More from the vast randomness

This post is pretty random as it is my brain simply throwing up on the screen so to speak.

So I spent the entire morning running around shuttling my wife all over town to get an upper G.I. that never occurred. Her doctor is a moronic imbecile who scheduled this test but neglected to schedule the requisite pregnancy test first. So I had to spend the entire morning shuttling my wife between three different labs because her insurance won't pay for a physician competent enough to get her shit straight ahead of time.

Is socialized medicine such a bad idea?

I wonder what the actual profit margin is for all of these tests?

Would it kill the city to properly level the roads near parking lot entrances so my Honda quits dragging?

Why are there 20 handicap spots in front of the grocery store and only three in front of medical buildings?

If man is created in God's image, does he look bad in Spandex too?

If God created the Universe and everything in it, who created Him? Furthermore, if matter can neither be created nor destroyed, did God create it or did it already exist? Then doesn't that disprove the bible version of god creating all things?

I saw the piece on Scientology this morning on Today. I want to start my own religion based on science fiction. We could worship Cthulhu, the demon squid god of H.P. Lovecraft's universe. We could all wear chum on our heads to signify we wish to be eaten first so as not to endure the millenial reign of horror brought by Cthulhu, Hastur, and the Great Old Ones.

I need more caffeine. I'm just talking crazy talk. Cthulhu...jeez...next I'll want to worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster...May you be touched by his noodly appendage...

Random thoughts

I have a million things running through my head right now.

Jasmine just lost her first tooth. Good God where did time go.

Speaking of God I have been contemplating my belief in Him and His "Plan". So many things just don't fit. I could spend months here on this one topic but for now I will stick to blurbs.

My wife looks REALLY hot in the corset top she is wearing today. Daddy like...

Why the hell do they call those tiny little candy bars they give on Halloween "Fun Size". There isn't a damn fun thing about them. They take a good thing and just give you less. Fun size should be bigger than King Size.

Beef jerky is good...deer jerky is better. Bambi's mom is good eating.

The wireless web is cool. I downloaded a new theme for my phone while taking a crap. It is good...

And now, why the chicken really crossed the road, according to Bucky Katt

"I knew John F. Kennedy sir and you are no..."

What Famous Leader Are You?
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That's right, I'm like John F. Kennedy. Come to think of it, Clinton had the same reason for liking power. "I haven't had this much fun since the intern convention in Vegas."

What Classic Movie Are You?
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That's right, JFK and Harrison Ford in one post. Bring on the ladies...

Homage or insult

This photo was on the apple.com homepage. Should I be glad Apple is paying homage to a woman who is nothing less than an American hero or offended that they turned her passing into an ad campaign. How commercialized are we if we can accept using the loss of a powerful icon for good as nothing more than a cheap method of whoring your product. Rosa Parks through her simple act of standing for her own dignity set in motion a movement that changed America for the better. To have said "in memory" would be a good thing. I support all who would honor her. To slap your logo and slogan on the photo so you can sell more iPods and G5's is another. To compare her stand for civil rights to your right to choose a different operating system is repugnant to me. And for the record, I am typing this on a Mac so this is not coming out of old geek "Intel is better" bias. I love Apple's products but they need to fire their marketing guru.

Gun Control Means Using Both Hands

I got JC pretty good the other day with the following remark:

(laughing while running away from the hail of bullets from the Democrats...oh wait, Democrats support gun control)

JC, gotta love the passion with which you hold your views. As I stated in reply, I support people not being allowed to own Military weapons and various other things the NRA says every home should have. I also don't fear any Democrat kicking in my door for my guns. I do fear a whacked out militia with a sniper rifle that can pick a man off at 1000 yards.

The more time I spend chatting with all of my fellow partakers in windbagism, the less Republican I realize I am. Strange. But that doesn't mean I can't tease my Democrat Party friends...*Evil Grin*

On Philosophy

"Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions."
- Albert Einstein

There was a time I wanted to be a philosopher. I wanted to be the next Plato, Niche, or even Bob Dylan. Check the want ads for philosophers and see how many listings you find. Still, I often sit and ponder the human condition and the nature of life itself.

