Bleh.

UPDATE:

I’m currently working on redesigning and reorganizing the site.  I’m still figuring out the template system, but it shouldn’t be long before I have something concrete.  Also, the site will be divided into different sections, but pages will be re-directed appropriately.  Hopefully I’ll be done soon!

Ingredient: A Dash of Relief

The primary season is finally over! Thanks Hillary for saying you’ll support Barack Obama. You’ve run an incredibly bitter and negative campaign, and liberals everywhere thank you for aiming your cannons across the aisle for a change. Please, don’t play the veepstakes. That small percentage of extremely vocal and stunningly obnoxious supporters who say they’ll vote for McCain are now saying they wouldn’t vote for Obama even if you were on the ticket. They’re the weak-minded morons I have repeatedly described, and the Republicans are playing them like a fiddle. So please, let it go.

Yeah, yeah, party unity. I’m not interested in prolonging the division, but after running the kind of ruthless, cutthroat operation we’ve suffered over the last 4 months (let’s face it, February was when things turned ugly), she’s the one who need to make amends and redeem herself. To be honest, I hope she does. She could be a great asset to the Party and the country, but first she needs to lick her wounds and swallow her pride. Additionally, any Obama supporters who start pouring salt on said wounds by gloating should throw themselves off a bridge, right now.

Ingredient: A Healthy Smattering of Sleaze

I’ve got to hand it to the Republicans, who are proving to be every bit as stubborn and tenacious as the Clinton campaign was. I mean, seriously: internet trolls? That’s their strategy? It makes sense that the only thing they have to rely on are smear tactics, spreading rumors and subterfuge (let’s not be coy, they’re frauds). What else can they use? They set the standard for epic failure on issues like policy and record, and they know it.

For all you Vonsters and Dittoheads out there who believe Limbaugh’s crap that “the Democrats gave us McCain,” as justification for your fraudulent little campaign, read the “frauds” link. It wasn’t us who gave you John McCain. Sans Michigan and Florida, we were too busy making sure our favorite got the Democratic nomination to bother with foiling your plans. Maybe what Limbaugh and his followers have failed to realize is that they’ve become irrelevant. They failed to realize that they, not the “liberals,” are the problem and people are sick of their shit. They might have a few reasons to be bitter.

In short, the Republicans are going to lose because they deserve to lose. Cry about it somewhere else.

Ingredient - Road Rage.

I’m expanding my targets of gas price-related anger. Instead of focusing on a few, I’m going to spread my anger evenly on all those responsible, including the oil companies, the speculators, the GOP and the ones I get to deal with most, BFV drivers.

Big. Fuckin’. Vehicle.

Nothing bothers me more than seeing a BFV capable of hauling steel beams to a construction site in the bed of the truck, yet not have a single scratch on it. Why does this bother me? They don’t fucking need it! Get a car. Get a smaller truck, hell, get a Chevy Blazer. They drive well, they’re spacious, the gas mileage is better, and you don’t look cartoonish getting in or out of one. The bottom line: if you don’t use a truck for work, don’t buy a goddamn work truck, dumbass.

Then there are the BFV drivers who have no courtesy or regard for others on the road. As I sit here trying to imagine the elitist attitude and sense of entitlement of those who would purchase one of these things, I can’t what is going through the mind of one of these miscreants as they pull into a gas station and neglect to pull into the far end of the pumps, thus forcing you to go around them, missing the pump they should have used because of the width of the turn you had to make due to the unnecessary size of their vehicle.

I got to experience this last night, and for the last time, I swear. The cocksucker in the drivers seat, naturally, was the only one riding in their 10 mpg vehicle. Great. They come out wearing nicely tailored garments undoubtedly made from linens skillfully crafted at the hands of a 7 year old working in a garage-turned-factory on the outskirts of Calcutta. I finished pumping gas and went inside to pay.

