Foolish Facebook Feuding

I belong to a lot of Facebook groups and fan pages;  ones about TV shows, movies, politicians, celebs and several Amarillo media outlet pages.  With the recent backlash over North Carolina’s marriage vote followed by President Obama's endorsement of same-sex marriage, the pages have seen activity such as I've not witnessed before since I became active on Facebook.

For the record - I'm not "for" gay marriage...but I'm not against it, either.  It really should be a non-issue, as I take the libertarian stance that govt. has no place in marriage.  I'm on record as saying gay marriage won't be the downfall of this great nation, but the continued loss of our freedoms will be.  The only "problem" I have with same-sex marriage is one of semantics, namely that marriage has been defined as between a man and a woman.  If gays want to "marry", then there should be a different word to describe it, such as "civil union".

That's not the point of this rant, though;  reading through a thousand or more posts from both sides of the issue I've been offended by many of those arguing for and also by many against it.  The anti folks are the most obnoxious - but not by much.  Most use the Bible verses to argue their case and they have a point...but many are not being very compassionate when they state their case.  Personally, I consider myself a Christian, albeit not a very good one, but the judgment isn't mine to pass out.  I can send no one to Heaven, cannot sentence anyone to Hell.  There have been a few against it that have had that compassion, though...voices of reason in an unreasonable crowd.

The pro people are almost as bad, bringing up the argument that the Christians pick and choose what they want to follow from Biblical teaching.  They're right, but they are so full of rage it's hard to give sympathy to their views.  The hatred between the two groups is frightening.  I almost feel as though I'm caught in the crossfire.

What annoys me the most is the President's change of heart over the issue.  He's been on record as being against it, but just as soon as N. Carolina passes the ban, he changed his mind.  He may have agonized over it, who knows?  I'm not against his new-found stance, but I think he has seen a poll or study that showed he was losing the (for example) 18-24 vote and needed to sway them back into the fold.  I don't need to see statistics to know that it's the older generation that holds the anti viewpoint and that the younger generations have little or no problem with gay marriage.  I think the President is doing what he does best and that's being a consummate politician. (and that's what I hate the most about politicians, especially the ones that are good at being one)

What's also troublesome is that there are many other issues for the President with which he should concern himself;  our dwindling civil rights and vanishing privacy, several wars, the economy and many others.   We have our service people dying and the drums of war are beating even louder...people are out of work and we're putting ourselves into debt that our children's children's children won't even begin to pay off...and Big Brother is here, Orwell's 1984 a few years late here in 2012.  I may seem callous, but same sex marriage should be far down the list of his concerns.   Something that affects perhaps 3-4% of the population shouldn't take precedent over the things that affect us all.

Anyway...I shouldn't sit on the fence about this.  If it were up to me, I'd let gays legally join together using any word to describe it but "marriage".  I'm still against the govt. being involved with whatever one wants to call it, though, but since it is, then allow any two people a license.  Let the churches decide if they want to perform a ceremony.

Sure, let them legally join together.  Let them have the same tax and other advantages that heterosexual couples have. As some comic once said, they deserve the right to be as miserable as the rest of us.

A Crock of Kroc

This was the Today in History entry from the widget in the right-hand column:

























I've been to McDonalds less than half a dozen times in my life.  A couple of times was when I was with my sister and her then-husband when we were in Amarillo. He loved the franchise and I never understood why.  OTOH, he thought macaroni grew on trees, so.... Another time was after work and a co-worker asked if I wanted to go eat breakfast and that he'd buy.  I jumped at the chance, but would have turned it down if I had known he wanted to go to McDonalds.  Another time was when I was going to go the the movies but knew I didn't have time to eat anything but fast food.  The McDonalds was just a few hundred yards from the theater so I got a burger there and wolfed it down in time to catch the flick. 