It seems to me that life is merely a string of remembered experiences, perceptions of the world around us that change over time. Intelligent people mold their perceptions to fit the evidence presented them. Unintelligent people ignore the evidence presented if it doesn't fit their perceptions. The problem is that humans find a change in perception uncomfortable. It is far easier for us to dismiss something than to try to understand it.

Case in point: Here in Texas, home of many who hold on to their perceptions with a death grip, there is a movement to amend the Texas Constitution to ban same-sex unions. As the courts in Texas are forced to uphold the Constitution of Texas, this amendment would prevent any recognition of gay marriage. Please note, couples engaging in sodomy could be arrested for it in Texas until late 2003. The question now arises, will people in Texas examine the facts before them and adjust perceptions accordingly or run with their current flawed perceptions.

Christians often cite the Bible for their "God hates gays" ideas. They often say it is the reason for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. They leave out the biblical evidence of murder, beastiality, and organized crime. Why? It doesn't fit their perception. Many also have the idea that gay=pedophile. Ignore the thousands of happy gay couples that adopt and raise happy unabused children. There is a difference between a man wanting a man and a man wanting a young boy. Unless you are too lazy to examine the evidence right before your eyes.

Case #2: Strip club nudity laws. Earlier this year San Antonio passed a humorous ordinance that said exotic dancers had to be licensed and had to wear the permit while performing. This was to make it easier to find the ones violating the nudity ordinances...does anyone else see the problem here? We are saying it is OK for these ladies to go on stage in what barely qualifies as dental floss but if they take that off we need to identify and arrest them...The perception is that we maintain a moral standard if they wear a thong barely larger than a postage stamp with dental floss holding it on. Remove that and it crosses the line...The evidence clearly shows the law to be absurd at best yet it still stands.

I could go on further but I actually have to work. I hope I made us all think about our perceptions a bit though. I know I examined mine for this piece and it revealed just how much I have changed over the years.

WTF?

I just read this article in Times Online. The only thing I can ask is, Mr. President, are you insane? Yeah, we all know about your faith and how it gets you through. YOU did not fight terrorists in Afghanistan. YOU did not end tyranny in Iraq. Our military did through their blood sweat and tears. The sons and daughters of this nation did.

I get the "talking to God" thing is a figure of speech. What I don't get is why God would say allow our men to be killed while we tie their hands. Either let them wipe these bastards out or pull them out. The only thing jihadists understand is jihad. Americans can't stomach full jihad so pull them out.

The war between factions of Islam is millennia old. We won't stop it with the puny force we are trying to use. It is like standing between two rabid dogs and telling them to be nice.

A friend of mine had a good idea. Arm the pro-American factions and pull out. Let them duke it out. Offer some air and arms support to our team but otherwise pull our soldiers out. If on occasion a leader comes to power we don't like, send in a black ops hit squad and take the bastard out. One shot, one kill. If it bleeds over into other nations, carpet bomb them. If it gets out of hand, carpet bomb them. If they threaten us, you get the idea. Let them kill each other till they are blue in the face. If they get out of hand, turn the country to a sheet of glass. No mess, no dead Americans.

So much to rant about, so little time...

Someone please smack me. I've actually been reading some conspiracy theory sites and they are starting to make sense. You see, I have been doing some homework on those in power and common threads keep appearing. Bush, Kerry, most of the House and Senate, and the entire upper echelons of the CIA, FBI, and NSA all have direct ties to or membership in Skull and Bones. Add to that many of the heads of the Fortune 500 and major corporate entities worldwide. So many world leaders, spies, law enforcement, and corporate leaders all belong to the same super secret fraternal order...

Now while I like X - Files I am not a subscriber to conspiracy theories. Still, after some fact checking the site I link to checks out and the ramifications of that are chilling at best. Are we really being run by an elitist form of the good old boys network? If so, can we unite enough people to take them down?

