Billosophy

TV today has become the new Circus.  I remember when The Learning Channel had informative and interesting shows (maybe) … now it seems like the tabloids have taken over our airwaves and the general public is eating it up like fat kids at an ice cream buffet.  The show that pushed me over the edge to write this post is “Toddlers and Tiaras” … have you seen this gem?  Quick rundown for ya … 3 year old girls are dolled up like prostitutes and their moms make them walk around on a run way trying to win beauty contests.  To me that is borderline child abuse.  For one … are the people coming to these freak shows researched?  How many child molesters show up to shows like this … its sick and their adult handlers (’cause they aint parents) should be hung upside down and beaten.

Next on the list … Kate plus 8.  No more Jon?  Well, since the divorce I am sure Kate was worried about the kids well being, mental stability and providing them a safe place to grow up, of course after she tromped around Dancing with the Stars looking like a Clydesdale Horse on Valium she focused on creating that safe environment for those kids.  After all,  I am sure she regrets those early years of using film crews and nanny cams to raise her kids while she went to the spa and got new boobs … her and John end their marriage and she is back on TLC’s payroll.  Sad to see Kate exploit her kids yet again so she can remain in the spotlight … just one more season!  I am betting she is looking at her nose and thinking she could make it cuter!

19 Kids and counting … have you seen the Duggar family?  Not much to say here … other than 19 KIDS AND COUNTING – STOP!

Now – do you remember watching the old 1950′s style documentaries where the traveling circus will have the “Freak Show” out back … and for $1 you can go into a tent to see the hairy lady, the lobster boy, the small midgets juggle?  Didn’t we as a society deem that cruel and mean?  When you see those old posters about the “freak show” what thoughts does that bring up inside?  TLC has brought the Freak Show to the smaller screen (TV) – The Little Chocolatiers, The Little Couple, Little People – Big World … there are others, but wouldn’t these shows be the equivalent of the “HEY – Look at the Midget Person!!!”  Same concept if you break it down – spotlight the Midgets … sell advertising to big companies … track the number of people who watch your show … justify to executives why you need MORE MIDGETS!!!  What about the hairy ladies you ask … have you seen the other amazing programming choices on TLC?  Intervention … Hoarders … Hoarders: Buried Alive (since the first Hoarders did so well) … Police Women of {Insert Redneck / White Trash City Here}

So let me ask those who stand up and scream “Objectification” when the topic of strip clubs and Hooters is discussed at parties … Where are you NOW???

Have you heard about “Spread the word, to end the word” campaign? You might have if you were reading headlines a couple weeks ago. If you don’t know, the short version is – the White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, used “The Word” in a meeting …what word – “RETARDED!”  I have had this discussion with other friends of mine also regarding this word.  I could understand if Mr Emanuel was pointing at a mentally challenged person while saying the word “Retarded” … and how that might be construed as “insensitive” but when using the word to describe a situation or action … aren’t we just taking it a bit to far?

The definition of Retard is “to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.); hinder or impede.”  Is the statement “Refrigeration can be used to retard the growth of the bacterial culture” defensive … or discriminatory?  Why then, if someone says “That is Retarded,” am I suppose to instantly think about special needs kids?  I don’t get it … and what kills me is the people who are coming under attack for using this word, are using it in a manner that does not point towards mentally disabled people … however, you show me a human that would use the word Retarded as a derogatory statement towards a group of other humans … and I will show you someone who really does NOT care what you or the rest of society thinks about the language they chose to use.  The only thing we are doing as a society is putting the “sensitive” and respectable people on edge and getting them to self censor themselves when they speak – and most of the time the underlying message gets lost in the “Political Correctness.”

Where does it end?  What is acceptable now?  What words do we use today in every day conversation that will be derogatory in 5, 10, 15 years … Fat?  Skinny?  Blonde?  Lazy?

When we stop trying to manage others actions, we free up a lot of time to invest into our own life … we can then become the example for people to follow.  Be the change in society … do not armchair quarterback what is happening around you.

According to Pat Robertson, the reason Haiti was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake is because a long time ago they made a “deal with the devil” … WHAT????  I read this article and almost fell out of my chair.  How does this guy’s brain work?  How can he be so stupid, yet still have the mental capacity to remember to breath in and breath out to stay alive?  I think I’ll pay the royalty fees to my buddy Mike and use his word “IGNORANT” for Pat Roberson!  I read the quotes below in a Huffington Post article from Wednesday!  What is even better is they included a video to watch his say this on TV.  Robertson says:

“They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III, or whatever.  And they got together and swore a pact to the devil.  They said, we will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French.  True story.  And so, the devil said, okay it’s a deal.”

“That island of Hispaniola is one island.  It is cut down the middle; on the one side is Haiti on the other is the Dominican Republic,” he said.  “Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etc.  Haiti is in desperate poverty.  Same island.  They need to have and we need to pray for them a great turning to god and out of this tragedy I’m optimistic something good may come.  But right now we are helping the suffering people and the suffering is unimaginable.”