After waiting in line for about five minutes, the same shithead cuts in front of me in line. I responded with a booming voice that wasn’t quite a yell, but designed to be loud and imposing,”EXCUSE ME I WAS STANDING IN LINE FIRST,” then stepped in front of them. If the fucker would have said anything, I’d have been more than happy to give them a pipe wrench polish on their BFV as soon as I stepped out the door. Assholes.

When they’re not cutting me off, trying to hit me or doing something completely rude, my encounters with BFV’s and their owners tend to be benign. When gas is at $4/gallon, the economy is in the shitter, our illegal invasion is going terrible and the asshole in the BFV has a GOP election sticker on their bumper, I tend to get a little less friendly.

Most of the time when I see someone driving a BFV, I simply think,”Nice SUV. Sorry about your penis.”

As an aside, can anyone tell my why the fuck there are so many Impala’s on the road? I can’t drive for 5 minutes without seeing the ugly ass-end of one of these things staring me in the face.

Ingredient: 1 lb of Satisfaction

After running the most positive campaign I can recall, Barack Obama came out swinging in the GE. Now the crybaby pisspants Republicans are whining about it by calling him a hypocrite. Why? Because it’s “politics as usual” and “negative campaigning.”

Really? I haven’t seen any ad hominem by the Obama camp. I’ve seen some propagandistic comparisons to “Bush’s third term,” but nothing serious. In fact, almost every attack has to do with McCain’s stance on the issues and, by extension, calling his election Bush’s third term does a pretty good job at summing it up.

What the wingnuts are really saying is “you can’t attack us, period.” I can see why they’d adopt this attitude, considering how their shitty policies led us to an illegal war and an economic recession while letting companies run amok with little or no regulation and are thereby directly responsible for the fix we’re in.

They’re certainly not pulling any punches though. They’ve already called Obama a liar. Then there’s the internet trolls and his shameless speech last Tuesday, in which he criticized Obama’s proposals while repeatedly lying through his dentures. Ooh, a point-by-point with the transcript could be fun…

Ingredient: Republicans are fucking scary.

It seems the average Conservative is still excessively bad at making a case for… well, for anything, really. Take, for instance, your average dittohead troll:

It’s the same old spill from liberal bloggers. They are blinded to the facts. Obama is not a reliable candidate. He has not even finished his term at present. Do you think if there were a higher office he would quit the presidency to run for it? There is not a higher office in America. Maybe they do agree with his voting record, as short as it is. To associate MCcain with the klan is completely ignorant on their behalf. His record shows bipartisan efforts. Obama’s does not. McCain’s past shows strong leadership and reform. Obama’s does not. Of course it does not matter to the leftist. They will continue to attack based on their biased,bigotted forum.

This is an excellent example of what I’m referring to. The have a penchant for making broad-based, absolute statements. They state them as if they were set in stone, factual and unchanging. What’s terrifying about it is that they never question themselves. They say what, but they never, ever, ever say why. “They are blinded to the facts.” How? “Obama is not a reliable candidate. He has not even finished his term at present.” Why does that make him unreliable? “Do you think if there were a higher office he would quit the presidency to run for it?” Moot question, implications appeal to ones ignorance rather than their reason. “There is not a higher office in America.” No shit? Was this written by a fourth grader? There is one higher office you Cons recognize: CEO. “Maybe they do agree with his voting record, as short as it is.” Who agrees? Are you talking about this voting record? John McCain has his share of No Votes too, buddy.

The rest of it is just too goofy to mention. Obama, for instance, had a reputation for getting the other side involved at the state level. McCain, if you read the news, has turned out to be a political wind vane. Whichever way the wind is blowing, especially around an election, John McCain is sure to follow.

This, I think, is why I want to be an educator, especially at the college level. Maybe, just maybe I can lead someone to reason before they become assimilated. At the very least, it would be a victory to get someone to reason with themselves to at least express why they think that way, instead of just presenting their opinion to the world. Saying why you think someone is a communist is worth far more than simply stating that you think they’re a communist. Better still is to logically demonstrate how your reasons are valid. Not a single one of the conservative dipshits who’ve left comments on my blog have done this, but I’d shake the hand of one who finally does.

