I have to give the man credit.
If you had a incumbent congressman who had been in DC for a quarter-Century, become a multi-millionaire living above his reported means from all the usual congressional hijynx, who had accomplished nothing, you wouldnt think too many would be eager to defend him. You would figure that only the most ignorant and ill-informed would consider him an "outsider", and even the most gullible would be suspicious of his claimed intent to bring change to the system.
Add in that he publicly has championed for his entire time in politics, about 35 years, the idea that all jobs should pay the same; no, not a raise so that high school kids slinging burgers on the weekend earn as much as doctors and lawyers. No. Rather, a pay cut so that everyone (other than politicians, of course) earns as little as the burger slingers.
Add to that his biggest popularity is the 18-25 age bracket. The internet has been scrubbed pretty good of all the times he pushed for re-instating the draft during the 90s. His biggest fans are the people he wants to force into military service. He doesnt want to do it for war or anything like that. Oh no. He just feels its "unfair" that so many poor and middle class people, just starting out in life, use a contracted term or two in the Service to help them get an advantage, that leg up to stable middle class; the GI Bill, training in a career path, and a few years of "free room and board". (we in the service often joke that its illegal to charge for the quality of accommodations we get) No, his idea of "fair", was to force people into service, unwillingly, because "the rich should serve too." Well, except that they do, usually as officers. There are some perks to being able to go to college before joining, instead of joining to pay for going.
The fact that Bernie Sanders has been able to do this, be open about it, and still get 88% support from the 18-25 age bracket, as well as his numbers in the other brackets;
Ya gotta give the man credit. This is as good a con job. I dont know if he's this slick, the media's working this hard to help him, or that his target audience is really so easy to deceive.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Sunday, December 20, 2015
What happened to college?
Once upon a time....
Yeah, it seems like a fairy tail, its been so long ago. Colleges used to prepare young dumb kids for a brutal cruel demanding world that required educated, precision, correct responses at the drop of a hat. College was needed for the kind of jobs that gave you stress-induced heart attacks at 40. They wanted you exposed to as many ideas, as many experiences, and as much pressure as possible, to prove you would survive the jungle outside the walls and succeed.
Today, universities fire their deans for the "horrid" mistake of pointing out that people have a constitutional right to free speech. In Ohio, a university is seeing protests because its catered cafeteria doesnt make food "properly" and authentic. Now, its not telling Jews to eat pork, or anything like that, that would be understandable. No. The students are complaining that the kitchen uses steamed chicken instead of fried chicken for the Chinese food; that the cafeteria used the wrong kind of bread for sandwiches.
Our nation is about to start yet another debate concerning if we should send these pampered meat-heads into the desert to fight a war, and the young fools are worried about how "racist" it is to serve fried chicken with a biscuit instead of cornbread. They want whole sections of the university walled off where you arent allowed to talk unless you say things they approve of; they think that is free speech.
I see overgrown children who want smoking banned entirely from the nation, but want legalized smoking of pot. The few sober enough to comprehend that smoke from marijuana is as bad or worse health-wise, pretend to be wise as they try to spit out, in what I like to call moron-ese: "but yer too stoned to care, bra." The great wisdom of these, our future leaders, is that they care only about the dangers of smoking because it doesnt get them more high. The amount of effort that must go into maintaining such willful ignorance must be applauded.
Then we have the great debate of "what is a man?" And they dont ask it for philosophical questions, but because some perv wants to use the ladies locker room to shower, claiming his right to be a girl trumps their right to privacy. And the college students mostly agree with this. It really does present an puzzling dilemma; of there actually is a difference between the genders, aside from plumbing; something intrinsically changed from the one to the other so greatly, that we must proscribe multiple surgeries, years of therapy, and a lifetime of hormone therapy....
Then we also admit that Feminists of the last 70 years (at least) have been wrong when they said there was no difference.
This time is producing a people who think their rights trump everyone else's. They think they have a right not to be offended. Those great motivational posters that say your the star of your life and the world is a stage? They misunderstood that to mean that anyone else cared to buy a ticket. The sooner we get back to the understanding that your rights end at your finger-tips, and that no one is watching your life because they're too busy trying to live theirs, the better our world will be. College used to teach these lessons, with some very rough efficiency. It should go back to that.
Yeah, it seems like a fairy tail, its been so long ago. Colleges used to prepare young dumb kids for a brutal cruel demanding world that required educated, precision, correct responses at the drop of a hat. College was needed for the kind of jobs that gave you stress-induced heart attacks at 40. They wanted you exposed to as many ideas, as many experiences, and as much pressure as possible, to prove you would survive the jungle outside the walls and succeed.
Today, universities fire their deans for the "horrid" mistake of pointing out that people have a constitutional right to free speech. In Ohio, a university is seeing protests because its catered cafeteria doesnt make food "properly" and authentic. Now, its not telling Jews to eat pork, or anything like that, that would be understandable. No. The students are complaining that the kitchen uses steamed chicken instead of fried chicken for the Chinese food; that the cafeteria used the wrong kind of bread for sandwiches.
Our nation is about to start yet another debate concerning if we should send these pampered meat-heads into the desert to fight a war, and the young fools are worried about how "racist" it is to serve fried chicken with a biscuit instead of cornbread. They want whole sections of the university walled off where you arent allowed to talk unless you say things they approve of; they think that is free speech.
I see overgrown children who want smoking banned entirely from the nation, but want legalized smoking of pot. The few sober enough to comprehend that smoke from marijuana is as bad or worse health-wise, pretend to be wise as they try to spit out, in what I like to call moron-ese: "but yer too stoned to care, bra." The great wisdom of these, our future leaders, is that they care only about the dangers of smoking because it doesnt get them more high. The amount of effort that must go into maintaining such willful ignorance must be applauded.
Then we have the great debate of "what is a man?" And they dont ask it for philosophical questions, but because some perv wants to use the ladies locker room to shower, claiming his right to be a girl trumps their right to privacy. And the college students mostly agree with this. It really does present an puzzling dilemma; of there actually is a difference between the genders, aside from plumbing; something intrinsically changed from the one to the other so greatly, that we must proscribe multiple surgeries, years of therapy, and a lifetime of hormone therapy....
Then we also admit that Feminists of the last 70 years (at least) have been wrong when they said there was no difference.
This time is producing a people who think their rights trump everyone else's. They think they have a right not to be offended. Those great motivational posters that say your the star of your life and the world is a stage? They misunderstood that to mean that anyone else cared to buy a ticket. The sooner we get back to the understanding that your rights end at your finger-tips, and that no one is watching your life because they're too busy trying to live theirs, the better our world will be. College used to teach these lessons, with some very rough efficiency. It should go back to that.
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Marriage Hell
I know that marriage customs vary from country to country and in different religions, but sometimes, a bad idea is just a bad idea, no matter where you live.
In Saudi Arabia, this guy and his wife are living the traditional way. Apparently, that includes his mother living in the house. So Mom accused the wife of kissing a camel, and demanding there be a divorce. The wife says its because she hasnt had any kids yet. And, sadly, I can believe that. Ive heard of Mothers-in-law doing worse.
I wont blame this on Islam or politics or anything else. Most all of human history tends to show mother-in-law living with you is a disaster waiting to happen. I give the guy credit for trying. I dont know if its a cultural thing, or if he was just trying to be a good son. But that was destined for trouble.
Of course, this quote
But you do have to wonder just how well your wife and mom are going to get along after something like this.
In Saudi Arabia, this guy and his wife are living the traditional way. Apparently, that includes his mother living in the house. So Mom accused the wife of kissing a camel, and demanding there be a divorce. The wife says its because she hasnt had any kids yet. And, sadly, I can believe that. Ive heard of Mothers-in-law doing worse.
I wont blame this on Islam or politics or anything else. Most all of human history tends to show mother-in-law living with you is a disaster waiting to happen. I give the guy credit for trying. I dont know if its a cultural thing, or if he was just trying to be a good son. But that was destined for trouble.
Of course, this quote
Is up for all kinds of jokes. Im gonna leave that low-hanging fruit alone.The woman has defended the intimate exchange, insisting the kiss was innocent
But you do have to wonder just how well your wife and mom are going to get along after something like this.
Communist child raising?
I saw that as the lead-in for a Christmas article. It was on how children shouldnt have to share everything. When I was growing up, we never thought twice about having to share; we were taught it was a value, and a sign of being a good person. But then, our family was poor, with Dad working 2 jobs (3 during the holiday season) and mom also working 2. We shared because...well, thats all there was.
However, today we live in a society where people claim "Afluenza" (being so rich and privileged they never learn right from wrong) Just look at the "Occupy" fools of a few years back; they claimed to hate corporations, yet everything they owned was corporate logo. Protesting was trendy, but they werent about to give up their fashionable name brands.
I understand all to well the desire to want to be different from our parents, to let our children have a better life than we did, and its true that this is how the "experts" (it always gets me how society takes advice on child-raising from shrinks that never had kids) told us to raise them.
Well, except that now, those PhD professors/quacks that told us they were so much better and knew so much more are saying that the kids these days are stupid, self-centered, lacking any sense of responsibility, yada yada yada; in short, most the kids entering college today, raised the way these "experts" said to, are about as useful as tits on a boar hog.
The over-grown children think they should have anything they want, and they should have it now; its "unfair" to expect them to work for it. (That was the real motivator of the Occupy movement; they didnt want to change the system, they were just mad they had to earn their way to the top instead of jumping to it immediately) Basically, you're dealing with toddler mentality in 20 year old bodies.
But I dont actually blame anyone for this. We, parents, educators, "experts", and so on, forgot one of the most basic truths of what it means to be human: You are judged, and given value, by what you endure and overcome, both as a species and individually.
Think about it. Do we care that a skinny 120# man in track shorts can run the 100m dash in under 13 seconds? No. Its expected; the ideal goal is to get under 10 seconds. Do we care when a 300# linebacker in full kit runs the 100m in under 12 seconds? Yes, because that is unusual and challenging. A man bicycling 5 miles isnt impressive, and you wonder why anyone even mentions it. Until you find out the man has no legs. But its not just these sorts of physical contests that win respect. Police daily face danger, putting their lives on the line to enforce the law and protect society. Civilized people respect them for this. Doctors heal the wounded and cure the sick, and so are respected. And so on.
I respect black people of the Baby Boomer generation and before because they actually lived under the sting of government enforced racism; the hatred and bigotry of the Jim Crow laws and the danger from Democrats; publicly during the day, and in their Klan costumes at night. Those that stood up for right truly risked life and limb of themselves and family. And yet, these people braved the dangers, they overcame hate, overcame fear. They won the right to go to public schools, won the right to get college educations, won the right to be equal. And they did it without violence; the black panthers and Malcom X and the rest of the criminals did more to hurt "the cause" than to advance it.
But it is precisely the fact that these citizens - peers and equals to my parents, went on to be doctors, lawyers, judges; Colin Powell rose from a 2nd lieutenant at a time where black lieutenants were killed by their white subordiants, to hold the highest ranks of the armed Forces, both Military and civilian. These brave people rose above the hate, they overcame. They earned respect and honor. And today, too many of their grand children and great grandchildren drop out of school in droves to become criminals, the children claiming they cannot succeed because of the mistreatment of their ancestors.
The children demand respect that no one will grant. They cannot complete basic schooling, act civilized in public, or obey the law. They are considered inferior by many, because they cannot meet these minimum standards society expects of its citizenry; by their choice (though they dont understand it) they are declaring themselves inferior, and then angry that they are treated as such. They endure nothing, they accomplish nothing, they overcome nothing. And so, in the eyes of the world, they are......nothing.
The muslims have an interesting tradition; unfortunately, I never learned its name. But they would take a set time, as much as they could afford (a weekend for the poor, a month for the really rich) and they would walk away from their life. For this time, they would camp, basically; live in tents, carry water and food with them, no electricity, no modern stuff. It was a time to remember how their ancestors lived, get back to nature, and get closer to god. I do believe our society needs something like that.
However, today we live in a society where people claim "Afluenza" (being so rich and privileged they never learn right from wrong) Just look at the "Occupy" fools of a few years back; they claimed to hate corporations, yet everything they owned was corporate logo. Protesting was trendy, but they werent about to give up their fashionable name brands.
