Fun with distractions

You know, every time something important is about to happen in Washington, politicians against producing anything actually beneficial to this country remember how easily the cumulative Attention Deficit Disorder of the nation is aroused. We start to move towards rational health care discussion in this country and instead we have Republicans posturing for a fight over a perfectly legitimate judge, more idiotic posturing over gay marriage, and new calls of "drill baby drill." Add to that, the national news media plays right into this with lead stories like the fight between the now defunct Miss California and Perez "I'm a dumbass" Hilton. While I support the gay rights movement completely, Perez Hilton sets the movement back a generation as a living, walking parody of every gay stereotype.

You see, even with me, I digress from the important point at hand to wallow in the silliness. What I originally meant to write about I have only touched on.

The most important issue facing this nation right now is health care reform. This nation needs an immediate shift in the way we view health care. In a free and civilized nation, health care as a privilege only to those who can afford it is a crime against humanity. Health care to every citizen is how the rest of the civilized world does it and it works. Canada has nationalized health care and despite the Republican myths, it works. We must have single payer, nationalized health care in this country. We must stop these silly distractions, ignore all of the talking points, and rally for national health care in this country and not stop the mantra until such time as our leaders serve the common good or we decide to revolt. No longer can corporate interests sever the common good in the medical field. Medicine must be a right in any truly free society and it is time we caught up with the rest of the free world.

Stand by me

This is my favorite new video from my favorite new site:

http://tinyurl.com/dcvdsa





Watch it, watch the rest on the site, and if you don't feel moved by the music, see a doctor, you might just be dead.  

It's the little things

It truly is the little things that get you by in this crazy mixed up world. It is the morning hug from your daughter before she steps out of the car to go to school. It is the smell of a fresh brewed coffee being poured at the local cafe you have all to yourself. It is the waft of perfume from a passing girl that reminds you of another place and a simpler time. It is the laugh you get from a stranger as you tell a joke that isn't even that funny. This is a short post today, and hopefully it can count as one of your little things.

Who watches the Watchmen?

I guess the more accurate question is, "Who SHOULD watch the Watchmen?" The answer, which was unclear to many moviegoers tonight, is definitely NOT children. We went to see this movie tonight, which was a solid portrayal of a graphic novel (read "comic book") written specifically for adults. The book really did put the GRAPHIC in graphic novel and the movie is an unflinching portrayal. I will not review it other than to say you have to be a sick fuck to enjoy it. Yes, I am a sick fuck.

For the average, sane, and well adjusted person this movie is too intense. To be accurate, it entails a sickeningly accurate portrayal of rape, brutal violence against women, intense violence involving bones crushing through the skin, and entire bodies literally being obliterated in a gory mess that would make Jason Voorhees blush. The nihilistic worldview and wanton violence alone are enough to justify an NC-17 rating but it gets worse. There is plenty of nudity and sex, including a glowing blue superhero whose radioactive cock gets plenty of airtime and on a stadium screen is about 6 feet tall.

Now for any consenting adult, if the description I just gave sounds good for you, go ahead and see the film. Then call a psychotherapist. If you are in need of the same mental help I am you will enjoy it.

I do ask one thing though. LEAVE YOUR KIDS AT HOME!!! In the front row of the theater was a whole row of children brought in by parents who clearly don't give a shit what their kids watch. For someone who can't tell reality from fiction, this movie will warp the fuck out of them. This film has a body count that rivals the holocaust and enough gore for ten sequels to Hostel. Having a giant blue cock in your face at that age won't help either. Hire a fucking babysitter. Can't afford one? Wear a fucking condom before you have the kid asshole.

Now if you will excuse me, I have some making up to do for inflicting this film on my wife. I didn't fully prepare her for this and the experience was traumatic. This movie really is not for sane people.