The sad thing is, this comment was one of the better ones! Blows ol’ Vonster right out of the water. Sure, it reads like it was written by a third grader, but at least the person was trying.

I learned something today: my math skills have severely diminished. To be fair, It’s been 10 years since I completed a math class, and at least 7 years since I’ve taken one (and dropped it, as previously mentioned). I figured I could pick up where I left off and run with it.  Hell, all it is is moving around numbers to simplify or balance an equation, how hard could it be?

So today, I was scheduled to take a math placement test at ICC. I had a calculator and some scratch paper, and had perused my old notes and taken some new ones in preparation. No serious studying, just a quick refresher.

Question #1:

“Oh, hey, I remember this! That’s the property of… SHIT!”

Okay, bad start, but I squeeze out a passable answer.

Question #7:

“The answer…. is C?”

Alright, I’m still in this. This isn’t as bad as I thought.

Question #8:

“Okay, I recognize this formula! It’s… it’s… sonuvabitch!!”

The results were ugly. I actually got bumped back a level!

Math isn’t hard. At least not until you have to deal with theories and advanced concepts. There’s not much understanding involved, really. Everything has a principle, every operation has a function, everything has a method and a formula. It’s orderly–follow the steps and everything will be alright. If only I remembered the fucking things.

So now I have at least two more classes to add to my list: the one I ought to be taking and the one I’m stuck with instead. Dammit.

From the Peoria Pundit:

Opinion: 21st century slavery in the United States

Glenn Beck can be a real doofus at times, but he is right on the money on the issue of illegal immigration:

The unspoken truth is that these businesses don’t hire illegal aliens because they can’t find American workers, they hire illegal aliens because they don’t want American workers. And it has nothing to do with wages.

Illegal aliens mean no workers’ comp claims, no age, race or sex discrimination lawsuits, no healthcare premiums, no unions, and no demands for raises, vacations or bigger offices. In fact, illegal immigrants are the perfect employees because they’re not employees at all; they’re corporate slaves.

Economist Dr. Thomas Sowell once said, “Blacks were not enslaved because they were black, but because they were available.” Can’t the exact same thing be said for illegal aliens? They’re available and we’re allowing them to be exploited in the name of cheap groceries.

Is the price of fruit really the standard we want to live up to as a country? Is that really who we’ve become?

I’m all for legal immigration. And I’m all in favor of increasing the amount of legal immigration, and making it easier.

But what we’ve allowed to happen here is an environment where good jobs are beign sent elsewhere by companies like our very own Caterpillar Inc., while low-paying jobs that can’t be exported are being taken over by the 21st century’s version of slave labor.

This cannot continue.

Usually I have nothing to say about Bill’s politics. I either agree with them, am neutral on the topic, or disagree, but not strongly enough to bother with it. Today falls under the latter category, but I do have a few things to say about the reasoning of the guy in the quoted snippet.

I disagree with the premise. The guy says “it has nothing to do with wages,” yet lists “no demands for raises” as a reason. It can’t be both. That’s what it comes down to: wages and healthcare. The rest is filler. I also think they’re missing something the corporations have in their favor: the leverage of non-citizenship. Unions? Lawsuits? Honestly, who are these people going to complain to without being deported?

I also think the notion that American workers are an unbearable burden to these companies is bogus. Sure, workers are both a liability and an asset. That’s the nature of employment. The problems listed here are not so frequent or excessive as to warrant this type of behavior from companies. I’ve worked at the same company for over two years and have not heard of a single instance where any of these was an issue, yet the company has nearly 2000 employees. The way the guy in the quoted article makes it sound, American employees are nothing but opportunists looking to make an easy million at a company’s expense, and if that’s the case, how do any companies who employ Americans remain in business?

I think the conclusion hits closer to the mark with its description of the kind of opportunism that leads to so-called corporate slavery. The thing is, certain individuals (read: wingnuts) tend to be mad at the wrong people for causing this. Illegal immigrants may be breaking our laws by being here without documentation, but it’s the corporations who are hiring them or shipping jobs overseas.

