $4.3 million. To be a part of something so historic would be unforgettable. Alas, the gods (and by gods, i mean people) have smiled upon me and all others that haven’t yet made the leap from future voter to proactive supporter. Marking another historic anniversary that celebrates dissent from authoritarian rule, the grassroots supporters have organized another website for a major donation - Teaparty07.com.

Also as a fan, it’s encouraging to see someone like a self-absorbed host from Fox News almost fawn over Ron Paul when that same host was so eager to interrupt Ron Paul’s explanations in past interviews. You see, Neil hasn’t always been so nice to Ron Paul. Just a few months prior, Cavuto was trying to pigeonhole Paul by marrying his political views to the people that holed up in their homes after not paying their taxes in protest. Near the end of the interview, Cavuto presented Ron Paul with an opportunity that Paul seized, and handled brilliantly…

“If you were president of the United States, would your first statement be on January 20th, ‘look, you don’t have to pay income taxes, nor should you’?”

And Paul’s response is something everyone should listen to, especially those people that are calling him the “worst kind of god-pusher” or preaching that liberals shouldn’t believe the hype because he’s against abortion or doesn’t push hard enough for the separation of church and state, or anybody that thinks he’s someone to be feared. His response to Mr. Cavuto?

“No. But I would certainly work with the Congress, the proper way, and get the Congress to pass a law to change it, and to repeal the 16th amendment. So no, a president… you’re always making the assumption that the President is an authoritarian. The President should be responsive to the government and to the Congress and to the people. But a president like myself, even though I would believe this, I couldn’t do it. But I would try to persuade people to do it, just as I do in the Congress, and just as I do in campaigning for the presidency.”

In case you’re interested, here’s the interview in its entirety…

Now, in this instance Ron Paul was speaking specifically about abolishing the IRS, and related tax issues. But this philosophy can be applied to all of Ron Paul’s positions. All of them. The overarching point that people seem to miss when they preach fear of Ron Paul’s political ideals is that he doesn’t seek to use government the way it’s been used for the past 7 years (and perhaps longer).

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As you might imagine, I get a lot of hate mail. Jesus Fucking Christ even took the time to tell me himself.

Your site is horrible, and My Dad and I will damn you to Hell because of it.

Peace be with you.

- Caucasian Jesus

Now, I usually try not to link to any Jesus loving sites. But I figured I’d make an exception here since I now have confirmation that I’m going to Hell.

Personally, I think Jesus should feel pretty lucky that I am not only posting his vile email, but also linking to his fucking site. If all those disciples were right, then forgiveness is undoubtedly in my future.

What’s really odd is that I didn’t even have to pray to get Him to talk to me. I mean, some people spend their whole lives on their knees, hoping to be touched by his noodly appendage. Or was it ‘his word’?

I don’t remember. Who cares?

The point is, I’m well on my way to feeling his love, and there’s nothing any of you fucking church-goers can do about it.

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Actually, this one goes for anyone who thinks themselves a part of an Abrahamic religion, or any monotheistic philosophy for that matter.

Question #3:

How do you know that Santa Clause doesn’t exist?

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“Every war, when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac.”

“The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.”

- George Orwell

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