Look! Far to the Right! It's Fake Outrage!!!!!

Ever since the November 2008 elections, the extreme Right Wing Republican machine has been fast in motion cranking out that most bitter of elixirs; sour grapes. Oh how we've been privy to many a scene of fake outrage and the "Socialist" President at the "Not a citizen because he won't show us his birth certificate" President. The so-called Liberal media is his buddy they say. (Really? Because last time I looked it seemed like the media has been ripping the Pres to shreds....but I digress). Recently Caribou Barbie (you know who she is....I won't even give her any attention by saying her name) and one of her hillbilly spawn went to a Yankees game. David Letterman told a joke in his monologue about how Jeter had slept with the oldest of the hillbilly spawn...you know the one that the abistence only speech really worked on. Yeah it was in bad taste, and yeah it really wasn't all that funny, but give me a break. It's a joke. But I forget that White Folk on the extreme right have no sense of humor. Oh wait, yes they do. Racists jokes about the President and watermelons......that's what passes for humor amongst the Redneck Elite. Caribou Barbie got all outraged at Letterman because the daughter he joked about wasn't the one that was at the game. So all of a sudden David Letterman became a "dirty old man who thinks that child rape is funny." WTF bitch???? A. Letterman doesn't write his own jokes anymore. He has writers for that. They got the wrong hillbilly crotchfruit and so the joke didn't work. Don't like those kinds of jokes biatch? Then you shouldn't have paraded your hillbilly clan in front of the country for everyone to see. Hannity and the rest of the mouth breathing dumbasses that speak for the Right all wanted Letterman's head. Hell the man apologized (something I'm pissed off at him for. Dave, you didn't need to apologize for shit. Screw her.) and even Bill O'Really gave him a pass for it. Wow...that's a first. Yet when we have a Repulican Governor from South Carolina jet off to Argentina to bang his little ho down there and tells no one where he's going, do the mouth breathing assholes give him shit? Oh Hell no!!! Not a freaking word. Maybe they mentioned it once, but you don't see any week long specials dedicated to it. Ah the fake outrage. Too afraid to turn it towards their own because they know they are the party of irrelevance right now. Or when a Republican Senator blantantly says that he and others are actively causing hold ups on passing Health Care Reform for the express purpose of "breaking" the President not a single one of the Right wing pundits says shit about that. Hannity isn't outraged at that. Here's a Senator admitting to what I consider a breach of duty at the least and treason at the most but no one says shit. Nice. Liberal media my ass. Now mind you, the other night on TV our President, whom I support, answered a question he should have just taken the fifth on and showed some racial bias. It wasn't his best moment; he was right in his opinion, but he shouldn't have given it. It made him look biased and stirred the mouth breathers and hillbillys and fundies into panty twisting mode. Oh how the Sour Grape Juice has been flowing. All I have to say is keep it up you dumbasses. You are making this middle of the roader lean farther left every day. I feel sorry for the Right...I actually do. They just can't see that they are only hastening their slide into oblivion.