I also ate there a few months ago when I got a craving for french fries and a chocolate milk shake.  (I like to dip the fries into the shake - better than ketchup!)  They DO make good fries and shakes, but I prefer burgers from just about anywhere else. Pampa has a couple of locally owned hamburger joints that make MUCH better burgers than McD's.   I stopped at Sonic the other day and asked the girl who brought me my food if they were always that busy.  She mentioned that McDonalds hadn't finished their new building - I then remembered they had torn down the "old" one (probably ten years old or so) and was building another one.  It looks like the same size as the last one.  Hmmm....

It wasn't the quality of their food that kept me away from  McDonald's, though, but rather a political reason.    It was the early 70's and I was becoming politically aware.  Nixon was President and I was starting to work my first real, paying jobs.    When I first started working, the minimum wage was $1.90/hr. then it was raised to a whopping two bucks an hour.  Whoopie!  I worked for the county mowing the graveyard and courthouse lawn- we were allowed to put in 50 hours/week, but the county, being a govt. entity, was exempt from having to pay overtime.  That meant we could make a hundred bucks a week.   Even back then that wasn't a lot of money. (At least it didn't seem that much then, but it could probably buy as much as three times that amount now.  Gasoline was .28 cents/gallon and you could rent an apt. in my home town for fifty bucks/month)

I was in the school library during study hall and was reading the paper and read an article about Ray Kroc having Nixon on his yacht.  The article said it happened quite often and questioned their relationship.  It made me question it too and made me do some more research. 

This was long before the Internet, so I had to dig through all sorts of periodicals, but I eventually found that Nixon had vetoed several minimum wage increase bills sent to him by Congress.  I also found out that the largest employer of young people was McDonalds...young people who also comprised the vast  majority of minimum wage workers.   It didn't take a genius to figure out that there was more to the Kroc/Nixon connection than appeared on the surface. 

Since that time, however, I've come to conclusion that the min. wage isn't necessarily a good thing.  A free market should set wages, not Congress or unions or Presidents.   Even if there has to be a minimum wage, I think there should be a provision for training wages and an exemption for the youngest workers.  (the young me would be furious at the me I am now) The best thing of all would be for government to stay completely out of regulating prices or wages or subsidizing any industry.

Happy Groundhog & Garazon Day!

A"bump" since I'm too busy celebrating Groundhog Day to actually put up a new post about it.

 

(have to use a graphic because Blogger won't let me put in those special characters) means "grin" in IM chat or forum posts, but it in this case it also stands for "Garazon", one of my best and long-time online pals. The G for grin was first used by our mutual friend, Brad and I guess Garazon and I picked it up around the same time. It became a "nickname for the nickname" for me with Garazon and that's how I started abbreviating his screen name.

Garazon and I "met" in MSN Groups, but started to become good friends when he made a flashy Halloween page for his group, complete with embedded midi sound file and some other special effects. Making a page was one of my goals when I first got online and I was determined to learn how to do it, so I started asking Garazon all sorts of questions. I'm sure he grew weary of me bothering him, but he should have been flattered if he had only known how hard it was...and still is...for me to ask for assistance. 

I hope we don't ever lose touch, but even if we do, I'll always remember Garazon because of our time in Groups and that he once said Groundhog Day was one of his favorite holidays. I don't remember exactly WHY he said it was, but I thought that was very funny and every year since we met a dozen years ago in Groups, I always think of him on this day.

The 1993 Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day is also one of my favorite flicks and I try to watch it whenever it's on. I link to IMDb often when I post about movies, but sometimes I get so annoyed when reading posts about my favorite movies; the site is full of argumentative and insulting posts.  I can understand contention when discussing politics and religion, but movies?  Good Grief.  It gets extremely nasty when a movie contains plot elements of either of those two subjects and sometimes people try to interject one or the other into the discussion when there's no reason to do so.

Anyway...just heard on the news that the groundhog saw his shadow and there will be six more weeks of bad weather.  That doesn't mean much here in the Texas Panhandle; it was a beautiful, fairly warm day yesterday but this evening is supposed to bring freezing temps and rain and possibly snow. 