For better and for worse

I am going to break away from political ranting for a moment to talk about my life. You know, the Untitled one...

Yesterday my wife and I celebrated four years of marriage. Next Saturday we commemorate the loss of our twin daughters 1 year ago. Through these last four years I have come to love my wife more every day. We have had some rough patches and gone through excruciating loss but the love lives on. I've said it before and I'll say it again, my wife is the reason I wake up in the morning and the softness that puts me to sleep at night. She makes me sane in a world hellbent on driving me mad. I would walk through hell itself just to taste her kiss. I want the world to know I LOVE MY WIFE! I always have and always will. Happy Anniversary darlin'.

Apocalypse Now

I think we have come to the point where we as Americans know too much about the war. Gone is the era of sterile wartime propaganda. We now see what the soldiers see.

The problem is we see it out of context. We see mangled bodies, but not the reason they are mangled. We try soldiers after the fact when we have the benefit of hindsight while they did not. We can have no idea what feelings of fear, hatred, and stress have driven these men and women to do any of this. War is hell. We as Americans forget that this is still a real war. We are hit with images sent to anger and incite the world against Americans. We want to jail soldiers for shooting unarmed Iraqis even when they were acting with sufficient aggression that had they been in America and acting that way towards Police they would have been shot no matter what their race. The media is quick to show photos of bodies shot by our troops but not schools rebuilt by them. The media will show the terrorists being mistreated by soldiers but not the children fed, clothed, and sheltered by them.

It is time to either pull out the cameras and let our troops do their jobs without fear of retribution from those unable to stomach the horrors of war or it is time to admit defeat and leave. Most of all it is time to stop second guessing our troops. In doing so we put their lives at risk. When a soldier is afraid to use his weapons for fear he might end up in jail it leaves him vulnerable.

I know I seem a bit more aggressive today about the way we should handle Iraq. I was cleaning out my old inbox and came across some mail from guys I trained with at Fort Sill. Their specialties would have put them smack in the middle of this. While I have always known this it really just kind of hit me, my brothers are dying because we are too weak to let them do their job. I know these guys. Every one of them could wipe a town clean of terrorists given the free reign to do so. Given the strict rules of engagement that boil down to, "don't shoot until they do" my brothers in arms are sitting ducks. Either pull them out or pull out the cameras and let them work.

Does this piss anyone else off?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1801869,00.html

The Iraqis are furious that a young girl humiliating terrorist combatants only gets 3 years in prison...This while dusting under the rug the decapitation of innocent unarmed CIVILIANS by these same terrorists. The Iraqi combatants are not uniformed soldiers and Geneva Convention does not apply to them. I understand that what happened at Abu Ghraib was wrong. I understand it humiliated the prisoners there. I also understand that they are combatants set on killing Americans. Given the chance any one of them would cut your head off with a dull knife while you scream for your life. I think putting them on a dog leash was light on the scale of punishments. Instead Anti-Americans looking for someone to roast have turned these cold blooded killers into the poster children for why America is evil. Not once in the article does it mention that no physical harm was done to them.

These poor poor terrorists. The bad bad Americans embarrassed me. Lets see if we can get the world to pressure the United States to ruin their careers and send them to prison, then whine when the sentence isn't death.

THESE SOLDIERS EMBARRASSED KILLERS! THEY PUT UNDERWEAR ON THE HEADS OF TERRORISTS! STOP BOWING TO THE USELESS, IMPOTENT U.N. GEORGE BUSH! FRAT BOYS ENDURE WORSE AS PLEDGES AND YOU ARE SELLING OUR SOLDIERS UP THE RIVER TO "PROTECT OUR IMAGE"!

Most of the U.N. already hates us either openly or behind closed doors. Ruining the lives of these soldiers will not change that. I agree some punishment is in order but not hard time in federal prison. We should make choices in these matters based on our values, not the world's. Remember, the U.N. would not have a peace keeping force without us. Europe would still be under the reign of Nazi Germany. China would be controlled by Imperial Japan and Africa by an Italian fascist regime. Without us they are nothing. It is time we stood up for ourselves and told those self righteous bigots at the U.N. to go to hell. Open season on Americans is over. Viva la Revolution!

