Driving a bus to hell, I see?

Every now and then I'd be Googling around the interwebs and run across bizarre news stories. Not the ones that are front page headliner news, but the random ones that make most people go, "WTF?" if they stopped to think about the implications of the ridiculousness of the news story. This week was no different. I give you this picture: Which, in my opinion is not nearly as offensive as possibly this favorite picture of mine, which was even used in last week's blog: But apparently is IS offensive: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090819/NEWS/908190370/1001/DART-suspends-driver-after-she-refuses-to-use-bus-bearing-atheist-ad According to the article: "Controversy over a bus advertisement promoting a local atheist group has found its way to the driver's seat. On Monday, the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority suspended bus operator Angela Shiel after she refused to drive a bus with an Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers ad on its side. Shiel, 41, said the ad's message, 'Don't believe in God? You are not alone,' went against her Christian faith." The article continues with: "Shiel, a DART bus driver for four years, now could be fired because of her refusal to drive the bus. DART policy states that drivers cannot choose which buses they drive, DART General Manager Brad Miller said. 'Drivers are not permitted to reject a working bus," Miller said. "It's a very fundamental policy for DART. ... It's an essential rule that we will maintain.'" And this: "According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, DART's driver policy also helps uphold advertisers' First Amendment rights. The union recently dropped a review of DART that began when the atheist group's ads first came off the buses. 'As a government agency operating a public forum, DART and all of its employees, including its drivers, are required to follow the First Amendment,' said Ben Stone, executive director of the ACLU of Iowa. 'Since DART managers cannot claim a religious reason to censor bus ads, neither can drivers.' Stone likened the situation to a government employee claiming a religious right to refuse to work with someone of a different faith. 'When you work for the government, part of your job is to respect the rights of your fellow citizens, and you cannot use your religious beliefs to evade that responsibility,' he said." There's a few more points in that article that make me raise my eyebrow, like the woman's husband's point, according to the article: "'This has been her faith since the very first day on the job,' Glenn Shiel said. He said that making her drive the bus would be telling her to be 'two-faced for the fact that she wants an income. To me, it's kind of wrong to deny a person of their job because they have a belief.'" Another interesting point is that passengers have been bypassing the so-called "Atheist Buses" as well. Now that everyone has sufficient background information, I give a hearty, "What's YOUR Deal, lady?!?" You're not driving a bus to a concentration camp! It's a bus, with a sign on it. How is it any less offensive than walking down the street and seeing this ad? Or the countless ridiculous commercials about herpes and the wonderful bicycle rides and kayaking trips that people suffering from herpes can apparently go on because their herpes make excellent river guides or something. There so many other more offensive things in the world than a tastefully done ad from an atheist organization. How is that ad any more offensive than religious ads? I've seen some pretty bad ones of those, telling me that I'm going to hell and assorted other things. I'm sorry, folks, I'm Buddhist. Your ad doesn't mean anything to me. Likewise, if your faith is strong, does it MATTER that the bus you're driving is advertising for a atheist group? You can use that ad as a conversation starter on your bus to tell people about your religious convictions if you want. Not that I want my bus driver to be talking to me about religion if all I want to do is get from point A to point B... but the option is there. The bus isn't taking away anyone's right to their own religious belief, it's a government bus. It's supposed to be unbiased. Your religion, whatever it may be, can also buy ad space on one. This woman isn't being fired, she's being suspended for not doing her job. I'm sorry, I can understand that if I'm a bus driver and I refuse to drive a bus... that makes me not a very good bus driver. Can any other profession just refuse to do their job and still expect to be employed? What if your doctor saw your cross, Star of David, or other religious identifier and refused to treat you? What if people in the military just said, "Fuck it," and abandoned their posts? Would you want these people to still be gainfully employed, while not doing what they're being paid to do? NO. But this woman still has a job despite refusing to do it. Why must religion be so overbearing? Why can't it understand the separation between church and state? The state has an obligation to ensure everyone has the right to believe what they want to believe. This bus is no different. DART isn't suspending or firing the woman because she's religious. They're not going, "Oh, you're not ALLOWED to drive this bus, because you're Christian." She did it to herself! Drive the stupid bus! Don't try to martyr yourself to some non-existent cause because you want your name in the newspapers and a "What's YOUR Deal?!?" devoted to you. Yes, religion is a touchy subject. But it really shouldn't be. The government, should NEVER say anything for or against ANY religion. And the DART policy of, "Hey, pay us and you can have an ad on our bus," is really quite non-denominational. It's not like it's advertising killing or violence against any religion group either. It's just an ad that says, "Hey, you don't believe in God? It's okay." That's about as non-threatening as an ad can be. What more do you want? Kittens and puppies? Religion, get out of government. Nothing bothers me more than when religion is used to explain why something should or should not happen. This is what irks me the most about the entire gay marriage argument. Um, gay people want to get married because of legal rights not because gay people are trying to burn down your church and everything it stands for. If your church doesn't want to perform gay marriages for the religious aspect, then DON'T. Why can't a gay couple just go down to City Hall and get a marriage license without the religious mumbo jumbo? How is that at all a threat to religion? If you don't want gay marriage in your personal life, then don't get married to the same sex yourself. If you don't want to be a passenger on a bus advertising something you don't believe in, don't get on the bus. Don't complain if you're late to school or work because you did that, though. But if you're paid to drive that bus, knowing the policies of your employer, drive the bus or face the consequences. It's not a hard concept. Especially if you consider the flip side to all of this. How many times do we all see the word God in our day to day lives. American money, the American Pledge of Allegiance, etc., etc. How do you think that makes atheists feel? Hmmm? Now that you've refused to drive a mile in their shoes, you know how it feels to have to conform. We're all equal. Our lives aren't gumdrops and candy canes, for us to function as a society we need to realize that everyone around us is different. And that's okay. We need to accept that people believe different things, people dress differently, look different and it's all okay. And just because other people are different, they not a threat to your own personal beliefs, dress, and appearance. And we're not all going to hell for it.

YOU CAN'T DO THAT IN PUBLIC!

Hello, loyal readers of What's YOUR Deal?!? I'm back and relatively coherent. I've been painkiller free for over a week. No, I'm not a drug addict but I've definitely been out of it. I actually barely recall last week. So the fact that I even posted a rant actually surprised me. But kudos to Mentos for her excellent point that was posted as a reply on my Facebook about how people DO eat healthy... but they also eat a LOT of healthy... and then they wonder why they can't fit through a door. That's a definitely a "What's YOUR Deal?!?" But, overall, I'm perfectly fine with people that are um... substantial. I'm perfectly fine with a lot of things, because I think that people have a right to be whoever they want to be, as long those substantial people do not crush me or eat my cat. Fair enough? I think there's a fundamental difference between someone like me that points out the idiocies that surround us and people who say... inspire this picture: For those who can't see the picture, it's of a bus with a sign on the side that says, "Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings." Flying to the moon... very cool and overall gives people warm fuzzies and inspiration. 9/11... very uncool and overall gave people paranoia and anger. But, that's the overall big picture of today's rant. Shout out to my friend Lauren, whose Facebook status inspired me to write this week's rant about people that are publically retarded and inconsiderate. How does this even relate to that bus? Well, let me explain. Lauren posted something about people that just leave their clothes in the washer in a communal laundry room and that is unnecessarily rude. I've spent plenty of time in communcal laundry rooms doing laundry. Not everyone is cool enough to have their own washer and dryer or have the time to spend in a laundromat listening to the spin cycle or staring at their clothes go roundy roundy in the dryer. But then there are the people that just leave their clothes in the washer or the dryer for hours upon hours. Why? Who knows? It's not like it's a personal washer or dryer or something, where they CAN do that. I mean, hell, my clothes have been in my personal dryer since last night. Oooooh, shame on me. But, you CAN'T DO THAT IN PUBLIC! I know this. I KNEW this when I was living in an apartment with a communal laundry room. I knew I wasn't going to time it perfectly everytime to get my clothes in the dead of winter with 3 feet of snow on the path between my apartment door and the laundry room and get my clothes out exactly when they're ready. This is especially crucial when there's say... only two washers and one of them was broken... I would leave my laundry basket there, so someone who needed the one working washer would just move my clothes into the basket and leave it there for when I came back. I've actually had someone tell me that, "Wow, you're not afraid someone will steal your basket?" I remember looking at that person and thinking, "If someone is desperate enough to steal my laundry basket, they probably needed it more than I do." Not to mention, it's a PUBLIC LAUNDRY ROOM! Someone could very well steal all of my clothes too. But it's a risk I had to take to ensure I wasn't funky and wearing stinky clothes. It's a necessary risk to ensure I was considerate. That's that level of humanity that I think we don't have. People assume that just because they're using it, it's their's to do as they wish. You know those people that leave soap residue in the washers or or otherwise leave a mess in the laundry room. As if to imply, yes, this is a public space, therefore, someone else will clean up MY mess. And it's THOSE people that complain when stuff BREAKS because they're STUPID. It is those people that would pee all over the toilet seat in a public restroom. YOU KNOW who you are, you failure at hovering! Or the people that otherwise fecally decorate the public restrooms. How does that even happen? These are also same people that don't flush the toilet when they're done, leaving me the winner of Musical Toilet everytime I go to the bathroom in public. You know the game where you and your friends all go to the bathroom and ONE person ALWAYS gets the toilet with the surprise in it. Yeah. Thanks. You idiots make my day everytime. *thumbs up!* That's the point of my ranting. I want people to open their eyes to the consequences of their actions or even their inactions. But I'm not like these people and the Westboro Baptist Church: Yeah, the people that picket military funerals saying God Hates Fags and somehow that if there are gay people among us... random people die, space shuttles blow up, and military service members deserve to have their funerals desecrated with stupid? Sidenote: If any dumb asses like that show up at my funeral, I want everyone there to run them off in the most ridiculously hilarious way possible. Perhaps a contingent of gay people offering to hug them and "spread the gay" or something. Who knows? But I digress. I don't care what you do at home. If you break your washer and dryer or leave your clothes in it for a week, I don't care. If you pee and crap all over your walls and carpet, I don't care. I may not visit, but I don't care. I'm not going to say God hates you or blame you for all of the problems in the world. But the moment you prevent me from washing and drying my clothes or pee and crap all over a toilet I NEED to use... GAME ON! Maybe you think I'm judgemental for being so picky about what I think is the right way for people to behave... maybe you're partially right. I'm not that extreme. I'm not going to picket your funeral because you're dumb. People are focused on the completely wrong things. While people are picketing military funerals and blowing up buildings, we continually let people ruin our day to day lives. Given the option, if I can eliminate one "threat to our day-to-day lives", I'd rather get rid of the idiot that doesn't flush the toilet in public than the gay couple trying to get married. Or I'd rather see the idiot leaving the clothes in the washer for hours upon hours disappear off the face of the planet before the nice religious people that don't picket public places or blow things up. I just want my readers to take responsibility for their actions and if actions need to be taken, focus those actions on the things that matter. Because the inconsiderate actions of the laundry room lazy-ass or the restroom retard leads to further inconsiderate actions in other aspects of their lives. It is these people that are a threat to undermine the American family and marriage and whatever else that those crazy nutjobs at the Westboro Baptist Church and those organizations like it use as their rhetoric. So, close with: I hate your unclaimed laundry. And your poopy. And I don't think God likes it either.

