My personal hypes and gripes, life updates, outlook, philosophy and random thoughts.
Does Rodney get commission from amazon.com? If he does, he should say so! I just bought 5 books from them and would have liked my pal to get the kick back... oh well... maybe next time...
Yes, I'm serious! If you have some deal hooked up, let me know! I'll go through you! You can become my book dealer!
If you don't know, now you know! GO SEE I HEART HUCKABEES!!! And if you're not too bright, like me, then you might consider seeing it more than once. I certainly am. It was fascinating and very funny. Two thumbs and two toes up!!!!
No, I don't care much for Saddam. His list of atrocities is one of the most gruesome in history. I'm glad he's ousted. Saying that does not make me a Bush supporter, nor does it help me rationalize the war. The fact is, Saddam has been Saddam for a long time. America didn't scream bloody murder when he was using poison gas and other deplorable tactics against Iran or his own people. In fact, there are reports that he had US support at that time because he was the lesser of two evils when compared to Ayatollah Khomeini. The only time the US (and by coercion, the rest of the world) took notice of Saddam, was when he threatend the precious oil fields in Kuwait.
It is this two-faced foreign policy that makes America hated all over the world. America is seen as a nation that does what it does only for its own gain and with complete disregard for anyone else. Yet we run around the globe preaching ideals like "democracy" and "freedom". So we either seem stupid and naive, or calculating and manipulative.
Of course we have supporters. I don't doubt there are millions of grateful Iraqis. Unfortunately, as evidenced by 9/11, your enemies will do more to harm you than your friends will do to help you, particularly when you're seen as strong and a bully. So we should work to reduce our enemies, not create new ones. Besides, even those who are grateful we got rid of Saddam remember we also helped him along the way before we tired of him. They know we didn't do it for them, and that he'd still be there, making their lives hell, if it served us. So our motives were not pure and there is no trust. They know we'll drop another Saddam in there in a heartbeat if we thought we'd benefit.
This is why I despise Geroge Bush. He has done nothing to ease the global conscience. In fact, he aggrevated hostilities toward the US. He took the highest level of support our nation has ever enjoyed and made it the lowest. He's shown no integrity in words or actions. He has made America the world's bully. I don't blame him for the pre-war atrocities in Iraq. Those were Saddam. I do blame him for the post-war atrocities though, and for the world being a more dangeous place today than it was before he stole the presidency...
I agree... jokes and rhetorical statements do offer the best opportunities for an exchange... but I'm not always smart or clever enough to come up with a retort! For example... what the heck do I say to "Bez-tiality"!?!? That one was so good I was stumped! Laughed my booty off, but couldn't think of a thing to say other that "oh yea?!?.... your mama!"
I hope to get smarter in the future so I can reply quickly to everything!
Alright... I went back through and re-read almost every comment ever posted to my Blog since its inception. While there were a few in there I could have responded to in more depth, for the most part, the ones I skipped were the jokes and rhetorical statements. But, in the future, I will endeavor to be more responsive... Yes, you can add that to my campaign promises!
Thanks Rodney for the tips on Harry Potter film and the Jed Diamond book. I was wondering when my Blog would be usurped for commercial advertising purposes! LOL
For anyone who hasn't seen Rodney's recent contribution to this blog, GOOD!!! I died laughing! Check out the link to his site if you want to get a good laugh at my expense. Damn Rodney!!! You took the first shot, but now I'm declaring war!!! Yes, that means I'll have to kill you in hand to hand combat on primetime TV, just to be true to my campaign promises...
As for the anonymous post asking me to promise not to be so damn rational... OK. I promise. I promise to behave strictly on knee-jerk, emotional responses. If someone cuts me off on the freeway, I promise to ram their car off the road. If someone says no to me, I promise to beat them senseless. If someone tells me to be not to be rational, I'll, well, I'll just ramble on my blog...
If elected, I promise to:
1. Dissolve the two-party system. If you want to run for Prez, do it. We'll have one huge campaign, like California's last Governor's race. Maybe Gary Coleman or some porn star will be our next leader!
2. Dissolve the electoral college system. One person, one vote. Hello!?!?
3. Get rid of all our nukes except for one. What better display of our commitment against proliferation?!?? All we really need is one of them bad boys to show we still have cahones.
