Sep 26
Author Archive
Sep 19
“Which is it, is man one of God’s blunders or is God one of man’s?”
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Sep 13
Apparently those three words make you, not only “foul-mouthed”, but also a “bigot”. They also define how you should be remembered for the rest of your life. That is, unless you repent.
Duly noted.
Good thing Bill Donohue has never said anything even remotely as vulgar and bigoted as that, lest he not be free to throw all the stones he wants. 
“Suck it, Bill”
- Kathy Griffin, some time in the near future
Maybe someone needs to inform William that irreverence (or even hypocrisy) is not what makes someone a bigot.
Sep 10
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people complain about Wal-mart driving mom & pop stores out of business as if they share no burden of responsibility in making that happen. You see, in the pseudo-capatalistic society we live in here, it’s impossible for a retailer like Wal-mart to push a smaller company into bankruptcy by shear force of its own will or presence.
When all is said and done, Wal-mart still relies on the consumer to do that for them.
It’s pretty basic economics, but Wal-mart, somehow, gets all the blame. It’s as if these people are admitting their lemming-like status as consumers who will go wherever the lowest prices are, regardless of what consequences it may have for their neighbors.
And the reasoning behind blaming Wal-mart goes like this… Since Wal-mart knows that all these people are lemmings who can’t think for themselves about the long-term consequences of their actions, they are therefore responsible for the outcome of those actions. Backwards as it is, that’s the way people think about it.
Wal-mart knows that people will buy from them if they build a store in a small community in rural Missouri. Wal-mart knows that it will take customers away from the established small-businesses that are run by locals. And if they build a store while being aware of these things, then it’s their fault for coming in and being so appealing to the consumers.
But I could go on and on about how this relates to possible government intervention, freedom of the individual and choice, anti-trust laws, and Wal-mart-like employment practices.
But I won’t, because this is really about the sign above. A sign that fixes the blame, where it should be… on you.
Sep 06
The proof… courtesy of the (former) mayor of Crestwood, IL…
This is probably related to my last post, if you’re paying attention. It’s also kind of ironic considering Mr. Stranczek is the son of Polish immigrants, and didn’t speak a word of English until he was 8 years old. Apparently the implicit need to learn the English language isn’t as strong as it was when he was a kid, so a persuasion of the more explicit variety is required these days… like an artificial designation of English as “our language”.
Of course this is perfectly in line with the tried and true New American Century Republican party line - ‘Let the market/individuals decide, unless we don’t like which way the market is going, then government will take care of it’. You know, like when “the market” wouldn’t choose Halliburton to build their outhouses, much less an entire country’s infrastructure.
But what the hell am I talking about? The dubious sign isn’t about war or government or no bid contracts. To go down that path requires entirely too much nuance and, oh, what do they call it, critical thinking. The sign is about immigrants, damnit! You know, those people who come here and siphon our tax dollars through welfare and public education systems, and don’t contribute anything, except direct evidence that Reaganomics doesn’t work because it creates the incentive for businesses to provide jobs to the people who are willing to accept the lowest standard of living (thus widening “the gap“).
But I digress. This sign isn’t necessarily about immigration itself. It’s about language. More specifically, it’s about the inherent annoyance of people speaking a language that you do not know. I’m sure if the unfamiliar language that was being spoken in this country most predominately was Polish instead of Spanish, then Chester wouldn’t have as much of a problem with it. But really, beyond the feeling of insecurity and the almost unavoidable suspicion that they are talking about you (you conceited bastard), what’s the problem with people speaking a language that you do not?
The answer is “nothing”… that is, until someone becomes so attached and possessive of their language that they expect everyone to cater to them by either 1) speaking their language or 2) finding someone who can translate in lieu of learning. Seeing as how we are supposed to be a free country and as a result government doesn’t declare an official language. Those two characteristics create an interesting juxtaposition.
The problem is that people like Chester see it as a one way street when there is nothing but their righteous indignation to suggest that it is.
Sep 01
Aug 26
“To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;
This is to have succeeded.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Aug 22
That’s what the “Generals on the ground” (i.e. the voices in Bush’s head that he has been listening to so intently for 4 years) are trying to do to this administration’s dreams for Iraq. Their hubris, their resolve, their misguided preordained righteousness. Like any bad habit, it’s an addiction that will be difficult to break, even for those whom the decider has promised to listen to.
Nightmarish political realities in Baghdad are prompting American officials to curb their vision for democracy in Iraq. Instead, the officials now say they are willing to settle for a government that functions and can bring security.
In other words, settle for the government that Saddam had in place. Perhaps? Just maybe? I’m willing to bet they’d take that trade-off at this point. I’m not saying Iraq would be better off with Saddam still there, it’s just odd that his government meets the qualifications of what they’re willing to settle for now. Oh, if only they could have 1980’s Saddam back, wouldn’t that be dreamy.
This would be funny it weren’t so fucking late… by about 84 years. And if it wasn’t just another nail in the coffin for the rose-colored predictions that the Bush administration got absolutely 180 degrees dead wrong, it might even qualify as ironic.
I might even be dumb enough to think it will have an effect on this administration’s policies if I hadn’t already seen the video of 1994 Cheney telling us that these exact circumstances would exist in Iraq if we “liberated” them. If I wasn’t so sure that they’d trumpet the old “9-11 changed everything” slogan right in the face of perfect evidence that it, in fact, did not, then it might be worth it to hope that the habit can be curbed.
But it’s not.
Aug 15
…but you can get thrown in jail or fined, you filthy Atheists! So watch out!
PART IV. CRIMES, PUNISHMENTS AND PROCEEDINGS IN CRIMINAL CASES
TITLE I. CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS
CHAPTER 272. CRIMES AGAINST CHASTITY, MORALITY, DECENCY AND GOOD ORDER
Chapter 272: Section 36. Blasphemy
Section 36. Whoever willfully blasphemes the holy name of God by denying, cursing or contumeliously reproaching God, his creation, government or final judging of the world, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching or exposing to contempt and ridicule, the holy word of God contained in the holy scriptures shall be punished by imprisonment in jail for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars, and may also be bound to good behavior.
This is not to say that Massachusetts is alone in having arcane and unenforceable laws on the books, they are just first on my list. Perhaps I’ll turn this into a series that highlights these kinds of laws, which appear in more than just those famous states where you can’t hold office without pledging your allegiance to the appropriate god.
Indeed, you can’t get stoned in Massachusetts, but what about everywhere else? We’ll see. 
Aug 10
Maybe we aren’t all that different…
But who am I kidding? This kind of harmony and similarity between species is so beautiful that the only possible explanation is that it was designed by someone or something far superior to ourselves.
I mean, just look at it. Could you design that? I don’t think so.
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