Things that I just have to point out...

Sorry fans of What's YOUR Deal?!? I just recently had knee surgery to clear up a piece of floating tissue inside my knee. I actually have no recollection of much of this past week... I'm sure my friend Denise can tell everyone stories of how bad I was. Yeah... But anyways, being in a drug-induced stupor has opened my eyes to many things... Mostly things I see on TV because well, when one's knee is swollen and mind is drugged, there's only so much activity that can be accomplished. I keep seeing commercial for foods that are low-calorie, like those 100 calorie packs of snacks or the 50-calorie yogurts. But, what about the other stuff that's in it? The fat, the sugars, the Red-40s! Oh my! Or does anyone else realize that all that stuff is supposed to do for you is be the proportion control that apparently most people lack? Anything we eat can be 100 calories or less if we just eat only 100 calories worth of it. I mean, I can have a low-calorie steak and just take one bite out of it. And some of that stuff is just that... it's a tiny portion of what the regular one is. This stuff does nothing when you see people eating multiple packs of 100 calorie chips (which, YES, I have seen). "Oh it's okay... they're low-calorie." No it's not, you lumbering Kirby-clone! (Sidenote, for those unfamiliar with the Nintendo character... I show you, Kirby: Speaking of eating... one of the side effects from anesthesia is dry mouth. One of the things that they make you do before surgery is not eat for at least 8 hours prior to surgery. So... there I was, post-surgery... starving... and with wicked dry mouth. What do they give me to help? Crackers. Why, cruel world, do you give someone that's starving with wicked dry mouth, CRACKERS?!? Anyone in the medical community want to shed some light on that? Why couldn't I get jello? Or fruit? Something NOT CRACKERS? Sometimes I think I'm not meant to understand the world... And... that's about all that's been bugging me lately.... and by lately I really do mean within the past day or so. Drugs... they do bad things to the brain. Feels great while you're absolutely incoherent and calling people... but then you realize you make no sense and nothing productive has happened. Just say no to drugs... and give them to me... I'll take care of it for you. :) Kidding.

People Are Ridiculous...

I've been pondering this rant for a while, because it takes a certain level of tact to be able to say the things I'm about to say. I am aware that my loyal readers know that tact and "What's YOUR Deal?!?" have never exactly gotten along. That and the things I'm about to write, in general, should be none of my business. But again, that hasn't stopped me before. I call bullshit where I see it and I am not going to stop.

Now on to the rant.

During the 4th of July weekend, former All-Pro quarterback Steve McNair was shot and killed in a murder-suicide by a woman he was dating. My condolences go out to the McNair family and I shall attempt to pay all the proper levels of respect to his life, his privacy, and to the man he was. However, this entire situation made me realize a few things, in conjunction with conversations with Heather, Denise, and Shannon. Shout out to this terrific trio!

I try not to be tacky and use the title of my blog in the blog, because it's implied that everything I rant about involves a adamant yelling of, "WHAT'S YOUR DEAL?!?" But this situation definitely calls for a, "WHAT'S YOUR DEAL?!?" It boggles my mind to see people in situations like that. I know we've all had our moments of morbid curiousity and we've tuned into talk shows. Not the informative interviewing kinds of talk shows, but the knock down, drag out, mid-90s Jerry Springer-esque talk shows. The Maury Poviches, the Sally Jesse Rafaels, Ricki Lakes, et cetera kinds of talk shows. The ones where no one seems to know who their "baby daddy" is. The ones that have paternity tests, the cousins dating and mating, and sending teens to boot camp because they've slept with more people than the entire population of India. It is to those people that my "What's YOUR Deal?!?" rants are focused to. Unfortunately, those are also the same people that may not have the level of reading comprehension that would be necessary to understand the words that are currently sitting on your screen. And for you, loyal readers, I just hope you see the dismay within my words and join me in a collective jaw drop and sigh.

I don't pretend to know what was going on in Steve McNair's family life or why he started dating Sahel Kazemi, the woman who would come to murder him. But I just want to pose some questions for all of us to think about. Maybe from the land of the internets, I can get some answers to make sense of the world in which we all share.

First question: Why are people dumb? This is a question I always ask. People do some freakin' illogical things that are straight up, inexcusably dumb. Most people go from zero to utterly irrationally insane in a quicker time than it takes diarrhea to spew forth from my anus when I have a stomach bug. Why? Is it really so hard to think logically about something and talk things out without the help of a talk show?

Second question: Why the hell do people cheat on each other? If the relationship is not working, then get out of it. "Oh... but I love ____." No you don't, you dumb ass. If you do, you WON'T CHEAT ON THEM! You may like them for what they provide, like money, shelter, or whatever. But you obviously don't like THEM because how much more can you disrespect someone than to lie to them and cheat on them. That makes you sub-human. You're worse than the diarrhea that I've spewed forth from my anus, because at least I KNOW where that's been.

Third question: Why the hell do people date the trashiest people and then get upset about it when they do something trashy? Uh.... duh? Case in point, a month or so ago, Tony, Judy, and I witnessed my neighbor kicking out her cheating boyfriend. Lots of crying, screaming, name-calling... we were like, "Whoa." But when the cops came and boyfriend was led out to the squad car, we saw that this dude was disgusting. He had man boobs that wrapped around his body like a floatation device and back hair that would rival Chewbacca's. This leads directly to the next two questions...

Fourth question: How do trashy people like that even GET ONE person much less, apparently, multiple partners? I've spent a lot of time single, because I'm picky. I have every right to be because I have standards. I also came to the conclusion that I was okay with being single because I can't find someone dateable. I was willing to accept that I had high standards and it would take someone pretty wicked awesome to get past the pickiness. But, I guess that makes me relatively unique. (No worries, I know I have cool friends that are more like me than a petri dish. HUZZAH to you!) And if you look like you're carrying more STDs than a research laboratory... I'd like to tell you, "Good luck. Because apparently there are people willing to love you."

Fifth question: How low does your self-esteem have to be to even date trashy people? Why can't most people realize that they don't have to lower their standards? These are the people that we find on Maury, Jerry, Sally, Ricki, etc. looking shocked and awed that their fat-ass significant others, breeding the newest in biological warfare within their crotchal regions, are cheating on them with someone equally as sub-human. Why? WHY?!? Dump the dumbass and go find someone better.

I'm not saying that this was what Steve McNair and Sahel Kazemi had going on, but you have to realize that if he wasn't cheating on his wife with her, he'd be still alive. I'm sorry if I'm an asshole for saying that. Yes, we should focus on his life and successful career but, the fact of the matter is that he was victimized in the most heinous of ways by the woman he cheated on his wife with. Yeah, we watch those talk shows and we mock those that are in bad relationships, but at any given moment, some psycho will buy a gun and kill. Call this a public service announcement or whatnot, but don't be dumb. Don't get involved in shit like that. If all of your friends are going, "WTF are you doing with this person?" then maybe they're right. I don't have a lot of fans that are regular readers of my blog, I don't want to lose any of you to something senseless like that.

Dump the ho-bags, the trashy folks, and hopefully they don't scratch out the word, "HO" on the hood of your car. (True story, Shannon and I saw that this weekend.) But better HO on the hood of your car than getting shot in the head.

You ARE the Problem!