I understand all to well the desire to want to be different from our parents, to let our children have a better life than we did, and its true that this is how the "experts" (it always gets me how society takes advice on child-raising from shrinks that never had kids) told us to raise them.
Well, except that now, those PhD professors/quacks that told us they were so much better and knew so much more are saying that the kids these days are stupid, self-centered, lacking any sense of responsibility, yada yada yada; in short, most the kids entering college today, raised the way these "experts" said to, are about as useful as tits on a boar hog.
The over-grown children think they should have anything they want, and they should have it now; its "unfair" to expect them to work for it. (That was the real motivator of the Occupy movement; they didnt want to change the system, they were just mad they had to earn their way to the top instead of jumping to it immediately) Basically, you're dealing with toddler mentality in 20 year old bodies.
But I dont actually blame anyone for this. We, parents, educators, "experts", and so on, forgot one of the most basic truths of what it means to be human: You are judged, and given value, by what you endure and overcome, both as a species and individually.
Think about it. Do we care that a skinny 120# man in track shorts can run the 100m dash in under 13 seconds? No. Its expected; the ideal goal is to get under 10 seconds. Do we care when a 300# linebacker in full kit runs the 100m in under 12 seconds? Yes, because that is unusual and challenging. A man bicycling 5 miles isnt impressive, and you wonder why anyone even mentions it. Until you find out the man has no legs. But its not just these sorts of physical contests that win respect. Police daily face danger, putting their lives on the line to enforce the law and protect society. Civilized people respect them for this. Doctors heal the wounded and cure the sick, and so are respected. And so on.
I respect black people of the Baby Boomer generation and before because they actually lived under the sting of government enforced racism; the hatred and bigotry of the Jim Crow laws and the danger from Democrats; publicly during the day, and in their Klan costumes at night. Those that stood up for right truly risked life and limb of themselves and family. And yet, these people braved the dangers, they overcame hate, overcame fear. They won the right to go to public schools, won the right to get college educations, won the right to be equal. And they did it without violence; the black panthers and Malcom X and the rest of the criminals did more to hurt "the cause" than to advance it.
But it is precisely the fact that these citizens - peers and equals to my parents, went on to be doctors, lawyers, judges; Colin Powell rose from a 2nd lieutenant at a time where black lieutenants were killed by their white subordiants, to hold the highest ranks of the armed Forces, both Military and civilian. These brave people rose above the hate, they overcame. They earned respect and honor. And today, too many of their grand children and great grandchildren drop out of school in droves to become criminals, the children claiming they cannot succeed because of the mistreatment of their ancestors.
The children demand respect that no one will grant. They cannot complete basic schooling, act civilized in public, or obey the law. They are considered inferior by many, because they cannot meet these minimum standards society expects of its citizenry; by their choice (though they dont understand it) they are declaring themselves inferior, and then angry that they are treated as such. They endure nothing, they accomplish nothing, they overcome nothing. And so, in the eyes of the world, they are......nothing.
The muslims have an interesting tradition; unfortunately, I never learned its name. But they would take a set time, as much as they could afford (a weekend for the poor, a month for the really rich) and they would walk away from their life. For this time, they would camp, basically; live in tents, carry water and food with them, no electricity, no modern stuff. It was a time to remember how their ancestors lived, get back to nature, and get closer to god. I do believe our society needs something like that.
Friday, December 18, 2015
Wandering through the news today
So, I see that Land Rover finally got someone to pay over half a million for their vehicle. ($600K to be exact) There is an unfortunate misunderstanding in today's markets; people think that the price the seller is asking is fixed, and based on some value. And they think it says anything good about them that they paid the exorbitant prices. I put this in the same category as the guy that believes his Batman comic book is worth a quarter million dollars because he was crazy enough to pay that for it.
The reality is that in today's global economy, you can get anything you want, or an off brand thats just as good at a cheaper price. Sure, you can buy that Versacci leather bag made with slave labor that cost you $600 only because of the tag on it. And for $30, you can make the bag yourself, without all the political baggage. (pun intended) The seller doesnt assign value; the buyer does. This has always been one of the great errors of economics; it teaches that the seller has some say because he can refuse if the price is too low. But that isnt true; you have to sell to pay the costs or else file bankruptcy, where your stuff is sold even cheaper than the price you refused. What makes Marketing so important is convincing people to pay the demanded price, instead of demanding a lower price. If more people realized that the buyer has the true power, our markets would implode, and costs would plummet.
Flying cars have been approved by the FAA. Cool. I can see it now: People demand Sky-scrapers made of stone instead of glass; the corner offices are no longer the treasured rewards they have been in the past; CEOs work from heavily reinforced bunkers designed to hold mega-tones of weight in the basement while the mailroom is in the top floor. And the "student driver" sign inspires a whole new level of fear.
hahahahahahaha
Seriously, think about the last long drive you took. Think of the inevitable encounters with idiots you had while driving. Now, would you want them flying? At least tail-gating would be over; try that with aircraft and you just fall.
Also, will these things still run on gas? Or will they switch to JetA-1, and be a combination Diesel/jet (diesels can burn JetA-1 rather well.
So, the government banned another half dozen schools from having Nativity scenes, but is allowing them to get kids wearing Hijab and writing "the affirmation" ("There is only one" yadda yadda yadda) because its supposedly cultural awareness to have them singing muslim songs of worship, and saying muslim prayers, and studying the koran, but religion to do the same with the Jewish Torah or Christian Bible. It gets disturbing when "Civil Rights" groups have no problem allowing Islamic Ramadan songs at a Christmas pageant (I wouldnt either, except that this year Ramadan was the last half of July and first half of August; December seems a little late to still be celebrating, to me. Wasnt there a more recent holiday to use?) but the same "Civil Rights" groups have problems with...ya know...ACTUAL Christmas songs being sung at the same pageant.
Bernie's mad that no one is taking him seriously. After 20 years of being a publicly declared socialist, always being a pain in the ass to main-stream democrats, ........ You know, he's the Democrats' version of John McCain or Ron Paul; the extremist nut-job that suddenly tries to prove he's "main-stream" enough to win the primaries. On top of that, he's accusing a clinton of cheating. Thats like accusing the sun of being slightly warm, or water of being a little damp. I would have thought that after more than 20 years in the game, he'd be a little smarter than this. But then, he did decide to take on hillary; points for bravery, not smarts.
The Army is allowing those who's religion "requires it" to keep their beards and turbans. I have a great idea! Do what the Drill ergeants used to do to us in Basic Training when I was in: whenever we looked too relaxed, they would pop a few canisters of tear gas at us. It also helped them find out really fast who dodnt shave. If you arent clean-shaven, the mask doesnt seal, and you suck gas. These sihk and muslims and others want to be "individuals" (which I was always taught was the biggest insult in the military), fine. Let 'em suck some tear gas. As My old DS used to say, "You can be smart, or I can make you strong. Your choice."
A final bit of wisdom I was reminded of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgzLzbd-zT4
The reality is that in today's global economy, you can get anything you want, or an off brand thats just as good at a cheaper price. Sure, you can buy that Versacci leather bag made with slave labor that cost you $600 only because of the tag on it. And for $30, you can make the bag yourself, without all the political baggage. (pun intended) The seller doesnt assign value; the buyer does. This has always been one of the great errors of economics; it teaches that the seller has some say because he can refuse if the price is too low. But that isnt true; you have to sell to pay the costs or else file bankruptcy, where your stuff is sold even cheaper than the price you refused. What makes Marketing so important is convincing people to pay the demanded price, instead of demanding a lower price. If more people realized that the buyer has the true power, our markets would implode, and costs would plummet.
Flying cars have been approved by the FAA. Cool. I can see it now: People demand Sky-scrapers made of stone instead of glass; the corner offices are no longer the treasured rewards they have been in the past; CEOs work from heavily reinforced bunkers designed to hold mega-tones of weight in the basement while the mailroom is in the top floor. And the "student driver" sign inspires a whole new level of fear.
hahahahahahaha
Seriously, think about the last long drive you took. Think of the inevitable encounters with idiots you had while driving. Now, would you want them flying? At least tail-gating would be over; try that with aircraft and you just fall.
Also, will these things still run on gas? Or will they switch to JetA-1, and be a combination Diesel/jet (diesels can burn JetA-1 rather well.
So, the government banned another half dozen schools from having Nativity scenes, but is allowing them to get kids wearing Hijab and writing "the affirmation" ("There is only one" yadda yadda yadda) because its supposedly cultural awareness to have them singing muslim songs of worship, and saying muslim prayers, and studying the koran, but religion to do the same with the Jewish Torah or Christian Bible. It gets disturbing when "Civil Rights" groups have no problem allowing Islamic Ramadan songs at a Christmas pageant (I wouldnt either, except that this year Ramadan was the last half of July and first half of August; December seems a little late to still be celebrating, to me. Wasnt there a more recent holiday to use?) but the same "Civil Rights" groups have problems with...ya know...ACTUAL Christmas songs being sung at the same pageant.
Bernie's mad that no one is taking him seriously. After 20 years of being a publicly declared socialist, always being a pain in the ass to main-stream democrats, ........ You know, he's the Democrats' version of John McCain or Ron Paul; the extremist nut-job that suddenly tries to prove he's "main-stream" enough to win the primaries. On top of that, he's accusing a clinton of cheating. Thats like accusing the sun of being slightly warm, or water of being a little damp. I would have thought that after more than 20 years in the game, he'd be a little smarter than this. But then, he did decide to take on hillary; points for bravery, not smarts.
The Army is allowing those who's religion "requires it" to keep their beards and turbans. I have a great idea! Do what the Drill ergeants used to do to us in Basic Training when I was in: whenever we looked too relaxed, they would pop a few canisters of tear gas at us. It also helped them find out really fast who dodnt shave. If you arent clean-shaven, the mask doesnt seal, and you suck gas. These sihk and muslims and others want to be "individuals" (which I was always taught was the biggest insult in the military), fine. Let 'em suck some tear gas. As My old DS used to say, "You can be smart, or I can make you strong. Your choice."
A final bit of wisdom I was reminded of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgzLzbd-zT4
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Bizarre priorities
So, yesterday a man who self-describes as a "devout muslim" and his wife killed 14 innocent civilians. Our government cant bring itself to admit this is jihadism at work. But the University of Tennessee feels that its more important to protect the feelings of immature adults who are offended by the idea that the world really doesnt care about them. Apparently, no one thought to teach them this simple truth as children.
So, the University of Tennessee is banning being able to call parties "Christmas" parties, showing any religious affiliations, any seasonal connection; heck, even Santa is banned. The bigoted self-centered fools in the administration apparently havent discovered that even non-christians celebrate this holiday. Some of the most dedicated celebrations of the holiday are actually in Japan; heck, even China has Christmas celebrations.
One of the suggestions is that "Refreshment selection should be general, not specific to any religion or culture". Well, Im going to have a small problem with that. Not so much with the idea, but rather the fact that most of what I can make is of Irish and German origin, just like me. Im not going to serve proper Kwansa stuff because I dont celebrate kwansa (nor know anyone that does) and dont know any "African" food or drinks, much less how to prepare them.
"Consider having a New Year’s party and include décor and food from multiple religions and cultures." Personally, I would find such tokenism insulting and bigoted. Its one thing if someone wants to do native Rowandan treats because s/he is from Rowanda. Its borders on tokenism for the big-wigs to do it "to show their sensitivity." Its out-right insultive if there are no Rowandans on the payroll.
Less than a month ago, 126 innocent women and children were brutally slaughtered by a religion still stuck in the dark ages, and these colleges teach that the answer is to be "tolerant" of the killers' religion, while banning other religions. In the muslim extremists, we see what fanaticism to a religion can produce, and yet universities only want to discuss this if it maligns Christianity or Judaism.
Even as these atheistic professors push to remove religion, they say we must respect the religion of others. For too many, their lack of dedication to any cause leaves them unable to comprehend what that dedication can inspire. And not just to religion, as they claim; Pot Pol, in his dedication to communism, slaughtered 1-3 million of his own countrymen.
The old proverb says that "Evil flourishes when good men do nothing." Pick your preferred variation, and then look at the lessons in our schools and colleges saying that you are not able or fit to judge deeds or ideas. By teaching our children to be "tolerant", we are teaching them to be slaves and fools.While it is admirable to be accepting of others' ideas and culture, one must look and judge if those ideas and beliefs are harmful or dangerous, according to our rughts and ideals.