“TRUE STORY???” – Color me confused – but how in the world can this ignorant ass sit there and say this without being challenged?  Really Pat – and when was this “meeting with the devil” … and how did you come into this knowledge?  Did “God” tell you this?  Where are your facts … Why is this now coming out … Why haven’t you talked about Haiti’s deal with the devil before today … or is this another attempt at getting your face back into the media again?  Isnt this the same guy who “predicted” the END OF THE WORLD in “November or October 1982?” … FAIL! How about the Tsunami that would hit the American coastline sometime in 2006 … FAIL! Then we have the “mass killings” to come during 2007, due to a terrorist attack on the United States … FAIL! What made the whole “Terrorist Attack on the United States” a fan favorite of mine was in January 2008 Robertson said “All I can think is that somehow the people of God prayed and God in his mercy spared us.”  HA HA HA … EPIC FAIL!!! Your ever seeing … all knowing God told you what he would do … and after “changed his mind” ’cause his people prayed???  No Pat … you are WRONG!

I guess after his numerous failed attempts at delivering Gods word to the world … he has now changed his tactic and is God’s Color Commentator … now its only After The Fact!!! It saddens me to know there are many many people who hear Pat’s comments and say “You know – he is right!”  In my eyes – Pat Robertson is just another blow hard looking for his own personal gain … ’cause when we boil it all down to basics … he is just like me … someone on a podium preaching his interpretation of what is right in his eyes!  Only difference between he and I … is the amount of HATE in his heart.

I ran across this blog post regarding the Devil’s response to Pat Robertson’s unfounded accusation!  WIN!

Muhammad Abu Tahir to the stand!  If you have not heard this name – it is probably because he is as stupid as they come these days.  Mr Tahir decided to get “unruly” on an Air-Tran flight from Atlanta to San Francisco.  Why – you may ask?  He was REFUSED Alcohol … Cut Off … 86′d (well not from the flight – but from the bar cart!)

A little over 1/2 way to San Francisco – this guy could not wait for another drink.  To the point he had to “interfere with a flight crew.”  Are you serious … 14 days after a Nigerian schmuck tries to blow up a plane over Detroit this guy wants to get his panties in bunch ’cause he cant have another Vodka/Cran?  Just to put it into perspective … it’s a 5 hour 30 min flight from Atlanta to San Francisco, Air Tran has (according to their website) ONE flight from Atlanta to San Francisco!  It leaves at 8:40pm local time.  In less than 3 hours on a flight this guy has to have another drink so bad his actions call for 2 military fighter jets to scramble, they then escort the plane for an undisclosed amount of time until the pilot of the Air-Tran flight has to divert to Colorado Springs.

I am not sure what Muhammad Abu Tahir does for a living, but I think this tool needs to reimburse anyone who missed a connecting flight, the overtime pay the airline had to pay the flight crew and flight attendants, the salary of the two fighter jet pilots along with the fuel consumed by the jets (including the Air Tran jet) … As well as the “rental” fee for having two of OUR military jets escorting the plane.  AFTER that cost has been figured out (oh yea, we’ll charge him for the accountants needed to figure out how much all this actually costs too) we’ll slap this ass with an “acting like a terrorist” charge … Crazy!!!  For good measure – I’ll charge him for the time it took me to write this post too!  Anyone else want in on this?

Tip if you are going to fly … Don’t Be An Ass!!!  If you are going to drink – save the bender for ground level … and if, for any reason the flight attendants tell you something … OBEY THEM!  People are already jumpy when it comes to flying … if anything, take a sleeping pill.

Since there are some people believe words can be owned … I am going to claim ownership of the word “Parent” and all iterations of the word (Parents, Parental, Parenting, etc).

Why am I claiming ownership of a word?  Because I’m seeing groups claim they own the word “Marriage” and it’s definition.  Their public statements baffle my mind.

According to these people, Marriage is strictly defined by the Bible as a union of man and woman.  We are living in a world where if a gay or lesbian couple try to get married – someone in an office gets an email alert and they run out to squash any and all usage of the word “marriage” and all iterations of it (married, marry, etc) pertaining to the relationship!  It is just ignorant.  In our country the right to freedom of speech is held dear and this behavior is a slap in the face to free speech.

Now that the religious nut nuts own the word “Marriage” do we need to pay royalty fees?  Do writers need to submit their compositions to the Marriage police to ensure they’ve used the word correctly?

According to Dictionary.com – “Marry” (aside from the Man/Woman definition) is also defined as:

to unite intimately … to combine, connect, or join so as to make more efficient, attractive, or profitable … to cause (food, liquor, etc.) to blend with other ingredients

Also the word “Marriage” (aside from the Man/Woman definition) includes definitions like:

any close or intimate association or union … a formal agreement between two companies or enterprises to combine operations, resources, etc., for mutual benefit; merger … a blending or matching of different elements or components

You may be wondering why I’m going on this little tirade.

I ran across a quote from Jenny Tyree (Marriage Analyst for Focus on the Family in Colorado), the quote was in an article about the health care bill and its effect on married couples – but her quote gave me enough motivation to look her up and read other articles she chimed in on.  My hunch was correct – she is ignorant across the board, not just on the government health care issue (I’ll be posting on that next!).

