I’m with Wulfgar! This response by Keith Olbermann to Ted Koppel’s editorial in the Washington Post needs to be seen by as many people as possible:
Monthly Archives: November 2010
The Pinwheel of Death
Yep. I’m seeing it way too often. My fellow MacLovers know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s the Apple version of the hourglass, the watch, the “Hang on, I’m thinking” icon on your computer screen. And I’m seeing it.
A lot.
My MacBook is over 5 years old and it’s been living on borrowed time for a while now. On Monday it took me over an hour to post something on Facebook, and responding to comments? Forget it.
So, I’m biting the bullet. Despite the pinwheel, I love my Mac more than any other computer I’ve ever used. So I bought a new MacBook and it’s on it’s way to my door right now. But in the meantime, life may be a little slow here. Mostly because I’ll be eating mac and cheese out of the blue box for a while….
This Socialism Thing Has Got To Go
This originally appeared on Facebook and was written by my friend and Carroll College classmate, Joey Laythe in answer to the question “If America is going Socialist and Socialism is bad–then what is the solution?” Brilliant.
My Cure To End Socialism by Joseph Laythe, Ph.D
If we truly want to go to a “free-market” economy and do away with government interference, we will have to do the following:
- End FDIC and pray our banks don’t collapse as they did by the thousands during the Great Depression. In 1932 alone, over 2000 banks closed their doors and, in doing so, closed off access to their depositors $1.7 bill in assets. Bankers will do what’s in the interest of the consumer? Maybe we should be smart and keep our money in our mattresses.
- End FDA and pray that our local butcher can handle the new traffic. Please re-read Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle for more about the horrors of the meat packing industry. Food manufacturers should be focusing on profit not on government regulations. Maybe some of us like fingers and rat tails and feces in our meat.
- End the EPA and re-start the polluting of the environment with industrial waste, by-products and toxins. Corporations should be free to do with their goods as they damn well please.
- End the era of a mandatory Minimum Wage. If a worker wants better pay, let them find another job. We need to compete with Malaysia.
- End U.S. Postal Service. Let UPS and Fed Ex do the work, we can afford that. Who cares about security and privacy—we want it privatized. I resent the fact that a uniformed representative of the federal government comes to my door anyway— now that’s intrusiveness.
- Let the Federal Interstate system go private. Only wealthy tourists and corporations are using it anyway. Make it one giant corporate toll-road system.
- End Anti-Trust Laws. If corporations want to use their leverage against the American consumer, so be it. We can always boycott items. And what’s so wrong with a monopoly—isn’t that the point of capitalism—make more money than the other guy and drive him out of competition?
- End safety regulations. If I want to drive without my seat belt and I have an accident and my body flies around in the car and kills other people safely strapped inside, maybe they should have thought twice before getting in the car with me. Oh, and car seats for kids—overrated.
- End universal health care. Who gives a rat’s ass about the schmuck in East St. Louis who can’t afford preventive health care even though he’s worked hard his entire life. Maybe if he had been born into a middle class family, he’d be better off. Get born under better circumstances, dude. Let the hospitals and health care companies take care of our pocket books like they are supposed to.
- End federal college loans. After all, the only folks worthy of a college education are those whose parents make enough money to send them off on their own. Federal loans simply enable smart kids to get smarter—and we need to stop enabling people.
…and this FEMA thing has to go…let the folks move to higher ground.
And for even more irony, read this.
Letter From A Catholic Mother
Compelling stuff from The Daily Dish- how the spirit of Christianity lives outside the institution.
In Other Crazy Church News
An Irish priest is banned by the Vatican from publishing any more of his writings after he suggested homosexuality is “simply a facet of the human condition”. Which it is.
“The truth will set you free.”
Hopefully soon.
Outta Town
I’ll be at the Rock Creek Lodge in Red Lodge (not this one) for the MT Community Planning Group (CPG) meeting through Saturday. So, things may be slow here.
Peace.
A Renaissance of Outrage
In light of the recent “Conservative Revival” in our political/social/religious environment, I celebrated by watching the movie Outrage. An amazingly interesting movie about the shame that rules the gays in politics- and in Washington D.C. The amount of personal shame and fear that being gay arouses among politicians is tragic and fascinating at the same time. I recommend it as a cathartic way of dealing with the current reality.
What makes a self-loathing homosexual/bisexual etc. person work so hard to persecute their fellows? Fear. Fear of losing power, status, dignity and self-worth. All of which are illusory anyway, since, for those still in the closet, they’re based on a lie. And lies aren’t good for anybody in the long run. Truth is a universally held value, especially if you’re a believing Christian. Ironic that the people who most vehemently espouse the teachings of the man who said “The truth will set you free” shrink just as vehemently from it….
Ironic and sad. Which is why I have no problem with outing people who actively persecute us- they’re secret cannibals. And I will be watching several people in politics whom I know are conservative and gay- and not out. Watching carefully. And holding them accountable. I think we have to. This is the time for all fair-minded people to pay attention and not let anyone get away with lies. We can’t afford to.
On of the more interesting comments in Outrage was that “Washington would grind to a halt without it’s gay people”. Interesting idea.
Strike anyone?
Teenage Dream
Great.
Besides being the song that I can’t get out of my head for hours when I hear it, it’s going to be even harder now:
And I sacrificed my “No Glee Until I Can See Them All In Order” rule to do this. Why the rule? I don’t like to miss anything (I always go to the bathroom before a movie and couldn’t imagine leaving a show in progress- unless Liza was outside asking for me). Also, I had group when it premiered (and no DVR) so I’ll do what I always do- live vicariously through The Ken- who lets me know that I’m still missing something worth seeing without giving anything away, and then I’ll watch them all on DVD.
I know. But it works for me….
In Case You Missed It
Last week on The Bilerico Project, there were a lot of excellent posts (including this one).
Make sure and check it out.
Daily.
So Long, Pal
You may have heard by now that Left In The West is closing up shop. Both Jay Stevens and Matt Singer are doing what naturally happens to self-reflective human beings: moving on.
I’m grateful to both of them- Left In The West promoted my writing (and this blog), and frankly, helped cinch my job with Bilerico. I always tried to return the favor- it’s good to have allies, even those with whom you don’t always completely agree.
Actually, especially then.
They’re not leaving us in the lurch, however. I’ll go out on a limb and say they promoted many of us who will be holding the torch they have so generously stoked. And there’ll be a lot of hands holding it proudly high (see Montana Peeps sidebar).
Thanks, guys. God speed.
From Eternity To Here 