Apologies for this rant being late. I know I'm disappointing the few fans that I do have. But I promise I will try to do better. Because as the Social Justice Ninja, I have taken on the burden and the responsibility to call out and mock those that do harm to the greater good. The Suck Stops HERE. But, since we're on the topic of social responsibility (when are my rants NOT about that?)... I really want to point out my moral outrage regarding stupid people that do things that they think are in the best interests of others, but are totally wrong in what they're doing. Case in point... I was in line getting a burrito at my local Mexican food place. Shout out to Taco Roco, you're no Pancho Pistola's (Chicago), but you'll have to do. But there I was, standing in line waiting to place my order when this family is in front of me ordering food and I overhear their order. The mother turns and asks her toddler, "Do you want some juice?" I was thinking, "Huzzah! Yay to people giving their children healthy beverages like juice and water!" But... like most of humanity that I meet, I emerged sorely disappointed. I should really start to expect idiocy from the people around me, but I keep running into good people! (No offense to you guys, you know who you are!) Anyways, how did this family piss off the Social Justice Ninja? The woman offers her child "juice" which apparently comes in the form of Sunkist Orange Soda. WHAT. THE. F*CK?!? SUNKIST ORANGE SODA?!? JUICE?!? WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!? Okay.... let's back track... Juice, as defined by dictionary.com: "the natural fluid, fluid content, or liquid part that can be extracted from a plant or one of its parts, esp. of a fruit: orange juice." NATURAL. EXTRACTED FROM A PLANT. How the hell is THIS extracted from a plant?!? WHAT PLANT?!?!? Here are the ingredients of a Sunkist soda, (as marked on 20oz. bottle): Carbonated water High fructose corn syrup and/or sugar Citric acid Sodium benzoate (preservative) Food starch-modified Natural flavors Caffeine Glycerol ester of wood rosin Ascorbic acid (preservative) Yellow 6 Red 40 Yummy! Red 40! But yeah, this woman was telling her child that Sunkist Orange Soda is JUICE. And we wonder why there are fat kids and fat adults running around. Words cannot express my dismay. There is a fundamental difference between doing stupid things and not being aware of it. Because lord knows and all of my friends know that I do some pretty ridiculously funny things... but I NEVER, EVER WILLINGLY do something HURTFUL to someone unless it is deserved. And what that woman did to her child... is abuse! That's hurting a child by LYING to them. And I'll call BULLSHIT to whoever thinks that they're a better parent than me because I don't have kids of my own at this very moment. The things I say are common sense. Sunkist Orange Soda is not juice. Kool-Aide is NOT JUICE. Sunny Delight is NOT JUICE. When you roll your fat child to my door to Trick or Treat at Halloween, I'm not sure if I want to give your child candy. You can egg my house if you want, but somehow I think your definition of eggs involve the Cadbury kind with the creme filling. Why are people dumb? Children, I understand, are a product of their homes and their parents. Some of them are more or less fortunate than others. The only hope I have is that somewhere out there, a child is reading this blog and thinking, "Wow... Sunkist Orange Soda isn't juice?" If that's the case, then my job is done. Or perhaps a parent will look twice at they're offering their child to eat and drink. I'm not saying don't give them treats or soda at all, just don't lie to them and call it JUICE or call a Gummy Bear fruit. Tell the flipping truth, you lying bastards out there. You're not helping the world, you are the problem. Just because you think Sunkist Orange Soda is juice doesn't make it juice. You are not Jesus or a chemist and you cannot turn Red 40 into anything healthy. Think of the innocent lives that you are destroying with your delusional lies and all those minds being corrupted by the bullshit that you feed them. How can you sleep at night, you monster?! You may band together all of your fat friends and fat offspring to silence my truth, but I doubt you can fit through my door much less come up my stairs. So, yes, ASSHOLE, I'm talking to you and your kind. I can only hope my rant today can help liberate the minds of those that you have brainwashed and hurt. Fight stupid.

Dear Inconsiderate Motherf*cker...

Apologies for not having a rant last week, I will take personal responsibility for being one of the inconsiderate motherf*ckers I'm writing about this week (actually no, I don't think I'm that bad). I was out of town and didn't get around to writing one. Since I foresee my weekends being busier in the future, I'm now moving my weekly "What's YOUR Deal?!?" rants to Fridays. This week's rant is partially inspired by Shannon. SHOUT OUT TO SHANNON! Enjoy!




Dear Inconsiderate Motherf*cker,

Who the hell do you think you are? What makes you so special and the rest of us so inferior to your delusional greatness? Why, Little Miss Thang must you carry around your little dog in a purse at the store? What part of Service Animals Only do you not understand? I love my cat, Milo, but do you see me taking him everywhere I go? I mean, I get it, I travel with Milo when I go on long trips because I can't bear to be without him for a week or so and it's cheaper than boarding him for that long. I've taken Milo to the pet store so he could try on holiday collars. But I am not taking some little dog in a purse to the grocery store to run errands. Does little Fifi REALLY need to be helping you pick out vegetables? No. Then that begs this question: Do you care so little for your pet that you just consider him or her a fashion accessory? Oh I hope not! I hope little Fifi never clashes with your eyeliner. Poor thing. You're one inconsiderate motherf*cker!

And Mr. Dumbf*ck in your little car taking up the highway, if your little car doesn't go 70+ miles per hour... GET OFF THE HIGHWAY! If your car can't maintain highway speeds going up a hill... GET OUT OF THE LEFT LANE! And allow me to lower my English language skills to help you understand: This ain't NASCAR, ya'll. This ain't no race and there ain't no checkered flag. As for the rest of my readers who understand English, if I'm trying to pass you, it's probably because you're going SLOWER than me. I'm in a Jeep... I don't go very fast... but when I do, I like to keep doing the same speed that I set my cruise control to. If I'm not accelerating and I'm going faster than you... LET ME PASS YOU! You're ain't Dale Earnhardt and I can't give a rat's ass about your jolly jalopy accelerating only when you see me trying to pass you only for you to go slow again when I'm behind you. Thank you Mr. Dumbf*ck, for being a waste of space on this planet.

And oh, I can't forget about you, Mr. Fatf*ck! Yes, the fat f*ck who has probably never partaken in an athletic event but yet makes himself feel better by obnoxious heckling. These are the same fat f*cks that heckle at Pee-Wee football, Little League games, and high school games. I have no qualms about people that heckle the multi-million dollar athletes that are paid absurdly to play a game, as long as the heckling is actually funny and appropriate. However, heckling isn't funny just because you're loud and fat. So shut the f*ck up, Mr. Fatf*ck.

So please, all you inconsiderate motherf*ckers out there take heed and stop.

Thank you.

June 6th... the Awesomest Day in History... Or Not..

Welcome to yet another early edition of What's YOUR Deal?!? Again, I will be spending my Sunday down at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA supporting the fledgling WPS (Womens Professional Soccer) league. But this one couldn't have been better planned for a better day in terms of pure historical coolness.

June 6th, 1944, 55 years ago, Allied Forces landed on the beaches of Normandy. This was a historical event that changed the course of human history. President Barack Obama said in a speech today, "Friends and veterans, what we cannot forget — what we must not forget — is that D-Day was a time and a place where the bravery and selflessness of a few was able to change the course of an entire century," and that, "the sheer improbability of this victory is part of what makes D-Day so memorable."

It's amazing how easily we all forget the freedoms that we all enjoy and for some, take for granted, was earned upon the coat tails of the generations before us. Where would we be as Americans had it not been for those that fought in the Revolutionary War? Where would we be if Abraham Lincoln did not fight for a "more perfect union?" Where would we be without those that gave their lives on the beaches of Normandy, the rest of Europe, or the Pacific theater during World War II? Where would we be without those that fought for civil rights and equality for men, women, and people of all races? Where would we be? It's only appropriate that the first part of my blog today delivers a hearty shout-out to those that helped pave the way for people like me to not be thrown into a gas chamber somewhere. I salute all of you.

Let's flash forward to June 6th, 1984, height of the Cold War. On that day, Alexey Pajitnov designed and programmed the greatest game of all time: Tetris. Even while the United States and the Soviet Union had nuclear missiles were pointed at each other and the Doomsday Clock ticked closer to midnight... Tetris of all things found its way out of there and into the homes of people worldwide. Such a simple game involving logic, intellectual speed, and infinite strategic possibilities has lasted through the Cold War and is still going strong on video game consoles, handheld games, computers, graphing calculators, cell phones, and assorted other media. Thank you Mr. Pajitnov for creating Tetris and giving people like me something to do in long boring lectures in high school and college.

Now let's flash forward to today. Not quite the awesomest day in history, at least I hope it won't be looked upon in that light decades from now. Today is Protest the Pill Day '09. Yay American Life League, we meet again. If you would recall, the American Life League is the organization that accused Dunkin' Donuts of supporting abortions by giving out free "Freedom to Choose" donuts before President Obama's Inauguration. And I never did get an answer to the question I asked them, "Are the jelly ones extra abortiony?" Oh well. This group says on their event website http://www.thepillkills.com:

"On Saturday, June 6, pro-lifers across the country will be participating in the largest protest ever against the birth control pill and other birth control products. Last year, participants across the United States shared the facts on exactly how the pill kills babies. This year, we will expose the sordid details surrounding the tragic effects these chemicals have on women. We will emphasize the truth about how the pill kills women."

I'm all for the power to chose... if someone doesn't want an abortion, that's fine. If someone wants to get one, it's not for me to judge them, nor is it for these anti-abortion groups to do so either. Especially not by killing doctors that perform abortions like Dr. George Tiller, who was recently murdered. Oh, by the way, his funeral is today also. Great timing guys... great timing.

It is amazing that of all the things that have occurred on June 6ths throughout American history, that there are still groups fighting to take away the rights to choose that those that stormed the beaches of Normandy 55 years ago fought and died for to protect. How through the oppression of the Cold War-era Communist Soviet Union, a world-wide phenomenon found its way through in the form of Tetris. And today, we have doctors getting killed for what they do because certain groups and people think that their views are better than everyone else's. I not knocking people that think their views are better, don't get me wrong. Because honestly, I think my views are better than most people's. That's why I write this blog. But I'm not going to kill you if you disagree with me. I'm just going to publically mock you and hopefully shame you into a better way of thinking.

