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.