Helluva weekend

So we here in Corpus Christi dodged the bullet with Rita. We had a Mandatory evacuation order on Wednesday but it was pulled back to voluntary on Thursday. I guess we are learning from Katrina. Still need to work on the evacuation technique though. Traffic jams made a 4 hour trip take 24 hours, many ran out of gas in traffic, and most gas stations ran out of gas.

More sympathy must now go out to those in the storm's path. Sadly this must again include New Orleans. Talk about your run of horrible fortune. Is it possible that rebuilding in that exact spot might be a bad idea? At least until they build better, stronger levees and find a way to possibly raise the elevation. Building there now with the levees as weak as they are seems a waste of resources. Shore up the levees and then drain and rebuild. That's just my two bits worth on the matter.

Rough day

It has been kind of a rough morning so I won't be posting much today. Just wanted to get some ideas on the political party name and all the other crap that goes with it. Peace out!

Let the Revolution Begin!

It is official. I am gunning for the 2012 elections. We have seven years to get the word out for a grass-roots political coup de ta. We have to build a political party, find candidates willing to run on the ticket, and get on the ballot in all 50 states (much harder in some states than others.)

To win this we need name recognition. People won't vote for who they don't know. We should also separate ourselves from the "other" independent parties such as the Green and Libertarian parties. They have already generated an image as extremists. We will be running as and for the common man.

The young vote won't be a problem as I am a member of the MTV generation. The geek vote will also be easy as I am a sys admin. The problems will be the regular voting public that are either Republican or Democrat because their mom and dad were.

We HAVE to shake things up. We could take publicity ideas from those at moveon.org. As much as I disagree with their rhetoric, they have name recognition. At the same time we need more than just a presidential candidate. A president without a voice in Congress is a lame duck, taking fire for the mistakes of Congress and getting no support.

So, where should we start first? Spread the word to your like-minded friends and send them here. Lets get some extra brains in on this and come up with a better game plan.

Reply to JC

The following is a reply to JC's post found here.

First, I am surprised by the number of times I have nodded my head in agreement while reading JC's site considering my proclivity for voting Republican. I guess I am less conservative than I once thought. I sounded much like Kali in my younger days. Then I learned that, shock of all shocks, Rush Limbaugh did not speak for God and Fox News was not owned by Him. I guess you could call me a Republicrat if you must affiliate me with either party (although at this point both are repugnant to me).

As for the vitriol of Archangel, that has no place in any rational discussion. In matters like the disaster of Katrina I don't even think words like liberal or conservative have place. Both liberal and conservative have died here by what insurance companies refer to as "an act of God." Nobody saw this coming. All have responded to aid those harmed. Anyone who uses this disaster as a podium for his political distaste for either party can shut the hell up right now. Members of both parties could have done more to prevent this. The fact is that nobody did and now we have thousands of our brothers and sisters dead and thousands more left with nothing. Don't point any fingers till this is fixed.

For the record, I do think Kali was trolling for flames by posting to a clearly liberal group with her sentiments.

I did read through the posts on Americablog and found myself disgruntled by politics in general. They make the point that Bush is not good for this nation. My point is neither is Kerry, Gore, or anyone else on either side. Both the Republican Party and Democratic Party are disturbingly rich and perpetuate the Oligarchy (to borrow a word from JC).

We need to revolt. Note to militia: I am speaking of political revolt, put down the guns and go back to the bunkers. I am too young to run for president next round but in 2012 I have a shot. Question: Should I form a political party for moderates like myself and run for president on that platform? The premise would be one similar to the true intentions of our founding fathers, by the people, of the people, for the people. The current premise is of the people, for the rich, by the rich and connected. Any for a little "Viva la Revolution"?

P.S. When spell checking this post, Blogger suggests Americablog be spelled unmercifully. ROFLMAO.