I'm actually glad that the theme to The Pill Kills has changed since they did it last year. Last year, they essentially said that taking birth control is the same as getting an abortion.

Here is an excerpt from this site http://catholicexchange.com/2008/05/08/112400/:

"As you know from the information you read on our web site: www.thepillkills.com, the birth control pill has three modes of action, one of which results changes in endometrium which reduces the likelihood of implantation. This of course means that the preborn child is not able to implant so that he can continue to grow, and he dies. This is chemical abortion."

So, at what point is there life? Can I just think about sex and not have it? Does that make a murderer because I "reduced my likelihood of implantation" by choosing not to have sex? (Ruh roh, Shaggy... she said CHOOSING!) Well folks, you heard it here first. I am a murderer. Yep. I confess. And everytime you spay and neuter your pets... you're an animal killer. Yeah... you're going to hell. Yep, you.

Thankfully, this year they went with a different theme. This time, THE PILL KILLS WOMEN!!!! That's fabulous. But then, so do other drugs. Remember the one I called out before that could cause Tuberculosis? Or how about simple ibruprophen? According to http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30:

"Each year, use of NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) accounts for an estimated 7,600 deaths and 76,000 hospitalizations in the United States." (NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, ketoprofen, and tiaprofenic acid.)

AHHHH PILLS KILL!!!!

I seriously think the American Life League is reaching... a lot. But... the course of human history and American history has led to that group existing. Because we are open minded tolerant people. Even if the things they say and do are somewhat ridiculous. So... let's honor this great day by remembering the fallen World War II veterans that paved the way to victory on D-Day, play some Tetris, think about sex, and take some aspirin. There is no better way to celebrate June 6th.

With Liberty and Justice for All...

First off, I have to give a shout out to my buddy Adam and his recent rants on Facebook. His views on California's Proposition 8 is absolutely fantastic and is a must read : http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=500081188&ref=ts#/note.php?note_id=41208394998

I generally avoid touching on hot-button political issues straight on because of what I do for a living. It's a slippery slope if I start criticizing things directly, so I just make fun of dumb people that say and do really dumb things. Although by this time, I'm sure fans of What's YOUR Deal?!? have a fairly decent idea of my opinions on certain topics. But this time, Adam made some excellent point that I just want to throw my two cents in on. (Apologies Adam for slightly piggy backing on your totally excellent Facebook note.)

I just think that If only more people saw the world like that... everyone gay or straight would be living in a wold that is far more just and equitable. But apparently equality is scary to people that currently possess rights that others want. Historically speaking, every race, color, and creed has been persecuted. There were settlers that came to the New World to escape religious persecution so that they could practice their religion freely. America was founded on liberty and equality. Throughout our history we've done dumb things to the rights of others, but eventually America realizes the error of its ways and changes course. How many Americans wouldn't be where they're at right now if it wasn't for the pioneers of civil rights fighting uphill battles against the status quo? I am a minority woman in the United States military... if my rights weren't fought for me generations ago, I'd most likely be making "flied lice" as an indentured servant, unable to vote, get an education, or write this wonderful blog that you are currently reading.

I'm sorry that just because something is different to people that it suddenly also becomes dumb and dangerous. Seriously, does it REALLY matter to me or you personally if Adam and Steve or Ada and Eve got married rather than Adam and Eve? Are they consummating their marriages in YOUR bedroom? Probably not, but if they are... it's not just gay or straight people that you have the problem with, it's really just the rude friends that you have. I don't care whose wedding I go to, it's free food, good cake, and I get to chuck rice at my friends (every Asian person's sub-conscious dream).

Did the world come to an end when slavery ended? How about when the military desegregated? What about when women started to work? How about when minorities and women were able to vote? More importantly, did the world come to an end when gay people in Massachusetts first were able to get married there? Did the institution of marriage spontaneously combust? Above all, ask yourself this question: What about those gay Chinese penguins?



I mean, I understand that the world won't suddenly be holding hands and singing songs around a campfire together. Race relations still has growing pains:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/29/ny.officer.killed/index.html

An police officer in New York shooting the first armed black man they see, when unfortunately the armed black man is actually an plain clothed NYPD officer. According to the article:

"The officer in the front passenger seat got out of the vehicle and shouted for Edwards to stop running and drop his weapon.

According to Kelly, the officers reported that, after the command was given, Edwards turned toward Dunton with his gun in his hand."

Apparently, turning around to acknowledge the command to stop and probably trying to identify yourself as a fellow police officer is enough to get shot if you happened to be a black officer. Great. I wonder if that means if I get pulled over, police will assume I'll dry clean their uniform and pull an egg roll out of my butt...

There is so much wrong with American society today. We are so afraid of the sterotypes and the "threat" that minorities of all kinds apparently pose. We fought and won World War II to stop that kind of racial purification propaganda from spreading across the world. Remember that? Remember Nazis? They didn't like minorities, women, and gay people either.

And religious fanatics need not apply:



We are all human beings. We all die equally, why can't we all live equally. Why do we always have to seek out differences among each other and fear anything we find?

Minorities aren't scary.

Women aren't scary.

Gays and lesbians aren't scary.

People in general ARE scary though, regardless of the color of your skin, the church you go to or not go to, or the people that you love. Dumb people exist everywhere. Can't we focus on them, rather than the innocent minority, woman, or gay person? Don't get me wrong, there are some dumb ass minorities, women, and gay people that I wouldn't want to think came from the same evolutionary path that I do.

Case in point, this is a talking point flyer from the National Organization for Marriage website:
http://www.nationformarriage.org/atf/cf/%7B39D8B5C1-F9FE-48C0-ABE6-1029BA77854C%7D/CatholicEnglish.pdf

Now... let's change the words a little to create "7 Scientific Reasons" to ban dumb people:

Elimination of dumb people reduces the risk of poverty for children and communities.
The majority of children whose parents are dumb experience at least a year of poverty.

Dumb people households increase crime. Boys whose parents are dumb, for example, are two to three times more likely to end up in jail as adults.

Elimination of dumb people protects children’s physical and mental health. Children
whose parents are not dumb are healthier and also much less likely to suffer mental illness, including depression and teen suicide.

Both men and women who aren't dumb live longer, healthier and happier lives. On
virtually every measure of health and well-being, non-dumb people are better-off than
otherwise similar singles, on average.

Just pretending to be smart is not the same as being smart. Smart pretenders are thirty to fifty percent more likely to divorce. People who are dumb do not
get the same boost to health, welfare and happiness, on average, as non-dumb people. Neither do their children. Children whose parents are dumb are at increased risk for domestic violence and child abuse and neglect. Children born to parents who are dumb are also three times more likely to experience their parents’ stupidity by age 5.

Parents who are dumb put children’s education at risk. Children
whose parents are dumb have lower grade point averages, are more
likely to be held back a grade, and to drop out of school. They are also less likely
to end up college graduates.

When dumb people exist, ties between parents and children typically weaken too. Adult children whose parents are dumb are only half as likely to have warm, close ties to both their mothers and their fathers. For example, in one large national survey, 65 percent of adult children of dumb people reported they were not close to their fathers (compared to 29 percent of adults from non-dumb people).

********

How's that make you feel? Don't those talking points make sense regardless of what group you fill in the blanks for? We can justify discrimination to anyone and everyone. But that doesn't mean we should.

Girl Scout Cookies of EEEEEEEEEEVIL!

This blog has been on the backburner since last weekend when I came across the inspiration for it. I opted to rant against Idiot Travelers instead. But, because this was queued up, now you have an early edition of What's YOUR Deal?!? because I'll be out of town again this weekend. Enjoy!



As much as I would like to think that I really need to stop reading news stories on the internet... I can't help it. The internet is where all the crazy, bizarre, and weird stories sneak in under the radar or the national consciousness. Everyone's worrying about war, the economy, the president, etc, we neglect stories like this one:

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=97977

In trying to search for an image of a Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookie the other day, I accidentally clicked on NEWS on Google, rathar than IMAGES, and this headline was among them: "Communists, radical feminists cited as role models for troops." Oh, you know me... I can't resist something that utterly ridiculous, so I aborted my image search and clicked on the article to read. It led me to that page... where the shenanigans continued. The actual title of the article wasn't, "Communists, radical feminists cited as role models for troops" it was:

*dramatic drum roll*

NOT YOUR MOTHER'S AMERICA
Girl Scouts exposed: Lessons in lesbianism

Oh dear, I laughed so hard, I may have peed myself and possibly that fit of laughter may have contributed to the pulled lower ab/groin muscle that I've been dealing with for thepast week. My mind immediate went to this image:



Everytime you masturbate, God kills a kitten? Well... my brain immediate retorted with, "Everytime you buy a Girl Scout Cookie, God makes a lesbian." Go ahead, laugh. I'm chuckling a bit too.

I love the first line of the article:

"When many parents think of Girl Scouts, they imagine young girls in uniform selling Thin Mints and Tagalong cookies – not learning about stone labyrinths, world peace, global warming, yoga, avatars, smudging incense, Zen gardens and feminist, communist and lesbian role models."

According to this... everything up there is "bad." I would hope Girl Scouts believe in world peace... I'd hate to see a troop of warmongerers trying to sell me GIRL SCOUT COOKIES OF EEEEEEEEEEEVIL!!! *dramatic music here* I just can't see all those words lumped together in one category. Global warming and yoga? Communism and world peace? No... it makes no sense.