Is it Just me? Part 3

Those that know me and those that read this blog know I have issues with organized religion.  Part of that stems from the fact that I was raised Catholic.  And before you pervs think it was because I was molested by Priests...think again.  The Priests at our Parish were very nice people.  No, my problem with that particular church started when I turned 18 and was told by my Mother that I could make my own decision on whether or not to keep going to church.   I found mass boring, uninspiring and frankly a waste of my time.  I didn't feel any different after communion, nor did I feel any different after going to mass.  It all felt hypocritical to me.   Why should I give crap up for Lent?  Just because Jesus went into the desert for a month so the Devil could tempt him?  That's what he was supposed to do.  Endure crap like that so he could get in touch with Mankind.  Sex only when you're married?  Oh please.  Or the caveat, but if you do have sex even when you are married, you can't use birth control because that's a sin.  I see.  So the church has decided that Humans are like all the other animals in the world and we are only supposed to have sex to make babies.  Got news for you; we enjoy it as well as use it for procreation.  My biggest issue was when I was going through my divorce.  Here was a man who had never been married, who couldn't get married and yet he was supposed to counsel me on the troubles I was having.   The thing they always tell you is "no matter what, Divorce is a sin.."  Whatever.  When your wife is cheating on you, you know it.   So according to the church I'm still married to my ex because I didn't go through their official channels, pay 800 bucks, and sit through a bunch of BS classes all so the church could annul my marriage.  Yeah right.  Look I paid a lawyer 500 bucks and the State of California says I'm no longer married to my ex.  That's good enough for me.  But let's forget all that for now and get to the heart of this installment of "Is it just me?".   This installment is about Christians.  Now let me start by saying that I'm not going to be generalizing here.  Living in one of the Bible Belt States I have friends who are Christians and they do not fall into the category I'm about to speak of.  Those Christians are the overly fanatical ones.  The ones that it seems to me like they have something to prove to someone.   Let's take local businesses for instance.   There's a pool and hot tub place in town who has Scripture on their sign board outside of their business all the time.  I won't shop there, like I won't shop at the nursery that flies the Confederate flag in town.  Why you ask?  Because I don't like when people push their faith on me.   You are in the business of selling pools and spas, not saving my soul.   The only "business" that should have Scripture on their sign is a Church!  That's their business; saving Souls, preaching the Word.   There's also an Auto Mechanic who advertises on TV.  It's he and his Wife and dog and they give their spiel about their business.  When the commercial is almost through the Wife says, "and not only are we here to fix your car, but we are available for Prayer Requests and Fellowship."  WTF???  Who gives a crap.  If I take my car to you to be fixed, I want it fixed.  I don't want you stopping in the middle to go do a "prayer request" or to comfort some fellow soul in need.  No, do your job.   These people just go a bit too far.   It's like they are trying to prove how saved they are or something.  My group of friends out here all go to the same church.  Not once have they tried to preach to me, convert me or even discuss their church in my presence.  Not once.  I'm grateful for this.   Their faith is personal, like it should be.   I also am annoyed by people that say "Have a blessed day!".  I don't want to have a blessed day, Hell sometimes I don't want to have a "Nice" day.   Then there's the folks that have to put the symbols of their faith on everything.  The Jesus Fish on the car, or the Jesus Fish and 3 crosses in the signature line of their Professional Emails.   If I was to put an Oakland Raiders logo in the signature of my professional emails, I'd get fired.  To me the Jesus Fish is the same thing.  It also seems like certain Christians engage in what I consider sacrilegious behavior.   They desperately try and sell their religion.  Market it to the masses.  Stupid T-shirts that parody current trendy things.  An example:  "Got Jesus?" on a T-shirt.  C'mon......Or the ever popular, "WWJD"....which stands for "What Would Jesus Do?".  I'll tell you what he would do, smack the crap out of you for using him as a marketing tool.   There's even Christian Music....Modernized Gospel music basically.  Heck, Christian kids can't even play Guitar Hero without there being a cheap Christian Knockoff.    During Halloween, a holiday the Christians are trying to make go away, they start putting out Biblical Figures costumes.  The "Real Super Heroes" they call them.   What, Christian kids can't read comics now???  Oh no Jr., sorry you can't be SpiderMan for "Fall Fest" you have to be Moses.   It's just a bit much.   Then the wonder why Teens and young adults flee the Church.   It gets to be too much.  Not sure why they feel the need to try and shove the fact they are Christians down everyone's throat?  Why is there this section of Christians that feels the need to constantly prove to the world they are Saved?   They will call it preaching the word.  I call it being an annoying pain in the ass.  I ignore them for the most part, but sometimes I just want to say "I don't want to have a blessed day.  I don't care that you found Jesus, nor do I care that you're saved.  Only God cares about that so go tell it to him."

 

 

Is it just me? Part 2

I think I will make these segments a recurring thing on my blog, kind of like my version of Andy Rooney's bit at the end of every broadcast of 60 Minutes.

Why an ipod? Seriously why? Are they really that superior of a machine? Knowing Apple's track record, probably not. I researched MP3 players once (my StepDaughter was wanting one for Christmas) and I discovered a bazillion of them that were a hell of a lot cheaper than the iPod. They also didn't require you to suck off the teat that is iTunes to download music. No, you could go to any number of reputable, and maybe not so reputable, sites and download music and get it cheaper than at iTunes sometimes. Why this one product? Does it make you cooler? Hipper? More desirable to the opposite sex? I don't get it. Why fork out a huge bundle of cash for something you can get for half the cost that does the same thing.

Game consoles. Why would anyone get an XBox 360 now when you know the history of issues with them. The "Red Ring of Death" comes to mind. Apparently there's a design flaw with the case. The power supply sits too close to the case in some models and it heats up causing the unit to save itself by going into emergency lock mode. ie "The Red Ring of Death". There appears to be no way out of said condition other than to send the unit back to Microsoft for repair or replacement. Honestly, save your cash and get the PS3. But, you're better off getting an HD TV first. Seriously, playing a PS3 (which is a BluRay DVD player as well as a gaming console) on a non-HD TV is like kissing your sister. In my honest and humble opinion (you Mr. Ranter?? Humble????) I'd get a Wii. Yeah I know, "it's a kids game...". Not necessarily. They're alot of fun too. Graphics might not be great but Nintendo wasn't going for graphics. They were going for a new kind of interface which they nailed.