Colleges today are teaching that it is better to surrender your rights, your beliefs, and your way of life than to risk offending someone. Unfortunately, extremists dont share this ideal; they are quite happy to hurt or kill. And in less developed countries, where brutality is all to common, they feel must commit true atrocities to make their point.
And this is what I mean by bizarre priorities; rather than worrying about hurt feelings, we should be worried about hurt bodies. Rather than entertaining the moronic idea that a teen boy should be allowed to shower with girls, we should be trying to feed the starving. Instead of caring about offending the atheist, we should instead focus on curing disease and healing the injured. Their bizarre priorities may be enough to fill their lives, b ut why justify the craziness?
So, the University of Tennessee is banning being able to call parties "Christmas" parties, showing any religious affiliations, any seasonal connection; heck, even Santa is banned. The bigoted self-centered fools in the administration apparently havent discovered that even non-christians celebrate this holiday. Some of the most dedicated celebrations of the holiday are actually in Japan; heck, even China has Christmas celebrations.
One of the suggestions is that "Refreshment selection should be general, not specific to any religion or culture". Well, Im going to have a small problem with that. Not so much with the idea, but rather the fact that most of what I can make is of Irish and German origin, just like me. Im not going to serve proper Kwansa stuff because I dont celebrate kwansa (nor know anyone that does) and dont know any "African" food or drinks, much less how to prepare them.
"Consider having a New Year’s party and include décor and food from multiple religions and cultures." Personally, I would find such tokenism insulting and bigoted. Its one thing if someone wants to do native Rowandan treats because s/he is from Rowanda. Its borders on tokenism for the big-wigs to do it "to show their sensitivity." Its out-right insultive if there are no Rowandans on the payroll.
Less than a month ago, 126 innocent women and children were brutally slaughtered by a religion still stuck in the dark ages, and these colleges teach that the answer is to be "tolerant" of the killers' religion, while banning other religions. In the muslim extremists, we see what fanaticism to a religion can produce, and yet universities only want to discuss this if it maligns Christianity or Judaism.
Even as these atheistic professors push to remove religion, they say we must respect the religion of others. For too many, their lack of dedication to any cause leaves them unable to comprehend what that dedication can inspire. And not just to religion, as they claim; Pot Pol, in his dedication to communism, slaughtered 1-3 million of his own countrymen.
The old proverb says that "Evil flourishes when good men do nothing." Pick your preferred variation, and then look at the lessons in our schools and colleges saying that you are not able or fit to judge deeds or ideas. By teaching our children to be "tolerant", we are teaching them to be slaves and fools.While it is admirable to be accepting of others' ideas and culture, one must look and judge if those ideas and beliefs are harmful or dangerous, according to our rughts and ideals.
Colleges today are teaching that it is better to surrender your rights, your beliefs, and your way of life than to risk offending someone. Unfortunately, extremists dont share this ideal; they are quite happy to hurt or kill. And in less developed countries, where brutality is all to common, they feel must commit true atrocities to make their point.
And this is what I mean by bizarre priorities; rather than worrying about hurt feelings, we should be worried about hurt bodies. Rather than entertaining the moronic idea that a teen boy should be allowed to shower with girls, we should be trying to feed the starving. Instead of caring about offending the atheist, we should instead focus on curing disease and healing the injured. Their bizarre priorities may be enough to fill their lives, b ut why justify the craziness?
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Wealth and money
Once, we were taught in our schools what wealth and money truly were. How money was simply a way to measure value of objects, and rather subjective at that. The truth that wealth was not a zero-sum ratio was so well established that it was assumed that there was no need to continue teaching it; that it was so self-evident as to be unnecessary to explain. Its a shame these are not part of curriculum anymore.
The first point Id like to address is wealth. Too many ignorant fools carry on that those with wealth "stole" it from others, acting as though there is some limited amount of wealth in the world. Wealth is when one takes raw materials and turns them into items of value. Sand has nearly no value. Melt it into glass, and it increases a small amount. Turn that glass into a special bottle or statue, and it becomes even more valuable.And that's one simple example. The limit of turning raw materials like wood, metal or sand into needed items is limited only by imagination and industry. So, as long as there is imagination, raw materials, and someone willing to work hard, wealth will keep being produced.No one is "stealing" it from you. Either you produce wealth, or you dont.
Next is the explanation of money, something economics seems to have stopped teaching. Regardless of the form the currency takes, or what it is backed by, all money is essentially assigning a worth to objects for trade. Many tend to forget that this value is entirely subjective. One man may think his first edition batman comic book is worth millions, but to most everyone else, its just pulp-paper. I could go on with a near-endless list of other items, but I think this explains the idea quite well. So its not some conspiracy of evil keeping money from you, but rather a simple matter of "can they buy what you're offering somewhere else for cheaper?"
The first point Id like to address is wealth. Too many ignorant fools carry on that those with wealth "stole" it from others, acting as though there is some limited amount of wealth in the world. Wealth is when one takes raw materials and turns them into items of value. Sand has nearly no value. Melt it into glass, and it increases a small amount. Turn that glass into a special bottle or statue, and it becomes even more valuable.And that's one simple example. The limit of turning raw materials like wood, metal or sand into needed items is limited only by imagination and industry. So, as long as there is imagination, raw materials, and someone willing to work hard, wealth will keep being produced.No one is "stealing" it from you. Either you produce wealth, or you dont.
Next is the explanation of money, something economics seems to have stopped teaching. Regardless of the form the currency takes, or what it is backed by, all money is essentially assigning a worth to objects for trade. Many tend to forget that this value is entirely subjective. One man may think his first edition batman comic book is worth millions, but to most everyone else, its just pulp-paper. I could go on with a near-endless list of other items, but I think this explains the idea quite well. So its not some conspiracy of evil keeping money from you, but rather a simple matter of "can they buy what you're offering somewhere else for cheaper?"
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Europe's coversion to christianity
I have several friends who follow....alternative religions. Rebuilt Wicca, Asatru (modern Scandinavian) Hellenic (modern Greek), Rebuilt ancient Egyptian and so on. Many of these friends use equal parts of legend, myths, history, and sciences to cobble together a religion. But what they create is not the old religion. Because they do not know the old in its entirety, they dont understand why Christianity replaced these beliefs.
The first belief is that Christians came to convert by the sword. And thats wrong. By the time the "Northern Crusades" happened, most of the Northern lands were already converted. The "Crusaders" were actually invited by rulers of the country, to help stamp out rebellion. They called it heresy to get the church's aid.
There is a repeating format to most of the elder religions: The gods are born, and will eventually die. At the end of the world, the gods die, and not only the living, but the dead are lost as well. Judaism and its two split-offs were the first that offered a god that existed before the beginning, and would continue on after the end. We today cant understand the importance of that, given the strong efforts world-wide to tarnish religion and eliminate it.
To know that your god is destined to die; indeed, the Greek and Norse legends told that the killers already existed, and gave all the details of who, how, and why; this proved the gods limited, and led to questions of what other limits they had.
Next was the problem of the afterlife. In viking lore, you got to go to paradise only if you were especially heroic, and died in battle. Many people forget, it wasnt just dying, you also had to be so amazing on the battle field that the Valkyries noticed you above all the rest. Otherwise, you went to Hel. Now, it wasnt all fire and brimstone as Christians teach, but it was not a pleasant friendly place. And great "sins" ogainst the gods were such things as dying of disease or old age, yet the religion taught that "The Fates" beings with power even over the gods, controlled everything, and had laid out your life before you were even born.
Then there were the Greeks; their afterlife was dark, dreary, and miserable period. No reward or punishment regardless of how you live. The Egyptians believed that your station in life fixed your station in the afterlife. And so on... And come the end of the world, even the dead were going to be destroyed.
But, the Judaic religions offered something different. Believe this teaching, follow these rules, and you would go to paradise, regardless of how you died. And while the evil were in for great torture, the faithful were actually going to be rewarded. And when the world ended, this god would survive, with all his faithful, to live on a new earth.
Its hard to explain to todays high-tech, science based population the psychological effects these arguments had. Here was a god that wouldnt die, an afterlife that didnt condemn one unless they were "evil" by a standard that most religions already taught was "bad", that said all were equal - the lowest laborer was as much loved as the highest king by this god.
This religion offered hope. Hope that if rewards didnt come in this life, then they would in the afterlife, and that come the end of the world, all would not be lost. Today, those in civilized parts of the world forget the power of hope. Our lives are spared the suffering and hardship that religion offers consolation for. So we have difficulty understanding just how important this facet is to the lives of those without such blessing. And because of that, we have a hard time understanding why the Judaic religions are so popular, and why conversion is so easy.
The first belief is that Christians came to convert by the sword. And thats wrong. By the time the "Northern Crusades" happened, most of the Northern lands were already converted. The "Crusaders" were actually invited by rulers of the country, to help stamp out rebellion. They called it heresy to get the church's aid.
There is a repeating format to most of the elder religions: The gods are born, and will eventually die. At the end of the world, the gods die, and not only the living, but the dead are lost as well. Judaism and its two split-offs were the first that offered a god that existed before the beginning, and would continue on after the end. We today cant understand the importance of that, given the strong efforts world-wide to tarnish religion and eliminate it.
To know that your god is destined to die; indeed, the Greek and Norse legends told that the killers already existed, and gave all the details of who, how, and why; this proved the gods limited, and led to questions of what other limits they had.
Next was the problem of the afterlife. In viking lore, you got to go to paradise only if you were especially heroic, and died in battle. Many people forget, it wasnt just dying, you also had to be so amazing on the battle field that the Valkyries noticed you above all the rest. Otherwise, you went to Hel. Now, it wasnt all fire and brimstone as Christians teach, but it was not a pleasant friendly place. And great "sins" ogainst the gods were such things as dying of disease or old age, yet the religion taught that "The Fates" beings with power even over the gods, controlled everything, and had laid out your life before you were even born.
Then there were the Greeks; their afterlife was dark, dreary, and miserable period. No reward or punishment regardless of how you live. The Egyptians believed that your station in life fixed your station in the afterlife. And so on... And come the end of the world, even the dead were going to be destroyed.
But, the Judaic religions offered something different. Believe this teaching, follow these rules, and you would go to paradise, regardless of how you died. And while the evil were in for great torture, the faithful were actually going to be rewarded. And when the world ended, this god would survive, with all his faithful, to live on a new earth.
Its hard to explain to todays high-tech, science based population the psychological effects these arguments had. Here was a god that wouldnt die, an afterlife that didnt condemn one unless they were "evil" by a standard that most religions already taught was "bad", that said all were equal - the lowest laborer was as much loved as the highest king by this god.
This religion offered hope. Hope that if rewards didnt come in this life, then they would in the afterlife, and that come the end of the world, all would not be lost. Today, those in civilized parts of the world forget the power of hope. Our lives are spared the suffering and hardship that religion offers consolation for. So we have difficulty understanding just how important this facet is to the lives of those without such blessing. And because of that, we have a hard time understanding why the Judaic religions are so popular, and why conversion is so easy.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
The republicans' lack of courage
So, Benghazi happened 3 years ago. We've had several investigations; called an endless number of people to testify before congress, and so on in the monkey show.
The following have been established as facts:
The ambassador had been asking for increased security for over a year, and it was denied by clinton.
There was knowledge of a planned attack on that day, at that time, a week in adavnce, and nothing was done to prepare.
Hillary was trading military grade equipment, to include missiles and other heavy ordinance to the Libyan "rebels", self-admitted members of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda
Most communications before, during and after were done on a non-secure server in her home with private e-mail in an attempt to hide the arms dealing.
She was dealing through personal civilian contacts rather than US government sanctioned personnel.
She lied after the fact many times while under oath testifying before congress.
Even democrats are admitting there is a case for perjury. The whole server mess is grounds for espionage charges. If these investigations can prove she knowingly and deliberately was providing weapons, supplies and aid to Al-Qaeda and Talibani forces, forces we are in a declared war with, thats textbook treason.
The interesting question is "did she act alone?" Was obama telling her to do this? Did he know? Did she erase all those emails just to throw suspicion on him to weaken his ability to lead?
As long as this stays in Congress, where they fear her, and are generally corrupt and incompetent, we cannot get the truth or justice. Her actions warrant arrest and fair trial. But the republicans are too cowardly to do whats right.