Let's continue.

The Girl Scouts' stance on religion is this:

"Girl Scouts of the USA makes no attempt to define or interpret the word 'God' in the Girl Scout Promise. It looks to individual members to establish for themselves the nature of their spiritual beliefs. When making the Girl Scout Promise, individuals may substitute wording appropriate to their own spiritual beliefs for the word 'God.'"

Apparently, that's bad and leads to communist, global warming, yogaing lesbians running around pursuing world peace. Does your brain hurt? Mine does.

And not only are Girl Scouts apparently evil for the reasons cited above, this part pushed me over the edge:

"'In "Amaze: The Twists and Turns of Getting Along,' girls from the sixth to the eighth grade will read a quote from Buddha and be encouraged to explore mazes and stone or dirt labyrinths – symbols rooted in pagan mythology and popular within the New Age movement as meditation tools. "

Doing mazes is sinful. Mazes are BAAAAAAD. No more MAZES OF EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVIL for children! Quick, run!

"The book features a strong emphasis on feminism and world peace, concluding with the following message:

Life is a maze. Navigate its twists and turns and you'll find true friendships, meaningful relationships, and lots of confidence to boot. So, go ahead, enter the maze. The goal is peace – for you, your world, and the planet, too."

Somebody explain to me why that's bad? I don't get it. Isn't that the goal that everyone, no matter what religion, race, or creed wants? I'm confused.

It doesn't get much better:

"In the next age group, for teens in the ninth and tenth grades, girls are taught about wage disparities between the sexes, and a lack of assets and senior management positions held by women.

'Girltopia' poses the questions, 'When women don't earn enough, what happens to their children?' and 'How could everyone help create a Girltopia?'"

And this group's take on that:

"'This book was so depressing that I don't know what I would have done as a teen reading it,' Garibay said. 'The sense of hopelessness abounds in 'Girltopia.' The positivity, the enthusiasm and the vigor of youth is completely destroyed by data found to further the Girl Scout USA's feminist agenda. It plants seeds of despair and hopelessness in today's girls.'"

I'm sorry, first I'm not sure that every freshmen and sophomore girl in high school have a lot of positivity and enthusiasm. And if they do, more power to them. But the issue here is education, why is it bad to educate America's youth about the issues plaguing the country? Would you rather then find out for themselves and not have the fortitude or time to fight for solutions? Hiding social issues from America's youth is what's causing apathy in America's adults and people like Paris Hilton. They grow up thinking everything is fine and the world will cater to their needs. That's not true. Planting the seeds of knowledge and world views in the minds of young Americans is key to the future of our prosperity.

This part reeeeeeeeeeaaaaallllly grinds my gears:

"When teens reach their junior and senior years in high school, they begin a Girl Scouts curriculum called 'Your Voice Your World: The Power of Advocacy.' It encourages young women to begin 'raising their voices as advocates' and follow the examples of other young people who are speaking out on causes such as global warming, universal health care, racism and child poverty."

That is exactly the time to start thinking about doing things like that. Kids are adults legally by that point and can vote and voice their opinions. More importantly, they can start fighting for what they believe is right. Whether it's for their religion or for other things, people at this age should be afforded the opportunities to do that.

More continues:

"Girls are encouraged to read the bottom of each page to discover a 'Voice for Good,' or female advocates who are meant to be role models. Of more than 50 women listed, only three are women who are known for their faith: Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman and Mother Teresa. Their religions are only briefly mentioned, if at all.

Many of the female role models mentioned are feminists, lesbians, existentialists, communists and Marxists."

Time out. When it comes to womens' rights... it really ARE those feminists that changed the landscape. Without those EEEEEEEEEEEEVIL feminists, women wouldn't have the right to vote or many rights at all. If it was all up to people that one wrote this article, girls will grow up to be mindless and apathetic without the right to vote or the opportunities to work, go to school, play sports, join the military, or any of other things that women today take for granted. Yes, the voices for social change are dangerous and scary, which is why they're given labels like feminist, lesbian, existentialist, communist, and Marxist. They're not wholesome Americans. But what IS a wholesome American? Do they have to be Christian and white? Is that the only thing that matters? President Barack Obama has proven you don't have to be white to succeed, much to the dismay of the latent racists that exist in our country. Are wholesome Americans people like Paris Hilton rather than Billie Jean King? Would you rather your child be a heterosexual, promiscuous zombie or a homosexual athlete that changed the way the world thinks about women's sports?

This part practically made me want to reach through my laptop screen to strangle Patti Garibay:

"Garibay told WND Girl Scouts USA is not the same program most women remember.

'Originally scouting was about citizenship, service and life skills,' she said. 'The founder, Juliette Lowe, wanted girls to do their duty to God and their country. She encouraged girls to activate, not meditate. Now the Girl Scouts want to move into self-discovery and lobbyist training.'

Wait... citizenship, service, and life skills are the exact things Ms. Garibay was ranting against! You "ACTIVATE" by being an ACTIVIST! ARGH!



Because of this, I'm going to stock up on Girl Scout cookies the next time they're selling them. I want to support a noble cause (and eat tasty cookies!). And if what this woman says is true and that everytime we eat a Girl Scout Cookie, God creates a lesbian... eat up! I'd rather see more Billie Jean Kings, Martina Navratilovas, Rachel Maddows, and Ellen DeGenereses than Paris Hiltons and her kind.

And oh yeah, I did find the Thin Mint picture I was looking for:

I Hate You SOOOOO MUCH...

Greetings readers for a slightly delayed edition of "What's YOUR Deal?!?" I spent this past weekend in Chicago commissioning my brother. For those unfamiliar, my brother had been in Navy ROTC and he graduated this year, which means he finished his training and is now an officer in the Navy. I got to read him his oath of office and like the Chief Justice did during President Obama's swearing in, I dorked it up (apparently, I still haven't seen proof). But the dorking up is mostly due to complete lack of sleep courtesy of United Airlines. For once, I'm not ranting about the airline itself, despite the fact that they cancelled my first flight, forcing me to drive 3 hours to LA to make my connecting flight. They at least had the decency to notify me of the cancellation so that I had enough time to get to LA. Kudos to them. I, currently, have a refund request for those legs of my flights that were cancelled. More on that issue in a later blog.

Today's topic is an open letter to idiot travelers making my life hard:


***********


Dear Idiot Traveler,

Why must you drive at the same speed as the driver in the lane next to you, leaving no room for anyone to pass you? Don't you realize that you're essentially blockading the entire highway? Why are you so inconsiderate?

On the same note, why must you walk holding hands with each other side by side? No, not the couples holding hands, but your entire family holding hands side by side by side by side, et cetera? You're not the Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, or the Teletubbies. You're not Dorothy trying to get to the Wizard of Oz on the Yellow Brick road with your posse. I don't see a Lion, a Tin Man, or a Scarecrow, even though some of you are stinky, slow, and scary looking enough to fit those names. Why must you take up an entire sidewalk, aisle, or walkway like that? I don't feel like playing Red Rover when I'm walking, unless it means I get to knock you down.

I don't know why the airline industy won't board planes from the rear to the front. I would like to think that first class passengers wouldn't mind sitting in the terminal rather than inside the stuffy airplane. I'm not justifying airlines charging to check bags, but why are you all so cheap? If your suitcase doesn't fit in an overhead compartment, you should've checked your bag. Why did you try to crush my garment bag with your oversized luggage? Did you not see there wasn't enough room for your supersized stuff? And why, oh why, idiot traveler, did you put a little backpack, your fanny pack, and your coat in the overhead compartment when the people around you haven't even boarded yet? You do realize that you can put those things under the seat in front of you. You're riding in coach, leg room obviously wasn't a concern for you when purchasing your flight. And why did you arbitrarily put your big suitcase in the compartment above my seat? Where is my bag supposed to go? I paid for my one pieces of luggage and a personal item, I deserve to have a place for it. You should pay me a rental fee for my overhead compartment spot. I suppose if we were allowed to board from the rear of the plane forward, it'd be the first class passengers that would have no room in the overhead compartments for their carryons. Oh well, they're flying first class, they can afford to check their bags.

Why must you keep waking me up, idiot traveler? Do you not realize that this was a red eye flight, where most people spend it sleeping? If you have a bladder issue that forces you to get up every 20 minutes to use the bathroom, you could've easily asked me to trade seats with you so that you get the aisle. I'm not that mean of a person.

Why, idiot traveler, must you fart in your seat? There's really not that many of us sitting in the area. It'd be hard to hide who farted, since it wasn't me.

Why, idiot traveler, do you have to talk really loud on your cell phone? I don't care that you're on your first airline flight or that your friend's boyfriend's mom is now dating your sister's best friend's brother. Why can't you use your inside voice?

Why, idiot traveler, why? Why are you so stupid and annoying? Why can't you be considerate of the people around you and realize that the world does not revolve around you?

Sincerely,
The People Around You

Hypocrisy sucks.

Apologies for this week's rant being a day late, I was in LA this weekend enjoying a WPS game. For those uninformed, WPS is the new Women's Professional Soccer league. Great weekend entertainment. The last league failed due to lack of fans, I'm doing my part to help support this new one.

Anyways, this week's rant is one that I actually had trouble writing because, as the title implies, words can't express the anger that I feel. It's pretty amazing that the actions of dumb people can affect me so much, but it does. This is the one issue that pissed me off this week: Miss California.