I think that's enough for now. More to come at a later date.

Is it just me?

I guess somewhere along the line I became too practical for my own good.  I guess you can say I'm a cheapskate, or maybe frugal, depending on your point of view.   Is it just me, or does anyone else not really give a shit if your cell phone has a full keyboard and you can run shitloads of apps on it?  The device to me is a phone.  I like the camera on it, and I use mine alot.  The DC vacation pictures I posted here were taken by my cell camera.  I use it to take a picture of the row number where we park when we go out...that way you can always find your car.  If I see something in the store, a book, etc that I like but don't have the cash to buy it right then and there, I take a picture so I remember what it is when I can go buy it.  So that feature is fine by me.  It comes with most phones now and doesn't cost extra.  I like that.  If it did cost extra, then I'd get along without it.  I don't need a calendar function to set up appointments or to surf the net, etc so why do I need a full keyboard on my phone?  I don't have that urgent of a need to get online that I can't wait until I get to work or home or the public library to use a computer.  Besides, who wants to read crap on a 4-6 inch screen anyway?  I know some folks love their blackberry's, iphone's etc because they are busy folks who need access to crap now and want a small portable device.  Great for them, but not for me.  I've noticed that most of the phones coming out now have flip up panels to access the full keyboard.  Sorry, I don't text, and I don't care to text.  Especially because it costs extra.  In the immortal words of Gin Rummy on the "Boondocks" "I could have dialed the number, said what I needed to say and hung up again in the time it took you to type one line with your thumbs."   Have we become a society of non-human interaction?  Do we not want to talk to each other anymore.  You know TALK as in use your vocal chords, tongue, palate, etc to form words so you can get a message across or pass on information to another human being?  Would I text more if it was free?  Probably not.  The damn thing is a phone...it's used for communicating with someone.  The function I would love to have is the walkie talkie function.   I'd be able to push one button and connect to my Wife's phone instantly so I can say hey or give her info or whatever.  That would be handy....but I'm not willing to pay extra for it.  I just don't see unlimited internet, unlimited texting, unlimited downloading of songs, etc on a phone to be worth the money you pay for it.   The only phone on my account that has unlimited texting is my Daughter's.   She's 14 and apparently that's how all 14-17 year olds interact with each other...via words typed with your thumbs.   Yeah I know, I sound like that old guy, but seriously........I love the advances in technology, but I just don't see paying extra to use it.   Take cable for instance.   My old roommate and I used to have Digital Cable.  You had the box with it's own remote, but you couldn't tape one show while watching another unless you were willing to get a switch box.  Now they have DVR's that come with the digital cable boxes that have solved this problem, but back then they didn't have them.   We had a billion channels of crap....literal crap and maybe watched 15 of them...maybe.... One day we were talking and I asked "Do we really need this Digital Cable?  Do we watch any of this crap at all?"  We both agreed that the channels we watched the most you could get by just having extended basic cable.  We ended up getting that and cut our costs in half.  Honestly, why is HBO and Showtime a separate subscription anymore?  Starz, Cinemax as well? (Do those channels even exist anymore?)  HBO and Showtime are now irrelevant when it comes to being "movie channels".   The movie "The Dark Knight" has been out on DVD for rental and sale for a long time now.   HBO is just now showing it.   Wow...ooooo.....if you haven't rented it or bought it by now, then you are just not interested in that kind of movie so why pay a subscription to see it.  HBO and Showtime should just become commercial cable channels like FX, etc.  Sure they have some great series, but there is a time of night where you can show adult content type shows...simulated sex, language, extreme violence....and not have to worry about the censors.  Who watches shows when they air anyway?  Most shows are DVRed or taped (yes I still tape shows.......DVR's aren't something you can just buy in the store, and you have to have a subscription to them monthly....).  On that subject, why don't they just sell DVR's that you can use to just record shows on?  I don't care about pausing live TV or having it suggest shit for me to watch based on my viewing habits, etc.  I just want to cue it up to tape a particular show(s) on particular evenings so I can do other crap with my life but still watch some TV.  Hell I'd buy one of those DVR's.   As it is, I have a VCR that I still use to do one thing: Tape shows so that I can watch them later.    DVR's do that, but they do all kinds of other shit too and because they do you need to not only pay for the DVR, but a monthly subscription to whomever the company is that provides you with the ability to pause live TV, etc.  I just want to tape a damn show......why should I pay a freaking subscription fee to do that?  I may need to go to Target and stock up on blank video tape......it may not be around much longer.   The tech I'd like to have in my house, and when we get our laptop back from being fixed we will probably get it, is a wireless network.  That's actually handy. 