The following have been established as facts:
The ambassador had been asking for increased security for over a year, and it was denied by clinton.
There was knowledge of a planned attack on that day, at that time, a week in adavnce, and nothing was done to prepare.
Hillary was trading military grade equipment, to include missiles and other heavy ordinance to the Libyan "rebels", self-admitted members of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda
Most communications before, during and after were done on a non-secure server in her home with private e-mail in an attempt to hide the arms dealing.
She was dealing through personal civilian contacts rather than US government sanctioned personnel.
She lied after the fact many times while under oath testifying before congress.
Even democrats are admitting there is a case for perjury. The whole server mess is grounds for espionage charges. If these investigations can prove she knowingly and deliberately was providing weapons, supplies and aid to Al-Qaeda and Talibani forces, forces we are in a declared war with, thats textbook treason.
The interesting question is "did she act alone?" Was obama telling her to do this? Did he know? Did she erase all those emails just to throw suspicion on him to weaken his ability to lead?
As long as this stays in Congress, where they fear her, and are generally corrupt and incompetent, we cannot get the truth or justice. Her actions warrant arrest and fair trial. But the republicans are too cowardly to do whats right.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
LARP Armor
Many survivalists look at the Live Action Role Players and other organizations that create real and fantasy armors, and think its silly, somewhat childish, and useless.Most never look at more than pictures, or maybe see someone in the distance. And its a shame, because a close inspection would be most educational.
For starters, those that make their own are going to be quite skilled in leatherwork, and the other materials used to make the armor. Armor making is not a feat one starts off attempting, but a project for someone who has achieved fair or better proficiency at the necessary skills, and already attempted similar work on a smaller scale. Crafters must test themselves before trying, because of the amounts of materials (and the expense of those materials) that will be wasted if they screw up.
Second, it does depend on the purpose the gear was made for, granted. But most leather gear made even for the "light" contact LARPers is still a medium grade on par with what good leather work gloves are made of. It wont stop a bullet, true. Then again, by the time you get enough material to do that, you usually cant move. Tandy Leather sells a 10-11oz grade; its about a quarter of an inch thick. You can cut through it, if you're dedicated or patient. In a fight, its right handy for keeping your innards inside, where they belong. And it makes some of the most beautiful of that fancy, fantasy armor that most the survivalists and preppers sneer at. Because if you're going to be uncomfortable, you might as well look awesome, right? Quarter inch stainless is real easy to get, and makes great plates for armor. The actual battle armor used in most of history was a mix of leather, chain mail, metal plates, and cloth for padding; there was no single solid uniform armor, no matter ho it looks.
I like to point out ideas and options for people. My old unit used to have a saying, "the first one to stop fighting because its too (hot, cold, dark, whatever) is the first to die." If you care more about your looks than your hide, you aint gonna survive. Im willing to look like a dorky elf, or some knight from D&D if it means I got all my soft parts covered while going into a fight, and my opponent doesnt. And Im not worried about "fair" fights, if its for survival. Tonight, when Im alive and you're not, I'll make sure to tell the story so that we both sound like the most noble heroes since the Dark Ages. Heck, I might even put on my dorky armor and look the part.
This gear will stop the environmental injuries, for the most part. If made and padded right, it will stop all but the mnost dedicated attacks. That makes it almost as good as any man-made combat armor on the market. Its cheap, very functional, durable, and easy to make if you know how. And, if you use lighter weight leathers, it becomes "buckskin" leathers, like the Native Americans wore.
Just a thought....
For starters, those that make their own are going to be quite skilled in leatherwork, and the other materials used to make the armor. Armor making is not a feat one starts off attempting, but a project for someone who has achieved fair or better proficiency at the necessary skills, and already attempted similar work on a smaller scale. Crafters must test themselves before trying, because of the amounts of materials (and the expense of those materials) that will be wasted if they screw up.
Second, it does depend on the purpose the gear was made for, granted. But most leather gear made even for the "light" contact LARPers is still a medium grade on par with what good leather work gloves are made of. It wont stop a bullet, true. Then again, by the time you get enough material to do that, you usually cant move. Tandy Leather sells a 10-11oz grade; its about a quarter of an inch thick. You can cut through it, if you're dedicated or patient. In a fight, its right handy for keeping your innards inside, where they belong. And it makes some of the most beautiful of that fancy, fantasy armor that most the survivalists and preppers sneer at. Because if you're going to be uncomfortable, you might as well look awesome, right? Quarter inch stainless is real easy to get, and makes great plates for armor. The actual battle armor used in most of history was a mix of leather, chain mail, metal plates, and cloth for padding; there was no single solid uniform armor, no matter ho it looks.
I like to point out ideas and options for people. My old unit used to have a saying, "the first one to stop fighting because its too (hot, cold, dark, whatever) is the first to die." If you care more about your looks than your hide, you aint gonna survive. Im willing to look like a dorky elf, or some knight from D&D if it means I got all my soft parts covered while going into a fight, and my opponent doesnt. And Im not worried about "fair" fights, if its for survival. Tonight, when Im alive and you're not, I'll make sure to tell the story so that we both sound like the most noble heroes since the Dark Ages. Heck, I might even put on my dorky armor and look the part.
This gear will stop the environmental injuries, for the most part. If made and padded right, it will stop all but the mnost dedicated attacks. That makes it almost as good as any man-made combat armor on the market. Its cheap, very functional, durable, and easy to make if you know how. And, if you use lighter weight leathers, it becomes "buckskin" leathers, like the Native Americans wore.
Just a thought....
Saturday, October 31, 2015
If its being done right, its not being done by the government
I have a magnet on my frig. Its got a cartoon character (Bill the Cat, for those old enough to know who that is) in a straight-jacket, with the caption "some days it isnt worth chewing through the straps."
I usually get a chuckle out of it, and think "todays better than that."
But today, after reading a headline in the news......
Radioactive material keeps being stolen from lab.....
So our dear Uncle Sammy isnt just being robbed of radioactive materials, but "KEEPS" as in they know its happening and cant stop it. Then I read in the article that there have been 76 thefts discovered just this year. Now, call me silly, but in this day of terrorists and crackpots and everything, I would think that this should be ...I dont know..... one of the major items you'd bury under so much security people couldnt even talk about it without the NSA's super secret ninja spy commando squirrels parking a full team of completely legal wire-tapping stealth poodles in your back pocket for "surveillance".
So finding out that the "master thief" was just dumping contaminated radioactive stuff in the bushes outside the fence of the facility to pick up later is kinda ....well..... depressing. I mean, I was in the Military, so I know how low to expect the standards to be, but...... wow. Really? Hillary gets better security for her fund-raising dinners.
No, today the magnet won. But there's always tomorrow.
I usually get a chuckle out of it, and think "todays better than that."
But today, after reading a headline in the news......
Radioactive material keeps being stolen from lab.....
So our dear Uncle Sammy isnt just being robbed of radioactive materials, but "KEEPS" as in they know its happening and cant stop it. Then I read in the article that there have been 76 thefts discovered just this year. Now, call me silly, but in this day of terrorists and crackpots and everything, I would think that this should be ...I dont know..... one of the major items you'd bury under so much security people couldnt even talk about it without the NSA's super secret ninja spy commando squirrels parking a full team of completely legal wire-tapping stealth poodles in your back pocket for "surveillance".
So finding out that the "master thief" was just dumping contaminated radioactive stuff in the bushes outside the fence of the facility to pick up later is kinda ....well..... depressing. I mean, I was in the Military, so I know how low to expect the standards to be, but...... wow. Really? Hillary gets better security for her fund-raising dinners.
No, today the magnet won. But there's always tomorrow.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
And the fallout starts
So, a few weeks ago I said that there was going to be a war between the Feminists and the Trans community for who won "victim" status.
The New York Post had an article yesterday showing that its starting:
This Germaine Greer, who has made a career of being a "victim" feminist, is saying that trans arent women. When told that hurts the trans' community's feelings, the lady who made a very lucrative career cashing in on her supposed mistreatment (being treated like a man, ei: like crap) and screaming women are constitutionally protected from hurt feelings, started singing a different tune: “Try being an old woman. For goodness sake, people get hurt all the time, I’m not about to walk on eggshells.”
The bigger laugh? She blames misogyny and "teh ebul patri........blah blah blah blah blah" I tend to tune out the stupid repeated rants after 50 years of repetition. Yep, its mans fault that these men think they're women, and the media, in its drive to sell more, is pushing the fake women are "better" than the real thing. While we should blame the media for this idiocy, they're just trying to make money. Thats why they pressured the Psychiatric Community to remove what used to be a recognized mental illness from their medical manuals. The controversy of presenting this as a "normal" acceptable alternative lifestyle draws attention, which means money and power in the media world.
I especially like this segment from the NY Post article, as it sums up much better than I can the real battle that will be fought between these two liberal democrat voting blocks:
It’s more than just a rival victim group, but one that threatens to expose feminists’ contradictions when it comes to sex differences.
Feminists typically deny that meaningful gender differences exist between men and women, while allowing that there are some areas in which women are superior to men.
[snip]
Yet what happens when transgender women start competing against plain old women in other areas of life? Say, in tennis matches and swim meets?
Or how about for slots on corporate boards and in top universitieslooking to meet targets for gender balance? Feminists may find their cause stalled and themselves forced to acknowledge that biology plays a bigger role than they care to admit.
Indeed what does happen? These transgenders are claiming that Feminists are wrong. That for 50 years, all the science and the studies Femenist organizations have sponsored; its all wrong. Trans say that there is a very large difference between men and women; there are women's tastes, colors, preferences, hobbies, jobs, and so on. That women are just plain different from men, and in very meaningful ways. So meaningful that it requires years of medication, counseling, and surgery to correct.
We know what happens when a man, be it cross-dresser, dude with boob-job, or full post-op transgender, competes with women in sports. Thats why they test at pro athletic events; because its been done before, and men dominate over the women to an unfair (and sometimes dangerous) advantage.
But what happens when they start competing for job slots? CEO positions? When the real woman has to take3-6 months off because she's having a child (last month or two of pregnancy plus the first few of it life) andJohn Jane doesnt?What happens when a portion of your "Female" work-force wants to end the traditionally preferred benefits of actual women in favor of benefits actual women cant use?
The author of the NY Post article is saying that Feminism may have received the fatal blow, and may be doomed to die because of this. Most feminists I know never give up a fight, even after its obvious they've lost. And they dont let minor things like reality or facts get in the way of their arguments. Like the old bag at the start of this article, they'll claim its all mens' fault, and they're victims, again. :roll: And they will use all the political influence, power, and money to make sure they win, even if that means getting transgenderism declared an insanity again.
The question is, is the Gay lobby large enough, and committed enough, to stop them?
The New York Post had an article yesterday showing that its starting:
This Germaine Greer, who has made a career of being a "victim" feminist, is saying that trans arent women. When told that hurts the trans' community's feelings, the lady who made a very lucrative career cashing in on her supposed mistreatment (being treated like a man, ei: like crap) and screaming women are constitutionally protected from hurt feelings, started singing a different tune: “Try being an old woman. For goodness sake, people get hurt all the time, I’m not about to walk on eggshells.”
The bigger laugh? She blames misogyny and "teh ebul patri........blah blah blah blah blah" I tend to tune out the stupid repeated rants after 50 years of repetition. Yep, its mans fault that these men think they're women, and the media, in its drive to sell more, is pushing the fake women are "better" than the real thing. While we should blame the media for this idiocy, they're just trying to make money. Thats why they pressured the Psychiatric Community to remove what used to be a recognized mental illness from their medical manuals. The controversy of presenting this as a "normal" acceptable alternative lifestyle draws attention, which means money and power in the media world.
I especially like this segment from the NY Post article, as it sums up much better than I can the real battle that will be fought between these two liberal democrat voting blocks:
It’s more than just a rival victim group, but one that threatens to expose feminists’ contradictions when it comes to sex differences.
Feminists typically deny that meaningful gender differences exist between men and women, while allowing that there are some areas in which women are superior to men.
[snip]
Yet what happens when transgender women start competing against plain old women in other areas of life? Say, in tennis matches and swim meets?
Or how about for slots on corporate boards and in top universitieslooking to meet targets for gender balance? Feminists may find their cause stalled and themselves forced to acknowledge that biology plays a bigger role than they care to admit.