So Far, a Lucky Week

This just hit my email inbox:

I forget why I entered the contest; I'm sure the Grand Prize was something I really wanted or I wouldn't have made the effort. A magazine subscription isn't too bad of a consolation prize - I love to get magazines and after reading, they're good to line my trashcan with or to tear pages out of and put under the Beej's water and feed bowls. I used to take my old magazines to the laundromat but they would get stolen within the day.

It's been a fairly lucky week for me; I won this magazine subscription, fifty extra points for correctly answering the movie trivia question at StartSampling and last night I won $12 on the Powerball lottery.

It was also a very lucky week for some young punk in a red car.  I was out earlier and about to turn onto a busy street.  The light was red and there was a car ahead of me.  I started slowing as I normally do, easing to a stop. (saves gas, saves brake wear) There wasn't but a few car lengths between me and the other vehicle when the red car zoomed around me and cut in front.  I had to slam on my brakes to avoid slamming into the car.  I saw him glancing in his rear-view mirror and I gave him the bird.  He didn't look back again.  I was itching for a fight- he had scared me and that just about makes me angrier than anything else.

As we sat there waiting for the light, I got more angry.  He wasn't saving any time, he had to wait anyway.  When the light changed, he sped off, zipping from lane-to-lane w/out signalling. He also ran a yellow light when he got to the next intersection and turned. 

I wasn't in a very good mood, anyway.  I had tried to drop off my vehicle insurance payment last week, but there was a sign on the office door "Be Back Soon". I went back by several times, but there was no one there.  I put the check and invoice on the passenger seat and forgot about it.  When I got in my truck earlier, I noticed it and remembered that it was due tomorrow.  I got to the insurance office and saw the same sign on the door.  I went to the Dollar Store, did a little shopping and dropped back by only to see the business was still closed.  I killed a little more time and went back - the sign was still up, the door still locked.

Fuming, I went home and called the after hours number listed on the door.  Nothing.  I then called the regular number and a woman answered.  I told her I had been trying to bring my payment by and wanted to make sure someone was there to take it.  "Oh, I stepped out for a little while." she told me.  Yeah, a week is a "little while" I thought, but didn't say it.  She then informed me that the boss was gone, had been for a week.  That made sense then - she was enjoying her four hour lunch breaks.   She's lucky I didn't lose my temper with her.  She's even luckier I didn't have to file a claim for rear-ending that red car.

I'm lucky to win the few things I have this week.  To be honest - I'm even more lucky I haven't stroked out.   I seem to be getting more and more angry at things here lately.  I got a little angry earlier at a reply to my license plate post on Facebook.  An old friend and schoolmate wrote "Why would I want a license plate with 'Mike' on it?"  It shouldn't have, but it hit me wrong.  I started to reply "Well, it would be just as well....'smartass' wouldn't fit."  I've been a little snarky on Facebook myself lately, though, and didn't want to be a hypocrite.

To top all that off, the stray cat I've been feeding has been in heat. (I thought she was pregnant, but she is just fat.  I've cut back on her food- all she gets is B's leftovers now) I love cats, but the only thing more disgusting than the smell of cat urine is a female cat in heat.  Thanks to her "condition", there has been a dozen tomcats hanging around.  I've been woken up a dozen times  this week by the caterwauling;  it's either her and a male cat or two males dueling for her affections.  I've discovered one thing about cats;  you can't tell whether they're fightin' or foolin' around by the sounds they're making. 

It would probably help a great deal if I quit frequenting political forums.  If the Republicans nominate Gingrich, then they will have to give up the "party of family values" label they brag about.  If they nominate Santorum, then they'll lose any chance of getting a gay person to vote for them ever again. Both of them are a little...let's say "ethically challenged".  The Republicans definitely need to stop touting that they're for limited govt. and need to quit pretending they're conservative. (and the TEA Party has allowed itself to be hijacked by the neocons) I'm lucky I'm too old for the draft, because we'll need one for the war machine if we take on Iran.