I know... I know... I should let go of the anger I feel towards beauty pageant contestants... but I can't. And this isn't really anger, necessarily. This is more jaw-dropping speechlessness. I hate hypocrisy. I can't stand it when people say one thing and then go and do something ridiculously contrary to what they said. Case in point... Miss Carrie Prejean.

In an article appearing on cnn.com: http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/05/05/california.miss.california/index.html

"The 21-year-old Miss USA contestant has been the center of controversy since she declared her opposition to same-sex marriage in a response to a question on the pageant stage last month.

'That answer, and my commitment to stand by my beliefs, has since resulted in attacks on me and my integrity as a woman,' Prejean said in a news release dated Tuesday."

First off... like I said before, NO ONE CARES YOU'RE AGAINST GAY MARRIAGE. Your opinion on that matter or ANY OTHER MATTER rates pretty low in the grand scheme of things. Quit your whining about your "integrity" and "beliefs."

The article continues with:

"Her fate was being discussed in "closed-door meetings" Tuesday among California pageant officials, lawyers and representatives of Donald Trump, who owns the international competition, said Miss California USA spokesman Roger Neal.

'They are going over the legalities and clearly she breached her contract,' Neal said. 'When you compete for Miss California, you're supposed to disclose whether you posed for nude or semi-nude photos because it's grounds for disqualification.'

The spokesman for Miss California USA provided CNN with a copy of the pageant contract Prejean signed last year agreeing that the discovery of semi-nude photos could mean disqualification.

'You'll see in the agreement that she signed that she clearly violated the terms of her reign as Miss California USA, but we don't expect a decision to be made today,' Neal said."

So... she posed nude... violating her contract with the Miss California and Miss America pageant. What about your integrity, Miss Prejean?

It keeps getting better:

"'I am a Christian, and I am a model,' she said. 'Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos.'

She said the photos 'have been released surreptitiously to a tabloid Web site that openly mocks me for my Christian faith.'

'I am not perfect, and I will never claim to be,' she said. 'But these attacks on me and others who speak in defense of traditional marriage are intolerant and offensive. While we may not agree on every issue, we should show respect for others' opinions and not try to silence them through vicious and mean-spirited attacks.'

Yes... Models DO pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos. But I'm curious as to what kinda of lingerie and swimwear involves being NAKED. It's not a vicious or mean-spirited attack, it's the TRUTH. It's not like someone Photoshopped her head onto a naked body. Sorry Miss Prejean, I don't feel bad. You're RETARDED. Okay... maybe calling her retarded might be mean-spirited, but I think she deserves it.

Oh, woe is me... I'm an innocent little Christian girl who's being preyed upon by the gays! No... even if gay people weren't around, Carrie Prejean still posed nuded, tried to hide it, breached her contract, and in essence called into question her own integrity and morals. Stop looking for a scapegoat. You made your bed naked... now lie in it. (I'm not sure that was what I meant to say... oh well.)

On a sidenote, her statement also begs the question: Is intolerance of intolerance intolerant?

That's a deep thought to be pondered another day.

Peace.

Oh yeah... I was soooo RIGHT about the Swine Flu. IN. YOUR. FACE!

When You Die... Can I Have Your Bacon?

Thanks goes out to Cory at work for that picture. I know, it hurts my soul to be doing this, but I have to throw my 2 cents into the Great Swine Flu Epidemic of 2009. Oops, my bad, it's not Swine Flu, but the H1N1 virus. Oooh... scarier because it's just letters and numbers and scientific sounding. I remember seeing something on Fox News earlier this week where the newsanchor said, "Why is everyone freaking out about the swine flu?" as the ticker on the bottom of the screen flashed, "DEADLY SWINE FLU OUTBREAK!" Gee... you WONDER why people are freaking out about it? Are we really so bored and gullible to freak out about everything? Why is everything a disaster or some other extreme? I mean, in recent memory, how many deadly outbreaks have there been? Mad Cow? West Nile? Bird Flu? SARS? And maybe I'm being naive, but steaks and chickens still taste the same. Mosquitos are still annoying. And Chinese people are still around. According to ABC News, webpage found at: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/SwineFlu/story?id=7471341&page=1 "Swine flu may sound nasty. As of late Thursday, there are 236 cases of swine flu and eight confirmed deaths worldwide. But by comparison an estimated 600 people die of tuberculosis, about 1,400 people die from strep and 2,704 people die from a common asbestos-related lung cancer in the United States every year. Last year the seasonal flu took the lives of 83 children and an estimated 36,000 adults in the United States, according to the CDC." Gee... swine flu is scary ain't it? What about the millions of people that have died from HIV/AIDS? Cancer? And the number one killer of people: STUPIDITY!? It boggles my mind that people are always caught up in the breaking news story of the week, freaking out about something that they can't do anything about. Countries actually stopped the importation of pork from the US and Mexico. YOU CAN'T CATCH THE FLU FROM EATING PORK! People are walking around with those little surgical masks thinking that will prevent them from catching swine flu. THOSE DON'T WORK EITHER! The anger the feel about this level of stupidity is best exemplified by this little animated .gif: WHY? WHY? WHY? If people are so freaked out about diseases why don't we all just live in little plastic bubbles? Or better yet, why don't you put a plastic bag over your head and see how that goes? It never ceases to amaze me that people will jump on the newest scare and run with it without thinking. All the while, we have people not vaccinating their children because they think the side effects of vaccination are worse than the very epidemics that they fear. We have people getting prescribed antibiotics for no reason but because they go to a doctor and expect to get drugs for something antibiotics can't cure. We have people with bacterial infections not taking the full course of their treatment leading to bacteria mutating and developing tolerances for the drugs that we have. It is THOSE people that are the problem. THOSE people that will kill us all. Let's not start freaking out about a flu. Yes, people died from it. Yes, people may die from adverse reactions to vaccinations. Yes, PEOPLE DIE. It happens! I'm sorry! It's called evolution, Darwinism, or will of God depending on what you believe. And I'd like to say to those people that believe in God... God didn't let humanity develop science, technology, and medical treatments if God didn't mean for us to use that stuff. Regardless of that religious debate we can have another day... shit happens. Now, I'm going to make some bacon and enjoy breakfast. If by some strange chance it is the H1N1 virus that kills us all: Oops, my bad. I'll start accepting bids for who gets all my stuff when I die now. But if it's not, you are all idiots.

Why Must We Celebrate Stupid?

Again folks, I'm going to be busy tomorrow, so here's another early edition of "What's YOUR Deal?!?" for your weekend enjoyment. But before we begin, I'm going to answer some questions that people have about my blogs. Yes, I actively search out weird news stories to rant and rave about. My sources of choice are usually cnn.com and Yahoo! News. I also make an effort to watch Rachel Maddow on MSNBC every weeknight because we share the same opinions and taste in what is mock-worthy in today's news. It also just so happens that the anti-gay rights movement is especially rant-worthy because... well... two words: Gay Penguins. If gay penguins is so threatening to everyone's sexuality, relationships, and marriage... maybe it's time to look deep within ourselves to contemplate where our fear of penguins come from. Anyways, on to this week's topic.. the celebration of stupid. Another take on this topic can be found on my friend Denise's Facebook. Check it out: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=684524116#/note.php?note_id=106027054504 Last weekend, the annual Miss America pageant was held and I hope I wasn't the only one openly gawking with my jaw-dropped at what I was seeing and hearing. No, not in that way you sex-starved perverts. See, it's thoughts like those that inhibit the rights of gay penguins everywhere. But seriously? That is the best that America has to offer? Miss America, the title of which implies that these women are not just the best their individual states have to offer but also potentially the woman chosen to represent women across America. And it's people like this: Yes, I know that was an oldie but goodies from a couple of years ago, but that's not any worse than Miss California 2009's rumbling, bumbling, stumbling, rambling about "same-sex marriage" and "opposite marriage." Or perhaps her country of California. What exactly is opposite marriage? Isn't that just being single? And then she had the gall to insinuate that she lost the Miss America title because she didn't cater to the gay rights movement. No, dumbass... it's not because you didn't cater to the gay rights movement but because you SOUND LIKE AN IDIOT! I don't care (well, maybe I do.. just a little) that you don't believe in gay marriage, but at least have the decency to TRY to put together a logical argument for or against it. It's not your opinion that I have an issue with... it's the idiocy behind it. Sidebar: Question, is it a pre-requisite to have a glazed over look to be in beauty pageants? Like with your eyes pointing opposite directions? I know I can't make fun of that too much, because I think my cat is the most adorably beautiful creature on the planet and he suffers the same affliction: Back on topic... I know that these are supposed to be beauty pageants not debate competitions, but if all you're really judging on is superficial appearance, why even bother having these women speak? Why does society hold these women to a higher pedestal than say Rachel Maddow? Not to say anyone ever really remembers the names of Miss Americas or even can tell the difference between them and perhaps a Playboy Bunny of the Year... the fact remains that most people would hold the title of Miss America higher than political commentator. Although, that would make a fun trivia game... A list of names and trying to match them to former Miss America or former Playboy Bunny. I digress. We're a society of mindless people saying, "Oooh, pretty!" and ignoring the substance. I'm sure everyone is familiar with LOLCatz. If not the term, then this picture should jog your memory: We're so drawn to the attractive or cute image that our brains apparently completely turn off. "Ooooh, cute kitty!" Cute kitties don't use bad English. Miss Americas shouldn't be brain dead either! I know I'm as guilty as the next person of IMing or texting in short hand. Using "Ur" instead or "your" or "you are" and my abundant use of "prolly." But I also have the understanding that PROLLY is NOT a real word. At least not yet, you never know what bastardized English word will be added to Webster's Dictionary in any given year. That is NOT acceptable for writing a letter or an e-mail or writing on Ebay or Craigslist or even for a personal ad unless you want to share with the world that you are RETARDED. If you're going to sit down and take the time to compose something, then at least have the decency to write in complete sentences using complete and REAL ENGLISH WORDS. "I Can Has Cheezburger" is funny when put it over a picture of a fat cat, but if you're writing to me and you're too lazy that turn that Z into an S and add a freakin' E, you're telling me that I'm not worth that extra millisecond of your time. That isn't just a typo folks, it's pure laziness and it has become acceptable because we let it be. I don't want to have to decipher what you're sending me because it's not in English. It's like trying to figure out what people's license plates say. I've tried to learn Ebonics... but retard typing speak... sheesh, that's too much for my brain. We need to stop accepting laziness and stupidity as the standard for American behavior. Brain dead Miss America contestants does not represent me and for the love of all that is good, I hope she doesn't represent you either. I'm glad you're taking the time to read this blog, you're on the path of recovery. Now go read a book or watch the news.