This begs the question: are illegal immigrants hurting us by being here, or are companies hurting us more by hiring them instead of Americans?

Yeah, I don’t disagree with the guy’s conclusion, but his reasons for getting there could use some work.

Ingredient: Frustration

People who don’t understand what a web browser is and need to be told which cord is the power cord shouldn’t own a computer, let alone work on one. I waste at least one hour of every day dealing with some idiot who is incapable of grasping basic user operations on a PC, yet still got hired to work from home. Sometimes there are multiple idiots who take large portions of my time, but every day there’s at least one who should quit their job and sell their PC, then apply for welfare. I don’t mind paying the taxes to keep people like this from unnecessarily raising my blood pressure.

Ingredient: Patronization

Have you ever had to put up with someone who thought they were the shit, then deal with it by simply tolerating their presence and occasionally humoring them in their delusions, but are flatly unimpressed overall? At what point do you shatter their illusions by pointing out they’re not all that important?

Ingredient: Chagrin

The Huffington Post and other news sources are finally talking about what I’ve been bitching about since at least March. The right wing is involved in yet another vast right-wing conspiracy. Every conservative I’ve met who admits listening to Rush Limbaugh gives the same stock answer. It consists of several parts:

1) Acknowledgement: “Yes, I listen to him…” There’s no point denying the obvious. If you identify yourself as a conservative, chances are, you listen to Rush Limbaugh.

2) Downplay: “…every once in awhile…” They’re saying “look, I may listen to him but it’s not that big of a deal.” Here they try making it seem like he’s not their main/sole source of news. C’mon, there’s also Faux News and conservative bloggers!

3) Street Cred: “…but I don’t agree with everything he says.” In other words, “I arrive at my own conclusions.” An attempt at making themselves seem like independent-minded free thinkers, like Rush tells them they are. This is probably because they’re often accused of not thinking, and simply downloading their opinion directly into their brains from whatever the mouth on the radio says.

Of course, we know this is all bullshit. They’re nothing but mindless, brainwashed hacks. This becomes especially obvious when they start pledging their allegiance to that butterball. “I’m a loyal soldier.” “It was an honor to follow your orders.” Read about it here. Don’t get me wrong–the rest of us knew this to be the case the whole time. It’s just funny that they’re finally admitting it so openly. Maybe I ought to write a book about it. “See, I Told You So” sounds like a good title, eh Rush?

The primary hijacking that has been going on has a name: Operation Chaos. Their goal is to get Clinton nominated as the Democratic candidate because they think she’ll be easier to defeat in the general election. Alternatively, they see themselves as benefiting by prolonging the primaries and letting the Dems tear themselves down, which is what has happened.

Rush Limbaugh has played his “poor me” fiddle when the rest of us condemned him for attempting to subvert democracy. But in truth, that’s what this is. What his little “Operation Chaos” amounts to is fraud. The result is the selling of the right’s dignity and honor, if they had any to begin with.

Ingredient: Observation

As soon as I saw that Clinton won Indiana by a whopping 2%, I knew she’d never leave. After reading the Dumbaugh article, I knew for certain why she won. It’s the same reason she won in Texas and Ohio by many estimates. Clinton knows this. The super-delegates know that people are voting for her for this reason, and have no intention of voting for her in the fall… yet still they sit on the bench, refusing to play. Pretty god damn sad if you ask me, especially since the circumstances are obvious: Republicans are scumbags, therefore Clinton remains in the race.

I also think that’s a real testament to the electability of Barack Obama. Even though these scumbag Republicans are coming out in droves to hijack the election and fix the results, Clinton is STILL losing.

Superdelegates, get your shit in gear or fuck off to the world of political irrelevancy along with John Edwards.

You read that correctly.

I’ve had a hell of a clog in the drain in my kitchen sink. I’ve tried scraping, plunging and draino-ing this thing out, but it’s just not happening. I mentioned this to a co-worker who immediately suggested I take it to the next level.