I know I lowered my blood pressure at least fifty points by not reading posts in Dallas Cowboy forums.  The "Tony Homo" posts infuriated me.  Probably Santorum supporters.

rankle

rankle\RANG-kuhl\ ,verb;

1. To cause keen irritation or bitter resentment in.
2. To continue to cause keen irritation or bitter resentment within the mind; fester; be painful.

---

Many things rankle me on the 'net - the idiots who say "Tony Homo" when referring to the Dallas Cowboy QB, so-called conservatives who call Ron Paul "RuPaul" and asshat trolls who like to post on message boards just to get a rise out of others.

Those first two types are really just specific examples of the third.

Two Sides of the Same Coin

From one of my Facebook groups, True Conservatives.

---

“Conservatives” who preach against government intervention in our domestic economy praise the very same government when it sanctions, invades, and militarily occupies foreign countries. “Liberals” who criticize a Republican president for war crimes and the destruction of the Constitution turn a blind eye when a Democrat does the exact same things, instead giving him a pat on the back while writing a check for his reelection.

---

And this is why I now consider myself a "small L" libertarian. I agree with much of what the Libertarian Party stands for, but certainly not all.

Ron Paul 2012

Government is the problem

Not the solution.

---

"I am just absolutely convinced that the best formula for giving us peace and preserving the American way of life is freedom, limited government, and minding our own business overseas."
– Ron Paul

zugzwang

zugzwang \TSOOK-tsvahng\
noun:
1. A situation in which a player is limited to moves that have a damaging effect.

---

An example given was regarding chess, but it could also describe our votes for politicians. We all need to remember the lesser of two evils is still evil.

For Conservatives the Word is "Hee"

haw \HAW\

verb:
1. To utter a sound representing a hesitation or pause in speech.
2. To turn or make a turn to the left.
noun:
1. A sound or pause of hesitation.
2. The fruit of the Old World hawthorn, Crataegus laevigata, or of other species of the same genus.
interjection:
1. Used as a word of command to a horse or other draft animal, usually directing it to turn to the left.

---

The two-party system in this country will certainly bring about "gloom, despair and agony" on everyone.

Hee Haw

misnomer

misnomer \mis-NO-muhr\ , noun;

1. The misnaming of a person in a legal instrument, as in a complaint or indictment.
2. Any misnaming of a person or thing; also, a wrong or inapplicable name or designation.

---

I've been seeing plenty of misnomers lately in the political forums I frequent;  since I am a conservative, that's the type of discussion group I most often read.  Many posts from my fellow conservatives label liberals as baby killing America haters - a silly and stupid characterization - while I often see posts by professed liberals saying that conservatives are environmental hazards and religious nutjobs - again, an idiotic and false stereotype.

The worst I see, however, are the misnomers by both sides towards Ron Paul, namely that he's a racist, an anti-Semite as well as an isolationist.  Those accusations, as well as many others leveled at the good doctor, are all patently false. Paul's supporters are almost always labelled as "Paulbots" or "Paultards" because of the heated exchanges between themselves and RP devotees. The detractors take offense at the heat they get, but it's almost always started by the ones doing the name calling.

Personally, I think what really scares the Repubs and the Dems is the vast spectrum of the American public (as well as many in other countries) that love Ron Paul and for what he stands for and his steady consistency over the years on the issues.   His broad base of supporters includes young and old, conservative and liberal but the common ground they all have is the belief that the U.S. Constitution should be the supreme law in this great country and that our govt. ignores the Tenth Amendment of the Bill of Rights - powers not granted to the federal government nor prohibited to the states by the Constitution are reserved, respectively, to the states or the people.