Indeed what does happen? These transgenders are claiming that Feminists are wrong. That for 50 years, all the science and the studies Femenist organizations have sponsored; its all wrong. Trans say that there is a very large difference between men and women; there are women's tastes, colors, preferences, hobbies, jobs, and so on. That women are just plain different from men, and in very meaningful ways. So meaningful that it requires years of medication, counseling, and surgery to correct.
We know what happens when a man, be it cross-dresser, dude with boob-job, or full post-op transgender, competes with women in sports. Thats why they test at pro athletic events; because its been done before, and men dominate over the women to an unfair (and sometimes dangerous) advantage.
But what happens when they start competing for job slots? CEO positions? When the real woman has to take3-6 months off because she's having a child (last month or two of pregnancy plus the first few of it life) and
The author of the NY Post article is saying that Feminism may have received the fatal blow, and may be doomed to die because of this. Most feminists I know never give up a fight, even after its obvious they've lost. And they dont let minor things like reality or facts get in the way of their arguments. Like the old bag at the start of this article, they'll claim its all mens' fault, and they're victims, again. :roll: And they will use all the political influence, power, and money to make sure they win, even if that means getting transgenderism declared an insanity again.
The question is, is the Gay lobby large enough, and committed enough, to stop them?
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Recommended Firearms
Granted, I live in Indiana, and we have a law saying that hunting rifles must use handgun caliber rounds. This is supposed to allow for the fact that there isnt anything between your house and the neighbor but a few hundred yards of cornfields. So, my list is somewhat biased for my area, I'll be the first to admit. But Im looking at power, reliability, versatility, and resupply-ability.
Lets look at handguns first: I like the .357 family. Several different firearms fall under an umbrella that allows you to set up the whole family with just a few guns.
Personally, having carried many semi-autos in the military, I dont care for them. I hear all the hype and brand love from the suckers convinced their chosen favorite is "perfect". But semi-autos jam, and usually at the worst possible time. It doesnt matter how well you clean it, how much you baby it, or the ridiculous a\mounts of money you spend pampering it, Murphy's Law runs free, and the more moving parts it has, the more likely it will screw up. And when those parts screw up, it usually takes a skilled professional to fix it. And the fact that the word "Glock" is printed on it doesnt change reality.
Revolvers dont have that problem. Like a computer mouse, just point and click. If it doesnt go "bang", point and click again. The gun-bunnies whine about a lack of ammo. I say learn to shoot correctly. Outside of their wet-dreams of zombies invading, you're not going to face more than 6 targets, especially after you put a round through the head or heart of the first one. Shoot. shoot alot. Be able to shoot all six rounds into a 2inch circle at 50 yards. (its entirely possible. Ive done it for many years at Army pistol quals) That way, when your life depends on it, you only need the one shot.
So, for the missus, who likely isnt as beefy and muscular, I recommend the .38; your choice out of the many different variations. Its over a century old, was used by the military and police for decades, and gives her a choice of aiming to injure or to kill, depending on threat level. The gun is very accurate, low recoil, cheap and easy to find, and easily customizable. The ammo is cheap and plentiful, plus its easy to reload if you feel the urge to pack your own ammo. Its the preferred back-up gun of most police even today because of these reasons.
Get yourself a .357. While her gun can knock down baddies, your gun can punch through the car he's hiding behind and STILL drop the bad guy. Plus it will eat that .38 ammo when you go to the firing range for plinking cans. As a marriage should be, her tools can get the job done, and yours are there for the really hard or big work.
Now, Henry Rifle company makes the sweetest .357 "Big Boy" lever action rifle you could ever ask for. And it will drop a 300lb deer at 150 yards, as long as you know how to shoot. (Heart and lungs) You can pretty it up or strip it as plain as you like; me personally, I use it purely stock, out-of-the-box.
So, you now have protection for your family and yourself, and your hunting rifle, and only two calibers, which actually use the same die if you're reloading. Of course you need a 12 gauge shotgun for hunting as well; the brand is up to you. I find that discussing Shotgun brands is like debating what car company is best: everyone has their own opinion, and ultimately, it really is only opinion.
Next, your going to need a long distance gun. I recommend the Mosin Nagant. The expensive ones are still under $100, and the range is limited only by field of view; shots of a mile or more with the right scope are considered normal. I recommend spending the extra cash on US brass ammo, so you can reload it; there may be (literally) tons of 7.62x54 just sitting around right now, but every year, that amount gets smaller as ammo gets shot or destabilizes.
Next is your Varmint gun, unless you happen to like making red mist out of squirrels and raccoons with that .357 or 7.62 ammo. But if you actually want birds and small critters for food (and other general household uses) you'll need a good "critter gun". This goes one of two ways, and it really is preference. If you dont already have an AR, arent already trained on an AR, and dont fantasize about being Rambo or Red Dawn or any of that moronic bull, then the Ruger 10/22 really is the best, most popular, all purpose .22 you can get, and will meet all your needs. I only recommend the AR if
1) Like me, you already have one. Then there's no sense in buying a second gun that does all the same work.
2) Like me, you're already trained on the AR platform (cops, military, and so on, who spend their entire careers with it)
3) You're an idiot with more money that sense who loves having a bajillion guns for no reason and is delusional enough to believe that zombies are real, North Korea could actually attack us, and thinks Rambo was a liberal wuss.
The last toy in the cabinet isnt a firearm. I recommend the Lee Anniversary kit and the shotgun reloader kit. Now that you have only four types of ammo to worry about (three if your using .22, since you cant reload that) it doesnt hurt to be prepared and have the ability to repack your empties. Depending on how you want to look at it, you can claim you're recycling, saving money, or both. Hey, either's a good excuse, right?
Lets look at handguns first: I like the .357 family. Several different firearms fall under an umbrella that allows you to set up the whole family with just a few guns.
Personally, having carried many semi-autos in the military, I dont care for them. I hear all the hype and brand love from the suckers convinced their chosen favorite is "perfect". But semi-autos jam, and usually at the worst possible time. It doesnt matter how well you clean it, how much you baby it, or the ridiculous a\mounts of money you spend pampering it, Murphy's Law runs free, and the more moving parts it has, the more likely it will screw up. And when those parts screw up, it usually takes a skilled professional to fix it. And the fact that the word "Glock" is printed on it doesnt change reality.
Revolvers dont have that problem. Like a computer mouse, just point and click. If it doesnt go "bang", point and click again. The gun-bunnies whine about a lack of ammo. I say learn to shoot correctly. Outside of their wet-dreams of zombies invading, you're not going to face more than 6 targets, especially after you put a round through the head or heart of the first one. Shoot. shoot alot. Be able to shoot all six rounds into a 2inch circle at 50 yards. (its entirely possible. Ive done it for many years at Army pistol quals) That way, when your life depends on it, you only need the one shot.
So, for the missus, who likely isnt as beefy and muscular, I recommend the .38; your choice out of the many different variations. Its over a century old, was used by the military and police for decades, and gives her a choice of aiming to injure or to kill, depending on threat level. The gun is very accurate, low recoil, cheap and easy to find, and easily customizable. The ammo is cheap and plentiful, plus its easy to reload if you feel the urge to pack your own ammo. Its the preferred back-up gun of most police even today because of these reasons.
Get yourself a .357. While her gun can knock down baddies, your gun can punch through the car he's hiding behind and STILL drop the bad guy. Plus it will eat that .38 ammo when you go to the firing range for plinking cans. As a marriage should be, her tools can get the job done, and yours are there for the really hard or big work.
Now, Henry Rifle company makes the sweetest .357 "Big Boy" lever action rifle you could ever ask for. And it will drop a 300lb deer at 150 yards, as long as you know how to shoot. (Heart and lungs) You can pretty it up or strip it as plain as you like; me personally, I use it purely stock, out-of-the-box.
So, you now have protection for your family and yourself, and your hunting rifle, and only two calibers, which actually use the same die if you're reloading. Of course you need a 12 gauge shotgun for hunting as well; the brand is up to you. I find that discussing Shotgun brands is like debating what car company is best: everyone has their own opinion, and ultimately, it really is only opinion.
Next, your going to need a long distance gun. I recommend the Mosin Nagant. The expensive ones are still under $100, and the range is limited only by field of view; shots of a mile or more with the right scope are considered normal. I recommend spending the extra cash on US brass ammo, so you can reload it; there may be (literally) tons of 7.62x54 just sitting around right now, but every year, that amount gets smaller as ammo gets shot or destabilizes.
Next is your Varmint gun, unless you happen to like making red mist out of squirrels and raccoons with that .357 or 7.62 ammo. But if you actually want birds and small critters for food (and other general household uses) you'll need a good "critter gun". This goes one of two ways, and it really is preference. If you dont already have an AR, arent already trained on an AR, and dont fantasize about being Rambo or Red Dawn or any of that moronic bull, then the Ruger 10/22 really is the best, most popular, all purpose .22 you can get, and will meet all your needs. I only recommend the AR if
1) Like me, you already have one. Then there's no sense in buying a second gun that does all the same work.
2) Like me, you're already trained on the AR platform (cops, military, and so on, who spend their entire careers with it)
3) You're an idiot with more money that sense who loves having a bajillion guns for no reason and is delusional enough to believe that zombies are real, North Korea could actually attack us, and thinks Rambo was a liberal wuss.
The last toy in the cabinet isnt a firearm. I recommend the Lee Anniversary kit and the shotgun reloader kit. Now that you have only four types of ammo to worry about (three if your using .22, since you cant reload that) it doesnt hurt to be prepared and have the ability to repack your empties. Depending on how you want to look at it, you can claim you're recycling, saving money, or both. Hey, either's a good excuse, right?
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Lessons learned; the Tea Party and Hippies
The Baby Boomer generation; a time the social sciences start in 1946 that continues to the end of the 1950s, to describe the people born during that time. A generation that transformed America in almost every way. A generation that has always been a study in contradictions. The generation that brought us bra-burning also brought us the Wonder Bra. The War on Drugs was started by the same generation that spent two decades stone out of their minds. People that once advocated "free luvvv" have come to oppose premarital sex.
This is a generation that has been proud of their distrust for decades. "Dont trust anyone over 30!" Well, that was back when they were teens and early twenties. Now they joke "Dont trust anyone under 60." Dont trust corporations, dont trust the government, dont trust religion, dont trust your parents; the list goes on forever of who we werent supposed to trust. And when it was just them, it wasnt such a problem. But then they started having kids.
What happens when your kids see you throw grandpa in a nursing home and deliberately forget he exists? What lesson do you think they learn? What are they learning when they hear "old folks cant understand"? When you suggest that age makes one incompetent, even when there isnt a disease, dont be surprised when your kids do the same. They are just acting as you taught them.
For decades, Generations X and Y were told we couldnt trust our government. It was evil, it lied, and was guilty of every wrong you'd care to name. We were told this by liberals and conservatives, republicans and democrats, hippies and beatniks as well as the blue collar republicans and the war vets. We were told the media is the enemy of the public, lying for the rich and the powerful. We were told that our history, indeed most our education, was distorted lies. That corporations were giant faceless entities cheerfully poisoning us and utterly indifferent as long as they made a profit. The unions were accused of being no better than organized crime, if not actually taken over and ran by organized crime.
So, now that "The Greatest Generation" is mostly died, and the Baby Boomers are the main power in our government, they are wondering why there is a large contingent shouting "We cant trust you!" Those
same hippies that protested against the corporation rhey now govern cant understand why their children and grandchildren see the company as the cancer on society the Boomers always taught it was. They cant understand how or why a large percentage of the population is repeating and believing the rhetoric the Boomers shouted for more than 2 decades.
Where did Rand Paul, Rubio, and the rest of the Tea Party come from? Look at what Hillary, Pelosi, and the other liberal Democrats were chanting and carrying on about in the 60s and 70s. To misquote the old drug commercials, "parents who distrust the government will have kids who distrust the government."
This is a generation that has been proud of their distrust for decades. "Dont trust anyone over 30!" Well, that was back when they were teens and early twenties. Now they joke "Dont trust anyone under 60." Dont trust corporations, dont trust the government, dont trust religion, dont trust your parents; the list goes on forever of who we werent supposed to trust. And when it was just them, it wasnt such a problem. But then they started having kids.
