Saturday, February 9, 2008

Fat Nazi's Fatheaded Bill and Its Fatheaded Opponents

Pedaling away on an elliptical at the local gym, a.k.a. 'fitness center', flipping through channels on the little TV stuck to the top of the machine, I came across a report on one really angrifying bill Mississippi representative John Read stuck out there. Apparently, he was trying to pass a bill which would ban fat people from restaurants/ban restaurants from serving fat people.

WHOA, major CREEPY controlling paternal government alert. Read states that he didn't mean for the bill to actually become a law (sure you didn't, buddy) but merely put the bill forward to bring more attention to Mississippi's large population of morbidly obese people. Even more angrifying still, the news anchor interviewed an opponent of the bill, a woman with a truly bizarre pair of glasses who I think the anchor introduced as the author of "Fatso". I assume that's a book, and I assume that means something to somebody out there, although I didn't recognize the title.

So, of course, she was against the bill, like any reasonable person would be, etc, etc....but wait, WHAT exactly is she spewing out as reasons why the bill is morally wrong?

"This is a hateful act against fat people," Author With Bizarre Glasses states, "fuelled by Read's personal prejudice" (Well, that's the gist of what she said, I didn't memorize her speech) She continues, stating that, "It's wrong to think we should all look the same....we should teach people to celebrate weight diversity"

Um, no. We shouldn't. I really don't think people should be celebrated for throwing all self control aside and gorging until they weigh 400 lbs and require constant medical attention to be kept alive, nor do I think we should celebrate those on the other end of the 'weight diversity' spectrum, those attempting to starve themselves down to 50 lbs that require constant medical attention to be kept alive. And my God, Author With Bizarre Glasses, way to miss the entire point. Perhaps we should oppose this bill because the government has absolutely no business controlling people's lives like this? Because this authoritarian bill walks right over some basic concepts of personal freedom? Because this is America, and here we can get fat if we damn well please, and the many of us that are already fat have the right to stay fat and eat wherever they damn well please? And, Mr. Read, when you say you are only pushing the bill for the sake of people's health, I can't help but remember that someone once told me that there is a famous quotation out there stating that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Mr. Read has also given me the vague desire to wear a fat suit while standing outside a restaurant, shoving fries defiantly into my mouth. More like the desire to pay someone else to do that. You get the point. I would also be pleased in someone could go out and find me an actual conservative in our system, one who opposes intrusive government, unlike most politicians you run across nowadays. Arg.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

The Candidates: What? What Is Happening Here?

So, apparently, we've got four main persons now in the presidential running; Obama, Clinton, McCain and Romney. Though the adults may not realize it, those of us unable to vote still do a lot of hypothetical caucusing and hypothetical voting and hypothetical deciding over candidates, or at least we used to. Although politics rarely comes up in conversations in high school, I've found that if I ever do approach the subject somebody is bound to get all worked up about it. Enter a 6th period study hall from last semester, wherein myself and about four other people are sitting in front of half finished homework, admiring someone's tiny gold case of bad-smelling French lip balm, when some how Senator Obama came into our musings on the smelly waxy stuff:

Ranting Kid: Ugh. None of the candidates are good. Except for kinda maybe Paul. Except for the weird gold standard thing.

Other Girl: Nuh-uh! Obama's good!

RK: What about him is good?

OG: He's cool!

RK: ...Why?

OG: Cause he is!

RK : ...No, he's not.

OG (now very irate): YES, he is!

Not a very intelligent conversation, but it basically sums up my thoughts about Obama - What the heck is this guy planning and why do people like him? I've been able to glean he wants change, and has a large base of young supporters, but...but...what the heck is this guy planning? This video seems to represent most of Obama's campaign, and that is a bit disturbing. Okay, you want change. Look, mister, we all would like change. But what changes are you pushing for? HOW are you planning to bring these changes about? Why should I think you will be better at fixing these problems than anyone else running? How? Why? What? What is happening here?

Also, that video bugs me because most of the people in it are celebrities (I think...the only two people I recognized in there were Obama himself and will.i.am, and even then only because of his association with the now disbanded Black Eyed Peas) and frankly I can't see how the fact that Famous Person is voting for you will give your actual policies, which one already has to wade through a bunch of meaningless speeches to get to, any stronger/better.

As for the other candidates, there doesn't seem to be to much choice among them...it's almost as if every which way you vote, you end up with a liberal focused on health care, climate change, and Iraq. The first issue is one worth looking at, and there's nothing wrong with reducing pollution, even though I doubt is will affect the climate, and damn are things screwy in the Mid East, but WHERE ARE MY CONSERVATIVES AND WHAT ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE? What about abortion, gay marriage, immigration, (yes, I know Clinton has said a few choice words about this topic) stem cells, all the topics that the present candidates seem to be putting by the wayside? Whenever these topics are brought up, the candidates spit out a generic liberal policy and move on, at least in my limited experience. Mother person, who is a bit more cynical than I, is convinced that all the candidates are working for a world in which a rich upper class with no attachment/loyalty to the United States rules over millions of oppressed (illegal) Mexican slaves, while the middle class dies out and the country withers away. Kinda. There's a bit of exaggeration in there somewhere.

As for myself? Huh. Can...can I get a new candidate over here, please?