Enough already!!!!

Some may take offense to what I'm about to say, but I honestly don't give a shit at this juncture. People die all the time. It is a sad and tragic thing, but it happens. Those that were close to the person or were close to that person's family are usually the one's to grieve. Other folks may nod and say sorry for your loss, but it's usually out of polite consideration for that person's sadness at their loss. The point of all this you may ask? The point is this; I am so sick of the constant reporting about Michael Jackson and Steve McNair that I'm getting to the point where I can say, I don't give a shit. Michael Jackson went form a talented, young black man to a freaky, white woman. Somewhere along his journey something snapped in his head and he became a freak. When the man died, his Family came out of the woodwork all sad and upset. Yeah right. The only one's that stuck up for him at anytime I can remember were Janet, Jermaine and Tito. The rest of them could give two shits. Yes, like I've mentioned before, someone dying is a tragedy. But constantly reporting about it, over and over again in the news is too much. Joe Jackson decided that he hadn't been making enough money off of his children that he used to abuse, so he rented out the Staples Center in LA and had a Memorial Service for his son that he "misses so much". Sure you do Joe. Sure you do. Apparently all of these music types showed up to perform. They all claimed they were going to do a duet with him on his tour, etc etc. Hell Mirah Carey is apologizing because her performance wasn't up to snuff. Ummm hello Attention Whore, who gives a shit. It wasn't about you dumbass. Madonna was there plus a whole shitload of folks who probably met the man once or twice in passing and who could honestly not give two shits about this guy. Oh yeah, you dear reader could have also gone down there to see the Memorial. For the price of plane fare and whatever Joe Jackson was going to charge you to get in, you could have gone too. A shit load of people apparently went. Why???? Seriously, why? So you bought his records and listened to his music. You didn't know the man and you probably hadn't even thought of the guy in the past decade yet all of a sudden "you miss him sooooo much". Give me a break please. Where's all the hoopla for Farrah Fawcett? Billy Mays? David Carradine? Ed McMahon? Karl Malden? Where are their "Memorials"? They contributed just as much to the entertainment world as Michael Jackson did, yet their passing was a mere footnote. We should be ashamed of ourselves. What about the 4,000 plus soldiers that have died since the "war on terror" has begun? Where is their Memorial? Where is their news story? We Humans are a disgusting lot sometimes.

Another person who's death has caused such hype, at least around here, is Steve McNair. Again, this will offend some but I don't give a shit. I am not moved or saddened by Steve McNair's death. Not in the slightest. Want to know why? His was the most avoidable death ever. That's right, if good old Steve-O....the great humanitarian who loved kids and paid for football camps for underprivileged youth out of his own pocket....would have kept little Steve-O in his pants and brought it home to where it belonged; his Wife, then Steve would be alive today and we wouldn't have a Memorial service for him. Steve McNair, for those that don't know, was found dead on the 4th of July in an apartment he and a roommate rented next to the dead body of a woman who was not his wife. Yep, the Man that was so great with kids the apparent good guy who has 4 sons of his own and a loving wife was killed by his 20 year old mistress who then proceeded to shoot herself in such a manner that when she died her body would be lying on his. Any respect I ever had for the man and his accomplishments has become disgust at this situation. Seriously guys, take this as a lesson. Cheating never pays off in the end. Word for the ladies, because this is something that is portrayed on television and in the news, do you ladies honestly think that taking a man from his Wife and Family is going to make for a stable relationship? Seriously, do you honestly think that when he says "I'm going to divorce my wife for you" that he is actually going to do it? 9 times out of 10 he doesn't. Even if he does, what makes you honestly think he's not going to dump you for someone younger? I mean after all he dumped his Wife for you....what makes you any better than any other woman out there? Ladies, have more respect for yourselves than that. Stay away from married guys. No one will think you are great because you helped wreck a marriage. No, folks will think you are a manipulative whore. The people I feel sorry for in this situation are his Widow and Kids. These boys, who from all reports thought Dad was a hero, now have to hear and see evidence of Dad's infidelities with a Dave and Buster's waitress. The same place that Steve would take his Family on occasion. Wonder if bimbo was working there during those times? That disgusts me even more right there. So hate on me all you want my fellow Nashvillians, but know that the man you "honor" doesn't deserve that honor. Know that the man you "miss" so much you didn't have to miss because he shouldn't have been where he ended up with whom he ended up with.

Now let's put these deceased folks in the ground and move on. Enough already!!!!