Sulfuric acid is what he recommended, having used it once in his own house. He said I would have to be careful with it, and to try not to use it on a full sink of water… something to do with sizzling and splashing acid, I don’t recall.

I stopped by ACE Hardware on my way home from work. Lincoln actually has a gigantic ACE in town. It’s easily the size of three Walgreens put together, maybe larger. Off in the distance, I see what I’m looking for.

Apparently this stuff is so toxic and so erosive that selling it in a plastic bottle isn’t enough. They take it a step further by loosely sealing a plastic bag around it.

I got home and prepared myself: protective eye goggles, rubber gloves with plastic garbage liners over my arms, and a big, ratty towel covering my face and tied behind my head. I was ready to do business.

The process itself was fairly straightforward. Wear protective gear, open bottle, pour, cover drain with pot or bucket. Let sit for 4 minutes, then rinse with water for 2-3 minutes. Open a window. Done deal.

What it didn’t mention was the sink backing up in a watery-sludgy-sulfury cocktail while this stuff did it’s magic. My co-worker forgot to mention the overwhelming stench that comes with it. The air was heavy with sulfuric odors when I realized something: the storm windows were still on.

OH SHIT! Being a new homeowner unfamiliar with the various aging parts of my house, I kept looking for a way to open the damn things. Then I got a got a bright idea.

I ran out to the garage and grabbed a screwdriver from my toolbox. I came back and proceeded to take the whole damn window off the front of the house so I could figure out how it opened. Halfway through this embarrassing endeavor, the mother-in-law shows up with the boy. I fetch him, and put him in a stroller on the front porch while I carry on with my absurd little mission.

Aha! There was a small set of switches near the bottoms of the windows. Time to put them back on and start clearing the air.

Meanwhile, odor was pouring out of the hole where my window once was. Behind it lay the sink full of bubbling, backed-up stinkwater. I started to put the window back in place, screens-ready, only to find that the bastard won’t fit! By now, the boy is getting impatient and rocking back and forth while making “hurry the hell up” noises. After a few adjustments, I was able to slide the stubborn window back into it’s slot and hurry inside to open the rest of the windows in the house… and turn on every fan… and refill my fan-powered Glade Plug-Ins.

So here we are, an hour later. The only room in the house that doesn’t smell like a chicken with leprosy took a shit in it is my basement office, whose door was fortunately closed the entire time.

Anyone out there know a quicker way of getting the smell of sulfur out of a house, or at least something powerful enough to mask it?  My wife is going to be thrilled when she comes home from work.  Help prevent serious domestic abuse by bailing my ass out on this one!

Tearch, if you read this, I think I’ve caught whatever you’ve got.

Peoria is a cosmic, gravitational nexus of incompetence on the road.

This morning on my way to work, I was following my usual route making good time. In accordance with Murphy’s law, I ended up behind two semis. The one in front of me was carrying a tractor and two, big-ass tires on a flatbed. For the speed he was going, he definitely should have been in the right-hand lane instead of pacing along blocking traffic. The second was carrying something else, don’t remember what, but was considerably smaller. He was in the right-hand lane.

We’re cruising down I-74 Westbound coming up on the Pinecrest Drive exit. I’m muttering curses under my breath over having to be stuck behind this dumbass when all of a sudden… BOOM! The next thing I know, I’m dodging all kinds of shit flying through the air and bouncing off the road spraying my car with shattered debris. The sonofabitch truck I was just grumbling about apparently mis-measured his load and hit the overpass. *slaps forehead*

So I’m braking and swerving, and about a half a mile up the road we all pull over. I stay in my car to call into work to tell them what happened and let them know I’ll be late. The guy in the smaller truck was in front of me, and in front of him, Mr. Dumbass was inspecting his cargo. To hell with the rest of us, he had to verify his stupidity (or, to be fair, the stupidity of whoever told him his load met regulations.

The guy in the smaller truck went to make sure he had a cell phone to call it in. Instead, he says he’s going to take off. Smaller-Truck relayed this to me (as I had finally emerged from my car at this point) after asking if I was alright. Dumbass leaves. Small leaves.