Perhaps logic WILL prevail... probably not.

Greetings readers! I know, it's a Saturday night and normally I post these rants on Sunday mornings, but I will be busy tomorrow and rather than getting angry Facebook wall posts from my friend Mentos for not posting a new rant... I'm doing so now. Shout out to Mentos! I just want the world to make sense sometimes, rather than this, which still boggles my mind... Watch this video at the 1:15 or so mark about the Tango Makes Three book:

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Seriously? A book about gay penguins tops the list of banned books yet again? Clearly, America did not read this old blog entry of mine: http://pooniethegreat.blogspot.com/2009/01/special-update-news-that-make-you-go.html The United States of America... the alleged shining beacon of hope, freedom, and humanity chooses to ban books about penguins while China, a shining beacon of Communism and state-sponsored censorship let two penguins get married. Am I the only one that sees something wrong with that concept? It's a book about a penguin family... not porn! You close-minded folks sure are perverted if all you think about are the private lives of Arctic animals. How can something this adorable be wrong? And how about this to twist your medula oblongata? Midwestern stalwart Iowa allows gay marriages while supposedly liberal hippie California doesn't? Holy Jebus people! The world has gone insane... Okay, before everyone's brain explodes in a less than spectacular gurgle of gray matter... I offer you one small victory in our ongoing fight against the airline industry: http://www.wgntv.com/landing/?United-Airlines-bumping-bigger-passenger=1 &blockID=267721&feedID=209 In case the link doesn't work... here are the key excerpts: "Passengers who are too large to fit comfortably in a coach seat will be required to buy a second ticket or upgrade to business class, where seats are larger, if United's flight attendants can't find two open seats for them. The Chicago-based carrier said it decided to adopt the tougher policy after receiving more than 700 complaints last year from passengers 'who did not have a comfortable flight because the person next to them infringed on their seat,' spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said. Most airlines in the U.S. spell out similar rules in a legal document called the 'contract of carriage' that establishes services and charges for flights, airline analysts said." Sidenote: 700 complaints? That's it? I think there are more people that quietly suffer without telling anyone or perhaps post their stories on this wonderful website: http://flightsfromhell.com/ Anyways, the article continues with a mention of a fat people fighting for their right to be fat and this: "'We'll first try to re-accomodate you on another seat on the flight,' Urbanski said. "If the flight is full, and that's not often the case these days, you'll be bumped from the flight." If this occurs, passengers will be forced to either find a flight with open seating or be required to buy two seats or an upgrade to a class of service with wide seats. If seating is not available and a passenger decides not to travel, the ticket will be refunded without any penalty, even if it is a non-refundable ticket." HALLELUJAH!!!!! But before anyone gets all up in arms about discrimination against fat people... think about this logically. Consider these points... (1) If your bags are too heavy, you get charged extra. (2) If you take too many bags with you, you get charged extra. (3) I fly with my cat a lot and despite the fact that he doesn't take up any more room beyond the carry-on space underneath the seat in front of me... I have to pay extra for him. And about point number 3... don't you dare give me a sob story about how people may be offended by the smell or may be allergic to the cat. Milo doesn't smell (neither did the late, great Monty) and even if he does, it's nothing compared to some of the funky fresh people I've had the pleasure of sitting next to. So... if you take up more room than what is allotted to you... why shouldn't you be charged extra? Why do I have to pay full price for half the space? I am entitled not to have your fat rolls touching me. No, it's not discrimination... you PHYSICALLY DON'T FIT IN THE SEAT. How about I put it this way... There's a plane... open seating... but there is a weight limit. Technically, there are enough seats for everyone... however, if everyone boards the plane... the plane will crash because it's too heavy to fly. If it's my tubbalicious butt causing imminent doom... um, I wouldn't fly on that plane. It's not discrimination... it's PHYSICS. Besides, being fat is a lifestyle choice... your fat rolls don't really have to come out... You don't need to rub that in our faces. What you do in the privacy of your own kitchen is your own business. I just don't want my family and my children exposed to your lifestyle. I might catch obesity from you, just by sitting next to you. I don't need you to try to convert me to your immoral acts of deviancy... (I can keep going with this...) So... let's summarize... gay penguin family is bad... fat people demanding more room for themselves at the expense of everyone else is okay? Hmmm... Yeah. Rock on. But... kudos to United Airlines for fighting the good fight.

Apologies and a Hearty Dose of Fist-Shaking...

First off, my apologies for disappearing on my loyal readers for the past couple of weeks. The process of moving and trying to look for the packed away basics is quite an ordeal. Although, I did try to write a rant last week, but the computer ate it when I forgot to save it. I know that apology sounds about as sincere as: But, I did not hit CTRL-S on this computer... Anyways, in the previous installment of What's YOUR Deal?!? I promised a rant on people's inability to understand the concept of getting in line. Seriously? It's such a simple comcept that even little pre-schoolers understand. It's like everyone on the planet think they deserve special consideration, regardless of anyone around them. I know you're guilty of that and honestly, so am I. How many times have you been in line at a cafeteria, fast food place or a concession stand while standing behind someone ordering enough food to feed the continent of Africa ten times over while all you wanted was a drink? I know I've been in that situation too many times to count. And each time I'm thinking to myself, "I better order some fries before this fat bastard in front of me causes another potato famine!" Or you stand there wondering why in the world there isn't an express line for people that really want 3 items or less. I digress. I seriously think some people are as oblivious as this lady (Shout out fo B-Roc for introducing this hilarity to me): Oh wait... that's the parody... The real clip is here: http://www.brendadickson.com/welcomehome.html Before that, I didn't know fruits came "pre-digested." But hold on... that hurt my brain so much I need a break... I think you might too after that. Inhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale... You good? Okay, so am I. I was at a nice outdoor Farmer's Market a couple of weeks ago, standing in line to get little mini-donuts. Mmmm... donuts. So, to anyone that's ever been to outdoor gatherings, the lines aren't necessarily straight and unless you're at an amusement park, you're not going to have those ropes leading you around and around like cattle. So me and my friend were just standing there in line, waiting patiently like most civilized people do and then this oblivious Brenda Dickson-esque woman just runs straight up to the window and places an order right in front of me. We look at her like she missed the short bus to whatever assisted-living home she belongs to and she looks at us like she's never seen another human being standing in line before. She then had the ovaries to ask, "Oh, were you in line?" No, we weren't in line, you little abortion that got away... my friend and I just wanted to stand here smelling the donuts without any intention of making a purchase. I know in crowds like that, it could get a LITTLE confusing to some people. But that's why evolution provided us with the ability to communicate. A simple, "Are you waiting in line?" or "Is this a line?" or even eye contact, a raised eyebrow, and a point would get you the answer you need. This is common in women's restrooms... where apparently no woman can urinate without an entourage. Unless you have diarrhea exploding out your anus, through your pants, and down your legs... you have no right to assume there is no line. Considering that woman probably did not have projectile feces... not to mention a donut stand is the absolute improper place to be running towards when the gurgling in your belly demands attention... there is no excuse for that woman to have cut in front of us in line. I give her the hearty fist shake of the week because some things literally make no sense whatsoever and trying to justify it with any form of logic will just hurt our collective souls...

Leave Spam Alone!