What happens when your kids see you throw grandpa in a nursing home and deliberately forget he exists? What lesson do you think they learn? What are they learning when they hear "old folks cant understand"? When you suggest that age makes one incompetent, even when there isnt a disease, dont be surprised when your kids do the same. They are just acting as you taught them.
For decades, Generations X and Y were told we couldnt trust our government. It was evil, it lied, and was guilty of every wrong you'd care to name. We were told this by liberals and conservatives, republicans and democrats, hippies and beatniks as well as the blue collar republicans and the war vets. We were told the media is the enemy of the public, lying for the rich and the powerful. We were told that our history, indeed most our education, was distorted lies. That corporations were giant faceless entities cheerfully poisoning us and utterly indifferent as long as they made a profit. The unions were accused of being no better than organized crime, if not actually taken over and ran by organized crime.
So, now that "The Greatest Generation" is mostly died, and the Baby Boomers are the main power in our government, they are wondering why there is a large contingent shouting "We cant trust you!" Those
same hippies that protested against the corporation rhey now govern cant understand why their children and grandchildren see the company as the cancer on society the Boomers always taught it was. They cant understand how or why a large percentage of the population is repeating and believing the rhetoric the Boomers shouted for more than 2 decades.
Where did Rand Paul, Rubio, and the rest of the Tea Party come from? Look at what Hillary, Pelosi, and the other liberal Democrats were chanting and carrying on about in the 60s and 70s. To misquote the old drug commercials, "parents who distrust the government will have kids who distrust the government."
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Preppers
So, these preppers keep talking about the end of the world, and how they are the only ones who will survive it. But for every strategy or plan you see, you see two more preppers saying its a bad idea. Every gadget is nothing you couldnt get from a hardware store for a few bucks, or tweak yourself from clutter around the house, but they want you to pay top dollar for it. Hell, they cant even agree on what to prepare for; earthquake, fire, famine, government collapse. Some fools claim they're prepping for it all, which is impossible. Many of the preparations you make for one disaster are useless and can actually be harmful in other cases. And the preppers all forget several basic facts:
1) You need lots of non-related people to survive. All this movie bullshit about "the last six people on earth"; yeah, if they're related, sterile, gay, or the same sex, then the species is dead anyway. It takes something like a thousand people or more (all unrelated) to maintain a safe gene pool that guarantees no inbreeding defects; 80 of each gender is the smallest, and you need VERY careful bookkeeping then to prevent accidental cousin-f*cking.
2) "But the rioters and looters are gonna..." Yeah. right up until the people that actually care about living in society (unlike preppers) step up and do something about it. Which takes less time for a more civilized population; in African shitholes, the longest it lasts in a few months. As civilized as we are, well, The cops get a few days to settle that shit before people start stepping up.
3) "No one but me is gonna know how to..." Ok. Assuming you're the only prepper for a hundred miles in any direction, and there are no veterans, former boy scouts, farm boys, or any other outdoorsy type people, we still have libraries. Row upon row of books telling us how to do all this stuff. A disaster doesnt create mass amnesia and make people forget how to read or where to look up information.
4) Man abhors a vacuum more than nature, and I aint just talking about a vacuum cleaner. Someone will rise to power if the current order really cant cope (which is highly unlikely) Mankind functions best when someone else is in power. Too many people just dont feel right unless they are being "governed" by someone else. Study history, no matter how noble or criminal, all governments end up around the same place before they collapse; the population pushes for certain rights, the rulers demand certain powers, and the game goes on until it topples and resets.
5) Civilizations reset. The ancient Greeks had a mechanized computer. The ancient Egyptians could recognize malignant and benign tumors, and surgically remove them. The Romans could pump water uphill. The Indus Valley Civilization had flush toilets and sewers at 2500BC. This we know from physical things we found; who knows how much knowledge was lost with all the book burning over the centuries. Sometimes the old has to fall to make room for new. Not saying new is better, but the only constant in the universe is change.
6) As a species, we are nearly impossible to kill. If you're a Biblical Literalist, we've got 6000 years of recorded proof. If you prefer science, we have millions of years of proof. Mankind survives almost as well as cockroaches. We've survived ice ages, floods, volcanoes, meteor strikes, earthquakes, global depressions, world wars, bad Mexican food; short of a solar supernova (at which point everything inside the asteroid belt is ash) whats left that we havent already survived several times before?
I get it, preppers. You're scared. This is your security blanket, like a three year old's woobie. You feel tough and strong and ready now. Except that every actual disaster or collapse that you claim to be preparing for has shown that what you're doing is actually detrimental, both to you and to society. Look at Russia of the 90s, look at Venezuela, look at East Germany; see what was really needed. Then, if you want to prep, prep to be an aid, instead of "bugging out". Like the hippies of the 60s that decided to "drop out" of society, the only one you'll hurt is yourself.
1) You need lots of non-related people to survive. All this movie bullshit about "the last six people on earth"; yeah, if they're related, sterile, gay, or the same sex, then the species is dead anyway. It takes something like a thousand people or more (all unrelated) to maintain a safe gene pool that guarantees no inbreeding defects; 80 of each gender is the smallest, and you need VERY careful bookkeeping then to prevent accidental cousin-f*cking.
2) "But the rioters and looters are gonna..." Yeah. right up until the people that actually care about living in society (unlike preppers) step up and do something about it. Which takes less time for a more civilized population; in African shitholes, the longest it lasts in a few months. As civilized as we are, well, The cops get a few days to settle that shit before people start stepping up.
3) "No one but me is gonna know how to..." Ok. Assuming you're the only prepper for a hundred miles in any direction, and there are no veterans, former boy scouts, farm boys, or any other outdoorsy type people, we still have libraries. Row upon row of books telling us how to do all this stuff. A disaster doesnt create mass amnesia and make people forget how to read or where to look up information.
4) Man abhors a vacuum more than nature, and I aint just talking about a vacuum cleaner. Someone will rise to power if the current order really cant cope (which is highly unlikely) Mankind functions best when someone else is in power. Too many people just dont feel right unless they are being "governed" by someone else. Study history, no matter how noble or criminal, all governments end up around the same place before they collapse; the population pushes for certain rights, the rulers demand certain powers, and the game goes on until it topples and resets.
5) Civilizations reset. The ancient Greeks had a mechanized computer. The ancient Egyptians could recognize malignant and benign tumors, and surgically remove them. The Romans could pump water uphill. The Indus Valley Civilization had flush toilets and sewers at 2500BC. This we know from physical things we found; who knows how much knowledge was lost with all the book burning over the centuries. Sometimes the old has to fall to make room for new. Not saying new is better, but the only constant in the universe is change.
6) As a species, we are nearly impossible to kill. If you're a Biblical Literalist, we've got 6000 years of recorded proof. If you prefer science, we have millions of years of proof. Mankind survives almost as well as cockroaches. We've survived ice ages, floods, volcanoes, meteor strikes, earthquakes, global depressions, world wars, bad Mexican food; short of a solar supernova (at which point everything inside the asteroid belt is ash) whats left that we havent already survived several times before?
I get it, preppers. You're scared. This is your security blanket, like a three year old's woobie. You feel tough and strong and ready now. Except that every actual disaster or collapse that you claim to be preparing for has shown that what you're doing is actually detrimental, both to you and to society. Look at Russia of the 90s, look at Venezuela, look at East Germany; see what was really needed. Then, if you want to prep, prep to be an aid, instead of "bugging out". Like the hippies of the 60s that decided to "drop out" of society, the only one you'll hurt is yourself.
Friday, October 9, 2015
So now toilets are "islamophobic"
http://www.thesunflower.com/news/article_72f08792-5767-11e5-98d2-131537e6b7fc.html
I shit you not (pun intended) Wichita State University last year gutted their on-campus church to make it "faith neutral" so it would accommodate Muslims. Which means that anything other that Islamic paraphernalia was removed, clear down to removing the pews.
So now the Muslim students on campus are filing a petition for bidets, because they dont like regular toilets and toilet paper. “WSU talks about diversity and likes to have rights for international students, so I believe we should have one or two in each public building, but especially in central places,” one female student said. Yeah, because nothing says "Oppression" and "bigotry" like not having bidets in every stall.
Ive seen these, when I was in Iraq. Middle Easterners wash their ass with their bare hands after doing their business, and that's supposedly cleaner. Thats why they never touch anything with their left hand, because thats the one they use to scrub their ass after taking a dump.
I know college is that time when morons get to be completely self-absorbed and make mountain ranges out of prairie. And I know that this generation of idiots is desperate to claim any excuse they can to try and convince the world they are "victims". But Damn! There has to be a limit on the stupidity somewhere.
I shit you not (pun intended) Wichita State University last year gutted their on-campus church to make it "faith neutral" so it would accommodate Muslims. Which means that anything other that Islamic paraphernalia was removed, clear down to removing the pews.
So now the Muslim students on campus are filing a petition for bidets, because they dont like regular toilets and toilet paper. “WSU talks about diversity and likes to have rights for international students, so I believe we should have one or two in each public building, but especially in central places,” one female student said. Yeah, because nothing says "Oppression" and "bigotry" like not having bidets in every stall.
Ive seen these, when I was in Iraq. Middle Easterners wash their ass with their bare hands after doing their business, and that's supposedly cleaner. Thats why they never touch anything with their left hand, because thats the one they use to scrub their ass after taking a dump.
I know college is that time when morons get to be completely self-absorbed and make mountain ranges out of prairie. And I know that this generation of idiots is desperate to claim any excuse they can to try and convince the world they are "victims". But Damn! There has to be a limit on the stupidity somewhere.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Feminists vs Transgenders: Who's right and who's crazy?
So, Feminists have been saying for the last 50 years that theres no difference between men and women but the plumbing. Our brains are the same. We are equal in every way. To say that any form of thinking, or preferences, or habits are "feminine" is sexist.
Now you have transgenders claiming they are women trapped in a man's body. I'll skip the fact that Ive been hearing guys make that joke since 6th grade. But they claim that there are distinctly woman ways of thinking, female tastes and preferences. That there are more differences than just plumbing. That their brain is distinctly female, and somehow that is different from male.
Liberals are demanding we recognize the "freedoms and rights" of two groups that are claiming polar opposite arguments. This is an either/or decision, and society has to decide who (if anyone) to side with.
Frankly, let the two sides fight it out, and only come back when there's a victor. Then decide who gets what "rights".
Now you have transgenders claiming they are women trapped in a man's body. I'll skip the fact that Ive been hearing guys make that joke since 6th grade. But they claim that there are distinctly woman ways of thinking, female tastes and preferences. That there are more differences than just plumbing. That their brain is distinctly female, and somehow that is different from male.
Liberals are demanding we recognize the "freedoms and rights" of two groups that are claiming polar opposite arguments. This is an either/or decision, and society has to decide who (if anyone) to side with.
Frankly, let the two sides fight it out, and only come back when there's a victor. Then decide who gets what "rights".
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
The Argument with Atheists
So you tell me God doesnt exist.
First off, which god or gods are you
claiming dont exist? Is it just the Abrahamic god? Or are you
including the 10,000 Gods of India? What about the Taoist Spirits?
Buddhist? Asatru? Are you going to say gods dont exist but angels do?
What about ghosts? Before the stupid starts pouring out of your mouth
like a flash flood in the Arizona desert, how about you take some
time to define the terms you intend to use.
Second, You've supposedly “proved”
it. Unfortunately for you, Im also a man of science as well as
religion. So, show me what lab in the world did the research? I want
to look over all the data, both raw and aggregate, to see that the
only possible conclusion is “god doesnt exist”. Show me
the results that led to this conclusion and no other. Show me the
experiments that were both accurate (the results were repeatable
within a very narrow margin of error) and valid (they tested for only
one possibility, and no other explanation is equally plausible). Oh,
yeah. Science teaches that nothing is “proven” merely further
supported by evidence. You should have known that better that the
Christian you claim to be smarter than. And science also says you
cannot “prove” a negative. So it is impossible to “prove”
there is no god, according to science. Try again.
So you want to turn to logic. First
rule of logic is that you cant prove a negative. You are defeated
before you even start by the very rules of the system you chose.
Nope, the only truly scientifically or
logically supported answer to “Is there a god?” is “I dont
know”.