4. Add a constitutional amendment that says "Any President who declares war on another nation must personally kill one of the enemy in hand to hand combat on primetime TV." Let's see how many Presidents will have the courage to send our nation's children to die for their worthless causes.
5. Set up a World Peace department with a mandate that it be granted funds twice that of our defense spending. They'll be charged with exploring and initiating non-combative peace efforts (to thwart those who believe you can get peace by killing for it!) and I'd staff it with all the hippies I could find.
6. Give free room and board to members of Congress, the President, VP, and cabinet members, but eliminate their salaries. I'd use that money on education in inner cities.
7. Create a position of Litigation Tzar. This person will be in charge of reducing lawsuits in this country. Period.
8. Remove the constitutional right to bear arms, and make it illegal to own anything that shoots a bullet, except for police and the military. There is no reason anyone in a civilized nation should have a gun of any sort.
9. Get rid of Fox News.
10. End all my speeches with "God bless you. God bless everybody, not just America."
ok... I have to go make campaign posters... in the meantime, my fellow Americans, tell me your campaign promises!
Are you kidding?!? Of course I read these! I'm just trying not to sit in front of my computer all day, like I'm prone to do. Some of us live in Sunny California and have a sun in our sky that we like to take advantage of from time to time...
Yesterday I got into a heated debate over the Presidential race with a close friend. Other than voting for Bush, he's an intelligent guy. His argument was that Kerry's domestic policy ideas (or lack thereof, according to my friend) makes him dangerous. My point is that Bush's foreign policy makes him dangerous.
So which of these idiots is less dangerous? That's the dude I'm voting for. What a lousy choice to have to make! And we Americans pompously beat our chests around the globe, bragging about our democracy. It's a joke!
I do, however, have some solutions... see the next post...
I've stayed away from this topic long enough...
George Bush is the worst President this country has ever had! Not only has he hurt this nation and the world, but he's delayed humanity's next great leap forward...
For a minute, let's ignore the fact that he was never elected to begin with, or that he tricked the country into invading a sovereign nation, just to get even with their ruler for trying to kill his daddy. Let's forget his lies. Let's forget all the money he wasted (and continues to waste) in that illigitimate war, money that would have been so much better spent domestically. Let's forget his reactionary, hate-mongering, race-baiting, redneck B.S.... for just one minute...
Let's ignore all the harm he's done in the world. Let's instead focus on missed opportunities. Immediately following 9/11, the world stood with America. Even so-called "terrorist" nations such as Iran, offered statements of sympathy and solidarity. It was an historic occasion. The strongest nation on Earth had global support and a virtual free pass to do whatever it wanted. George chose the path of hate, vengence and war.
The path of human evolution lay elsewhere. We are destined to be more than our past, and more than our present moment in time. We are destined to unite, to build, and to love. This is not my lofty, idealistic dream vision; It's a historical fact. We continue to learn more about our world and our place in it. Just 20 years ago environmentalists were seen as hippie tree-huggers. Today they're the mainstream. Little kids learn tolerance and respect in schools. We're an increasingly cross-connected planet. The unity of mankind found in futuristic movies such as a Star Trek, has its roots in today's social structure. We have a long way to go but we're heading in the right direction.
Back to George... After 9/11, America had an unprecedented opportunity, which he squandered. We could have built a real coalition, could have called a summit to honestly and openly discuss issues, to bring all sides to the table in a great cause. 9/11 showed the horror that is possible if people hate strongly enough. We could have shown what is possible if they love even more passionately. George didn't do that. He went to war.
The opportunity he squandered not only makes him a terrible President for this nation, it makes him a terrible world citizen, and it makes him a huge speed bump in humanity's great rush toward higher civilization.
Can I get serious for a minute? Thanks. Since we're discussing freedom of speech and it's election time, I'd like to pose this question...
Is Democracy all that great?
Sure, in theory it sounds wonderful that everyone gets a "say" in their government. But is that reality? Does it really translate into one person, one vote? Aren't the educated and the rich at a great advantage, both in terms of a greater tendency to vote, and also in being more informed?
And, more importantly, what about the concept of the Tyranny of the Masses?!? Should the mob mentality rule? Just because a majority want things one way doesn't make it right. One could argue that some of the world's great historical evils (such as slavery, war, genocide) enjoyed popular support during their day before a few bold individuals devoted themselves to overturning the consensus.
Finally, I go back to the dilemma that we have only two (lame) options for President but 20 different kinds of coffee at Starbucks. Really, American Democracy may be better than many other systems out there, but it isn't perfect either.
HAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahaha.a.a.a.a....h.h.h.h.a.a.a.a..
The last batch of comments cracked me up! Thank you!
I wish I knew the email of the person who thinks I'm on a high horse... I would never ride a horse that's high! You're just asking for trouble. First of all, you'd never get anywhere. The horse would keep stopping to graze because of the munchies. Secondly, have you ever seen a giddy horse? I bet it'd be hard as hell to stay on one that's constantly giggling!
As for laughing at kids who fall down... you knew what I meant, wiseguy! Although, I have to admit, depending on why they fall, it can be funny! I once saw a little girl run full force into a sliding glass window! At first, the sound scared the hell out of me. Then I had to give props to whoever cleaned that glass! No. I didn't laugh at the little girl. Yes, she was ok... eventually...
Porn? My view on porn is that it is, sadly, becoming waaaay too common and accessible. People have become desensitized and want increasingly more hardcore material to get them excited. We're heading into very dangerous territory, socially. That said, I value freedom of speech above all, so it's a difficult topic to settle on. What's easy to agree on is that it should be much more restricted so children cannot gain access to it. Period. Hey, you asked!
Glad you asked...
First and foremost, realize that sometimes, despite our precautions, what we say will make someone else feel bad. We can't control other people's responses. There is no "good" way to tell someone they stink, their dog just died, or they're being sued for a million bucks. But some ways are better than others. With bad news, the goal isn't to eliminate the pain, it's to reduce it as much as possible.
That said, how do you minimize the pain? Have you ever seen a little kid fall? If the adults around him or her make a big deal about it, the kid will cry. But if the adults are cool, laugh, and act as though nothing is wrong, most of the time the kid will just keep playing. Use the same approach with stinky people. Be direct, but discreet, don't make it a big deal, and lay it on them gently. I had to do this once... I blamed the person's clothes, not him!
The conversation went something like this...
- Hey (insert name here)... can I talk to you about something?
- Sure. Shoot.
- Well, I've noticed that sometimes, maybe at the end of the day or something, your clothes smell a little like you've been running around all day... Just thought I'd mention it before it became a problem. It's not that big a deal, but you should get a handle on it.
You might add a disclaimer that you're just looking out for that person, that you're sorry you had to bring up something that's difficult to hear, but that you're glad your friendship can bear uncomfortable moments and become stronger as a result...
If you're really afraid though, try offering the person gum or colgne/perfume first. If they don't take the hint, then talk to them or move out of their neighborhood...
I love that I'm getting responses to my blog! The ones on here are great, but I've gotten some good ones emailed to me as well. Thanks everyone, even the person who thinks I'm on a high horse and self-righteous. :-D
Today's topic... hygiene. PLEASE, for the love of God, shower once a day, preferrably in the mornings. Use perfume or cologne. Brush your teef! Wash your clothes regularly. If you've been in the hot sun, splash some H2O on your pits and change your shirt. I don't care if your hair is messy so long as it doesn't stink. But I do insist on the trimming nose hairs that are trying desperately to escape your nostrils!
Who am I talking to? If you're worried it might be you, it's YOU! If you KNOW it's not you, it's probably not you. If you don't know either way, play it on the safe side and take my advice.
(and yes, this is based on a recent real-world experience... yuck!)
Bez
Do we have to give up our idealism as we get older? Do we have to "settle down"?
I don't want to give up the things I believed when I was in college. I want to know inside that I can still change the world for the better. I want to know I can make miracles happen simply by deciding I want to make miracles happen. I want to make passionate speeches, take over buildings and stop wars! I want to get my candidates elected. I want to believe they'll do the things they said they'd do. I want my optimism to be natural and unwavering.
But the years have taken their toll. Disappointments and fatigue make settling down, staying quiet, leaving it up to the next generation of idealist to change the world, that much more attractive. But so what?!? Who cares if my optimism doesn't feel natural anymore! Who cares if I have to work at it now. I still want to believe I can change the world. And you know what? Wanting to believe it makes it possible.
On a somewhat related tangent... I heard a funny question the other day... how come we get 50 candidates for Miss America and only 2 for president?!? Think about it! Personally, I'd rather vote for Miss America to be president than these two clowns we have to pick from! She couldn't do any worse, and she'd be better to look at for 4 years.
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