Regarding marriage, Jenny has been quoted saying:

“Maryland’s homosexual ‘marriage’ proponents betray their short-sighted view of marriage with their constant talk of it simply to obtain benefits and recognition,” she said. “They ignore the fact that the heart of marriage — our most pro-child institution — is to help ensure every child has a mom and a dad.”

Excuse me … but doesn’t biology ensure every child has a “Mom and Dad?”  Isn’t marriage about ensuring the children have a stable family and good parents?

I’m also confused about her statement saying homosexual proponents “betray their short-sighted view of marriage … ” Are you KIDDING me Jenny?  So let me get this straight … you and Focus on the Family would rather have a child raised by a Man/Woman combo no matter what?  Please tell me you and Focus on the Family are not THAT “short-sighted.”  Just because a man knocks up a woman and they have a baby does not make them “parents”  If it were up to me … I would put a child with a loving and caring couple – a couple who understands respect, love, compassion, empathy … a couple that will raise the kid to be a benefit to society!  According to your dogma, this is impossible if this is a gay or lesbian couple.  I do not need to go into all the “what if’s” … I know how you skirt those questions.

So – I now own Parent.  The word parent is defined without regard to biology.  Here are my rules for using the word Parent:

1. Parent is important, therefore it’s always capitalized.  Parents are deciding what our world will be like in 30 years — they deserve a capitalization.
2. The word Parent has no ties to biology.  Certainly the biological baby mama and baby daddy can be parents, they can also be losers.  Birthing a child and raising a child are totally different.  Men leave women to be single moms, spouses separate and share the parenting duties in individual households, people live as a family and treat each other horribly every day.  Biology does not make a Parent.
3. Parents are not focused on being their children’s best friend, they are focused on teaching them the foundation they need to be adults such as; boundaries, responsibilities, societal rules, work ethic, love and support

If marriage is about the family and raising children, then you need Parents to make it work.  I’m on a rampage to take back the word marriage, my first step is to claim Parent so they can’t use it in their narrow hate filled ignorant definition.  Using the Bible to preach hate …. somebody ought to be ashamed of themselves.  But that’s another topic for another day.

With that said … I hereby declare I own the word Parent!!!

Dawn and I watched the movie Idiocracy on accident.  I saw the tagline “The Future Is A No Brainer” and I just had to give it a shot (plus it starred Luke Wilson).  Dawn and I watched this movie in horror and humor.  The title of this post was the working title of the script … the quick run down of the movie is Joe (Luke Wilson) is in the Army and is just the average soldier.  He is used in a “Hibernation” project that was suppose to last only a year, however, Joe wakes up 500 years later to find out he is the smartest person in America.

The movie is an over the top “What If” … but I believe it is closer to a “What Is.”  The movie makes fun of everything from Costco having shuttles to take people around the store, to the TV shows that only show men getting hit in the “soft spot.”  The President of the United states is a wrestler only because he is strong.  If you have not seen this movie – its a must see … funny and horrific at the same time.  Which is why I am writing about it today.

When did we become so scared as a country?  Why are we so reactionary as a country when our enemy (for lack of a better word) is standing right in front of us laughing?  I read a post by Ann Coutler where she states something of interest:

Since Muslims took down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, every attack on a commercial airliner has been committed by foreign-born Muslim men with the same hair color, eye color and skin color. Half of them have been named Mohammed.

Since the year I graduated High School and joined the Navy – 22 years for those playing the home game … our enemy has been the same.  We know who he is … we know many facts about this person.  Why are we not addressing the white elephant in the room (or in this case – the foreign-born Muslim man).  I believe airports should have 2 separate security lines … Muslims in one line, everyone else in another.  Why – because until we as a country show the world we will not stand for intimidation no matter what … we will continue to lose this fight against evil.

I have heard more than once that profiling is not right … however, the FBI profiles criminals, and they do it well.  Why not profile terrorists?  Why not single out those suspicious in airport security, isnt that their job?  The way I see it – as long as we continue creating rules to stop terrorists after they do something … they will always remain one step ahead.

Correct me if I am wrong … they (the terrorists) can blow up planes, churches, markets, or really anything they want, but when one guy draws a comic of Mohammed wearing a bomb as a hat they get offended?  Now, color me confused, but since we now know what pisses them off … why are we NOT using that to our advantage?  Kurt Westergaard – the Danish cartoonist who drew the picture has had his life threatened over that silly picture … he is under police protection because of a cartoon!

We as a country must reinvent who we are – we are ignoring the change going on around us, and that never ends well.  We all know the quote “Never bring a knife to a gun fight” … I think its time for us to change our line of thinking.  It was not that long ago when the early Americans were fighting against the British to protect this new free country.  How did we win, we did not follow the Rules Of War … we did not march shoulder to shoulder into battle … we hid in trees, we ambushed, we divided and conquered.  And We Won!!!

Why are we not doing that now?