Why Facebook and Myspace suck

So I have both a MySpace and Facebook account and they annoy me. MySpace annoys me because they filtered the link to this very site, claiming it violates some use policy. I think it is because I say things that might offend the slow witted here and that is the bulk of MySpace users. Facebook annoys me for another reason entirely. Every time you or your friends do something, Facebook posts a blurb about it to the entire friends list as though it were front page news. What ends up happening is my page is filled with blurbs like:

Joe Blow has just joined the cause, Nose Pickers Anonymous. Join him there.

Jane Doe just jabbed herself in the eye on Running with scissors.

Bob Jones just dropped a turd the size of Wisconsin.

You can't blog there, the ads in the sidebars are infected with malware 95% of the time, and in the end, I really don't give a shit what my friends are doing when they are bored. If you are doing something on Facebook, 99.9% of the time it is not important and 100% of the time it is boring to read about.

I'd write more, but my wife has me addicted to Vampire Wars on Facebook. Two more consecutive days logging in and I get a new special power. Damn you FACEBOOK!!!!!!!!

A note to congressional Republicans

I have been watching the tone in Washington in the last few weeks and what I am seeing makes me sick. The partisan posturing of Republicans in the Senate and House has been nothing short of staggering. By most polls the majority of Americans support the package as it was passed. Barack Obama has reached across party lines repeatedly trying to find a bipartisan solution. Instead of taking his offer, Republicans have grabbed every reporter with a running camera to talk about how he hasn't reached across party lines. Most Americans don't realize this but the Republicans have spent $790 billion just on Iraq, a war against a country that couldn't hurt us and wasn't home to terrorists until we deposed the government keeping them out. Add to that another $206 billion for Afghanistan and you have blown away the stimulus package by leaps and bounds. It is time to spend some money on America. It is time to put Americans first. It is time for the Republican party to stop being lying little whiners and start doing what they were elected to do. If that doesn't sit well with Republicans, we can always vote the rest of their sorry asses out.

An open letter to Sarah Palin

Dear Governor Palin,

I saw some clips on CNN this morning from interviews you did for a new documentary. In these clips you claimed the media portrayed you unfairly. For instance, in your comments about the interviews with Katie Couric, you admitted to faltering and blame the McCain campaign for not canceling the rest of the interview sessions once they saw the first one go poorly. You then go on to say that, had you been a Democrat, you would have received a more attractive portrayal.

Poor deluded Sarah. You were not belittled for being Republican. You were ridiculed for being an idiot. When you don't know that Africa is a continent, not a nation, you don't deserve to run a McDonald's, much less the most powerful nation on earth. You see, a savvy politician who has an interview go bad goes home and bones up on the topics they got hit hard on so in round two they can do damage control. A savvy politician also takes the opportunities offered to them by the interviewer to step away from bone headed remarks. When Katie offered you the opportunity to explain away your, "Russia is close to Alaska, so I have foreign policy experience" remarks, you should have taken it. Defending such a clearly stupid remark is yet another sign you are a stupid person.

Only adding fuel to the fire is your ludicrous stances on abortion, sex-education, and the teaching of Intelligent Design in schools. Even the Mormons allow for abortion when the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother or is a result of a sexual assault. Studies have shown many times over that teen pregnancy rates drop when real sex education is taught in schools. Finally, Intelligent Design is NOT SCIENCE. I don't have time to review the subtle requirements of the scientific method here so let us suffice to say that Intelligent Design doesn't even meet the first one.

We are just finishing the eight year term of a man who most agree is a dim bulb. The last thing this nation needs is a VP who makes him look like a Mensa member running on a ticket with an aging cancer survivor. Joe "Six-Pack" belongs at a tailgate party. Joe "I ran Harvard Law Review" is what this nation needs in the White House in a time of crisis. Understand, we don't mock you for your political beliefs. We don't even mock you for your redneck family. We mock you because you are an idiot.

Sincerely,

Michael Clarkson, Jr.