I don't think Paul has a chance in hell of gaining the nomination, but I still plan to vote for him.  I don't care who tells me it's a wasted vote (if you vote it's not a waste, no matter who you vote for) but I'm so tired of voting for "the lesser evil". 

Even the lesser evil is still evil.

CAGW Commercial

The same one which is playing on TV now. Very scary, but to be honest, I saw this coming years ago. We can either limit our purchases of Chinese products, put a tariff on those coming into this country and causing our own industries to fade away and/or punish them for their theft of intellectual property.

Or, learn to speak Chinese.

We are giving them the money of which to buy the rope that will hang us.

gerrymander

gerrymander\ JER-i-man-der \ , verb;

1. The dividing of a state, county, etc., into election districts so as to give one political party a majority in many districts while concentrating the voting strength of the other party into as few districts as possible.

Origin: Gerrymander is named after E. Gerry (governor of Massachusetts, whose party redistricted the state in 1812) + (sala)mander, from the fancied resemblance of the map of Essex County, Mass., to this animal, after the redistricting.

---

Gerrymandering: Invented in Massachusetts, "perfected" in Texas.

We're Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister

Just a little reminder to Congress, aimed at both leftist progs. and neo-con right-wingers

This Should Clear Things Up

Kevin Brady's Obamacare Chart



View larger size.

Embed code available. ( too large for this layout)

I Am America - Krista Branch

Pay no attention to the people in the street crying out for accountability.
Make a joke of what we believe say we don't matter cause you disagree.
Pretend your kings, sit on your throne, look down your nose at the peasants below.
I've got some news; we're taking names we're waiting now for the judgment day.
I Am America, one voice united we stand.
I Am America, one hope to heal our land.
There is still work that must be done.
I will not rest until we've won.
I Am America

You preach tolerance but lecture me. Is there no end to your hypocrisy.
Your god is your power, you have no shame, your only interest is political gain.
You hide your eyes and refuse to listen. You play your games and abuse the system.
You stuff your pockets while Rome is burning. I've got a feeling that the tide is turning.
I Am America one voice united we stand.
I Am America one hope to heal our land.
I will not give up on this fight
I will not fade into the night
I Am America.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

This just popped up in my reader:

Ron Paul, three Texas Democrats buck parties on gays in military

It caught my eye because Ron Paul was mentioned in the title, but also because of the "DADT" policy that's been in place since the Clinton administration. I didn't agree with the previous policy of banning gays outright and I didn't agree with the DADT policy either. There should be no "policy" at all in regards to gays in the military. (and without researching it, I would wager that's Ron Paul's stance, too.)

Granted, the military is a special case and civilian laws don't always apply, but this is more of a human rights specific case. Isn't "all men are created equal" one of the tenets of our society?

Also, I've seen argued that unit cohesion and effectiveness would be damaged with the overt inclusion of gays. I wonder how "covert" inclusion was any different? I'd think that in most cases, people wouldn't know others are gay unless they were told by the gay person. Contrary to TV and movie stereotyping (and some by gays themselves), all gays don't lisp when they talk nor mince when they walk. Sheesh. I've known gay guys who were more "manly" than were some of my hetero friends. (I've also known some lesbians who were more manly than ME, but that's another story)

It also seems a shame to waste talent and manpower (or womanpower, to be fair -grin-) Not all, but many of the gay folks I know are smart, creative and hard-working - good qualities to possess for the military (or for civilian life). I never was in the military, but I was and still am a good shot. I also like to think I'm fairly courageous, semi-smart, and, in my youth, quite physically fit - good soldier material.

That doesn't mean I would've been a good soldier. No, I can also type like a big dog and I expect it's easier to find someone to pull a trigger than it is to type and file the morning report.

In other words, if I had been drafted or joined the military, I'd have probably been some colonel's clerk. And I'm not gay.

What I'm trying to say is it's silly to stereotype all gays into the "gawking, lecher" type that would destroy a platoon of fighting men. Plus, I would think it would be easier for heterosexuals to accept a fellow fighting man in the unit than it would be to include females.