The Religion of Atheism
Science cant detect one way or the
other whether gods exist. Science can only deal in the detectable,
quantifiable, and testable. Science doesnt cover the supernatural,
by definition. Which means a strong belief held either way is simply
an opinion. And we have a word for this opinion held without any
factual basis (several actually, but most are rather rude): Faith.
Faith is not a part of science but it is the whole basis of religion.
So, at its most basic level, you are no different from any other
religion; you have your dogma, and you proselytize. You even use
the courts to try to force your religious beliefs onto the rest of
the nation, attempting to deny them the right to publicly practice
theirs. No, the biggest difference, from the outside, between you and
the Mormons is that you do more harm to my freedoms and rights with
your court cases than the Mormons do knocking on my door at 9am
Saturday morning to tell me about their holy book. That is a very big difference; if you're threatening peoples' civil rights, you are a threat to the nation as a whole.
The Hypocrisy of Atheism
Atheists love to attack Christians. It
is obvious why. When you attack Jews, they circle up, facing in-ward,
and wait out the attack, seeking to survive, just as they have for
the last 5000 years. How does that tactic work? See that part about
five thousand years. Very few
other cultures have lasted that long. Atheists cant get their jollies
picking on Jews because Jews dont fight back. Christians shout, quote
Bible verses, go to court, call names; Christians fight back, but
only with words. Christians are fun to bully.
But
you notice......Atheists dont have the balls to go after Muslims. All
three religions worship the same deity, the god of Abraham. The
different names come from linguistic shifts over distance and time;
the “proper” pronunciation of Jehovah, Allah, and YHWH are
actually very similar, given the number of language shifts, and the
thousands of years. And yet, the same Atheist that just got done
pissing all over Christians and demanding the Biblical religion be
banned are demanding more “respect” for Islam. Why do you suppose
that is? (This next part is not my views, but the actual views of
Atheists, applied to Islam)
Have
an Atheist tell Muslims that they are delusional schizophrenic, like
the Atheist accuses Christians of being. Have the Atheist tell
Muslims that Allah is an “imaginary friend” that doesnt exist, a
figment of their delusional mind, proof that all Muslims are crazy.
See how well that goes. Have an atheist tell Muslims that their holy
book, the Koran, belongs on the same shelf as “Lord of the Rings”,
“Moby Dick”, and “Huck Finn”. That it deserves no respect,
and can be burned, or used as toilet paper. That it is nothing more
than a piece of fiction; the result of madmen and con-artists over
the centuries used to dupe Muslims into servitude, handing wealth and
power to these men. Go ahead, tell them. Tell them that their prophet
was nothing more than a paranoid delusional psychotic pedophile. That
their Sharia law is entirely without base or merit, founded entirely
on lies and insanities.
Atheists
dont pick fights with Muslims because the news currently is full of
just what exactly Muslims do to people who get in their way. Not even
people that piss them off, just “non-believers”, which atheists
would definitely qualify as. So, atheist, pick that fight; prove your
dedication to your beliefs. Be decapitated, crucified, burnt alive;
what ever the death of the week is among the extremists. Or shut up,
and stop with your hypocritical bigoted persecution of one specific
religion.
When
you attack the God of Christians, you attack the God of the Jews, and
the God of the Muslims. What you say to one, you say to all. As a
Christian, I will enjoy a rousing debate; Im happy to agree to
disagree, and show respect to your religion if you'll respect mine.
But the fact that you attack only my
religion shows me you dont really believe what you say. Nor do you
respect. I have nothing but contempt for hypocrites.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
The Small House fad
I dont want to seem discouraging, or eternally pessimistic. Honestly, I love the idea and practice of the Smaller House, trying to use less space for a home. And some of these designs are amazing, cutting to a half or less of "standard" 1600' house. The theory is that you dont need 20 foot square rooms to do nothing in. I can agree with that. I even like the idea that they try to recycle shipping containers and all materials from the site while building.
However, these are not long term housing. People in their late 30s and 40s are building these houses, not thinking about the fact that in a decade or two, their knees wont like stairs anymore. Almost every design has a loft you reach by climbing a ladder, or outright two to three stories. While sexagenarians today are in far better shape than the "60somethin" age bracket anytime in the past, knee problems are still a very common problem, and like Po from Kung-Fu Panda, stairs become your arch-rival.
These houses are for young people. In Japan, they use them as apartments, letting you own your shipping container house and move from tower to tower of containers, hooking into the sewer and power grind of each as you go. In that use, its actually a very brilliant application for controlling housing costs and shortages. But it doesnt work well for the mobility impaired; the necessary ADA compliance methods (ramps, elevators and whatever) take up so much space, energy, and cost that it defeats the whole purpose of the Small house in the first place.
I dont see today's children being encouraged to want these small houses. They see Mtv Cribs and other such shows, and want the McMansions of the rich. Which means these will probably be just a fad, much like the earth houses and geodesic dome houses of the 70s; a great idea that wasnt properly thought out or implemented, and so died too soon.
However, these are not long term housing. People in their late 30s and 40s are building these houses, not thinking about the fact that in a decade or two, their knees wont like stairs anymore. Almost every design has a loft you reach by climbing a ladder, or outright two to three stories. While sexagenarians today are in far better shape than the "60somethin" age bracket anytime in the past, knee problems are still a very common problem, and like Po from Kung-Fu Panda, stairs become your arch-rival.
These houses are for young people. In Japan, they use them as apartments, letting you own your shipping container house and move from tower to tower of containers, hooking into the sewer and power grind of each as you go. In that use, its actually a very brilliant application for controlling housing costs and shortages. But it doesnt work well for the mobility impaired; the necessary ADA compliance methods (ramps, elevators and whatever) take up so much space, energy, and cost that it defeats the whole purpose of the Small house in the first place.
I dont see today's children being encouraged to want these small houses. They see Mtv Cribs and other such shows, and want the McMansions of the rich. Which means these will probably be just a fad, much like the earth houses and geodesic dome houses of the 70s; a great idea that wasnt properly thought out or implemented, and so died too soon.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
PTS no D
I am going to address a sensitive
subject. Which is hard, because I'm not a sensitive person. So I'm
going to bury this in a lot of gallows humor, and ask that you take
it with the whole salt shaker.
PTS
I wont call it a disorder. A disorder
is defined as:
A disturbance or derangement that
affects the function of mind or body
Basically, that your mind is broken
somehow, and not working right. Except that with PTS, it is, really. The brain
has, over the endless millennia that man has walked the earth
developed this mechanism to cope with “too much bad stuff” when
it happens, compartmentalizing it away until you are in a safe place
and able to deal with it. From the days when Ugh the cave man was
trying not to become Saber-tooth kitty chow to the Romans hanging
people on trees for fun and profit, to today's modern battlefields with "point and click" killing,
this “shell shock”, battle fatigue, whatever you want to call it,
has been known by soldiers in war.
And its not just in war; we recognize
that police, EMTs and Fire-fighters max out their stress meter pretty
easily in their job. Rape victims are also recognized and treated.
What most people dont seem to understand is that its not just
danger that triggers this response. Vehicle incidents that cause
injury; death of loved ones; even childbirth is a traumatic event,
and the brain will try and protect you by blocking out and
“forgetting” the worst parts.
We even have a word for this event,
this forgetting of pain, stress, and the general unpleasantness of
life. “Nostalgia” was invented by a Medical student in the 1600s
to describe the Swiss mercenaries who were suffering a mix of
home-sickness and battle fatigue. He observed that the Mercs talked
of how great things were back home, as if anywhere was that good in
the 1600s.
Its this same sentiment that lets
Grandma (or Great Grandma for some of you young pups) talk about how
“wonderful” it was to work in a factory during WWII. 12 hour work
days; No A/C, no heat, no tools to help lift; fearing the letter
informing you your loved one was dead; having your kids raised by the
one woman on the block who didnt have to work (because her husband
was already KIA) all while living on rationed food, gas, and other
necessities only seems good in hind-sight. We have thousands of
sources telling us honestly just how bad it sucked by any reasonable
standard. Or we can just look at North Korea.
Many cultures have a similar word that
expresses this same sentiment; the remembering of the good of the
past while forgetting the bad. And we can read through history of
that soldiers have always dealt with PTS; when you see in old
writings that someone “returned funny”, that “the war soured
them” and similar such terms, you are seeing the phrases of their
times to explain what we today call a disorder.
Diagnosing
PTS has a problem in that it is “the
invisible wound”. You can see an amputated limb, from the bloody
hamburger freshly removed and still bleeding to the bandaged stump
after the medics work their mojo. You can measure healing, from the
newly stitched stump after the doctors have performed surgery to the
tanned scarred tissue that the artificial limb connects to.
You cant do that with PTS. You cant see
if a person is injured. Have they started healing? Are they healed?
You dont know without prying, and that very prying can be the trigger
for another episode if they arent ready.
Second is the fact that different
people respond differently to the events that can cause PTS, and so
have different wounds. If you shoot a man with a .45ACP, he has a
bullet hole in him. (unless he's Superman) Training, strength,
natural toughness; none of these matter. You shoot him, he gets shot,
he gets a hole in him. But with PTS... What injures one man, another
doesnt even notice. Im told my driver the night I was injured spent
quite some time in therapy for PTS over my injury. Me? It didnt
bother me at all; all my issues came from other incidents. One of the
men in my platoon (a former cook reclassed to Infantry) was
traumatized by our Section Sergeant continually joking how he wanted
to win a Purple Heart. I gather quite a few of the young'uns were. Us
old crusties laughed in public, since we were supposed to support the
incompetent moron in his stupidity. Behind the scenes, we tried to
quiet fears and keep moral up, and remind the guys how good we were
and how that would keep us safe.
But it goes to show, what one man
considers a joke, another will consider trauma.
PTS and the VA
How the VA determines if you have PTS:
(only slightly tongue in cheek)
- Have you been kicked in the nuts or punched in the bewbies?
- Do you try to avoid remembering being kicked in the nuts or punched in the bewbies?
- Do you have nightmares, even ones that dont involve being kicked in the nuts or punched in the bewbies?
- Are you very unhappy/upset/angry when reminded about the time(s) you were kicked in the nuts or punched in the bewbies?
- Do you have strong physical reaction when discussing being kicked in the nuts or punched in the bewbies? (you sweat, grip the chair, pound the table, etc)
- Do you have flashbacks of being kicked in the nuts or punched in the bewbies?
- Do you avoid people, places or things that remind you of being kicked in the nuts or punched in the bewbies?
- Do you avoid people, places or things where you are likely to be kicked in the nuts or punched in the bewbies?
- Do you thing you are a bad person? Or that you have done bad things?
- Do you blame yourself, at least partially, for being kicked in the nuts or punched in the bewbies?
- Have your interests changes since you were kicked in the nuts or punched in the bewbies?
- Do you feel disinterested or detached from others?
- Are you irritable or short-tempered?
- Do you enjoy activities others would call “risky”?
- Do you have a strong flinch reflex?
- Do you have trouble concentrating?
- Do you have trouble sleeping?
These are the 17 questions that the VA
will ask you, disguised in various forms, to see if you have PTS. If
you answer yes to 5-7 of them, you are diagnosed with mild PTS; 8-14
is moderate; any more and you are considered severe. You probably
noticed that many of these questions tend to have a positive answer,
even from completely normal, healthy people. Thats kinda my point;
outside of goths and emos, most people, especially
soldiers, are going to test mild to moderate on this scale normally.
Treatment
The VA
is big on group therapy. So, having decided that you have PTS from
being kicked in the nuts or punched in the bewbies, they send you to
the PTS group therapy session. There, you're told that your wounds
have equal merit, validity, and honor as everyone else's. Then you
look around the room: to your left is a guy, poisoned by the
chemicals democrats still
wont admit were there, who has been told the chemo didnt work, and
he's got months left. On your right is a guy missing a limb. Across
from you is a lady who was raped by one of the interpreters, who
wasnt punished because “mission dictates we need him.” Another is
a guy that had his guts turned to jelly by an AK; the body armor didn't stop
all the rounds. He's trying to cope with the fact that he “coded”
(died) three times on the operating table, and he has another surgery
in a few weeks that only has 50/50 odd of survival. And you have to
tell them that the VA sent you here because they diagnosed you PTS
because of a kick in the nuts or a punch in the bewbies. And the VA
doesnt understand why you feel out of place among these people.