With an inflamed sense of “fuck that” I get into my car and merge back into traffic once I get an opening. I call the police, give them my work number and a description of the truck and the location of the incident. “Did you get the license plate number?” No. I was too busy dodging pieces of farm equipment. “Did you get the color?” No, I was behind it, dodging pieces of FARM EQUIPMENT. Really though, the dispatchers were helpful and to-the-point, so I’ve got no complaints with them. My chagrin is directed at Mr. D.

After talking with the police, I resume my normal route to work. The light at the next intersection turns yellow. Again, according to Murphy’s Law, I’m nowhere near close enough to make it, so I put on my brakes. Then, according to Peoria’s Law, the bastard riding my ass (I’m no slow driver, by the way) slams on his brakes, damn near rear-ends me, pulls around me to the right–into a turn lane–then proceeds to run the red light I was stopped at. What are the freakin’ odds?

I haven’t had a chance to survey whatever damage the car might have incurred in today’s roadway shitfest, but I’m planning on looking it over once I get a smoke break. Good thing my insurance is paid.

Consistently, I see polls that show smart people supporting Obama and, well, not stupid people, but less educated ones supporting Clinton. To wit:

Clinton continues to lead among women, whites, voters older than 45 and those without college degrees. Obama leads among men, blacks, voters with college degrees and those under 45.

Old. White. Feminists. That’s where Clinton leads. Just priceless.

After beginning to read through Obama’s book “Dreams From My Father,” I’ve really begun to put a more human face on the superstar Senator. This book makes him more knowable and I highly recommend it so far. Up to this point it has talked about race, but it isn’t preachy or guilt-ridden like some other books I’ve read.

The reason I’ve decided to blog is to address, yet again, the Clintonian brand of hypocrisy that causes me to wonder why anyone can take her seriously.

Earlier this month I went on about how Hillary remarked that this is one of the most positive campaigns she’s ever participated in. When I see that, I see head games being played with the rest of us. Not merely “do one thing and say another,” but acting as if what you say is more real than what you’ve actually done. It is very reminiscent of what we’ve seen during the Bush administration. Bush claiming the economy is great and working how it’s supposed to, yet people are losing their homes left and right while individuals and businesses with flawless credit are being flatly denied for loans they’re fully capable of repaying. Among others, far too many for me to list here while keeping on-topic.

Part of what I’ve seen from the Clinton camp has been a kind of immaturity. Thinking back to my childhood, I remember how all the petty arguments between playmates seemed to go. “You’re stupid!” “Nuh uh! You’re stupid!!” “Nuh uh!! You are!!!” One thing I’ve observed on several occasions is the Clinton campaign pulling a “Nuh uh! You are!”

Take, for instance, the blatant refusal of Hillary Clinton to distance herself from Geraldine Ferraro after her racially charged comments concerning Senator Obama. Her denunciation of those remarks was lukewarm at best. She didn’t ask Ferraro to leave, at least publicly, and only mildly criticized statements that required a strong, decisive response.

Then, through some super-human act of contortion, Ferraro turned it around to claim that the entire fiasco–over statements she made–was somehow the fault of Barack Obama. Somehow, drawing anger from people for suggesting that the only reason Obama is where he is is because he’s black means that people are being racist towards you because you’re white? How does that even make sense? How, in any way, could this be blamed on Obama?

The response from the Clinton campaign? Silence.  I wouldn’t characterize the Clintons as racists, but it’s pretty shameful that they’re still willing to exploit the issue for power.

For the tepid reaction, prominent figures from around the country made their disdain heard. Keith Olbermann and many others accused Hillary of campaigning against Obama by acting as if he were the Democrat, and she were the Republican.

What did the Clinton campaign have to say about this? “Nuh uh, he is!” It was perhaps a week ago when I saw this claim by Clinton’s campaign manager. Do they just copy what the other side says every time they want to make a comeback?