New year, new me

Before I dig into the issues of the day, a quick update on the vegetarian experience. Almost a month into this and, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas day, I have stayed with it. This whole vegetarian thing has been way easier than expected. First I was finally able to gain balance in my water retention, which was the first trigger for this change. I had been swelling in my hands and feet to the point where for the first time in my marriage I could not wear wedding band and my feet looked like water balloons. I haven't added salt to my food in ages but I finally cut out the hidden salt in foods by primarily cooking on my own. During this month my weight initially ballooned to the heaviest I have ever been, 307 lbs. I increased my water and fiber intake exponentially and that cleared that out. I have lost about 10 pounds from that peak and my ring and shoes fit again. It seems 300 lbs is my tipping point for the worst symptoms.

Now that my water balance is regulated weight loss will be slower but steady as long as I keep calories down, which is easy when you eat primarily vegetables. I use very limited tofu and soy products because of the negative effects soy can have on male hormones in high doses. Most of my protein comes from nuts, beans, milk, and cheese. I feel considerably more energy and for at least the foreseeable future can't see going back to my old carnivorous ways. I may add meat back once I reach my target weight but the portions will never again reach the size they once were.

On other subjects, I have been following the trouble in Israel and it scares me. While a short term cease fire may soon happen I cannot see any permanent peace in the foreseeable future. I wish it were as black and white as some paint it but it really isn't. The Palestinians were wronged when their land was taken from them to create the state of Israel. The current people of Israel didn't do that though, that was a wrong of a previous generation. What this boils down to is an ancient fight for who gets to inherit the land that both Jewish and Islamic tradition count as holy. There is no clear cut "right" answer to that question. The current fight is being pushed by radicals on both sides.

In all of this mess there is one undeniable fact, the use of civilians as human shields by Hezbollah is deplorable. By placing their rockets on the rooftops of schools and firing on Israel from urban areas they goad the Israeli forces into returning fire and creating horrible collateral damage. Further, these terrorists fire rockets indiscriminately into Israel, killing the innocent but then protest when, in returning fire defensively, Israel harms civilians. I can only see one solution. Mainstream followers of Islam, you must rise up and stop Hezbollah. Only by standing against these who corrupt your religion and give all Muslims a bad name can we come to a peace agreement and possibly a free Palestine. It is the responsibility of all decent Muslims, which I know far outnumber the wingnuts, to force these radicals out of your society. Do it in the name of your children and the possibility of a free and peaceful Palestine.

I weep with you as you bury your children. No parent should ever have to bury their child. Put a stop to this violence before more children die. It is my hope that once cooler heads have prevailed, voices of reason can see past dogma and the wounds of the past to forge peace and that peace spreads across the entire world. I look forward to a day when no parent buries a child as a result of violence.

Merry Christmas from your friendly neighborhood Atheist

I know, strange words to hear from an atheist. One might instead expect a, "Bah, humbug!" So why would an ardent critic of all religion be wishing you a Merry Christmas?

Before my parents get their hopes up, I still don't believe in God or that he had a son. What I do believe in is the power of the Christ story to bring out the best and worst in society. At Christmas time, through all of the bustle and road rage, I witness small, unselfish acts that remind us of what the Christ story was supposed to be about.

As you gather with friends and family this holiday, no matter what your belief system is, take some time out to do at least one small, selfless thing for someone in your life. Whether to "glorify your God" or simply to improve the species, do something to ensure we all have a merry Christmas.

Vegetarian Goodness day 4

So, for health reasons (I am a fat ass who was sprinting to a heart attack) I have become a vegetarian. I am on day four into the world of rabbit food and I have to admit, I don't miss meat that much. That is not to say I would be able to walk into a steakhouse and order a salad but I can get out of a Burger King without a twinge. I feel better, I have noticeably more energy, and I never get up from the table groaning and looking for a wheel barrow to get my ass to the car. At least at this point, four days in, it feels good. I'll keep you posted in case I get to the point I decide to kill someone for a lick of steak.

It is kind of weird writing a blog that doesn't have me screaming obscenities about some outrage. So to end in true form, fuck the fucking fuckers. There. That feels better.