(and I'll admit I don't think women in direct combat units is a good idea. Pilots of fighter planes, captains of warships, etc., sure, but not fighting alongside of men. )

Plus, there are military regulations that severely curtail interpersonal relationships between people in the service. A captain can not have a personal relationship with a private...even if they are of opposite sex. I don't understand why these rules can't simply apply to all in the military. Catch two gays in a compromising position? Drum them out, same as would/should happen with an opposite-sex couple.

Off the soapbox; I'm prejudiced in many ways, but this "gays in the military" controversy has always bothered me...not just because the policy is wrong, but because we feel the need to have a policy at all.

On a related, local note: Our own Mac Thornberry voted against the bill. While I very, very seldom vote Democrat, in this next election I will have to do as I've done the last few elections and either vote Libertarian for the office, or leave all boxes unchecked. He's been in office since '95. I won't criticize his record here, but it's my opinion he's been in there long enough.

---

Update

Texas lawmakers explain why they bucked their parties on vote







Rep Ron Paul,
R-Lake Jackson

Paul, the maverick libertarian, ditched his Republican comrades and voted for the repeal.

"I have received several calls and visits from constituents who, in spite of the heavy investment in their training, have been forced out of the military simply because they were discovered to be homosexual," Paul said.






"To me, this seems like an awful waste. Personal behavior that is disruptive should be subject to military discipline regardless of whether the individual is heterosexual or homosexual. But to discharge an otherwise well-trained, professional, and highly skilled member of the military for these reasons is unfortunate and makes no financial sense."



Them's my sentiments, 'zactly. Thank you Dr. Paul.

"Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."

- George Orwell

Hollyweird

"Hollywood is made of all the school kids who pointed to Greenland instead of China on the map. That's when the teacher pulled them aside and told them to forget med school and try out for a part in the school play."

From a post in Big Hollywood: Enviro-Elitist Harrison Ford Slams Critics Of His Enviro-Elitism

Another poster also added this truism: (referring to Harrison)

Guys with gray hair should lose the earrings, IMHO.

---

I've always liked Harrison Ford...as an actor, but here lately he's become infected with that peculiar Hollywood disease, namely that "do as I say, not as I do" attitude. I used to be able to separate an entertainer's politics from his work but it's becoming an obstacle for me to see them on TV or in a movie and not think of the things they say and do in "real life".

The list doesn't end with Harrison Ford, either. Sean Penn, Sheryl Crow, Matt Damon, etc. (that list is a LONG one, but I'll stop there) Even Elton John has put his foot in his mouth and made me think less of him. (and I'll not say anything else about anything else he puts in his mouth because that's his personal business)

I've been railing on for years about the built-in soapbox some stars gain with their celebrity status. Every time there's a similar article on Big Hollywood about some dimwit progressive celeb, people post that they're going to have to boycott that person now...well, I've been doing a minor boycott of Hollywood for years and haven't been to a movie since "Titanic" was in the theaters. Oh, I buy a DVD now 'n then, but I very seldom pay more than five bucks for one; at least I know they're not getting as much money as they would if I went to the movies.

I agree with Robert Duvall; they need to just "shut up and act." Sure, entertainers have a 1st Amendment right to voice their opinions, but they also need to understand just how stupid they are.

pellucid

pellucid \puh-LOO-sid\ , adjective;
1. Transparent; clear; not opaque.
2. Easily understandable.

---

This certainly doesn't describe any recent legislation.

Pyrrhic victory

Pyrrhic victory \PIR-ik\ , noun;
1. A victory achieved at great or excessive cost; a ruinous victory.

---

This perfectly describes this Administration and Congress and all the "ruinous" legislation they've passed over the last several years. I predict there will be a huge turnover in both Houses in the next election, Dems and Repubs alike. (and they ARE alike for the most part)