It gets me every time how Clinton gets all high and mighty over the matter of ethics. On the matter of such she says she’s been fully vetted, thus making “vetted” the latest buzzword amongst the news crowd. Because she has been fully vetted, it is argued, she is the most electable candidate. The overtones are obvious in this one: Barack Obama hasn’t been looked into like I have, and therefore has undisclosed baggage of the ethical variety.

Is that so? Senator Obama has released his tax returns and openly addressed controversies surrounding his dealings with Tony Rezko, who is under investigation for corruption charges, as well as the controversial statements of his pastor. As a response to the claim that he hasn’t been given the rubber glove treatment by the media, the Obama camp demanded that Clinton release records of her tax returns as well as a list of financiers for the Clinton library. For this, Obama is compared to Ken Starr–a name reviled by numerous Democrats–special prosecutor whose report eventually led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

So she hasn’t been fully vetted after all. Looks like she does, in fact, have something to hide. One can only wonder how much they cook the books for her tax returns and list of donors to her husbands library before finally releasing them.

The troubling part is not that she has something to hide–the Clintons have been hiding crap for years, we expect that. It’s the sheer hypocrisy of it all. How dare Barack Obama question Hillary Clinton’s integrity, yet she does the same thing by suggesting he’s got enough skeletons in his closet to cost him the general election? Then goes on record perpetuating myths against him with statements like “(he’s not a Muslim) as far as I know” yet expects us to buy her victim facade as her campaign releases unflattering photos and digs up dirt wherever they can get it, all while claiming that the media has given him a free pass?

Where does the madness end? Does anybody really buy this shit? Oh, that’s right, she’s attracted the uneducated majority. No wonder they keep falling for it. I guess I’ve answered my own question.

I don’t get what’s so terribly offensive about Wright’s sermons. I don’t agree with all of it, but I can at least see where he’s coming from.

Browsing the news articles today, I found a wealth of ignorance left by commentors on the articles. I couldn’t help but think,”Oh look, white Republicans ganging up on a black Democrat because his pastor–not he, but his pastor made comments that reflect ugly truths and perceptions of white Americans, things you white Republicans aren’t comfortable acknowledging about yourselves. Then, without even willing to look at why you’re being criticized (since understanding is a catalyst for resolution), you simply make a judgment about a man based on comments FROM HIS PASTOR. His pastor, who you’re labeling a bigot while refusing to accept a shred of responsibility for the things he’s angry about.” Who’s the hypocrite again?

What gets me about it is that these are comments from people–and you can tell by their arguments–who wouldn’t have voted for Obama anyway. It’s made by people who are looking at this as a way to justify their already-racist attitudes. Is race involved in this election? Hell yes it is. When you read the tripe these people regurgitate, it becomes quite obvious.

A good percentage of them were only regurgitating what they heard on Limbaugh. I caught part of his racist diatribe during lunch and hit the refresh button on one of these stories, only to see it filled with comments that weren’t merely inspired by Limbaugh’s statements, but were directly plagiarized, at times word-for-word! Republicans are such sheep.

Anyway, I don’t think the pastor believes that white people are the root of all evil. In fact, nowhere did I see him even suggest that. But from a black perspective race is important, especially–especially–considering this country’s history. I think we can all agree that there are issues within the black community that can’t be fixed by any amount of reparations or actions by whites, things that need to be dealt with from within, but that doesn’t mean we’re off the hook. People ought to take this into consideration when weighing the Pastor’s statements.

In addition to that, I can’t find any fault with what he said. That Hillary had it easier than Barack? He makes a good case for it. Is the idea that maybe we were responsible for 9/11, maybe even had it coming, so outlandish? Tell that to the 9/11 Commission, the Iraq Study Group, numerous political scientists and foreign policy specialists. Tell it to the intelligence community. Tell it to the people of the Middle East. Tell it to Palestinians.