Greetings readers! It has come to my attention that a lot more people have possibly seen this blog than I’ve previously realized. Excellent, please tell your friends or do your part to save the economy and buy my shirts. http://www.zazzle.com/docpoonie It’s nice to get my message across to more and more people every week. It gives me an immense sense of personal satisfaction to know that at least one other person thinks that what I say is neat. I’ve often contemplated about how to best propagate my propaganda. For some reason that last sentence made me giggle a little, because way back in the day in high school, I ran for Junior Class Vice President and my entire campaign centered itself in the bathrooms. I had posters plastered in every stall and over every urinal, knowing that everyone would have to see them at least once, and in fine print on the bottom of the posters were the words “Brought to you by the Proprietors of Predictable Propaganda.” It made me happy that I won that election… and subsequently advertisements in the bathrooms were banned at my high school. Go figure. I have no idea why I decided to share that little tidbit of my past with you all, but sharing is caring… and I love you all (maybe). But the point remains, at what point are advertisements funny and witty versus irritating and annoying. I suppose there’s a multi-billion dollar industry to answer that question, but it’s readily apparent what advertisements are irritatingly annoying and that’s internet spam. At what point does ANYONE think it’s a good idea to e-mail people with offers of elongating your penis and then a few minutes later another one with enlarging your breasts? I suppose there are people that may have both and want both to be bigger… To each their own. And it’s not just those ads, it’s all of them. I don’t want to see a little dancing pop-up floating across my screen as I’m trying to click on the 10-day weather forecast. So, this week’s rant is inspired by my friend Shannon. Shout out to Shannon! We were having a conversation about internet spam and why such a horribly annoying concept has been associated with such a tasty little can of luncheon meat. Spam gets such a bad name, yeah the goopy stuff on top when you open the can is rather odd, but honestly Spam is some good stuff. If you ever go to Hawaii, they serve Spam, eggs, and rice as a breakfast option. If McDonald’s can serve it… it has to be good, right? Oh wait… maybe not. What makes Spam any different than… say a hot dog? Personally, I don’t see a difference between the two uber-processed meats. At first I suggested to Shannon that instead of Spam, we should call it internet fruitcake because it’s everywhere and everyone has one somewhere. Unfortunately, she pointed out to me that that’s a term associated with gay people. Then I guess everyone on the planet has a gay person in their closet somewhere. So, I hereby declare form this day forth… we shall all make the effort to call the junk e-mail we get… Internet Brussel Sprouts. Or IBS… just so it’d be synonymous with Irritable Bowel Syndrome… nobody ever needs IBS of either kind. I would webcam myself doing something like this, except replacing the word Britney with Spam: But, I think I scare enough of you already and it’s always fun to bring up oldie, but goodie YouTube videos. Stay tuned next week for my rant against people who don’t understand the concept of orderly lines. Have a good one everyone!

The Cause of Road Rage... It Just Might Be You...

Greetings to the fans of What's YOUR Deal?!? Today, I write my blog in California! Finally, I have moved out of the frozen tundra and to a place where the shovel I carry in the back of my Jeep will be used if I'm stuck in sand rather than snow. However, all is not sunshiney goodness in the world of Poon... if it was, this blog wouldn't exist and we can't have that, can we? Of course not. So, what can possibly have pissed me off on my beautiful trek through the Pacific Northwest and down the state of California? I can almost just hear the chorus of your thoughts saying, "STUPID PEOPLE!" That makes me smile on the inside, knowing that my readers are starting to see the world as I see it. So yes, stupid people. Stupid people driving vehicles. Stupid people driving vehicles that can KILL me going at highway speeds (although, the term "highway speed" was arguable during parts of the drive). I know, here is an Asian female writing a rant about drivers! Go ahead, laugh... it's pretty funny. But, I make no claims about my own driving prowess, in fact, my people are infamous for things like this: Although, that's not an Asian specific thing, apparently. There are some retarded people operating large machines on the roads that are a hazard to not only my life but also my sanity. Allow me to discuss a select few... First, have you ever wondered where traffic starts? Like, how a road that is going at 70+ miles per hour sudden slows to a crawl for an inexplicable reason? Well... I had that question answered for me the other day. There I was, crusing at slightly above the speed limit... then BAM... brake lights and slowing. WTF? There was one car, driving BELOW the speed limit in one lane and a Winnebago in the other... both literally impeding the forward progress of humanity. Honestly, if you're driving and all you see is open road ahead... for the love of all that is holy, LOOK BEHIND YOU! If you see a parking lot of cars BEHIND YOU and there's no way for them to get in FRONT of you... YOU, my idiotic friend, ARE THE CAUSE OF TRAFFIC! Yes, you. You are THAT guy/gal. This leads me to my second qualm about idiot drivers... people that apparently do not have the reading skills to comprehend signs that say, "SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP TO THE RIGHT"... unless you're driving a NASCAR at NASCAR racing speeds.. you ARE ALWAYS slower traffic. There will ALWAYS be someone going or trying to be going faster than you. This is ESPECIALLY the case when you're driving a motorhome and pulling a trailer. Merge right and let people PASS YOU and then you can go back to putt-putting along and being oblivious to the rest of the world. I wish I had a battering ram to nudge these people off the road... just spin them out a little... And finally, this really isn't the cause of other people's road rage, but what is the deal with bumper stickers? Yes, some are hilariously funny, but the unfortunate thing about bumper stickers are that people leave them on their cars long after they're pertinent. First off, what would EVER compel someone to put Election bumper stickers on thair car. The election season is only but a mere few months long but you're gonna be leaving your bumper sticker on for the life of your car? As if it isn't bad enough to have a sticker like that on your car, it's hilarious when you chose the non-winning candidate. (No one's a loser, right?) How much longer do I have to see a McCain-Palin '08 sticker on your rear end? Hell, one time I saw a Dukakis sticker! And what about those bumper stickers that say, "My child is an Honors Student at ______ School?" How long do those kids have to endure being an academic All-Star when they were 10? This was especially hilarious when a bunch of them piled out of a minivan at a gas station, all of them looking like they're the poster children of the Montana Meth Project. There is the face of your Honors Student. Congratulations. Although, I think this should trump all: And with that... thanks for reading this week's edition of What's YOUR Deal?!? Stay tuned next week for the exciting continuation of my ranting and raving.

Some sentimental drivel...

Well folks, this is the last "What's YOUR Deal?!?" I'll be writing from Great Falls, Montana. Worry not, I plan on continuing my weekly excursions into the depths of the pitiful colon of humanity when I get to California. I'm sure you're reading the words, "pitiful colon of humanity" and wondering about my mental stability... but bear with me and read this article from:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/world/americas/05briefs-9YEAROLDSABO_BRF.html?_r=5&ref=world

If the link doesn't work, here is the full text of the article, dated 5 March 2009, from the Associated Press:

"A 9-year-old girl who was carrying twins, and whose stepfather is suspected of raping her, underwent an abortion on Wednesday despite complaints from Brazil’s Roman Catholic Church. The stepfather has been jailed since last week, the police said. Abortion is illegal in Brazil, the country with the most Roman Catholics, but judges can make exceptions if the mother’s life is in danger or the fetus has no chance of survival. Fatima Maia, director of the public university hospital where the abortion was performed, said the pregnancy, which was in its 15th week, posed a serious risk to the girl, who weighs 80 pounds. But Marcio Miranda, a lawyer for the Archdiocese of Olinda and Recife in northeastern Brazil, said the girl should have carried the twins to term and had a Caesarean section. 'It’s the law of God: Do not kill,' he said in comments reported by the newspaper O Globo."

You see what I mean about humanity's colon? Seriously, I don't care what side of religion you're on, or what side of the abortion debate you're on... this story has more than enough f'ed up aspects to it to infuriate anyone. I'm not sure what's more messed up, the rape, the child abuse, the abortion, or the reaction by the church... or any combination of the disgust I felt in the pit of my stomach for the entire situation.

Well... with that said... the title of this week's rant is "Some sentimental drivel..." so this is actually less a rant than me just pontificating as I'm sitting on the floor of my empty apartment, typing on my laptop which is sitting on a box next to an air mattress that my cat has stolen for his own personal use.

Call me a spoiled capitalist yuppie... but I really miss having stuff. I miss my TV that's usually on constantly as I'm listening to the news, sports, The History Channel, or the Discovery Channel in the background while I read about random topics that pique my interest on the internet. I miss my bed and having a chair. But even sitting within the empty walls of my apartment, with all my stuff on a moving truck heading to California, I realize I have it better than a lot of people in the world. This is especially relevant seeing as how the economy is taking its slow downward swirl along the porcelain sides of the American dream, consuming everything in its path.

I love listening to the debates from conservatives and liberals regarding what to do with the economy... it's actually ridiculous. We have on one side, people wanting to cut goverment spending so as to not deepen the national deficit, which makes sense, the deficit is ridiculous right now and getting worse. We have on the other side people saying we need to stimulate the economy my throwing money at it, which also makes sense because without money, there is no economy. Now... who's right? Unfortunately, people don't see that both sides are right... and bipartisan politics is equally as offensive to me as what happened to that poor 9-year old in Brazil.

I'm not an economist, I suck at math, but this is my take on it all. The issue is really which is more important to people now. Yes, a deficit that we'll be trying to pay off forever is bad. However, without help, there are people that have no jobs right now. Because the banking system is so f'ed up, people can't buy anything, if people can't buy anything, then manufacturing dries up, and those workers that manufacture stuff... they now have no job. And with no job, there's no buying stuff... the swirling sensation you are feeling is your livelihood going down the toilet.

So... the way I see it is that we gotta throw money into the toilet to clog it... to stop the flush of economic doom. "But we're throwing money away!" Yes, I know... but if we clog the toilet early enough, you can reach back in there and grab the money you threw in. Ta-da! I really should seek elected political office. I'm sure I can turn this into a PowerPoint slideshow.

Oh well...

Apologies for this week's rant being not all that ranty, I've been too busy to truly get outraged about something... other than the entire process of moving. It's so strange to pack up everything and just go. But so such is the transient lifestyle of someone in the military. At least this time I relatively lucky and I get to be stationed with a big group of my friends, so it's not really a goodbye to most people at it is a, "See ya in California!" And in today's technology driven world we're never at a loss of contact with people unless they really don't like you enough to hide from you. I mean, how many people do we "stalk" on Facebook daily with what I call the "Stalker Feed." So and so uploads some pictures, next thing you know you're clicking through pictures of the birthday party of someone you haven't seen in years. So... I guess there really is never a goodbye. I'll definitely miss some of the people that I'm leaving behind in Great Falls... folks like my vet (such awesome group of people) and the people I work with (for better or for worse).

Yeah... well, I hope everyone keeps reading my rants and joins me in my righteous outrage over the stupidities of humanity and life in general. Peace.