Day 3

So here I am at day three. When I started this vegetarian thing I figured by day 3 I would kill someone for a lick of a steak. I had a breakfast this morning of a fresh mango and an apple. My lunch will consist of a sandwich with fresh cucumber, tomato, avocado, herb goat cheese, and a slice of provolone on 12 grain bread. I don't really miss meat that much. I'm not saying I could sit in a high end steak house and not go nuts but I am doing alright.

Changes

Cows of the world may breathe a sigh of relief. As of yesterday I have become a vegetarian. Surprised? So was I. After a good hard look at my health I realized I need a healthy change. So I have cut out both meat and most processed foods. Why? The only fat vegetarians I have ever met are ones who eat high fat, high salt processed foods like chips and fried foods. So I have stuck primarily to raw fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, and the occasional dash of cheese. I have supplemented this with multi-vitamins to make up for the nutrients missing from the standard vegetarian diet.

What I have discovered in the last 48 hours is an increase in energy, a decrease in blood pressure, and after I eat I don't have the feeling that I need a wheel barrow to wheel my fat ass to the car. I will be making note of my progress here. As of now my weight is about 302 lbs. and my blood pressure is at 130/85. I wear a 42" waist pant. Lets see where this takes me.

A truly black Friday

First, I want to send my condolences to the family of Jdimytai Damour, the 34 year old New York Wal-Mart employee trampled to death by the stampeding bargain hunting savages.

I have watched those in the media try to blame it on Wal-Mart, the police, or the sale itself and each time they do I get a little angrier. Have we as a species descended so far that the people in that line can't be blamed for the horrid acts they have committed in the name of greed? How far have we sunk as a nation that we don't stop to realize that the only people to blame are the fucking animals who crashed through those doors and snuffed out the life of an innocent man? All this just for the sake of a fucking deal on a fucking Xbox, Wii, or whatever other piece of electronics stuffed plastic the media have convinced us we are bad parents if we don't get?

Does anyone else see what kind of society we have created? The fucking animals refused to leave the store when police tried to clear the store! After they trampled a man to death, they started shopping. THIS MAN WILL NEVER SEE ANOTHER CHRISTMAS BECAUSE OF THESE ANIMALS AND THEY FUCKING CONTINUED TO SHOP! Yet analysts in the media have the gaul to try pinning the blame on everything but the mob who valued deals over human life.

To every steaming pile of shit to step through those doors that morning, every worthless waste of flesh who used this poor man as a door mat, I hope you look at the gifts under your tree this year and remember EXACTLY what they cost. I hope every time you close your eyes at night, you hear the screams of Jdimytai Damour's family in your ears. I hope every step you take you remember that your feet helped trample the life out of an innocent man just so you could buy cheap shit. Live a long life, remembering exactly what you did. Merry fucking Christmas you worthless wastes of fucking flesh.

Wise words from Keith​ Olber​mann

Keith​ Olber​mann had a great commentary on the Proposition 8 issue that I think everyone, no matter what their stance on the issue, should see.



In case Youtube removes it for copyright violation the gist is that this issue is about the human heart. Why should an issue like this matter to those who voted for it or supported Prop 8? People keep talking about redefining marriage. Without a redefinition of marriage in 1967, blacks and whites could not be married in 16 states. The parents of the new president could not have been married in almost one third of the country he has now been elected to lead. Nobody is asking you to accept their expression of love. They are only asking you to embrace the concept of love. 50% of marriages fail no matter how much you try and here is a group of people overjoyed at taking that chance on lifelong love. With so much hate and meaningless division in the world, this is what your religion tells you to do? If you want to honor your God, spread happiness. Show me any scripture in any holy book against this and then tell me how you can believe that and the scripture that reads, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

While my paraphrase doesn't do the video justice, you get the point. If for some reason this video gets pulled from youtube, find it somewhere and watch it. It is important.

Accepted American Bigotry

So overall the elections went well, unless you count every ban on gay marriage up for a vote passing. We have finally elected a black president but we still see fit in this country to deny people in love the right to marry simply because of Judeo Christian bigotry against homosexuality. To all of my gay and lesbian friends, my heart goes out to you. To borrow from the civil rights movement, we shall overcome.