Many
of the Veterans I talk to have mild PTS from their time in uniform,
no matter the hell they endured, compared to what the VA did to
“help” them.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Avoiding The 23 Club
We service member have a warped sense
of gallows humor. With 22 veterans a day committing suicide, you hear
jokes about joining (or avoiding) the “23 Club”, rather than the chest-thumping
and crying that is so normal among civilians. But it seems very few
outside of the Vets and support organizations are asking “why are
there so many suicides?” I have a theory.
At its most basic level, my job was to
be a self-propelled bullet magnet. All I had to do was go out and die
for my country. Any lump of meat with a pulse that can convert oxygen
to carbon dioxide without mechanical assistance should be capable of
that. You dont have to be smart; Forest Gump was a great infantryman.
You dont have to be brave; its not the bullet with your name on it,
but the one addressed “To Whom it May Concern” thats gonna give
you a bad day. You dont have to be tough; Superman is the only guy
tough enough that bullets dont ruin the day, and Superman never
enlisted. You don't even have to be human; there's the youtube video
of the chimp with the AK, proving that my job can literally be done
by a monkey. A dog could go out and take a bullet just as easily as I
could, but the terrorists are less likely to shoot dogs.
So, then they told me I was too
crippled to do my job; that I wasnt even fit to die right. How do you
think that felt? What was I supposed to think when they said I was
too useless to be a sandbag, a bullet magnet, a target on the rifle
range; unfit to be dead weight; I couldnt even “die gloriously for
the regiment” properly.
Thats not what hurt the most, though.
My unit, where I had served for 17 years, with men I considered
family.... No, better than family; I refuse to speak to many my blood
relations as I consider them dishonorable scum. These men that I had
called brothers for so many years booted me out the back door without
a goodby, no thank you, no “you'll be missed”, nothing. They were
glad to see me go, it seemed. And I lost several hundred men that had
been family in just a few hours.
Luckily, Im too arrogant, egotistical,
and full of myself for that to bother me for much longer than it took
to order a beer. But not everyone is as shallow a jerk as I am. Think
about that, and look at those veterans leaving service. Think what
they are losing, and how; that boot in the seat of the pant followed
with a string of rude words. No more platoon of family crowding in
constantly. No constant support structure, whether they want it or
not. Just their lonely little selves, trying to figure out how
someone can be too broken to die “properly” but still be able to
have a life. At times like these, the two songs “Suicide is
Painless” and “Paint it Black” take on special meaning.
I wont advocate it. Personally, I want
to keep living just because it pisses a few liberals I know off. We
each find our own reasons. But we must do more to reach these vets,
to build the family. As I say so often, “We have to care for each
other. No one else will.” Some days, thats the only reason I push,
the hope that tomorrow I may find another brother to help. And thats
the best reason in the world to me.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
The Silver lining
And right out of the gate comes one without hard data or links. Sorry.
This is based on purely anecdotal evidence, but its more about why I feel inspired for our future, rather than a response to any current issues.
This is based on purely anecdotal evidence, but its more about why I feel inspired for our future, rather than a response to any current issues.
As much as I hate to say it, I think
obama actually might have been good for our country these last 6
years. I try hard to ignore what people say, biting my lip to avoid
foolish reactionism, and watch what they do, to understand them. (I dont always succeed, but I try) And
I generally like what Ive seen, even if I dont like the motivators.
GenX, Y and Millenials have largely
moved away from materialism and consumerism, it seems. Then again, it
makes sense; you cant rush out to buy the latest stuff, just to own
stuff, if you have no money. And its hard to have any money when most have spent the better part of a decade un- or under-employed. Gardening, homesteading, and "artisan"
crafts (woodworking, metalwork, pottery, canning, etc) are on the
rise, as people decide to make what they cant afford to buy, and are
amazed at how over-priced (and unhealthy) so many things are. Recycling isnt
a fashion anymore, but an actual consideration in purchases, where
people judge if its worth the cost of repairing, recycling and/or reusing.
Plastic is slowly being replaced by metal, glass, and cardboard when
available, because they are safer in reuse and cheaper to recycle.
On
the one side, you could say the hippies won, as we're moving to the
drug-hazed dream of a "greener" lifestyle that they had. On the other, its clear they lost, as expenses, profits, practicality, and standard-of-life are the
major deciders of what goes green and what doesnt, rather than the
New Age stuff their delusional psyches hoped would rule. The
homesteader, prepper, and survivalist movements (really all variants
of the same critter, really) are growing because they have to. We have to
re-learn to live like grandma and grandpa, re-using everything we
can, because we sure as hell cant afford to live like mom and dad,
treating the entire world as disposable, and we probably never will
again. And thats not entirely a bad thing. Unless you're talking about
diapers. :D
Im also seeing these age groups voting
with their feet for churches. The giant mega churches of the prior
decades are suffering. Those that want to “new age” The Word and
try to be multi-media stage events seem to fail far more often that
the simple country churches, where its “God and Bible and you and
thats it”. The younger generation doesnt seem to want "Rock &
Roll Jesus" or "Buddy Christ", (and you win an internet cookie if you know that reference) but rather seeks a close personal
relationship. Its natural for man to turn to God when times get hard. Even the great atheist philosophers admitted that, though they saw it as reason to mourn for humanity.
But what gets me is that I see young men digging deep into the Bible,
or other holy books by choice, attacking it (them) with the same intellect and
questioning attitude applied to science, engineering, philosophy, and
everything else we study today, so that what truths they find, they know to
be truths. When they come to accept these truths, by their own
choice, instead of "because mom said so", or “my family
always has”, or “thats what the preacher-man said”, it
is with a deeper level of faith and commitment. They find their own
truth, and their own application, making it relevant by themselves,
and for themselves.
And the more I talk to other “arm-chair theologians”, friends more interested in understanding “God”, both mine and yours, and the drive of the human soul to fill this special void, and even the few atheists that are willing to acknowledge the philosophical need of most humans, rather than just mock; we see this in other religions as well. Islam is suffering a painful period of introspection; as extremist fundamentalists try to hold to the ancient bloody teachings of the First Millennium, willing to kill even their own who seek tolerance and moderation, the “average” Muslim simply tries to reconcile ancient teachings to modern life, much as modern Christians and Jews do. “Liberal” Muslims (perhaps too strong a term, but it will suffice for the moment) read deep into the Koran and its supporting holy books, studying to see if some of the teachings are “too out-dated”, much the same way modern Jews and Christians found some of the commandments of Leviticus to be …. unimportant if not impossible to follow in today's society. (like that whole “not wearing fabrics of mixed fibers”. Good luck finding something that isnt a mix of natural and man-made fabric today) My Sihk friend says he sees more youths getting involved at the temple; Buddhists I correspond with say there is not much increase in foot-traffic, (admittedly, their temple is off the beaten path) but interest and requests for knowledge and teaching has increased.
And the more I talk to other “arm-chair theologians”, friends more interested in understanding “God”, both mine and yours, and the drive of the human soul to fill this special void, and even the few atheists that are willing to acknowledge the philosophical need of most humans, rather than just mock; we see this in other religions as well. Islam is suffering a painful period of introspection; as extremist fundamentalists try to hold to the ancient bloody teachings of the First Millennium, willing to kill even their own who seek tolerance and moderation, the “average” Muslim simply tries to reconcile ancient teachings to modern life, much as modern Christians and Jews do. “Liberal” Muslims (perhaps too strong a term, but it will suffice for the moment) read deep into the Koran and its supporting holy books, studying to see if some of the teachings are “too out-dated”, much the same way modern Jews and Christians found some of the commandments of Leviticus to be …. unimportant if not impossible to follow in today's society. (like that whole “not wearing fabrics of mixed fibers”. Good luck finding something that isnt a mix of natural and man-made fabric today) My Sihk friend says he sees more youths getting involved at the temple; Buddhists I correspond with say there is not much increase in foot-traffic, (admittedly, their temple is off the beaten path) but interest and requests for knowledge and teaching has increased.
The polls show that conservatives are
“losing”, that people are more tolerant of social immorality and
the ideals of liberals. Instead, when we actually talk to these young
people, we find a deep appreciation for personal freedom. Its not
that these people accept and share these beliefs of liberals, the
idea that you can choose to be a man or woman, that abortion is
right, that gays should marry, that I should pay for all my neighbor's
wants, and so on; but rather that they believe each person is
accountable for his or her own life choices. They support the two
greatest freedoms of America: the right to be left alone, and the
right to be foolish without being punished for it.
That's not to say the whole nation is
going for this trend. Its getting to be a clear separation. And these younger generations seem more dedicated to
their convictions; no “lesser of two evils” anymore, but “right”
or “wrong”. It is an age bracket that is learning it can survive
far worse than anything our corrupt government, greedy unions, greedy
corporations, and dedicated agitators can throw at us. That all the
stories those who profit from discord use to accuse us of
“oppressing” them, and “enslaving” them, and “killing”
them, really arent bothering anyone, beyond noise and the chance for
a silly law-suit to make some lawyer rich. And two clicks of the
mouse takes us to world news, where we see people really being
oppressed, enslaved, and killed, just to further drive home the
ridiculousness of the rhetoric our media regularly uses.
I look at all this, and the compassion
that even those with very little are trying to offer out to anyone they
see with less, and I see a better America in spirit, even though it
has less toys. I may not approve of obama's style or philosophy; that
is my right as an American, and only the ignorant would assume that
philosophical differences are explained by “bigotry”. But this
has made America stronger in spirit, and many of her peoples are now more
self-reliant. The end result may just have been worth the means to get
here, and as Grandpa used to say, “your not supposed to enjoy the
medicine. Just as long as it cures ya.”
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
So, I decided to start a new blog for fun. I want to give ideas, viewpoints and thought.
I have education in psychology, sociology, political science, and criminal justice, as well as both civil and electrical engineering, and 20 years service as an enlisted combat soldier in the Army.
I feel that this gives me special insights to many of today's issues, looking from a holistic approach, with an understanding of both how policy is formed and then how it is implemented. My focus has always been on finding practical approaches to solve problems, with the understanding that compromise is a necessity in politics and diplomacy, but that certain ideals and beliefs must be maintained regardless.
I shall endeavor to use actual facts; they will be real and inarguable, however much one side or another wishes to deny the truth of those facts. I will also try to remember to provide links to the proof. If I forget, feel free to ask, as I admit to a poor memory.
When I say "Tactical", I dont mean that I will be encouraging violence or advising how to fight. While not a pacifist, I do not encourage civil disobedience or rebellion. I will instead provide information that seems to be lacking from discussions on current topics to aid those who wish to be able to discuss from a more informed position, and suggest possible additions to solutions for these issues. Some will be rather simple and straight-forward, as several of these supposed issues are making "mountains of mole-hills", or trying to complicate non-issues with opinions instead of facts.
I will be covering everything from medical issues of veterans (like myself), to political issues, and adding hobbies of mine for those that enjoy the pleasure of self-sufficiency and self-created goods. I hope that some will find this blog useful and entertaining.
I have education in psychology, sociology, political science, and criminal justice, as well as both civil and electrical engineering, and 20 years service as an enlisted combat soldier in the Army.
I feel that this gives me special insights to many of today's issues, looking from a holistic approach, with an understanding of both how policy is formed and then how it is implemented. My focus has always been on finding practical approaches to solve problems, with the understanding that compromise is a necessity in politics and diplomacy, but that certain ideals and beliefs must be maintained regardless.
I shall endeavor to use actual facts; they will be real and inarguable, however much one side or another wishes to deny the truth of those facts. I will also try to remember to provide links to the proof. If I forget, feel free to ask, as I admit to a poor memory.
When I say "Tactical", I dont mean that I will be encouraging violence or advising how to fight. While not a pacifist, I do not encourage civil disobedience or rebellion. I will instead provide information that seems to be lacking from discussions on current topics to aid those who wish to be able to discuss from a more informed position, and suggest possible additions to solutions for these issues. Some will be rather simple and straight-forward, as several of these supposed issues are making "mountains of mole-hills", or trying to complicate non-issues with opinions instead of facts.
I will be covering everything from medical issues of veterans (like myself), to political issues, and adding hobbies of mine for those that enjoy the pleasure of self-sufficiency and self-created goods. I hope that some will find this blog useful and entertaining.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)