The blowback phenomenon works almost like a law of physics: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” When we grant Israel a license to do whatever it damn well pleases while we turn a blind eye to their crimes against humanity, we would be reasonable to assume there would be consequences. When we attack foreign countries based on lies while arming their enemies, it would be reasonable to think that there would be resentment. When we allow our corporations to run amok in these areas, it is reasonable to believe that we may be viewed in a negative light. It is not only reasonable, but absolutely necessary to assume that when we employ an unjust foreign policy towards a region, their people will hate us. It is insane to ignore the fact that every person killed as a result of our policies has friends and relatives who wish to avenge them.

It is reasonable, my friends, to draw a line connecting our actions in the Middle East and the attacks of 9/11 as a direct repercussion. The attacks were evil, but they were not random, and they were not unprovoked. No, I don’t find anything wrong with the Pastor’s thinking.

Now we’ve got the Conserfascists demanding that Obama outlines which parts he does agree with (copying this line from Limbaugh, like everything else they think), rather than simply saying he doesn’t agree with certain parts. Apparently, to a conservative, this is an Ace-in-the-Hole argument, even though it’s not an argument. They reason that even though he may not agree with certain statements, he’s been listening to 20 years worth of these sermons, so he must agree with some of what he says (never failing to add foreboding finger-pointing Republican emphasis).

The truth is, like I said before, these people weren’t voting Obama anyway. They’re happily going to vote for whatever bum the Republicans squeeze out of their dookie-holes. In this case, John McCain is the turd they’re willing to sniff for the next 4-8 years. I, however, smell another foulness on the air. You see, most of the time, Republicans don’t even give a shit about the Democratic candidate until one has been chosen. This year, however, they’re all over it. If you ask me, I think it’s part of their little fraudulent conspiracy to put Hillary Clinton on the ballot. Scumbags.

Originally Posted on January 10th, 2008:

Driving like an idiot: it plays in Peoria.

I’m a commuter. I don’t live in Peoria proper, or even the Peoria area. Up until a few months ago, I had lived there all my life. However, I still work in the city which means a lengthy drive in the morning and another in the evening.

Being a lifelong Peorian, I’m more than familiar with the bad driving that plagues the area; from those who attempt to change lanes in a space you’re currently occupying, to those who pace each other across four lanes at 40 mph on the highway. I know you coast through stop signs, Peoria. You forget to turn off your brights on busy streets, wait almost until the light turns yellow before pressing on the gas at an intersection and religiously cut people off. Every time you turn or change lanes without using a turn signal, I notice and mutter profanities under my breath.

Even worse, O Peoria drivers, is when you look shocked and dismayed that I’ve honked my horn to alert you that you’re about to plow into me. It never fails to amaze me when you back out of a side-street onto a 40 mph road with oncoming traffic, then thank my life-saving quick reflexes with a grateful middle finger.

The town I’ve moved to has another problem entirely: slow drivers. Slow on the main roads at least. They tend to floor it once they get to my street. That aside, I’ve noticed that most bad driving I’ve come across seems to correlate with my proximity to good ol’ P-town. It never fails. The closer I get, the worse driving becomes. Much of it is dumb stuff, such as hogging the left lane while pacing with a Semi, or gabbing on your phone and generally being a nuisance. It’s not just the congestion either–that’s just a reason for slow drivers to make the rest of us suffer.

Even the police are a part of the act. I remember traffic coming to an abrupt halt, the jerkass behind me almost plowing into me at full speed before going off the side of the road and driving on the shoulder so he could get in front of the truck that was in front of me (all while talking on his cell phone). Honks were exchanged. Hands waved frantically. And this is what I saw. One can only wonder why a cop would be parked, on a curve, right in the middle of the 155/74 interchange, lights flashing, taking his sweet time sitting there doing… nothing at all. Nevermind the near pileup of vehicles. Forget that traffic was crawling by at 4 mph. He had some intimidating to do.

Part of me wonders whether or not these people are actually to blame. I ponder whetherPeoria is just some sort of cosmic gravitational nexus of incompetence and it’s energies of absent-minded stupidity flows through all who dare to enter. Sure couldn’t tell by reading the news.